We can't wait to welcome everyone back to Greenwood for Open House on Thursday, August 20, from 9:00 AM–12:00 PM! 💚
Open House is one of our favorite days of the year because it gives our students and families the opportunity to see the building, meet their teachers, get organized, ask questions, and begin building the excitement for another incredible year at Greenwood!
🚗 Parking & Arrival
When you arrive on campus, you can park in the front of the building. As those spaces fill up, we anticipate using our bus loop and the back of the school for additional parking.
Thank you for your patience as we welcome 800+ students and their families to Greenwood. Parking during major school events can be a challenge, so we appreciate everyone's flexibility and willingness to help us make the morning run smoothly.
If you would like to assist with parking during Open House, please call us at 804-261-2970 or contact Mr. Stein directly at rtstein@henrico.k12.va.us. We would love to have some extra Gator family members helping us welcome everyone!
📱 Start in the Gym – Get Connected!
Once you park, all parents will enter the building through the gym.
We will have 12 tables set up to help families make sure they have the three big apps on their phones before heading to the classrooms:
ParentSquare
PowerSchool
RCA
We also hope you will stop by our PTA to purchase a House shirt, pick up a Greenwood green take-home folder, and learn more about joining the PTA.
Getting these important pieces taken care of before you head to the classroom will make your Open House experience much smoother. More importantly, these systems are how we will communicate important information, share updates, monitor student information, and stay connected with families throughout the school year. We want every family to leave Open House feeling connected, informed, and ready to go!
👩🏫 Meet Your Teacher & Get Ready for Day One
This is your opportunity to meet your child's teacher, ask questions, and begin building that important home-school connection.
Teachers will have forms for you to complete regarding how your child will go home on the first day of school. We will also ask families to answer a few important questions that will help guide our climate and culture experience for your child.
Your feedback matters. The more we know about your child, the better we can support them, build relationships, and create an environment where they feel known, valued, safe, and ready to learn. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us—we truly value your partnership.
🎒 Bring Your School Supplies & Explore Greenwood!
Bring your school supplies. Get your desk organized. Tour the building. Visit the art room, library, music room, and other special areas.
This is also a great time for our new students to practice walking from the bus loop to their classroom or from the main office to their classroom if your child will be a car rider.
Take pictures in our hallways with our murals. Find your child's photo in the ceiling. Let your child begin to picture themselves as a Greenwood Gator and start building those positive first-day-of-school memories before the first bell even rings!
🍎 Visit the Cafeteria
During Open House, we also encourage our families to visit the cafeteria and speak with our cafeteria manager, Danielle Hurt.
This is a great time to make sure you have money on your child's account if they will be purchasing a snack during lunch. As a reminder, students may purchase only ONE snack each day, and snacks may not be shared.
Families can also place restrictions on their child's account if they do not want their child purchasing certain items, such as ice cream. Open House is a great opportunity to ask questions about school meals, snacks, accounts, nutrition, and cafeteria procedures.
We are true believers that what our students put into their bodies impacts how they perform in the classroom. We want our students fueled, focused, and ready to learn each day!
🚌 Transportation
Open House is also a great time to ask questions about transportation and make sure you know your child's pick-up and drop-off location.
We had a very productive meeting with our bus drivers this past week and reviewed our expectations for the year. Our buses are an extension of our classrooms. We expect students to use appropriate language, keep their hands and feet to themselves, and treat others with respect.
We will not tolerate inappropriate language, physical touching, or verbal teasing on the bus. These behaviors can result in students being removed from bus transportation.
Our goal is simple: We want every student to arrive at school and return home safely every single day.
📵 A Device-Free Open House
Finally, we want to remind our families that students should not be on devices during Open House.
We are making a strong push at Greenwood to reduce screen time, and that applies when families are visiting our classrooms as well. Students and siblings should not be watching movies, playing video games, or using devices while in classrooms.
We want to create the most effective learning environment possible for our students and families during Open House, and devices can be extremely distracting. This is a special opportunity for families to talk, explore, connect, and experience Greenwood together—let's make the most of it!
💚 A Quick Reminder About Younger Siblings
If you have younger siblings with you who become upset, excited, or need a break while you are in the classroom, thank you for stepping into the hallway with them.
We know little brothers and sisters can have big feelings, and we appreciate your help in keeping classrooms calm and focused. Our teachers will be meeting many families throughout the morning, and your partnership in creating a positive environment allows everyone to have the best possible Open House experience.
🐊 Let's Get Ready to Gator!
Open House is about much more than finding your classroom. It is about building relationships, getting connected, creating excitement, and making sure every family feels ready for the first day of school.
Come early. Explore. Ask questions. Take pictures. Meet your teachers. Find your child's classroom. Get connected to our communication systems. And most importantly, help your child feel excited about coming back to school!
We are incredibly excited about the 2026–2027 school year, and we cannot wait to see our Greenwood Gators back in the building.
See you Thursday, August 20, from 9:00 AM–12:00 PM!