Dear Parents and Families,

We have had a great start to the school year! Thank you for sending your student ready to begin a year of learning and growth. We are excited about all that is ahead!

Our House Reveal Ceremony took place on Friday. Although we had a brief, light shower, the Greencastle Fire Department was still able to unfurl each banner and announce this year’s House members. Our planning committee made a few adjustments to the schedule to avoid the raindrops, and all of our fun,

collaborative activities took place as planned.

Each House is made up of one third-grade, one fourth-grade, and one fifth-grade classroom. Every student at TZ belongs to a House.

Together, our Houses spell the word GROWTH. This connects directly to our focus on Growing Hearts, Growing Minds as we help students grow academically, socially, and personally throughout the year.

Students earn House points for positive behaviors as a group. Examples include always trying their best, arriving prepared, following school procedures, helping others, listening to instructions, and showing respect. Houses earn quarterly rewards by reaching designated point levels.

Students also participate in a variety of House activities on Monday mornings. These activities provide opportunities to build relationships, practice teamwork, and strengthen our school community. We are excited to continue growing this positive program!

To help students show their House pride, every student will receive a House shirt this year! Thanks to the continued support of our families and the generosity of our PTO, the PTO is able to purchase shirts for all students. Please watch for communication coming home soon so we can make sure we order the correct size for your student.

Over the next few weeks, students will participate in beginning-of-year assessments in both Math and Language Arts. These assessments provide teachers with current baseline data that will help them identify student strengths and areas for growth.

Teachers will use this information along with data from last year to create intentional small groups and plan instruction based on students’ individual needs. These assessments are simply one tool we use to help us understand where students are beginning the year and how we can best support their continued growth.

Thank you for partnering with us and for your continued support of TZ! We appreciate hearing from our families, so please do not hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns at any time.

Warmly,

Lisa Eldridge

Principal