Dear Loker School Community,
I hope that you had a nice long weekend! I wanted to do a shout-out to our Boston-resident scholars for their impressive and inspiring performances yesterday at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Lunch!
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We had another great School Meeting this past Thursday! I wanted to share our Team PRIDE performance on preserving paper and our environment along with a read aloud from the book, Just Help, by Sonia Sotomayor regarding our collective responsibility to help one another within a community.
With the newly fallen snow, please have your children bring the "Big 5" (jacket, snow pants, hat, gloves and boots) to school so that they can stay warm and dry at recess. The "Big 5" is required if children want to play out in the field with the snow beyond the pavement, swings and playgrounds.
Lastly, our district continues to do a lot of future planning including our Portrait of a Learner work. We would love for families to have a meaningful role in this process. Please see the following message below from Superintendent Fleishman:
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Our Pre-K-8 Facilities Planning work is progressing, and we expect to have a menu of options to present to the School Committee and community. Community engagement is a critical part of this process, and we were fortunate to have a broad range of community members at our visioning sessions. As we proceed, we plan to have a community engagement meeting to gather feedback on the proposed options related to school size, grade configuration and other school structures. This meeting will be held on March 4th, and more information will be forthcoming.
As we ponder the future of education in Wayland, AI and future technological advances that we are not yet aware of will likely have a major impact on the futures of our students. As a result, we think it is an opportune time to engage in a district and community-wide Portrait(s) of a Learner exercise to determine the most important skills, knowledge, and experiences students need for learning and success beyond school. We hope that it will help us sharpen our focus around what students most need and provide a blueprint for our strategy to prepare them for the changing realities of the world.
The Portrait(s) of a Learner work will begin right after the start of the New Year and will include a range of steps, including focus groups for students, recent graduates, and parents/caregivers. The process will also include a Big Group Visioning Series.
Parent and Caregiver Focus Group
Thursday, January 22nd, 7:00 pm Virtual
Parents and caregivers will share insights about student growth, challenges, and the experiences that matter most across K-12. We’ll explore what skills and mindsets students need today and what supports truly make a difference. This feedback will guide the development of Portrait(s) traits and learner profiles. If you are interested please fill out this Google form.
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Have an excellent week!
Sincerely,
Brian
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6:00 - 6:30pm- Student Participant Set Up
6:30 - 7:30pm - Science Fair and STEAM activities/demonstrations
There are two ways students can be involved:
- Students can present their own STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) project to share with their classmates.
- All students and families are invited to enjoy STEAM activities and demonstrations and explore their fellow student’s projects
Sign up to present a project here! Register by Tuesday, January 20th- TODAY!
Project Guidance
- Students can share an Experiment/Demonstration, Invention or Report: How to Participate
- Check out this video for examples of other students' past projects.
- Consider checking out the Loker Library and Wayland Public Library for resources regarding science experiments and other books to research a topic that inspires you!
- Additional STEAM Resources
Things to keep in mind:
- This is supposed to be FUN! Have your child select the project - one that excites them enough that they’ll want to spend time working on it!
- Students can partner with other K-5 siblings or friends (team max=3)
- Kids do not need to create
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The tradition continues with our 12th Annual Talent Show! The Talent Show will continue to be a hybrid model show where students can either perform live on stage in the Loker gymnasium or send in a video that will be shown on the big screen in the Loker gymnasium. We plan to do live performances from approximately 5:45pm-6:45pm and then show the virtual performances from 6:45pm-7:45pm on February 11th. Performances can include, but are not limited to, singing, dancing, gymnastics, athletics, instrumental music, art work and comedy. Creative performances in non-traditional Talent Show areas such as cooking are more than welcome for virtual acts!
For Live Performances: Auditions for the talent show will take place on Tuesday, January 27th from 2:30pm-3:15pm and Wednesday, January 28th from 1:20pm-2:05pm in the Loker School Theater. At the end of the auditions, students should be picked up at the front of the school at 3:15pm on the 27th or 2:05pm on the 28th. If your child attends BASE or another after school class in the building, they will return to BASE or that class at the end of the audition day. Please note that in order to participate in a live Talent Show performance, your child must attend one of the audition days. Please identify your audition day preference in the registration link. Students who are interested in auditioning must make sure that their act meets the criteria listed below.
For Virtual Performances: There are no auditions for virtual performances as they will be reviewed when they are submitted. Between now and Wednesday, January 28th, students can record a video of them demonstrating their talent and send it to me at Brian_Jones@waylandps.org. The videos can be sent as an attachment or through google drive, ideally in a .mp4 format. I will then create the video for the virtual performances. Our criteria for each performance is below.
