News From The Nest: Welcome Back!

Hello Elm Street School Families and Friends!

The countdown is over and we have finally made it to the opening of the new school year at Elm Street School! Our team couldn't be more excited and prepared to welcome back our grades 1-5 students tomorrow morning and have all of our kindergarteners visit on Thursday. Teachers spent Monday and Tuesday putting the finishing touches on all the learning spaces around the Nest and getting refocused on our priorities for this upcoming year.

Please make sure you have filled out the dismissal form that Ms. Torigian shared so that we have everyone's primary dismissal plan finalized for tomorrow. If you will be making changes to this plan you will share those using our online dismissal form (described in more detail in this newsletter).

You will want to take some time to review and refresh your understanding of our arrival and dismissal procedures as well as the expectations for safe bus behavior. We want to ensure that all students have a safe arrival and dismissal and rely on your partnership to help communicate these expectations with your child(ren) and follow the procedures as they are outlined.

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

upcoming dates and celebrations for September
Kindergarten Visit Day
Arrival and Dismissal Protocols and Procedures
Bus Routes
Walpole Road Race
2026 - 2027 School Calendar
Lunch Menus
Walpole Virtual Backpack (community notices)

The beginning of the school year can surface a range of emotions for students and families and our team here at Elm are prepared to handle them all and support everyone in their transitions to new classrooms and experiences. Tomorrow morning we will turn the page into this fresh new school year filled with endless possibilities for achievement, success, growth, and connection.

I hope everyone can get some good rest before our first day and I look forward to our Nest being filled once more with our soaring Eagles!

Jen

Upcoming Dates: September

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.

September

9/2 First Day of School (Grades 1-5), RESCHEDULED 6:00p Kindergarten Popsicles
9/3 Kindergarten Visit Day
9/4 SCHOOL CLOSED
9/7 SCHOOL CLOSED, Labor Day
9/8 First Day of School (PreK and K)
9/10 6:00p "Ice Cream" Social for all K-5 students and families
9/11 Anniversary of 9/11
9/15 First Day of Hispanic Heritage Month
9/16 7:00p Elm PAC meeting
9/17 Elm Fall Picture Day, 6:45p School Committee Meeting
9/18 EARLY RELEASE DAY (12:25 dismissal)
9/21 International Day of Peace
9/23 Elm Curriculum Night

Kindergarten Visit Day

As a reminder Kindergarteners start school on Tuesday September 8th. To help prepare for the transition, all Kindergarten families and students are invited to visit their classrooms on Thursday September 3rd at the below times. Families and students should enter through the main entrance of the building and will report directly to their assigned classroom for a 30 minute visit.

Student Last Name Beginning with A-L: 9:30a

Student Last Name Beginning with M-Z: 10:15a

If for some reason you need to swap your time slot, please reach out to your child(ren)'s classroom teacher for an accommodation.

To view the slide deck with more information shared at our Kindergarten Family Meeting earlier this spring please visit this link.

Arrival and Dismissal Protocols and Procedures

Notifications Protocol

We will continue to utilize our Elm Student Notification Form, to report absences, late arrivals, and changes to dismissal plans. You can also find the link to the form on the main page of our website by using the button labeled "ATTENDANCE"

For ABSENCES and TARDIES, we ask that families do their best to complete this form as soon as possible in order to communicate with the main office. You will no longer need to leave messages on the Elm attendance line.
For EARLY DISMISSALS and CHANGES TO DISMISSAL PLANS, we ask that families complete this form no later than 2:00p when the form will be locked. This will minimize our front office staff calling and interrupting instruction. If there is an URGENT change in dismissal plans that occurs after 2:00p, families must call the main office to communicate the change.
If families are reporting absences, tardies, early dismissals, and/or changes to dismissal plans for multiple students at the same time, please complete the form separately for each student.

By notifying our team in advance and centralizing information in one online platform we will be able to avoid interrupting instruction and avoid confusion and errors during dismissal.

Arrival Procedure

At Elm Street School, 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. The procedures for arrival and dismissal as listed below pertain to parents, caregivers, and other private drivers who transport children to school.

Students 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. Exiting vehicles on the driver's side is strictly prohibited.
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 15 minute parking area near the Preschool Playground.
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 pull into a spot close to the building or in one of the PreSchool visitor spots. Staff will then assist in making the transition.

Dismissal Procedure

Students being picked up by parents/caregivers/car pools will be dismissed to the main office lobby. They will be grouped by order of arrival in the main lobby. 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 an online reporting system to alert the team inside of the order for dismissal. Those students will then be sent outside in groups of 10 vehicles.
Staff on duty outside will ensure that students enter the correct vehicle.
It is essential to keep traffic flowing. Parents/caregivers must not engage staff or other parents/caregivers in conversation during dismissal.
If a parent/caregivers is in the building (for example, as a volunteer) and wants to take their child with them, they must stop at the office before exiting the building with their child.
All vehicles must stay in the line until the car in front of them moves. Pulling out 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.
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.

News From The Nest: Welcome Back!