Monday, May 3

BOE Meeting - 7:00 pm

Monday, May 3- Friday, May 7

Staff Appreciation Week!

Tuesday, May 4

Staff Delicious Breakfast

Tuesday, May 4

Stress Reduction Techniques for Life Harmony by Chris Salem - 6-7:30 pm

Wednesday, May 5

DEI Meeting - 8:00 am

Wednesday, May 5

EARLY DISMISSAL 

Friday, May 7

Staff Yummy Lunch from Stiles!!!

Wednesday, May 12

Adolescent Mental Health in 2021: Challenges and Strategies with Dr. Aaron Weiner - 6:30-8 pm

Monday, May 17

BOE Meeting - 7:00 pm

Tuesday, May 18

1:00 pm GFS General Board Meeting invite

Wednesday, May 19

EARLY DISMISSAL 

Board of Education

There is a BOE Meeting, Monday, May 3 at 7:00PM. The meeting will be held electronically and live streamed on www.westportps.org and shown on Optimum Government Access Channel 78 and Frontier Channel 6021. 

Emails to BOE members can be sent to BOE@westportps.org. Comments to be read during the public comment period must be submitted to the meeting’s Googledoc during the submission period. Please use this link for instructions and guidelines. 

Please click HERE for the agenda.

GFS PTA Nominating Committee

Want to help out at GFS? The PTA is currently recruiting new volunteers!

The GFS PTA Nominating Committee is working hard to put together the slate for next year.  If you’ve been toying with the idea of getting involved, now is the time! There are lots of options to choose from.  Please contact Beatriz Jones and Lindsay Bernsohn at gfspta.nomination@gmailcom.  We need your help to continue to make GFS the terrific place it is!

If you’re not sure where you would like to volunteer, let us help you!  Fill out this quick survey (link below)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-gPL4U7nUve2xvQfc1uGZ3ggftKioR6u-aV5X4uvTbQ/edit

 And we will reach out to you!

GFS Field Day Information 2021

       Friday, June 4 (rain date Friday, June 11)

• Schedule for the Day 

All classes will participate in fun, team-building activities during Field Day.

• Volunteer!! 

Due to increased safety protocols this year, only parent volunteers can attend this year's Field Day during their assigned shift.  In order to have equal representation amongst the classes, there are two volunteer slots per class and then available slots on a first come, first serve basis per grade level.  So that as many families can attend as possible, each family is only allowed to volunteer for one shift (one parent per household).  Thank you for understanding.

Click here to access the Field Day Sign-Up Genius 

• What will your child need for Field Day?

1. A positive attitude!!

2. A labeled, reusable water bottle (first and last name).

3. Sunscreen (applied at home) and a hat (optional).

4. GFS Field Day T-shirt (Orders were due 4/30.  T-shirts will be delivered to school and distributed before Field Day.  Please contact Marissa Zer (mrm30cu@yahoo.com) or Liz Pardon (elizabeth.pardon@gmail.com) with any questions.

5. A change of clothes and an extra mask.  Yes, the waterslide is back!! (Children will wear the clothes that they wore to school while on the waterslide and will change after).

• Order Field Day To-Go-Lunch (Optional)

Must be ordered ahead of time by May 28.  Click here for order form.

• Questions?

Please contact Wendy McConaghy (wb.mcconaghy@gmail.com) or Michelle Rabinowitz (mlrabinowitz1@gmail.com).

Calling 5th grade parents - BMS Volunteer Opportunities!!!

 Your 5th Grader is “moving up” to Bedford Middle School, and the BMS PTA still has some outstanding positions to fill. What better way to share your student’s next stage of learning than volunteering for the BMS PTA?!  Open positions include:

·   Lockerworks  - distributing locker works on Orientation day

.   Monster Mash Chair

.   Cultural Arts Rep

.   Art Show Reception Co-Ordinator - Shadow

.   PTA Reflections Chair

Please join us as we work to enhance the BMS students experience and assist the BMS community as it continues to thrive. If you are interested in any of the positions above or in discussing ways in which you can participate in the BMS PTA, please contact 

Nominating Committee Chair, Mairead Howley at mairead_howley@yahoo.com or Nominating Committee Advisor, Meg Himes at

meghimespta@gmail.com.

GFS General Board Meeting 

Please join us at our virtual GFS General Board Meeting.  All participants will be happy to answer questions, as we do when these events are held in person.

GFS General Board Meeting - May

Please submit your questions ahead of time to us via the below Google Doc, by Friday, May 14th at noon. This way we can consolidate similar questions, and give Dr. Panico, Ms. D’Amura and Nurse Falvey the chance to answer as many questions as possible. The link to the Google Doc can be found HERE

Stress Reduction Techniques for Life Harmony with Chris Salem

May 4th at 6pm - "Stress Reduction Techniques for Life Harmony w/ Chris Salem" -  In the COVID world where the professional and personal demands of our lives collide and compete more than ever, we long for more harmony and less stress. Perfect balance will never exist and chasing after it only contributes to the frustration and dissatisfaction we sometimes feel. Instead, it’s the small, conscious choices we can make each day that lead to less stress and more success. Before you can begin to strive for more harmony, identify and prioritize what’s most important to you, such as your career, family, home, relationships, finances, health, spirituality, personal development and fun. Join Westport Human Services as we welcome speaker, Chris Salem, to help us learn how to generate more structure for work-life harmony to reduce stress.  Register at: bit.ly/3wR9mCI

Adolescent Mental Health in 2021: Challenges and Strategies with Dr. Aaron Weiner

May 12th at 6:30pm - "Adolescent Mental Health in 2021: Challenges and Strategies with Dr. Aaron Weiner". May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Helping your teenager cope with difficult emotions has been a challenge even in the best of times, but adding COVID-19 to the mix has taken adolescent stress levels to a whole new level. Is what you're seeing normal teenage angst, an understandable reaction to stress, or a clinical problem worth addressing? And how should you address it? Join Westport Together as we welcome board certified psychologist and master addiction counselor, Dr. Aaron Weiner, as he reviews how the global pandemic has affected teen mental health, how you can tell normal problems from more significant mental health concerns, and numerous actionable steps and ideas parents can use to support teens’ mental health and well being. Register at: westporttogether.org

DEI Committee Meeting

DEI Committee Meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, May 5, at 8:00 am.

