From the Principal: 10/23/23

Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy Monday! It seems hard to believe that we still have another full week before trick or treating will be in full swing, but that’s how October always plays out in any elementary school. I know a lot of kids are really looking forward to the Greenwood Halloween Party on Friday night - check out the information in Gator Tales if you haven’t bought your ticket yet!

“Terrific Tuesday”

Let’s have some Greenwood fun to wrap up the month of October! On Tuesday, October 31st, students can celebrate a fun day together here at Greenwood by dressing up in some wacky way, which could involve wearing their costume, or simply just sporting some seasonal fall gear, crazy hair, mismatched clothes, or a fun hat.

Dress-up guidelines for the day:

● Must be school-appropriate (both for costume theme and ability to do schoolwork in it)

● No props or accessories

● No full-face masks

And we will once again bring our day to a close with the K-2 costume parade! The parade will begin at 2:30 pm, and students will follow a route out the back door, around one big loop of the blacktop, walk around the Kindergarten side of the building, and go back in the front door to pick up backpacks, etc. before being dismissed. Families are welcome to come and spectate - please arrange yourself outside the cones. Our 3rd and 4th graders will join everyone outside to help cheer on our younger students. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather - we will not hold the parade if it is raining.

Conferences - November 8th & 15th

I’m sure everyone is looking forward to connecting with teachers and talking about how the school year is going so far! Our first date for conferences is on Wednesday, November 8th, which is an early release day for students. There will be time slots for both afternoon and evening conferences on that day. Our second conference day is Wednesday, November 15th, another early release day, and time slots for afternoon conferences will be available. The format of conferences is up to family preference. Both in-person and Zoom conferences are options for any given time - please let your child’s teacher know which you would like to have. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions about this!

Safety Drill Practice

Like all school districts across the nation, WPS has been having conversations at the district and school levels about school safety. We continue to examine our current practices, procedures, and current needs for areas of improvement. During the month of September, each classroom teacher shared information and held a discussion with their class about safety practices and procedures that are currently in place, including the following:

● Drills help us practice how to stay safe in case of an emergency. A fire drill is an example.

● The outside doors of our school are locked at all times.

● During the school day visitors can only enter through the main office entrance. Before they come in, they must identify themselves to Ms. Paiva and tell us why they are visiting the school.

● If we see someone outside a school door, we should never let them in.

● If we hear an announcement, it is important to listen to the teacher and follow directions.

We have done three fire drills already, so this week we will be doing a schoolwide drill on Thursday to practice staying safe within the school building. This will include a drill for shelter-in-place and for lockdown. Again, our priority is always to make sure students feel safe and supported in school. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.

Wakefield Parent University Session - Dr. Nadine Gaab

While I haven’t watched the recording yet, this session by Dr. Nadine Gaab offered through WPS Parent University got rave reviews. The recording is available for 30 days and can be accessed here (Passcode: ##JF90hM) Below is the description for the session.

Dr. Nadine Gaab, an associate professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, will review typical and atypical reading development and the brain’s role in creating these outcomes. She will explore the screening process, the response to screening, and the need for evidence-based reading curricula.

WPS Biweekly Community Zoom Meeting

WPS district administration will continue to host weekly community Zoom meetings as an opportunity to provide updates, highlight the good work that is happening in the district, and also hear questions and feedback from families. The next Zoom call will be on Thursday, October 26th from 4:00-5:00 pm. Here is

the Zoom link to join: Meeting ID: 898 1730 7278 Passcode: 976262

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 10:30-11:50am on 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 beginning of November. 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.

Race for All Ages 5K

Lace up for the 5K Run for All Ages on Nov 4, 2023, to benefit the Wakefield Educational Foundation! Sponsored by the New England 65 Plus Runners Club, pre-registration is open now or you can register at the event. Race starts at 10 am. Click on this link to register: https://raceroster.com/events/2023/73577/21st-jerrys-run-for-all-ages-5k

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 10/16/23

Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy Monday! I got a bit of a chuckle when I sat down to write my opening blurb this week. I was trying to avoid the same old topics…yes, time is flying by. Yes, yes, it’s been very rainy on the weekends for so long. Yes, yes, yes, fall is great. So I thought, “Maybe if I see what I was writing about last year at this time, I’ll get some inspiration!” Only to discover that I was writing about…how I couldn’t think of anything to write about. Go figure!

