Blue Jay News

January 27, 2023

A Message from the Administrative Team

Greenwood Students and Families:

Snow days are always fun – especially for the students! As a reminder, if Missouri State closes – then Greenwood is closed. If Missouri State opts for a late start, Greenwood will close for the entire day. Notifications from Greenwood will come to families via email, text, and social media.

On Tuesday, February 7th at the boys’ basketball game, we will not only honor our seniors but also former Director, Dr. Janice Duncan. Please plan to attend the game on Feb. 7 to show your support for our team and pay tribute to Dr. Duncan. A reception during the game will occur on the stage with light refreshments.

We are gearing up and making plans for fall 2023-24. If your family is planning NOT to return to Greenwood for whatever reason, we would like you to notify the administration as soon as possible. This simply helps us in filling spots for the new school year. In addition, if you plan to apply for financial assistance through FACTS https://factsmgt.com/ please do so by March 1, 2023. Tuition and some fees will increase for the 2023-24 school year. Soon, the counselors will be asking students to select courses next year, please meet the deadline to return this form. We hope to process contracts for 2023-24 during Spring Break and have them to families thereafter.

We appreciate all of the generous contributions our families give to Greenwood. One particular family, Dio and Sharon Daily, recently contributed to the Greenwood Foundation in such a manner that the “old” gym or “wellness gym” will now be called the “Daily Court.” The gym floor has been refurbished bearing the name “Daily Court.” Thank you Dio & Sharon!

The second annual Greenwood Showcase will occur on Thursday, March 30. 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.

Go Blue Jays! GO Chiefs!

Ron & Jeni

Taaha Khan Gets 1st Place in Chess Touranment

zoom_out_map

Last weekend, Greenwood 7th grader, Taaha Khan, competed in a chess tournament in St. Louis. He won first place in his division.

Here is Taaha, with his trophy and mother and twin.

The Blue Jay Bodega is Back!

You can click here for their Amazon Wish List or scan the QR code on the flyer

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2C1L2KMWLSLPL?ref_=wl_share

Thanks for Wheelchair Donation

Our nurses would like to thank the McQueary family for donating the wheelchair they used for Anna's surgery. They say this one is practically new and the old one we had in the health room was missing legs and feet.

Success at History Bowl

zoom_out_map

Greenwood teams competed in the History Bowl in Morrisville on January 20.

Here are the results:

Anya, Laila, and Josie placed 5th in the JH division.

Taaha, Ilyaan, Tim, and Kai placed 10th in the JH division.

Trenton, Steven, Kai, Ethan, Jesse, and Tristan placed 18th

Jamie, Eleanor, Keerti, Mary, Kelby placed 9th.

Congratulations to our teams!

zoom_out_map

Concession Stand Sign Up

Greenwood Booster Club Greenwood High School Basketball Concession

Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. There are still a few spaces available for some February games.

If signing up for middle school service hours, parents and child should sign up together. Thank you!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c44aca62ba3fe3-greenwood

If you have questions, you can contact Tona Hetzler at tonahetzler@missouristate.edu

All-District Band

zoom_out_map

Congratulations to freshman Elif Benzer, clarinet and junior Joshua Putty, trombone for making the South Central Missouri All-District Concert Band in November.

The performance by this 100 member band on Saturday, January 14 was a huge success! We are proud of our hard-working and talented Band students!

Click the link to listen to one of their pieces! https://youtu.be/-4LHKD0qtdg

From Greenwood Elementary Counselor, Jane McCann

With a new semester in full swing, we are excited to continue flexing our SEL (social emotional learning) muscles in the new year.

