Dear Families,

Happy Friday!  The staff at Walnut Square has been working hard to prepare for the upcoming school year, and we are all looking forward to seeing our Superstars at Open House on Monday!  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!

This Family Update is packed with helpful information about Walnut Square School- you may want to “bookmark”  this one!  I’ve included information about our expectations, routines, and procedures.  I’ve also included guides about learning standards at each grade,  behavior and discipline expectations, and social and emotional learning.  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,  .  If you didn’t fill out the Google form, please bring the list that was shared with you on the last day of school to Open House.  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 Elementary School 

Family Guide 

2025-2026 

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.

Communication

•  Please visit our school website, https://walnutsquare.archive.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 rolling drop-off area on North Avenue is between the two signs.   Students exit from their cars on the sidewalk side.  
• 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 are dismissed as either bus students or parent pick up.  

• Bus Students:  Bus students will be dismissed on the Main St. side of the building.  Each student has a bus pass that will be kept on a lanyard attached to his/her backpack.  It is expected that students will swipe when they enter and exit the bus.  
• Parent Pick Up:  Parents may wait in the schoolyard for students to be dismissed.  Please note that there is NO PARKING between the signs on North Ave. to ensure safety for all.  Kindergarten and
  • Grade 3 students will be dismissed from the middle door.
  • Grade 1 and Grade 2 students will be dismissed from the North Ave. side door.

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-3 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 
  • 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 the parent or doctor.  Students absent 5 or more days may be required to have a doctor’s note.  
• Tardy Procedure
  • 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.  
• Dismissal Procedure
  • 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://archive.haverhill-ps.org/food-services/.  

School Supplies 

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

• Backpack 
• Lunch bag if they bring their own snacks/lunch school.  
• Water bottle- we have water bottle filling stations at Walnut Square.  
• Change of clothes 
• For specific school supply lists, please click here.  

**Please label all of the items with your child’s name so they can be easily returned if misplaced or lost.

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 collected by a staff member for safekeeping and/or 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://archive.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.  

DESE Curriculum Family Guides:  Family guides to the Massachusetts learning standards help families understand what students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of each grade.  They were designed to help families and teachers work together to support learning.

Kindergarten

• Kindergarten English
• Kindergarten Spanish  
• Kindergarten Portuguese

Grade 1

• Grade 1 English
•  Grade 1 Spanish
•  Grade 1 Portuguese

Grade 2

• Grade 2 English
• Grade 2 Spanish
• Grade 2 Portuguese 

Grade 3

• Grade 3 English 
• Grade 3 Spanish
• Grade 3 Portuguese

Walnut Square Behavior Expectations and Discipline Practices :   The Walnut Square Behavior Expectations and Discipline Practices guide helps families understand behavior expectations and provides information about the discipline practices implemented at Walnut Square.

• Walnut Square Behavior Expectations and Discipline Practices English 
• Walnut Square Behavior Expectations and Discipline Practices Spanish
• Walnut Square Behavior Expectations and Discipline Practices Portuguese

Social and Emotional Learning at Walnut Square:  This guide helps families define Social and Emotional Learning and helps families understand the SEL process at Walnut Square.

• Social and Emotional Learning at Walnut Square English
• Social and Emotional Learning at Walnut Square Spanish
• Social and Emotional Learning at Walnut Square Portuguese 

FROM PREVIOUS FAMILY UPDATES:  

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