Grizzly Gazette

Last week we had our monthly PBIS assembly in which we recognized those that exemplified Perseverance during the month of October by showing a growth mindset and recognized 75 students for having perfect attendance during the month of October.

During this assembly we introduced our new Character Trait for the Month of November: Gratitude. This month students will focus on the good things in their life and showing appreciation for them. We started out by making thank you cards that were passed out to veterans at the annual JMS Veterans Breakfast on Friday. We are also hosting a Thanksgiving food drive. Please see the flyer below. As we continue through the month take the time to appreciate all you have and share this with your student(s).

• Monday, November 9th: New Specials Begin
• Monday, November 9th and Tuesday, November 10th: Vision Screenings for 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders (call the office to opt out)
• Tuesday, November 10th: Bagel Day forms are Due
• Wednesday, November 11th: Early Release at 1:19 pm

Mrs. Koch's class in line at the polls to vote for their vote type of weather.

Mrs. Brian's class exercised their right to vote as well while voting for their favorite type of weather.

Dear Greenwood Families,

By now, you may have seen Mrs. Petz’s message regarding my upcoming retirement. I wanted to reach out personally and share that while this wasn't an easy or ideal decision to make, it is the right one for my family at this time. Right now, my focus needs to be on staying close to home to care for my aging parents—and as many of you know, full-time caregiving is no joke!

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the humble privilege of working with you and your children over the years. Some of you were just little peanuts yourselves when I first started my career here at Greenwood, and now I’ve had the joy of teaching your children (thank goodness I haven't made it to the grandchildren stage yet!).

While I wish we could have had a proper moment for closure, I know deep down that this is where I need to be right now. Thank you for your understanding, your support, and for letting me be a part of your lives and your children’s growth.

With love and gratitude,

Ms. Donahue

I know this is a heavy topic, but it is necessary as we have had a large influx of threat assessments due to students using language that can be viewed as threatening, even if they are saying it out of frustration or a figure of speech it cannot be used at school. Please help support us in this by discussing this with your child!

Although some teachers do not use Class Dojo as a means of communication, you can still be a part of Greenwood Elementary School's Class Dojo. A lot of things are communicated through the app as reminders on the school story. Scan the QR code and join our school.

Greenwood students lined up at assigned grade level doors around the building each morning. Please see the map below for grade level specifics. Please remember that parking in the bus loop on Elmdale Street is prohibited during arrival and dismissal.

• Arrival line supervision begins a few minutes after 8:00 am. for safety purposes, please plan for your student to arrive to school between 8:05 am and 8:13 am. Greenwood staff asks that students arrive as close the 8:13 am bell as possible as students will be lining up outside in all types of weather. We will only switch to indoor line up in extreme weather conditions.
• Dismissal is at 3:19 pm each day. Your child will be dismissed from their grade level door. If your student is not enrolled in latchkey, please have a plan in place for your student to be picked up each day at 3:19 pm. While we understand the occasional issue may come up please ensure you call the office to inform them if you will be late as we will need to make arrangements for supervision.
  

With Jefferson and the High School being so close older siblings can be standing around Greenwood waiting for dismissal for up to 30 minutes. We want our older siblings to demonstrate role model behavior and not disrupt the learning environment at Greenwood while they are waiting. Therefore we have put the following systems in place:

• Kindergarten, First, and Third Grade Siblings stand/sit along the wall on Elmdale Street. At 3:15 procedure to your siblings door.
• Fourth grade siblings stand along the playground fence outside of the 4th grade door. Do not gather outside of the office door and block the entrance.
• Second and Fifth Grade Siblings proceed to your siblings door and wait for dismissal.
• Green tags: During the first weeks of school we will be provide middle and high school siblings with tags of the names of their siblings that they can display on their backpack, purse, or keychain. This helps to ensure that only students picking up Greenwood siblings are waiting on the Greenwood property. Friends can wait for them down the street or across the street as we simply do not have the capacity to monitor additional students with the 50+ siblings that are coming each day.
• Please discuss appropriate behavior with your student as they are waiting, they should find a spot to sit or stand and if speaking with others using appropriate language. If a staff member or parent speaks to them asking them to move to a different spot, wait until the gate opens, or redirects their behavior please discuss with them the appropriate response.
• Middle school students either walk 11 Mile or Meier to Joan if they are picking up 2nd or 5th grade siblings. If they are picking up a Kinder or 1st grade sibling they will be asked to wait at the gate outside the Lower Elementary Playground until 3:15pm.

Our fantastic PTO created an organized list of their events throughout the year as well as half days and early releases. This is a great resource to print out and hang on your fridge to keep you informed of fun events for the entire year.

Breakfast is 7:45 am each day in the cafeteria before school begins. If you plan on having your student eat breakfast at school please ensure they are in line before 7:55 am as this gives them time to get their breakfast and eat it prior to school starting. Students eating breakfast will enter through the 5th grade entrance on the map above.

Students getting milk with their home lunch will be charged 50 cents. If you want your student to have milk simply have them order a school lunch along with their home lunch and the milk will be free.

Also to learn more about our food service program you can click the link below as well as view the monthly lunch menu.

Here at Greenwood we offer before and after school Latchkey for families that are not able to have timely and reliable student drop-off and pick-up at the scheduled bell times. REGISTRATION FOR LATCHKEY IS REQUIRED. Please click the link below for more information or to register.

If your student has any medical concerns that you would like us to be aware of or need attention throughout the day, please complete the appropriate attached medical form.

In order to volunteer you must have an approved volunteer form on file and resubmit it every school year.

We are so excited for what this school year will bring and truly appreciate your partnership in your child's education! If you need anything or have questions please feel free to reach out.

-Ms. Petz