Blue Jay News
May 5, 2023
A Message from the Administrative Team
Greenwood Students and Families:
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Contracts are DUE in the office – please return ASAP to secure your spot for next year!
Honor Day is one of Greenwood’s most prestigious traditions as Fair and Sir Greenwood preside over the ceremony. This year Caroline Dugal and Griffin Litherland have the distinct honor to serve as Fair and Sir Greenwood. Honor Day is Thursday, May 11th at 1:15 pm in the Event Center.
Our annual Memories assembly will be on Friday, May 12th at 10:00 in the Event Center.
Greenwood commencement ceremonies will be Sunday, May 14 at 5:00 pm in the Event Center. We want to congratulate our seniors and wish them all the best in their future endeavors. Graduation practice for all seniors will be on Friday, May 12 at 8:30am.
The end of the school year is fast moving, and action packed. Please continue to encourage your students to be focused and engaged and to finish strong! Thank you for being our partners, we appreciate all our stakeholders!
Teacher appreciation week is coming up next week. Please consider showing your support for our hard-working instructors. Our GPA has been tremendous at demonstrating gratitude toward them. Our teachers deserve all the props, and we are grateful for all the time and efforts they dedicate to our students. Thank you, teachers!
GO Blue Jays!
Ron & Jeni
Eleanor Hilotin Receives Award
Eleanor Hilotin was honored last Sunday, April 30, in Columbia by the Missouri Scholars 100. This was the 29th annual award ceremony.
The honor is based on 10 criteria that include community and school involvement, ACT/SAT scores, GPA, and others.
Missouri will graduate approximately 67,000 seniors this spring. Eleanor is a member of a group that represents .02% of those seniors. Quite an honor!
Teacher Appreciation Week
Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week (May 8-12), and GPA needs your help spoiling our teachers. Feel free to participate on one or all of the following days!
Teacher Spotlight: David Duff By: Curchi Alexandru
Mr. Duff started teaching at Greenwood in 2018. He has been here for 5 years. He got his degree at Missouri State University. Mr. Duff has always enjoyed working with children. He knew that his goal and motivation was to do something related to science and thought that becoming a teacher would be a great idea.
Originally, Mr. Duff wanted to do something either in biology or conservation, but when he was given the opportunity to teach at a Springfield school, he took it! After almost 30 years of experience with different schools in the Springfield area, Mr. Duff retired and was honored to have the opportunity to come and teach multiple classes at Greenwood Laboratory School. Overall, he has spent 40 years in education.
Mr. Duff enjoys gardening and outdoor work, which speaks to his love for nature and the environment. Overall, Mr. Duff's story is a testament to the importance of following one's passion and finding joy in the work that one does. We are lucky to have Mr. Duff at Greenwood.
2023 Greenwood Golf Clinic
Please take a look at the attached flyer about our golf clinic.
Speech & Debate Degrees
Your school is a member of the National Speech & Debate Association, so we wanted to keep you in the loop about recent achievements by your students!
Members earn recognition through points and degrees in the NSDA Honor Society. Each new degree represents hours of learning, practice, and improvement by your students thanks to dedicated coaching.
The following degrees were earned at Greenwood Laboratory School from 04/01 - 04/30:
Tristan Khoshyomn - Special Distinction
Crystal Hedgehogs
The First Grade Helpful Hedgehogs became scientist and animal specialist when they created crystal hedgehogs during science. Students learned that crystals are a solid made up of small regular 3-D shapes with very ordered chemical bonds. Crystal shapes vary but can be grouped into seven systems: cubic, tetragonal, hexagonal, rhombohedral, orthorhombic, monoclinic, and triclinic. Students discovered that the spines of a hedgehog are similar to growing a crystal.
GPA highlights
What had GPA been up to this school year?
• Field Trips: It was our top priority to pay for field trips this year. So far we have invested over $6,000 in field trips and classroom enrichment visits for our students K-12.
• Teacher Requests: To enhance the learning environment for our teachers and students we have fulfilled nearly $5,000 of teacher requests and there's more to come!
• Book Fair: GPA hosts two book fairs a year for our students. Both were successful coming in with $5240 (fall) and $5075 (spring) sales to buy books and supplies for the classrooms.
• Teacher and Staff Appreciation: We love our teachers and staff at Greenwood. It is a pleasure to shower them with meals and gifts throughout the year.
• Elementary End of Year Party: It’s the bounciest party of the year for our younger students. On the last day of school, GPA hosts an indoor inflatables party for K-5.
Do you want to be part of the action by serving on the board or becoming more involved? Please contact Blair Usery at sbusery@gmail.com or 417-861-7114.
Getting Ready for Middle School
Some 5th graders practicing their locker opening skills.
Volunteers Wanted for End of Year Party
SUMMER BASKETBALL CAMP
Elementary Basketball Clinic
There is one more clinic on Saturday.
