Green Meadow Weekly Update

Principal, Karen Lindquist - klindquist@maynard.k12.ma.us

Assistant Principal, Kate Murray - kmurray@maynard.k12.ma.us

Administrative Assistant- Kathy Sullivan - ksullivan@maynard.k12.ma.us

Administrative Assistant- Nancy Dangelo - ndangelo@maynard.k12.ma.us

School Nurse, Maria Bourgeois - mbourgeois@maynard.k12.ma.us

Important Phone Numbers to Add to Your Contacts List

Main Office Line - (978) 897-8246

Absentee Phone Line - (978)897-0310

Regular School Hours

Grades K- 3: 8:30 AM – 2:50 PM, student drop-off begins at 8:15 AM

Preschool: 8:40 AM - 2:40 PM (full day)

8:40 AM - 11:10 AM (morning program)

12:10 - 2:40 PM (afternoon program)

Early Release Hours

Grades K- 3: 8:30 AM – 11:45 AM

Preschool: Students who attend our program on Fridays will be dismissed at 11:35 PM on an Early Release day.

Breakfast and Lunch menus will be available at this link:

https://www.fdmealplanner.com/

Type Maynard, Green Meadow to view the selections. Allergy information is available through this site and menus can be printed.

12/24 - 1/2 - December Break, No School

1/19 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, No School

1/30 - Early Release Day, dismissal for PreK @ 11:35 AM, dismissal for K-3 @ 11:45 AM

2/3 - Kindergarten Registration Opens Online (More information to come)

2/6 - Green Meadow Winter Concert, Grades 1-3, 9:00 AM

2/16 - 2/20 - February Break, No School

4/8 & 4/9 - Grade 3 ELA MCAS Dates

5/6 & 5/7 - Grade 3 Math MCAS Dates

5/21 - Green Meadow Art Walk and Book Fair Event

Term 1 Report Cards were release on Monday, December 15, 2025. Families can view the reports by logging into ASPEN. If you have forgotten how to access ASPEN, the directions are linked here. You can also view your child's report card in the Aspen mobile app. If you would like a printed copy of your child's report card, please email Kathy Sullivan at ksullivan@maynard.k12.ma.us or call the main office at 978-897-8246. Please keep in mind that report cards are one indicator of your child's success in school. Families will receive MAP Growth assessment reports via student backpacks in February, 2026. If you have questions or concerns about your child's progress, please reach out to your child's classroom teacher or specialist teachers.

The BEST way to become a great reader is the READ and we don’t want students' reading skills to get slushy over Winter Break so we are having a Winter Break Reading BINGO Challenge for all students in PreK-Grade 3. Today students are bringing home their BINGO boards. Please help your child write their first and last name on their board, along with their teacher's name. (Adults can do this for younger students.)

Here's How Students Can Play:

* Pick a square on the BINGO board.

* Follow the directions and read or be read to for 10 minutes.

* Write a check on the square when you are done.

* Complete 5 in a row (across, top to bottom, or diagonal) or go for BLACKOUT and complete all the squares!

* Have an adult sign the sheet and return it to school no later than Wednesday, January 7, 2026.

* Participants will be invited to have hot chocolate and cookies with Mrs. Lindquist and Mrs. Murray on Friday, January 9, 2026.

Students who complete BLACKOUT will be entered into a drawing for a book store gift certificate.

Click on the link to print a copy of the board if your child needs a new copy. Extra boards will be available in the office Monday and Tuesday.

Dear Families,

We want to send a giant, heartfelt THANK YOU for your generosity in gifting so many much-needed items for our school health office. Your kindness and support truly make a difference in helping us care for our students each day. We are so very grateful for your partnership and thoughtfulness.

With sincerest thanks,
Nurse Ria & Nurse Rozie

Dear Families,

We are seeing an uptick in flu cases among students, which is common this time of year. To help keep our school community healthy, we wanted to share what to look out for and how to manage flu symptoms in children.

Common flu symptoms may include:

• Fever or chills

• Cough and/or sore throat

• Runny or stuffy nose

• Headache or body aches

• Fatigue

• Sometimes vomiting or diarrhea

How to help manage flu symptoms at home:

• Keep your child home if they have a fever or are feeling unwell

• Encourage plenty of rest and fluids

• Use fever-reducing medication as recommended by your child’s healthcare provider

• Teach and reinforce good handwashing and cough etiquette

When to keep your child home:
Students should stay home until they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and are feeling well enough to participate in school.

