What's Happening at Western
Some thoughts for the starting school year
9/12/25
Dear Western families,
Well, my two NY football teams disappointed me once again. I may have to turn to the Buffalo Bills, and if any of you were Giants fans in the early 90s, you know I have hit rock bottom if I am resorting to rooting for the Bills. At least I can depend on my Nittany Lions (for now).
You are absolutely nailing it with the morning drop off. I am starting my day in a very good mood, so thank you! Dismissal has also improved greatly. Parents are doing a better job of not blocking the bus circle and main street. Yesterday and today, all 9 buses left right on time at 3:10pm. The emails you are all sending are really helping, and thank you for adding me to them. It allows me to continue communicating about the bus issues at Western. I know buses #1 and #7 have been arriving between 8:13am and 8:18am each day. However, yesterday and today bus #1 arrived with enough time for the kids to get to class on time. I have never seen kids more excited to be on time! They are still working on bus #7, which continues to arrive after 8:15. I am expecting next week to be better. I continue to work closely with Kayla Coker and Dr. Jones, and I ask parents to continue sending emails. I know the frustrations are high for many of you, but the emails you are sending are appropriately critical, while remaining respectful.
On-time arrival to school has been MUCH better than last year. I believe the later start time has helped, but your morning routines at home are probably what is most effective. There is hardly a line between 8:05am and 8:10am, which I have never seen in the 12 years I have been at Western. That DOES NOT give any of you permission to change your morning routine and try to arrive a little later. You are all safe (for now) from my lecture about the importance of on-time arrival. I do, however, want to ask parents of students who are riding motorized scooters, regular scooters and bikes to speak to your children about the importance of using the sidewalks to arrive on and leave campus. Some are riding in the middle of the street in front of the school, but also on the streets leading into Western. There have been some close calls with cars, and we don’t want any of our students getting hurt. The students do a good job of getting off and walking their bikes and scooters once they get onto the front walkway, but we need them to use the sidewalks as they are riding towards and away from school.
I want to inform you all that our nurse, Marisol Edward, recently resigned. We have hired a new nurse, who will join us at the beginning of October. In the meantime, we will have a substitute nurse here every day. Jessica Wieneke, the district’s head of nursing, is working closely to support our temporary and future school nurse. If you have any questions, you can contact Jessica at (203) 625-7494 or jessica_wieneke@greenwich.k12.ct.us .
It is looking like a beautiful, almost summer-like weekend for us, which is my favorite kind of weekend. I hope you all have a good one.
Sincerely,
Suzanne
**Please read all the way to the bottom, as there are A LOT of great opportunities and resources (among many other things) for our students and families in this edition.
School picture day is next Friday, September 19th. Students will be taking their pictures in their Science class. That will give your children the whole week to plan their outfit! The link to order pictures will be coming soon.
Please enjoy my middle school picture from the 1980s, as if you couldn’t tell by my outfit and feathered hair!
As some of you have discovered (when you avoid eye contact as you drop off something your child has forgotten at home), we have a table in our main office for items students have forgotten. It is called the Enable Table for a reason. While we understand there are times that a parent needs to bring in something their child forgets at home (I have been that parent), we also are trying to help our children become more responsible. If your child forgets their sneakers for gym, their binder, an assignment, their Chromebook, or even their lunch, they will survive a day without it. We will make sure they eat if they forget their lunch. They may have to sit out of gym class, get a late score on the assignment, go to the Media Center to get a loaner Chromebook or eat a lunch they don’t love. Having to deal with these natural consequences will teach them to not forget that item in the future and save you a trip to school when you probably have something much more important to do! If you are struggling with the idea of not solving your child’s problem because of your parents' guilt, then I suggest giving your child a certain amount of times (maybe 3 or 4) that you will come to their rescue for the year. If you need our help, we can keep track for you and then not allow you in once you exceed the number of times. We are here to help our parents as well!
