Principal’s Blog: 2025
Suzanne MacDougall
March, 2025
Dear Walnut Ridge Families,
Thank you for reviewing the blog for upcoming events, updates, and reminders that are posted here each month. Please check throughout the month for any updates as well. A reminder of weekly events for the upcoming week (and sometimes beyond) will be shared each Friday via email and text.
Dates to Remember:
Week of March 17: Student Book Swap: bring in a gently used book for your child to swap with a “new” book.
March 19: Preschool Open House 5:30-7:00--feel free to stop by!
March 24: Early Childhood Advisory Council Meeting #1
*Meeting minutes from this school and community organization collaboration will be shared. See information below in this blog.
March 31-April 8: DIAL 4 at Walnut Ridge for current preschool students who will be in kindergarten in September. (keep reading for more information)
April 5: ESCA Tricky Tray
April 18-27: Spring Break
April 28-May 1: CAP Program--New Dates (keep reading for more information)
May 5-7: Spring Parent Teacher Conferences (we will be reaching out to schedule soon)
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Preschool Events and Happenings:
February was kindness month--and it is continuing into March. Our Bucket Filling initiative was a hit! This month, Mrs. Polhemus will continue to fill our buckets by going into classrooms to read another bucket filling story and do a classroom activity. Check out these preschool classes showing off their kindness:
Walnut Ridge Students had fun during Read Across America Spirit Week, March 3-7. Check out these smiling faces that were caught during this fun week:
Mrs. Demsak’s class had fun Favorite Book Character Day, Hat Day, and Oh The Places We Will Go Day (Dress as what you want to be when you grow up!):
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Check out Mrs. Pecca’s class having fun on Wacky Wednesday and Oh The Places We Will Go Day (Dress as what you want to be when you grow up!):
During the Month of March, many classes had Guest Readers to Celebrate our LOVE for Reading! Thank you to all who came in and are still scheduled to come read. We all love visitors at Walnut Ridge!
St. Patrick’s Day Fun at Walnut Ridge:
No luck with catching a leprechaun-but he certainly made a mess in Ms. Chupka’s classroom!
March 12th: Walnut Ridge Preschool hosted a Virtual Lunch and Learn. The topic : Tools of the Mind Curriculum for Parents. Click on this link to see the presentation.
March 24th: We will be having our first Early Childhood Advisory Council meeting that is composed of a variety of community organizations, several parents, and school-based stakeholders. The purpose of this council is to assess the needs of preschool families and then work together to provide events, workshops, and resources to promote the highest quality preschool program that will prepare students and families for success as children begin their school experience. This council will meet four times a year and meeting notes will be shared with all families after each meeting. In addition, please be on the lookout for a survey that will be shared to gather input from all preschool families in April.
March 31 - April 8: Students who are moving up to kindergarten will participate in the DIAL 4 Kindergarten screening. This screening is done for each incoming Kindergarten student, and we are fortunate to be able to do this at Walnut Ridge during the school day. Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you would like to know when your rising Kindergartener is scheduled.
April 28-May 1: The New Jersey Child Assault Prevention (NJCAP) program has been rescheduled for these days. Each class will participate in two 35-minute sessions. Click here for this letter with general program information. If you previously opted for your child not to participate in this program, we have that noted and your child will not attend the program. Please reach out to Sherry Polhemus at spolhemus@vstd.com if you have any questions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Nurse News:
Please see Ms. Kim’s March Newsletter for important information from the Walnut Ridge Health Office. Click HERE.
Health Office Reminder: Since many of you are new to the school district, the district protocol is as follows: if your child has diarrhea, vomiting or a fever - there is the 24 hour rule. This means that your child must be diarrhea, vomiting or fever (without the use of medication) free for 24 hours before returning to school. Thank you for your understanding and adherence to this protocol. It truly helps in keeping students healthy!
Please see this Healthy Kids Club Newsletter for some healthy habits, snacks, and activities you can do at home.
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Important Reminders:
Please review emergency contact information listed in Genesis to ensure that there is another person to call in case we cannot reach you. There is also a box to check in Genesis if the emergency contact can pick up your child. This needs to be indicated in order to release your child to someone else other than a listed guardian. For temporary pick up changes, please continue to indicate that in Genesis when you note there is a change in how your child goes home.
