Northeast News

September 4, 2023

PRINCIPAL UPDATE

We had a successful and busy week last week with the return of students in Grades 1-5, Kindergarten Screening and PreK Open House! We are excited to welcome our youngest friends in Kindergarten and PreK on Tuesday, September 5th.

THERE IS NO YMCA PROGRAM ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th. PLEASE MAKE OTHER ARRANGEMENTS IF YOUR CHILD ATTENDS THE YMCA PROGRAM. Contact Shelby McHugh, Northeast Site Director, with any questions. 617-448-2417 or SMcHugh@ymcaboston.org.

Kindergarten:

Kindergarten students and families should have received their teacher assignments on Thursday afternoon. If you did not receive this information, please contact us so we can get that information to you. (MaryEllenTenaglia@walthampublicschools.org or KellyMcAvoy@walthampublicschools.org).

On Tuesday, September 5th, Kindergarten students will meet their teachers out in front of the school at 8:25am. Teachers will be holding a sign with their name on it. There will be many staff members outside helping Kindergarten friends find their teachers. If your child is taking the bus on the first day, we will help them find their teacher.

At about 8:40am, teachers will lead their students into the school. We are asking parents to say goodbye's outside. We often have tears on the first day, but there will be plenty of adults to help our young friends into school. Parents should try to stay strong and save tears for later :). We promise to take good care of your children!

We understand that parents may want to bring their child to school on the first day. Please understand that there is NO PARKING in the school lot. Parking in the school lot is for Northeast Staff only. If you need to park and come up to the school, you will need to park on Warwick Ave. or Doty St. and walk up. For those dropping off and picking up students, please see the arrival and dismissal patterns below. Thank you for your cooperation with this as we do not have enough parking for the number of staff we have.

Integrated PreK:

Teachers and Paraprofessionals will be outside the PreK doors to greet students and families at 9:00am. Teachers be holding a sign with their name on it. Teachers will also greet students arriving on school buses or vans. If you are dropping your child off, please park on Doty St. and walk up the path to the school. Since K-5 arrival will be finished by this time, you are also welcome to park in the parent-pick up circle by the basketball court and playground area in front of the school and walk over to the PreK doors. We are asking parents to say goodbye outside. Teachers and Paraprofessionals will lead students into the school and into their classrooms. We anticipate some tears, however, they typically stop as soon as they get into their classrooms with their friends. Your children will be in good hands and they will have a great first day of PreK!

The same applies to the first day of PreK for most of our Integrated PreK students on Wednesday, September 6th!

Connections PreK:

Students in our Connections PreK Program will arrive at 8:25am along with all other students. Connections Teachers and Paraprofessionals will greet students arriving by van or parent drop off outside the PreK doors at 8:25am.

Please be sure to check your child's backpack daily and look for important documents and information to be coming home the first few days of school - such as emergency cards and medical forms and bus contracts. It is very important that we have updated phone numbers and emails on file.

We are looking forward to a great 2023-2024 school year!

Mrs. Tenaglia and Miss McAvoy

🗓 UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES

September

Monday, September 4 - No School - Labor Day
Tuesday, September 5 - First Day of School for students in PreK and Kindergarten
Tuesday, September 5 - NO YMCA Program - Please make other arrangements
Wednesday, September 6 - School Committee Meeting @ 7:00pm
Wednesday, September 20 - School Committee Meeting @ 7:00pm
Thursday, September 21 - Back to School Night

NORTHEAST BUS ROUTES AND INFORMATION

Bus Routes - Check out the 2023 - 2024 Northeast Bus Routes. Morning pick-up times are also listed for each stop. As a reminder, students are assigned a specific bus based on home address. **Students are only allowed to ride the bus they are assigned to!** Please make sure your child knows their bus number.

If you have any questions about your child's assigned bus, reach out to Miss McAvoy at kellymcavoy@walthampublicschools.org.

***IMPORTANT: Students are only allowed to ride the bus they are assigned to! Students are NOT ALLOWED to ride another bus to a babysitter's house, caregiver's house, grandparent's house, friend's house, etc.

