A Message from the Principal

Dear Families,

Thank you all for a great start to the school year!  It was so great to welcome our returning students and meet our new students at Open House and Kindergarten screening!  I’m looking forward to our Kindergarten Superstars joining us on Wednesday, September 3rd!  The first week went incredibly smoothly, and I want to extend a huge thank you to our dedicated staff, amazing students, and supportive families.  Your commitment to following all routines and expectations has ensured a safe environment where everyone can thrive and learn.  To learn more about Walnut Square routines, learning standards, behavior expectations, and discipline practices, please visit https://walnutsquare.archive.haverhill-ps.org/walnut-square-family-information/.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  

For our Superstars at Walnut Square, our monthly theme is safety.  School is a safe place where all students can learn and grow.  To stay safe, we follow school rules.   School rules are basic expectations of how you behave at school.  They are in effect at all times.  We have rules to keep everyone safe and help everyone learn.  We have two rules at Walnut Square:  

      1:  Follow directions given by grown ups.  

2. Keep your hands and feet to yourself.  

During the month of September, we will be teaching and reviewing rules as well as teaching routines (what students do frequently throughout the day and procedures (the steps students need to take in order to accomplish a routine).  Discussing rules, routines, and procedures at home with your child is a great way to help support your child in school!  

Please take a moment to read the important updates below.  As with all family updates, this will be posted on our school website, https://walnutsquare.archive.haverhill-ps.org/ and sent to you via Parent Square and Remind.  In addition to the Walnut Square School website, you can also “like” our Facebook page, Walnut Square Elementary School, follow us on Instragram, @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!   Please contact me if you have any questions.  

Sincerely,

Jen Rubera

Principal

Food Services- Lunch Menu

Please click here to view the HPS Food Services page.   You can click on School Food Menus and search for the Breakfast or Lunch menu.  Please note that Walnut Square’s September menu is not available; however, you can view Pentucket Lake’s menu or any other elementary school’s menu, and it will show you what is being served.

School Attendance:  Your Presence is Powerful! 

We had a strong start to the school year!  Our attendance rate for August is 98%!

To view weekly and monthly attendance data, please click here.  You can also view other data that is shared with all stakeholders in regards to attendance, behavior, course performance, and family engagement.

Teaching and Learning:  iReady 

Walnut Square implements a Mathematics and Reading program called i-Ready.  Students will begin iReady this month.  Below, you will find information about the program and how we will be using it in the classroom.

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.

What can I do to help?

To help prepare your child for the i-Ready Diagnostic, encourage them to: 

• Get a good night’s sleep and eat a full breakfast the day of the assessment.
• Try their best on each question and try not to rush.
• Try not to worry about questions to which they do not know the answers—remind them that it is expected that they will only get about half of the questions correct.
• Be respectful of other students who take longer to finish.

What happens next?

The i-Ready Diagnostic will provide results that helps us  identify your child’s strengths and determine next steps for instruction.  We look forward to sharing these results with you throughout the year and providing a learning experience that will engage your child while teaching important skills and concepts.

If you have any questions about i-Ready, please do not hesitate to contact us.  You can also learn more about i-Ready by visiting i-ReadyCentral.com/FamilyCenter. 

As always, thank you for your continued support and for being a partner in your child’s learning!  It is much appreciated.

September Is Attendance Awareness Month! 

September is Attendance Awareness Month.  To celebrate Attendance, the Attendance Awareness Breakfast Contest is on!   The homeroom with the best attendance for the month of September will be honored with breakfast at school to thank them for making getting to school a priority in their home. There will also be special guests in attendance.  Daily attendance routines can reduce stress, increase your child’s self-confidence, and lay a foundation for good attendance in later grades.  Participation in school helps your child connect with other children and adults and get excited about learning.  Children learn best from hand-on activities and through meaningful interactions with their teacher and other students.  Give your child one of the best gifts possible- the gift of daily school attendance!  

Showing up matters for R.E.A.L because it is an opportunity to:     

• Build Routines 
• Increase Engagement 
• Provide Access to resources 
• Support Learning

Routines: Daily attendance routines can reduce stress, increase your child’s self-confidence, and lay a foundation for good attendance in later grades. 

Engagement:  Participation in school helps your child connect with other children and adults and get excited about learning. 

Access to Resources:  Schools can give you access to meals, physical and mental health care and other supports, and fun enrichment activities (sports, clubs, music, afterschool, and summer programs, etc.). 

Learning:  Children learn best from hand-on activities and through meaningful interactions with their teacher and other students.   

Get Involved!  Family Engagement Opportunities

• 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

If you are interested in joining Site Council, please contact Principal Jen Rubera.  

• 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.  If you are interested in joining the PTO, we hope you’ll attend the first meeting scheduled on Monday September 8, 2025 at 6:15 pm at Walnut Square School.