Summer 2015 Newsletter
Greenwood School
9920 Regency Square Blvd.
www.greenwoodjax.org T: (904) 726-5000
Mrs. Connell’s Corner
HAPPY 30th ANNIVERSARY TO GREENWOOD SCHOOL!
Greenwood School was founded in September 1985 as a
school for students with dyslexia and specific learning
disabilities. It was located in rented church school rooms in
the San Marco area and served 35 students in grades K-5.
Over the next 17 years, Greenwood grew to serve 72 students
in grades 1-12.
In 1999, the Greenwood School Board of Directors dedicated
its efforts to purchase land and build a facility for Greenwood
to call home. Mr. David Stein donated 14 acres of land
valued at one million dollars and chaired the capital
campaign to raise over four million dollars to construct a new
beautiful school. 90 students and 20 staff members eagerly
moved into their new school home in January 2002.
As we begin our 30th year of operation, 34 staff members are
eager to serve 200 students in grades 6-12. Multi-sensory
instruction, aligning student interests with academics and
new strategies in developing social skills will enable our
students to grow in confidence and succeed in their daily
living.
Please join the celebration! If you have photos or interesting
facts about Greenwood during the past 30 years, send them
to Julie Blair at [email protected]. Read future
newsletters for details regarding activities and special events
celebrating Greenwood’s 30th anniversary.
Mrs. Connell,
Head of School
Important Announcement
It gives me great pleasure to
announce our administrative
leadership team for the 20152016 school year:
Beverly Connell – Head of School
Emlyn James – Associate Head of
School and High School Principal
Anthony Mortimer – Middle
School Principal
Juan Deya – Business, Technology
and Facilities Manager
Dee Bartle – Office Manager,
Executive Assistant
Julie Blair – Events and Marketing
Director
Jody Sealy – Admissions Director
Michele Stoumbelis – School
Counselor
Shelly Gilliard – Administrative
Support Director and High School
Team Leader
Please watch for the listing of our
faculty and administrative
assistants in our next newsletter.
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Welcome Mr. Mortimer
ANTHONY MORTIMER, MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Mr. Mortimer, Middle School Principal, Mrs. Gilliard,
Administrative Support Director, Mr. James,
Associate Head of School and High School Principal
Mr. Mortimer is originally from western Pennsylvania
and has lived in Jacksonville since 2004. His educational
background has been a diverse journey of formal,
traditional, practical, and personal experiences with
learners of all types, learning styles, differences, and
needs. Mr. Mortimer earned a Bachelor of Arts in Prelaw in
1995, but opted to serve in the U. S. Navy while
determining his future career options. He comes to
Greenwood this year as he is completing his 20th year and
retiring from active duty
Mr. Mortimer’s aptitude for teaching different types of learners was evident throughout his naval career; he
excelled in every phase of the nuclear engineering training pipeline at the beginning of his career and was
selected to remain at the prototype training unit in Charleston, SC for instructor duty from 1997-1999, which
required significant multimodal instructional agility and extensive hands-on practical lessons. In 1999, he
earned a commission as an officer in the Surface Warfare community and transitioned to leading and
mentoring teams of Sailors on ships. It was during these sea duty assignments that Mr. Mortimer discovered
the area in which most students—including the young professionals assigned under his command—needed
the most individual development assistance: Reading. His subsequent shore duty assignment from 2004 to
2007 was to teach Naval Science and Leadership courses in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
(NRTOC) unit at Jacksonville University. In addition to mentoring hundreds of Officer Candidates and
Midshipmen at the start of their careers, Mr. Mortimer taught as an Adjunct Professor for incoming freshmen
in need of study skills and reading comprehension improvement, and also earned a Master of Arts in
Teaching with specialty in Secondary Reading Instruction. After two additional successful sea duty
assignments as a Department Head, Mr. Mortimer served as a strategic, operations, and contingency
planning Officer for U. S. Fourth Fleet headquarters in Mayport, where he was not only able to apply his
experience to streamline naval team operations in South and Central America and the Caribbean, but also
expanded and directed multinational learning opportunities with partner nations Brazil, Argentina, Chile,
Peru, Panama, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, in particular. He is currently preparing for
comprehensive exams and dissertation to complete his Doctor of Education degree in Educational
Leadership at the University of North Florida.
In addition to formal and practical educational experiences with learning differences, Mr. Mortimer
understands the personal individual circumstances encountered by students through helping members of his
immediate family master their own learning needs with ADD and ADHD.