If your child is diagnosed with the flu, please notify the health office. As always, if you have concerns about your child’s symptoms, contact your healthcare provider.

Thank you for your continued support in keeping our school community healthy!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Nurse Ria at 978-897-8142

As we wrap up 2025, we may reflect on the year that has passed and wonder what the year ahead may hold. If this year was particularly difficult for you and your family, you are not alone. It can be hard to take care of our mental health, but when we do, children also reap the benefits. One of the best ways for caregivers to protect their child's mental health is to recognize how their own well being impacts the family system. Check out these habits that improve mental health for parents, all grounded in “self comfort”. You can also snuggle up with your child and enjoy the best kids' books about mental health of 2025! The Green Meadow counseling team wishes you all the best in 2026 ... may it be filled with laughter, love and lots of self comfort. Questions or feedback? Please contact Julie Danforth at jdanforth@maynard.k12.ma.us.

Looking for online resources that your child can safely explore over winter break? Check out the Green Meadow Library Winter Break site linked here.

Our Grade 2 students and families had the opportunity to participate in the Hour of Code this week. Special thanks to Mrs. DiSalvatore, our Technology teacher, for her work planning the event. It was great to have so many parents and caregivers attend.

National Online Safety provides guidance for families on a variety of widely used platforms for young children and teens. This week we are highlighting Youtube Kids. You can click on the photo below to access the tips or click on this link. Parents and Caregivers can learn how to use the app, limit advertisements, set time limits, and more.

This week our Grade 2 classes had the opportunity to learn about birds of prey from raptor expert, Jim Parks. The program, Wingmasters, was generously funded by the Green Meadow PTO as part of their commitment to enrichment. You can learn more about the program and the work they do, from their website: Wingmasters.net

The Maynard Public Schools anticipates hiring Daily Substitutes for the 2025-2026 school year. This role provides flexibility. Daily Substitutes can determine which days, which grade-levels, and which of the three schools they would like to work in. For more information, please email Kate Murray, kmurray@maynard.k12.ma.us, or Colleen Andrade, candrade@maynard.k12.ma.us.

Calling All New Families - Check out our PTO website and join our email list to stay on top of news and events. We can't wait for you to get involved!

https://greenmeadowpto.membershiptoolkit.com/

ELPAC (English Learner Parent Advisory Council) Resources

Multilingual Learner Resources

Please click on the link to read the ELPAC newsletter: https://secure.smore.com/n/anm19

SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) Resources

Maynard Day at the Worcester Railers Hockey Game

Sunday, January 18th at 3:05 PM!

Through the ticket below link, we are offering discounted tickets and $10 kids tickets.

The Fowler Middle School Chorus will be performing America the Beautiful on the ice pre-game. All other students not participating in the chorus will have access to our High-Five Tunnel to cheer on the players before they hit the ice!

Discounted Ticket Link: https://www.gofevo.com/event/Maynard

The Open Table Food Pantry (www.opentable.org; 33 Main St, Maynard) is open on Tuesdays, 3:30 - 6:30 PM and Thursdays, 1 - 4:30 PM and offers free bags of groceries 1x/week. Open Table also allows families to pick up frozen meals for family members weekly.

The Maynard Food Pantry (www.maynardfoodpantry.com; 82 Main St., Maynard) is open on Mondays from 10 AM - 12 noon 1-2x/month

The Maynard Food Pantry offers a weekly Backpack Program for all students in PreK-Grade 5 that aims to offer food assistance to families. Each backpack is filled with nutritious, non-perishable food at no cost. Forms were sent home to families in backpacks last week. If you need a form, they are available in the Green Meadow main office. You can also request one by emailing Kate Murray at kmurray@maynard.k12.ma.us.

The Maynard Voice - https://maynardvoice.com/

The Maynard News Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting local journalism in Maynard, Massachusetts, and its surrounding communities. Our mission is to provide accessible, accurate, and non-partisan information to residents, business owners, and stakeholders. We believe local journalism is vital to maintaining a strong democracy and fostering civic engagement.

Learn what's happening at the Fowler School by clicking here.

Learn what's happening at Maynard High School by clicking here.