Dear Families,

We have another busy week planned here at Walnut Square!  This week, third graders will participate in an assembly about Connor’s Kindness Project.  A letter explaining this is below.  Next week, our alphabet calendar begins!  Please click here to read the calendar in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.  

There has been an uptick in phone calls in the afternoon requesting changes to a child’s dismissal.   To ensure safety and minimize interruptions to lessons/learning, please send a handwritten note to school with the following information if there is a change to your child’s dismissal routine, :

Thank you so much for your support and help with this!

Sincerely,

Jen Rubera

Principal

PTO NEWS

Teacher Appreciation Week is Monday May 6th-Friday, May 10th this year, and we’d like to celebrate all of the staff at Walnut Square for their hard work and dedication!   We need your help and hope you are able to participate in the activities we have planned!  We would also appreciate the following donations: 

• flowers (to be brought to school on Friday, May 10th)
• chocolate (various kinds)
• gift cards to the following places:  Amazon, Dollar Tree, Target, Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, and Heavn’ly. 

If you are able to donate, please donate by Wednesday, May 1st.  Thank you so much for helping to make this week amazing for the staff!  

• Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week Letter English 
• Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week Letter Spanish
• Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week Letter Portuguese

Connor’s Kindness Project

Dear Families, 

Haverhill Public Schools is partnering with the Connor’s Kindness Project (CKP) to bring your elementary student an amazing opportunity with varied activities to learn about kindness and how small acts can make a difference. There is a story behind this enrichment program that starts with a child named Connor and designed by Sharon Marrama, the executive director.  This program was founded in the middle of the pandemic by then 12-year-old Connor Wright of Lynnfield. Connor wanted to do something to help kids during that time of isolation, so he delivered Covid Care Bags in his community. Things progressed and he now delivers Kindness Kits to children in hospitals and shelters. Almost 6,000 have been delivered since August 2021. 

Connor’s family was hopeful that his story and service work would ignite the spark in other youths, so in 2023 CKP implemented a new program to do just that-The Kids Kindness Club-an enrichment program for schools. The mission is to introduce the youngest school population to the importance of not only kindness, but to the impact of community service.

Connor’s Kindness Project (CKP) provides the following.

• Live launch at a whole school assembly with interactions with the students
• A representative from CKP attends the assembly.
• The Kindness Pledge that the entire school recites together-a powerful moment.
• List of 30 Acts of Kindness, 20 to be completed.
• Certificate of Kindness for those who complete the challenge.
• Kindness is a My Superpower sticker for each child.
• Kindness Song
• List of both kindness books and songs to share with teachers and parents.
• Five Kindness Books for the school library.
• A “Kindness Starts Here” sign for the front entry door.

This program will coincide with Mental Health Month in May and be delivered to third graders as the “School Ambassadors”. All children will benefit as the kindness message will be passed on throughout the school. The individual schools will determine the launch date, grade level to receive the assembly and how the calendar challenge will be provided. 

Megan Arivella                                                     Jami Dion

HPS District Coach of Health & Wellness     Director of Counseling & Student Support