Mr. Mortimer is married to the former Erica Buckley of Lakeland, FL, and they have three children; daughter
Savannah (22); sons Christian (16) and Ian (13). Erica is a recent honors graduate from Florida State College
of Jacksonville and teaches 2nd grade in Duval County Public Schools. Mr. Mortimer’s interests include
distance running, playing and coaching soccer, reading, and singing.
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SHELLY GILLIARD, ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT DIRECTOR AND HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT HEAD
Mrs. Gilliard is originally from San Diego, California and has lived in Jacksonville since 2002. She
graduated from San Diego State University in 1998, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts.
Mrs. Gilliard has also completed over 45 master level units in Special Education at the University of
Phoenix. Joining our team ten years ago, Mrs. Gilliard began her Greenwood journey as a lower
school aide known as Ms. Samaniego or as the students called her “Ms. San Diego” and was
quickly promoted to a high school teacher in October that same year.
Mrs. Gilliard began working with children in 1993, as an Extended Student Services Aide for the
Poway Unified School District in San Diego, California, while she was attending college. In her last
semester at San Diego State University, Mrs. Gilliard interned at the El Cajon Police Department,
where she worked in the Juvenile Diversion Program with first time juvenile misdemeanor offenders.
After graduating from college in 1998, she began working as a teacher’s aide in a public school
classroom for severely emotionally disturbed children. In 1999, Mrs. Gilliard moved to Pensacola,
Florida, where a family member was attending flight school for the United States military. During
that time Mrs. Gilliard was a substitute teacher at Bellview Middle School, where she realized her
heart was in education and not law enforcement. With a military transfer to Meridian, Mississippi in
2000, Mrs. Gilliard began working at Kindercare Learning Center with children aged one to 12
years old. Upon another military transfer, Mrs. Gilliard returned to Pensacola for a second time,
where she taught Pre-K at La Petite Academy. In 2002, Mrs. Gilliard made her final stop on the
military journey here in Jacksonville. Transferring from the La Petite Academy in Pensacola to one
here in Jacksonville, Mrs. Gilliard continued to teach Pre-K and also worked with infants.
In August 2005, Mrs. Gilliard joined the Greenwood team. She has taught core courses in math and
science. Designing courses in Criminology and Forensic Science as well as helping to create the
Personal Education Plan documents, Mrs. Gilliard is a self-starter and project initiator. She has also
proctored the Dave Ramsey CORE Financial Wellness course to the Greenwood staff. Mrs. Gilliard
holds high standards for her students and is continuously seeking ways to make a positive impact
on them and Greenwood School. In 2012, Mrs. Gilliard became the high school department
head. She is a performance driven team player with exceptional organizational skills, and the
ability to multi-task. Mrs. Gilliard also helps proctor standardized testing, schedule school security,
manages the homework help and extended care program, manages background checks for staff
and volunteers, and is the Master In-service Coordinator for teacher certification at Greenwood
School. Her attention to detail, follow through, organization, creativity, and leadership skills make
her a great asset to the Greenwood Administration team.
In 2009, Mrs. Gilliard married Curtis Gilliard, an Economic Crimes Detective for the Jacksonville
Sheriff’s Office, and his three children, Anthony (16), Avery (14), and Curstyn (13). Officer Gilliard is
a familiar face on campus to many as he often provides security during school events. When she’s
not at school, Mrs. Gilliard enjoys spending time with her three dogs, Copper, Scout and Trooper.
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Emlyn James, Associate Head of School and High School Principal
Mr. Emlyn James hails originally from Canada--more
specifically, from Saint John, New Brunswick. Both of his
parents were teachers, and he started his own career as an
educator early as a sailing instructor at the age of 14. Mr.
James’ journey as an educational leader has taken him all
over the world. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from
St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1996. In
coordination with his studies at the university, Mr. James
continued to develop his love of teaching; not only did he
teach several first-year history courses as an Assistant Professor,
but he also excelled as the head sailing instructor at the Nova
Scotia Sea School (NSSS). Mr. James’ leadership in the NSSS
program provided valuable skills and life lessons to the at-risk
and other young teens for which the program had been
established; students of the program built sea worthy sailboats
during the winter months and learned to sail the boats during
the summers. In 1998, Mr. James graduated from the Western
Academy of Photography in Victoria, British Columbia, where
he again found ways to use his unique strengths and skills to
make a positive educational impact--while in Victoria he also
worked as a photographer, substitute teacher, and head
sailing facilitator at the Disabled Sailing Association (DSA). The
DSA provided sailing opportunities and racing training for
individuals of all ages with physical and/or mental disabilities.