As an AVID school, a primary focus is teaching our students how to maintain an organizational system that they can carry with them after Western. To support your children and reinforce the importance of being organized, the following is put in place:
All students are taught how to set up their binder and expected to follow the requirements outlined in the One-Binder System Rubric
During Advisor Base, time is provided weekly to organize binders and clean out backpacks
Teachers provide hole-punched papers and provide time in class to place papers in the correct section
Teachers will prompt students to clean out their binders in class or Advisor Base at appropriate times (eg., after a unit test, end of a quarter)
All teachers will do quick organization checkpoints at least 1x a month and input these as a responsibility grade. An organization checkpoint could be as simple as asking the students to show them a pencil, locate a paper within their binder, or show homework written in their planner on a specific date.
Thanks to Western parents, David and Lisa Moses, I now know how to schedule a text for my daughters so I never interrupt them in class at the high school. Hint, hint…
To help you with not texting your child during the day (which I know you would never think of doing), here are the steps and a quick quick demo showing how to schedule a text instead to be delivered at 3:01 pm:
1. Type out your text
2. Tap the plus (+) button on the left side of the text window
3. Scroll down and select Send Later
4. Set a date and time, then press Send
Here is a Screen recording to help. Now there is no excuse!
Your children participated in their first SEL lesson in their combined Advisor Base this past week. Students will participate in these lessons weekly on Mondays and Tuesdays. The district uses the Second Step program to deliver these lessons. Our goal is to provide students with the knowledge and tools to:
Manage Their Emotions
Maintain Positive Relationships
Deal Appropriately with Conflict
Identify and Help Prevent Bullying
Better Understand Themselves and Set Meaningful Goals
New Leadership Opportunity: Greenwich Junior United Way Expands to Middle School
We're excited to announce that Greenwich Junior United Way (GJrUW) is now accepting middle school students for the first time! This established program has successfully served high school students for years and offers an excellent opportunity for your child to develop leadership skills while making a positive impact in our community.
Through weekly meetings (starting on 10/1 from 5:30-6:30) and student-led initiatives, participants gain valuable experience in project management, public speaking, community service, social responsibility and more.
There are several ways to participate even if your student is unable to attend weekly meetings. There will be opportunities to volunteer and take initiative on individual projects!
This program is perfect for students who would benefit from additional leadership opportunities and want to connect more deeply with their community. If you think your child might be interested in joining GJrUW, please fill out the form in the attached link for more information about this exciting new opportunity.
There is an Open House on September 24th to hear more about the program. This will be a great opportunity to learn more about the program, meet staff, and ask questions. Please email Robert Moore at rmoore@greenwichunitedway.org to confirm a seat for the Open House.
Use this link to register for the program. There is no limit to the amount of students that can participate.
After school activities
We will continue to include our Club Catalog. As more clubs are being developed, we will add them to the catalog.
Remember, they are FREE!
Pen To Paper Writing Workshop
Two Greenwich High School students, Belle Nichols and Lorelei McGowan, run an active writing workshop that targets middle school aged students who have a passion for writing. The workshop meets every other Tuesday at the Cos Cob Library from 3:45-4:30 pm. The first meeting is on Tuesday, September 16th. Please see the attached flyer for more information and the QR code to sign up.
Filling in the Blanks Weekend Food Program
Please remember to sign up for the Filling in the Blanks Weekend Meal Bag program if this is a need for your family. Filling in the Blanks provides nutritious weekend meal bags. Even if you were a part of the program last year, you need to register again. You can use the QR Code in the flyer, or the link below to register. Be sure to indicate the location where your child will attend this 2025-2026 School year so it will be delivered directly to school. Please make sure you update your child's: school, grade, and any contact information that has changed (address or phone number). When filling out the form please make sure you select the 2025-2026 Weekend Meal Bag. If you have any questions or do not see your Western listed in the dropdown menu on the form, please call Filling in the Blanks at 203-750-0019.
Registration Link: Filling in the Blanks | Connecticut
Free & Reduced Lunch Applications
Please complete the applications below if you qualify for Free and Reduced lunch. Please have your child return the forms to the main office as soon as possible. We also have copies in the main office. If you have any questions, please call our main office at (203) 531-5700.
2025-26 Current Eligibility Guidelines
Here is a parent/guardian video on How to Fill Out the Application for Free and Reduced-price Meals or Free Milk (CSDE) to help parents and guardians complete the free and reduced-price application form.
