Dear Parents and Families,

We are thrilled to invite you to our annual Spring Concert! This is always a highlight of the year—our students have been working incredibly hard and are excited to showcase their musical talents.

We can’t wait to see you here, cheering on our young performers. It's going to be an afternoon filled with music, joy, and school spirit! We will see you for the sessions below:

• Kindergarten: 12:45–1:15
• First Grade: 1:30–2:00
• Second Grade: 2:15–2:45

Important Reminders:

While we want everyone to have a fantastic time, it’s also important to ensure that the concert runs smoothly and safely for all involved. Please take a moment to review the following guidelines to ensure we have an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Concert Etiquette:

• Photography/Video: We love seeing the memories you create! Feel free to take photos or videos, but please do so without disrupting the performance.

• No Talking During Performances: Please help us create a calm and respectful environment for our performers by keeping side conversations to a minimum during the concert.

Entry and Exit Procedures:

• Please enter through the side gymnasium doors.
• After the concert, exit through the back doors into the lobby.

Dismissal Notes:
Thank you to everyone who has returned a dismissal note for their child. If you have not yet returned the flyer and wish to dismiss your child after the concert, you can still send in a written letter.

If we do not have a permission slip or note in advance, and you decide to dismiss your child, you will need to sign them out at the reception window.

Dismissal Procedures:

For the safety of all our students, we ask that you follow these dismissal procedures at the end of the concert:

1. When you exit the gym, please form a line on the sidewalk to the left of the building (look for the sign).
2. A staff member will collect your pick-up numbers.
3. Students will be lined up and paired with adults in the order of the pick-up numbers.

If you do not have your pick-up number, please call the office at 413-569-6598 for assistance.

Due to the large number of dismissals after each concert, we kindly ask for your patience. The process will take approximately 10–15 minutes to ensure each student is safely paired with their adult.

We appreciate your cooperation and patience as we work to make the dismissal process as smooth as possible. We look forward to an amazing concert and can’t wait to see you there!

A Big Thank You!

We are so proud of our students and all the hard work they've put in. This concert is a celebration of their dedication and creativity. We look forward to seeing you there, supporting your child, and enjoying the beautiful music they’ve worked so hard to perfect.

Warm regards,

Emma and Kayla

May 16 - Spring Concert (see details below)

May 22 - Family Night 5:30-7:00

May 23 - 1/2 day Collaboration Day, Dismissal @ 12

May 26 - No School, Memorial Day

May 29-30 - Kindergarten Screenings

May 20 - AJ Stables, Preschool, Joyal

May 27 - Gran-Val Scoop, Kindergarten, Abbe & Garvey

Preschoolers will continue to learn about people in our community. They will learn about doctors, dentists, and construction workers. We will also be practicing for our End of the Year Celebration which will take place on Tuesday, June 17th. The children will perform songs on stage to demonstrate what they have learned throughout the school year! Throughout the month of June, we will be reviewing our letters, letter sounds, numbers, and shapes. We want our little ones that are going to Kindergarten to have a strong foundation! The preschoolers continue to learn how important it is to be kind, caring and helpful. We loved watching each child learn and grow this year!

Math:

Kindergarteners begin their last math unit, called, “Putting it All Together.” In this unit, students count and compare collections of up to 20 objects and use their knowledge of the count sequence to determine 1 more or 1 less than a given quantity or number. Students also explore and describe the math that they see in their environment. The kindergarteners participate in multiple activities that allow them to notice, record, ask questions, and tell stories about math in their community. Additionally, students compose and decompose 10 in different ways and write equations to show their thinking.

ELA:

Over this last month, we start our last Module, called “Animal Habitats.” The essential question for this Module is, “What makes a habitat a home?” Kindergarteners will explore what makes a habitat a home through read alouds and writing. As a class, they will read about how animals live in forests, deserts, and polar regions. Children will use sources to research and answer their questions about animals, as we explore more with the research writing genre.

In reading groups and whole group reading, students will practice reading words with the long vowel CVCe patterns, such as pole, bake, lime, and cube. Students will also review penmanship and proper line placement for all the letters of our alphabet.

