News From The Nest: Issue #1

Hello Elm Street School Families and Friends!

We had an absolutely electric start to the 2025-2026 school year this week! Our Grades 1-5 students arrived at the Nest ready and energized for the new year and engaged in community building activities while learning routines and procedures and collaborating on community norms and agreements. We also loved welcoming our incoming kindergarteners and their families during our Sneak Peek visits and saw just how ready they all are to join the rest of our Eagles at the Nest!

In this edition of our newsletter you will find more information about:

• upcoming dates and celebrations for September
• School Start/End Times Reminder
• Picture Day at Elm
• Front Office Reminders
• Elm Curriculum Night
• Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
• Bus Routes
• Lunch Menus
• 2025 - 2026 School Year Calendar
• Walpole Annual Labor Day Road Race

Much of these first few days and weeks of school are spent learning and practicing routines and expectations in order to ensure a strong and solid foundation that can be built upon as we layer on more rigorous academic demands as the year progresses. You can help your child(ren) solidify these early foundational experiences by engaging them at home and asking them about some of the routines and agreements they've been learning about, the new friends they are making, and their hopes and dreams (goals) for the school year.

As a reminder there is no school tomorrow (Friday) and Monday. If you and/or your child(ren) are running in the Walpole Road Race we would love to meet and take an "Elm Eagles Run" picture and participate in a quick cheer before the Youth Mile begins. You can find us gathering right around the driveway entrance to the high school around 8:45a.

I am looking forward to Tuesday when our full Nest will be together and hope to see you at our Elm Street School Pop In For Popsicles event on Thursday September 4th at 6:00p. Have a restful extra long weekend!

Jen

At the beginning of each month I will share a calendar of some upcoming Elm events as well as upcoming cultural celebrations and heritage months with hyperlinks to more information if you are interested in learning more. Below is information for September.

If there are cultural celebrations that are important to you and your family that you would like to share with the adult Elm community, please email me so I can be sure to include them in upcoming newsletters. If you have any questions about anything you see on our calendar, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly.

August

8/29: SCHOOL CLOSED

September

9/1: SCHOOL CLOSED

9/2: First Day of School (PreK and Kindergarten)

9/3-4: Mawlid

9/4: 6:00p Pop in for Popsicles at Elm

9/9: Elm Picture Day

9/11:Anniversary of 9/11, 6:45p School Committee Meeting

9/15: First Day of Hispanic Heritage Month

9/19 EARLY RELEASE DAY (12:25 dismissal)

9/21: International Day of Peace

9/25 Elm Curriculum Night, 6:45p School Committee Meeting

9/30 3:45p Elm School Council Meeting

This upcoming school year (2025-2026) Elm Street School will switch to being a "late school". Every 3 years the elementary schools in Walpole rotate late and early school hours. We will have an official start time of 9:00a and an end time of 3:30p.

• Doors will open at 8:50a for arrival
• We will begin dismissal at 3:20p in the afternoon
• Early Release Dismissal will be at 12:25p

For a full list of start and end times for all Walpole Public Schools please click here.

The fall Elm Street School Picture Day will be on September 9th. Please keep an eye on your child(ren)'s home folder next week as we will be sending home additional information on how to order.

This year we are contracting with Inter-State Studio for our pictures. You can find more information about the company and our picture day here.

Absences: If your student is going to be absent or tardy, please call the absence line and let us know in advance. You may call this line at anytime and leave a message. The telephone number is 508-660-7374 and then press 1

Early Dismissals: Please send a hand written note with your student in the morning or email the classroom teacher and Ms. Torigian in the main office (atorigian@walpole.k12.ma.us)

Afterschool dismissal changes: If your student is changing their typical way of leaving Elm Street School at 3:30pm, please send a note into school with the plan that morning.

*If you haven't already filled out the dismissal plan form sent by Ms. Torigian, please do so as soon as possible.

We are so excited to welcome our families to this year's Elm Curriculum Night. We are still finalizing the date of this event and will share that early next week.

Curriculum Night is a great way for parents and caregivers to learn more about the day to day experience for your child(ren) here at Elm. Our educators will be sharing curriculum expectations along with information specific to the classroom and there will be a whole school presentation about general expectations and community experiences at Elm. Parents and caregivers will also have time to ask general questions. Any questions specific to your child(ren) should be reserved for a more confidential setting such as the fall educator/caregiver conferences in November or at a separately scheduled time.

