October 2013
Greenwood Elementary ….A SMART and Safe School
BUILDING OUR FUTURE TOGETHER!
TOGETHER WE SHAPE THE MINDS OF TOMORROW!
Mrs. Cheryl A. Bunyan, Principal
Mrs. Charysse Taylor, Assistant Principal
October, 2013
Dear Parents,
family in order to make this a huge success for
our school and for our children.
 The READ-A-THON is a KEY FUNDRAISER
for the Greenwood PTA.
Thanks to everyone who attended our back-toschool nights. It was great to see all of you. If you
were not able to attend, please be sure to
contact your child’s teacher to set up a time to
discuss any of the information you may have
missed or to ask questions about the various
items that have been sent home via your child’s
back pack. Thanks to those of you who have
been sending in pictures of your family pets for
us to share on GGTV in our new Pets on Parade
Friday feature.
 100% of the money raised will support
Greenwood
PTA
programs
and
educational materials.
 It is so simple…. No Selling – ONLY FUN!
 Our children set goals to read for a
certain number of minutes within a 16
day period. Sponsors pledge money per
minute read or a fixed amount! It is that
easy!
 Reading out loud to young children
counts!
 The READ-A-THON complements the
current reading curriculum.
 Assigned reading for homework COUNTS
towards reading goals.
The Greenwood PTA sponsored Read-a-thon is
here!
The GREENWOOD READ-A-THON is a reading
incentive program designed to motivate our
children to read, to keep them reading and to
encourage a “lifelong” love of reading! The PTA
would love to have participation from every
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October 2013
 Prizes and other incentives will be
awarded to the students who read for
the most minutes; and/or collect the
most funds.
 Raffle prizes and other incentives will be
awarded just for participating!
about the school’s programs and meet school
staff. We hope that you will join your child in
class that day. The teachers are planning very
interactive lessons that you and your child can
work on collaboratively. These special activities
will be held at 9:00 AM. It will also be a great
opportunity for you to learn more about C2.0
and standards-based Grading and Reporting in a
very hands-on manner.
October is Bully Prevention Month
Homework: How Parents Can Help
Please come out to the PTA meeting on Tuesday
to hear Mrs. Beth Poston’s informative
presentation on Cyber Safety.
We will continue our efforts to educate our
children about being kind to each other and
making safe choices at school. At November’s
PTA meeting we will have another presentation
on this important topic. Our topic in November
will be Distinguishing between Appropriate Peer
Conflict and Bullying.
Homework is a great opportunity for students to
practice what they have learned in class and
begin to master the subject matter. It is also an
opportunity for parents to get involved in their
child’s education. Helping children with
homework isn’t always easy and making it
meaningful to the student requires cooperation
and communication among the teachers,
students and parents. This parent checklist
provides some useful tips on how to help your
child develop good study habits and complete
their homework successfully:
International Walk to School Day is Oct. 9th!
International Walk to School Day is a global
event that involves communities from more
than 40 countries walking and biking to school
on the same day. It began in 1997 as a one-day
event. Over time, this event has become part of
a movement for year-round safe routes to
school and a celebration – with record breaking
participation – each October. Today, thousands
of schools across America – from all 50 states,
the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico –
participate every October. Please encourage
your children to walk or bike to school on that
day.
Show that you believe education and homework
are important. You can do this by establishing a
regular time for homework, setting goals with
your child, picking a place where there are
minimal distractions, and providing supplies that
they may need to complete the assignment.
Provide guidance. You can provide guidance
without doing the assignment yourself! Help
your child get organized and keep track of their
upcoming assignments, teach them how to
manage the time they have to complete
assignments, give them practice tests and praise
them for their accomplishments big and small.
Monday, Oct. 14 as Open House Day!
Save the date! MCPS has designated Monday,
Oct. 14 as a day for schools to hold open houses.
This is a great opportunity for parents to observe
their children in the classroom, learn more
Encourage your child to utilize the free
homework resources that MCPS provides for all
students. You can find the extensive list of the
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October 2013
resources as well as descriptions of what they
provide here.
Work with your child’s teachers to resolve
problems and overcome obstacles. Continuous
communication with teachers is critical. Talk
with each of your child’s teachers early in the
school year before any problems arise. Be sure
to attend the parent-teacher conference and
the school’s open house to stay informed on
your child’s progress. If you suspect that your
child may be having difficulties with homework
MCPS Parent Academy Schedule of Workshops
Parent Academy workshops give parents tips
and tools to help their children succeed in
school.
All workshops are FREE and held at schools and
locations throughout Montgomery County.
or schoolwork in general, request a meeting
with the teacher to map out a plan to solve the
problem.
Childcare and interpretation services are
provided. For more information please call 301517-5940 or visit
you wondering how to best help your child with
their homework without doing it for them? This
parent checklist provides some useful tips on
how to help your child develop good study
habits and complete their homework
successfully.
www.mcpsparentacademy.org
Thank you for all that you do in helping to grow
our strong home-school partnership. Please do
not hesitate to contact me if I can be of
assistance.
Free Homework Help is here!
If your child needs help with their homework,
encourage them to contact Homework Hotline
Live! (HHL). This interactive MCPS TV production
offers free homework help for students in
grades K – 12.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Cheryl A. Bunyan
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October 2013
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