Volume 31 Issue 14 | November 19, 2021
Principal's Message

This week at Greenbriar, holiday spirit was in the air! First- through fourth-grade students were hard at work making artwork and learning songs for our winter sharing coming up on December 10th. Traditionally, we welcome families into the building to hear students performing in the Winter Sing, but this year we will broadcast the performances on our YouTube channel. Our awesome PTO has also come up with a fun alternative to our traditional Cookie Walk fundraiser. See information below about how to purchase cookie decorating kits and/or raffle tickets for reading time with Krieger!

As we prepare for Thanksgiving break, I'd like to thank everyone in our community who has been so supportive of our teachers, our arrival and dismissal supervisors, and all of the staff at Greenbriar this year. We are beginning to see the light at the end of this pandemic and will be very thankful to be able to return to our traditions and community events!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Ginny
Art Club Update from Mr. Blair
I am happy to announce that I will continue to offer After-School Art Club for the Winter Session due to the positive response and number of participants this fall! If your 3rd-, 4th-, or 5th-grader would like to join Art Club this winter, please register online. Dates and club information are included on the registration link page. Online registration closes Wednesday, November 24 at 3:30 p.m. These will be the last sessions of Art Club for the 2021-2022 school year.

Dismissal Reminders
As we begin to prepare for winter weather, we ask that all parents who pick up students at the dismissal doors off Greenbriar or on the back playground please take care when parking along Greenbriar Lane. We set up cones to ensure that people crossing the street have a line of sight between cars. Please don't move cones for any reason. We know this brief window can become congested so please remember there are also opportunities to park along Catherine and Chestnut, or to use the main parking lot spaces, if available, to park and meet your child. Thanks for your help in keeping our students and staff safe!
Gratitude Generation Service Opportunities *repeat*:
We're excited to be beginning a partnership with Gratitude Generation, a non-profit group whose goal is to inspire kids through gratitude, service, and education. Find out more about Gratitude Generation here. Also, they're currently sponsoring several drives and events and would welcome Greenbriar families if you're looking for ways to give back this holiday season. Click here to sign up and learn more!

  • Now through 11/30 - Holiday gift drive for SEDOL (Special Education of Lake County) families in need
  • 11/19, 3:30-5:30 - Mobile Food Pantry (organize and load groceries into cars as they pull up)
  • 12/3, 3:30-5:30 - Mobile food pantry 
  • 12/9 - Shop & Share. Can you feed a family of 4 for a week for $50? Zoom on 12/9 to talk about how it works, then shop over the weekend and drop food off to Sue's Pantry in Vernon Hills.
  • 12/11, 9:45am-11:45 - make sack lunches for the homeless and deliver to a shelter in Evanston
  • 12/11, 11am-1pm - pick up a project to do at home over winter break. Help a local animal shelter by making a snuffle mat for a dog or a no-sew cat toy, or turn plastic bags into a sleeping mat for the homeless
Upcoming Events & Thank Yous
Mark Your Calendars for Important Events!

  • 11/22-11/26--No School for students, Thanksgiving holiday
  • 12/2--Spirit Wear Day
  • 12/3--Trimester 1 Progress Reports Available
  • 12/10--Winter Sharing Grades 1-4 (available online)
  • 12/16--Spirit Wear Day
  • 12/17--Whole School Pajama Day
  • 12/17--Classroom Holiday Parties
  • 12/20-12/31--No School, Winter Holiday
  • 1/3/22--School Resumes
Shout Outs
  • Thank you everyone who donated to the Food Drive and spread the word. It has been amazing seeing everyone come together as a community for a great cause. We were able to donate about 400 items to the Northfield Township Food Pantry! 
PTO News
Miss the Cookie Walk? We have a fun alternative!

Cookie Kits: While we are unable to hold the PTO Cookie Walk this year, we still have a tasty way for you to support Greenbriar this holiday season! Purchase a festive/winter themed cookie kit for $25 and spend an afternoon of fun at home with your child decorating 8 of these delicious winter-themed cookies from Bent Fork Bakery. Your kit may even be a lucky winner – Some lucky kits will contain a golden ticket good for one reading session with Krieger after winter break!

Ingredients: Sugar, flour, butter, milk, artificial colors, vanilla
Cookie kits are nut free. 
*Note-The production facility is not nut free so there is a potential for cross contamination.  

Raffle: Have enough sweets for the holidays? Purchase a raffle ticket and your child could win reading time with Krieger instead! Buy one raffle ticket for $5, or 5 for $20 – for the chance for your child to snuggle up with Krieger and a good book after winter break.  

Pickup: Cookie kit pickup will be on Friday, 12/10 from 3:00-3:45 p.m.

Winners: Raffle winners will be announced on Monday, 12/13

Spirit Wear Updates
The grey sweatshirts are finally in as well as the hats! These will be coming by the weeks end to those individuals who ordered them. The additional tie dye sweatshirt sale closed this week on 11/17.  We can't wait to see all of the Spirit Wear around school! Thanks again to Julie Hochschild and Brett Schwartz for all of your work on spirit wear!
Order Gift Card Plus By Nov. 26
The Gift Card Plus sale is back! Get a jump on holiday shopping and support PTO programs at the same time. To purchase gift cards simply complete the paper form and e-mail your school rep, complete an online order at (District 28 Enrollment Code - BD68CB5E55861)  or download the RaiseRight app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. 

Your gift will give twice by supporting PTO-sponsored family programming, the directory app, and the Homer O. Harvey Scholarship Fund. Paper forms are due to your Gift Card Plus Reps and online orders must be placed by November 26th. We are expecting gift cards will be available for pickup by Dec. 10. 

School GCP Rep: Greenbriar - Marisa Zimmerman - [email protected]

Download the Gift Card Plus Form for more detailed instructions and a paper order form.


Have a wonderful break next week!

Should you have any questions, reach out to Kim or Marie at [email protected]
Support Scholarships With Groceries
Fresh Midwest is an online grocery delivery service focused on bringing the best of fresh to you. We cut out the middleman to connect you directly with farmers, restaurants and artisans. Use D28HOH and 3% will go to college scholarships for D28 grads. Click for details.
District News
Cook County Updates Travel Guidelines
During the week of Nov. 15, the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) updated its guidance for school-aged children as follows: “School-aged children do NOT have to quarantine after returning from domestic travel. They should continue to attend school in-person. However, they should get tested 3-5 days after returning from their trip and should monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days.” 

Therefore, the CrisisGo Daily Health Check questions will be updated as of Nov. 29 to align with this guidance that no longer specifies restrictions based on the orange and yellow states. Review the Health Check Questions on the Travel Guidance Page.

COVID Dashboard
The district is maintaining a COVID dashboard to publish more detailed information on positive cases and student quarantines for close contact and travel. The dashboard is updated daily with newly reported positive cases of both students and staff as well as student quarantine daily averages.
Greenbriar School | Dr. Ginny Hiltz, Principal | 847-498-7950 | [email protected] | Website