Roland Hayes School

Our North Star

“When children and teachers feel engaged, safe, and supported we have room to grow and learn through collaboration and risk-taking with our peers.”

Previous "Community Notes" can be found here: https://www.brookline.k12.ma.us/domain/718

The "Community Notes" is sent every other week. Thanks for reading!

Learn more about Roland Hayes here, from our own Young Scholars!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MyhdW04fd4

Halloween Candy

Halloween is TONIGHT! Be safe out there amongst the ghouls and goblins of Chestnut Hill!

• REMEMBER: please do not send candy into the school after Halloween. We have students with severe allergies in our classrooms and Halloween candy can trigger allergic reactions, both mild and severe.

• Regarding road closures: "As is our tradition, Loveland Road, Doran Road, Ackers Ave and Ackers Terrace will be closed to vehicular traffic from 6:00-8:00 pm on Friday, October 31, Halloween night. Please plan accordingly as no one will be permitted to drive on those streets during the closure."

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Helmets, Jaywalking, and Other Safety Concerns

We implore you all once again to make sure your students who are scootering or biking to school to wear a helmet. Many of our students who bike and ride scooters to school each day are doing so without a hemet, which is dangerous.

Also, we strongly encourage you to talk with your children about NOT jaywalking. Eliot Street is a busy thoroughfare; when we see kids bolting across the street it makes our blood run cold.

Thank you so much for your support!

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Lost & Found

Our playground and school are littered with coats, hoodies, lunchboxes, and more .... all without a name attached. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE put your child's name in their items. Otherwise, they end up in the lost & found and eventually donated.

Recently, some good samaritans gathered the items off of the school grounds and brought them to the school doors. Below is a picture. NONE of the the items have names in them, sadly.

Here at Hayes, our student council is planning for a school-wide food drive for the various service providers in Brookline, including the Brookline Food Pantry. Feel free to start dropping non-perishable items off starting Monday. We are ready and willing to serve.

While we measure success one day at a time, one student at a time, it is also nice to receive some lovely recognition. The two organizations – Niche and US News& World Reports – both rank our school very highly. See the results below:

Niche Rankings

https://www.niche.com/k12/roland-hayes-school-chestnut-hill-ma/

US News & Worlds Reports

https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/massachusetts/roland-hayes-202783

Invitation to the November 5th Neighborhood Meeting for the Proposed Chestnut Hill Avenue Safety Improvements

When: Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 7:00 PM

Where: Roland Hayes School Library, 100 Eliot St, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

Zoom Option Registration Link:

https://brooklinema.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/RF_LgSPmRayODo54RP8Qqw

The Department of Public Works is pleased to invite your household to a follow-up neighborhood meeting to review and discuss updated options for improvements to Chestnut Hill Avenue. Five options will be discussed, which have been developed based on the meaningful feedback received during and since the previous two meetings on March 5th and May 8th. View the five options and learn more at the project website: https://www.brooklinema.gov/3906/Chestnut-Hill-Avenue-Improvements

Questions and comments about the project can be directed to transportation@brooklinema.gov

On October 20th, I presented an update to School Committee on our School Improvement Plan. Find the presentation here: https://youtu.be/WRBiMxzytXY?si=ZeUao_NBZJJVkZ3k

The Brookline Early Education Program will conduct preschool screenings on Thursday, November 20, 2025. This is a free and optional service for preschool aged Brookline Residents (ages 2.6 to 5 years old) who are not currently attending BEEP to screen for special education needs.

If interested in screening day, please fill out this survey or contact Sarah Moynihan at (617) 713-5473 or sarah_moynihan@psbma.org no later than 11/13/2025 to schedule a screening appointment time.

Screenings will take place by appointment only at 194 Grove St., Chestnut Hill.

Screening date: Tuesday November 20, 2025

For more PTO news and events, please visit: https://www.hayespto.org/newsletters/22351

Here is the link to our first set of music class learning videos. These videos show students, making good mistakes, singing, dancing, playing and creating. Please watch these with the children and celebrate their hard work. You can even try singing and dancing along with them outside the music room!

Musically,

Dr. Meredith Huntley, Ed.D.

K-8 General/Vocal Music

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Mark your calendars! Our annual Balloons over Broadway parade will be here before you know it! While the parade showcases the work of our Grade 4 students, all families are welcome to attend this pre-Thanksgiving event! It's basically our own Macy's Thanksgiving Parade right here in Chestnut Hill!

