
Fisher Family Update
April 26, 2024

Dear Fisher Families,
We hope you all enjoyed the vacation. It was great to see our students again and get back to work this week! We all returned rested and ready to give our best effort as we head down the homestretch. The end of the school year is fast approaching, and there is still a lot of important learning to accomplish before summer. The teachers and I want to remind each student to give their best effort and encourage them to make every day count. Whether it's in the classroom, at specials, lunch or recess, let's make the most of our time together. Finish strong!
Please be sure to read through this edition of the Fisher Family Update and check the backpack for upcoming dates, meetings and events.
Enjoy the weekend,
Brian
Upcoming Dates and Events
April
30 - Grade 5 Math MCAS Session 1
May
1 - Grade 5 Math MCAS Session 2
2 - Grade 4 Math MCAS Session 1
3 - Grade 4 Math MCAS Session 2
7 - Grade 3 Math MCAS Session 1
8 - Grade 3 Math MCAS Session 2
9 - Grade 5 Science MCAS Session 1
9 - Incoming Kindergarten parent orientation
10 - Grade 5 Science MCAS Session 2
14 - Kindergarten concert, 9:15AM
14 - Gr. 1 concert, 10AM
15 - Fisher PAC Meeting 7pm
17 - Early Release - Fisher Dismissal at 12:25pm
17 - Gr. 4 concert, 9:15
17 - Gr. 5 concert, 10AM
21 - Gr. 2 concert, 9:15AM
21 - Gr. 3 concert, 10AM
24 - School Wide Enrichment - World of Rope Jumping
27 - NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day
30 - Kindergarten screenings
31 - Kindergarten screenings
June
4 - District Wide Grade 5 Field Day
7 - Fisher School Field Day
12 - 5th Grade "Moving On" ceremony, 9AM
13 - Last Day of School
K-5 Literacy Curriculum Feedback
As part of our curriculum review process, Walpole Public Schools is actively evaluating our current and prospective K-5 Literacy Curriculum programs. Part of this process is gathering feedback from parents and caregivers about our current K-5 Literacy curriculum and instruction. Please take a few moments to complete this form to provide us with your insight as part of our curriculum review process. The form will close on May 10th.
WPS Summer Learning Program
Summer Learning Program enrollment form is now open to families. The form in the link below is to enroll your current K-5 student(s) in the program. Please note: you will need to complete a separate form for each child you are enrolling. Be sure to pay attention when entering your student’s grade level and school. All enrollment forms must be completed by Tuesday, May 29th. Due to high demand and limited staffing, some grades and sessions may be limited on a first come first serve basis. As always, if there are any questions please do not hesitate to contact us by using the email provided below.
2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form
Thank you,
Jill Masterson
WPS Summer Learning Program Coordinator
summerlearning@walpole.k12.ma.us
Translated Enrollment Forms:
2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Arabic)
2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Mandarin)
2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Creole-Haitian)
2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Nepali)
2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Portuguese)
2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Russian)
2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Chinese)
2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Spanish)
2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Ukrainian)
2024-2025 Class Placement
Placement is a school responsibility which we take very seriously. Parents frequently acknowledge how well our teachers know their children. In addition to the classroom teacher’s knowledge, there may be information that you feel would be helpful for us to know. Please note that written input is optional and you do not need to fill out the form in order to have your child’s needs considered. If you choose to send us parent input, we ask that you use the Parent Placement Information Form and complete it no later than Friday, May 3rd. We view placement as an extremely important task, and afford it significant time and reflection.
Click HERE to view the entire email/letter that was sent to families on Monday, April 1st.
Teacher/Staff Appreciation week
Staff appreciation week is a little over a week away. Please sign up to contribute on one of the signups below. One is for gifts and stocking the teacher lounge and the other is for "Snacks Around the World", we're doing a world theme.
Fisher School Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week:
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/30E0E45AEAD2CA6FC1-49249821-2024
Snacks Around the World:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080448A8AE28A4FA7-49324270-teacher#/
FISHER'S 2024 Spring performances
These will be 20 minute performances in the Auditorium
Tuesday May 14
9:15 AM Kindergarten
10:00 AM Grade 1
Friday May 17
9:15 AM Grade 4
10:00 AM Grade 5
9:15 AM Grade 2
10:00 AM Grade 3
Of course, parents are invited to attend, but as these performances will be relatively short, during the school day, AND students will be returning directly to their classrooms for continued learning at the immediate conclusion of the performances...Mr. Holmes will be video recording ALL performances and sending all families a personal link for viewing at a later date.
Spring Enrichment 2
There are still openings in the following After School Enrichment programs!
Tuesdays:
Board Games- Grades 3-5
Thursdays:
Competitive Pickleball- Grades 4-5
If you are interested in registering your child for any of the classes listed above, please contact Kate Anderson directly.
The cost for these classes is $35, but will be prorated. Classes run for 5 weeks, ending the week of May 20. Pick up is in the front of Fisher School at 4:45pm.
Fisher School Store Schedule - Updated 2024 Schedule
GROUP 1 Beatty, Blake, Hughes, Barend, Fomenko, Brogan, O'Neill
GROUP 2 Penfield, Winer, McDonald, Sullivan, Terranova, Wesinger
Math update
As educators we still hear groups of people asking about so-called “new math.” The math is not really new, we are still teaching the major 4 operations, problem solving, fact knowledge, etc. What is new, is that the goal now is not just about getting the correct answer, but building students as mathematicians and not rote calculators.
In today’s elementary classroom, our goal as educators is to build mathematicians who look at each problem and choose the best strategy to solve that particular problem, with those particular numbers. We thought it might be helpful to share the differences between these math terms and some examples of each to help parents and caregivers understand why their child might be doing math a little differently than they did, and why we ask you not to introduce certain algorithms before your student is developmentally and conceptually ready for them.
Algorithm: a series of steps to solve any problem of that type. The same method for every problem, regardless of the number/structure. All the steps, all the time.
Strategy: letting the numbers/structure influence how you solve. Not the same method for every problem. Only the moves you need.
Model: representation of a strategy, of relationships, some models can be tools. Students might use the same model with different strategies or the same strategy with different models.
Scenes from Fisher
Pumpernickle Puppets visited 1st grade this week. It was a great show!
Fun outside in Kindergarten
Buddy classes went outside and completed a spring scavenger hunt together (Mrs Giampietro and Mrs Blake)
Our special friends joined us today and were caught reading our books while we were at Music!
Miss Romano's class celebrating Jiji's birthday!!
Third grade earned "fancy lunch"!
Click the picture below to listen to new "Off The Hook" episodes!
Community Events
Rising 6th Grade Athletes
Attention Middle School Athletes. Great program for any athlete entering or in middle school this fall.
Coach Antonietta O'Toole invites you to join our Middle School Summer conditioning program!
Running from July 23rd to August 15th on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM, this 4-week program provides an excellent opportunity to prepare for fall sports.
Featuring a blend of running activities (hill, woods, track) and strength training, our program aims to enhance strength, flexibility, endurance, and speed, catering to all athletes gearing up for the fall season. Participants will also benefit from guidance on effective warm-up and stretching techniques.
Training sessions will take place at the Walpole High School track and surrounding fields.
For any inquiries, please contact Antonietta O’Toole at agotoole@gmail.com or by phone at 857-991-2330.
SIGN UP AT WALPOLEREC.COM
https://secure.rec1.com/MA/town-of-walpole-ma/catalog
Fisher School Friendship Directory
Schools are not at liberty to provide student contact information for outside of school activities. If you would like to provide your child (ren)'s information for others to see please click the link below and complete the form.