GPS District Digest
Stories, news and updates from Greenwich Public Schools
New Lebanon Dedication Ceremony celebrates new school & strong community
Exactly two years after breaking ground on the NEW New Lebanon School, the school community came together to officially dedicate the beautiful building to the Town of Greenwich and the Greenwich Board of Education. New Lebanon School Principal Alexandra Bartholomew said, "This ceremony was a celebration of our great space and a celebration for the community members who made this project possible. It was an honor to have so many of them with us to share in this great moment for our school community." In this video, students and staff at New Lebanon share some of the many attributes that make this school great!
Board of Education Meeting Recaps & New Board Members
On Thursday, December 5, the Board of Education hosted a Budget Meeting to hear public commentary on the Superintendent's Proposed Budget for 2020-2021. The meeting agenda, minutes and video recording are available.
On Wednesday, December 11, the Board of Education had Orientation for the new Board Members, providing important information for their roles.
Riverside School Mascot Competition & Performance by Rob Mathes
With the help of their school's PTA, Riverside embarked on a mascot design competition, inviting all students to submit their proposed "Red Hawk" designs. 135 entries were submitted and there was an amazing depth of creativity and heart displayed in each of them.
Additionally, during the mascot redesign, Second Grade Teacher Ms. Barrette, discovered the sheet music for a Riverside School song, written and performed by Grammy award-winning recording artist and local Greenwich resident Rob Mathes, whose wife and father used to work at Riverside.
He was generous enough to return to Riverside, take a look at all of the great mascot designs and treat the entire school to an assembly where he performed the school song. Riverside Principal Christopher Weiss said, "It was such a treat for our students and staff to come together to celebrate the community spirit that brought us to our new Red Hawk mascot; it has been a wonderful collaboration between the students, staff, and PTA. And it was such a pleasure to have Rob Mathes energize our students with his music. We are so thankful to him and his family members for their years of service to the school, students and families of Riverside."
Distinguished Teachers Award Submissions - Now Open!
The
2020 Distinguished Teachers Award Program is now open for submissions. The Distinguished Teachers Awards Committee, Inc. is a nonprofit organization established in 1984 to recognize and celebrate excellence among the dedicated teaching staff of the Greenwich Public Schools. The Committee is comprised of approximately 20 members and is a balance of representatives from the Greenwich Education Association (teachers), the Greenwich Organization of School Administrators, PTA Council (parents), and Board of Education, and members of the community. Members serve a three-year term. The awardees are selected based solely on the written information provided in each candidate’s Nomination Packet.
Information about the submission process is available on the program's website.
Weather Closure Process and Procedure
Given that we had a two-hour delay this week, we thought we should remind families and community members about
our process and procedure around these types of announcements. The Superintendent makes the decision using the most up-to-date information from the Greenwich Department of Public Works, Greenwich Police Department, the school bus company and local weather reports. All decisions consider: safety of travel for both students and staff who may be driving and those being transported by bus. Greenwich is a large town with lots of side roads and winding roads, so safety considerations are paramount.
Changes to scheduling are not made lightly, and decisions must consider current and future forecasts as all decisions must be made by 5:00AM for closures and delays, and 10:00AM for early releases to allow time for transportation logistics.
Parents and staff are alerted to any changes by both voicemail and email. We will also introduce text message going forward. For those that may wish to update their contact information (phone or email), they must do so with their respective School Office.
As a reminder we also send information through our website, twitter feed and log changes with local media. We recommend that you not rely on a single source for information.
Projects Update
Central Middle School Field
The Board of Education will be reviewing three options for the field at the next of Board of Education Business Meeting on December 19th. These options include: engineered grass, artificial turf utilizing environmentally-friendly fill or a hybrid of these two options, with one field as engineered grass and the other using artificial turf. Renderings of these options will be posted with the Board's agenda next week.
Upcoming events across the District
GHS Model UN & Environmental Action Clubs Present: Q&A with Mr. Satya Tripathi, the United Nation's Environmental Programme NYC Lead
Sat. Dec. 14 • 10:00am
GHS Performing Arts Center
GHS Bands Holiday Concert
Weds. Dec. 18 • 7:30pm
GHS Performing Arts Center
Board of Education Business Meeting (and Recognition)
Thurs. Dec. 19 • 7:00pm
Julian Curtiss School
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