All About Academics

Welcome to our first installment of All About Academics for the 2025-2026 school year! We have included information about English Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science, FLES, World Language, ELL, Arts, and Library Media Services. Enjoy!

Elementary

Our students have been hard at work reading and writing this school year. Read below to see the units they just finished and the ones they will be moving into.

Kindergarten

Just Completed:

• Reading: We are Readers: Emergent Reading

• Writing: Launching Writers Workshop Unit 1 Reading and Writing Home Letter

• Fundations: (through December) Letter & sound recognition (a-z/short vowels), letter formation, phonemic awareness (beginning and ending sounds), print/word awareness, rhyming

• Home Letter: Fundations Unit 1 Letter

• Heggerty: Home Letters: Heggerty Intro Letter & Heggerty Week 1-4 & Heggerty Week 5-8

Moving Into:

• Reading: Sharing Reading (Focus on concepts about print, reading with 1:1 match, sharing reading with others)

• Writing: Show and Tell Writing R&W UOS Unit 2 Letter (Drawing, Writing and Labeling, Using words and letters to write sentences)

• Fundations: Letter & sound recognition (a-z/short vowels), letter formation, phonemic awareness (beginning and ending sounds), print/word awareness, rhyming. Fundations Unit 1 Letter

• Heggerty: Home Letters: Heggerty Weeks 9-12 , Heggerty Weeks 13-14

Grade 1

Just Completed:

• Reading: Building Good Reading Habits: Accuracy, Fluency and Comprehension

• Writing: Narrative: Small Moments Unit 1 Reading and Writing Home Letter

• Fundations: Review of letters and sounds (a-z) & digraphs (wh, ch, sh, th, ck) reading and spelling 3 sound words, Home Letters: Fundations Unit 1 Letter, Fundations Unit 2 Letter, Fundations Unit 3 Letter

• Heggerty: Home Letters: Heggerty Intro Letter & Heggerty Week 1-2 & Heggerty Week 3-4 & Heggerty Week 5-7

Moving Into:

• Reading: Word Detectives (Looking closely at letters, orthographically mapping words with long and short vowels, compound words, endings, and retelling stories)

• Writing: Writing How-To Books R&W UOS Unit 2 Letter

• Fundations: Blending and reading three sound short vowel words, segmenting and spelling three sound short vowel words, phoneme segmentation, Introduction of digraphs (wh, ch, sh, th, ck), practice of high-frequency trick words, and sentence dictation. Fundations Unit 3 Letter, Fundations Unit 4 Letter, Fundations Unit 5 Letter

• Heggerty: Home Letters: Heggerty Weeks 8-10, Heggerty Weeks 11-14

Grade 2

Just Completed:

• Reading: Becoming a Big Kid Reader: Accuracy, Fluency and Comprehension

• Writing: Narrative: Making Small Moments Big Unit 1 Reading and Writing Home Letter

• Fundations: Review of letters and sounds (consonants, vowels, digraphs, double letters, glued sounds, suffixes)

• Home Letters: Fundations Unit 1 Letter & Fundations Unit 2 Letter & Fundations Unit 3 Letter

Moving Into:

• Reading: Becoming Experts at Reading Non-Fiction (understanding information in non-fiction texts, text features, building knowledge and vocabulary through text sets, and exposure to different non-fiction genres)

• Writing: Non-Fiction Chapter Books R&W UOS Unit 2 Letter

• Fundations: Blending and reading words with glued sounds (ie: all, am, an ild, ind, old), segmenting and spelling words with glued sounds, fluent passage reading, practice of high frequency trick words, and story retelling. Fundations Unit 4 Letter, Fundations Unit 5 Letter, Fundations Unit 6 Letter

