Granite Valley Family Newsletter

Dear Granite Valley Families,

As the principal of Granite Valley School, my highest priority is ensuring our students thrive in a safe, welcoming, and academically rigorous environment. To do this effectively, I need your honest feedback. I view leadership as a continuous partnership with our families, and your perspective is vital to my growth and reflection as your administrator.

To collect your input efficiently without taking up your valuable time, we are launching the Granite Valley Pulse Survey today.

Here is what you need to know:

• It is fast: The survey contains exactly 4 questions and takes less than 60 seconds to complete.

• It tracks our progress: I will send this exact same short survey just three times this school year (Fall, Winter, and Spring) so I can directly measure if our school climate and my leadership practices are improving.

• It is actionable: Your feedback will directly influence my decisions and my communication strategies.

Please take one minute right now to share your thoughts on our first survey of the year:

👉 Take the Granite Valley Pulse Survey Now

Thank you for your partnership, your honesty, and your dedication to making Granite Valley School the best place for our children to learn and grow.

Regards,

Serenity Greenwood

Principal, Granite Valley School

Monday, Oct. 12th -

No School - Indigenous People's Day/Columbus Day

Tuesday, Oct. 13th -

Lyman Pie Fundraiser Ends Today

Wednesday, Oct. 14th -

Boomer visits Granite Valley at Arrival

1/2 Day for Students - Parent Techer Conferences - Dismissal @11:30

Thursday, Oct. 15th -

6:00-7:30 - Monson, PTSA Mtg.@ ECC Library

Friday, Oct. 16th -

Reading Logs Due for Stick to Reading Thunderbirds Program

Monday Oct. 19th - Fri. Oct. 23rd -

Granite Valley Book Fair

Monday, Oct. 19th -

3:00-4:00 - Reflections Art Program

Wednesday, Oct. 21st -

6:00-8:30 - School Committee Mtg.

Saturday, Oct. 24th -

Monson PTSA Trunk or Treat

Monday, Oct. 26th -

3:00-4:00 - Reflections Art Program

Thursday, Oct. 29th -

Picture Retake Day

A 5th and 6th Halloween Grade Dance is PLANNED ON: Friday, October 30, 2026 at Granite Valley School from 5:00-6:30pm.

Specific details are: Granite Valley will be hosting a Halloween dance for 5th and 6th grade students only. Parents will need to drop off their students at 5:00pm and pick students up at 6:30pm. Dance will be chaperoned by Granite Valley staff.

There will be a $6.00 cost to the dance which should be sent in with the permission slip below. Please send either a check made out to Granite Valley School or a payment through GoFan Ticketing using the QR code below. No cash will be accepted as payment.

Please complete, return the permission slip and your payment to your child’s homeroom teacher, no later than October 26, 2026. No student will be permitted to stay without a signed permission slip.

Behavioral Expectations for School Dance Participation

Students are expected to follow all school rules and meet behavior expectations while here in school. Students may not be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities if expectations are not being met. Students are expected to follow the ROCKS expectations while at school and during the dance.

Click HERE for the Permission Slip

Granite Valley School is having its annual Veterans’ Day Assembly on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 9:30am in the auditorium. We are asking students with veterans in their family to please invite their veteran to attend the assembly. The program will be about one hour long and will include a song by the GV chorus, a few readings by students, introduction of veterans by their student host(s). Please use this link to sign up your veteran. Veteran's Day 26-27

In honor of Kindness Month, our fourth graders have an opportunity to spread kindness around the world! We will be collecting school supplies to bring directly to refugee camps in Bangladesh in mid-November. This is an optional activity, and donations of any size are greatly appreciated!
Students will also have the opportunity to write a letter to a child in Bangladesh and, hopefully, receive a letter back from their new friend on the other side of the globe!
What a wonderful way to practice kindness, make connections, and remind our students that even small acts of generosity can make a big difference! Thank you for helping us spread kindness beyond our 4th grade classrooms!

This program according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) introduces students to the concepts of ecology, population biology, water quality, and conservation. Students raise Brook Trout from eggs during the winter, then release them into approved lakes and streams in the spring. For us in Monson, this is Chicopee Brook right behind the Town Hall and Police Station in downtown Monson.

Caring for the fish fosters a conservation ethic in the students, and the act of participating in a stream study right in their town and then directly releasing the young fish into the water makes a concrete connection between caring for the fish and caring for the water.

This is a wonderful opportunity for our fourth graders and we are lucky that Massachusetts has developed this “Teaching With Trout” program. It’s a valuable learning experience for the children and one they long remember. For it to be successful, we need parent support especially in terms of donating gallons of Poland Spring Water and assisting with the stream study.

Order Forms Due Tuesday, October 13th

Pies will be picked up during dismissal on Monday 11/23

On Wednesday, October 14, 2026, from 12:15–5:00 p.m., Granite Valley will host virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with your student’s teachers and discuss how the school year is beginning.

Below you will find links to sign up for a conference time. Please register with your child’s homeroom teacher. If you are unable to attend during this window, or if all available times are filled, please reach out directly to your child’s homeroom teacher to schedule an alternate meeting time.

We are looking forward to meeting with you virtually and partnering together to support your child’s success.

Parent/Teacher Conference Sign-Up Links

We are looking for family volunteers to join

the District Wellness Committee.

There will be two meetings over the course of this school year.

If interested please indicate your willingness to volunteer on the attached form!

Sign Up - HERE

Join Our School Council!

Granite Valley School is looking for family volunteers to serve on our School Council! The School Council is an important partnership between families, staff, and school leadership that provides input on school improvement efforts, student needs, and ways we can continue to strengthen our school community.

We value the voices and perspectives of our families and would love to have you involved. No special experience is needed—just an interest in supporting our students and helping Granite Valley continue to grow!

If you are interested in serving on the School Council, please reach out to the school office and leave your name and contact information.

We hope you’ll consider joining us and helping make Granite Valley Stronger with Every Step!

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactive, school-wide framework that teaches kids positive behavior and social skills.

Instead of assuming students know how to behave in different parts of the school, PBIS treats behavior the same way schools treat academics—by teaching, practicing, and reinforcing expectations.

• Clear Expectations: Schools set simple, positive rules and define what they look like in the hallway, cafeteria, bus, and classroom.

Monson Public Schools Facebook Pg.

GV Student Handbook

October - 10/5-10/9,

September - 8/31-9/4, 9/7-9/11, 9/14-9/18, 9/21-9/25, 9/28-10/2

August - 8/24-8/28,O

July - 7/31

Serenity Greenwood

Principal

Granite Valley School

21 Thompson St.

Monson, MA 01057

greenwoods@monsonschools.com

413-267-4155