From the Principal: 1/22/24

Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy Monday!  After FAR too many days of indoor recess last week due to the cold, everyone here is hoping this week will treat us better.  It’s important to balance all that learning time in class with a chance to run around and work off some energy!  (Although there do seem to be a lot of indoor recess fans - I heard a few cheers when I would make the announcement.)  

“Vision of a Graduate” Survey

The Wakefield Public Schools invites student, family, and community partners to participate in the following survey as part of an effort in developing the district's Vision of a Graduate. A Vision of a Graduate is a collaboratively crafted statement that summarizes the skills and dispositions that graduates of the Wakefield Public Schools will have that will help them thrive in their lives. This effort is undertaken as part of the accreditation process with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).  The survey should take less than five minutes and will provide valuable data for this important work.

Snow and Outside Play

Not that we’re in a snow-filled pattern at the moment, but just a reminder…we’ve gotten some questions about what outdoor recess looks like when there is snow on the ground.  There are some parts of this we play by ear depending on the conditions, and decisions will always come down to what the adults on supervision duty believe makes more sense on a given day.  However, these are some basic guidelines that will always hold true:

• Students without boots will not be allowed on snow-covered areas.  This includes the fenced-in playground section.  

• Students are not allowed on snow banks/piles of snow during the school day.

• Snow and ice must not be thrown/tossed around.

Playing in the snow can be a lot of fun, but we don’t want anyone coming in from recess with wet clothes and/or feet.  That makes for an unpleasant rest of the school day!

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 February.  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: 1/2/24

Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a happy and healthy (especially after all the *things* going around throughout December) winter break. I’m looking forward to seeing many eager, excited eyes (and probably a few sleepy ones too) on Tuesday morning as we return to school. While it’s always nice to turn off the alarm and be on a more relaxed schedule for a bit, it does feel good to get back into a routine and see all of the exciting things happening around Greenwood each day!

Greenwood All-School Meeting - Grade 4 Hosting

For our upcoming All-School Meetings through the rest of the year, each grade level will be responsible for hosting an assembly to share about a positive attribute that we want our Greenwood community to embrace and embody. Our 4th graders will lead us off to talk about “cooperation” on Monday, January 8th at 9:00 am, and we would like to invite 4th-grade parents/guardians to attend if you are able to do so. (Seating will be up in the balcony.) We look forward to seeing you!

Winter Temperatures, Snow, and Outdoor Recess

Just my periodic reminder…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. When the fenced-in playground area is snow-covered, students are only allowed on the snow if they are wearing boots. All this is to say, please make sure students come to school with the appropriate outerwear to enjoy their time outdoors!

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 February. 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