Family Update: Welcome Back!

Posted on August 19, 2024

 

Dear Families,

I hope you are all enjoying summer!  At Walnut Square, we are busy preparing for the upcoming school year.  We are excited to work with you to help your children learn and grow!  This update is filled with information about back to school.  There is a special section for Kindergarten families.  As with all family updates, this will be posted on our school website, https://walnutsquare.haverhill-ps.org/.  In addition to the Walnut Square School website, you can also “like” our Facebook page, Walnut Square Elementary School, follow us on Instagram, @walnutsquaresuperstars, and/or follow my channel on YouTube, @jenrubera, to get updates and see all of the fun and learning taking place at Walnut Square!  As you enjoy the rest of the summer, we will continue to plan for a happy and productive school year.  Please contact me if you have any questions.  Thank you!  

 

Sincerely, 

Jen Rubera 

Principal

 

Open House

We are thrilled to invite you to the Walnut Square School Open House on Monday, August 26th for the 2024-2025 school year! This is an excellent opportunity for you to meet with teachers and staff, tour the facilities, and learn more about our programs.  Please note that teachers will be presenting helpful information ​during the times below.

Date:  Monday, August 26, 2024

Time:  4:00-5:30 pm

Location:  Walnut Square School

Schedule:

  • 4:00-4:30:  Kindergarten Presentation
  • 4:30-5:00 Grade 1 Presentation
  • 5:00-5:30 Grades 2-3 Presentations

We can’t wait to welcome you and showcase all the wonderful things our school has to offer. We’re dedicated to providing a nurturing and enriching educational environment for all our students, and we look forward to sharing our vision with you.

 

Walnut Square Family Guides:  Please visit https://walnutsquare.haverhill-ps.org/walnut-square-family-resources/to learn more about the expectations and procedures for Walnut Square School.  This page also has resources and information about curriculum, social and emotional learning, and behavior expectations and discipline practices.  

 

School Supply List 

 

Transportation

 

Kindergarten Information 

Entering kindergarten is such a big step and we are excited to welcome you and your child to Walnut Square School, home of the Superstars!

Before entering kindergarten, all students participate in a screening process in English Language Arts and Mathematics which allows us time to become acquainted with your child.  

Screenings will take place on Tuesday, August 27th, and Wednesday, August 28th.  Please call the school at (978) 374-3471 to set up your child’s screening appointment.  Each screening will take approximately ½ hour.  

The first day for Kindergarten students will be Wednesday, September 4, 2023.   To help your child get acquainted with Walnut Square, please click on the social story:  Kindergarten Social Story English   Kindergarten Social Story Spanish.  

Get Involved!  

At Walnut Square, two family groups meet monthly to support our school:

  • The Walnut Square School PTO (Parent Teacher Organization):  The PTO is a group of families, educators, and Walnut Square Alumni who work together to raise funds to plan enrichment activities and purchase resources to support students.
  • Walnut Square School Site Council:  The Site Council is a balanced group of educators, families, and community members who meet monthly.  The School Site Councils assists the principal in:
    • Adopting educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards
    • Identifying the educational needs of students attending the school
    • Reviewing the annual school building budget
    • Formulating a school improvement plan

Mark Your Calendar!

  • Monday, August 26th:  Open House  Open House 4:00-5:30 pm for students and families.  
    • Kindergarten Presentation:  4:00-4:30
    • Grade 1 Presentation:  4:30-5:00
    • Grade 2 Presentation:  5:00-5:30
  • Tuesday, August 27th:  First Day of School Grades 1-12; Kindergarten Screening
  • Wednesday, August 28th:  Kindergarten Screening 
  • Friday, August 30th:  Early Release- Dismissal is 11:35 am
  • Wednesday, September 4th:  First Day of Kindergarten!  
  • Wednesday, September 25th:  Early Release- Dismissal is 11:35 am 

 

 

Walnut Square Elementary School 

Family Guide 

2024-2025 

School Start Times/Half Day Times 

  • School starts at 9:00 am and ends at 3:15 pm.  Supervision on the playground begins at 8:45 am.  
  • On Early Release Days, student dismissal time is 11:35 am.

 

School Supply Lists

Please click here to view the school supply lists.  

 

Communication

  •  Please visit our school website, https://walnutsquare.haverhill-ps.org/, to get the following information:  
    • Family Updates (posted weekly) 
    • Calendar with upcoming events 
    • School Improvement Plan 
    • Site Council Information and meeting minutes
    • Title 1 information 
    • PTO information and meeting minutes 
    • Family Guides for teaching and learning, social and emotional learning, routines and procedures, and discipline practices at Walnut Square School 
  • Parent Square and Remind: Parent Square and Remind are both communication and organizational tools to keep families informed and involved in our school community.  
  • Social Media:   Please follow our Facebook page, Walnut Square Elementary School, follow us on Instagram, @walnutsquaresuperstars, and/or follow us on YouTube, @jenrubera, to get updates and see all of the fun and learning taking place at Walnut Square.  

