Wood End Wildcat News

A few quick reminders for the weeks ahead:

• 9/30: Wildcat Wednesday- wear Wildcat gear or blue and yellow, Multilingual Family Literacy Night @ RMHS Cafeteria 6:30-8:30 pm

• 10/2: Wear blue and Yellow for Down Syndrome

• 10/7: Grade 5 field trip

• 10/9: Wear Blue for Selective Mutism Awareness Month

• 10/12: No School-Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day

• 10/13: No School for students, In Service Day

• 10/15: Salsa Night at Coolidge Middle School

Please remember our safety routines during arrival and dismissal. The drop-off line is designed to keep morning arrival moving smoothly so students can quickly exit the car and head to their line or enter the building. Helping your child learn to independently unbuckle and open the car door can make a big difference in keeping the line moving. Students may exit cars anytime after the Clothing Drop Box at the end of the driveway—there is no need to wait until you reach the top of the driveway. Thank you for helping us make arrival safe and efficient for everyone!

If your student rides a bike to school, please remind them that they are required to walk their bike on the sidewalk.

If you haven’t started the habit yet, now is a wonderful time to begin daily reading with your child. Whether your child reads independently or you read together after school or in the evening, those few minutes each day can make a lasting difference.

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

• In the 1980s, the National Down Syndrom Society participated in the efforts to have October proclaimed Down Syndrome Awareness Month and this designation continues today. It’s a month to raise awareness and celebrate the individuals with Down syndrome.

• More information can be found here: https://mdsc.org/ and https://ndss.org/

Selective Mutism Awareness Month

• Organizations like the Selective Mutism Associations and others dedicated to mental health, including Selective Mutism, use October to raise awareness and educate people about Selective Mutism.
• More information can be found here: Selective Mutism Association (SMA)

Throughout the year, we will highlight different awareness topics.

September 15-October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month.

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month and Selective Mutism Awareness Month.

As students explore themes of neurodiversity, disabilities, empathy, and what makes each of us unique during this month's SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) lessons, we encourage you to talk with your child about what they are learning and how it relates to their own experiences and understanding of others.

All five elementary schools in RPS dedicate a weekly 30-minute block to Social Emotional Learning (SEL). This year, with guidance from an RPS multidisciplinary curriculum team, we are excited to launch updated SEL lessons. This flier gives families a snapshot of what SEL looks like in grades K-5.

SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

To support your child’s energy and focus throughout the school day, we kindly ask that you send a snack with your child each day. Please avoid any allergens as they relate to your child's classroom (notice from Nurse Kristin went out if there are any classroom restrictions). Thank you for helping us promote healthy habits and a positive learning environment!

Throughout the year, you will see your students come home with PAWs.

Students who show our Core Values throughout the day may earn a PAW with some feedback on what they did and why they earned the PAW. This is an excellent reminder about the importance of being respectful, responsible, safe, honest, and engaged Wildcats! Students can use their PAWs to shop the PAW store once a month beginning in October.

Be sure to ask your student how they earned their PAW when they come home with one (or more)!

ARRIVAL on a Typical Day: OUTDOOR LINE UP

Students will line up in their designated spots behind the cone with their teacher's name. Students will enter the building at 8:10.

• Grade K-5: Front of the building behind the cone with their teacher's name

ARRIVAL during Inclement Weather: Students can gather under the front awning. At 8:10 students will enter the building.

• Grades K and 1: Through Door 13
• Grades 2 through 5: Will enter through the front door and into the gym. Students will line up behind the cone with their teacher's name and wait for their teacher to come down to escort them to classrooms.

Follow these guidelines if you are participating in rolling car drop-off of a child at the front of the building:

1. Pull up as far as you can in the driveway prior to letting your child exit the car.
2. Drivers STAY IN THE CARE and children exit on the sidewalk side of the car.
3. If your child is unable to get out of the car independently, please park in a street parking space and walk them in.
4. Do not pass cars in the driveway.
5. Students will find their class line up after getting out of the car.

DISMISSAL

Placard Pick Up: FAQ below

• Please be sure you have your family placard easily visible on the RIGHT SIDE of your vehicle.
• PLEASE REMAIN IN YOUR VEHICLES

Caregiver Pick Up at door:

• Kindergarten: Front of the building- Door 13
• First Grade: Front right of the building- Door 12
• Grades 2 and 3: Door 6 by the upper playground
• Grades 4 and 5: Main Entrance

As a safety reminder, the staff parking lot is for staff only. We respectfully ask that caregivers park along the streets if not using PLACARD pick up.