The Open Houses/Curriculum Nights at all of the Walpole Elementary Schools are for parents and adult caregivers only. Students, other family members, and guests should not attend. Thank you for your understanding.

Schedule:

6:00 - 6:30p Families with Last Name Beginning with A-L*

6:30 - 6:45p Meeting with Mrs. Buller

6:45 - 7:15p Families with Last Name Beginning with M-Z*

*If you have more than one child at Elm, email the teacher for an exception to the assigned times.

Arrival Procedures

• Students who ride the bus arrive at the first circle parallel to Rt.27. They are supervised by staff as they walk along the sidewalk to enter the main building of the school.

• Students who arrive by vehicle may be dropped off in the Main Arrival Loop ONLY. This is the loop by the main door, near the flagpole. Dropping off students by the Rt. 27 driveway is not safe and is prohibited.
  

• Follow the directions of the staff people “on duty”.
  

• Upon arrival, drivers should turn right and thread through the parking lot. The first car must pull around the loop as far as the stop sign by the preschool playground. This will allow the maximum number of students to disembark onto sidewalks simultaneously.
  

• Instruct child/ren to disembark only from the sidewalk side of vehicle to avoid the danger of crossing between cars in the roadway.
  

• Drivers must prepare students to be ready to exit vehicles immediately upon arrival. If a student is not ready, the driver will be instructed to go around the loop again.
  

• Drivers should be ready to follow a staff member’s signal to exit the loop following the vehicle ahead, once students have disembarked. Do NOT pull around and pass the vehicle in front of you.
  

• Do NOT attempt to park in the loop during arrival. If, for any reason you would like to accompany your child into the building (or help carry materials) please park in the parking lot in one of the visitor spaces.
  

• Do NOT drop off students without pulling into the main arrival loop.
  

• If a child is having difficulty separating at arrival, the driver will be instructed to go around the loop again and pull out onto the service road which leads to the back of the building. Staff there will assist in making the transition.

Departure Procedures

• Students who are attending Extended Day and/or after school enrichment classes will be dismissed from classrooms first and walk to their designated area.

• Students who take a bus home will be dismissed from their classroom when their bus is called over the PA system. All students who take a bus must have a bus pass.

• Students and drivers must always follow the instructions of the staff members on duty.

• Students being picked up by parents/car pools will be dismissed to the main office lobby. They will be grouped according to the order in which parents, caregivers, and other drivers arrive in the line and submit their names to the staff member on duty. Carpoolers should stand with the driver’s child.

• Parents/car pools will thread through the parking lot, then into the loop by the main door.
  

• Anyone picking up students may NOT come into the building.
  

• One staff member with outside duty will use the walkie-talkie. Staff will identify which parent(s)/caregiver(s) are “in line” and communicate those names to the staff member inside. Those students will then be sent outside.
  

• Staff on duty outside will ensure that students enter the correct vehicle.
  

• It is essential to keep traffic flowing. Parents must not engage staff or other parents in conversation during dismissal.
  

• If a parent/caregiver is in the building (for example, as a volunteer) and wants to take their child(ren) with them, they must stop at the office to sign out the child(ren) before exiting the building with their child.
  

• All vehicles must stay in the line until the car in front of them moves. Leaving the line and passing the vehicle ahead of you is PROHIBITED.
  

• If a child is not ready when they are called, the parent/caregiver will be asked to park at the preschool 15 minute parking area and wait. A staff member will accompany the student to the car.
  

• Student safety is our first concern. If you have concerns during dismissal, please get the attention of a staff member on duty to assist you. Please do not get out of your vehicle or move your vehicle out of the line unless instructed to do so by a staff member.

Registration is now open for the 52nd Annual Walpole Labor Day Road Race!

Don’t miss this wonderful Walpole tradition. Sign-up now for the 5K, 10K, or Youth Mile. All proceeds support the 200+ athletes in the Walpole High School Cross Country / Track & Field Program. Each race participant will receive a finisher’s medal. If you register before August 15th, you’ll also receive a free race t-shirt! Can’t join us live? No problem. We have virtual editions for both the 5K and 10K races. For additional information and to register online, please visit www.walpoleroadrace.org.

See you on Race Day - Monday, September 1st!

Email: jbuller@walpole.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.walpole.k12.ma.us/o/ess
Location: 415 Elm Street, Walpole, MA, USA
Phone: 508.660.7374

Instagram: ElmStSchool