The Woodchuck Word
A Greenwood Elementary Monthly Parent Newsletter
September 9, 2022
A Note from Mrs. Inman
If you are looking for a free, family-fun event while also supporting our school, I hope you'll consider participating in the DMPS Foundation OneRun event supporting Greenwood on Saturday, September 24! Please check out registration details further below in the newsletter. Greenwood will receive a percentage of corporate donations based on how many runners/walkers attend with Greenwood as their affiliated school. Invite your neighbors, community members, grandparents, cousins, aunts/uncles, and friends. Just remind them to select Greenwood as their supporting school and to check-in at the event! My family and I would love to see you somewhere along the course! I will be in my Greenwood gear! If you don't have a Greenwood shirt, please wear green to show your school pride.
As we look ahead, we are looking forward to a great school year, thanks in part to the support of all of our families! This year is off to a fantastic start!
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Jenny Inman
Attendance Policy Update
One of the biggest ways a student can be successful is being present every day at school to be immersed and engaged in their grade level learning. Our school day begins right away in the morning with social skills at 7:45, followed by literacy instruction beginning at 8:15am.
Given the unprecedented circumstances of the last school year and the pandemic, the Greenwood Attendance Team has been very understanding of increased absences. This year, attendance monitoring will return to normal with the intent of keeping you aware of the potential impact excessive absences may have on your child’s success. We urge you to monitor your child’s health and keep them home when sick, but also encourage you to limit other absences to emergencies only, when possible. Please review the attendance policy below and reach out with any questions. Thank you for partnering with us to ensure your child has daily access to their academic and social instruction.
If your child was identified through district criteria as Chronically Absent last year, you will be receiving a letter in the mail next week with last year's attendance. This is just for your information. All families will be starting with a clean slate this year, and attendance will be monitored to help problem solve any barriers or concerns.
Attendance Policy
Please contact the school every day your student is absent.
Excused absences are defined as:
• Medical Appointment (Please provide a doctor’s note)
• Medical Illness or Injury (Doctor’s notes are encouraged)
• Religious Holiday
• Death/Illness of immediate family
All other absences are considered unexcused. Truancy monitoring begins at five unexcused absences. Excessive absences (10% or more) will lead to attendance support/problem solving meeting, targeted interventions, referral to truancy mediation and/or revocation of Within District Transfer/Open Enrollment status. Students who are frequently late to school may also require intervention..
If you need to report an absence, please call 515.242.8410, e-mail your child's teacher, or send a direct message on Snap!Connect.
Please see the DMPS Student Handbook for the full attendance policy.
Fall Conference Sign-Up Links
We look forward to meeting with families to share student success and growth during our upcoming parent-teacher conferences on Wednesday, September 28 from 3:00pm -6:45pm and Thursday, September 29 from 12:00pm to 7:00pm. Please click on your child's classroom teacher below to sign up for a conference time. Please indicate in the comment section whether you will be attending conferences in-person at Greenwood or virtually through Microsoft Teams.
If virtual conferences are preferred, your child's teacher will send you a meeting invite link a few days prior to the conference to join at your scheduled time. If you need to change your time or you have a schedule conflict with what is available, please contact the office.
Mrs. Iles: Parents/Guardians: Mrs. Iles: Fall Conference Sign Up (signupgenius.com)
Mrs. Motter: Parents/Guardians: Mrs. Motter: Fall Conference Sign Up (signupgenius.com)
Mrs. Moore: Parents/Guardians: Mrs. Moore: Fall Conference Sign Up (signupgenius.com)
Mrs. Petersen: Parents/Guardians: Mrs. Petersen: Fall Conference Sign Up (signupgenius.com)
Ms. Leopold: Parents/Guardians: Ms. Leopold: Fall Conference Sign Up (signupgenius.com)
Ms. Tedesco: Parents/Guardians: Ms. Tedesco: Fall Conference Sign Up (signupgenius.com)
Mrs. Lamphere: Parents/Guardians: Mrs. Lamphere: Fall Conference Sign Up (signupgenius.com)
Mrs. Roehrick: Parents/Guardians: Mrs. Roehrick: Fall Conference Sign Up (signupgenius.com)
Miss Haider Parents/Guardians: Miss Haider: Fall Conference Sign Up (signupgenius.com)
Ms. Hughes: Parents/Guardians: Mrs. Hughes: Fall Conference Sign Up (signupgenius.com)
Mr. Burke: Parents/Guardians: Mr. Burke: Fall Conference Sign Up (signupgenius.com)
Ms. Crowley: Parents/Guardians: Miss Crowley: Fall Conference Sign Up (signupgenius.com)
SAVE THE DATE! DMPS ONE RUN Saturday, September 24 @ 9:00AM
Fresh Fruits and Veggies Program Begins
Between breakfast, the healthy snack program, and lunch, we feel our students have ample opportunities to refuel their brains and bodies throughout the day, so students will not need a snack from home. If your child has dietary restrictions or food allergies that need to be accommodated, please contact our school nurse.
