Greenwood Guide

Dear Greenwood Families:

It is hard to believe that we have already entered November. October was a busy but joyful month at Greenwood! Our Character Bash was a huge success, and we loved seeing our students in costume, celebrating together, and enjoying some fall fun as a school. We also had an incredible Trunk-or-Treat event, our very first Gotcha Joy Celebration, Literacy Night, the first round of Lexia Llama visits to classes, and a lively Spirit Week filled with creativity and school pride—all wonderful reminders of what makes our Greenwood community so special.

Learning is in full swing, and we are so proud of the academic growth we have seen in our students so far this year. From reading breakthroughs to math milestones, our Groundhogs are showing tremendous effort and progress each day.

This month, our trait of the month is Gratitude, and we want to take a moment to share ours with you. We deeply appreciate the partnership, encouragement, and care you bring to Greenwood. Whether you are supporting learning at home, volunteering at events, or simply sending your student to school ready to learn, your involvement makes a lasting difference. Thank you for trusting us with your students and for working alongside us to make Greenwood a place where everyone can thrive.

At Greenwood, we remain committed to rooting in relationships, growing together every day, and rising as one community. We are thankful to learn and grow with such a dedicated and supportive family network.

With gratitude,

Erin Miller, Principal

Jaime Halpert, Assistant Principal

Arrival & Breakfast

🚌 Bus Riders: Students arrive around 8:25 AM and head directly inside. Those eating breakfast should go straight to the cafeteria.

🚗 Car Riders: Students should not be dropped off before 8:35 AM, as there is no staff supervision prior to that time.

• If your student is eating breakfast, they may walk directly into the building upon arrival.

• If your student is not eating breakfast, please have them remain in the car until 8:35 AM. Staff will begin supervision at that time.

• At 8:35, please have your student exit the car from the right side with all of their belongings ready. This will help ensure a smooth and efficient drop-off for all families.

• Dismissal runs from 3:30–3:40 PM.

• For car riders, please help ensure a smooth and efficient process by pulling all the way forward in the dismissal lane when possible.

Busses

• Thank you for your patience with delays in bussing! If you continue to experience delays, please notify the office.

Lost & Found

• The Greenwood Lost & Found is filled! Is your student missing a jacket, lunchbox, water bottle, etc.? Come take a look to see if we have it!

At Greenwood, we focus on a specific character trait each month to help our students grow as kind, caring, and responsible members of our community.

• September: Respect – Seeing value in all people and things and treating them with care.

• October: Responsibility – Taking action and understanding the impact of our choices.

• November: Gratitude – Choosing to appreciate the people and things in our lives.

This month, our focus is Gratitude — a powerful trait that reminds us to slow down, notice the good around us, and show appreciation for others. We will spend November learning what Gratitude looks like, sounds like, and feels like at school, and celebrating students who demonstrate it each day.

We are excited to continue recognizing one student from every class each month as the Citizen of the Month for exemplifying our character traits. In October, our honorees were celebrated for showing Responsibility, and this month, we look forward to honoring those who shine through their Gratitude.

This work is part of our Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) program, which reinforces and rewards positive choices and behaviors across our school. PBS helps create a consistent, joyful, and supportive learning environment where students know exactly what is expected of them. Students earn Greenwood Gotchas for demonstrating our character traits and Groundhog Habits, which they can use to shop at the Groundhog Store for fun rewards.

We deeply appreciate your continued reinforcement and conversations at home about each of these monthly traits. When students see these values practiced at home and school, it strengthens their understanding and helps them carry these lessons into everyday life.

Practicing Gratitude at Home

You can help your student explore Gratitude this month with a few simple and meaningful ideas:

💬 Conversation Starters

• What is one thing that made you feel thankful today?

• Who is someone you appreciate, and what makes them special to you?

• What is something small in your life that you are grateful for but do not always notice?

• How does it feel when someone thanks you or shows appreciation?

🏡 Family Activities

• Gratitude Jar: Each family member writes or draws one thing they are thankful for each day. Read them together at the end of the week.

• Thank You Notes: Create or decorate thank-you cards for teachers, friends, or family members.

• Gratitude Walk: Take a walk together and point out things that make you feel happy or thankful.

• Family Gratitude Board: Post photos, words, or drawings that show what your family appreciates.

Our very first group of Greenwood Citizens of the Month (one student per class) were recognized at the beginning of October! These students exemplified our September trait of Respect—seeing value in all people and things and treating them with care. It was wonderful to celebrate these leaders and acknowledge the positive example they set for their classmates. We are looking forward to celebrating student leaders each month who exemplify our trait of the month. Way to go, Groundhogs!

We are thrilled to share that PAWS for People therapy dogs have already visited Greenwood twice this year! These friendly pups bring joy, comfort, and calm to our classrooms and will continue to visit monthly throughout the school year.

PAWS for People is a nonprofit organization that connects trained therapy teams with schools, hospitals, and community programs to support emotional well-being and connection through the power of pets. You can learn more about their wonderful work here.

Some students/classes have already had visits this fall, and families of those students were contacted in advance.

If you do not want your student to participate in future PAWS visits, please reach out to Erin Miller (emiller@kcsd.org) or Jaime Halpert (jhalpert@kcsd.org).

We are grateful for this partnership and the smiles these therapy dogs bring to our Groundhogs each month!

Greenwood Elementary is on Instagram — @greenwoodgroundhogs! Follow along to see all the amazing things happening at Greenwood:

✨ Student celebrations
✨ School events & updates
✨ Behind-the-scenes moments
✨ Our journey to Root. Grow. Rise. every day

Get Involved with the Greenwood PTO! The Greenwood PTO is an important part of our school community, and all families are welcome to join! This is a great way to stay connected, support our students, and help make Greenwood the best it can be.

📅 Meetings: The PTO meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 PM.
🙌 Volunteering: Parents interested in helping with school events are encouraged to have their clearances on file with the district. Opportunities are shared through PTO meetings, flyers, and Greenwood’s Facebook page.

You can also reach out directly to any board member with questions or to get involved:

• Co-Presidents: Jennifer Lelinski (Jennifer.lelinski@gmail.com) & Nicole Tinney (Nictinney@gmail.com)

• Co-Vice Presidents: Marianne Schickram (Marianne.leeman@gmail.com) & Sarah Hutchins (hutchins.sarahs@gmail.com)

• Secretary: Katy Pruckmayr (pain75@verizon.net)

• Co-Treasurers: Meg Johnston (gwptotreasurer@gmail.com) & Caitlin Detzel (cedetzel@gmail.com)

Greenwood PTO’s Fall Festival is this Sunday! Join us for a fun-filled family day at Kennett High School with face painting, obstacle courses, moonbounces, games, crafts, and food trucks! Let’s celebrate fall together—family, fun, and community!

📆 November 9 | 11 AM–3 PM | Kennett High School

🎟️ Wristbands: $15 for the first, $10 each additional (adults do not need one).
👉 Buy Wristbands Here

Greenwood is sponsoring an Aid Station at the Mushroom Cap Half Marathon on November 8th! We need help from students and parents to run the aid station - filling water cups, handing out water, cleaning up and, most importantly, cheering on the runners! Part of the fun is a contest for the BEST aid station - the winner is awarded over $100 for their charity. Come help us beat out the other Kennett groups and teams and show them that Greenwood is the BEST!!

The station runs from 7:30-10:00am (approximately) and volunteers are invited to the after party. Details about location and further details will be sent out to the volunteers. Students need to be accompanied by an adult (one parent can be responsible for more than one student so team up with some friends). If you'd like to participate or have any questions, e-mail jennifer.lelinski@gmail.com.