Dear Families,

It was a great first full week back with students, despite the frigid temperature this week!  At Walnut Square, we utilize the  Child Care Weather Watch Chart to determine whether recess will be held indoors or outdoors. This chart is essential in ensuring that our students have a safe and enjoyable recess experience while also considering their comfort in varying weather conditions. For your convenience, both the chart and additional helpful resources are available in our Family Guide, which you can access here: https://walnutsquare.haverhill-ps.org/walnut-square-family-information/.  When safe,  we prefer for students to enjoy time outside, so please make sure students are bundled up!  We also have a basket of donated gloves and hats in the event they forget or lose a glove.

Our attendance for the first week in January is almost back on track! Thank you for making attendance a priority.  Please click on the picture below to enlarge it to be able to view attendance for this week.

Our next spirit week will be the week before February, and the theme is “Spread the love of Reading!”   Please click on link to view the flyers:   Spread the Love of Reading Spirit Week 2/10/25-2/14/25   To encourage reading both at school and home, I invite all Superstars to fill out the Superstar Book Review.  By completing this log, you will help our school community create a wonderful resource to share that will help to encourage others to read!   Here is the link to complete the form after you read each book:  https://forms.gle/iDTbdMb6mkwBkmAu6.   A book that I included on is The Wolves Are Back by Jean Craighead George (Lexile:  AD 630L).  Jean Craighead George is one of my favorite children’s authors!  This story shows how important wolves are to nature, especially in Yellowstone National Park. With beautiful illustrations and easy-to-understand writing, Jean Craighead George explains how different animals and plants depend on each other. The story teaches readers how bringing wolves back to the park helped restore balance to the environment. This book is not only fun for kids, but it also gives valuable insights for anyone interested in nature and conservation. Overall, it’s a wonderful story that encourages us to care for our planet.  Here are vocabulary words from the story:  ecosystem, nature, balance, environment, restore.  

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and I hope you’re able to enjoy reading together!

Sincerely,

Jen Rubera

Principal

GETTING READY FOR iREADY! 

Students will begin the i-Ready® Diagnostic beginning next week, and I’ve included the schedule below. The second Diagnostic is an important benchmark for understanding your student’s growth, which is why it’s so important they try their best. These results allow us to better support them in achieving their growth goals for the year.  The most important thing we can do is prepare students and motivate them to put forth their best effort. Here are a few things you can do to help support your child:   

• Make sure they get a good night’s sleep and eat breakfast in the morning.  
• Let them know you’re excited to celebrate their progress.
• Talk to your student about why the second Diagnostic is important. You can say things like:
  • The second Diagnostic helps you find out how much progress you’ve made since the beginning of the year.
  • It allows your teacher and I to celebrate your accomplishments!
  • Try your best, and do not rush—but don’t spend too much time on a question either.
  • Remember, questions on the Diagnostic change based on your answers to earlier questions. You will see some questions you don’t know. That is okay! Just try your best.

iReady Diagnostic Winter 2025 Schedule:  

* Students complete the assessment in 15-20 minute intervals over a few days. The schedule is as follows:  

• Monday, 1/13/25:  Reading Grades K-3 
• Tuesday, 1/14/25:  Reading Grades K-3 
• Wednesday, 1/15/25:  Reading Grades K-3 
• Thursday, 1/16/25:  Reading Grades K-3 
• Tuesday, 1/21/25:  Mathematics Grades K-3 
• Wednesday, 1/22/25:  Mathematics Grades K-3 
• Thursday, 1/23/25:  Mathematics Grades K-3 

What is i-Ready?

i-Ready is an online program that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction.

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.  

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to your child’s education and our school community. Your encouragement and involvement play a crucial role in your child’s success!  I am grateful for your partnership and look forward to celebrating the progress and achievements of all our students during this important assessment period. Thank you again for your dedication!

KIDS CLUB AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM AT WALNUT SQUARE

District and Community Updates:  

• Haverhill Community Resources:  This link provides many resources in our community to support families.
• YMCA Swimming Lessons Flyers in English and Spanish
• Family Literacy Opportunity!
  • English Family Literacy Flyer
  • Spanish Family Literacy Flyer
  • Portuguese Family Literacy Flyer
  • Haitian Creole Family Literacy Flyer
  • Arabic Family Literacy Flyer
  • Vietnamese Family Literacy Flyer 
  • French Family Literacy Flyer