• Heggerty: Home Letters: Heggerty Weeks 8-10, Heggerty Weeks 11-14

Grade 3

Completed Mid-October

• Reading: Building a Reading Life: Fiction

• Writing: The Art of Information Writing

• Fundations: Review of blends, digraphs, closed syllables, plurals, suffixes, spelling rules and VCe syllables; lowercase cursive letter formation Fundations Unit 1 Home Letter, Fundations Unit 2 Home Letter, Fundations Unit 3 Home Letter

Currently In:

• Reading: Reading to Learn: Grasping Main Ideas and Text Structures

• Writing: Changing the World- Argument Writing

• Fundations: Review of vowel-consonant-e syllables and spelling rule, review of division of multi-syllabic words, spelling multi-syllabic words, lowercase cursive letter formation Fundations Unit 3, Fundations Unit 4, Fundations Unit 5

Grade 4

Completed Mid-October

• Reading: Fiction: Interpreting Characters

• Writing: Narrative: Realistic Fiction

• Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop: Defining words, work with synonyms and antonyms, sentence completion, word associations, work with Latin/Greek roots, words in context

• Sadlier Grammar Workshop: Parts of Speech, compound and complex sentences, commas, quotations, subjects and predicates

Currently In:

• Reading: Nonfiction: Reading the Weather, Reading the World

• Writing: Boxes and Bullets: Writing Essays and Arguments

• Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop: Defining words, work with synonyms and antonyms, sentence completion, word associations, work with Latin/Greek roots, words in context

• Sadlier Grammar Workshop: Simple subjects, simple predicates, present tense, comparison

Grade 5

Completed Mid-October

• Reading: Literary: Analyzing Themes

• Writing: Personal Narrative: Turning Life into Literature

• Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop: Defining words, work with synonyms and antonyms, sentence completion, word associations, work with Latin/Greek roots, words in context

• Sadlier Grammar Workshop: Parts of Speech, compound and simple sentences, commas, quotations, subjects and predicates, I and me, we and us

Currently In:

• Reading: Tackling Complexity: Moving up Levels of Nonfiction

• Writing: Journalism: Research and Writing Articles

• Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop: Defining words, work with synonyms and antonyms, sentence completion, word associations, work with Latin/Greek roots, words in context

• Sadlier Grammar Workshop: Simple/compound sentences, possessive nouns, simple tense: past & present

Elementary ALP English

• Students in Elementary ALP English are working in their first unit, Interacting with Text. Students are introduced to, or review, the foundational skills needed to engage with text at a deeper level, interpreting the author's messages in order to make meaning and support their thinking with text evidence. Students are introduced to, or will review, applying this kind of higher-level thinking in writing about reading.

Middle School

Students have been working hard in the following units and will continue to do so through the end of the marking period in Early November.

Grade 6

• Reading: Launching Deep Study of Character

• Writing: Personal Narrative: Crafting Powerful Life Stories

Grade 7

• Reading: Investigating Characterization

• Writing: Narrative: Launching and Realistic Fiction

Grade 8

• Reading: Launching & Exploring Nonfiction: Information

• Writing: Narrative Writing

Middle School Advanced English

• The students in English 6A, 7A, and 8A participate in the same units as students in English 6, 7, and 8 with augmented lessons and instructional materials to bolster the advanced teaching and learning experience. Additional skills, activities, and resources are used to enrich the advanced curricular materials.

Want to learn more about what your child is learning in English Language Arts?

Contact Kim Paladino: Kimberly_Paladino@Greenwich.k12.ct.us, head to our website, or click on the banner above.

Our Social Studies curriculum has been updated to match the newest K-12 Social Studies Standards for Connecticut. Parents can learn more about these shifts by reviewing our K-8 Curriculum Page on the GPS website. Social Studies learning standards help students to effectively study and critically think about how people process and document the human experience. Students then garner a capacity for communication, empathy, and citizenship through critical thinking, reflection, and appreciation of diverse viewpoints.