Friendly Reminders
LEAVING EARLY: Please avoid picking up your child early from school between 2:20pm and the end of the day if at all possible. In addition to parent pick-up traffic, students are finishing up their learning and preparing for dismissal, so it can take extra time to get them signed out.
PARENT PICK-UP/DROP OFF: Please continue to pull all the way up before dropping off or picking up your student. We try to get students in and out of cars as quickly as possible, but it works most efficiently when we can get as many cars curbside as possible. We know your time is valuable, so if you could help us with this small part of the process, we will make sure to get you all on your way. If you would like to get out of your car to meet your child, visit with the teacher, buckle them into their carseat, etc, please park in a designated parking to do so. Thank you:)
PTA Updates
Thank you to those who were able to join our first PTA meeting of the year. We appreciate your interest in being involved. For those of you who missed it, we have attached the notes for your review. (Please see the bottom of the newsletter for the attachment) Let us know if you'd like to support or lead any event or family engagement activities by emailing us at greenwoodptarocks@gmail.com.
While we have many initiatives and events in store for this year (see notes for details), our first fundraising effort is all about supporting and recognizing the great work of the Greenwood teachers and staff. Please consider donating towards our goal of raising $1,200 for Teacher Appreciation Initiatives. Donate here.
Exciting news! Our apparel store is up and running. We opened it with all new options/looks for Greenwood families. New color options are also available for select items; simply click on the item of interest and scroll through the color options. Orders must be submitted by 9/23/22. Check it out here: Greenwood Apparel Store
OneRun is coming up on Saturday, September 24th. Be sure to register for the 2-mile walk/run to support Greenwood. Once you check in the morning of the race, you can walk, run, or cheer on our Greenwood families and our school will earn cash!
BOX TOPS:
Box Tops – Fundraiser – Quick and easy way to raise money. Download the Box Tops for Education app and create an account. Select Greenwood Elementary in Des Moines and begin collecting!!
Every eligible item will earn ten cents, but with bonus offers, you can earn much more! Brands like General Mills, Betty Crocker, Annie’s, and more! Family and friends can earn too, no matter where they live. Check out the quick tutorial to get registered here.
Fall Picture Information
SchoolCNXT is now SNAP! Connect
If you don't already have an account, you should have received a text or e-mail with a code to sign-up and link to your child's classroom. If you deleted the message or missed it, I will be sending out weekly invites for the next to weeks as we work to get families connected.
If you've created an account in past years, but don't recall your username, please e-mail jenny.inman@dmschools.org and I will help get you connected. Additionally, if you've forgotten your password, but know your username, you can click on the FORGOT PASSWORD link on the sign-on page to reset it.
Volunteer Opportunities at Greenwood
Your volunteer application status is valid for one year, so if you completed the application process last year and want to check on when it would need to be renewed, please let us know.
Girls on the Run Program
Twice per week, for ten weeks, girls will have fun, make friends, increase their physical activity levels and learn important life skills. Our trained and caring coaches with lead participants through interactive lessons and movement activities. . Registration is limited to 40 participants on a first come first serve basis. Financial assistance is available. For more information or to register, please visit www.gotrcentraliowa.org
IMPORTANT DATES
School hours are 7:45am-2:40pm Monday through Friday, doors open at 7:30am.
Friday, September 23: FALL PICTURES
Saturday, September 24: DMPS OneRun @ 9:00, Botanical Center
Wednesday, September 28: Student Conferences 3:00-6:45pm
Thursday, September 29: No School: Student Conferences 12:00-7:00pm
Friday, September 30: No School: Teacher Professional Development
Contact Information
Email: greenwood@dmschools.org
Website: greenwood.dmschools.org
Location: 316 37th Street, Des Moines, IA 50312, USA
Phone: (515)242-8410