GHS-Green Wave Nation News

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."

Anne Bradstreet

A Message from Karin Patenaude, Principal:

Happy New Year to All!

As we reflect on and close out 2020, we at GHS are grateful for the highlights that we could still enjoy as a school during these remote times:

• 144 awards were mailed home to students in recognition of their continued commitment to uphold the school's Core Values and Beliefs.
• The French Club hosted "Coffee House 2020!" online on Thursday, December 17 and students and families were able to enjoy the video from the comfort of their homes but also as a schoolwide event!

Looking toward the month of January, the midterm schedule is out and can be found at the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vJ3RJ-z7b1SVn-QOaPL48I1H1fuyTJSL/view?usp=sharing

The calendar allots for an extended midterm schedule to allow students less stress in studying for midterms. Traditionally, all midterms are held in one week as opposed to over four weeks.

If students have any questions on midterms, they should connect directly with their classroom teacher. If a student needs to be absent for any midterm, a parent/guardian must call the main office with the information and guidance counselors will work with the student to make-up the midterm missed on a case by case basis.

Please feel free to reach out to me at karpat1@gpsk12.org if there is anything the school can do to further support your student.

A Message from Jonathan Cavallo, Associate Principal:

I would like to begin by wishing you a Happy New Year! I hope 2021 will soon bring all of us peace, joy, and happiness. I hope that all of you were able to rest and get some much needed time away from your learning devices. This is a good time for students to refocus on their goals that they set at the beginning of the school year. I continue to be grateful for the entire school community working together under less than ideal conditions. As parents/caregivers, you have done so much these past 9 months, and in many ways have become the co-teacher at home from 8:45am to 2:50pm. At any time, if you have any questions regarding your child’s academics, please do not hesitate to contact the school and/or email me at joncav1@gpsk12.org.

A Message from Sarah Crawford, Assistant Director of Pupil Services:

Holiday greetings from Ms. Crawford! I hope that all of you get to enjoy the winter break from school and are enjoying the snow! I continue to talk with students, parents, and staff about ways to help students in these challenging times. A common theme that keeps coming up is related to the challenges of keeping up with 7 classes, organizations, and at times feeling overwhelmed. This month I would like to share some strategies that have helped students turn their grades around and get the support they needed.

1. Advocate! (Your teachers do want to see you be successful. Email them when you are struggling to set up a plan)

2. Organize (Create daily and/or weekly to do lists for your classes. This will help you to make sure you are not missing anything important)

3. One thing at a time (When we try to focus on too many things at once...aka multitasking, we can get overwhelmed or bogged down. Focusing on one thing at a time can help you work through your to do lists and feel more accomplished)

Keep up the good work! We miss you

Please contact your (or your student's) guidance counselor with any questions. Each student, grades 8-12, has a guidance counselor. If your last name begins with A-K, your guidance counselor is Ms. Siobhan Fitzgerald and can be reached at siofit1@gpsk12.org. If your last name begins with L-Z, your guidance counselor is Ms. Shelly DeMeo and can be reached at shedem1@gpsk12.org.

Seniors: Please be sure to continually check the Guidance page at the GHS Website for updates on college visits as well as scholarship opportunities! If you have any questions on either of those, please email Ms. Tami Silk at tamsil1@gpsk12.org.

Virtual Best Buddies is up and running. GHS is continuing its partnership with Special Olympics. This year we have received a $500 grant to continue our work virtually. All participants will receive a T-Shirt, participate in weekly games and write cards to their buddy. We meet every Wednesday from 3-4 pm on google classroom. If you would like to be part of this group, please contact Angela Mass at angmas1@gpsk12.org

Student Council meetings are every other Sunday from 6-7 p.m. New members are always welcome. There are a few open class officer spots and they will be filled at the next student council meeting. If you have any questions or suggestions for class cup please contact advisor Angela Mass at angmas1@gpsk12.org

The hits just keep on coming with the Class Cup Competition! Students recently participated in Among Us, Ten Second Talent, and Ugly Sweater challenges. Please enjoy some photos from the Winter Photography and Extreme School Spirit challenges!

Seniors and 8th graders are really heating up the competition still! Love to see the newest and oldest members of our school getting their competitive edge on! Seniors still keep the lead but by less than 50 points now!

Hello Green Wave Nation!

As we know, this information is continually being evaluated and subject to change:

1. Skills and drills for winter sports will (hopefully) start on Jan 11, 2021. The winter sports are JV and Varsity Basketball (boys and girls) and Ice Hockey. On or around Jan 20th, competitions will begin as long as the state guidelines allow. Please be diligent and do your duty so sports can be played!

