Family Update

Posted on May 26, 2023

“We cherish too, the Poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led, 

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies.”  

-Moina Michael 

Dear Families,

We had an exciting week here at Walnut Square with fun activities planned with our alphabet calendar!  Students also had an in-school field trip with Curious Creatures!  Thank you to the PTO for sponsoring this amazing experience!  Please check out the snapshots in the Walnut Square News broadcast on Tuesday!  There is no school on Monday, May 29th in observance of Memorial Day.  

 

We are so excited about our Spring concert on Friday, June 2nd at 1:30 pm!  In an effort to allow dismissal procedures to run as smoothly as possible, a notice will be sent home next week to be filled out and returned to your student’s teacher.  We ask that parents/guardians please do not dismiss students early and wait on the playground until 3:15 to pick up their students if they choose to be a parent/guardian pick up on Friday, June 2, 2023 following the spring concert to allow a safe and timely dismissal for all students.  

 

As the warmer weather is here, please remember to send your child to school with a water bottle.  We have water bottle filling stations.  We have been using over 100 cups a day and would like to conserve them!  Thank you for your help with this!  

 

As the year winds down, it is time to return all library books.  Please send them to school with your child.  Thank you for your help with this!

 

In Walnut Square news this week, anchors Julie, Jeremiah, and Lorenzo were hosts.    To view the broadcast, please click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukWpNTuJbjU.   Our next broadcast will be released on Tuesday, May 30th.  

 

Students took the Reading iReady Diagnostic this week and will take the Math diagnostic next week. The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning and communicate growth.  Please see the schedule below to see when your child will take the assessment.  Copies of their fall and winter growth were sent home today; if you have any questions, please contact me. 

To help prepare your child for the i-Ready Diagnostic, encourage them to: 

  • Get a good night’s sleep and eat a full breakfast the day of the assessment.
  • Try their best on each question and try not to rush.
  • Try not to worry about questions to which they do not know the answers—remind them that it is expected that they will only get about half of the questions correct.
  • Be respectful of other students who take longer to finish.
  • For the math diagnostic, use paper and pencil to show work for math questions.  

 

Thank you to the families who have completed the Walnut Square Feedback survey.  Families, your feedback is important, and I’d like to share the link to complete the Spring Family Feedback Survey.  This is shared with Site Council, staff, and PTO to prioritize needs at Walnut Square.  A paper copy went home with students last week, or you may complete it on online.    To complete the survey, please click here.  Thank you for your help!

 

As with all family updates, this will be posted on our school website, https://walnutsquare.I-ps.org/ and sent to you via School Messenger and Remind.  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 to get updates and see all of the fun and learning taking place at Walnut Square!   Please contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for your continued partnership in your student’s learning.

Sincerely,

Jen Rubera

Principal

PTO News 

Our PTO has been working hard to fundraise and support enrichment opportunities at Walnut Square!   You can view information here:  https://walnutsquare.haverhill-ps.org/pto/

Mark Your Calendar!

  • Wednesday, May 17th:  Walnut Square ABC Countdown Begins!  
  • Monday, May 29th:  Memorial Day- NO SCHOOL 
  • Tuesday, May 30th:  Kindergarten iReady Diagnostic 
  • Wednesday, May 31st:  Grade 1 iReady Diagnostic 
  • Thursday, June 1st:  Grade 2 iReady Diagnostic 
  • Friday, June 2nd:  Spring Concert 1:30 pm 
  • Tuesday, June 6th:  Spring Concert Rain Date 1:30 pm 
  • Thursday, June 15th:  Field Day 
  • Friday, June 16th:  Field Day Rain Date 
  • Friday, June 16th:  Kindergarten Teddy Bear Picnic 10:15 am 
  • Friday, June 16th:  PTO Luau 6-8 pm 
  • Monday, June 19th:  Juneteenth- NO SCHOOL 
  • Wednesday, June 21st:  PTO Luau 6-8 pm Rain Date 
  • Friday, June 23rd:  Last Day of School- Early Dismissal for Students (Dismissal is at 11:35 am).  

HPS/Community Events:  

  • Kindergarten registration has opened!  Please click here to learn more and to register your child!  HPS Registration is also hosting a Kindergarten information night on May 23rd at Pentucket Lake if you’re interested in learning more!   
  • The office of Title I and Community Outreach is excited to share with you the Summer 2023 Learning Opportunities for our students! Haverhill Public Schools, in collaboration with our community partners, provides a variety of interesting and robust Summer programs.