Dear Happy Hollow Families,

We are sharing our communication a day early as there is no school tomorrow in observance of Good Friday. 

As we welcomed spring at Happy Hollow this week, we also began looking forward to end of year celebrations and preparing  for next school year. One of the things we do as a staff this time of year is begin the process of creating balanced class lists for next year. 

In early May, Happy Hollow Staff will begin an enormous task that we take very seriously. Classroom teachers will meet with specialists, school counselors and special education teachers for the purpose of creating well-balanced heterogeneous student groupings, which will reflect diverse talents, interests and needs. The staff will also address factors such as gender, social and academic strengths, special needs and friendships - not necessarily “best friends” but students who have positive working relationships in school. 

The final step in the process happens when the lists or groupings arrive at my desk. At that point, I will sit down with Donna Krikorian, Debbie Dixson (special education administrator at Happy Hollow) and the school counselors for a final look. After that, I will assign a teacher to each group.

Because class placements work like a jigsaw puzzle, and all requests make movement from one group to the next challenging, we cannot make any guarantees that your requests will be granted. We do the very best that we can, however, given the restrictions of keeping the classes balanced while listening to many of your requests.

I hope this description helps you to understand the method of placement and why requests for individual teachers and requests to place friends together are not and cannot be honored. Our whole team works diligently to determine the best grouping, advocating for your child’s academic and social needs. If you have requests that pertain to the following circumstances, please contact me. 

• Request that your child not be placed with a specific child due to personal experience and impact on your child’s learning. (A list of children will not be considered.)

• Concerns about placement with a teacher due to your close relationship with that teacher or if you would like a different experience, due to having an older sibling in a classroom in a prior year. 

All requests must be sent via email to Nicolette_Foundas@waylandps.org no later than Friday, April 17, 2024 in order to be considered in the placement process. Please know that although we will work hard to honor your request, we cannot make any guarantees. Teacher assignments for the 2026-2027 school year:  

                        

Kindergarten (two sections)

Ms. Deb Russo

TBD

Ms. Horgan is retiring 

GRADE 1- (two sections)

Ms. Heather Russo

Ms. Susan Cherwinski 

Ms. Lise Weig is retiring 

GRADE 2 (three sections)

Ms. Trang Aronian 

Ms. Fiona Reardon

Ms. Deborah Dowd

GRADE 3 (three sections)

Ms. May Moynihan 

Ms. Allison Cohen 

   Ms. Kori Rogers 

GRADE 4 (two sections)

 Ms. Timber Pech 

Ms. Theresa Gray

GRADE 5 (three sections)

Ms. Alyssa Leo

Ms. Jaclyn Mattson

Ms. Tanya Ekmekji

During the next few months, we will celebrate the year’s journey and the many successes of all our students in many exciting  ways. It is extremely important to remember that, while we may be coordinating next year’s planning with you, your children and their teachers are still focused on this school year. There remains a significant amount of academic and social learning that your children will experience before the last day of school. We want students to finish the year on a strong note, one that will make their transition to next year as smooth as possible. We appreciate your partnership in this endeavor, and as always, please let me know if you have questions or if I can help you in any way.

Additionally, in my most recent communication I shared our excitement for welcoming our town's integrated preschool into Happy Hollow for the 26-27 school year. I recognize that caregivers have some wonderings which we can discuss at an upcoming PTO coffee or individually. In the meantime, you can add your questions to this form or schedule a time that is convenient for you to meet with me. 

I also wanted to share with you a joint letter of communication with our Health Office.

Health Office Update 
We would like to provide clarification regarding recent updates to the federal childhood immunization schedule. You may have seen recent reports indicating that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had modified its universal recommendations for several childhood vaccines.

There are currently no changes to the state-mandated vaccinations required to attend school in Massachusetts. In the United States, school immunization requirements are determined at the state and local level, not by the federal government. Students in Massachusetts must continue to provide documentation of required immunizations (unless a valid medical or religious exemption is on file). Wayland Public Schools remains committed to ensuring the health and safety of our students, staff, and community. We align our policies with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which continue to recommend a full range of vaccines to protect children from preventable diseases.