Early Release - Wednesday, October 18th Our next early release day for students is on Wednesday, October 18th. All students will be dismissed at 11:55 a.m. in order for WPS staff to have professional development sessions in the afternoon. Please note: there will be a scheduled lunch block for students prior to dismissal.

Talking with Children About Current Events - Resource for Families Our Greenwood community encompasses staff, students, and families from a wide variety of backgrounds, and that means that the horrific events that have taken place in Israel/Gaza over the past week will land differently for different people. That being said, social media is everywhere and it can be extremely challenging to completely control what all children are seeing and hearing. Jenny Beardslee, our School Psychologist, shared this article with staff and I thought it might be of use for families to help children process any confusing or upsetting thoughts and feelings. If you think your child needs additional support, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Soccer Night in Wakefield On Friday, October 20th, the WMHS Soccer Teams are hosting a community event to celebrate soccer for all ages. Please see the linked flyer for more details.

WPS Parent University Wakefield Public Schools is kicking off the fall semester of Parent University with three keynote sessions for parents and caregivers. Topics will include dyslexia, childhood health and wellness, and underage drinking. Registration is now open for these three fall sessions. For more information, visit the website!

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 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 beginning of November. 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: 10/10/2023

Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy Monday! I hope that everyone had an opportunity to enjoy the wonderful weather we did FINALLY get to have over a weekend. The little dip back into summer last week was pleasant, but there’s nothing quite like actual fall in New England! I know there are many of you who can relate to the sentiment I expressed after my run on Sunday morning - fall weather is every runner’s reward for slogging through the other seasons!

All School Meeting Recap Last Monday, Greenwood students and staff gathered together for our first All-School Meeting of the 2023-2024 school year. Our focus was on the importance of taking action to “Be Kind” to others. We reviewed Greenwood School Expectations (Take Care of Yourself; Take Care of Others; Take Care of Your Environment) and I read the picture book Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller to everyone. September and October birthdays were celebrated, and we finished our time together off with a rousing rendition of the Greenwood School Spirit Song. While this first meeting was “hosted” by me, as we move through the year different grade levels will take on the responsibility of planning and presenting. We will be sure to let families know when “their” grade level is on deck, in case you are able to join us!

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 p.m. on school days? Or 10:30-11:50 a.m. on 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 beginning of November. 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

Wakefield Educational Foundation (WEF) Volunteers Needed WEF is looking for new volunteers!!! WEF (Wakefield Educational Foundation) is hosting an informational session for community members interested in becoming volunteers on Wed, Oct 11 from 6:30-7 p.m. The meeting is being held at the High School, conference rooms A and B located in the main office suite. Enter the building at the Savings Bank Theater entrance. We hope to see you there! Please email carymazzone@gmail.com or melissa.holmes@rcn.com with any questions.

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: 10/1/2023

Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy Monday! And suddenly, it’s October! I know I’m not the only one that feels like September just zipped by - it just goes to show how much is going on around Greenwood these days. We love keeping busy!

School Lunches - October We have a lot of happy children choosing to participate in the school lunch program here at Greenwood! While we did a September survey to gauge numbers, now that we have a good sense of how much food we need each day you do *not* need to sign your child up for specific lunch days during the month of October. Here is a link to the month’s menu so you can plan ahead!

Walk (International Walk, Bike, & Roll to School Day) Safe Routes to School Massachusetts is once again encouraging schools to participate in this event on Wednesday, October 4th. Students and families across Massachusetts will walk, bike, and roll to school to enjoy a safe, healthy, and active lifestyle. Luckily, here at Greenwood almost every day is walk, bike, and roll to school day! We will have a table outside at arrival with stickers and bookmarks to distribute. It will be festive!

