Dear Families,

I hope you are all enjoying the final days of summer before returning back to school!  I’m so excited to  see you all at Open House one week from today on Monday, August 25th!  Our first day of school is, August 26th,  to welcome our first, second, and third graders.  Kindergarten students will come in on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to complete screenings, and the first day of Kindergarten is Wednesday, September 3rd!  At the end of every Family Update, there is a “Mark Your Calendar” section to remind you of upcoming dates.  You can also visit the calendar section of our school website or Parent Square to see the dates, and you also have the option to subscribe to Walnut Square’s calendar to have the dates available in your personal calendar.  If you have any questions or need help with this, please let me know and we will get you connected and updated!  For other helpful Technology information, please be sure to read below.

How is your summer reading going?  Please record the books you read on the Walnut Square School Summer Reading Log:   https://forms.gle/Tg1YodQna42AbNbt7,  .  I can’t wait to see what you have been reading, and shoutout to our Superstars who have been reading this summer to learn and grow!

As with all family updates, this will be posted on our school website, https://walnutsquare.archive.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

Walnut Square Family Guides:  Please visit https://walnutsquare.archive.haverhill-ps.org/walnut-square-family-information/ 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.

Summer Reading 

Please click on this form,  https://forms.gle/Tg1YodQna42AbNbt7,   to record the books you are reading this summer!

After School Program at Walnut Square:  Click on the flyer below for more details.  

• Kids Club Flyer English
• Kids Club Flyer Spanish 

School Supply Lists:  Please see the lists below, organized by general supplies and then by grade level.  

General School Supplies: 

• Headphones 
• Dry erase markers
• Pencils
• Glue sticks 
• Tissues
• Paper towels
• Baby wipes
• Lysol/Clorox wipes 
• Plastic cups (for the water bottle filling stations)
• Nurse’s Office:  New packages of  children’s underwear 
• Nurse’s Office:  Socks for extra clothes closet, all sizes needed
• Nurse’s Office:  In need of unisex pants (dark colors preferred) 

Kindergarten:  

• Wired Headphones x2
• Thin black Expo markers
• 24 pack Crayola crayons
• 8 pack thick Crayola markers
• Large Glue sticks 

The following items would be appreciated:

• Tissues
• Paper towels
• Unscented baby wipes
• Disinfecting wipes 

First Grade:  

• Sturdy Wired Headphones x2  (Please Label)
• Thin black expo markers
• 24 pack Crayola Crayons
• Twistables (Crayons)
• 8 pack thick Crayola Markers
• Large Glue sticks 
• Plastic pencil box
• Ticonderoga #2 Pencils

The following items would be appreciated:

• • Soft Tissues
  • Paper towels
  • Unscented baby wipes
  • Lysol/Clorox wipes 
  • Paper plates
  • Erasers for Pencils (both types)
  • Zip lock bags (Sandwich and Gallon Size) 

Second Grade:  

• Headphones (good quality)
• Dry erase markers
• Crayons
• Ticonderoga Pencils
• Glue sticks 
• Tissues
• Paper towels
• Baby wipes
• Lysol/Clorox wipes 
• Crayola Crayons 24 count
• Colored Pencils
•  Large Zip lock bags
•  Erasers for pencils (both types)
•  Twistables

Third Grade:  

Individual Supplies

• Sturdy, labeled headphones

• Crayons (Crayola, preferred)
• Pencil box
• Pencil erasers
• 4 Highlighters (green, blue, orange, pink)
• 3 Sturdy, plastic pocket folders of different colors

Classroom Supplies:

• Glue sticks 
• Post-its
• Dry erase markers (skinny, black)
• Pencils (#2 Ticonderoga preferred)
• Tissues
• Paper towels
• Lysol/Clorox wipes 
• Ziplock Bags of all sizes

Walnut Square Open House

We are thrilled to invite you to the Walnut Square School Open House for the 2025-2026 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 25, 2025

Time:  4:00-5:30 pm

Schedule:

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

HPS Technology Updates:  

• Device Waiver Fee:  HPS allows families to protect school-issued Chromebooks by paying a Device Waiver Fee for the school year. As outlined in the HPS Student Technology Device Policy, this $20 fee will help to cover the costs of potential damage, repair, or loss for the school year for the assigned device. Please note: issues of theft should still be reported to the police.  The Device Waiver Fee is available for purchase throughout the school year. The $20 fee covers one student for one school year (so families with more than one student would have to pay for each child individually).
• Technology FAQs:  This link is helpful and answers many frequently asked questions from HPS families.  Another significant aspect of HPS Technology is the FREE Qustodio App, a student safety digital well-being platform that offers content filtering that parents/guardians control. Qustodio provides complete visibility on how students use their school devices at school and home!
• Technology at Home:  This flyer showcases the Technology @ Home webpage, which families can use to find anything they need to know about the technology we use at HPS.

Teacher Assignments and School Brains Parent Portal

Classroom teacher assignments for grades 1-3 will be available on the Parent Portal.  If you need help or have any questions about the Parent Portal, you can visit https://archive.haverhill-ps.org/technology/athome/portal/   for directions.

Visit https://walnutsquare.archive.haverhill-ps.org/events/month/2025-08/  and subscribe to our Walnut Square calendar to receive updates right on your device!

 Mon 8/25 • K-8 Open House 4:00-5:30 pm

 Tue 8/26 • First Day of School Grades 1-12

 Tue 8/26 • Kindergarten Screening

 Wed 8/27 • Kindergarten Screening

 Thu 8/28 • Kindergarten Screening

 Fri 8/29 • Early Release – All Students / Staff Professional Development Day

 Mon 9/1 • Labor Day – No School

 Wed 9/3 • First Day of School PreK & Kindergarten

 Wed 9/24 • Early Release – All Students / Staff Professional Development

 Wed 10/8 • HHS Term 1 Progress Reports Issued

 Mon 10/13 • Holiday – No School/All District Offices Closed

 Tue 10/14 • PreK – 8th Grade Progress Reports Issued – 1st Trimester

 Wed 10/15 • Early Release – All Students/Staff Professional Development

 Thu 10/16 • PreK – 4th Grade Parent/Teacher Conferences

 Thu 10/23 • 5th – 8th Grade Parent/Teacher Conferences

 Thu 10/30 • HHS Term 2 Begins

 Tue 11/4 • Election Day – No School All Students/Staff Professional Development

 Wed 11/5 • HHS Term 1 Report Cards Issued

 Tue 11/11 • Veteran’s Day – No School/District Offices Closed

 Fri 11/21 • PreK – 8th Grade Marks Close – 1st Trimester

 Wed 11/26 • Early Release – All Students

 Thu 11/27 • Thanksgiving Break

 Fri 11/28 • Thanksgiving Break

 Tue 12/2 • PreK – 8th Grade Report Cards Issued – 1st Trimester

 Wed 12/10 • HHS Term 2 Progress Reports Issued

 Thu 12/11 • HHS Parent/Teacher Conferences

 Tue 12/23 • Early Release – All Students/Staff

 Wed 12/24 • Winter Break

 Thu 12/25 • Winter Break

 Fri 12/26 • Winter Break