Science/Social Studies:

We end the year with continuing our work with our fourth unit, “Our Earth.” Students continue to learn about ways to take care of our earth, and what makes our earth special. Students will also get to observe the life cycle of a butterfly. Each classroom will raise caterpillars through the life cycle process until they develop into butterflies. Students will log their observations in a journal.

First graders are excited to be doing an ABC Countdown to the end of the school year! Each of these last 26 days represents a letter and we celebrate with a little extra fun!

We are just wrapping up our reading and science units all about plants. Students are still enjoying growing our own plants and making scientific observations about what we see!

Our last reading unit will ask our readers to “dream big” and imagine all the things that they can create and do! We will also learn how to write an opinion piece and give reasons to support our thinking.

We are beginning a new unit in math all about geometry. First graders will learn about solid and flat shapes, as well as dividing shapes into equal parts. We will also learn about telling time and identifying coins before the year is over!

Students in second grade are enjoying the "home stretch!" They continue to be busy at work in all subject areas. In ELA, students are now working on Module 11. Over the next three weeks, classes will be revisiting nonfiction texts from earlier in the year. They will dig deeper into the genres of biography, opinion writing, and informational text and discover what their characteristics are. Children will also write a personal narrative about trying something new that challenged them. Students will also participate in an author study on Tomie dePaola!

Unit 8, Equal Groups, is underway in math. In this unit, students develop an understanding of equal groups as the foundation for multiplication and division, in grade 3 and beyond. This understanding builds on students’ experiences with skip-counting and finding the sums of equal addends.

In science, students are continuing to work on the Ecosystems and Biodiversity unit. When this is complete, students will spend the remainder of the year revisiting the social studies unit on immigrants and ancestors. They will interview an ancestor and write a report about a country from which they have ancestors.

Let’s celebrate a great year of learning with games and fun! Join the Math and Literacy Teams on May 22 at Woodland School from 5:30–7:00 PM.

We’ll be joined by Southwick PD & Fire Dept, PAWS PTO, Therapy dog Reggie, and our amazing local libraries. Don’t miss it!

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FIELD DAY

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Once again our annual field day is nearly upon us. Field day is a day of fun in which the students participate in 10 challenging events. It will be held on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 (rain date Thursday, June 5th.). The morning session will run from 9:40 – 11:00, and the afternoon session will run from 12:50 – 2:10. Volunteers will be accepted on a first come first serve basis. If you would like to assist us, please contact the school office at wes_office@stgrsd.org as soon as possible. We will contact you shortly thereafter with further details.

Woodland School is excited to announce that enrollment for kindergarten for the 2025-2026 academic year is now open. Families with children who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2025, are encouraged to register their child by May 1, 2025. Early registration ensures eligibility for the Kindergarten Screenings, scheduled to take place on May 29 and 30, 2025.

How to Enroll To begin the enrollment process and learn more about the requirements, you can tap the picture above or visit the Woodland School enrollment page at:

https://www.stgrsd.org/community/enrollment

The enrollment page includes detailed information about necessary documentation and the steps to complete the registration process. Families are encouraged to complete all required forms promptly to secure their spot in this exciting program.

Don’t miss this important milestone in your child’s education! For questions or assistance with enrollment, please contact Woodland School at 413-569-6598 or WES_Office@stgrsd.org.

We look forward to welcoming your family to Woodland School and partnering with you in your child’s educational journey.

If you know families with kindergarten-aged children, please spread the word about this important opportunity!

Food services is looking for part-time substitutes in the school kitchens. Substitute positions may lead to permanent positions. If interested in applying, please email the Director of School Nutrition

Kkeady@stgrsd.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

Woodland School needs substitutes for the 24-25 school year. Being a substitute offers great flexibility, because you can choose the days you want to work! When teachers are absent, they leave the substitute a detailed lesson plan to follow. Interested? Have questions? Give us a call at 413-569-6598 or apply online: https://www.stgrsd.org/departments/human_resources/employment_opportunities.