Wood End Wildcat News

I hope you were able to take some time to enjoy this last long weekend of summer. Labor Day always feels like the beginning of fall and the start of cooler weather. It also means summer has truly come to an end and school is in full swing! We had a fabulous first few days of school! This week, we welcome our newest and youngest learners as our preschoolers and kindergarteners will begin on Tuesday.

A big thank you to our PTO for providing lunch to our staff during the first days of school! Thank you for your continued support! Look out below for PTO news updates throughout the year!

We are very excited to welcome our families (adults only) into our school September 16, 5:30-6:45PM for Open House. Teachers will be presenting information to families about the upcoming year following the below schedule. All sessions will begin at their designated time.

5:30-5:55

• Session 1: Individual classroom teachers will be leading presentations about grade level curriculum.

6:00 -6:15: Intermission in the cafeteria--brief welcome presentation from Principal Schwartz and Assistant Principal Hester

6:20 - 6:45

• Session 2: Repeat of the previous session--> Individual classroom teachers will be leading presentations about grade level curriculum.

All caregivers are encouraged to attend the scheduled presentation times. The staggered schedule should allow for families with students in multiple grades to visit each child's classroom. Teachers will provide access to materials shared for all families who may be unable to attend. Please remember this is not a time to conference about your individual child. Conferences will take place in November and you are welcome to email your child’s teacher if you have concerns prior to that conference time.

Staff members will be available in the Main Lobby to assist families with locating classrooms and answering questions. We look forward to seeing our families on the 16th.

I want to share our Wood End Communication policy which promotes strong communication and connections with our families, advances our children's independence and self-advocacy, and encourages an important home-work balance for our staff. A public school is a special place where every student receives a quality education within a community of different cultures, values, and abilities by highly skilled staff; especially at Wood End. We aim to promote respect, acceptance, and kindness.

• Our staff is expected to return parent/guardian communication within 24-48 hours during school hours (8:10 am- 3:10 pm)

• Urgent emails and phone calls (changes in dismissal plans, etc.) during the school day should be directed to the main office @ 781-942-5420.

• Teachers will reach out to parents promptly regarding any academic or social-emotional concerns. There are several ways of communication in place at Wood End with families. If you are not hearing anything, your child is doing well academically.

• Parent/guardian-requested conferences must be scheduled in advance with the staff member. For safety reasons and respect for our staff, please do not enter a classroom unannounced or use dismissal as a mini-conference. No one is allowed to enter the school unless they come to the front office and check in. Please do not ask any student leaving the building or at a door to let you in.

• Teachers send out a classroom/grade specific communication sharing subject updates, events & important announcements.

Most of a staff member's school day is spent directly working with our students. Each classroom teacher is entitled to a 30-40 minute prep period and a 30-minute lunch each school day. Teachers use their prep periods to plan, prepare materials, collaborate with staff, and connect with families. We intentionally schedule first-term conferences, a second term report card with written student specific comments, and an end-of-the-year report card; however, if a teacher has any academic or social-emotional concern outside of this timeline, they will reach out to you. We hope our students have a positive experience every moment of the school day. Still, we recognize that this is also their opportunity to navigate conflicts and learn how to work and learn with their peers with different interests, learning styles, and needs. These opportunities are different experiences than they may have at home, in a friend group, or an extracurricular activity. Please encourage your child to speak directly to their teacher or another adult in our building if they need support. If you see a repeated trend, then please reach out. Encouraging small opportunities where children learn to advocate for themselves and learn to communicate with the adults at Wood End will develop confident and independent individuals.

Wood End has a long tradition of excellence. Please know that this is a framework of best practices as we value our parent/guardian-teacher partnership.We are honored to work alongside you to help your student become the best Wildcat that they can be!

All five elementary schools in RPS dedicate a weekly 30-minute block to Social Emotional Learning (SEL). This year, with guidance from an RPS multidisciplinary curriculum team, we are excited to launch updated SEL lessons. This flier gives families a snapshot of what SEL looks like in grades K-5.

SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

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

ARRIVAL on a Typical Day: OUTDOOR LINE UP

Students will line up in their designated spots behind the cone with their teacher's name. Students will enter the building at 8:10.

• Grade K-5: Front of the building behind the cone with their teacher's name

ARRIVAL during Inclement Weather: Students can gather under the front awning. At 8:10 students will enter the building.

• Grades K and 1: Through Door 13
• Grades 2 through 5: Will enter through the front door and into the gym. Students will line up behind the cone with their teacher's name and wait for their teacher to come down to escort them to classrooms.

Follow these guidelines if you are participating in rolling car drop-off of a child at the front of the building:

1. Pull up as far as you can in the driveway prior to letting your child exit the car.
2. Drivers STAY IN THE CARE and children exit on the sidewalk side of the car.
3. If your child is unable to get out of the car independently, please park in a street parking space and walk them in.
4. Do not pass cars in the driveway.
5. Students will find their class line up after getting out of the car.

DISMISSAL

Placard Pick Up: FAQ below

• Please be sure you have your family placard easily visible on the RIGHT SIDE of your vehicle.
• PLEASE REMAIN IN YOUR VEHICLES

Caregiver Pick Up at door:

• Kindergarten: Front of the building- Door 13
• First Grade: Front right of the building- Door 12
• Grades 2 and 3: Door 6 by the upper playground
• Grades 4 and 5: Main Entrance

As a safety reminder, the staff parking lot is for staff only. We respectfully ask that caregivers park along the streets if not using PLACARD pick up.

