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CH School News & More - 4.1.25

CH School News & More - 4.1.25

Claypit Hill News and More

April 1, 2025

Dear Claypit Hill Caregivers,


We would like to extend a sincere thanks to our Wayland Muslim neighbors, especially Toufic Hirbli and Asma Khan, and all of those who worship at the Islamic Center of Boston for warmly welcoming us to the Wayland Community Iftar. It was a beautiful evening marked by prayer, conversation, and learning (for us). We loved seeing our students in this setting and judging from their smiles, they enjoyed having us in their place of worship, too. The opportunity to learn about Ramadan and to better understand the faith life of many of our students is one we will cherish.


Thank you to the Wayland Public Schools Foundation for sponsoring another very successful spelling bee. Thanks to all of the hard working Claypit Hill Cubs who participated and supported this fundraiser. Our competing students made us very proud. We are so thankful for the hard work of the Foundation and for their tireless efforts to enrich education for the children of Wayland.


Believe it or not, today is the 130th day of school. We are making some progress towards better attendance. First and foremost, better attendance will lead to better academic and social emotional gains for our students. Fewer instances of chronic absenteeism also increases our school’s ranking which can influence real estate values, too. From the below graph, you can tell that the months of December, February and April are ones where good attendance plummets. This is most often due to families extending vacations. Please continue to schedule family vacations in sync with our school vacation week. Our next vacation will be April 21st through April 25th. Finally, please be extra vigilant in promoting good attendance if your student has more than ten absences. With 18 absences a child is considered chronically absent as they will have missed 10% or more of the school year. We’d love for all of our students to finish the school year strong!

Finally, thanks to all of our families who support Claypit Hill community events like the talent show and the art show which occurred this past week. The art show was a stunning display of our students’ hard work and their talent. They have truly grown under the tutelage of instructor, Ms. Alissa Gillis. We are thankful that this teacher, who values student voice and choice, is helping students to grow both their skill in art and their deep appreciation for the arts. It is truly a privilege to enjoy an education rich in the visual and performing arts. Claypit caregivers certainly show their commitment to the arts and to our school by showing up for such important community events. Thank you for all you do to make Claypit the excellent school that it is!


Sincerely,


Marie, Kate, and Naomi

School Bus Registration is Now Open for the 2025-2026 School Year!

How to Register:

All students who plan to ride the bus for the 2025-2026 school year must register.


For Wayland Resident Students:

Parents/guardians of Wayland resident students have been sent an email from the Wayland Public Schools Transportation Office with a customized registration link. If you have not received this email, please contact Susan Bottan, Director of Finance, at susan_bottan@waylandps.org.

  • Click the personalized link in the email and complete the registration survey.

  • If transportation is not needed, the survey will end after the first question.

  • If transportation is needed, you will answer a few additional questions and, if applicable, be directed to Unipay for payment.


For Boston Resident Students:

Registration for Boston resident students is coordinated through the Wayland METCO Office. Please contact La Toya Rivers, METCO Director, at latoya_rivers@waylandps.org for more information.
School bus registration is now open and will remain available through Friday, June 20, 2025.

Claypit Hill Read Marathon

The goal of the Claypit Hill READ Marathon is for participating students to build their reading stamina by reading over 26 days.


  • Students can race to read up to 60 minutes (or more) per day for 26 days.

  • Here is a link to a READ Marathon Bookmark. Extras are in the library. Students or whole classes can enter their minutes each day.

  • Starting Line April 1st: Ready, Set, READ!

Classes will be entered into a lottery for a classroom book!

  • Finish Line April 27th: Cross the READ Marathon Finish Line!

Put your completed READ Marathon Bookmark in the bin in the library and get special stickers!


Claypit Composting

Order compost, soil or leaf mulch for your garden this spring through Black Earth to support our cafeteria composting program. Claypit earns 15% from each purchase which we’ll put towards our 2025-2026 composting program. Our 4th and 5th graders have re-started our composting effort at lunch, and the program will eventually be rolled out to all grades. Thanks in advance for your support and happy gardening this spring!