2. There will be no fans allowed in the gym/rink for any competitions, but GCTV will be live streaming as many contests as possible. If not available, we hope to put out videos on the GHS YouTube channel.

3. Family ID is now open for winter sports. Please sign up ASAP. Please have an updated physical and a flu shot. If you have paperwork for an updated physical, you can take a picture or scan and send it to Ms. Savitri at kelsav1@gpsk12.org.

Any other questions, please email Athletic Director, Michael Kuchieski, at mickuc1@gpsk12.org.

Be safe Nation! Go Green Wave!

January 6 - Midterm Schedule begins

January 18 - No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 22 - 2nd Quarter closes

January 25 - 3rd Quarter begins

January 29 - No School - Teacher In-Service Day

We urge all of our students to return any books that they are no longer reading or using in remote learning (library and classroom books). Please drop them off in our Book Return located in front of GHS. Faculty and staff are working on another delivery to students and will need some books back to make this happen. We hope you have enjoyed the books you initially received and look forward to sending new selections home soon!

Remember no choice reading book is ever required reading for a student. If students do not like the choice reading books sent home, they always have access to our ebook platform Sora. See below!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yStxJgyQed-JfEelQuBVgKtImLlAG2WA/view?usp=sharing

Library Club

The Library Club is meeting twice a month this year. Over the course of the year, we are planning two school-wide events: the annual Poetry Slam for 4/14/21 and a new Virtual Comic Convention for 3/10/21. One of the meetings each month will be a book discussion; the books were chosen by students and the discussions will be facilitated by the student who chose the book. The January book discussion will be held on 1/20 at 2 p.m. for Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. Students who are interested in participating in Library Club should email librarian, Jessica Pollock, at ghslibrarian@gpsk12.org.

Student Support Workshops

GHS is offering five 1/2 hour workshops for students in the coming months. All workshops are scheduled for Wednesdays from 1:15-1:45 p.m. Here's the list of dates and topics:

1/27 Graduation 911 (led by guidance counselor, Siobhan Fitzgerald, and librarian, Jessica Pollock, for seniors who are struggling with remote learning)

2/3 Remote Learning 911 (led by guidance counselor, Shelly Demeo, and librarian, Jessica Pollock, for students in grades 8-11 who are struggling with remote learning)

2/24 Treat Yourself (led by school adjustment counselors, Nick Fouche and Stacy Page, about strategies for self care)

3/17 Catching Z's to Get Degrees (led by school adjustment counselors, Nick Fouche and Stacy Page, with information on the teen brain and sleep and how they impact learning)

3/24 Cope, Don't Mope (led by school adjustment counselors, Nick Fouche and Stacy Page, with techniques on how to develop coping skills for remote learning)

GHS Library Books

We are working to send home another round of choice books for all GHS students in January, although each student will receive fewer books than in the fall since many of those books are still at home with students.

Not every book is right for every reader, and we always defer to families in determining what material is best for their student. No choice reading book is ever required reading for a student. Rather, we are working hard to send home a couple of books, to be sure there is some variety of choice, in the hopes that at least one will be a good match for the student. Even still, those books are not required and students may choose anything for their choice reading. Students also have access to our ebook platform, Sora, where they can choose from a wide variety of ebooks and e-audibooks in both English and Spanish. If you would like to request that your student receives only certain types of books, please email ghslibrarian@gpsk12.org to share your preferences.

There is a book return bin outside the GHS building by the main entrance where you can leave any books your student has finished or is not interested in reading.

I hope everyone had a safe & healthy holiday season. This is just a friendly reminder that all students should have received their flu vaccine by Jan 1. This is especially important for any student who will be returning to the school building or any who wish to participate in athletics. Please make sure to submit your documentation to the nurse as soon as possible (if you haven’t already).

Also, I want to applaud our food service staff for the thousands of meals that they continue to provide for families in our district! Did you know that you can have meals delivered to your home? This has been especially helpful to our families who have had to follow DPH quarantine guidelines, but it is available to all families, regardless of your situation. To set up food delivery for your family, please see the following link: https://www.gpsk12.org/gps-district-wide/food-services/food-menus

Greenfield High School

Email: karpat1@gpsk12.org
Website: gpsk12.org
Location: 21 Barr Avenue, Greenfield, MA, USA
Phone: 413-772-1350
Twitter: @patenaude_karin