From the Principal: 6/17/24

Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy Monday, and suddenly here we are at my final Gator Tales letter for the 2023-2024 school year! This has been another amazing year together as a Greenwood community, and while everyone always looks forward to some summer fun, it can be a little bittersweet to head out the door on the last day. Our goal is to make school a place that everyone loves coming to, and it takes all of us together to make that happen. I wish each and every one of you a wonderful summer break - for those “graduating” 4th grade families, I’ve enjoyed our time together! And for those families who will be returning to Greenwood in the fall - I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Incoming Kindergarten Screening

On Monday, June 17th our newest Gators will be visiting Greenwood for Kindergarten Screening. We can’t wait to meet them all! More details have been sent out separately to families who are registered for this.

Last Day of School for Grades 1-4

The last day of school for our Greenwood students in Grades 1-4 is Tuesday, June 18th, and is an early release day. Students will be dismissed at 11:55 am, and while we will not be serving lunch before dismissal, there will be an option for a grab-and-go lunch for those who sign up for one. See the next blurb for more details!

Grab & Go Lunches - Tuesday, June 18th

We sent this out to families last Thursday, but in case you missed it…

You must sign your child up if you want them to grab lunch on the last day of school - lunches will be prepared based on the number of responses and teachers will have a list of who is signed up. Since it’s the last day, it is important that we have accurate numbers to avoid wasted food.

Lunch Signup for Tuesday, June 18th - only if a school lunch is needed

This signup must be completed by noon on Monday, June 17th.

4th Grade Walk of Fame

On Tuesday, June 18th, we will hold our 4th Grade Walk of Fame starting at 11:50am. 4th graders will take their final (official) walk through the halls of the Greenwood School to the rousing cheers of their fellow Gators. 4th-grade families are asked to create a “cheer tunnel” outside the back door to greet the kids as they exit the building. It’s going to be exciting!

Report Cards

Report cards will be available online for families on June 18th after 2:45pm - you will receive an email with more information. Please let the office know if you have any problems accessing them.

Classroom Assignments

Over the couple of days (or in the case of Kindergarten, sometime this past week), teachers will be going into classrooms to meet students who will be moving into their grade level. (1st grade teachers will meet Kindergarten students, 2nd grade teachers will meet 1st grade students, etc.) This will be an opportunity for the kids to hear a little bit about what they can look forward to for the next school year and meet the teachers. As we have done for the past couple of years, we will be sending teacher assignments/class placement out to families mid-August. This allows us the flexibility to rebalance classrooms over the summer as we receive new enrollments and/or families move out of the district.

Staffing Update

Greenwood is not a place that sees a lot of change when it comes to our amazing staff, but we do have a “farewell” to share with you for the upcoming school year. Deb Lacey has been our incredible Greenwood interventionist since before I even arrived at Greenwood, and she has worked with countless students in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades in small groups to help with literacy and math support. When the next school year rolls around, she will be enjoying her well-deserved retirement. She will be greatly missed here at Greenwood!

Lost & Found - LAST CHANCE!!

Is your child missing a coat? A sweatshirt? Or maybe even three of them? Our Greenwood lost & found is once again overflowing with unclaimed clothing, and we really want to reunite as many items as possible with their rightful owners before the end of the school year. If you’d like to come and take a peek, please contact Ms. Paiva to arrange a time. We will have tables out back on the last day - once the students are gone, all remaining items will be donated.

Lunchroom Volunteers - One More Chance!

Last call for the 2023-2024 school year!! One more day of lunches!! Our lunchroom volunteers have been amazing resources for us this year - we can’t even begin to say how much their help has been appreciated!!

Do you have any free time between 12:00-1:10 pm on school days? Or 10:30-11:50 am on regular early release days? Looking for a way to help out at Greenwood? Then join us for our lunchroom volunteer opportunities! If you’d like to come in and help support students while they’re eating lunch, please see the linked Sign-Up Genius to select time slots through the END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. Single days, multiple days, one time slot, the whole lunch block…we welcome any and all helpers!

Lunchroom volunteers will help students with those tricky thermoses, hand out napkins and utensils, support students while they sort items into composting/food rescue/trash, and help clean tables at the end of each lunch. Oh, and the most important thing - bring smiles and laughter!

NOTE: You will need to have a CORI form completed before coming in for any lunch shifts - please contact Ms. Paiva about the process or to check if you have a current one on file

Greenwood School Social Media

We are on Facebook and Instagram, and one of my personal goals this year is to show off the fun we’re having throughout Greenwood! Check us out - @wpsgreenwood on both Instagram and Facebook!

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with questions.

Thank you for everything you do to support your children and their learning! Let’s have a great week!

