Blue Jay News
February 2nd, 2024
A Message from the Administrative Team
Greenwood Students and Families:
Student Council (STUCO) is sponsoring a spirit week and LPA dance next week. Encourage your high school students to attend events during this week as we encourage the school spirit and positive culture it brings to our school. Also, please speak with your student about positive decisions at school events outside of the school day, we want all our students to make good decisions and be safe.
As a reminder, middle school students who stay after school waiting for a ride must be in room 215 no later than 3:30 pm. The supervision of this room is provided by the school and is in place until 5:15 pm.
We are in need of one or two assistant coaches for middle school track & field. If you, or you know of someone who may have interest, please contact administration.
Our school accrediting agency, COGNIA, will be evaluating our school for accreditation during the 2024-25 school year. One of the necessary components of this review is obtaining data to share with them. Please go to: https://eprovesurveys.advanc-ed.org/surveys/#/action/245195/7222 to provide parent feedback. We thank you in advance for taking time to complete the survey. It generally takes 5-10 minutes.
The second annual Greenwood Showcase will occur on Thursday, March 21. This event will “showcase” student projects, performances, and fine art displays as a way to celebrate the talented students at Greenwood. More information will be forthcoming.
We are a part of 417 Magazine's Digital Private School Profile, you will find the link here.
The subject of electronic devices, social media, and the inappropriate use of online platforms have been in the forefront of the news lately. As an educational community, along with all of you, we want all of our students to be safe and protected. This is just a reminder that we need to continue to be diligently monitoring our students and what they access on their devices. We had a great cybercrimes presentation for middle school parents last fall and wanted to share some reminders from the presentation:
Continue to have conversations with your students about their digital footprint and what they are accessing and posting.
- Advise them to be careful on what they post, it can follow them and effect college applications, job offers, etc…
- Know who they are friends with online and that they know their online friends in real life.
- Check their privacy settings.
- Be careful of “checking in” on certain platforms that track locations.
- Remind them not to share their phone or let others use it.
- Remind them to not take pictures of someone else and post without permission.
- Monitor potential signs of anxiety, depression, isolation, or effects on their mental health due to too much screen time.
There are parental control software and apps that can used, some use AI to scan text, social media, images, and audio for threats like cyberbullying, self-harm, and inappropriate pictures and videos. A few examples may be:
- Norton Family
- Qustodio
- Mobicip
- Bark
- Boomerang
- FamilyTime Premium
- Apps – Apple’s Screen Time, Google’s Family Link, Microsoft’s Family Safety
- Netsmartz
This is obviously a drop in the bucket to what is available, but the most important prevention and safeguard is continual communication and monitoring in a non-punitive way, but open and honest discussion.
This is a general reminder, if there are ever any specific concerns with your student it will be communicated.
Go Blue Jays! GO Chiefs!
Ron & Jeni
Tuesday Spirit Day - White Lie Guidelines
Celebrating Greenwood Debate's January 2024 Success
Greenwood Debate participated in one of the largest invitational tournaments of the year hosted by Springfield Central this past weekend. Over 33 schools from across Missouri – including several large schools from the Kansas City and St. Louis area – participated in the Springfield Winter Classic.
The debaters also participated in the Marshfield Invitational earlier this month. Tristan Khoshyomn was the tournament champion in Original Oratory!! Tristan also placed 4th in International Extemporaneous Speaking and along with Mary Gabriel earned 4th place in Policy Debate. Laila Ozturk and Mohan Grewal were quarterfinalists in Novice Policy Debate and Laila was 6th in Varsity Informative Speaking. Other highlights from the tournament included Amore Penella advancing to the semi-final round of Informative Speaking and Abby Ryan advancing to the semi-final round of United States Extemp.
Next up – several varsity students will compete at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, MO this weekend in preparation for district competition.
Go Jays!
Philip Kirby's Mom Talks to First Graders About Being a Genetic Counselor
Mary Owen, Philip’s mom, is a Genetic Counselor at Cox. Today we learned many fun facts about Philip. He has ridden a mountain bike without training wheels since he was three years old, he loves sports and plays on two basketball teams and he has completed all the Cub Scout Badges. Mary talked to the students about things that we have in in common and how our DNA Code provides instructions to our bodies. Students learned that we each have 46 Chromosomes that represent our DNA.
Students created an edible DNA model using Twizzlers, Gummy Bears and Toothpicks. Thank you to Philip and his mom for providing a fun science lesson for his student of the week presentation.
