Pentucket Lake's May Newsletter
Pentucket Lake School May 2026 Newsletter
Marvelous May has come to Pentucket Lake!
Hello families of Pentucket Lake!
May has arrived, bringing warmer weather, blooming flowers, and a renewed sense of energy throughout our school! This is an exciting time of year as teachers and students prepare for the final stretch of the school year.
Like last month, May is another very busy month. Please see below for information on what’s going on around Pentucket Lake.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support—we look forward to a joyful and productive month ahead!
Mr. Brennan, Principal
THIS MONTH’S
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The Spring Concert featuring our kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students is Friday, May 8. Families of the students are invited to join us. The show will begin around 9:30, with doors opening at about 9:15.
The Adaptive Music Concert will also be on Friday, May 8th. Show time for this performance will be at 2:00. Families will be invited to join us at 1:45.
Please click the link to view the Spring Concert flier or the Adaptive Music Concert flier.
MCAS Testing Continues this Month
Pentucket Lake’s 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students will continue working through the MCAS Assessments this month. Last month, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades completed two sessions of their English Language Arts MCAS. And last week, they completed the first session of the Mathematics MCAS.
Next week, they will complete Session 2 of their Math assessment. And then the following week, 5th grade will work through two sessions of the Science, Technology, and Engineering MCAS.
Please help your child be prepared for Test Day by:
Getting a good night’s sleep ahead of test day. Who doesn’t function better on a good night’s sleep?!
Have a good, healthy breakfast on test day. Pentucket Lake will of course supply breakfasts to all the students at school free of charge. But isn’t it nice to start your day with a delicious homemade breakfast?!
Please be sure to get to school on time. School starts at 9:00 each day. You don’t want to add to your child’s anxiety level by getting them to school late.
View the MCAS schedule below by clicking on the box.
Why do we MCAS?
Even though the MCAS is no longer a graduation requirement for High School, it is still important for students to work hard and do their best on the MCAS.
For elementary schools, the MCAS is crucial for identifying student proficiency in core subjects, guiding instruction to address learning gaps early, and measuring school accountability. These tests ensure students are mastering essential 21st-century skills and provide us with data that we use to provide necessary supports in order to ensure our students’ long-term academic success.
The MCAS acts as a diagnostic tool, allowing teachers and parents to see where students are succeeding and where they need extra help in reading, writing, science, and mathematics.
Guides Instruction: Results help schools understand if their curriculum is effective, allowing them to adjust instruction and provide targeted interventions for students.
Measures Essential Skills: The "next-generation" MCAS measures critical thinking, knowledge application, and writing, which are vital for future academic performance.
Ensures Academic Standards: It ensures that all students across the Commonwealth are being taught to the same high standards, ensuring proficiency in essential areas.
School Accountability: The data helps the state identify schools that need additional support and resources.
While not the only measure of a child's ability, early success on the MCAS helps set a solid foundation for future academic progress.
We will celebrate and promote high-level effort with the students at school leading up to their assessments. We ask that you do the same at home when talking about the MCAS.
Learn Sports - Haverhill Recreation
Haverhill Recreation is offering programs for children 4 years old to 10 years old to learn how to play soccer and baseball. The program runs on Sundays and is held at Pentucket Lake - so easy! Click here to view the flier for more information.
Field Days at Pentucket Lake - Volunteers?!
Pentucket Lake’s Field Days are on the calendar! This is always a fun event for everyone at Pentucket Lake.
Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades will have Field Day on Tuesday, May 26.
3rd, 4th, and 5th grades will enjoy Field Day on Wednesday, May 27.
On these days, please send your child to school with a portable water bottle and in clothing that is good for outdoor activities.
We need volunteers to help with the activity stations! If you are interested in helping out with one or both field days, you will need to have an active CORI on file with Haverhill Public Schools. Please come to the Main Office at PenLake to fill out a CORI form; please bring a picture ID with you.
For more information on volunteering for Field Day, please contact Mr. Craig Barnard, Pentucket Lake’s Physical Education teacher: craig.barnard@haverhill-ps.org.
Pentucket Lake’s Lion Cart
You have probably seen the little Lion Cash bills in your child’s pockets or backpack. Those are a part of the Pentucket Lake’s Positive Behavior Incentive program! As children do positive things around the school or in their classroom, they might be awarded with Lion Cash. Students are encouraged to save their Lion Cash so they can ‘buy’ a ticket to participate in events like Arts & Crafts, soccer games, or crochet. Or they can save their Lion Cash to purchase items from the Lion Cart, which is full of wonderful toys and other items!
Seat Belts for Students at Parent Pick Up
Student safety is always our top priority, and we appreciate your help in keeping everyone safe during dismissal. We’ve noticed that when some families pull away from Parent Pick Up, the children are not properly secured.