Tiffany Back

From the Principal: 6/10/24

Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy Monday! This is the time of year when “special events” seem to happen more days than not at school. Classrooms are starting their “countdown” activities, the entire Greenwood community thoroughly enjoyed every last minute of Field Day, and our 4th graders ventured out to the Museum of Science and Duck Boat Tours for a special field trip. As you can see below, this week will be even busier (and still fun)!

Monday’s Greenwood All-School Meeting - Grade 1 Hosting

The June All-School Meeting hosted by 1st Grade will be on Monday, June 10th at 9:00am. Each grade level is responsible for sharing about a positive attribute that we want our Greenwood community to embrace and embody. We would like to invite 1st grade parents/guardians to attend if you are able to do so. (Seating will be up in the balcony.)

Grade 4 Moving On Celebration

There has been a LOT of planning going on behind the scenes, and it’s safe to say that everyone is ready for the Grade 4 Moving On Celebration on Tuesday, June 11th! The festivities begin at 9:30am, and we are thrilled to be able to invite all students and staff, along with invited 4th grade guests, to watch our Gators commemorate their time at Greenwood. 4th graders will also enjoy a picnic lunch, receive their yearbooks, and spend the afternoon doing some fun outside activities. It’s going to be a great day!

“Lifting Spirits” Equine Program

From 9:00-10:00 am on Thursday, June 13th, we will have some special visitors here at Greenwood School! Last fall, Mrs. Beardslee submitted and was awarded a WEF grant for “Lifting Spirits,” an organization that brings miniature therapy horses to different types of sites (including schools!) for visits.

Classes will rotate through to have a chance to visit with one of their horses. We’re very excited for this event!

Last Day of School for Kindergarten

The last day of school for our Greenwood Kindergarten students is Friday, June 14th and is an early release day for Kindergarten only. Kindergarten students will be dismissed at 11:55 am, and while we will not be serving lunch to our Kindergarteners, there will be an option for a grab & go lunch for those who sign up for one. (A survey will be sent out to Kindergarten families on Monday, June 10th.)

Please note: Wakefield Academy is not available for Kindergarten students on this day - all Kindergarten students must be picked up at dismissal.

DIBELS & iReady Reports

On Friday, June 14th we will be sending home paper copies of your child’s DIBELS and iReady reports in their folders. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about the information!

Lost & Found

Is your child missing a coat? A sweatshirt? Or maybe even three of them? Our Greenwood lost & found is once again overflowing with unclaimed clothing, and we really want to reunite as many items as possible with their rightful owners before the end of the school year. If you’d like to come and take a peek, please contact Ms. Paiva to arrange a time. Once school is out for the summer, all remaining items will be donated.

JiJi’s Summer of Math

This summer, we are excited to participate in Jiji’s Summer of Math! ST Math is a PreK-8 visual instructional program that leverages the brain’s innate spatial-temporal reasoning ability to solve mathematical problems. Many of our students love ST Math because it is a fun way to learn, and they love Jiji, the program’s penguin mascot, because Jiji helps them solve problems. As educators, we think

ST Math is great because it is based on neuroscience and can help change the way your student feels about math. The ST Math team created some resources for continued summer math learning; we are excited to share them with you - there are two options here to meet different needs and preferences

Our goal this summer is to have students keep learning math - whether that be by playing math games, continuing with ST Math, or both! The “unplugged” option has weekly games that can be played with just playing cards. Alternatively, students can opt to continue playing ST Math, with a goal of 75 minutes per week. Students can play ST Math fairly independently - whenever it works best for your schedule - and we’ve included helpful prompts as well as the phone number for ST Math’s support line! We hope you will pick one of the two options in the attached document for your student(s) this summer. They can return the tracker for either option to their teacher in the fall to earn a penguin prize!

Here is the information on both options in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. All necessary materials are linked in that document, and we’ll be sending home a hard copy as well. Have fun with it!

End of the Year Dates

I’m just going to keep including this and adding to it where necessary…here is a list of a few key dates for your June calendars:

● Monday, 6/10 - All-School Meeting, 1st Grade Hosting (9:00am)

● Tuesday, 6/11 - Grade 4 Moving On Ceremony (9:30am)

● Friday, 6/14 - Last day for Greenwood Kindergarten (11:55am dismissal for K only)

Grade 1 Field Trip

DIBELS and iReady reports sent home to families

● Monday, 6/17 - Greenwood Incoming Kindergarten Screening

● Tuesday, 6/18 - Last day for Greenwood 1st-4th Grades (11:55am dismissal)

Report Cards shared with families

Lunchroom Volunteers

Last call for the 2023-2024 school year!! Our lunchroom volunteers have been amazing resources for us this year - we can’t even begin to say how much their help has been appreciated!!

Do you have any free time between 12:00-1:10 pm on school days? Or 10:30-11:50 am on regular early release days? Looking for a way to help out at Greenwood? Then join us for our lunchroom volunteer opportunities! If you’d like to come in and help support students while they’re eating lunch, please see the linked Sign-Up Genius to select time slots through the END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. Single days, multiple days, one-time slot, the whole lunch block…we welcome any and all helpers!