From Mrs. Ewing
Here we are approaching the last couple of weeks of the 2022-2023 school year! We all have much to wrap-up before beginning our summer vacas! Mrs. Ewing offers a few helps for secondary students in planning for the summer and preparing for next year. Topics will include scheduling, summer enrichment/leadership programs, leadership opportunities, and scholarship opportunities for seniors. She will also provide some helpful grade-level checklists and calendars before the summer. Watch for a separate email to parents and students in the coming weeks.
NEXT YEAR SCHEDULING: Mrs. Ewing has been working with students to finalize 2023-2024 schedules. Individual review meetings were held with each student. The final step in this process requires students who intend to take a precollege class at MSU next fall. Thank you and congratulations to the students who have already completed this process.
Registration for MSU Precollege students began May 1. Any students wishing to take precollege classes at MSU this summer or next fall must complete the steps below. Students will not be allowed to register for precollege classes without completing these steps.
1. Complete the application process at this link, or you can also get a paper copy of the application from Mrs. Ewing. She will assist you in completing this step. https://www.missouristate.edu/Advising/precollege.htm.
NOTE: If you have previously taken precollege classes, you do not need to complete an application.
2. After you have been admitted as a dual enrollment student, Ms. Teresa Cunningham, the Precollege advisor, will send you a list of steps you must complete. The first will require you to make an appointment with Ms. Cunningham by visiting: https://msutacunninghamaatc.youcanbook.me/ .
NOTE: If you have previously taken precollege classes, you should contact Teresa to set up an appointment. You may email her at TeresaCunningham@MissouriState.edu or visit https://msutacunninghamaatc.youcanbook.me/)
3. Meet with Mrs. Ewing to confirm the college class will fit in your Greenwood schedule.
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 and leadership experience. They will also contribute to the strength of one’s 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 Greenwood Counseling website at Greenwood Laboratory School Counseling Department (greenwoodlabcounseling.com). You are not limited to ones listed on our website. In fact, you will, no doubt, find other opportunities through your own research and networking. This week’s focus is:
CLASS 101:
Free ACT Practice Test; Wednesday, June 7th, 9:00a-12:30p Register Here
ACT Boot Camp: This 3-day prep course is to prepare for the June ACT test. $399; More information & Register Here Sunday, June 4, 5-8:00pm – English; Monday, June 5, 5-8pm – Math; Tuesday, June 6, 5-8pm - Reading & Science.
Summer Power Up Info Session: For Parents & Students entering grades 9-12; Thursday, May 11th, 5:30 - 6:30 pm. Summer is the time for high school students to take college planning to the next level! We’re launching our Summer Power-Up Program to make sure students are ready to seize the opportunity and can find a school that will help them pursue their passion. Students will ignite their path to college with dedicated support and guidance from Class 101 college advisors. Come learn more about the college planning timeline and how to maximize opportunities. Snacks will be served! Register Here for the event or schedule an individual session.
MSU CSI Summer Camp: (grades 9-12) July 17-20, 9am – 4pm, $175 (includes daily lunch and camp t-shirt) Learn from a former commander of a crime scene investigation unit. Here is the registration link: Missouri State University Crime Scene Investigations Summer Camp - 23-0717CSI. For more information, contact Dr. Michael Kyle, michaelkyle@missouristate.edu.
DRURY GIFTED CAMP Pre-Kindergarten students and up will find interesting classes and experiences that will encourage students to reach their highest potential while engaging in social-emotional learning. Visit www.drury.edu/giftededucation for more information. For any and all up-dates, please follow them on Facebook, twitter and Instagram @druryprecollege.
The University of Chicago offers summer pre-college programs: Immersion; Enrichment; Stones & Bones; and Summer Online. To learn more about the full list of in-person and online courses, application deadlines, program dates, tuition, and scholarship information, visit: summer.uchicago.edu.
Mizzou MedPrep: Medical Explorations Workshop The University of Missouri School of Check your emails for information regarding this opportunity for current sophomores and juniors.
MSU Sports Medicine/Athletic Training Summer Program – This program will be an excellent opportunity for any students interested in healthcare, physical fitness, sports medicine, or athletic training to learn about related careers from MSU’s AMAZING faculty! The application/brochure is available on the counter outside Mrs. Ewing’s office.
SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES for SENIORS: In addition to the scholarship information posted on the Greenwood Counseling website, Mrs. Ewing will highlight specific scholarship program details in future newsletters. She will also provide this information to seniors through Senior Capstone. The list of scholarship opportunities is growing:
1. College Scholarships for Women’s History Month Over 20 college scholarships for female students.College Scholarships for Women, National History Month | Fastweb Many of these scholarships had deadlines in March. A few remain open into April and May.
2. Here are two links for a few new scholarships:
https://bold.org/scholarships/
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