***IMPORTANT: Students in Grades K-2 who ride the school bus will have a red tag placed on their backpacks this week. This alerts the bus driver that the student is in K-2. This means that an adult must be present at the bus stop in the morning and in the afternoon. The bus driver will not let a child in K-2 get off the bus without an adult there to meet them. Children in K-2 with no adult present at the bus stop will be brought back to the school and a parent will need to come and pick them up.

***IMPORTANT: If your child is eligible for the bus and is assigned a bus number, and you decide that you do not want your child to take the bus and will be dismissed as a walker or parent pick-up, you must inform your child's teacher and the main office. Otherwise, your child will be dismissed to the bus they are assigned.

***IMPORTANT: If there is going to be a change in your child's dismissal routine on any given day, you must contact your child's teacher and the main office prior to 2:30pm on that day to ensure the message is received. Otherwise, your child will go home the way they typically do.

BUS CONTRACTS

Please be on the lookout for Bus Contracts to come home this week. We will be reviewing school bus safety rules with all students. We are asking you to also review these rules as a family, read and sign the contract together and return it to school. Thank you for your cooperation and help in ensuring the safety of all students as they ride the school bus.

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL TRAFFIC PATTERNS

Arrival Traffic Pattern

Dismissal Traffic Pattern

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SUPPORT WALTHAM KIDS

From the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families:

Dear Northeast Elementary School Parents & Guardians,

The Department of Children and Families is seeking to keep Waltham children in their schools and communities. We want to ensure that when DCF assumes care and custody of a child, that child is able to remain in their school, with their friends and the adults that support them. In order to accomplish this, DCF is looking for Waltham parents who would consider becoming a short-term caregiver for a student in need at their child’s school.

Please complete this brief survey if you are interested in participating or learning more.

The DCF Arlington Office (now known as the Great Waltham Office) is looking to continue our partnership with Waltham Public Schools to ensure that students are able to remain in their community and their school, if ever removed from their families. Last year, our office was able to prevent the placement of more than a dozen students between our participating communities. We have had more than 150 school families step forward to lend assistance when needed, which has greatly reduced student’s trauma and academic regression. Some of our placements have lasted one night in length, before a family member has stepped forward for the child. Our longest placement lasted 3 weeks with great success while the child waited for an opening in a specialized program to best meet her needs. All of our families who have participated have expressed a willingness to be a life-long connection to this child and a positive and supportive presence in their life moving forward.

We are so appreciative of your support. We’re hoping that with your help, we can reduce disruption for children and school communities, mitigate traumatic experiences for children entering care, and reduce transportation costs to school districts this school year.

Please see the informational flyers in both English and Spanish:

Support Waltham Kids

Apoyar a los ninos de Waltham

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SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Recommended school supply lists:

Supply List

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September Lunch Menu

Lunch Menu

As a reminder, all school meals are free this year! However, applying for free meal benefits is still very important for families. By applying for meal benefits you may be eligible for: ~Pandemic EBT Funding ~Reduced or Free SAT Fees and College Applications. Scan the QR code or ask Mrs. Marriott, the school secretary, for a paper application.

For additional information visit https://www.walthampublicschools.org/.../waltham-school... and scan the QR code to apply for free meal benefits.

Waltham Public Schools 2023-2024 Calendar

WPS 2023-2024 School Calendar

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🍎 HEALTHY WALTHAM FOOD PANTRY

The Healthy Waltham Food Pantry is walk-up only at our new location at 5 Cherry Street – the parking lot at the Fitch School in Waltham, MA. Our new hours will be from 2pm-5pm. We will have a variety of food for families to choose from, as well as some new items.

Where to park: Street parking only.

Registration: Please register in person at the pantry.

Food Pantry Donations: If you would like to make food donations of any kind, please contact us via contact us form on this website. No deliveries will be accepted at our mailing address without prior contact and coordination.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Upcoming pantry dates:

Stay tuned for September Pantry dates!

https://healthywaltham.org/food-pantries/