Greenwood Guide

Hello Greenwood Families:

Suddenly, the winter season and holiday spirit are upon us! We even had a tiny taste of winter this week with our two-hour delay — with barely a snowflake in sight! ❄️ Be sure to review the inclement weather information below.

We enjoyed a wonderful and energizing fall, and we are excited for all that this next season will bring. No matter how cold or winter-weathery it gets outside, Greenwood always feels cozy, warm, and joyful on the inside. As we move through the month, we continue to lean into our Root–Grow–Rise vision: rooting ourselves in strong relationships, growing through feedback and partnership, and rising together as a thriving school community.

As we close out November’s trait of the month—Gratitude—we want to express our heartfelt appreciation for the incredible community support shown during our schoolwide food drive. Greenwood donated 2,213 pounds of food to KACS during the month of November! This is truly remarkable and exceeds our total for the entire school year last year. Your generosity supports families right here in our community, and we are so grateful for your partnership. All students will get to participate in the digital escape room incentive!

This newsletter is filled with important updates and information. Please take a moment to review everything, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. We truly view you—our parents and caregivers—as our greatest partners.

Greenwood Family School Experience Survey

As part of our continued commitment to growing and improving, we are asking all families to complete the ➡️ Greenwood Family School Experience Survey ⬅️. Your feedback helps guide our work and is truly invaluable. Please complete the survey by Wednesday, December 10th.

We have about 2.5 more weeks of school before we officially welcome 2026! Sending everyone early holiday wishes and a very happy New Year.

Warmly,

Erin & Jaime

Arrival & Breakfast

🚌 Bus Riders: Students arrive around 8:25 AM and head directly inside. Those eating breakfast should go straight to the cafeteria.

🚗 Car Riders: Students should not be dropped off before 8:35 AM, as there is no staff supervision prior to that time.

• If your student is eating breakfast, they may walk directly into the building upon arrival.

• If your student is not eating breakfast, please have them remain in the car until 8:35 AM. Staff will begin supervision at that time.

• At 8:35, please have your student exit the car from the right side with all of their belongings ready. This will help ensure a smooth and efficient drop-off for all families.
• ⏰ Please note: Drop-off ends promptly at 8:45 AM. Staff will head inside right at 8:45 to begin supporting students and starting the school day. Any students arriving after 8:45 AM must be signed in at the front office.

• Dismissal runs from 3:30–3:40 PM.

• For car riders, please help ensure a smooth and efficient process by pulling all the way forward in the dismissal lane when possible.

Busses

• Thank you for your patience with delays in bussing! If you continue to experience delays, please notify the office.

Lost & Found

• The Greenwood Lost & Found is filled! Is your student missing a jacket, lunchbox, water bottle, etc.? Come take a look to see if we have it!

Inclement Weather

• If school needs to close, we will share information on our district website, by phone message, email, Facebook, and text message.

  • To receive text alerts: Make sure your contact information is up to date in the Skyward Family Portal. To opt in, text “Y” to 67587 from the phone number listed in your child’s Skyward account. If you’re already enrolled, no further action is needed.

  • Snow Day Reminder: Our first three snow days will be traditional snow days with no school.

  • How decisions are made: Student safety is always the top priority. We monitor National Weather Service forecasts, assess road conditions, and consult with transportation staff, neighboring districts, and state agencies. When forecasts are clear, decisions may be made the night before; when weather is uncertain, decisions are made closer to the morning to ensure the safest call.

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

September: Respect – Seeing value in all people and things and treating them with care.

November: Gratitude – Choosing to appreciate the people and things in our lives.

This month, our focus is Empathy — understanding and connecting to other people’s feelings.

Empathy helps students build strong relationships, resolve conflicts, and create a supportive school community where everyone feels seen and valued. Throughout December, we will explore what Empathy looks like, sounds like, and feels like at school, and we will celebrate students who demonstrate it each day.

Practicing Empathy at Home

below are a few simple ways you can support Empathy at home this month:

💬 Conversation Starters

• What does Empathy mean in your own words?
• What is the difference between a big problem and a small problem?
• How do you think someone else might be feeling in a tricky situation?
• Can you share a time you worked through a conflict by understanding another person’s feelings?

🏡 Family Activities

• Emotion Check-In: Invite each family member to share how they’re feeling using colors, numbers, or emojis. This builds emotional awareness and helps children understand that everyone experiences feelings differently.
• Perspective-Taking Through Nightly Reading: Fiction texts are a natural way to practice empathy. Pause during reading to ask questions like, “What do you think that was like for them?” or “Why do you think they felt that way?” to help your student imagine a character’s point of view.
• Family Movie Night: Pause occasionally to talk about how characters are feeling. Ask your student to point out moments when empathy is shown—or when more empathy could have helped.
• Empathy Celebration Jar: Place a jar in a central area of your home. Whenever someone shows empathy, write it on a slip of paper and add it to the jar. At the end of the week, read the notes together and celebrate the ways your family cared for one another.

Our Greenwood Citizens of the Month from October (one student per class) were recognized at the start of November! These students exemplified our October trait of Responsibility—taking action and understanding the impact of our choices. It was wonderful to celebrate these leaders and acknowledge the positive example they set for their classmates. Way to go, Groundhogs!

During the last seven days of the school year leading up to winter break, we’re excited to bring some extra joy and energy to Greenwood with Winter Spirit Week! This is a fun way for students and staff to show their school spirit, build community, and enjoy a festive countdown to break.

Each day will have a different theme, and students are encouraged (but not required) to participate. We can’t wait to see the creativity, the smiles, and the Greenwood pride shine through the hallways all week long! Get ready for a wonderful stretch of fun and celebration as we wrap up 2025 together!

