Dear Greenwood Families,
Happy Monday! I know that there are wildly differing opinions when it comes to the topic of Daylight Saving Time. And while I don’t love it getting dark before I can make it home in the afternoon, my “morning person” soul appreciates any extra light we can get earlier in the day! All that to say…don’t forget to turn those clocks back this weekend!
No School - Tuesday, November 3rd
On Tuesday, November 3rd there will be no school for students due to elections being held at the Galvin. All WPS Staff will be involved in professional development on that day.
No School - Wednesday, November 11th
All WPS schools and offices will be closed on Wednesday, November 11th in observance of Veterans Day.
Safety Drill Practice
Last Wednesday we held a schoolwide drill to practice staying safe within the school building. This included a drill for shelter-in-place and a drill for lockdown. The key points emphasized are:
● 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 office staff members 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.
Students did a great job listening to directions from adults and practicing their safety routines in the classroom!
Teacher Conferences
Our first round of teacher conferences will be held on Thursday, December 3rd (afternoon/evening) and Friday, December 4th (afternoon). Classroom teachers will reach out directly to families with signup information, and I will also share a master document containing signup links for ALL Greenwood teachers, specialists, and service providers. Look for that in a week or so!
A Friendly Ask
Do you have more candy than you know what to do with? Are you trying to get it out of your house before it all ends up being eaten? If you don’t already have a donation plan in place, I would just mention that sweet treats are very much loved and appreciated by the Greenwood teachers and staff and we would be more than happy to help you solve your candy dilemma! Feel free to drop anything by the office, and we’ll use it to keep the staff room stocked!
School Messenger Reminder
Gator Tales goes out through a different email list service, but any messages sent out by Greenwood or WPS are sent using School Messenger. We have occasionally run into situations where those messages end up in people’s spam folders and then end up getting “blocked” from being delivered altogether. If you are NOT receiving school/district messages and would like to be getting those, please email Ms. Paiva and me so that we can check the system and “unblock” if needed.
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. Please stop by and check it out!
Annual Pumpkin Drop - New Arrangements!
Wakefield’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Sustainability Committee are proud to once again partner with Black Earth Compost for their Annual Pumpkin Drop. This year the collection site will be centralized and held in conjunction with WMGLD’s Electric Vehicle Showcase. If your jack-o-lantern or doorstep pumpkin is ready for a new life, bring it to the Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department’s parking lot on Sunday, November 8th from 10:00-1:00pm so it can be composted..
Please remove glitter, stickers, plastic decorations, and candles/wax from your pumpkin prior to drop off. If you bring your pumpkin over in a plastic bag, please do not include the bag in the compost pile. Last year, Black Earth and communities across the state diverted 22 tons of pumpkins from the waste stream!
Lunchroom Volunteers
We love, love, love having family members come in and help out during lunches! And we are so lucky to have so many folks who regularly sign up!
Do you have any free time between 12:00-1:15pm on school days? Looking for a way to help out at Greenwood? We are finally bringing back 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 up until the DECEMBER BREAK. 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 start to the school year!
Tiffany Back
Principal, Greenwood School