Dogs and Puppies on School Grounds

As much as we all love dogs and puppies and as much fun as it is walking them, School Committee policy prohibits dogs on school grounds. If you'd like to walk your dog as part of your pick up routine, the dog has to stay off school property. If you'd like your child to walk to you on the sidewalk or to the driveway entrances at dismissal so you can wait with your dog, please make that plan with them.

The Food Service Department continues to offer breakfast and lunch to all elementary schools! All first meals, including breakfast and lunch, are free for all students!

If your child would like a second breakfast or lunch, these are available for purchase at $1.50 for breakfast and $2.75 for lunch. Additionally, our cafeterias offer a variety of snacks and a la carte items that can be purchased separately. Our Department looks forward to a fantastic year filled with fresh new foods and the energy from a healthy start to the day! We are excited to serve this incredible community and ensure every student has access to nutritious meals throughout the upcoming school year.

For the first two days of school, all students will go to their homerooms before grabbing breakfast (if they want breakfast). Teachers will show students our new routine for getting lunch on the way to school.

PIN #s for Breakfast, Lunch, and purchasing snacks.

All Reading Public School students are assigned a PIN number that they must use to get breakfast, lunch, or snacks. Please help your child memorize their PIN number. Although we provide free breakfast and lunch to all students, we ask that families send in a healthy snack for their students each day.

It is also important for families that may need financial support including but not limted to our food services to complete the following forms on this page.

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!

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 .

PTO General Meeting Schedule

• September 23 @ 4pm: LINK HERE
• November 17 @ 8:15 (In person)
• January 13 @ 7pm: LINK HERE
• March 17 @ 7pm: LINK HERE
• May 12 @ 7pm: LINK HERE
• June 9 @ 8:15 (In Person)

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

"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."

Join Reading METCO for our Salsa Night Thursday 10/15/26. This event is open to all Reading/Boston resident families and RPS staff.

Hispanic Heritage Month Salsa Night
Date: Thursday, October 15 | 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Location: Coolidge Middle School Cafeteria

Celebrate Hispanic culture with us!
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM: Enjoy Spanish-inspired food and mingle with students, parents, and faculty.
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Beginner-friendly Salsa dance class—no experience needed!

Come ready to eat, dance, and have fun!

September

4: No School

7: No school, Labor Day

8: First day of school for RISE Preschool & Kindergarten

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

14: Picture Day

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

21: PTO Dues Kick Off

23: PTO meeting

October

Calareso's Farmstand Fundraiser

12: Columbus Day; No School

13: Professional Day; No School for students

23: PTO Sponsored Halloween Event 6-8

November

11: Veteran's Day; No School

19: Early Release; Family-Teacher Conferences

20: No School for Students; Family-Teacher Conferences

25: Early Release @11am

26-27: No School; Thanksgiving

30: Giving Tree Kick Off

December

5-6: REF Festival of Trees

11: PTO Sponsored MOvie Night 6-8

14-18: Penguin Patch Holiday Shopping for Students in School

23: Early Release

24-Jan 1: Winter Break; No School

February

5: PTO sponsored Adult Social

March

Book Fair and Calareso's Farmstand Fundraiser

April

2: PTO sponsored Movie Night 6-8

May

3-7: teacher Appreciation

Reading Public Schools Calendar 2026-2027

Classroom Teachers

Preschool: Allison Nugent and Karen Stuart

Kindergarten & K Paras: Sarah Bielicki and Lisa Baker, Jane Roberts and Erin Ladd

Grade 1: Courtney Cadagan and Elena Raffa

Grade 2: Maureen Habeeb and Casey Melanson

Grade 3: Cynthia Walsh and Keri DiNapoli

Grade 4: Lindsey Tainsh and Hannah Hamaker

Grade 5: Emily Craffey/Juliana Connor and Ellen Commito

SEEM Staff: Judy Favro, Maureen Denning, Caitlin Smalls

Specialists

PE: Chris Bauer

Art: Christina Erb

Music: Maria Cepeda-Suarez and Holly Gallant

Librarian: Lisa Norcross

METCO Coordinator/ School Adjustment Counselor: Julian Lind

Reading Specialist: Stacey Foresman

Multilingual Learner (MLL): TBA

Tutors: Monica Acker and Betsy Hennenberry

Special Education

Team Chair: Melissa Forbes

EMBARC Program Coordinator: Kelly DiCato

Inclusion Specialist: Ashley Dennis

Special Education Teachers: Shannon McDonald, Victoria Lydon-Ruelos and Catherine Garvey

Paraeducators: Roberta Mcrae, Addison Caron, Trish Carney

School Psychologist: Ann Ozanian

Occupational Therapist: Name Brie Alman

Physical Therapist: Alysia Redard

Speech & Language Pathologists: Kaitlyn Rubin

EMBARC Team: Elene Hendrickson, Theresa Girardi, Kathy Mahoney, Katie Orsino, Alyssa Moschella, Kelly-Anne Miller, Kayla Donovan, and Sherry Demik

Cafeteria Manager: Marcia Seracuse

Office Staff

School Secretary: Lisa Finigan

School Nurse: Kristen Charest

General Education Paras: Jerri Donahue, Anne Lewis, Rose Solimini

Custodians: Chris Gonsalves, Eric Orsula

Assistant Principal: Jessica Hester

Principal: Nicole Schwartz

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Email: nicole.schwartz@reading.k12.ma.us
Website: http://www.reading.k12.ma.us/woodend/
Location: 85 Sunset Rock Lane, Reading, MA, United States
Phone: 781-942-5420

Wood End Resource Guide/Handbook

District Handbook