Congratulations to our Zaner-Bloser Handwriting Contest Winners
The Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest celebrates handwriting and showcases student’s manuscript and cursive skills. Greenwood Laboratory School grade-level winners qualify to move on to state, then national levels, competing to be named one of nine Grand National Grade-Level Champions. Each national champion receives a cash prize and a special trophy!
Congratulations to the 2024 Greenwood Laboratory School Grade-Level Winners:
- Kindergarten Rooslan Iqbal (Mrs. Lowe)
- First Grade Arna Sadhukhan (Dr. Hammerschmidt)
- Second Grade Anunya Patel (Mrs. Flanders)
- Third Grade Drisha Salana (Mrs. Gray)
- Fourth Grade Harper Burch (Mrs. Broaddus)
- Fifth Grade Kriti Bande (Mrs. Martin)
Foster Recreation Center's Camp Claw 2024
Sign up for Camp Claw 2025! Each year The Foster Recreation Center hosts Camp Claw, a summer day camp, for 6-12 year olds (June 10th-August 2nd, Monday thru Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm).
The Camp Claw website is full of information about all the opportunities for campers. Please check it out to see what we offer and how seriously we take camper safety. If you have any questions, please contact Lauren Easter (leaster@missouristate.edu).
Camp Claw is something very special to the Foster Recreation Center and we want to express our commitment in giving the best experience to your students. We are dedicated to enriching campers in a safe environment through activities, community, and everything fun about being a kid.
Updates From Archery
Great job to our Greenwood Bluejay Archers who competed in the Flying Tigers State Qualifier in Republic last weekend! We had 15 compete! Eight of them improved their best score! Arjun had the biggest improvement of 50!
Good luck to Lily, Grayson, Katie and Grace as they compete in the 9th Annual Carthage 3D Tournament this evening and to Bennett, Alton, Kara, Ruby, Katie, Grace and Damien as they compete in the Crane Archery Tournament tomorrow!
Practice schedule for next week:
February 5-8, Monday-Thursday, 7:20-8:00 AM (no practice Friday)
Practice groups:
Monday-Wednesday Group: Cullen, Addy, Sawyer, Halston, GiGi, Arjun, Isabella, Bennett, Jack L, Kara, Dax, Alton
Tuesday-Thursday Group: Olyvia, Ruby, Damien, Turner, Lilli, Lily, Katelyn, Katie, Grayson, Jack W, William, Grace
Parents - watch for e-mails regarding the remainder of our season schedule. Thank you!
If you have any questions please contact Jon Ewing, j.e.ewing@att.net, 417-569-8698.
From our Secondary Counselor, Mrs. Ewing
The spring semester brings into focus a few things for our secondary students that Mrs. Ewing will spotlight in the next few newsletters. These topics include next year’s scheduling, summer enrichment & leadership programs for all grades, and scholarship opportunities for seniors.
NEXT YEAR SCHEDULING: Mrs. Ewing will present next year’s scheduling information to our rising secondary students (current sixth through eleventh graders) beginning February 21. Students will receive directions and information for selecting their courses for the 2024-2025 school year. They will bring home a Selection of Studies form to be reviewed, approved, and signed by parents. These forms will be returned to Mrs. Ewing by March 4. In efforts to provide parents with as much information as possible, Mrs. Ewing, along with Dr. Snodgrass and Mrs. Hopkins, will also offer a zoom presentation for parents to view on Tuesday, February 20, 6:30pm. A zoom link will be sent to parents as the date approaches. Watch for 24-25 scheduling updates in future newsletters as we progress in the master scheduling process.
Area Opportunities:
Congratulations to Bella Cai and Katelyn Schaller! They were honored by the Southeast Rotary on Thursday as Outstanding Area Seniors!
Health Care Career Day - On Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, this statewide, virtual event will take students inside Missouri hospitals to learn about the hottest careers in health care and engage in real world learning. All grade levels are invited to join!
Students can register here: 2024 Health Care Career Day (mochamber.com)
Educators can register their classrooms for FREE and log into the Zoom event to participate.
Health Care Career Day was developed in partnership by the Missouri Chamber Foundation, the Missouri Hospital Association and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES: Various summer enrichment & leadership programs are offered in Missouri and across the nation. Participating in these programs provides students with invaluable curriculum enhancement, leadership experience, and contributes to the strength of college applications.