Family Math Night

Ladies Night

Calling all K-2 Ladies, please join us for our first Ladies’ night - 7pm on Sun, April 6 - at Jindu! We will meet in the lounge area and enjoy a casual night building fostering community and building new friendships. There will be a cash bar for food and drink orders. Hope to see you there!

Claypit Campus and Garden Clean Up

Claypit Campus and Garden Clean Up - April 11


Please save the date and RSVP here for our Claypit Campus and Garden Clean Up. Join us on Friday, April 11th from 5pm-7pm to help get our school’s outdoor space ready for spring – we will pick up trash, clean out beds, and prep our community garden for spring planting.


We need more parent support to keep these green initiatives going! If you are interested in helping, please contact ClaypitPTO@gmail.com.

Community Read and Discussions

Wayland World's Fair

Be Part of the Wayland World’s Fair! Sign Up to Host a Booth or Get Involved


Sunday, May 18
2:00–4:00 PM
Loker School Back Field


Wayland World’s Fair is back, and we invite you to be part of this exciting celebration of culture, community, and connection! Hosted by all three Wayland Elementary Schools, this beloved event brings families together to explore traditions from around the world—through food, music, dance, games, crafts, and more!


Sign-up here to get involved: https://tinyurl.com/WorldFair2025

  • Host a Booth – Share a country’s traditions, cuisine, and customs with the community.

  • Join a Booth – Want to participate but not ready to host? Sign up, and we’ll match you with a booth!

  • Become a Sponsor – Support the event and gain visibility in the community

PTO Thank You

We hope many families got to enjoy touring the Claypit Hill Art Show last week - what a beautiful display of our student’s creative talent! Special thanks to Ms. Gillis for guiding our art program and transforming our cafeteria into an art gallery! Thank you also to our PTO volunteers – Danielle Flynn, Caeli Richter, Erica Landry for helping organize the Art Show and the 40+ volunteers who took time to mat and mount artwork, set-up and run an art project on Wednesday evening!

MCAS Dates are Finalized

The MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) provides districts with a testing window. We have scheduled our assessments late in the window to provide for as much time for teaching and learning as possible before the assessments. As a result, there is little time provided for make up tests. It is imperative that travel not be scheduled during the MCAS testing days. Please support our school by planning accordingly.


3rd Grade

Math - May 13th and May 15th


4th Grade

ELA - April 3rd and April 8th

Math - May 19th and May 21st


5th Grade

ELA - April 1st and April 4th

Math - May 14th and May 16th

STE - April 30th and May 2nd

Upcoming Dates for Your Calendar

  • Tuesday, Apr 1 - All School Meeting, 8:15, Gym

  • Tuesday, Apr 1 - Grade 5 MCAS, ELA

  • Thursday, Apr 3 - Grade 4 MCAS, ELA

  • Thursday, Apr 3 - Family Math Night, Loker, 6:00pm

  • Friday, Apr 4 - Grade 5 MCAS, ELA

  • Friday, Apr 4 - Claypit Campus and Garden Clean Up, 5:00pm

  • Tuesday, Apr 8, Grade 4 MCAS, ELA

  • Tuesday, Apr 8 - Grade 5 In House Field Trip

  • Friday, April 11 - Grade 1 Field Trip - Drumlin Farms

  • Friday, Apr 18 - NO SCHOOL, Good Friday

  • Monday, Apr 21 - NO SCHOOL, Patriots Day

  • Tuesday, Apr 22 - Friday, Apr 25 - Spring Break

  • Sunday, May 18 - World's Fair, Loker

  • Tuesday, May 20 - 5th Grade Play

  • Monday, May 26 - NO SCHOOL, Memorial Day

  • Wednesday, Jun. 4 - Spring PTO Meeting, 7:00pm

  • Thursday, Jun 19 - NO SCHOOL - Juneteenth

  • Friday, Jun 20 - Tentative Last Day, 11:30 Dismissal

Carol Reynolds
Claypit Hill News and More