Owning Change

November 6, 2018 Today, as those who did not already participate in early voting head to the polls to select local, state, and national leadership, it seems like the most appropriate time to talk to you about change. I know for some, the idea of “change” induces a broad array of emotional—or even physical—responses. Most Americans, according to the annual …

Kindness, Open-minded Living, and the Greenwood Way

October 23, 2018 I posted last month about some of the reasons we teach social skills here at Greenwood, both through explicit instruction and through casual integration into various courses and teaching moments that our faculty take advantage of to insert a little extra guidance. Today, though, I want to focus specifically on our communication with one another—students, teachers, administrators, …

Greenwood is Accredited! What now?

October 16, 2018             Greenwood is Accredited! What now? A very happy mid-October day to you all! I’m truly sorry that it has been a couple of weeks since I’ve published something here on the site, but some great things have been happening here at Greenwood! Last week, Greenwood successfully completed our 5-year evaluation from the Florida Council of Independent …

Vision—From Good to Great

Last week I spoke with the Greenwood Faculty and Staff about the Vision for Greenwood’s future—where we are headed, and why. For an already established, successful organization that does things well, it is easy to become complacent or to fall into a routine of only doing what worked before. However, we know that no one individual, group, classroom, or grade …

Safety—What’s behind the “Be Safe” pillar of The Eagle Way

In nearly every classroom and/or hallway at Greenwood, a laminated poster titled “The EAGLE WAY” is displayed as a reminder to students, faculty, and staff to uphold the four pillars of what makes us successful as a Team: Be Respectful; Be Responsible; Be Your Best; and, Be Safe. Safety is on everyone’s mind rather often, particularly with the tragic events …

August 28- Accountability and Responsibility, the Greenwood Way

Accountability and Responsibility, the Greenwood Way 2018 is an important year for Greenwood School—every five years, we are evaluated by the Florida Council of Independent Schools on our performance and compliance with standards in 18 different categories, and a successful evaluation results in renewal of the School’s accreditation status. Our staff has been quite busy the past couple months preparing …

Scheduling our Priorities: How not to feel Overwhelmed

The third and fourth weeks of a new school year tend to be when some students, families, and faculty/staff alike start to feel a little bit (or quite a lot, for some) overwhelmed by everything they have to do. We are all at the point where we are starting to get used to the new routine of the new year, …

A Spirit of Growth

A Spirit of Growth Tuesdays are perhaps my favorite days here at Greenwood! Every Tuesday, tee shirts become an official part of the school dress code—but not just any tees. The Greenwood Spirit shirt is more than just a tee shirt with a fierce graphic of an Eagle on the front. It’s a symbolic representation of the opportunities and drive …

The End is Near But Not Yet Here: How to Finish the School Year Strong

Springtime is like no other time of year.  The warm weather and seemingly longer days beckon us outdoors  and the temptation to slack off on school work may be overwhelming with the end of the school year finally in sight.  If you detect spring fever in your student keep in mind that, for them, finishing the school year strong is …

October is ADHD Awareness Month

      1) ADHD is Real. 2) ADHD is a Common, Non-Discriminatory Disorder. 3) Diagnosing ADHD is a complex process. 4) Other Mental Health Conditions Frequently Co-Occur with ADHD. 5) ADHD is Not Benign. 6) ADHD is Nobody’s FAULT. 7) ADHD Treatment is Multifaceted.   For more information and details visit http://www.adhdawarenessmonth.org/adhd-facts/