Greenwood PTA

Hello Gators~

I hope this newsletter finds you well. This is definitely a year for the books. Our final PTA meeting will be held virtually, Tuesday, June 2nd at 7pm. I will send out meeting information prior to next Tuesday. As a way to celebrate the end of the year please tune in for our final event on June 12th, Rock N Roll Recess Online! See below for more information.

Thank you volunteers!
Unfortunately we were unable to host a thank you gathering for all of our amazing volunteers this year. Therefore I’d like to take a minute to thank all of the wonderful parents who helped facilitate this years’ many activities. Each program was the work of many, from the event chairs that planned for months in advance to the day-of helpers who helped facilitate each of our successful activities. I especially want to thank the PTA board; Lindsay Vilardo (Vice President), Christina Conroy (Secretary), Mandy De Roo (Treasurer), Lauren Zarren (MCCPTA rep), and Kandi Barakat (MCCPTA rep) for all they have done this year. The year could not have been possible without the hardwork and dedication of all our amazing parent volunteers. 

Rock N Roll Recess is going Virtual

Join us on Zoom for an end-of-year party led by a professional DJ from Everything Entertainment! There will be dancing, games, and prizes - you don’t want to miss it! The DJ will be taking requests and there will be activities throughout the event. Information on how to participate will be distributed soon.

Teacher Appreciation

Thank you to all who participated in this year’s teacher appreciation. Even in the midst of this challenging time, the Greenwood community came together to show love and appreciation for our awesome faculty. Thank you for all of your teacher messages and contributions for faculty gift cards. Both were much appreciated.

Variety Show

Unfortunately we have had to cancel the Variety Show for this year. Refunds from Showtix and BSN (tshirts) have been issued directly, and you should have already received a credit. Refunds for purchases made through the PTA (shout-outs, 5th grade participation fee, pictures, and DVD sales) will be issued in the coming weeks. If your address is not in the Memberhub directory you will be contacted to arrange check delivery. If you have any questions about refunds please contact either Mandy at treasurer@greenwood-pta.org or Mary at President@greenwood-pta.org.

Yearbook

We are working out distribution logistics and will know more once we have a definite delivery date. Since Lifetouch is not an “essential” business the timeline for production was significantly delayed. I anticipate delivery sometime after the end of the school year and will be in touch once I know more. 

School Kits for 2020/2021 School Year Now on Sale

School supply kits for each grade are available for purchase from 1st Day School Supplies. These kits include all the items your teacher has determined will be needed for class next year (folders, pencils, etc). They come prepackaged and will be distributed at the beginning of the school year. Avoid the chaos of shopping for the supplies in person and order yours today:

https://1stdayschoolsupplies.com/kits.php?sid=46769. Order deadline is July 1st.

Communication Platform Change

Earlier this year MCCPTA mandated a switch to a uniform platform for all school PTAs. Therefore, we will be switching to Memberhub over the summer. As such, membership Toolkit will close on August 8th.

Reimbursement

If you have made purchases on behalf of the PTA and wish to be reimbursed, please send copies of receipts and a description of the purchase to our treasurer Mandy de Roo at treasurer@greenwood-pta.org by June 15th. We will be closing out this year’s books and want to make sure that you get paid. 

5th grade recognition

• Virtual recognition ceremony
• Bags will be handed out Thursday with yard signs
• Balloon arch in front of Jen Campbell’s house for photo opportunities

Boundary Analysis

• The percentage of students speaking English as a second language is substantially higher at the elementary school level (25%), as compared to the middle and high school level (11%).
• Of the 208 schools in Montgomery County, 109 are currently over capacity. On average, high schools are at 103% capacity, middle schools are at 97% and elementary schools are at 102%.
• Title I schools, with higher concentrations of students in poverty, are more often overenrolled than other schools.
• Most schools are considered diverse, with two or three racial groups making up at least 15% of a school’s students.
• The report says “schools near to one another are often very dissimilar … in terms of racial, ethnic, and socio-economic composition.” It also says cluster boundaries “may contribute to racial and/or socio-economic isolation to some degree.”
• School boundaries with irregular shapes have the most different levels of student body diversity compared to neighboring schools.
• In the Sherwood cluster 56.36% of students go to the closest elementary school, 88.32% middle school, and 73.98% high school. To note the elementary school statistic is the lowest percentage of all clusters in MC.
• About 66% of all students attend the school closest to their home. The rest are assigned to schools farther away.
• Consultants estimate that about 2,250 people attended the six community meetings held about the analysis. Most attendees were white and Asian parents of MCPS students, according to the WXY report. About 40% of attendees resided in the Bethesda area, while about 30% were from the Silver Spring area.

Final note: the boundary analysis study was supposed to be completed by now however with the pandemic they are putting off the final phase of the study until the fall and the report will not be published until December.

Kindergarten Orientation

For those of you who have incoming kindergartners here is the information for registering your incoming student.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/enroll/index.aspx

1. Online, starting with this Registration Survey
2. Over the phone by calling 240-740-5999
3. By paper forms. Complete the Registration Survey or call 240-740-5999 to request forms to be mailed to your home.

Board Positions/Elections

As of now no one has reached out to our nomination committee. We cannot yet hold elections remotely but the county is actively working on solutions so that new boards can come together for next year. Anyone interested in running for PTA President, Vice President, or Secretary should contact Jen at jenemadison@gmail.com. These positions are a two year term. You must be available for monthly board meetings and public PTA meetings. Time commitment varies for each position. If you’d like more information about a position feel free to reach out to the current board member. 

Mary Quirion, PTA President: president@greenwood-pta.org

Lindsay Vilardo, PTA Vice President: vicepresident@greenwood-pta.org

Christina Conroy, Secretary: secretary@greenwood-pta.org

As previously mentioned I would be willing to stay on for another year in order to help smooth the transition during this challenging time as well as even out the board rotation however that would need to be approved by the majority at an official meeting and should not prevent any interested individuals in running.

There will also be an available MCCPTA representative spot. Currently at Greenwood we have two representatives. MCCPTA reps are elected every year for a one year term. This individual attends county PTA meetings and reports back important information. 

I hope you all have a wonderful summer even though it likely looks a lot different than you had originally planned. I look forward to hopefully seeing you all in person this fall. Thank you all for a wonderful year.

Lastly, congratulations to our graduating 5th graders. We are so very proud of you and wish you great success in middle school!!

Sincerely,

Mary Quirion

PTA President

president@greenwood-pta.org