School Photo Day O’Connor Studios will be at Greenwood this Thursday, October 5th to take individual student photos, class photos, and the 4th grade group photo. You should have received an email from O’Connor about photo ordering options, as well as a paper ordering form that was sent home with your child. If you didn’t get either of these, we do have extra copies of the form in the office - just ask Ms. Paiva!

Please note: The 4th grade photo will start being organized around 8:45 a.m., so please make extra sure your child is on time.

Greenwood School Council The Greenwood School Council held its first meeting of the year on Thursday, September 28th. The School Council consists of parent and staff representatives and provides input/feedback for our school improvement plan, school budget, and educational needs/goals for Greenwood.

2023-2024 Members

Tiffany Back, Greenwood Principal Jeanine Campbell, Greenwood Grade 4 Teacher Samantha Giangregorio, Greenwood Parent (Kindergarten) Sarah Volkenant, Greenwood Parent (1st Grade)

Our first meeting consisted of reviewing the Greenwood School Improvement Plan, which will be shared at the Wakefield School Committee meeting on Tuesday, October 10th. Greenwood School Council meetings will be held approximately every six weeks. Please feel free to reach out to any School Council member for more information or with topics of interest.

No School - Monday, October 9th Just a reminder that all WPS schools and offices will be closed on Monday, October 9th in observance of Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day. Enjoy the three-day weekend!

Lunchroom Volunteers Do you have any free time between 12:00-1:10 pm on school days? Or 10:30-11:50 am on 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 beginning of November. 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.

Updates from Wakefield Academy The following information was sent out to all WPS families by Estelle Burdick, Director of Wakefield Academy, last Thursday. Don’t miss out!

Before School Program/After School Program Schedules: ● Please do not create an additional contract for your child(ren) or use the drop-in day feature. You will use the change schedule option to add your future days. If you have a set schedule, you may add your needed days for October and any month beyond that. Please note: You will only be invoiced for one month at a time. *Online: Click here to view the steps to update your schedule. *Smartphone: Click here to view the steps to update your schedule. ● Be prompt with your payments or contact us for payment arrangements. Payment is due upon receipt of your monthly invoice. If payment is not received within 5 days, a $50 late fee will be applied to your account. Some families find it easier to add an automatic form of payment so they can make payment deadlines. ● Once the monthly invoice has been issued, you can no longer add or delete days for that month. You may request up to 3 monthly drop-in days, excluding early release days. You may also switch days as long as they are within the same month. ● Credits and refunds are only given if a child is absent for a long-term illness of 5 days or more.

Enrichment programs: ● Your child does not need to be part of our before/after school program to participate. Additionally, the time between the end of the school day and the start of the enrichment is covered in your registration. You must only sign up for ASP if your child stays with us after the enrichment program ends. ● New clubs! We added our well-known Art Club and Magic The Gathering to our Galvin Enrichment clubs. Use the link here to learn more. There are many programs with openings available, so join now! Enrollment closes October 2nd. ● Elementary and Pre-K enrichment programs are filling up fast! There are still many to choose from, such as Buildwave, Kidstock, Chess, Trivia at Dolbeare, KidzGroove, and lots more! Use the link here to check out all we have to offer. Hurry, enrollment ends October 2nd!

Wakefield Educational Foundation (WEF) Volunteers Needed WEF is looking for new volunteers!!! WEF (Wakefield Educational Foundation) is hosting an informational session for community members interested in becoming volunteers on Wed, Oct 11 from 6:30-7 p.m. The meeting is being held at the High School, conference rooms A and B located in the main office suite. Enter the building at the Savings Bank Theater entrance. We hope to see you there! Please email carymazzone@gmail.com or melissa.holmes@rcn.com with any questions.