Massachusetts law requires that children under age 8 or under 57 inches tall ride in an approved car seat or booster, and all children must be properly buckled with a seat belt.
We kindly ask families to take a quick moment to check that every child is safely buckled before driving away. Thank you for your partnership in keeping our students safe!
Lost & Found at Pentucket Lake
Please encourage your child to look for lost items in the Lost and Found. There are so many nice coats, sweatshirts, hats, gloves, and lunch boxes sitting in the school’s lost and found - all items that families have paid good money for. Please encourage your child to explore the lost and found for items they may have left behind at some point this winter.
How to know what is Going on at Pentucket Lake - Parent Square and Remind apps
Frequently throughout the school year, the Main Office and your child’s teacher will send important information about things going on at Pentucket Lake or in the classroom. Haverhill Public Schools uses apps called Parent Square and Remind as their primary communication tools. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to sign up. Your child has a lot of great things going on around the classroom, and there are great things going on around PenLake! Being signed up for Parent Square and Remind is a great way to make sure you don’t miss out on anything.
Click here to go to the Parent Square sign up webpage.
Click here to go to the Remind app sign up webpage
No 5th grade next year at Pentucket Lake
For the last 4 years, Pentucket Lake School has had two 5th grade classrooms. Prior to that, all the children who completed 4th grade at PenLake moved to JG Whittier Middle School for 5th grade and beyond. We returning to that model next year.
Beginning next school year, PenLake’s 4th graders will be moving on to Whittier Middle School for 5th grade. As we get closer to the end of the school year, our 4th grade families will begin receiving information on the exciting transition to middle school.
Chromebook Damage Waiver
HPS offers the opportunity to protect school-issued devices for the school year by paying a Device Waiver Fee. As outlined in the HPS Student Technology Device Policy, this $20 fee will help to cover the costs of potential damage, repair, or loss for the school year for the assigned device. Please note: issues of theft should still be reported to the police. The $20 covers 1 student for 1 school year. So families with more than one student will have to sign each student up separately. Some of the replacement costs are as follows:
Charger - $39 LCD Screen - $80
Top/Bottom Cover - $30-$35 Keyboard $70
Device Replacement Costs (when Chromebook is unrepairable) $199
Please take a look at the flyers for more information:
Green Flag means Indoor Recess in the Morning
I wanted to remind families that we post a green flag to the pillar in front of the school to show everyone that we have indoor recess that morning. When the flag is on the pillar, students should enter the building directly through the front doors. They should not go out back like they do during good weather.
Please remind your child to look for the green flag each morning.
It is also worth mentioning that we try and get the students outside as often as possible. Please dress your children appropriately for the weather. Unless it is raining or the air temperature is in the single digits, or if the piles of snow are too much of an attractive nuisance, we get the students outside for fresh air and exercise. And please, put your child’s name on their belongings so misplaced items can be easily returned. Our lost and found is already full of so many items that families have spent good money on…
Good School Attendance
Coming to school each day is one of the easiest indicators to look at to know whether a child will succeed in school or struggle. As a parent and a teacher, I have seen the look on children’s faces when they are lost, when they don’t understand a classroom lesson. The confusion and disappointment is disheartening. No parent likes to see that face. And no child likes that feeling.
It is especially sad when the lack of understanding is because a child has missed a lot of school. Yes, sometimes it is difficult to get a child to cooperate enough to go to school, but no one ever said parenting was easy! Pentucket Lake School is going to work diligently this school year to help families get their children to school regularly.
“Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. This relationship between attendance and achievement may appear early in a child's school career.” National Center for Education Statistics
Important Dates to Remember
Please make sure to add these important dates to your calendar.
Tuesday, May 5 - 5th Grade Mathematics MCAS Session 2
Wednesday, May 6 - 4th Grade Mathematics MCAS Session 2
Thursday, May 7 - 3rd Grade Mathematics MCAS Session 2
Friday, May 8 - Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades Spring Concert at 9:30
Friday, May 8 - Adaptive Concert at 2:00
Tuesday, May 12 - 5th Grade STE MCAS Session 1
Wednesday, May 13 - Early Release Day; dismissal begins around 11:35
Thursday, May 14 - 5th Grade STE MCAS Session 2
Monday, May 25 - No School, Memorial Day Holiday
Tuesday, May 26 - Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd Grades Field Day
Wednesday, May 27 - 3rd, 4th, 5th Grades Field Day
Click here to view the calendar for the entire school year
Haverhill Public Schools Handbook 2025 - 2026
Please click here to access the Prek-8th grade Handbook for the school year. It is available in five different languages.
Pentucket Lake School Information Sheet
Please click here to read up on some key information regarding our school, including morning arrival and dismissal and policies.
Pentucket Lake School
250 Concord Street
Haverhill, Massachusetts 01830
(978) 374-2421
James Brennan, Principal