Walnut Avenue School Community

Dear Walnut Avenue School Families,

Welcome to December!

It has been a wonderful start to the final month of the calendar year!

Our Inclusive Schools Week theme of "Every Voice Matters" was celebrated and provided students the opportunity to acknowledge challenges/differences and understand the importance of including all and being kind to one another.

Our school was filled with excitement as the teachers and staff welcomed students back from Thanksgiving Break. The learning activities and the excitement in the classrooms/hallways/auditorium/lunchroom certainly makes Walnut Avenue School so wonderful and this week was a great week. We are looking forward to the remaining two weeks of the calendar year, as there will be a lot of learning and fun to be had at WAS!

Thank you for taking time to read through this week's newsletter and reach out if you have any questions.

Celine McNally

Principal

Thank you again for to the WAS Staff and Families for supporting the Turkey Feather Fundraiser and the $1,500.00 delivered to Cranford Family Cares. Our second grade students will celebrate with a dance party prior to Winter Break for being the highest earning grade level for this fundraiser.

Walnut Avenue School is excited to announce our honorees:

• Paula Perreault - Educator of the Year

• Olivia Jaworksi - Educational Services Professional of the Year

Preschool students participated in a Fashion Show as a culminating event for the Clothes Unit in their new preschool curriculum.

Students designed and created their own t-shirt that they showcased during their Fashion Show. The Fashion Show highlighted their unique style, personality and creativity. All students looked fabulous today and this event featured that style comes in all shapes, sizes and colors.

Their runway performance was truly remarkable and most importantly they showed us that confidence is the best fashion accessory of all!

The letters Q and U joined in phonemic awareness this week in our kindergarten classes, to be together and make the sound "kw." Words like queen, quarter, queasy, quack, quadrilateral . . . represent the joining of the letters Q and U.

Kindergarten students participated in a ceremony and enjoyed a reception that included dancing in celebration of the Q and U wedding this week.

Please be sure to inform the office and teacher of when you will need to pick-up your student early from school.

In the event of an unplanned pick-up, please call and notify the office of the need to pick-up your student early.

We would like to kindly remind everyone that, for safety reasons, siblings are not permitted to attend events with adult volunteers at celebrations and school events.

We thank you for volunteering in the classrooms and at school events and appreciate your understanding cooperation.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Our weather has certainly turned colder this week :)

Please know that we will go outside for recess and walks when the temperature is 32 degrees or above.

Students will be expected to wear the outerwear that they arrive to school wearing when we are out at recess and/or on walks.

Please call 908-709-6995 to report an absence.

If you have a change in dismissal on a given day, please be sure to include Nurse Stein, Ms. McNulty and Ms. McNally on your email to the teacher so we can be sure that the email was seen by the teacher.

If an aftercare program needs to be notified of the change, please be sure to reach out to the aftercare to notify them of the change in dismissal.

Please DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR on the driveway. If you need to exit your vehicle as a driver or passenger to assist a student, please park your vehicle.

Please remember adults should be supervising the students after-school on the playground and/or field.

During the school day, we have expectations and students are supervised by adults at all times. The supervision and expectations keep students safe.

We ask that if you are allowing your student to play after-school on the playground/field that you supervise the student(s) your are responsible for in order to ensure their safety.

CLICK HERE for Pomptonian Food Service Information

LINK to PTA Membership Information

Joining the PTA is a great way to make a direct impact on your child's education and school environment. It’s a fantastic opportunity to connect with other parents and teachers who share your commitment to helping students thrive.

To ensure you can volunteer at school activities and make a meaningful impact, it's important to become a PTA member. By joining the PTA, you not only gain access to these volunteer opportunities but also help strengthen our school community. Your involvement can make a real difference.

Please note that even if you signed up last year, you will need to sign up again this year as the membership is good for only one calendar school year.

If you have any questions please contact Shannon Tyahla PTA Membership Chair at shannonmbarry@gmail.com

Our annual Holiday Boutique is December 18th!

Sign ups are out! CLICK HERE to VOLUNTEER for the Holiday Boutique

CLICK HERE to DONATE items for the Holiday Boutique

Dear Parents/Guardians,

It is time for our annual Holiday Boutique fundraiser on December 18th!

Information is as follows:

~ What is the Holiday Boutique?

For those who are new at WAS, the Holiday Boutique is an ”in school store” set up by the PTA. The event is for children to shop for their loved ones (with the help of PTA volunteers) for the holidays! The “Store” will be filled with merchandise that is either made, purchased and/or donated by families and friends of WAS. Items for sale will retail from $1.00 - $6.00 per item.

