Greenwood Guide

October 2026 Edition

Hello, October!

October is here, and the fall season has officially kicked off at Greenwood! This is an especially exciting month as we enter the final stretch in our current building. Our big, beautiful new Greenwood Elementary School—here we come!

Below, you will find important information about our upcoming move. As we get closer, we will also send a separate message to all families with everything you need to know to help make the transition as smooth as possible.

This month’s Greenwood Guide is also filled with updates, reminders, upcoming events, and important information to help you stay in the loop. We cannot wait to welcome our students into their new school, begin new traditions, and create new memories—all while honoring the history and traditions that have made Greenwood such a special community.

As always, we are here to support you and your family. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions along the way.

Here’s to an exciting October at Greenwood!

With Gratitude,

Erin Miller & Jaime Halpert

Arrival & Breakfast

🚌 Bus Riders: Buses arrive around 8:25 AM. Students should enter the building immediately and report to the cafeteria if they are eating breakfast.

🚗 Car Riders:

• Students eating breakfast may enter the building when they arrive and report directly to the cafeteria.

• All other students must remain in their cars until supervision begins at 8:35 AM.

• At 8:35 AM, students should be ready to exit from the right side of the vehicle with all of their belongings.

• Car drop-off ends promptly at 8:45 AM. Students arriving after 8:45 must be signed in by an adult at the front office.

• Please do not pass cars if students are unloading or loading.

Dismissal

• Dismissal takes place from 3:30–3:40 PM.

• Car riders should pull as far forward as possible in the dismissal lane to help keep traffic moving safely and efficiently.

Buses

Please help us support a safe and respectful bus ride by reviewing appropriate bus behavior with your student. Students should remain seated, follow the driver’s directions, keep their hands and belongings to themselves, and use respectful voices and language.

Lost & Found

Please label your student’s jackets, lunchboxes, water bottles, and other belongings with their name. If your student is missing an item, please stop by and check our Lost & Found.

We are so excited that the time has finally come to move into our new Greenwood Elementary School! For many families, this has been years in the making, while others have watched the building come to life over the past few years. The wait was worth it — our new school is truly exceptional! We cannot wait for our students to experience it.

Important Dates

• Thursday, October 15: Last student day in our current building
• Friday, October 16: NO school for students — staff move day
• Monday, October 19: NO school for students — staff move day
• Tuesday, October 20: First student day in our new school!

A New Space, Same Greenwood

• School will continue as usual — just in a brand-new space!
• We know transitions can be exciting and sometimes a little challenging for students.
• Staff will be ready on October 20 to welcome students, help them navigate the new building, and safely get everyone to their classrooms.

Arrival & Dismissal

Our traffic patterns will be temporary for this school year while the old building is demolished and the permanent parking, car loop, and bus loop are completed. Please review the map below before October 20.

To help keep arrival and dismissal safe and moving as smoothly as possible:

• If your student is able to ride the bus, we strongly encourage you to use bus transportation. This will help reduce the number of vehicles in the car line.
• Grown-ups must remain in their vehicles during car drop-off and pick-up. Getting out of the car creates unnecessary backups.
• Students must enter and exit the vehicle from the right side for safety.
• Staff will be present to welcome students and provide support.
• Please expect some delays at first as everyone learns the new system. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding!
• Do not pass cars when students are unloading and loading.

Dismissal Changes: If your student’s dismissal plan needs to change, please call the main office by 2:45 PM. Dismissal changes should be communicated directly to the office, not the classroom teacher. Teachers are actively teaching and may not see messages during the school day. The office will make sure the change is communicated to your student’s teacher and the appropriate staff.

Visiting Our New School

• Family tours will not be offered at this time.
• A formal Ribbon Cutting Ceremony is planned, and we cannot wait to celebrate this exciting milestone! The date will be shared soon!
• Literacy Night that week will provide families with an opportunity to see some of the main areas off the lobby.
• Trunk or Treat is an outdoor-only event. The school building will be closed during the event, as it has been in previous years.

We are incredibly excited for this next chapter and cannot wait to welcome our students to their new Greenwood on Tuesday, October 20!

At Greenwood, we focus on a specific character trait each month to help students grow as kind, caring, and responsible members of our community.

October’s Character Trait: Responsibility

Responsibility means taking action and understanding the impact of our choices.

This month, our focus is Responsibility. Responsibility helps students understand that their choices and actions matter. Throughout October, students will explore what responsibility looks like, sounds like, and feels like at school and at home. They will practice following through on expectations, taking care of their belongings and shared spaces, completing tasks, making thoughtful choices, and recognizing how their actions can impact themselves and others.

Practicing Responsibility at Home

Families play an important role in helping children build responsibility and independence. Below are a few simple ways to continue the conversation at home.

