Dear Families,
We continue to be complete our winter assessments, and Superstars are working hard to complete the Literacy Tasks, ACCESS testing for our multilingual learners, and makeups on in the iReady Diagnostic. I am so impressed with how hard Superstars are working! I’m also really excited for Monday…it’s the 100th day of school! I have my earrings ready to go!
I’m also excited to announce that we have a new shed in our playground to store playground equipment as part of the ARPA grant! This extra outside storage will enable us to have more equipment and materials for students to use during recess breaks! Thank you to the HPS Facilities department for helping us with this important project!
Back in December, we submitted a Walnut Square news broadcast about attendance. While we did not win, I’m thrilled to share that Walnut Square has been selected as one of five semifinalists! In the coming weeks, our submission will be featured on the DESE Attendance landing page as well as across their social media accounts. Thank you to all who participated and shared your reasons why you like to come to Walnut Square school every day!
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.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and I hope you’re able to enjoy reading together!
Sincerely,
Jen Rubera
Principal
ATTENDANCE MATTERS: SHOWING UP TOGETHER
KIDS CLUB AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM AT WALNUT SQUARE
The Haverhill Boys and Girls Club is hosting an afterschool Kids Club at Walnut Square. Please click on the flyer below for more details and contact information if you are interested in enrolling your child.
PTO NEWS
Walnut Square PTO: https://walnutsquare.haverhill-ps.org/pto/
SITE COUNCIL NEWS: https://walnutsquare.haverhill-ps.org/site-council/
ILLNESS EXCLUSION GUIDELINES
As we return from break, I want to stress the importance of daily school attendance. Daily school attendance is important because it fosters consistency in learning and helps students stay engaged with their education. Regular attendance allows children to build a routine, enhances their social skills through daily interactions with peers, and supports their academic growth by ensuring they don’t miss out on important lessons and activities. Additionally, attending school consistently helps develop responsibility and discipline, which are valuable life skills. It also provides an envionnment where social and emotional learning is supported. In short, being present in school sets the foundation for a more successful and well-rounded educational experience.
Building the habit of daily school attendance is important, but it can sometimes be challenging to know when to keep your child home if they’re not feeling well. When is sick too sick for school? Here are the illness exclusion guidelines from HPS Health Services:
Staying Home When Sick
If a child’s needs while sick with an infectious illness would interfere with the school staff’s ability to teach and care for other students, the child should stay home. Schools must balance the risk of infectious disease spread with educational, social and mental health needs of children when determining when students should stay home.
If someone has the following symptoms, they should stay home (or be dismissed):
- Fever, including a fever with a new rash
- Vomiting more than twice in the preceding 24 hours
- Diarrhea that causes ‘accidents,’ is bloody, or results in greater than 2 bowel movements above what the child normally experiences in a 24-hour period
- Skin sores that are draining on an uncovered part of the body and are unable to be covered with a bandage
- Respiratory virus symptoms that are worsening or not improving and not better explained by another cause, such as seasonal allergies
*The CDC definition of fever: temperature 100.4 or greater, or feels warm to the touch or gives a history of feeling feverish
Handwashing Song for Kids to Sing While Lathering Hands
Mark Your Calendar! **Subscribe to our Google Calendar!
February 2025
- 100th Day of School: Monday, February 3rd *pending no snow days
- Monday, February 3rd: PTO and Site Council Meeting (5:00-6:00 pm PTO; 6:00-7:00 Site Council)
Monday, February 3 · 5:00 – 7:00pm
Time zone: America/New_York
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/rjm-afyz-ggk - Spread the Love of Reading Spirit Week 2/10/25-2/14/25
- Monday, February 10th: Hats off to Reading!
- Tuesday, February 11th: Reading Knocks Your Socks Off!
- Wednesday, February 12th: Cozy up with a good book and Read
- Thursday, February 13th: Reading Gives Your Superpowers!
- Friday, February 14th: Spread the Love of Reading!
Early Release Dates:
- On Early Release Days, student dismissal time is 11:35 am
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- Wednesday, March 12th
- Wednesday, April 9th
- Friday, May 23rd
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!