GPS students study contemporary and historical writers and thinkers to develop their abilities to critically read, write, speak, and think, ultimately preparing them to excel in today’s global society. Together, these areas of study prepare students for success in college and career while also ensuring students are informed, engaged participants in civic life. In addition, students study other writers and thinkers, contemporary and historical, to develop their abilities to read, write, speak, and think critically and globally.

In the grades listed below, students first units include learning and projects on topics related to:

Elementary

• Kindergarten: Roles and Responsibilities in a Community
• Grade 1: Contributing in a Democratic Society
• Grade 2: Working Together as a Community
• Grade 3: State Constitution and Government
• Grade 4: Understanding Regions
• Grade 5: Migration and Settlement

Middle School

• Grade 6: East Asia (China, Japan, North, and South Korea)
• Grade 7: Middle East & North Africa
• Grade 8: Revolutionary America

Want to learn more about what your child is learning in Elementary Social Studies? Contact Tara Fogel: Tara_Fogel@greenwichk12.ct.us. Want to learn more about what your child is learning in Middle School Social Studies? Contact Thomas Healy: thomas_healy@Greenwich.k12.ct.us, head to our website, or click on the banner above.

Elementary

At this point, students are well into their grade level curriculum which is delivered primarily through the Big Ideas Math Program. Big Ideas has both digital and paper/pencil components. Please look for the Family Letter that comes home before each chapter. These letters provide you with context, learning targets, and success criteria for the chapter.

• Kindergarten: Count and write numbers between 6 -10
• Grade 1: Addition and subtraction situations
• Grade 2: Fluently add within 100
• Grade 3: Division facts and strategies
• Grade 4: Multiply by two-digit numbers
• Grade 5: Multiply whole numbers

Elementary ALP Math

• The ALP Math curriculum compacts a year and a half of the curriculum into a single year. In addition, additional supplemental enrichment opportunities are used to meet the various needs of ALP students.

Middle School

Middle schoolers are typically enrolled in one of the following seven courses:

• Math 6: Numerical expressions and factors and fractions and decimals
• Math 6 Advanced: Integers, Number Lines, Coordinate Plane and Add/Subtract Rational Numbers
• Math 7: Add/Subtract/Multiply/Divide Rational Numbers
• Pre-Algebra 6 & 7: Equations, Inequalities and Transformations
• Pre-Algebra 8: Equations and Transformations
• Algebra: Solving Linear Equations and Inequalities
• Geometry: Reasoning and Proofs

Want to learn more about what your child is doing in math? You can find video tutorials and IXL support resources on our K-8 Curriculum webpage.

Contact Mike Reid: mike_reid@greenwich.k12.ct.us

Elementary

Before long, our students' science notebooks K-5 will be full of models, data, evidence, and discovery. Soon, students in the K-5 classroom will transition from social studies units to science units! During the first unit of the school year students engage in scientific explanations based on evidence, grapple with novel phenomena, and make their thinking visible!

In the grades listed below, students first units of science include learning and projects on topics related to:

• Kindergarten: Weather
• Grade 1: Notebook Launch and Survival
• Grade 2: Light and Sound
• Grade 3: Climate, Weather and Hazards
• Grade 4: Force and Motion
• Grade 5: Natural Resources

Elementary ALP Science:

The students in Elementary ALP Science participate in the same units as students in grades 3, 4 and 5 Science with extension activities and performance expectations.

Be sure to ask your child: How have you used your science notebook to keep track of your wonderings, evidence and discoveries this week?

Middle School

Phenomena, modeling, and projects! Oh my! You may have heard your students talking about models or projects in class. Each unit in middle school science allows students to make their thinking visible, grapple with real-world phenomena, and engage in individual and team projects. Currently, students in the middle school classroom are on their fist unit of the school year. Students engage in scientific explanations based on evidence.

• Grade 6: Movement and Energy Transfer
• Grade 7: Chemical Reactions
• Grade 8: Forces and Motion

Want to learn more about what your child is learning in science?