Mrs. Ewing will send out notices as she learns of any summer program opportunities. You may also check out various programs listed on the Counseling page of the Greenwood website. Counseling Department | Greenwood Laboratory School (missouristate.edu). You will also find other opportunities through your own research and networking. Continue reading for this week’s focus programs:
2024 Missouri Boys & Girls State sessions. Both programs are offered to rising seniors. Boys & Girls State will be held during the same week - June 22-June 29 - at the same site, on the campus of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. Attendees explore & experience many facets of local & state government through fun and meaningful learning formats. Several scholarship opportunities are available and college credit can be earned. Greenwood has a rich history of representation to both Boys and Girls State.
· Boys: Apply at www.moboysstate.org.
· Girls: Apply at www.missourigirlsstate.org/.
Mrs. Ewing will manage your application from Greenwood’s portal. Early registration deadline was January 31. Please note that the earlier you apply and are accepted the more likely you will receive sponsorships to cover your participation fees. Greenwood wants YOU to represent the Bluejays in the 2024 sessions of Missouri Girls State and Boys State. Past delegates would advise you not to miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity!
Mini-Med School - High School Mini-Med School at the University of Missouri Columbia is returning this June for two sessions. Session 1 runs from June 2-6 and Session 2 is from June 9-13. This overnight camp is for Missouri high school rising seniors who are interested in a career in medicine. Students will attend lectures and will participate in the same Patient Based Learning (PBL) curriculum that Mizzou medical students do with hands-on clinical experiences, simulation and anatomy centers, and social events in the evenings. This is a great experience for anyone who is considering medical school after college.
The cost for this camp is $650 which includes all the camp fees, lodging, camp deposit of $50 and meals. The application is free and there are scholarships available. The application opened Jan 12 and is due March 17, along with a transcript and a letter of recommendation from a past or current Science teacher. For more information about the camp and the application visit: https://medicine.missouri.edu/offices-programs/education/pre-med-outreach-programs/mini-medical-school.
2024 Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes - This two-week online enrichment program is designed for academically motivated and intellectually curious students currently in grades 8-11. Each online course provides an in-depth exploration of a single subject, allowing students to enrich their academic interests while meeting other students who share their passions and abilities. View their digital flyer here: share this digital flyer. NOTE: The application deadline is March 29, 2024 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time.
SCHOLARSHIPS: In addition to the scholarship information posted on the website’s Counseling page, Mrs. Ewing will highlight specific scholarship program details in future newsletters. She will also provide this information to seniors through Senior Capstone. Today’s focus will be on two scholarship programs:
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE OZARKS (Various Scholarships) – CFO’s scholarship season is open, as of Jan 1! The application deadline is March 24. Seniors should use their personal email to set up an account. CFO has moved to a Universal Application process allowing students to apply for all CFO scholarships for which they qualify through one comprehensive application.
Students will create an account and answer several eligibility questions in the UA. Based on their answers, they will receive a confirmation page which will list the scholarship opportunities that they were found eligible to be considered for. Some scholarship opportunities will require answers to supplemental questions.
Specific criteria information can be found on the “Scholarship Criteria Preview” page on CFO’s website: https://www.cfozarks.org/resources/scholarship-criteria. See step by step instructions on the following pdf: “How to Apply for Scholarships” How to Apply for Scholarships.pdf
Missouri Bankers Foundation Scholarship - The Missouri Bankers Foundation established a scholarship program for high school students pursuing a banking related degree program in college. These scholarships help prepare the next generation of Missouri banking leaders.
Seven $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to seven high school students for their first semester tuition payment and/or college expenses.
Application postmark deadline is March 1, 2024.
2024_MBF_Scholarship_Form_fillable.pdf (magnetmail.net)
Scholarship Essays Worksheet - Check out this great resource to help you identify what makes a great scholarship essay, how to write a strong essay of your own, and how to ask for letters of recommendation. Student Worksheet: Essays and Letters of Recommendation - Going Merry
Jay Pic of the Week
The Spanish Bodega is Back and Taking Donations
Please consider supporting our Greenwood Bodega by visiting and donating from their Amazon Wish List at the link below:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/dl/invite/bRqCzLc?ref_=wl_share
Greenwood Laboratory School
Email: Greenwood@Missouristate.edu
Website: https://education.missouristate.edu/greenwood/
Location: 1024 East Harrison Street, Springfield, MO, USA
Phone: (417) 836-5124
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greenwoodlab
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenwoodlabschool/
Counseling Website: https://www.greenwood.missouristate.edu/page/counseling-department
Greenwood Blue Jays YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@greenwoodbluejays4814/featured