We encourage parents and caregivers to discuss their child’s immunization status with their pediatrician during their annual physical exam to ensure they are fully protected and in compliance with Massachusetts law.

Parents and caregivers who have questions regarding their child’s specific records or the state requirements may contact your school nurse.

For more information about school immunization requirements, please visit the Mass.gov School Immunizations page.

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our schools healthy and safe.--
Christopher Hofmann, RN, BSN and Nicolette A. Foundas, Happy Hollow Principal

Enjoy your weekend, and do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Respectfully,

Nicolette A. Foundas, Happy Hollow Elementary School Principal

WEDNESDAY 4/8 - FRIDAY 4/10- We need volunteers!
INFO Location: EL Room (at the end of the hallway near the cafeteria).
Time: Families can join their child at the book fair during their class’s scheduled visit time. Visitors must be CORI’d at least 2 days ahead of time. We will also be open thirty minutes before and after the talent show on Friday night!
How to Pay: Books can be paid by cash, card or eWallet. Note: unspent eWallet funds from previous fairs don’t automatically rollover- read these instructions to learn how to transfer past eWallet balances to a new fair. We don't want any student to miss out on the joy of a new book- for a book scholarship, speak to your teacher or Ms. Foundas.Volunteer: Help your child’s class shop during their class visit! Sign up to volunteer here: https://tinyurl.com/hhbfhelp

Teacher Wish Lists: Teachers will also have book wish lists at the fair- consider donating to your classroom library! CLASS SCHEDULE
Wednesday April 8th 8:50-9:20 Ekmekji (Gr. 5)10:10-10:40 Cherwinski (Gr. 1)10:50-11:20 Pech (Gr. 4)11:30-12:00 Mattson (Gr. 5)12:10-12:40 Leo (Gr. 5)

Thursday April 9th 9:05-9:35 Weig (Gr. 1) 10:10-10:40 Cohen (Gr. 3) 11:30-12:00 Rogers (Gr. 4) 12:10-12:40 H. Russo (Gr. 1) 12:50-1:20 Dowd (Gr. 2) 1:30-2:00 Aronion (Gr. 2)

Friday April 10th 1 0:00-10:30 Horgan (K)  10:50-11:20 Moynihan/Fay (Gr. 3) 11:30-12:00 Gray/Aherne (Gr. 4)12:30-1:00 Reardon (Gr. 2)1:10-1:40 D. Russo (K)
The fair is also open 30 minutes before and after the Talent Show on Friday night!

Is your child missing anything? The lost and found is overflowing. Please check it out when you are at Happy Hollow for a conference, to volunteer, attend the book fair, or the talent show!

If your child(ren) will be absent, tardy, or have a dismissal change please Fill out Pick Up Patrol accordingly, any time of day or night. You can enter this information as soon as you know it and don't need to wait until the date of the absence, tardy (or change).
Our safe arrival program was established to ensure that every child is accounted for at the start of each day. If a child is unaccounted for, the office staff follow the process below until the child is located:1) recheck the child's classroom2) contact parents/guardians at all phone numbers on file with an automated call system3) call emergency contacts4) contact police for a wellness check
(The Link to pick up patrol can also be found on our school website)

Your parents have taught you that it is impolite to not hold the door for another person. As awkward as it may feel, according to the police protocol we ask that you do not hold the door open for anyone coming into our building behind you or as you leave our school (even students). In fact, we ask that you remind anyone trying to piggy back into the building that they please buzz in for their own personal greeting. Please make sure that the door closes tightly behind you. There are red octagonal signs by our front door reminding visitors of this request. I know how hard this is to do and goes against your natural instinct, but please know that we will kindly explain it to the other party and we do notice and appreciate your vigilance in keeping our children safe.

A CORI IS REQURED FOR EVERYONE
Anyone who walks the halls of our building must be CORIed or escorted. This means that everyone who visits their child's classroom, volunteers in the building, visits the book fair/field day or attends field trips must be CORIed.
- CORIs completed with other town departments are NOT transferable to the schools.- We cannot allow you into our building without a valid Wayland Public Schools CORI on file
To complete a CORI application please present in person at any Wayland Public School Office (or central office) with valid government issued photo identification