Dogs and Puppies on School Grounds

As much as we all love dogs and puppies and as much fun as it is walking them, School Committee policy prohibits dogs on school grounds. If you'd like to walk your dog as part of your pick up routine, the dog has to stay off school property. If you'd like your child to walk to you on the sidewalk or to the driveway entrances at dismissal so you can wait with your dog, please make that plan with them.

The Food Service Department continues to offer breakfast and lunch to all elementary schools! All first meals, including breakfast and lunch, are free for all students!

If your child would like a second breakfast or lunch, these are available for purchase at $1.50 for breakfast and $2.75 for lunch. Additionally, our cafeterias offer a variety of snacks and a la carte items that can be purchased separately. Our Department looks forward to a fantastic year filled with fresh new foods and the energy from a healthy start to the day! We are excited to serve this incredible community and ensure every student has access to nutritious meals throughout the upcoming school year.

For the first two days of school, all students will go to their homerooms before grabbing breakfast (if they want breakfast). Teachers will show students our new routine for getting lunch on the way to school.

PIN #s for Breakfast, Lunch, and purchasing snacks.

All Reading Public School students are assigned a PIN number that they must use to get breakfast, lunch, or snacks. Please help your child memorize their PIN number. Although we provide free breakfast and lunch to all students, we ask that families send in a healthy snack for their students each day.

It is also important for families that may need financial support including but not limted to our food services to complete the following forms on this page.

Students need new medicine orders for each new school year. The summer is an ideal time to start this paperwork. Families can use this attached form for parent permission and doctor's orders. We also accept medication orders that a doctor writes on their own form. If you think your child would occasionally need Tylenol or Motrin, we need a doctor's order to give this in elementary school. For medicine safety, a parent or guardian needs to bring the medicine directly to the nurse to sign it into school. Please do not send medicines in their backpack.

School Medical Policies below!

We have some amazing parents who have taken on leadership roles to keep our very active PTO up & running. We are so grateful for their willingness to provide our community with many opportunities to volunteer and support our students and families. Our PTO has been involved in coordinating fundraising events, book fairs, enrichment programs, school supplies, teacher appreciation events, flamingo flocking, and restaurant nights, just to name a few, to make Wood End the special community it is today. If you are interested in becoming more involved in our PTO, please reach out to any of our board members @ woodendpto@gmail.com .

PTO General Meeting Schedule

• November 17 @ 8:15 (In person)
• January 13 @ 7pm: LINK HERE
• March 17 @ 7pm: LINK HERE
• May 12 @ 7pm: LINK HERE
• June 9 @ 8:15 (In Person)

Our annual PTO dues drive is in full swing - thank you to all who have already contributed! The PTO spends over $100 per student per year to enrich our children’s learning experiences. The PTO covers the entire expense of all student enrichment programs including on-site programs (e.g., all-school performances, Discovery Museums Traveling Workshops, author visits) and field trips (e.g., Museum of Science, Lowell Mills, Boston Tea Party, Drumlin Farm, Stone Zoo). The PTO also supports staff appreciation, classroom recess supplies, and participation in community events.

Your support is vital to the diversity and continuation of the programs offered by the Wood End PTO, and we respectfully ask for your generous support. We appreciate any contribution you can make to our dues drive. Please note that dues are not required to participate in the PTO – everyone in the school community is automatically a member of the PTO and we welcome your involvement by attending meetings, volunteering your time, or contributing

ideas, regardless of financial contribution. If you do contribute financially to the PTO through our dues drive, keep in mind that in many cases your PTO donation is fully tax-deductible and if your company participates in a matching gift program, it is a wonderful, free, and easy way to maximize your contribution!!

SEPAC WEBSITE!

Click here for the NEW, IMPROVED READING SEPAC WEBSITE, an incredible resource for parents/caregivers of all children, especially those with diverse learning profiles. We strongly urge you to visit it soon, and often. Short on time? Here’s a very brief video to give you a sense of what’s there in just over one minute.

About Reading SEPAC

SEPAC works for the understanding of, respect for, and support of, all children with special needs in the community (including ALL children on IEPs or 504 plans and children who may require specialized supports).

SEPAC WEBPAGE

Join SEPAC's mailing list

Follow SEPAC on Facebook

Follow SEPAC on Instagram

"Since its founding during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, the METCO program has enrolled tens of thousands of Boston students of color in predominately white school districts, creating the opportunity for those districts to experience the advantages of learning and working in a racially and ethnically diverse setting."