Winter Wonderland Celebration

We are excited to share that our Winter Wonderland Celebration will take place on Monday, December 22nd. This will be a special time for each class to engage in winter-themed fun, crafts, games, and community-building during an hour-long celebration. (Please note: a few classrooms will celebrate on a different date due to pre-planned teacher absences. Your child’s teacher will communicate directly if this applies.) This event is meant to bring joy, connection, and creativity to our final days before winter break, and we can’t wait to celebrate with our students!

Homeroom Parents

A huge thank-you to all parents who signed up to serve as Homeroom Parents this year—we are so excited for this initiative! All homeroom parents have now been contacted, and the Winter Wonderland Celebration will be the first event they help plan. As we fine-tune and launch this program, we are grateful for the support and partnership of our homeroom parents. A letter will be coming home this week introducing your child’s homeroom parent and inviting families to contribute to a classroom event fund. This fund is completely optional, but if you are able to donate, it will help support classroom celebrations throughout the year. Thank you for helping us build joyful experiences for our students!

Interested in Volunteering at Greenwood? We are always grateful for family volunteers, and we have ongoing opportunities throughout the year to support our students and school community. One of our biggest needs right now is helping with our Groundhog Store, which is part of our Positive Behavior Support (PBS) initiative. The Groundhog Store runs twice a month (usually on a Friday) and takes place throughout the school day. Volunteers bring the store cart around to classrooms, help students “shop” using their earned points, and keep track of purchases and point totals. We happily welcome any chunks of time you’re able to offer—it all makes a big difference!

If you’re interested in volunteering, please fill out the form HERE. We would love to have you join us!

As part of our ongoing commitment to student privacy and transparency around instructional technology, we are sharing an important update regarding digital tools used in our classrooms.

You are receiving this communication because the following instructional programs were approved for use after the start of the school year and were not included in the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) that you signed in September. To remain compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), it is essential that we add these programs, including EPIC, to our list of approved digital tools in Digital Insight for your review on the district website.

Your student will be using EPIC as part of our instructional program. EPIC is an online reading platform that provides students with access to a vast digital library of books and educational videos designed to engage young readers at their individual reading levels. Teachers use EPIC to support reading development and foster a love of literacy. Students will access EPIC only during school hours and under teacher supervision.

By reading this communication, you are acknowledging that your child will use EPIC as part of their instruction. COPPA permits schools to act as parents’ agents to provide consent for educational technology use on behalf of students under age 13 when such use is strictly for educational purposes, so no signed permission form is required. If you do NOT wish for your child to use EPIC, please complete our opt-out form here by December 1, 2025: [Google Form Opt out Link]. We are committed to protecting your child’s privacy. Kennett Consolidated School District thoroughly reviews all digital tools to ensure compliance with student data privacy laws and district policies including COPPA and FERPA.

If you have any questions about EPIC, contact Jennifer Miller, Supervisor of Elementary Curriculum, at jenmiller@kcsd.org. If you have any questions about student privacy or data use, contact Dan Maguire, Director of Technology, at dmaguire@kcsd.org. Thank you for your partnership and support.

Please join us for the Greenwood Elementary Winter Concert, featuring our Chorus and Orff Ensemble, on December 9th, 2025 at 6:00 PM (doors open at 5:45 PM) in the Greenwood Cafeteria. This event is open to families of our performers only due to limited seating in our current building. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to hosting future concerts with plenty of space in our brand-new Greenwood next year!

We are collecting donations to help brighten the holidays for families in needs holiday season! Please see the flyers below for more information.

• Yearbook order forms have been sent home with students.
• Families can order online HERE or submit cash using the order form.
• The cost of the yearbook is $20.
• Orders will be accepted until April 22nd, and yearbooks will be delivered in June. Capture the memories—don’t miss your chance to order!

Greenwood Elementary is on Instagram — @greenwoodgroundhogs! Follow along to see all the amazing things happening at Greenwood:

✨ Student celebrations
✨ School events & updates
✨ Behind-the-scenes moments
✨ Our journey to Root. Grow. Rise. every day

Get Involved with the Greenwood PTO! The Greenwood PTO is an important part of our school community, and all families are welcome to join! This is a great way to stay connected, support our students, and help make Greenwood the best it can be.

📅 Meetings: The PTO meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 PM.
🙌 Volunteering: Parents interested in helping with school events are encouraged to have their clearances on file with the district. Opportunities are shared through PTO meetings, flyers, and Greenwood’s Facebook page.

You can also reach out directly to any board member with questions or to get involved:

• Co-Presidents: Jennifer Lelinski (Jennifer.lelinski@gmail.com) & Nicole Tinney (Nictinney@gmail.com)

• Co-Vice Presidents: Marianne Schickram (Marianne.leeman@gmail.com) & Sarah Hutchins (hutchins.sarahs@gmail.com)

• Secretary: Katy Pruckmayr (pain75@verizon.net)

• Co-Treasurers: Meg Johnston (gwptotreasurer@gmail.com) & Caitlin Detzel (cedetzel@gmail.com)

Have fun while supporting our school...what could be better!? We hope to see you at Braelock on 12/10 to showoff your creativity!

We want to continue the incredible momentum we built in November as we work together to support our community. Your generosity helped Greenwood donate 2,213 pounds of food to KACS last month—an amazing accomplishment that truly reflects the heart of our school.

To keep that spirit going, we will be collecting specific items each month throughout the year. See the flyer below for details on what we’re collecting this month and in the months ahead. Every contribution—big or small—makes a meaningful difference for families in our community.

Thank you for your continued support and for showing what it means to be a caring Greenwood Groundhog!