Northeast News

What a great first week back at school! It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces! A HUGE THANK YOU to our amazing PTO for decorating the front of the school with welcome back messages for staff in chalk, decorating the teacher's lounge, and providing little gift bags for all staff members. We truly appreciate your thoughtfulness!

We are excited to welcome our PreK and Kindergarten students next week!

Kindergarten teachers will be outside at 8:25am to greet students and parents. They will be located next to the PreK entrance on the grass by the Doty Street path. Teachers will have signs with their names. Once students in grades 1 through 5 have all arrived and entered the school, Kindergarten teachers will lead their classes inside the school. We will ask parents to say their goodbyes outside.

PreK teachers will be outside the PreK doors at 9:00am to greet students and parents. Once they have all of their students, they will head into the school. We will ask parents to say their goodbyes outside.

This week we look forward to a band demo for our fourth grade students on Thursday and a string instrument demo for our third grade students on Friday. We hope these demos by our talented instrumental music teachers will inspire some of our young musicians to consider playing an instrument this year!

All families should be on the lookout for some important paperwork next week, including emergency forms. These are printed from Aspen. You will need to look these over carefully and make any edits or updates on the form and return it to school. This is important so that we have all accurate information, including emergency contacts for your family.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Tenaglia and Ms. McAvoy

Please see the WPS 2022-2023 School Calendar.

September

• Monday, September 5- No School - Labor Day
• Tuesday, September 6- First Day of School for Students in PreK and Kindergarten
• Thursday, September 15th- PTO Restaurant Night - Papa Gino's
• Saturday, September 17th - Waltham Day
• Wednesday, September 21- Back to School Night (Details to follow)
• Monday, September 26- No School - Rosh Hashanah
• Wednesday, September 28- Early Release Day - 1:00pm Dismissal and No Afternoon PreK
• Wednesday, September 28- First PTO Meeting @ 6:30pm @ Northeast
• Thursday, September 29th - PTO Restaurant Night - The Chateau

Kindergarten Screening is complete and Kindergarten classes have been created. You should have received your child's teacher assignment via email on Thursday. If you did not, please email Mrs. Tenaglia - MaryEllenTenaglia@walthampublicschools.org or Ms. McAvoy - KellyMcAvoy@walthampublicschools.org.

Kindergarten - Grade 5: Students are let into the building at 8:25am. Breakfast begins being served at this time. Students who come to school after 8:42am are tardy and must sign in late at the Security Desk.

Dismissal begins at 3:00pm. Students who walk or are picked up will be escorted from the building at this time. Bus students will be called to walk to their buses as the buses arrive to the school. Children who leave before the end of the school day are marked as being dismissed early.

Integrated PreK: The AM session is 9:00am - 11:15am. The PM session is 12:00pm - 2:15pm. Drop off and pick up happens at the PreK Entrance.

School Bus Routes were posted on the WPS Transportation Site on Wednesday, August 24th.

WPS Transportation

Be sure to look at the site carefully as routes often change from year to year.

We have also made a list of Northeast routes: NE Bus Routes

Students are assigned a school bus based on their address. Students are only allowed to ride the bus they are assigned to. There are no exceptions.

Students riding the bus will be seated by grade level with Kindergarten in the front and Grade 5 in the back. Bus drivers reserve the right to save the front seat for any student misbehaving on the bus. The school bus is an extension of the school day and therefore consequences occur when students do not follow the rules on the bus to ensure safety.

We will review bus safety and rules with all students in the first couple of weeks of school. We are asking all families to review the rules with students and then sign the safety contract and return it to school.

22.23 Bus Contract/Bus Letter

MORNING DROP-OFF:

NE Arrival Pattern: Arrival PDF

Please note: There is no visitor parking up at the school. Parking spaces near the building are for staff only.

Kiss and Ride is used for morning drop-off. Beginning at 8:25am, staff members will be on duty to let children out of cars. Pull all the way up to the front of the line so that we can get as many cars in the line as possible. Parents stay in their cars. There is no parking. All children must exit their cars on the passenger side. Please practice getting out of a seatbelt and opening the car door from the inside. When exiting the Kiss and Ride line, cars must turn left to follow the road out of the school grounds.

