Greenbriar Gazette 9/5/25

Thank you, Greenbriar Families, for taking the time to attend our curriculum night. We know your family schedules are busy, and we truly appreciate your commitment to your child's education and your willingness to partner with us. Your presence is a powerful testament to the value you place on learning, and we are grateful for your continued support. We look forward to a successful and collaborative school year, working together to help your children grow and thrive.

Our fall assessment window opens next week. Students in kindergarten and first grade will work with teachers to complete the AIMSWeb+ early literacy and early numeracy assessments. These are useful assessments as teachers begin to understand the students as learners and develop plans for differentiating the curriculum for individual student needs.

Students in 2nd through 5th grade will take the NWEA MAP assessment in reading and math. Teachers will share specific dates/times when their class will be taking the assessments. MAP is a nationally normed, adaptive, digital assessment that students will take on their iPads. It is untimed. Parents will receive students' MAP score reports after the window closes and district norms are determined.

These assessments are one point of data that help teachers to better understand how to support students. Classroom work and curricular assessments as well as teacher observations are all important data points as well. For more information about all of the assessments District 28 uses, please visit the district's website here.

As a friendly reminder to all our parents, we have orange cones outside on Greenbriar Lane because it is a no parking zone, and it is intended to be a drop-off zone only. For the safety of all our students, please do not park your vehicle on Greenbriar Lane during school arrival and dismissal times. By using this area as a quick drop-off, we can ensure a smooth flow of traffic and, most importantly, keep our children safe. If you need to park and get out of your car, please use the side streets instead. Thank you for your cooperation in making our school community a safe and welcoming place for everyone!

As more students use smart watches/devices and cell phones for communication and safety, we would like to remind parents of the expectations around this technology during the school day.

We understand that some parents may provide their child with a smart watch/device or cell phone for emergency communication or location tracking. However, students are not permitted to use their cell phones or watches/devices for calling, texting, messaging, browsing the internet, or taking photos during school hours. Cell phones, smart watches, and other hand-held devices that are capable of sending and/or receiving text or electronic messages or images should be turned off during school hours and should be kept secured in a student’s locker unless otherwise authorized by school personnel. Smart watches/devices must be set to ‘school mode’ to prevent sending or receiving calls and messages. Under no circumstances are students allowed to take or transmit digital images (pictures or videos) on school property or at school events, including field trips, where students or staff have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

• If a student is found using their cell phone or smart watch/device in violation of these guidelines, a staff member will collect the device, and it will be held in the office until the end of the school day.

• Repeated violations may result in the expectation that the watch/device be turned off and stored in the student's locker or submitted to the office for the duration of the school day.
• Devices should always be stored in the student's locker for the entire day.

In case of an emergency, parents should contact the school office, and we will relay any important messages to the student. Parents are asked to refrain from texting or calling their children between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. If you need to reach your child about after-school plans or an emergency, please contact the office directly or email the teacher.

For more information on District 28's Technology Acceptable Use Policy, please visit our technology webpage. Thank you for your support in helping us maintain a focused and respectful learning environment.

Join us for our first PTO event of the year. Information on purchasing tickets will be posted on the PTO website.

PTO website

Kid Care (before and after school care)

District Calendar-At-A-Glance

Student-Parent Handbook

Important Dates:

September 9: PTO meeting in the staff lounge at 8:45a.m.

September 11: Lockdown drill with Northbrook Police presence

September 12: PTO Pizza & Spirit Wear Day

September 15: Beginning Band and Orchestra MORNING rehearsals begin this week

September 19: PTO Pizza & Spirit Wear Day

September 19: PTO Magic Show at 5:00p.m.

September 23: No School

September 25: Picture retakes

September 26: PTO Pizza & Spirit Wear Day

October 2: No School

October 3: PTO Pizza & Spirit Wear Day

NOTE: The September 18th GB Pack Meeting has been rescheduled for October 9th.

Northbrook 28 has officially launched construction as part of the community-approved $94.9 million referendum passed last spring. The district has named this construction initiative Build 28. Construction at Greenbriar is anticipated to begin in the spring. Major projects at Greenbriar include:

• Build a new classroom wing addition behind the gymnasium to replace the 75-year-old classroom wing along Greenbriar Lane.
• Build a new cafeteria/flexible auditorium, stage and commons area where the old classroom wing is located.
• Renovate existing multipurpose room/cafeteria and adjacent classrooms into a STEM lab, music and art classrooms.
• Improve entrance security.
• Update fire alarm, sprinkler and P.A. systems.
• Renovate existing bathrooms throughout the building for ADA compliance.
• Add bathrooms in the east wing.
• Update playgrounds and improve accessibility.
• Add parking north and east of the building.
• Remodel corridors to update lockers, carpet and create break-out learning spaces.

Projected Construction Timeline

• April 2026 - June 2026: Greenbriar construction begins
• Feb. 2027 - April 2027: Greenbriar Phase 1 construction completed
• February 2028: Greenbriar Phase 2 completed

Mr. Bartunek wants your stories and recordings for this year's Winter Festival of the Arts. Families and children are encouraged to submit their recordings to be featured in this year's Winter Festival of the Arts performances. More information regarding the story recording process can be found through this link.