Please refer to the attached agenda.

Agenda

Westport Schools Calendar

Friends of Westport Public Art Collections (WestPAC) are currently accepting online submissions of artwork from Westport's K-12 students for the full-color 2021-22 Westport Schools Calendar. Please encourage your child to submit their artwork!

• All themes and 2-D media (Drawings, Paintings, Photography, Computer-generated & more) in landscape-orientation will be considered.

• Artwork scanned at high res (600 dpi - jpg or pdf format file) or a good photo may be emailed to WestportSchoolsCalendar@gmail.com

• The email (but not on the art itself) must include Student Name, Email address, Grade level, and School
  KEEP YOUR ORIGINAL ARTWORK! If selected, we may need to rescan your work.

• details are at this link: https://www.westportps.org/community/westport-public-art-collections/annual-student-art-calendar

• The deadline is Friday May 28th  

You can also pre-order your 2021-22 calendar at the same link. Your purchase supports the display, preservation, and educational uses of the collections and helps ensure that students, staff, and families can continue to enjoy world class art in their hallways, classrooms and even online!

SchoolKidz School Supplies

Dear GFS Families,

Once again we will be offering the ordering of school supplies for your children from SchoolKidz, the teacher tailored back-to-school supply kit program. 

SchoolKidz has worked with us to offer very competitive pricing of approximately $30.00 for each kit.  Kits will be delivered directly to your child’s classroom in a reusable storage box ready for use on the first day of school. This program is entirely optional.

Online ordering begins today, Monday, April 26.  The deadline to order online is Friday, June 4.  

To order your child’s 2021-2022 school supply kit online, please follow these steps:

1. Go to www.shopttkits.com

2. Enter the account number 83484

3. Choose the appropriate grade level kit, i.e. the grade your child will be entering in the fall.

4. Enter your child’s first and last name.

5. Add to cart; confirm your order, checkout and pay with your credit card.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You do not need to sign in or create an account when checking out.  You can checkout without an account by entering your email address only.

You will receive an email confirmation after your order has been successfully submitted, which you should retain as your receipt.

Please note that no family will be denied school supplies due to the inability to pay. Please contact me at kcazzetta@westportps.org for CONFIDENTIAL financial support.

Should you have any general questions, please contact Donna Santorella at dsantorella@westportps.org  or 203-222-3600. 

Thank you from Open Doors Foundation

Dear Greens Farms Elementary School students and parents,

I would like to thank each and every one of you for your help and contribution to this food drive for the Open Doors Foundation. As all of you know, the last year has been very hard on many of us, especially those in our neighboring low-income communities in Fairfield County and elsewhere, some of whom have received the greatest blow from the pandemic. With the hundreds of pounds worth of food and clothing that you have generously contributed this month, you have helped to make a positive impact and lighten the burden on some who have been faced with great hardship during this pandemic. Stay safe, stay healthy, remember to wash your hands, and thank you!

Best,

Pierre Briand

Minted

We are excited to announce that Minted’s Fundraising Program will now be offered year-round! 

Enjoy 20% OFF Minted cards & gifts throughout the year when you use promo code FUNDRAISEGREENS at www.minted.com, and 15% of each order will be donated back to the GFS PTA. Please feel free to share the code with family and friends!

As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to Melanie Heiser or Kate Grijns if you have any questions! 

Amazon Smile 

Support GFS When You Shop on Amazon! Did you know that you can support the GFS PTA all year long every time you shop on Amazon?  AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to contribute to GFS every time you shop, at no cost to you. All you need to do is use the smile.amazon.com URL for all of your purchases and Amazon donates to the GFS PTA. Please note if you use the regular amazon URL no donation to GFS PTA will be made. Thank you for your support by shopping on smile.amazon.com.  Questions?  Please contact Kate Grijns or Melanie Heiser

Turn on AmazonSmile in the Amazon Shopping app

1. Make sure you're signed up for AmazonSmile (use your web browser to visit smile.amazon.com)

2. Download or update to the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app

3. Open the app and find “Settings” in the main menu (☰)

4. Tap on “AmazonSmile” and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile in the app.

Mabel’s Labels

Did you know that an item that ends up in the GFS Lost and Found will be returned to its owner by the PTA if it is LABELED with your child’s name?!    

Get your Mabel’s Labels today and encourage your family, relatives and friends to do the same!  Free shipping to your door.  Your purchase helps support the GFS PTA.  Mabel's Labels offers a wide variety of labels and tags, including: clothing labels, bag tags, household labels and labels for sports.

Ready to order?  Visit Mabel's Labels: Kids Labels, Name Stickers & Clothing Labels.  Click on "Support a Fundraiser" at the top right of the page and type "Greens Farms Elementary School" in the search window to find and select our fundraiser!  Once you've selected GFS, all purchases you make from Mabel's Labels will support our fundraiser

Questions? Email Kate Grijns or Melanie Heiser

Join the PTA and Support GFS!

Never too late to join the GFS PTA. Please use the following link to join: MobileArq 2020!  

Please see this flyer for helpful instructions on how to join using the mobile app. 

Contact GFS PTA Membership Chair Catherine Gardiner with any questions.