Dear Greenwood Families,
Before we begin another new week, I would like to address the events that took place last week in Washington, D.C. As educators, the thing we want to do more than anything is to help children make sense of the world around them. That charge takes on a very different tone when the world around them contains images and messages that are confusing or frightening. As elementary school educators, our message to our students is that everyone at Greenwood works hard to keep them safe at school. Our teachers are watching, listening, answering questions, and doing everything they can to work together with families to continue supporting our children. I always say this at the end of my weekly message, but today I’ll say it twice: please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or would like additional support.
Resources from Superintendent’s Message, 1/7/21
The links below are resources for families to support students at home. If you or your student need additional support from school personnel, please reach out.
“Wee the People” Workshops - Grades 2, 3, 4
Wee The People is a Boston-based social justice project for kids, parents and educators exploring activism, equity and resistance through interactive workshops. Our Greenwood PTO Cultural Arts committee has booked programs for each classroom in Grades 2, 3, and 4 over the next few Wednesdays during asynchronous learning time. The workshop is called “Everywhere and Nowhere,” and explores immigrant and indigenous stories of migration, home, displacement and belonging. Classroom teachers will be sharing workshop times and Zoom meeting links as the class workshop time approaches. Please note: there is an expectation that students will attend these workshops unless there is a direct conflict in scheduling — if that is the case, please reach out and let me know.
Home-School Communication — Required Quarantines/Isolations
If your child is required to stay out of school for an extended period of time due to close contact quarantine or isolation after testing positive for COVID, we want to make sure that we are supporting them academically during that time period. In order for us to do so, it is very important that you notify the following people if your child will be out for an extended time frame:
Our school nurse Mrs. Doherty (for health tracking)
Your child’s classroom teacher (for the classroom academic plan)
Your child’s service providers, if applicable (for scheduling of remote sessions)
Principal Back (for the live check-in scheduling)
It gets a little confusing for us if we aren’t all included, as we all have parts of the plan to contribute! We appreciate your help with this.
FYI - Specialist “Switchover” Approaching
This was mentioned back in early November, but that seems like a long time ago now! For the first part of the school year, students have participated in specialist classes with Mrs. Buckley for Library/Media and Mr. Hennessey for PE. We are approaching the midpoint of the school year, and with that, a switchover of specialist classes for the second half of the year. Starting on Monday, February 1st, students will begin Art classes with Mrs. Drago and Music classes with Mrs. Brighenti! There will be no changes to scheduled time blocks - simply a change of subject areas and Zoom links. We will make sure that everyone has access to the proper information ahead of time for a smooth transition.
Greenwood School Council - 2nd call!
Every school in Massachusetts is required, by statute, to have a school council made up of parents and teachers that serves as an advisory board to the principal. We do have an open parent slot this year, and I am looking to hear from anyone who might be interested in being a part of the Council. If we have a lot of interest, the Greenwood PTO will facilitate an election to fill that position. Please send me an email if you’re interested (or just interested in learning more). Thanks!
Wakefield's Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & Coretta Scott King Day Celebration — Monday, January 18th
Join the Wakefield Human Rights Commission in celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & Coretta Scott King Day, virtually! This year the WHRC will hold the annual celebration online. Join us for a keynote address from Wakefield Memorial High School seniors Faith Defendre and ReignYah Grant, art and poetry created by Wakefield Public School students, a compilation video about what compassion means to Wakefield, and a conversation with this year's service award winners: ReignYah Grant, Wendy Dennis, and the Social Action Committee of the UU Church of Wakefield. You can watch the event any time starting on 1/18 by going to WCAT's YouTube page or the WHRC's Facebook page.
"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members'' -Coretta Scott King
Wakefield Community Mental Health Forum
Please see the linked flyer for information about Wakefield's Virtual Community Mental Health Forum, to be held on Thursday February 11th at 7pm.
This year's speaker is Dr. Stuart Ablon of MGH's Think Kids. Dr. Ablon is Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, Founder and Director of Think:Kids at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the author of three books. One of the world’s top-rated keynote speakers at conferences including SXSW, TedX and NATCON, he teaches a very different approach to understanding and addressing challenging behavior. Dr. Ablon's lecture is fantastic and very appropriate for both parents and educators!
Google Form Registration Page: https://forms.gle/aaqvm5sQsarZxc7U6
A Zoom link will be emailed to registered participants the day of the event.
Health Reminder
As we dive into the next part of our school year, we are reminding everyone to support us in our efforts to keep everyone safe by practicing and promoting safety precautions, which include hand hygiene, mask-wearing, social distancing, and avoiding group gatherings and travel to high-risk states where the rates of transmission are high. We are also asking for you to keep children home if they are experiencing any of the following symptoms:
Fever of 100.0 or higher, and/or chills
Cough (not due to other known cause such as chronic cough, asthma, allergies)
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Headache when in combination with other symptoms
Muscle aches or body aches
Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
Fatigue when in combination with other symptoms
Nasal congestion or runny nose when in combination with other symptoms and not due to other known causes such as allergies
Unusual rash when in combination with other symptoms
Our school nurse, Mrs. Doherty, is always happy to answer any questions you may have or provide clarification.
Technology Support
Please email the WPS Tech Department at technology@wpsk12.org if your child is in need of technology support while at home.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with questions. Thank you for everything you do to support your children and their learning!
Tiffany Back