🌟 Multilingual Family Literacy Night

📅 September 30⏰ 6:30 - 8:30 PM

📍 Reading Memorial High School Cafeteria

Join us for a fun evening celebrating literacy, languages, cultures, and community with our students and families! Enjoy activities, games, stories, food, and opportunities to connect with families from across RPS. Come celebrate the many languages, cultures, and families that make our school community so special! 🌍❤️

Join Reading METCO for our Salsa Night Thursday 10/15/26. This event is open to all Reading/Boston resident families and RPS staff.

Hispanic Heritage Month Salsa Night
Date: Thursday, October 15 | 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Location: Coolidge Middle School Cafeteria

Celebrate Hispanic culture with us!
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM: Enjoy Spanish-inspired food and mingle with students, parents, and faculty.
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Beginner-friendly Salsa dance class—no experience needed!

Come ready to eat, dance, and have fun!

September

30: Wilcat Wednesday

October

Calareso's Farmstand Fundraiser

7: 5th Grade Field Trip

12: Columbus Day/Indigenous People Day; No School

13: Professional Day; No School for students

21: 3rd grade Field Trip

23: PTO Sponsored Halloween Event 6-8

November

11: Veteran's Day; No School

19: Early Release; Family-Teacher Conferences

20: No School for Students; Family-Teacher Conferences

25: Early Release @11am

26-27: No School; Thanksgiving

30: Giving Tree Kick Off

December

5-6: REF Festival of Trees

11: PTO Sponsored MOvie Night 6-8

14-18: Penguin Patch Holiday Shopping for Students in School

23: Early Release

24-Jan 1: Winter Break; No School

March

Book Fair and Calareso's Farmstand Fundraiser

13: PTO sponsored Adult Social

April

2: PTO sponsored Movie Night 6-8

May

3-7: teacher Appreciation

Reading Public Schools Calendar 2026-2027

Classroom Teachers

Preschool: Allison Nugent and Karen Stuart

Kindergarten & K Paras: Sarah Bielicki and Lisa Baker, Jane Roberts and Erin Ladd

Grade 1: Courtney Cadagan and Elena Raffa

Grade 2: Maureen Habeeb and Casey Melanson

Grade 3: Cynthia Walsh and Keri DiNapoli

Grade 4: Lindsey Tainsh and Hannah Hamaker

Grade 5: Emily Craffey/Juliana Connor and Ellen Commito

SEEM Staff: Judy Favro, Maureen Denning, Caitlin Smalls

Specialists

PE: Chris Bauer

Art: Christina Erb

Music: Maria Cepeda-Suarez and Holly Gallant

Librarian: Lisa Norcross

METCO Coordinator/ School Adjustment Counselor: Julian Lind

Reading Specialist: Stacey Foresman

Multilingual Learner (MLL): TBA

Tutors: Monica Acker and Betsy Hennenberry

Special Education

Team Chair: Melissa Forbes

EMBARC Program Coordinator: Kelly DiCato

Inclusion Specialist: Ashley Dennis

Special Education Teachers: Shannon McDonald, Victoria Lydon-Ruelos and Catherine Garvey

Paraeducators: Roberta Mcrae, Addison Caron, Trish Carney

School Psychologist: Ann Ozanian

Occupational Therapist: Name Brie Alman

Physical Therapist: Alysia Redard

Speech & Language Pathologists: Kaitlyn Rubin

EMBARC Team: Elene Hendrickson, Theresa Girardi, Kathy Mahoney, Katie Orsino, Alyssa Moschella, Kelly-Anne Miller, Kayla Donovan, and Sherry Demik

Cafeteria Manager: Marcia Seracuse

Office Staff

School Secretary: Lisa Finigan

School Nurse: Kristen Charest

General Education Paras: Jerri Donahue, Anne Lewis, Rose Solimini

Custodians: Chris Gonsalves, Eric Orsula

Assistant Principal: Jessica Hester

Principal: Nicole Schwartz

https://bilh.findhelp.com/

BILH Find Help is a place to find free or low-cost services near you. Search for help to pay your bills, rent, buy food, and more. Type in your Zip Code to find programs near you.

Please save my email address and reach out with questions, comments or thoughts. My door is always open!

Email: nicole.schwartz@reading.k12.ma.us
Website: http://www.reading.k12.ma.us/woodend/
Location: 85 Sunset Rock Lane, Reading, MA, United States
Phone: 781-942-5420

Wood End Resource Guide/Handbook

District Handbook