Wood End Wildcat News

I hope you are enjoying a relaxing summer vacation doing the things you love with the people you love most.

We have been very busy this summer preparing our school and learning spaces at Wood End, and I am so excited to welcome students and families back for this upcoming school year. Our custodial and facilities departments have been busy cleaning the inside of the school while Mrs. Finigan has been checking in new supplies and curriculum materials. Our IT department has been updating our existing technology and teachers have begun to set up their classrooms for the new year.

Whether your child is just beginning their journey with us or returning for another year, we’re so excited to partner with you to make this school year a joyful and memorable one.

Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

Please click on the link below for our arrival and dismissal procedures. For those of you who are returning, these procedures are the same as last year.

TO DO: In order for us to ensure your child gets dismissed safely, please complete this Form to indicate how your child will get home from school each day. Return the completed form to Lisa Finigan at lisa.finigan@reading.k12.ma.us. Please complete a form for EACH child.

** Form also linked in the button Below.**

Please talk with your student(s) before the first day of school to confirm how they will be picked up. It is extremely important that you complete this form as this is communicated with your student's teacher(s) and reviewed with students before they leave for the day.

School Hours Full day K-5:

Monday -Thursday: 8:15 - 2:45
Friday: 8:15 - 12:45

Dismissal Form 2025-2026

Wood End Placard FAQ

New Family Meet & Greet, August 25

All new families, including all our incoming kindergarten families, are invited to attend an informal meet & greet, Popsicles on the Playground on Monday, August 25 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on the upper playground.

This is an opportunity to meet families and classmates, ask questions, and enjoy a summer treat as we welcome you to the Wood End community. All new families are welcome and siblings are encouraged to join us! We hope to see you there!

While we are happy to say that we were able to purchase many school supplies for our students, below are grade level supply lists for some remaining items for families to purchase.

Portal Activation: New families will be receiving emails with instructions on how to activate your portals next week. It is very important that you activate your portal as soon as possible as this is your link to your child and their classroom. Also, any parent/guardian with an inactive portal will receive the same email.

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!

School Medical Policies

Medication Administration Form

PTO General Meeting Schedule

September 17 @ 7pm: LINK HERE
November 19 @ 8:15 (In person)
January 7 @ 7pm: LINK HERE
March 18 @ 7pm: LINK HERE
May 13 @ 7pm: LINK HERE
June 3 @ 8:15 (In Person)

Introducing Our Wood End PTO Board

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 .

LATEST NEWS FROM SEPAC

Latest Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) Update

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

Reading Public Schools is a METCO District

METCO unites suburban towns with Boston to engage in a reciprocal learning partnership in support of all students. Because of this, every child who attends school in Reading Public Schools is a METCO student and every parent or guardian who has a student in RPS is a part of the METCO community.

"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."

Upcoming Events:

August

25: Popsicles on the Playground for New Families (3-4 pm)

27: First day of school for students Grades 1-5

27-28: Pre K and K Orientation

29: No School

September

1: No school, Labor Day

2: First day of school for RISE Preschool & Kindergarten

5: Family Pizza Field Night from 5-7 pm on the lower playground/field

11: Elementary Open Houses in Evening (details to follow as the date approaches)

15: Picture Day

15: PTO Dues Kick Off

17: PTO meeting

22: Rosh Hashanah

October

1: Yom Kippur

13: Columbus Day; No School

14: Professional Day; No School for students

24: PTO Sponsored Halloween Event 6-8

31: Halloween

November

11: Veteran's Day; No School

13: Early Release; Family-Teacher Conferences

14: No School for Students; Family-Teacher Conferences

26: Early Release @11am

27-28: No School; Thanksgiving

December

23: Early Release

24-Jan 1: Winter Break; No School

Reading Public Schools Calendar 2025-2026

Interested in learning more about the equity and social justice work taking place in Reading and around the area? Dr. Chatterjee, Director for Equity and Social Justice at the Reading Public Library, is going to be releasing a monthly newsletter from the Department of Equity and Social Justice (with help from PAIR) called Reading Rhythm. She’s taking signups now: https://www.smore.com/f85sv-reading-rhythm

LIBRARY RESOURCES

https://readingpl.org/healing-kits/

At the Reading Public Library, there are 10 different kits that address different needs that people in the community may experience (e.g. Grief, anxiety, trauma, etc.). You can request a kit through the online library catalog or check it out in person. Kits contain a variety of materials that are accessible to kids, teens, and/or adults, as well as a resource packet with lists of community resources and activities. Each kit also contains a notebook where others who have used the kit can leave words of support.