Attendance: We understand that sometimes children need to stay home due to illness or family emergencies, and we completely support that. However, whenever possible, we encourage regular attendance, as it plays a key role in your child’s academic growth and helps them develop important skills for the future. Establishing good attendance habits in preschool sets a strong foundation for lifelong learning and success! Please do not hesitate to reach out to the school with any special circumstances. We will assist in any way we can. You may get a “check-in” call from Mrs. Polhemus if your child is out frequently.
Please label your child’s lunch box, backpack, and outdoor clothing items--writing your child’s name on the inside will help. At times, one of these items is left on the bus, and this will help us get it back to your child quickly.
Our classrooms are Peanut/Tree Nut Responsible. To ensure the safety of all students, please send a pre-packaged snack or a snack with a clearly labeled list of ingredients for your child. Snacks must not contain peanuts or tree nuts. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe environment!
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Reminder for student pick up:
Student Drop Off/Arrival: 9:25AM
Student Pick Up: by 3:20PM students will be in the all purpose room and calling for parent pick up begins
Big Buses: 9:25 arrival; 3:25 Departure
**We kindly ask parents to avoid picking up their child early unless it is absolutely necessary. Early pickups can shorten student learning time and disrupt the classroom’s end-of-day routine, which includes packing up, lining up, and transitioning to the all-purpose room. Please keep in mind that most classrooms have only one aide, and maintaining consistency is important for a smooth dismissal process.
Unlike many schools, our preschool students are personally walked down to their parents at the end of the day, ensuring a safe and secure handoff. Your cooperation helps us provide the best experience for all children. Thank you for your understanding and support!**
Thank you for logging into the Genesis system if you are picking your child up instead of him/her taking the bus AND/OR someone else is picking your child up. For a step-by-step guide, watch this instructional video. After 12:00pm, please call the main office: 973-764-2801
Breakfast/Lunch Updates and Reminders:
All students who would like to have a school breakfast or lunch must use the google form to order each day. The google order forms are updated monthly and can be found on the WRPS webpage--scroll down just under the picture of the school and you will see a row of links. Parents can order for a month,week, or day week at a time. Please note, orders must be received by 8:00am.
If your child is absent, please email abarnable@vtsd.com so you don’t get charged for your child’s meal.
If you are interested in checking to see if you are eligible for free or reduced lunch, forms can be found on Genesis. If you would more information please reach out to Sherry Polhemus at spolhemus@vtsd.com or 973-764-6570
To sign up for purchasing lunch, go to mymealtime.com to set up and account and/or manage account funds.
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Preschool and Kindergarten Registration:
PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION WILL BE OPEN ON MARCH 3-31 for NEW STUDENTS
NEW REGISTRANTS: A survey will be sent via email in APRIL for you to let us know your school preference.
Preschool: All current students who are preschool age (meaning NOT 5 by October 1) will automatically be enrolled in the preschool with their same teacher. There is nothing parents need to do. Please reach out if you have any questions-email Suzanne MacDougall, Principal at smacdougall@vtsd.com or call 973-764-2801.
Kindergarten: Current preschool students going to Kindergarten will automatically be moved up to Kindergarten. No registration necessary. Please stay tuned for information on Kindergarten orientation and parent information sessions.
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SCA News:
To learn more about Vernon’s School and Community Association (SCA) please visit their website to explore all of the wonderful things they do. Click HERE
The Vernon Township School District's SCA is looking for sponsors and donors for their upcoming Senior Citizen Appreciation Event and Lucky Night Out Tricky Tray. Please click on the links below for more information.
SCA Senior Citizen Event Flyer
SCA Lucky Night Out Tricky Tray Flyer
See this link for details: Tricky Tray Link
Walnut Ridge is collecting donations for three themed baskets for this event: Gardening, Pasta Night, and Family Fun.
Thank you for supporting a great cause and making this year’s Lucky Night Out a huge success!
The SCA is seeking Senior Scholarship Reading Committee volunteers. Please email vernon.esca@gmail.com if you are interested.
Please complete this brief interest survey or attend the meeting below:
Walnut Ridge SCA Interest Survey
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Community Events and Information:
The Growing Stage
The Growing Stage, a non-profit children's theater program, will be performing "Her Beautiful Sound" from March 28th - April 6th. Please click on the link below for ticket information.
Family Promise of Sussex County Newsletter
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Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the month. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions—we’re here to help!
Sincerely,
Suzanne MacDougall