Lunchroom volunteers will help students with those tricky thermoses, hand out napkins and utensils, support students while they sort items into composting/food rescue/trash, and help clean tables at the end of each lunch. Oh, and the most important thing - bring smiles and laughter! NOTE: You will need to have a CORI form completed before coming in for any lunch shifts - please contact Ms. Paiva about the process or to check if you have a current one on file

Greenwood School Social Media

We are on Facebook and Instagram, and one of my personal goals this year is to show off the fun we’re having throughout Greenwood! Check us out - @wpsgreenwood on both Instagram and Facebook!

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with questions.

Thank you for everything you do to support your children and their learning! Let’s have a great week!

Tiffany Back

From the Principal: 12/18/23

Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy Monday! With just five school days left until the December break, classrooms are swinging into super-high gear to wrap up lessons, units, and many other loose ends before we head out the door for a little time off. Of course, there will be some fun activities as well! My hope for all of our Greenwood community over the break is simply that everyone gets to spend time relaxing and doing things that make them happy. Let’s wrap up 2023 with a positive attitude and welcome 2024 with big smiles, full hearts, and open arms!

Greenwood Spirit Days

Just another reminder about our theme days for the entire Greenwood community!

Monday, 12/18 - Greenwood/Wakefield spirit day Tuesday, 12/19 - Hat Day Wednesday, 12/20 - Cozy Flannel Day Thursday, 12/21 - Winter Wonderland (all things winter themed) Friday, 12/22 - Pajama Day

Lost & Found

Come and check out all the missing items - they’ve been nicely laid out on tables in the hallway for easier viewing. Anything left in the lost & found when we head into December break will be donated.

Thinking Ahead - 2024 Return

Not that anyone would wish away the December break (especially before it has even started!), but I wanted to make sure everyone is up-to-date on when we will get back to the business of learning in the new year. Students and staff will return to school on Tuesday, January 2nd after the observed holiday on the 1st.

Lunchroom Volunteers

Thank you to all of the fantastically-dedicated volunteers who have been making lunchtime a little brighter! You are so greatly appreciated!!

Do you have any free time between 12:00-1:10 pm on school days? Or 10:30-11:50 am on regular early release days? Looking for a way to help out at Greenwood? Then join us for our lunchroom volunteer opportunities! If you’d like to come in and help support students while they’re eating lunch, please see the linked Sign-Up Genius to select time slots through the end of December. (I’ll be updating dates through January/February soon!) Single days, multiple days, one time slot, the whole lunch block…we welcome any and all helpers!

Lunchroom volunteers will help students with those tricky thermoses, hand out napkins and utensils, support students while they sort items into composting/food rescue/trash, and help clean tables at the end of each lunch. Oh, and the most important thing - bring smiles and laughter!

NOTE: You will need to have a CORI form completed before coming in for any lunch shifts - please contact Ms. Paiva about the process or to check if you have a current one on file

Greenwood School Social Media

We are on Facebook and Instagram, and one of my personal goals this year is to show off the fun we’re having throughout Greenwood! Check us out - @wpsgreenwood on both Instagram and Facebook!

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with questions.

Thank you for everything you do to support your children and their learning! Let’s have a great week!

Tiffany Back

From the Principal: 12/11/23

Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy Monday! Given how busy we are around here, you’d think my letter to you would be longer. But then again, everyone has enough on their plates these days without me adding to it! I hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing weekend - time to dive back in!

Greenwood Spirit Days

(No, not this week! I thought folks might appreciate a little advance notice in order to prepare.) Greenwood will be having some “theme days” for the week before December break. All students and staff are invited to participate! (And if you happen to be volunteering at all…just saying it might be festive to join the fun…!)

Monday, 12/18 - Greenwood/Wakefield spirit day

Tuesday, 12/19 - Hat Day

Wednesday, 12/20 - Cozy Flannel Day

Thursday, 12/21 - Winter Wonderland (all things winter themed)

Friday, 12/22 - Pajama Day

Lost & Found

Has your child’s jacket gone missing? Are you wondering where their sweatshirt has gotten itself to? We have QUITE a collection of items in the lost & found (the fluctuations in temperature haven’t helped -lots of sweatshirts and jackets left on the playground during recess). Feel free to drop by and check it out -let’s do some reuniting! Anything left in the lost & found when we head into December break will be donated.

MWRA Annual Poster & Writing Contest

Looking for a fun challenge? The Massachusetts Water Resource Authority’s School Program is pleased to announce their annual Poster and Writing Contests. These are two separate contests. Students in Gr. 3-8 may enter both contests but should NOT combine poster and writing into one entry.

