The Wall Primary Pups Press

It's time to start planning for the 2026-2027 school year! Please take note of the upcoming registration dates for our youngest students:

• Kindergarten Registration: Monday, February 2, 2026
• Preschool Registration: Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Children are registered in their neighborhood schools in the order that completed registrations are received. Please be advised in the event that grade-level capacity is reached, incoming students may be assigned to another WTPS elementary school.

Registration Questions?

Do you have questions or need assistance with the registration process? Please follow this link to the district website or contact Kerrin McGowan, our District Registrar, with all your questions and inquiries.

• Email: kmcgowan@wallpublicschools.org
• Phone: 732-556-2658

Please click the link below to see the specific calendar for WPS for the 25-26 school year as we have a few differences from the district wide calendar, also shared below for your convenience.

Hi WPS families! I’m very excited for the new school year, and it seems to be off to a great start! In an effort to keep our students as healthy as possible, I want to send you some helpful reminders. If your child is sick with a fever, please keep him/her home until the fever has subsided for at least 24 hours (without the help of fever-reducing medication). If your child has been vomiting or has diarrhea, they must be free of their symptoms for 24 hours before returning. Should you have any questions about a medical issue, please reach out to me via phone or email at any time. Additionally, your child’s physical exam form, and documentation of required immunizations for new students should be submitted to me by this point. All students are required to have documentation of receiving the flu vaccine before 12/31/25. I will be sending home a letter stating what your child is missing, so please keep an eye out for that. Thank you!

Nurse Amanda is available for questions about vaccinations, illnesses, or anything else regarding the health of your child. Please remember that all students need to be vaccinated in order to attend school. Click the link below for the immunization requirements for students entering Kindergarten in 2025.

Although we all know pacifiers and bottles can help calm and soothe a distressed infant, prolonged use after the age of 1 can have many negative impacts that we may not think of. The following are just a few:

• Speech problems: Since using a pacifier involves an immature suck-swallow pattern, some children who use these over a long period of time may experience a delay in developing more mature tongue movements, resulting in sound errors.
• Increased risk of middle ear infections.
• Negative social impacts: The older a child gets, the more difficult it may be to socialize with peers, if he/she is still using a pacifier.
• Swallowing difficulties: Prolonged pacifier use may lead to delayed swallow development.
• Dental problems: Long term use or using the pacifier after the eruption of permanent teeth, usually past the age of 4-5 years, may result in future dental issues such as the misalignment of teeth.
• Dependency: Some children come to rely on their pacifier for comfort.

Some things you can do to reduce use of the pacifier/bottle include:

• Keeping it out of sight: As the saying goes, “out of sight out of mind.”
• Being consistent: It may be challenging at first, but don’t give up. If you give in on one occasion, the child learns that he/she will get what he/she wants just by pushing hard enough.
• Alternative items: Finding other ways the child can comfort himself/herself versus resorting to the pacifier. A favorite toy, book, fun activity can work as a good substitute.

Ideas on how to remove the pacifier/bottle from the house:

• Give it to the babies at the hospital: Send it in the mail box to the hospital for the babies that need it. The next day have a letter/item in the mail from the hospital for your child to open.
• Leave it for the pacifier/bottle fairy: Put it under the pillow at night. Replace it with an alternate item that they can use for comfort/fun.
• Alteration: Alternate the pacifier/bottle in someway to make it unsatisfying. (Cut the tip off, make it taste bad, poke a hole in the pacifier)

We look forward to another successful partnership with our PTA this upcoming year! We encourage all new and returning families to join this great group. The virtual PTA meetings will be posted in the next newsletter. Click below to become a member of the PTA!

If your family is experiencing economic challenges or homelessness, visit the McKinney Vento webpage for essential information and guidance on available resources.

District Homeless Education Liaison

Tiffany Steiner
tsteiner@wallpublicschools.org
732.556.2647