Our upper elementary (grades 3-5) are wrapping up a movie unit with the film, Inside Out. While taking longer than expected to complete, the movie has provided a platform for expanding our learning and communication about emotions. In addition to viewing the movie, students have:

· explored feelings on a typical day

· expanded neuroscience vocabulary

· increased understanding of the brain with guest faculty teacher, Chris Adams

· considered the ideas of emotional intelligence & abstract thought

· revisited growth mindset/inner speech/reframing strategies

Our next unit will introduce the students to executive functioning. Executive functioning is the ability of our brain to complete daily tasks. The name, executive functioning, may be a new title to familiar skill sets. These include the abilities for planning, organization, self-control, task initiation, time management, attention, flexibility, perseverance, working memory, and metacognition.

Our lower elementary (grades K-2) have recently learned about the circle of control and what is inside and outside of our control. We read the book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day, as a literature reference. Students demonstrated learning with pipe cleaners to illustrate those things we can control and rocks to illustrate things outside of our control. Included in resources below is a video “5 Things You Can Control,” by Rocketkids. We watched the video for additional encouragement and motivation as we considered our circle of control.

Our next unit, understanding the size of the problem, is both new and prior learning. What are those problems or situations that warrant assistance, and what are those situations that we can manage on our own? For our younger students in kindergarten this is taught by using the language of big and little deals. In grades 1 & 2, we use a stoplight to refer to the size of the problem. Our goal is to help students formulate language and strategies to assist in identifying the size of the problem. For example, a big deal or red light problem would involve danger or safety; a problem that requires the help of an adult. A little deal or green light problem is a problem we can solve by ourselves, an accident, or one that can be ignored. Our medium or yellow light problems/situations are those that fall in between. Secondary objectives include considering whether a problem can be moved down to a little or green light and matching our emotions to the size of the problem.

Resources:

Article about understanding big feelings & self-regulation:

https://www.heysigmund.com/how-to-self-regulate/

Video: 5 Things You Can Control by Rocketkids

https://youtu.be/erZVMEW-cAM

The Disappearing Snowman

After reading the Disappearing Snowman first grade students conducted an experiment to learn about solids, liquids, gas, and evaporation.

The objective was to observe that gas is a matter that can fill the balloon.

Bubbles formed in the bottle from the mixture of warm water, sugar, and yeast causing the balloon to inflate.

Secondary Counseling Update

The spring semester brings into focus a few things for our secondary students that Mrs. Ewing & Mrs. McCann will spotlight in the next few newsletters. These topics include next year scheduling, summer enrichment & leadership programs, and scholarship opportunities for seniors.

NEXT YEAR SCHEDULING: Mrs. Ewing will present next year scheduling information to our sixth through eleventh graders beginning mid-February. Presentations will be delivered to 6th - 11th graders during one of their classes. A presentation schedule will be arranged soon. Students will receive direction and information for selecting their courses for the 2023-2024 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 1. Mrs. Ewing will also offer a zoom recording for parents to view in efforts to provide parents with as much information as possible. Next year scheduling updates will be offered in future newsletters as we progress in the master scheduling process led by Dr. Snodgrass and Mrs. Hopkins.

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:

2023 Missouri Boys & Girls State sessions. Both programs are offered to rising seniors. Boys & Girls State will be held during the same week - June 24-July 1 - 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. Final application deadline is March 15, 2023. All sponsorship paperwork (pledge form and check to cover sponsorship fee of the citizen) are due to be postmarked by this date. 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 2023 sessions of ALA Missouri Girls State and Boys State. Past delegates would advise you not to miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity!

SCHOLARSHIPS: 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. Today’s focus will be on two scholarship programs:

1. COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE OZARKS (Various Scholarships) –

CFO’s scholarship season is open! Seniors should use their personal email to set up an account. Read each scholarship’s eligibility criteria carefully before applying. NOTE each scholarship’s due date. The “How to Apply for Scholarships” instruction sheet (pdf below) will guide you in applying for any scholarships from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. This instruction sheet will give you a step by step on how to use the CFO scholarship portal and how to retrieve a list of scholarships you might be eligible to apply for.

pdf

insert_drive_file

How to Apply for Scholarships.pdf

Download

112.6 KB