November is Native American Heritage Month

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• Monday, November 3rd: Model UN, 11:15am-12:00pm

• Monday, November 3rd: Rainbow Club, Grade 4, 11:20-11:50am

• Tuesday, November 4th: School Closed: Professional Development Day

• Wednesday, November 5th: Math Club (Grades 5-8): Rm 198, 2:40-3:45pm

• Thursday, November 6th: PreK-6 Early Dismissal at 12:40pm

• Friday, November 7th: PEP, 8:05-8:32am

• Friday, November 7th: Hayes PTO Family Movie Night - K-Pop Demon Hunters, Auditorium, 6:15-8:15pm

• Monday, November 10th: Model UN, 11:15am-12:00pm

• Monday, November 10th: Rainbow Club, Grade 3, 11:20-11:50am

• Tuesday, November 11th: District Closed: Veterans Day Holiday

• Wednesday, November 12th: PreK-8 Early Dismissal at 12:40pm

• Wednesday, November 12th: AAPI Affinity Group, 10:35-11:15am

• Thursday, November 13th: Young Scholars, 2:35-3:35pm

• Friday, November 14th: Yearbook, 8:00am

• Friday, November 14th: Understanding Our Differences & Similarities - Grade 6, 12:00-1:40pm

• Friday, November 14th: Brookline Booksmith Night (time TBD)

• Monday, November 17th: Picture Retake Day, 8:00-9:30am

• Monday, November 17th: Model UN, 11:15am-12:00pm

• Tuesday, November 18th: Term 1: Grades 6-8 Report Cards Published

• Tuesday, November 18th: GSA, 10:35-11:12am

• Wednesday, November 19th: Math Club (Grades 5-8): Rm 198, 2:40-3:45pm

• Thursday, November 20th: PreK-8 Early Dismissal at 12:40pm

• Thursday, November 20th: Evening Conferences, 2:30-6:00pm

• Friday, November 21st: PEP, 8:05-8:32am

• Friday, November 21st: PTO Meeting, 8:05-9:35am

Field Trips:

• Tuesday, November 18th: 4th Grade Trip to The Harvard Museum of Natural History, 8:05am-1:30pm

Nothing to see here this week, but check this space next time for upcoming opportunities to get involved in our community!

Have a wonderful Halloween tonight everyone! Here is a great Halloween poem, perfect for kids of all ages, from the wild poet Shel Silverstein:

Superstitious

If you are superstitious you’ll never step on cracks.
When you see a ladder you will never walk beneath it.
And if you ever spill some salt you’ll thrown some ‘cross your back,
And carry’ round a rabbit’s foot just in case you need it.
You’ll pick up any pin that you find lying on the ground,
And never, never, ever throw your hat upon the bed,
Or open an umbrella when you are in the house.
You’ll bite your tongue each time you say
A thing you shouldn’t have said.
You’ll hold your breath and cross your fingers
Walkin’ by a graveyard,
And number thirteen’s never gonna do you any good.
Black cats will all look vicious, if you’re superstitious,
But I’m not superstitious (knock on wood).

Be good to yourselves and to each other, tonight and every night!

~ Asa

This parcel of land that our school sits upon is a special and sacred place.

Before this place was a Town, before our school was here, before this neighborhood was called “The Settlement” or “Chestnut Hill,” and before this land was a farm, this land was held by the Massachusett, the people Indigenous to this place. The Massachusett were the caretakers of this site, living full lives, raising families, and burying their dead right here. We recognize and honor this history, and seek to create thoughtful land stewards and citizens for generations to come.

As a public school, our primary objective is to ensure access, membership, and participation of all community members in our care; with this land acknowledgment we state our willingness to work towards that vision where all feel a true and abiding sense of belonging.

Roland Hayes School

The Public Schools Of Brookline | A METCO Partnership School

Dr. Asa Sevelius, Ed.D. | Principal

Email: asa_sevelius@psbma.org

Pronouns: he/him

Mr. Kirtan Patel | Vice Principal

Email: kirtan_patel@psbma.org

Pronouns: he/him

Website: https://www.brookline.k12.ma.us/Page/17
Location: 100 Eliot Street, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467
Phone: 617-879-4570