 

Walnut Square Arrival Procedures

  • Families can drop children off at 8:45 AM.  Teacher supervision begins at 8:45 AM.
  • Students who walk or ride their bikes can be on the playground starting at 8:45 AM.
  • The family drop-off area on North Avenue is between the two signs.  This is a maximum of 5 minutes for student drop off.  
  • For students being brought to school by parents, for the safety of all, only students and staff are allowed in the play area in the morning.
  • Students riding buses will be exiting their buses on the Main Street side beginning at 8:45 AM.
  • At 9:00 AM students will line up by class in the designated area (white lines in the front of the school).  
  • Children eating breakfast at school will enter the building at 9:00 AM with their class.  There will be breakfast available for them to take and eat in their classrooms.  
  • Only students and staff are allowed in the building for safety issues.
  • For safety reasons, if a student arrives after all students have been led into the school, a parent/guardian must walk his/her child to the Main Street side door and wait until the student is let into the building.  This ensures they are supervised at all times.
  • Students arriving after 9:15 AM are considered tardy and need to be signed in at the office by a parent or guardian.

 

Walnut Square Dismissal Procedures

  • Students riding buses will be called down from their classrooms by their bus number and escorted to their bus out the Main Street side of the building by the cafeteria.  
  • Students being picked up by parents/guardians will be dismissed at 3:15 PM.  
    • Rooms 1, 2,  7, and 8 will be dismissed out of the Main St. door.  
    • Rooms 3 and 4 will be dismissed out of the middle door.  
    • Rooms 5 and 6 will be dismissed out of the North Ave door.  
  • Parents may wait for their children in the play area.  Pets are not allowed on school grounds. 
  • When school is dismissed at 3:15 pm, there is no longer Walnut Square staff supervision on the playground.  The school building is closed, and parents are responsible for supervising their own children.  The Walnut Square staff kindly ask that the playground area and school grounds are respected and play equipment is used appropriately.  

Attendance 

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school and themselves.  Start building this habit in grades K-2 so they learn that going to school on time, every day is important!  Good attendance is a skill that will help them succeed in later grades and beyond.  If your child is absent, tardy, or there are any changes to his/her regular school dismissal routine, please follow the procedures listed below:  

Student Absences  Tardy Procedure Dismissal Procedure
Please call the main office when your child is absent at (978) 374-3471.  If we do not hear from you, an automated message will be sent to you reminding you to call the school. Please be sure to call the main office to let Mrs. MacRae know.  

Upon return, please send in a note from parent or doctor.  Students absent 5 or more days may be  required to have a doctor’s note.  

 Students arriving after 9:15 AM are considered tardy and need to be signed in at the office by a parent or guardian.  

Please use the entrance on the Main Street side of the building.  

Please ring the bell and wait for the door to be unlocked.  Then you can walk up the steps to the office to sign your child into school.  

 Please send a handwritten note to school with the following information:  

  •  Child’s name
  •  The date and time your child will be dismissed 
  • Who will be dismissing your child. 

Please come to the entrance on the Main Street side of the building. A photo ID is required when dismissing children.  

Please ring the bell and wait for the door to be unlocked.   Then you can walk up the steps to the office to sign the log that you are dismissing your child. 

*Please refer to the HPS Student Handbook for more information about attendance.  

 

Indoor or Outdoor Recess  

Walnut Square uses the Child Care Weather Watch Chart to determine if there will be indoor or outdoor recess.    

 

Breakfast/Lunch 

Haverhill Public Schools is enrolled in a program called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).  All students enrolled in HPS are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at no charge to your household each day.   No further action is required. Your child(ren) will be able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit a meal application.  More information and meal plans available here:  https://www.haverhill-ps.org/food-services/.  

 

School Supplies 

It is recommended your child bring the following items to school each day:  

 

No Cell Phones/Smart Watches

Cell phones and Smart watches are not allowed to be used during the school day.  The expectation is that they are turned off and kept in the student’s backpack during school hours.  They may not be used at any time during the school day, including lunch and recess.  If a cell phone or Smart watch is seen by a staff member, it will be confiscated and turned into the main office. The device can be picked up at the office by the student at the end of the school day. Repeated offenses may require the parent to pick up the device and/or require the student to drop it off daily at the office.

 

No Toys Please 

Students are not allowed to bring toys from home into the school. This includes trading cards, fidget toys, figurines, toy cars, dolls or games. Toys are expensive for parents and we would hate for them to get lost or broken. Furthermore, toys brought from home can disrupt the learning at school.  While we understand that children may wish to carry familiar toys with them and to show their friends items they consider precious, it has been our experience that bringing toys from home to school can create difficult situations to manage.  The students have many toys and games to play with here at school.  If toys are found at school they will be collected by staff for safekeeping and returned after school.  Thank you for your cooperation and attention to this matter.  

 

Bullying Prevention and Intervention

Walnut Square follows the HPS Anti Bullying Policy (you can find this on the HPS website, https://www.haverhill-ps.org/parents-students/).   Please click here to read the HPS Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan and view the incident reporting form.

We are Walnut Square SUPERSTARS!  

Each month, students will participate in learning experiences that focus on our monthly SUPERSTARS theme.  

Month  Theme
September  S Safety
October U Uniqueness
November P Perseverance
December E Empathy
January R Respect
February S Self-control
March T Teamwork
April A Attitude
May R Responsibility
June  S Self-care