Wakefield Hills Elementary School

I can't believe we have already completed the first month of school. Our first month has been a wonderful success! Students are settling in, building new routines, and learning new things each day. We are excited to see all the great things October will bring! We have a busy month ahead starting with our Scholastic Book Fair next week. The PTO is busy planning our Halloween Dance and hosting the MCM Pie and Cookie Dough fundraiser. Our Grade 4 students will be visiting the State House later in the month. We are always looking for new members to join PTO and our School Improvement Team. The meeting dates are listed below and all are welcome to attend. Fall Picture day will also take place this month. We conclude the month with the start of our Fall/Winter After School Programs. Please see the information below. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

GO TIMBERWOLVES!!

Sincerely,

Ms. Winslow

*Monday, October 5th - Friday, October 9th: WHES Book Fair

*Wednesday, October 7th: School Improvement Team Meeting 2:45 in the WHES Library

*Tuesday, October 13th: PTO Meeting 6:30-7:30 in the WHES Cafeteria

*Wednesday, October 21st: Flu Clinic 3:30-6:30 in the WHES Cafeteria

*Wednesday, October 21st: Grade 4 Field Trip to the State House

*Thursday, October 22nd: Fall Picture Day

*Friday, October 23rd: Halloween Dance 6:00-8:00 in the WHES Gym

*Thursday, October 29th: First Day of Fall/Winter After School Programs

*Friday, October 30th: October Den Meeting

The Wakefield Hills After School Programs will begin on October 29th and run through January 7th. The Programs will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:45-4:15. A light snack will be provided for all students. Please click on the link and see the flyer below for information about sign-ups.

Fall/Winter After School Club Information

Visit the WWPS Website for the 2026-2027 Bus Routes.

*Follow all rules of the road.

*PARK in PARKING spots only. (The yellow curb areas are NOT parking spots.)

*Drop off students must use the circle or PARK in a spot. DO NOT stop in the front driveway as this will block buses.

*Handicap spaces are ONLY for those with a visible HANDICAP placard.

*POLICE are made aware of vehicles that are illegally parked.

*Students may be dropped off in the drop off circle or you may park and walk your student(s) to the front doors.

*If you are using the drop off circle, ONLY your student(s) will exit the vehicle. Staff are available to assist with backpacks, etc. Staff will be directing you where to stop your vehicle for drop off.

*DO NOT stop in the front driveway as this will block buses.

*All buses drop off on the side of the building.

*We appreciate your cooperation and understanding to ensure a smooth and safe drop off routine.

*Afternoon Parent Pick-Up Sign Out begins at 2:15 and students are dismissed at 2:25.

*Anyone picking up their student(s) should have their ID with them every time they pick up. Safety is always our number one priority. Please be sure to update contacts in Aspen. If you have multiple children, please be sure each child has up to date contacts in Aspen.

*Any student(s) signed out prior to the normal pick up time are considered early dismissals and are unexcused unless we have a doctor's note or approved reason.

*After 2:00 pm daily, students can only be signed out for emergency purposes. The main office is very busy at this time and unnecessary early dismissals may cause confusion.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

*During the first week of the school year, our dismissal can take longer than anticipated. We are usually dismissing 150-200 parent pickups students. Please be patient and understand that our number one priority is the safety of our students.

Breakfast and lunch are free to all students this year. Please consider having your child eat breakfast here at school.

*Please see the district link for Sodexo for district meal information.

*Please click on the link for the October Lunch Menu.

Please click on the link below to learn more information about the West Warwick Public Schools Universal Screeners. You will see the types of screeners used and the purpose of each screener.

WWPS Universal Screener Family Letter

We have officially completed our first Attendance Mission of the school year!

Please see below for the classes that achieved 95% attendance for at least one week. We would also like to give a huge shout-out to Mrs. Flynn-Bergeron’s and Mrs. Keogh’s classes for an outstanding accomplishment: 95% attendance for all four weeks of September!

For the month of October, our mission is to have four days in one week with no student tardies! We are excited to see our students continue to arrive at school ready to learn and make the most of each day.

Please review the tips below for helping your child arrive at school on time and ready to learn.

Please be on the lookout for monthly attendance tips and activities. If your child returns the activity, they can earn a Hi-Five Dollar.

Let’s keep up the great work and make October another successful month for attendance!

Please click on the link below or review the family letter below. Wakefield Hills will NOT be participating this school year, but please review for your information. In fall 2026, West Warwick will start using a new tool called Edia in some schools. Edia helps schools keep track of and improve student attendance. When a student is absent, Edia will send a text message to the family contact the school has on file. This lets families know about the absence and gives them a way to share with the school why the student was absent. This can help school staff better support students and families. During this school year, RAND, a non-profit research organization, will study whether using Edia helps improve attendance.

Study of Edia Platform to Improve Attendance

Please click on the link to view the West Warwick Public Schools Elementary Handbook for the 2026-2027 school year.

*In addition to the Health and Wellness Policy we have many students with food allergies. We will no longer be accepting outside food items to celebrate your child's birthday. Non-food items can be sent in for the class to celebrate your child's birthday.

Please visit the Wakefield Hills Website to review our Home-School Compact or click on the link below.

*Please join us for a PTO meeting on Tuesday, October 13th from 6:30-7:30 in the WHES Cafeteria.

*The MCM Pie and Cookie Dough Fundraiser will run October 1st - October 19th.

*The PTO will also host a Halloween Dance on Friday, October 23rd from 6:00-8:00 in the WHES Gym. This will be a ticketed event.

**If you would like to volunteer for any event during the school year, you will need an updated BCI check on file for the current school year. You are able to do this at the Attorney General's office in Cranston. If you have any questions, please reach out to our main office.

* The West Warwick Public Library has many wonderful programs. Please click on the link to see all of the wonderful programs the library has to offer.

West Warwick Public Library October Calendar

Kids’ Link RI is a behavioral health triage service and referral network. A program offered in collaboration with Gateway Healthcare, Lifespan, Hasbro Children’s Hospital and Bradley Hospital, Kids’ Link RI is available 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week to help triage children and youth in need of mental health services and refer them to treatment providers.

Call 1-855-543-5465 if your child is:

*feeling excessive anger or sadness

*Lashing out at siblings, friends and adults

*Having behavior problems at school

*Hurting himself/herself or others

*Having severe worries

*Free, confidential phone line connects parents and caregivers to an experienced clinician

*WWPS BrightArrow Text Message Alerts: If you wish to receive TEXT alerts from the WWPS.

**Text the word “Yes” to the number 79041."

**If later you decide that you do not want to receive texts, you can text the word “No” to the number 79041."

Mrs. Tessa Nunes, Assistant Principal

Ann Marchetti, Supervisory Assistant

Email: kwinslow@westwarwickpublicschools.com

Website: https://sites.google.com/westwarwickpublicschools.com/whes/home
Location: 505 Wakefield Street, West Warwick, RI, United States
Phone: 401-822-8452
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wakefield-Hills-Elementary-School/223614024389459