POSTER CONTEST

Students are being asked to use their creative skills to create a poster about jobs at the MWRA. Posters will be judged in 4 categories: Gr. K-2, Gr. 3-5, Gr. 6-8, and Gr. 9-12.

WRITING CONTEST

Students are being asked to write an essay, story, or poem about jobs at the MWRA. Writing will be judged in 2 categories: Gr. 3-5 and Gr. 6-8.

All entries must be postmarked by Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Early entries are encouraged! Entries should be mailed to: MWRA School Program 2 Griffin Way Chelsea, MA 02150

All the necessary forms and information pertaining to the contests can be found here. Additional information can be found at www.mwra.com and follow the link to the School Program page.

Winners will be notified via email by mid-April 2024. All winners along with their teachers and families will be honored at an Awards Ceremony the morning of May 24, 2024 at the Deer Island Treatment Plant.

Lunchroom Volunteers

Thank you to all of the fantastically-dedicated volunteers who have been making lunchtime a little brighter! You are so greatly appreciated!!

Do you have any free time between 12:00-1:10pm on school days? Or 10:30-11:50am on regular early release days? Looking for a way to help out at Greenwood? Then join us for our lunchroom volunteer opportunities! If you’d like to come in and help support students while they’re eating lunch, please see the linked Sign-Up Genius to select time slots through the end of December. Single days, multiple days, one time slot, the whole lunch block…we welcome any and all helpers!

Lunchroom volunteers will help students with those tricky thermoses, hand out napkins and utensils, support students while they sort items into composting/food rescue/trash, and help clean tables at the end of each lunch. Oh, and the most important thing - bring smiles and laughter!

NOTE: You will need to have a CORI form completed before coming in for any lunch shifts - please contact Ms. Paiva about the process or to check if you have a current one on file

Greenwood School Social Media

We are on Facebook and Instagram, and one of my personal goals this year is to show off the fun we’re having throughout Greenwood! Check us out - @wpsgreenwood on both Instagram and Facebook!

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with questions.

Thank you for everything you do to support your children and their learning! Let’s have a great week!

Tiffany Back

From the Principal: 11/27/23

Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy Monday! I hope everyone enjoyed their time off - before we know it, we’ll be wrapping things up and heading into the December break! That being said, we have a lot of learning to do around Greenwood over the next four weeks. We’re excited to dive back into it!

School Picture Retakes - Wednesday, November 29th

O’Connor Studios will be at Greenwood this Wednesday to do individual picture retakes for students who were absent or would like a new photo taken. Please have your child bring their original photos with them to school on that day.

Reporting Absences

Part of our office routine each morning is reviewing classroom attendance and cross-checking the list of absent students with the daily phone calls to the Child Safety Line. That can be quite the task, and it becomes much more challenging when families do not call in that morning. Even if you have notified your child’s teacher, please leave a message at 781-245-6646 so that Ms. Paiva knows your child’s attendance status for that day. Thank you for your support in this!

Winter Weather & Outdoor Recess

Our goal here at Greenwood is to get the kids outside for recess as much as possible, even when the temperatures drop. Kids will be outdoors at long as the “feels like” temperature is above 20 degrees Fahrenheit, so please make sure students are dressed accordingly. And if any of your winter gear has already gone missing...please check the lost-and-found!

Lost & Found

Has your child’s jacket gone missing? Are you wondering where their sweatshirt has gotten itself to? We have QUITE a collection of items in the lost & found (the fluctuations in temperature haven’t helped - lots of sweatshirts and jackets left on the playground during recess). Feel free to drop by and check it out -let’s do some reuniting! Anything left in the lost & found when we head into December break will be donated.

Lunchroom Volunteers

Thank you to all of the fantastically dedicated volunteers who have been making lunchtime a little brighter! You are so greatly appreciated!!

Do you have any free time between 12:00-1:10 pm on school days? Or 10:30-11:50 am on regular early release days? Looking for a way to help out at Greenwood? Then join us for our lunchroom volunteer opportunities! If you’d like to come in and help support students while they’re eating lunch, please see the linked Sign-Up Genius to select time slots through the end of December. Single days, multiple days, one-time slot, the whole lunch block…we welcome any and all helpers!

Lunchroom volunteers will help students with those tricky thermoses, hand out napkins and utensils, support students while they sort items into composting/food rescue/trash, and help clean tables at the end of each lunch. Oh, and the most important thing - bring smiles and laughter!

NOTE: You will need to have a CORI form completed before coming in for any lunch shifts - please contact Ms. Paiva about the process or to check if you have a current one on file

Greenwood School Social Media

We are on Facebook and Instagram, and one of my personal goals this year is to show off the fun we’re having throughout Greenwood! Check us out - @wpsgreenwood on both Instagram and Facebook!

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with questions.

Thank you for everything you do to support your children and their learning! Let’s have a great week!

Tiffany Back