Dear Families,
Next week is a short week as we take time to celebrate Thanksgiving. I am very grateful to be a part of the Walnut Square Community and thankful for the wonderful students, staff, and families! Wednesday, November 24th is a half day, and dismissal is at 11:35 am. There will be no pool testing next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday break.
Our Walnut Square school website, https://walnutsquare.haverhill-ps.org/, has many resources to help families help their children learn and grow. One resource I’d like to share is monthly picture book lists. Our November Picture Book List is a list of picture books that families can read and enjoy together. Most of the books can be checked out from the Haverhill Public Library!
In addition to the Walnut Square School website, you can also “like” our Facebook page, Walnut Square Elementary School and follow us on Instragram @walnutsquaresuperstars.
Please see below for other updates. Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Jen Rubera
Principal
Here are the updates for this week:
Mark Your Calendar!
- Wednesday, November 24th: Early Release (Dismissal is 11:35 am)
- Thursday, November 25th: Thanksgiving- NO SCHOOL
- Friday, November 26th: Thanksgiving Recess-NO SCHOOL
- Tuesday, November 30th: PTO Meeting 6:00-7:00 pm Click here to view the agenda.
- Thursday, December 2nd: HPS District Site Council Training/Walnut Square Site Council Meeting 6:00 pm
- Tuesday, December 7th: K-8 Report Cards Issued
- Tuesday, December 14th PTO Meeting 6:00 pm
- Thursday, December 23rd: Early Release (Dismissal is 11:35 am)
- Friday, December 24th: Christmas Eve- NO SCHOOL
Progress Reports and Title 1 School-Parent Compact
Please sign and return progress reports and the Title 1 School-Parent Compacts to school as soon as possible. Thank you for your help with this!
Student Supplies
Please send your child to school with the following supplies:
- Water bottle (to refill at our water bottle station)
- Extra masks (can be kept in a plastic bag in backpack)
- Extra change of clothes (can be kept in backpack)
Donations
We are in need of packages of boys underwear for our clothes closet if you’d like to donate.
COVID-19 Safety Checks
Pool Testing is scheduled every Monday at Walnut Square School.
The COVID Safety Check (pool testing) this year is 1 swab. One goes in the pool. If the pool is positive then the pool will retest.
Here is the link for staff or families to sign up for testing: https://www.cic-health.com/consent/ma?district=null. Individuals can choose to complete link in a variety of languages
For the 2021-22 school year, we are offering an extra layer of protection to prevent the spread of COVID-19, our COVID-19 testing program at school. This program has three components: symptomatic testing for students/staff who show symptoms of COVID-19 at school, routine COVID safety checks to prevent the spread of the virus undetected among students who are not showing symptoms, and test and stay for students/staff who may have been exposed while in school but are not showing symptoms. Each of these is a quick, non-invasive nasal swab that is collected under the supervision of a school nurse or trained health provider. Unlike COVID-19 tests of the past, these are not uncomfortable and easy for students/staff to do themselves.
Students/staff only participate with permission from a parent or guardian/self for staff. It is important to Haverhill Public Schools that you are fully informed regarding the process and that we can answer any questions that you might have in advance of asking you to sign the electronic consent form (https://www.cic-health.com/consent/ma?district=null). Below we describe each of the three parts of our testing program, how they are conducted, and what they are used for.
Symptomatic testing is used when a student/staff is showing symptoms of COVID-19 during school; students/staff should not come to school if they are feeling sick while at home. Some symptoms of the virus look identical to other illnesses like the cold or flu, and this test tells us whether a symptomatic student/staff member has COVID-19 or not. This is a rapid test, and we receive the results of this test within 15 minutes. If a student/staff member has minimal symptoms and tests negative, they can remain in school.
Routine COVID safety checks minimize disruption to learning by helping us catch potential spread of the virus before it starts. Each student/staff administers the safety check on a weekly basis. Samples are collected at school in groups of 5-10 individuals. The samples are group together at school OR in the lab. Once the samples get to the lab, all the samples in the group are tested for COVID-19 together. In almost all cases, it will take less than 24 hours to receive safety check results. Students/staff can continue to come to school while awaiting safety check results; they do not need to quarantine while awaiting results. If a safety check test is positive, the students/staff in the group will take individual tests to determine which student(s) in the group produced the positive test//the lab will automatically process each individual sample to determine which student(s) in the group produced the positive test.
Test and stay allows students/staff who have had close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 while at school to stay in school if the student/staff is not showing symptoms. Instead of needing to quarantine and miss school, these individuals will take a daily rapid test while they remain in school as long as they are not symptomatic. Students/staff participate in test and stay for at least five days after they may have been exposed.
If a student/staff tests positive for COVID-19, they must quarantine at home for the CDC-recommended ten days since symptoms appeared or ten days since the positive test before returning to school. The student/staff member must also be without a fever for 24 hours.
Although students/staff who are vaccinated are much less likely to spread or contract the virus, it is important for us to create an inclusive environment for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.