Contact Tara Fogel: tara_fogel@greenwich.k12.ct.us, head to our website, or click on the banner above.

Want to learn more about Advanced Learning? Get in touch with our team at

advancedlearning@greenwich.k12.ct.us, head to our website, or click on the banner above.

We are happy to welcome approximately 60 new students in K-8 to our district. Some of the languages spoken by our new arrivals include French, Georgian, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Norwegian, Portuguese, and Spanish. While we are still screening newly enrolled multilingual learners, our students and their teachers are off to a wonderful start.

At the elementary level, we reinforce good reading habits while exploring survival vocabulary for our newcomers and autumn-themed vocabulary for our intermediate and advanced multilingual speakers. With the support of Lexia, students are working on reading skills such as summarizing and using cognates to help acquire and understand key character traits. ESOL specialists have been supporting the acquisition of academic vocabulary in content areas such as science and social studies, particularly in the upper elementary grade levels.

At the middle school level, newcomers are getting to know each other and learning how to describe themselves orally and in writing. Our intermediate and advanced multilingual learners are navigating non-fiction texts, more specifically identifying text structures, using context clues, identifying main ideas, and using evidence to support them.

Want to learn more about what your child is learning in English for Speakers of Other Languages?

Contact Geoffrey Schenker geoffrey-schenker@greenwich.k12.ct.us, head to our ESOL websites, or click on the banner below.

In grades K-2 FLES, students are learning how to identify themselves, how they feel, likes and dislikes, and colors in the target language.

In grades 3-5 FLES, students are actively engaged in describing themselves, what they like to do, and what they do during a typical day, while they continue to use the target language to introduce themselves and get to know each other.

In grades 3-5 Native Spanish Language Arts, students are learning how to make predictions when reading literature, to write short narratives, and to understand the purpose of a text.

In middle school, both Spanish and French students are beginning with preliminary units of study, students continue to reinforce and improve their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in the context of the thematic units such as school life, describing self and family, recreational activities, and health.

Our middle school Spanish Native Language Arts students are building on their previously developed foundational oral and literacy skills in order to explore themes associated with Hispanic Heritage month, travel, and legends.

Want to learn more about what your child is learning in World Language?

Contact Geoffrey Schenker geoffrey_schenker@greenwich.k12.ct.us, head to our World Language Program websites, or click on the banner above.

As the fall season unfolds, our art and music classrooms are alive with energy, creativity, and collaboration! From the first brushstroke to the final note, our students are engaging in inspiring artistic and musical experiences that showcase their growing talents and passion for the arts.

Visual Arts:

Our elementary school artists are building their portfolios while exploring a variety of techniques and materials. From painting with watercolors to creating original abstract art and experimenting with mixed media, students are developing both skills and imagination.

The middle school art rooms are busy this fall! Students are working on various projects, from digital mosaics to portfolio design, as well as exploring different art mediums.

At the high school level, students are refining their artistic skills. Classes are full, and students are highly engaged in project based learning. From coil projects in the pottery studio to digital art creations, their work reflects strong technical skills, thoughtful composition and a growing understanding of art concepts. Our art history enrollment keeps growing, and is thriving with a project based learning approach, which is engaging for our students.

Music:

Core music students are building foundational skills in grades 3-5, through the belief that "children who learn to be tuneful, beatful, and artful before they leave elementary school will grow to be adults who benefit from what music can offer."

Band and orchestra students in grades 3-5 have begun lessons and rehearsals, building foundational skills and preparing for their upcoming concerts.

Eastern Voices, the advanced chorus from Eastern Middle School, will perform at Radio City Music Hall on December 1st, to open the Christmas Spectacular. This is an incredible opportunity that celebrates our students' exceptional talent on a national stage!

