Dear Greenwood Families,
Happy Monday! It seems a little hard to believe we’re heading into the last week of October...until I look out my window and see how many colorful leaves are on the ground. It certainly adds that extra element of fun when I go out running on paths that are buried in crunchy leaves! I hope everyone had a chance to get outside this weekend, whether you preferred the milder day on Saturday or the crisper day on Sunday. Fall is the best!
Family Feedback Survey
As we continue to refine and improve our instructional model, we would like to hear from elementary families about the current schedule and, in particular, the asynchronous work portion. Please take a moment to complete this survey before the end of the day on Friday, October 30th. We will be looking at feedback within each school community and across the district to see what adjustments might need to be made. Thanks in advance for your help with this!
WPS Parent University
If you haven’t registered yet, time is running out! WPS Parent University begins tonight! Since 2013, Wakefield Public Schools has hosted this free community event that connects parents and caregivers to community experts via interactive seminars and workshops. Workshops will be led by local experts with insight to Wakefield’s school system and will focus on remote learning, social and emotional health, and technology support. With over a dozen choices, participants can register for the sessions in which they have an interest. Visit the website and sign up!
“Fun Fall Friday”
Do you like Fall? How about Fridays? And who doesn’t like fun? On Friday, October 30th, Greenwood will have its first theme day of the school year to show our school and community spirit! Students (and staff!) should be ready to celebrate the day by dressing for the occasion in some wacky way. This could involve wearing a costume, dressing in a “fall theme,” sporting some crazy hair, putting on mismatched clothes, or sporting a fun hat. If you child chooses to wear a costume, there are some guidelines:
The costume must be school-appropriate. This means both for the costume theme and for your child’s ability to do schoolwork in it.
There should be no props or separate accessories.
Please, no full-face masks.
Any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.
No School—Tuesday, November 3rd
Just a reminder that there is no school for students on Tuesday, November 3rd, as noted on the district calendar. All WPS staff members will be participating in professional development workshops for the full day, so there will be no live online activities for students.
Curriculum Night
Greenwood’s Virtual Curriculum Night will be held on Thursday, November 5th. The goal of the evening is to provide an opportunity for parents/guardians to hear a grade-level curriculum overview, learn about classroom routines and procedures, and have the chance to ask the classroom teacher general questions. While we are still working out some of the logistics of the evening, here is an overview:
The overall time frame will be from 6:30-8:00pm on Thursday, November 5th.
Classroom teachers will schedule 30-minute live Zoom sessions for their class to present a curriculum overview and answer questions.
Kindergarten - 6:30-7:00pm
Grades 1 & 2 - 7:00-7:30pm
Grades 3 & 4 - 7:30-8:00pm
“Drop-in sessions” via Zoom will be on the schedule for families who may wish to touch base with non-classroom staff members.
More information will be sent out soon regarding specific times and Zoom links.
Grab & Go Lunch Sign Up—November 2020
We have now closed the signup for October Grab & Go lunches - please contact me directly if your child is not signed up and is in need of a lunch for this week.
It has been great to see so many students participating in the lunch program! As a reminder, a federal funding grant is providing free school lunches for any student for the entire 20-21 school year. It is very important that we have accurate numbers for how many lunches we will need on a given day, as meals are prepared off-site and delivered to Greenwood prior to AM cohort dismissal each day. If you would like your child to pick up a lunch, please fill out the survey below.
Grab & Go Lunch Signup for November
2nd Annual Pumpkin Drop Off!
The Environmental Sustainability Committee of Wakefield has been given the okay to hold the 2nd Annual Pumpkin Drop Off, for all your Halloween and fall pumpkin composting needs!
On Monday, November 2nd, a tarp will be placed outside each participating school where families can drop off their pumpkins when they arrive at school. Our Greenwood tarp will likely be in the same location as last year, out on the blacktop behind the school, but we will confirm that. Black Earth Compost will pick pumpkins up the afternoon of November 3rd. Please see the linked flyer for more details about what can and can’t be composted. (Spoiler alert: NO GLITTER!!)
Dogs on School Property
This is just a reminder for everyone that while many of us love our furry friends, there is a Wakefield School Committee policy stating that animals are not allowed on school property. If you are at arrival or dismissal with a dog in tow, you must wait away from the school. This policy is for the safety and comfort of all of our students and families. Thank you for your attention to this!
School Pictures
Just another reminder, since it’s happening on a Monday, that O’Connor Studios will be at Greenwood on Monday, November 2nd to take individual student photos for both the AM and PM cohorts. Group photos (individual classes, 4th grade) will not be taken at this time. Check your inbox/spam folder for an email from O’Connor Studios with a unique code to order your student’s pictures online.
Technology Support
Please email the WPS Tech Department at technology@wpsk12.org if your child is in need of technology support while at home.
Health Reminder
As we start the school year, we want to ask parents 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 large 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.
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