Principal’s Post

Dear Families,

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend as much as I did!  As much I enjoy the time off, I looked forward to seeing our Superstars return to school on Tuesday.  It was another busy week here at Walnut Square.  Progress reports went home on Tuesday, and parent conferences were on Thursday.  It was wonderful to see everyone yesterday afternoon, and I’m so glad that families were able to select some books to enjoy at home from our “pop up”  take-home library!  If you weren’t able to meet on Thursday, please contact your child’s teacher to schedule a time to connect in person, virtual, or via phone.  The week ended with our Kindergarten field trip to learn about fire safety!

Next week is another busy week, and we will have Pumpkin Day on Friday, October 24th!  Students will be participating in lessons and activities for National Pumpkin Day  (observed on 10/26).  At 2:45 pm, students will participate in a short parade route around the schoolyard.  To make sure every child feels comfortable and can participate in this fall season event, students have three great ways to participate in the fun: they can wear Superstar gear (such as Walnut Square t-shirts, star-themed clothing/accessories, or blue), choose to wear orange for the pumpkin theme, or opt for a costume.  Families are invited to come and see the parade; to ensure our students have plenty of room to engage safely in the parade, we kindly ask that families observe the parade from outside the school gates.  

Notices will be sent home next week about Pumpkin Day and if there will be changes to your child’s dismissal that day.  We kindly ask that all students wait until 3:15  for dismissal to ensure all of our Superstars get home safely.  A copy of the notices is below.

• Pumpkin Day Notice- English 
• Spanish
• Portuguese

Pumpkin Day does not end at 3:15…we hope you’ll join the Walnut Square PTO from 4:00-6:00 pm at Kimball Farm!  The cost is  $10 per person will be collected at the farm.  Please click on the link to view the flyers:

• Walnut Square PTO Kimball Farm Flyer- English
• Walnut Square PTO Kimball Farm Flyer- Portuguese
• Walnut Square PTO Kimball Farm Flyer- Spanish 

In other PTO news, the Dollar Fundraiser was due today.  Please return it to school on Monday if you forgot to bring it today.  The goal is for each student to raise $25. Money can be sent in to school or through Venmo to @PTOWALNUTSQUARE.

Thank you to for completing the Walnut Square’s Fall 2025 Family Feedback survey.  If you haven’t completed it yet, please take a moment to complete this brief, ten-question survey.  Your valuable feedback is greatly appreciated and shared with staff, Site Council, and the PTO to improve Walnut Square School by celebrating success, identifying educational needs, and helping decision-making regarding the development of next year’s School Improvement Plan.  Your input will play a significant role and is very much appreciated!  Please click here to complete the survey. 

Lunch Labs Coming to Walnut Square on Monday, October 20th

We’re excited to introduce Lunch Labs, a new initiative launching next week across our elementary schools!

Each day, our Food Services Department and Wellness Committee will visit a different school during lunchtime to highlight October’s Harvest of the Month: pears.

Students will get to:

• Sample delicious caramelized pears
• Learn about the nutrition and health benefits of pears
• Cast their vote with a sticker: Like it, Love it, or Not for Me

This is a fun and educational way to encourage healthy eating habits and connect students with their food.

We’re looking forward to seeing your students at Lunch Labs and be on the look-out next month as we visit the secondary schools!

Superstar Reading at Home Resources

• https://lote4kids.com/us-haverhill-public-library/  The Haverhill Public Library offers this wonderful resource with books in multiple languages!
• https://storylineonline.net/library/  Storyline Online
• Vooks Storybooks YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@VooksStorybooks
• Digital Reading Log:   https://forms.gle/bshU4hcReq2WGJ8r5
• Paper Log Passed out to Students: Traditional Paper Reading Log

School Attendance:  Your Presence is Powerful! 

Please click on the pictures below to see the attendance rate for this week:

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.

Mark Your Calendar!