The school doors will not open until 8:25am. Please do not drop children off prior to 8:25am as there will not be staff on duty and the doors will be locked. Buses will not let students off the bus until 8:25am. Students must not be outside unattended. This is a major safety concern.

The road that arches around the front of the school is for buses and vans only. It is also for emergency personnel. Do not drive around the circle in front of the school. There is no parking or idling along the front of the school.

The area between the islands is for school administration and handicapped parking only. Do not park along the island. This is a fire lane.

AFTERNOON PICK-UP: NE Dismissal Pattern: Dismissal PDF

Please note: There is no visitor parking up at the school. Parking spaces near the building are for staff only.

There is NO PARKING in the Pick-Up Line between 2:30 and 3:30pm!

Students will be walked out to the Pick-Up Line at the circle at 3:00pm. Officer Piantedosi will be directing traffic into the circle. Staff members will be helping children into cars along the fence. Please pull all the way up to the pick-up sign to allow as many cars into the line as possible. Parents do not get out of cars. A staff member will assist your child to your car. All children must enter vehicles on the passenger side. No exceptions!

WALKERS

There are two walker lines - Doty Street and Warwick Avenue. Staff members will walk the Warwick Walkers down to the Crossing Guard standing at the corner of Putney Lane and Warwick Avenue. Parents meet children at the corner of Putney Lane and Warwick Avenue and wait for the Crossing Guard to cross you.

Staff members will walk the Doty Street walkers out of the PreK entrance of the school and down the path. Parents meet their children at the end of the path on Harmon Road. A Crossing Guard meets the children and crosses them at Doty and Temple Streets.

Staff members or Crossing Guards will walk any students who do not have an adult waiting, back up to the school.

BUSES and VANS

Students who ride a school bus will be called to their bus when it arrives at the school. Students who ride a van will be escorted by staff members to their van upon arrival to the school.

It is very important that your child knows how they are getting home from school each day!

If your child will be going home a different way, please send a note to school with your child in the morning. If you call the school with a dismissal change, it must be prior to 2:30pm in order to ensure the school has time to alert the appropriate staff. Students may not ride a different bus home with a friend. Our buses are full and this is also a safety concern. If your child is going home with a friend, they must be picked up.

Breakfast and lunch is served daily in our cafeteria. ALL Northeast students receive FREE breakfast and lunch.

Visit the Waltham Public Schools Nutrition Site for lunch menus and information about our nutrition program.

WPS Waltham School Nutrition

September Lunch Menu

If your child will be absent, please call 781-314-5750 by 8:15am and leave a clear message with your child’s name, grade, teacher, and reason for absence. Refer to the Waltham Public Schools Elementary School Handbook regarding attendance policies.

PreK will use the entrance to the left of the main school entrance for arrival and dismissal. Teachers will meet students at the door. Parents may not enter the school through the PreK entrance. If you need to enter the school, you will need to enter through the main doors. If your child is late, you will also need to enter through the main doors and check in the office.

When parking to drop off your PreK students, please do not double park or block cars in. We have several staff members that travel to other schools and it is important that they leave on time to get to their next class across town. There is also no parking along the front of the school where buses and vans go or on the island behind administration and handicapped parking. These areas are fire lanes. You can park on Doty Street and walk your child up the path to the school. PreK hours are 9:00-11:15 for the AM class and 12:00-2:15 for the PM class.

The following are some suggested school supply lists for each grade level.

2022-2023 School Supply Lists

The school is locked at all times. When you want to enter Northeast, buzz the monitor at the front entrance, state your name and reason for visiting to our secretary, Mrs. Marriott. Upon being buzzed in, stop at the Security Desk to sign in with Mr. Fleming or Mr. Veil. They will hand you a visitor or volunteer badge and direct you to the main office. For safety purposes, we cannot allow adults who are not employed by the Waltham Public Schools to walk the hallways of the school.

There is NO PARKING for visitors in the school parking lot. You may park in the parent pick up line down at the circle by the field/basketball court. However, you will need to be sure your car is moved by 2:30pm. You may also park on Warwick Ave. or Doty St. and walk up to the school.

If you plan to volunteer at the school or chaperone a field trip, you MUST have an up-to-date CORI and Fingerprinting on file. CORIs must be updated every 3 years. Fingerprinting only needs to be done once - in Waltham. Please see Mrs. Marriott to check on your CORI status.