💬 Conversation Starters

• What does responsibility mean in your own words?

• What is something you are responsible for each day?

• How did you show responsibility today?

• What can you do when you forget or make a mistake?

• How do your choices affect other people?

• Why is it important to follow through on something you said you would do?

🌟 Family Activities

• Choose a Responsibility: Give your child an age-appropriate job at home that they can consistently take ownership of.

• Plan Ahead: Talk together about what needs to be done to prepare for the next day, such as packing a backpack or choosing clothes.

• Notice Responsibility: Point out moments when family members take initiative, follow through, or make choices that help others.

• Own and Fix Mistakes: When something goes wrong, practice identifying what happened, taking ownership, and deciding what can be done to make it right.

📚 Books About Responsibility

Reading together is a wonderful way to explore responsibility, decision-making, perseverance, and how our choices affect ourselves and others.

Grade 1

• But It’s Not My Fault! by Julia Cook

• The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey

Grade 2

• What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick

• The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Chores by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Grade 3

• The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

• A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

Grade 4

• The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

• Frindle by Andrew Clements

Grade 5

• Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

• Restart by Gordon Korman

Our Character Traits

Each month, we add a new trait to our growing list. Keep these traits in mind throughout the year as we continue building a strong, caring Greenwood community:

• September — Respect: Seeing value in all people and things and treating them with care.
• October — Responsibility: Taking action and understanding the impact of our choices.

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 through October 15, and we are proud to celebrate at Greenwood!

Diversity, inclusion, and developing an understanding and appreciation of others are paramount to our school community. Celebrating the cultures, histories, traditions, and contributions of others helps our students learn more about the world around them—and ties directly to one of our Greenwood Groundhog Habits: Be Respectful.

Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, our students are learning and celebrating in meaningful ways across our school. Be sure to check out some of the incredible artwork Mrs. Ramirez has our Greenwood artists working on as they explore Hispanic and Latino culture through art!

Make A Splash With Learning!

Join us for our annual Title I Family Learning Night and dive into an evening of reading, writing, STEM, and family fun! Thursday, October 22 @ 6:00 PM.

Explore hands-on learning centers designed for the whole family. There will be free books and special prizes

Grab your crew and “seas” the opportunity to learn together during a beach-themed evening filled with family, friends, and fun!

Halloween is coming up! We are looking forward to celebrating with our students and having some festive fun at Greenwood. More details about Halloween activities, celebrations, and expectations will be shared as we get closer.

Families will have the chance to win some extra-special experiences, including:

• Having your child Design a SPIRIT DAY and announce it to the school
• Guest DJ - create playlist for the cafeteria
• Challenge the Principal
• Pajama and Pizza party for the whole class
• And SO much more!

The KEF Raffle Shop opens October 12!

Simply click here to check out the raffles and enter for your chance to win.

There are other items for community experiences, Penn State football tickets and much more!!!

Good luck families—and thank you for supporting the Kennett Education Foundation and our schools!

Greenwood is collecting bags of rice and dried black or pinto beans to support Kennett Area Community Service (KACS). Help us fill the house in our lobby by October 15 as we wrap up our time in our current building and give back to our community. All donations will go directly to KACS. Thank you for your support!

• The Greenwood PTO brings families, staff, and community members together to support our students and strengthen our school community. Whether you attend a meeting, volunteer at an event, or help in another way, there are many opportunities to connect and contribute throughout the year.

💻 Next PTO Meeting: Next meetings is Wednesday, October 14 @ 7PM; email greenwoodelementarypto@gmail.com to be added to the invitation list.

🙌 Get involved with the Greenwood PTO! Field trips. Field Day. Teacher Appreciation. Talent Show. Scholarships. Grants. None of it happens without the Greenwood PTO — and the PTO doesn't happen without you. Come to a meeting, or simply join our email list. Either way, you're in.

2026–2027 PTO Board

• Co-Presidents: Marianne Schickram and Sarah Hutchins

• Co-Vice Presidents: Jessica Hidell and Adrienne Michener

• Treasurer: Megan Johnston

• Secretary: Katy Pruckmayr

Bottom of the Bookbag (BoBB) Newsletter: If you are not already receiving the PTO’s weekly Bottom of the Bookbag newsletter, we encourage you to sign up. The BoBB is a great way to stay informed about upcoming school events, PTO updates, volunteer opportunities, and community happenings, including extracurricular activities and summer camps. To subscribe, please CLICK HERE or email greenwoodbbb@gmail.com. Families may also submit local events or activities for possible inclusion by emailing the same address.

There are so many exciting events coming up to support and celebrate our Greenwood community! Be sure to check out the calendar for upcoming PTO events below. We hope to see great participation from our families as we connect, have fun, and support our school. Thank you for your support!

Sign up here!