Criteria for Performance:
* All acts must be appropriate for grades K-5
* All acts must be 1 minute and 15 seconds or under
* No lip synching
* Appropriate costumes for school
* Appropriate music for children under age 11
ART PROJECTS
Friday, February 7th
The Loker Art Gallery will again be featured at the Talent Show for students who want to share their artistic talent. Creations should be turned into the main office by Friday, February 7th for mounting.
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Tuesday, January 27 at 12pm
We're getting ready to start planning for The World's Fair 2026 and welcome anyone interested to join the team! Please reach out to lokerschoolPTO@gmail.com if you're interested.
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All library classes heard about the annual Bookmark Contest in their library classes last week. Loker students are invited to create a bookmark that reflects this year's theme - "Something for Everyone in the Library".
Bookmarks must be created on the "official" form which is available in the library. The form is also included here.
Bookmarks must be returned to the library no later than Thursday, January 29, in order to be considered. No late entries will be accepted.
Any questions about the contest can be directed to Ms. Powell.
Happy creating!
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Traditional Kindergarten 2026-2027
Wayland residents with children who will be 5 years of age as of August 31, 2026 are eligible to enroll in Wayland Public Schools Kindergarten for the Fall of 2026.
A Kindergarten Information Meeting (virtual) took place on January 6, 2026, and provided parents and caregivers an overview of the Kindergarten programs offered for the 2026-2027 school year. A recording of that meeting and the presentation used may be found on the Kindergarten Registration website.
Spanish Immersion Kindergarten 2026-2027
For those interested in the Spanish Immersion Kindergarten program, a parent/caregiver information meeting (virtual) will take place on January 20, 2026 from 7:00-7:45 PM. Zoom link, Meeting ID: 232 469 1198
Note: Attendance at this Spanish Immersion Information meeting is required if you are interested in your child(ren) participating in the Spanish Immersion Kindergarten lottery in February 2026.
Upcoming Dates:
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January 20, 2026: Spanish Immersion Information meeting
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February 2, 2026: Kindergarten 2026-2027 Pre-Registration opens
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Mid-February 2026: Spanish Immersion Kindergarten lottery (parents/caregivers notified late February)
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Late-April 2026: Elementary school assignments emailed to families & Kindergarten Registration opens (online via PowerSchool)
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Please help your children be properly dressed for the cold weather! Weather permitting, we go outside EVERY day at Loker School. Please be sure to send your children to school with the Big 5:
1. Winter jacket
2. Snow pants (waterproof)
3. Boots
4. Hat
5. Mittens/gloves. (waterproof)
If there is snow on the ground, students who are not properly dressed will be asked to stay off of the fields and play structure areas. Thank you for your support with this. Children have more fun and learn better when they are comfortable!
Please be sure to label ALL clothing.
Please pack a seasonally appropriate full change of clothes in backpacks.
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Donation bin in the Loker Lobby
The Loker School Community is coming together to help families in our area who could be directly impacted by disrupted SNAP benefits. Please consider donating non-perishable food items such as peanut butter, soups, pasta & spaghetti sauce, cereals, boxed & canned meals and personal care items. (Please check expiration dates.)
All donations will be brought to My Brother's Table- a Wayland based Food Pantry who distribute items to residents regardless of need. If we work together we can make a difference!
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WE USE PICK UP PATROL FOR ALL ATTENDANCE & DISMISSAL EVENTS
If your child is going to be absent, tardy or has a dismissal change please be sure to update PickUp Patrol accordingly. New this year: MIDDAY PLAN CHANGES. This new field has Late Arrivals, Leave & Return as well as Early Dismissal options. You can enter information any time - no need to wait until the day of absence, tardy or change. Download the website to your phone home page for added ease. If you still need help, contact the Loker office at (508) 358-8601 or PickUp Patrol at support@pickuppatrol.net. We are happy to help! |
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JANUARY
Wednesday, January 21st
- Talent Show Registration Closes
Thursday, January 22nd
- Loker STEAM Night & Science Fair 6:00pm-7:30pm
Friday, January 23rd
- 2nd Grade Open House 7:15am-7:45am
Wednesday, January 28th
- Virtual Talent Show Submissions Due
Thursday, January 29th
- Loker School Meeting 8:20am-8:45am
FEBRUARY
- Wednesday, February 4th
- Talent Show Art Gallery Submissions Due
Wednesday, February 11th
- Loker School Talent Show! 5:45pm-7:45pm
Thursday, February 12th
- Loker School Meeting 8:20am-8:45am
Monday, February 16th- Friday February 20th
- No School- February Break
Wednesday, February 25th
- Super Early Release Wednesday - 11:30am dismissal
The remaining Super Early Release Wednesdays for WPS Professional Development for the 2025-26 school year will take place on February 25th & April 29th. Grab & Go lunches will be available.
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Brian Jones
Loker School Principal
Cristina Sandza-Donovan
Loker School Vice Principal
Cathleen Holmes
Administrative Assistant
Main Office Phone: 508-358-8601
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