Green Wave Nation

There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because they have a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle.

–Deepak Chopra

We welcomed all districtwide employees back on Monday, August 26, 2024 at our Convocation ceremony. The message of this school year is that each of us, faculty, staff, administration, parents, families, and community members, are all valuable pieces of the big jigsaw puzzle that make up Greenfield Public Schools. By working together and collaborating in a respectful way, we can and will continue to create positive learning experiences and school environments for each of our students.

Students in Grades 1-12 returned on Wednesday, August 28; Kindergarteners join us tomorrow August 30; and our Pre-K students return on Tuesday, September 3.

Tomorrow, Friday, August 30, Greenfield Public Schools welcomes the incoming Kindergarten Class of 2037 at all three of our elementary schools. We are so excited to see our kindergarten numbers increase and the growth in our school district. With the addition of one new kindergarten class at each elementary school, it is especially important to the District at the earliest stages of education that we keep our class sizes small so that our youngest students start their reading and writing road in learning environments that set the stage for success in the future.

All kindergarten families should have received updated class assignments from their building principal this afternoon. We apologize for the communication lapse as we have trying diligently to fill the open positions and continue to interview as those who had committed to these roles abruptly and unexpectedly resigned. We will have a teacher and support staff available in each classroom to welcome your kindergartners tomorrow and will make sure that students are engaged and excited about kindergarten.

We work diligently with Travel Kuz to ensure that students are on the correct bus routes and get home safely. The opening days are always in need of ironing out so many of the details as we transport students to the YMCA, Tae Kwon Do, GRASP, and home stops. We appreciate everyone's understanding as some of these issues did not run smoothly on opening day. At all times, the school, the district, and Travel Kuz were in communication with parents and families.

A reminder that for the first weeks of school, please have your students at the bus stop at least 10 minutes early.

A reminder that there remains a bus stop at Elm St./Grove St. but was omitted inadvertently from the bus route list. HS/MS Bus #7 will stop there at 7:21 am; Elementary Bus #6 will stop there at 8:22 am.

Tune in every Friday to WHAI 98.3 radio and get updates about Greenfield Public Schools! Each week we will be highlighting different aspects of the schools that air on the radio. Hope you are listening and catching the Green Wave!

Do you have a few hours a day? Once a week even? Want to help the schools by becoming a volunteer? If so, please sign up as a volunteer for Greenfield Public Schools at the following link:

https://forms.gle/op8JBFyZRdnCHXHn8

The elementary schools are really looking for volunteers for the following times to assist with lunch and recess coverage:

Federal Street School 10:45 am -12:45 pm

Discovery School at Four Corners 10:55 -1:20 pm

Newton School 10:15 -12:15 pm

Please indicate on the volunteer sign up which school you would be willing to assist and help! Once you have filled out the Google Form, Connie Thacker, our Registrar/Receptionist will be in contact for next steps. All volunteers do need to be CORI and fingerprinted, but we reimburse volunteers for fingerprinting and they can easily be done at Staples in Greenfield. We hope to assist folks in making this process easier so that those of you who want to support our schools are able to do so with ease! Thank you!

Are you looking for more ways to get involved in your child's school? Well, do we have the role for you. Come join your child's school Parent/Teacher Organization. Each PTO is looking for parents/guardians to join their teams and work collaboratively to plan, create, and implement schoolwide and districtwide events for the good of Greenfield Public Schools students. If you are interested in joining the PTO of your child's school, please reach out to the Building Principal and they will connect you to the right person.

UPCOMING EVENT: The GPS PTOs will be crafting a float for the Franklin County Parade. If you are interested in assisting with construction of the float, they are looking for volunteers for this Sunday morning, Sept. 1st and the day of the parade, Sept. 5th. Please contact Sarah Marchefka at smarchefka@gmail.com for more details.

You asked; we answered! Hope folks have been taking advantage of following the Greenfield Public Schools on Facebook and Instagram. If you haven't done so yet, please use the following links to do so:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561436008802&mibextid=LQQJ4d and on Instagram at the following link: https://www.instagram.com/greenfieldpublicschools?igsh=MWl4a3MyeWJraHdueQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr. Instagram at #GreenWave, #GreenfieldPublicSchools or #GreenWaveNation!

The Greenfield Public Schools administration, faculty, staff, and students will be making a comeback at this year's 175th Franklin County Parade. Please look for us as we march behind the GHS Band. We will also be joined by the Food Services Food Truck. The GPS PTOs have also been diligently working on a parade float and we think it is a sure winner this year! Can't wait to see everyone along the parade route!

A reminder to parents that the District requires parents/guardians to formally consent to their child's use of the internet and technology available at each school. The Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") must be signed off by each parent/guardian by Friday, September 13, 2024. If the consent has not been signed off on by that date, then the child's access to technology will be halted and access will not resume until parent/guardian permission is granted. The forms were included in opening day packets, but are also available at each school's main office if you need an additional form.

Welcome back! For the 2024-2025 school year, Greenfield Public Schools is once again

participating in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. All GPS

schools will offer healthy meals every school day at NO COST to students due to the

implementation of the Community Eligibility Provision. Families do not need to complete a

household application for free and reduced price meals.

• While first meals are free, a charge will apply for any additional meals or a la carte items purchased in the cafeteria.
• NEW! We have switched our point-of-sale system to SchoolCafé. All existing student balances will carry over from last year. To check your student’s balance and load funds onto their account for a la carte items, please visit family.schoolcafe.com.
• If your child has a new or previously documented food allergy, please provide your School Nurse with an up-to-date signed doctor’s note or a signed copy of the Meal Modification Request Form available on our webpage as soon as possible.

We are excited to share that the Community Health Center of Franklin County (CHCFC) will be providing Fall & Spring dental services in our schools this year!

Preventative services are necessary for your child’s oral health. Tooth decay can lead to

toothaches, missed school and poor grades. It is important for your child to have two

cleanings per year. CHCFC can provide services (listed below) right at school, eliminating

missed school for the child and missed work for the parents.

The goal is to promote dental access and provide students with dental cleanings, x-rays, placement of sealants, and fluoride varnish applications. CHCFC can provide ALL or SOME (you choose). CHCFC will also offer a once a year Dental Screening for free!

A report of findings, treatment and recommendations, will be sent home after each visit.

Be on the lookout in the next several days for the arrival of the dental packets with more information and sign up instructions. Please complete the forms promptly and return to your child’s school.

For questions regarding the school dental program, please contact Melissa Bednarski, District Nurse Leader, @ melbed1@gpsk12.org