Call for Artists - 12th Annual CoolScience Artwork Competition Cool Science is a free and public art competition held each fall for all K-12 artists. Cool Science is a collaboration between UMass Lowell, UMass Boston, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, University of Kansas, and Kansas City Art Institute. In 2019, Cool Science received a National Science Foundation grant that helped it expand the project beyond Massachusetts to Kansas, Missouri, and Southern New Hampshire. However, students from any location around the world are welcome to participate.

Challenge Questions This year, we are asking young artists to answer one of the following challenge questions with a visual work of art: 1) Sunlight is the largest source of energy on the surface of the Earth. How does sunlight fuel extreme weather (e.g., extreme storms)? 2) Increases in carbon dioxide in the air lead to more extreme weather. Animal homes do not make carbon dioxide on average (they are Net Zero). What can we learn from animals to help us get our homes closer to Net Zero?\ 3) What simple thing could you do now to better prepare for extreme weather in the future?

Competition Winners During this winter, we will select the best entries for display on public buses in Massachusetts and Kansas in 2024. The honorees will be recognized at our art exhibit celebrations next year.

To Learn More For further information about the contest, please visit: https://www.coolscience.net/artwork-guidelines-rules You can also join our community on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. You can also visit our website for further information about the program (www.coolscience.net).

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: 9/25/2023

Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy Monday! It was so wonderful to see the turnout at Back to School Night last Thursday! I hope that those of you who were able to attend learned a lot about your child’s classroom and day-to-day life here at Greenwood School. Communication between school and home is extremely important to us, so please do not ever hesitate to reach out if you have questions about anything!

Early Release - Wednesday, September 27th Our first early release day for students is on Wednesday, September 7th. All students will be dismissed at 11:55 a.m. in order for WPS staff to have professional development sessions in the afternoon. Please note: there will be a scheduled lunch block for students prior to dismissal.

District Assessments If your child happens to come home and say, “I did a reading activity with a different teacher today!” or “I logged into iReady to do math today,” that’s just a sign that we have entered the beginning of the year elementary assessment window. You may have heard about some of this from your child’s classroom teacher on Back to School Night - there are three times over the course of the school year where we benchmark information about students in reading and math to better refine our general classroom instructional needs, identify and form intervention/enrichment groups, and monitor overall student growth. We will be sharing this assessment information out with families as well - more to come about that soon!

Smartwatches/Cell Phones in School Technology is amazing and wonderful! However, it can also be a huge distraction in our learning spaces during the school day. At the elementary level, personal tech devices (cell phones, smartwatches, etc.) are not allowed to be in use during the school day. We understand that students may need access to these devices for family communication either before the school day begins or once school is out for the day, so we ask that all cell phones and smartwatches remain off and in backpacks during the school day. We appreciate your support in this!

Science Letter Regarding Allergies In order to keep families informed about organic materials being used in science classes, the linked letter was sent out via School Messenger on Friday morning. Any questions can be directed to me or your child’s science teacher.

Updating Parent/Guardian Contacts in PowerSchool The following message was sent out to WPS families by WPS Technology last Tuesday. It’s really important that we have updated contact information for your family in our PowerSchool system, as that is how we reach you with important information!

Attached are instructions on reviewing and updating the parent/guardian contacts for your student in the PowerSchool Parent Portal.

If you don’t have a logon to the Parent Portal please contact the school that your student is in. A list of who to contact at each building is on the last page of the attached document. If you can’t remember your username or password, click on the Forgot Username or Password link on the main login screen.

The URL to connect to the portal is: Wakefield.PowerSchool.com

If you have a Parent Portal Logon, you can add, delete and update contacts. You will need to email the school in order to change the order of the contacts if needed.

The technology department can not give you access codes of any students. You must go through the school that your child is attending.

Updating Parent/Guardian Contact information

Note: It may take several days before your updates/additions are approved and uploaded into Power School. Each change must be reviewed by a staff member before being approved.

Lunchroom Volunteers It’s a new year, and we are once again looking for adults to support students during lunchtime!

Do you have any free time between 12:00-1:10pm on school days? Or 10:30-11:50am on 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 September. 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