The 8th grade and high school orchestras joined forces for their annual "Spooktacular" concert. Similarly, the 8th grade band students joined the Greenwich High School band for a collaboration at their Fall concert. Our new Honors Modern Band class had their debut performance to open the GHS Band Concert. What an impressive inaugural performance. Look for them at future GHS concerts this year. The high school choir took center stage for their fall concert, delivering an inspiring program that highlighted their dedication and musicianship.

You can find the most current list of district musical performances online in our 2025-26 Arts Performance Calendar

Want to learn more about what is happening in the art and music program?

Contact Leah Stillman leah_stillman@greenwich.k12.ct.us or click on the banner above.

K-8 PE & Health is off to a great start. Your child's teachers are focusing on building connections and fostering a collaborative environment for all. The picture shown is one of many exciting activities that is helping students collaborate while focusing on a positive environment.

Want to learn more about what your child is learning in K-8 Physical Education and Health?

Contact Dr. Jennifer Bencivengo Jennifer_Bencivengo@greenwich.k12.ct.us

Our Library Media Specialists create vibrant spaces where students read, explore, and create. We collaborate with teachers to connect literature, technology, and hands-on learning, fostering a love of reading and empowering students to become curious, confident learners.

This fall, we are diving into back-to-school read-alouds, celebrating International Dot Day, introducing research databases, and exploring digital wellness—all while inspiring students to think, make, and grow.

At North Street School, students learned about the inspiring life and work of Jane Goodall, exploring her dedication to animals and the environment while using TrueFlix and ScienceFlix to extend their research. Meanwhile, at Old Greenwich School, first graders tackled an exciting engineering challenge with craft sticks, cups, and cubes, and third graders explored creativity through reading, art, and a student-created digital game called Doodle Dodge by fifth grader Beckett Nichols.

At Parkway School, third graders stepped into the world of civics through a mock trial, The Wolf vs. The Three Little Pigs, taking on courtroom roles such as judge, bailiff, attorneys, and jury. The activity offered an authentic look at how the judicial system works and how evidence shapes fair decisions. Students also explored monarchy through a lively role-play on colonial taxation, sparking meaningful conversations about fairness, rights, and civic responsibility.

Our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders have kicked off the school year with gusto this year, and are progressing well in their academic and personal reading journeys.

All Western Middle School students have started the year with a comprehensive Library Media Center orientation and first book selection with their ELA classes; students also received invitations to participate in the school's first Battle of the Books and the Connecticut Nutmeg Challenge! Book circulation is already quite impressive compared to previous years - we are definitely doing something right for our many readers. Some of our 8th graders have even shared their love of reading with visiting pre-schoolers with their AB teachers!

Additionally, Ms. Ledina (Library Media Specialist) has been collaborating with 6th, 7th and 8th grade Social Studies classes as they investigate components of the Research process, explore our GPS databases, and learn about the importance of ethics, citation and giving credit where credit is due.

Central Middle School is thrilled to welcome Ms. Emily Lentz as their Library Media Specialist, and she is already having a powerful impact on students and staff. She has just welcomed their students into the library for the year officially through ELA/Library Media orientation sessions, and the CMS LMC is about to host an Author Share in which 8th grade students will share the short stories they wrote in a series of activities across the media center.

Across all three schools, students are also working through a sequence of lessons about Digital Literacy and Well-Being that prepares students for the possibilities and pitfalls of today's always-on(line) world, discussing topics from AI literacy to cyberbullying, screen time, and more.

Want to learn more about what your child is learning in Library Media? Contact Esra Murray esra_murray@greenwich.k12.ct.us or Pia Ledina pia_ledina@greenwich.k12.ct.us

Grade 5 Middle School Transition:

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

9:30 am Zoom link, 10:30 am (Spanish) Zoom link

7:00 pm Zoom link, 8:00 pm (Spanish) Zoom link

Middle School Transition FAQ

Links to the videos, as well as the transcripted slides regarding the 5th to 6th grade transition, are available on the transition website and it is recommended that parents review this information before attending meetings.