Throughout the year, we will practice Fire Drills and ALICE Drills. All classrooms have a map of the school with directions to exit the building in the event of an emergency.

When we practice a Fire Drill, all students and staff exit the building. We then immediately take a headcount to ensure that we have all students and staff accounted for. There are four Fire Drills throughout the year and they are unannounced.

ALICE Drills will be practiced throughout the year to prepare students and staff for emergency situations. Officer Piantedosi meets will all classes to educate students on safety and to prepare them for ALICE Drills. We typically have an announced drill and an unannounced drill during the school year. We will send out more information about ALICE Drills prior to the drill.

Our drills are to prepare students and staff in the event of a real emergency. Our number one goal is to keep all students and staff safe!

Northeast will hold Back to School Night on Wednesday, September 21st. This is a time to meet your child's teacher and learn about the grade level curriculum. Details about Back to School Night will be shared soon.

Please see the information about Waltham Day on Saturday, September 17th.

Waltham Day 2022

Check out our new website:

Northeast Elementary School

We use this page to post information and updates. Be sure to share it with anyone who may not see it - Northeast Elementary Admin Team. Search @NortheastAdminTeam.

This page should not be used for parents to communicate with the school. Please contact the school directly. This page is for informational purposes only.

Each family will receive a Handbook within the first weeks of school. This Handbook outlines specific procedures and policies of the Waltham Public Schools that we implement at Northeast. Please take the time to read through it!

We hope grades 1-5 had a great first week! Our incoming Kindergartners received a Northeast t-shirt at their screenings this week (the same style as the ones older students received last year), to help get their excitement up to start next week!!

Thank you to everyone who donated supplies to the Nurses Office, Convocation Day, and helped chalk to welcome back our amazing staff!!

Keep an eye out in your student(s) backpack for our Welcome Letter, more information about PTO, and how you can get involved to support our school!

Fall Spirit Wear online shop is OPEN! Shop at https://bit.ly/3KFjNRf -- online store is open now until September 30th!! Any questions, please email northeastptoboard@gmail.com.

Mabel's Labels: Have back-to-school items that need labeled so they aren't lost? Mabel's Labels are great, waterproof, and a portion of each sale goes to Northeast PTO! Until the end of September, 10% off any orders - Coupon Code: BTSEVENT10 -- shop at: campaigns.mabelslabels.com and search for Northeast Elementary PTO (Waltham)

Interested in helping Chair/Lead an event? Check out this link for opportunities to lead an activity, fundraiser, event, etc -- we need help from parents/grown-ups!! Sign-Up Genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4da8a729a6fcc43-ptoevent

PTO Meetings for 2022-23: There will be the option to attend in-person or virtually for this year! In-person meetings will be at Northeast, and virtual will be via Zoom (link will be provided before). Our first PTO community meeting will be Wednesday, September 28th at 6:30pm!

PTO Community Meeting Dates for the year:

2022:
*Wed, Sept 28
*Wed, Oct 19
*Wed, Nov 9
2023
*Wed, Jan 25
*Wed, March 22
*Wed, April 12
*Wed, May 24

Restaurant Nights: Save the date -- and more to come throughout the year! Fliers and more detailed information will come home with your student(s) in their backpacks.

Thursday, September 15th -- Papa Gino's

Thursday, September 29th - Chateau
Wednesday, October 12th - Bertucci's
Thursday, October 20th - Jake and Joe's
Tuesday, November 1st - Chipotle

Trunk or Treat -- The Boo Crew has confirmed -- Friday, October 28th will be Trunk or Treat at Northeast... more information to come!

PTO Board Members:

Debbie Coleman, President

Karen Pino, Vice President

Daniella Ricci, Vice President

Val Alfeo, Secretary

Jean Petrino, Treasurer

Jeremy Davidson, Executive Director of NEPTO

Mrs. Mary Ellen Tenaglia, Principal

Ms. Kelly McAvoy, Assistant Principal

Email: MaryEllenTenaglia@walthampublicschools.org
Website: https://www.walthampublicschools.org/o/northeast
Location: 70 Putney Lane, Waltham, MA 02452, USA
Phone: 781-314-5740