~Our Goal

Our goal is to collect approximately 2,000 items. Your child will be shopping for siblings, parents,

grandparents or a special someone, therefore we need gifts for all ages and types.

~ How Can You Help?

The success of this event is mostly due to the dedication and generosity of many, many parents! We are asking for volunteers to make 2024 the best Holiday Boutique ever!

You can donate your own crafts/creations or store bought items for the boutique. We will need at least 20-30 of each donated item and will need them by December 9th. Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4AA9AB2DA7FDC07-51101301-holiday#/

~ Other Ways to Help?

Monetary contributions are needed and also greatly appreciated, so we can purchase additional items that we may need. We are also in need of parent volunteers to help the children shop. Please consider signing up!

Here is the link:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4AA9AB2DA7FDC07-51101254-holiday

~What Does My Child Need to Bring in on the 18th?

Please send your child in with a bag for their gifts and the amount you would like them to spend in a ziplock bag labeled with their name and class. It would be helpful if your child could shop for six people or less, so that we are able to accommodate the time frame they are given to shop.

~Parent/Guardian Sign Up

If you are interested in helping with this really fun event, please fill out the form below and send it back marked ”Holiday Boutique.” In addition, donations can also be dropped off in the Holiday Boutique Box located outside the first grade door (if they fit).

Thank you in advanced for your help. For any questions, comments or concerns, please contact Kimberly Murphy, 908-447-1317 - kimberlywaspta@gmail.com

Don’t miss out on capturing memories and securing a wonderful keepsake.

Yearbooks are now available for purchase.

https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1015211479502574

A special reminder for second-grade families: The PTA will be gifting a free yearbook to each second grader, so no purchase is needed!

We’re happy to share that Greccia Gomez and Ling Zheng will be continuing to work on the yearbook this year. If you have any questions in regards to the yearbook, please reach out to them at wascranfordyearbook@gmail.com.

• Friday, December 6, 2024 - Trimester 1 Ends

• Tuesday, December 10, 2024 - 2nd Grade Chorus Concert

• Wednesday, December 18, 2024 - Holiday Boutique

• Thursday, December 19, 2024 - Grades 1-2 Report Cards on PowerSchool

• Friday, December 20, 2024 - Single Session (PM Preschool and PM Kindergarten Only)

• Monday, December 23, 2024 - Winter Recess Begins

• Thursday, January 2, 2025 - Return From Winter Recess

TICKET PRICE DROP AT $40.00

To purchase tickets, please contact via email Emma Hooks (hooks@cranfordschools.org) or

Carly Phillips (phillips@cranfordschools.org) directly until the day of the game.

The CHS Class of 2026 Elves are back! The Elf Off the Shelf Fundraiser is a fun way to kick off the holiday season.

Our Junior Elves will come to your home and read a letter from their elf/elves or Santa. Our delivery dates are 12/16, 12/17, 12/18 or 12/19. We can also just deliver without disturbing your house or leave if you are not home as a surprise!

Each elfing includes a letter, a candy cane bouquet for each child and some holiday activities.

Sign up for elfing using this link and follow the instructions for remittance: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E44A8AE22A2FC1-53536577-elves

Cranford High School Building Bridges program is currently open for registration.

This program offers an opportunity for students in Kindergarten through 4th grade to meet students from across the Cranford Public Schools district in a friendly and welcoming environment under the guidance of a high school Building Bridges ambassador.

Each monthly meeting, students will meet and work on activities from crafting, sports activities, supporting CHS athletics and free play. Registration for the entire year is $20 per child.

Register your child here: https://form.jotform.com/232148382532050

Please CLICK HERE for the Cranford School District Social Emotional Learning Calendar for the 2024-2025 School Year

Registration is currently open for Spring Lacrosse with the Cranford Lacrosse Club!

Teams are currently forming now for Grades 1st-8th grade for Boys and Girls.

Registration closes on December 31st and spaces are limited so don't delay!

Register here: https://cranfordlacrosse.sportngin.com/register/form/804994711

Kathy Cannarozzi, the director of the Cranford Public Library, has shared a survey with our community as part of the new strategic plan that is being developed.

Please take time to complete the survey - CLICK HERE - to help the Cranford Public Library understand the needs of the community.

Email: mcnally@cranfordschools.org
Website: http://was.cranfordschools.org/
Location: 370 Walnut Avenue, Cranford, NJ, USA
Phone: (908) 709 - 6253