In 2000, Mr. James moved to the Republic of South Korea to
take up a position as lead teacher in an English language
school; during his tenure he earned a degree in Teaching
English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and an
international teaching certificate and license. Mr. James
headed up school programs in English, French and Social
Studies in schools in Thailand, Canada, and Greece for several
years, and met his wife in Greece and moved to Jacksonville
in 2003. He and Angela have since become the proud
parents of three boys—JohnMarko (7), Paris (6), and Spyro (3).
Mr. James joined the Greenwood team in 2005 and has been
an integral part of our team in multiple roles—he has been the
History and Civics Teacher and Social Studies Chair;
Photography and Film Teacher; High School Department
Head; Student Council Supervisor; and Fencing Coach. Mr.
James recently earned his Master’s degree in Educational
Leadership from Jacksonville University and we are proud to
introduce him as the new Associate Head of School and High
School Principal.
Upcoming Events
July 30-31 Used Uniform Sale
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
August 1 Used Uniform Sale
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
August 10 Orientation
9 a.m. Middle School
1 p.m. High School
August 11 Acclimation Day
7:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
August 12 First Day of School
Middle School and High
School Homeroom Supply
List
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
8 rolls select a size paper
towels
3 pack 75 count Clorox wipes
3 full size boxes of Kleenex
100 count Dixie paper plates
100 count each-plastic forks
and spoons
Black three ring binder
a. 9th and 10th graders-2
inch
b. 11th and 12th graders-1
inch
7.
10 tab dividers
Page 4 of 7
AmazonSmile
What is AmazonSmile?
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite
charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you
shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast
selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the
added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to
your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from nearly one million
organizations to support.
How do I shop at AmazonSmile?
To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web
browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a
bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start
your shopping at AmazonSmile.
Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations?
Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will
see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their
product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and
subscription renewals are not currently eligible.
Bookmark
smile.amazon.com
Select Greenwood
School, Inc.,
Jacksonville, FL
Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile?
Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your
shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings
are also the same.
How do I select a charitable organization to support when shopping on
AmazonSmile?
On your first visit to AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), you need to select a
charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before
you begin shopping. We will remember your selection, and then every
eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.
How much of my purchase does Amazon donate?
The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from
your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. The purchase price is the amount paid
for the item minus any rebates and excluding shipping & handling, giftwrapping fees, taxes, or service charges. From time to time, we may offer
special, limited time promotions that increase the donation amount on one
or more products or services or provide for additional donations to charitable
organizations. Special terms and restrictions may apply. Please see the
relevant promotion for complete details.
Page 5 of 7
Acclimation Day
We are very excited to meet and speak with you at the first annual
Acclimation Day. This special day has been scheduled to better
prepare both students and parents for a smooth transition to
Greenwood as a new student or a student starting his or her high
school career. Please note that this is for the Greenwood student
and parents only (i.e., no sibling or other family members).
Appropriate attire for this day is shorts/pants and a collared shirt
(no jeans or flip flops).
Acclimation Day
Attendance of Acclimation Day is mandatory for 6th graders, rising
9th graders, and students who are new to Greenwood this year.
This will give everyone an opportunity to better acquaint
themselves with the school and the people who make it the
unique place that it is. Parents/guardians will have time to ask
questions, receive training in our school-home communication
procedures and other aspects of our school. Students will be
guided through an abridged version of their upcoming schedules
where they will meet their new teachers as well as learn more
about the expectations and opportunities here at Greenwood.
Tuesday, August 11th
7:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Page 6 of 7
Spirit Shirts
You may wear these every Wednesday with your uniform
pants/shorts/skirts. Shirts must be tucked in at all times.
All orders must be submitted to Mrs. Gilliard by Friday, August 28th
$13 Make checks payable to Greenwood School
Student Name: ___________________________________________
Grade level: ________________
2015-2016 PTO Board
Homeroom teacher: ____________________________________
Shirt size (circle one):
Adult large
Youth small
Adult small adult medium
adult x-large
youth medium
President
Karen Butler
adult XX-large
youth large
Vice President
Katherine Steadman
Treasurer
Deborah Coster
Secretary
Kelly Fulkerson
Middle School Spirit Shirt
Volunteer Coordinator
Mary Barfield
9th and 10th grade
10th grade will have 2018 printed on the back
11th and 12th grade
11th grade will have 2017 printed on the back
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