Hello Elm Street School Families and Friends,
What a wonderful week at the Nest! We kicked off National Poetry Month during our all school assembly today by learning together about Amanda Gorman, the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate, and listening to her poetry. Grades 3-5 listened to The Miracle of Morning while Kindergarten - Grade 2 students listened to her book Change Sings. I then challenged each student to either find a poem by a favorite author or write a poem themselves and bring it to the office to share with me so I can then choose some students to share these poems during each Morning Announcements throughout the month April.
In this week's News from the Nest you will find additional information about:
- Upcoming Dates/Events: April
- Essentialist Weekly Newsletter: MUSIC
- April Counseling Connection
- Incoming Kindergarten Events
- Spring Concert Save the Date
- UPDATED Solar Eclipse Safety Information
- Elm Street School Gear Sale
- MCAS Dates
- Walpole Writes: A Town Wide Writing Contest
- Intergenerational Craft Event at Elm
- International Dance Day Event
- Elm PAC Hollywood Night Save the Date
- Elm PAC April Meeting: April 10th
- April Vacation Week Camp
- Walpole's First Holi Festival
- Elm 180 Fundraiser
Our Grades 3-5 students did a phenomenal job persevering during MCAS these past two weeks, and all our Eagles were so flexible with schedule changes and indoor recess because of the weather while helping keep a quiet and calm environment in the building through it all. We will be holding makeup sessions next week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for any students who missed their ELA MCAS days.
We are excited to return next week to our typical schedules as we finish out this stretch before the April Break. I hope you all have an opportunity to rest and connect over the weekend and we will see everyone back in school on Monday!
Jen
Upcoming Dates in April
4/1 - 30 National Poetry Month
4/2 World Autism Day, Grade 4 ELA MCAS Session 2
4/3 Grade 3 ELA MCAS Session 1
4/4 Grade 3 ELA MCAS Session 2
4/5 8:45a/2:00p April Assembly
4/9-10 Eid al Fitr
4/10 3:15p Elm School Council Meeting, 7:00p Elm PAC meeting
4/11 6:00p School Committee Meeting
4/12 Day of (No) Silence
4/13 Vaisakhi
4/15 - 19 NO SCHOOL: April Break
4/22 - 30 Passover
4/22 Earth Day
4/25 6:45p School Committee Meeting
4/26 12:30 - 1:30 Intergenerational Earth Day with Walpole Council on Aging
4/30 Grade 5 Math MCAS Session 1
Incoming Kindergarten Events
We are really looking forward to welcoming all our new kindergarteners and their families to our Nest here at Elm during Incoming Kindergarten events. The day that our new kindergarteners and their families visit our school is one of the most joyful days of the school year! We hope that our special sneak peek into Kindergarten, in concert with our Kindergarten Family Meeting and Kindergarten Screening, will help make the transition to kindergarten as smooth as possible for you and your child(ren).
Incoming Kindergarten Family Meeting (adult caregivers only): Wednesday May 15th 6:30p Elm Street School Cafetorium
A link to a virtual meeting will be shared with kindergarten families the Monday before the meeting for anyone unable to attend in person
Kindergarten Screening (adult caregivers and incoming kindergarteners): by appointment on May 21st and May 22nd
Please sign up for one 30 minute time slot per child here
Arrive and check in at the main office 5-10 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time
Please fill out this intake form prior to your scheduled appointment
At the screening appointment students will meet with a member of our kindergarten team to complete a short developmental screening assessment that will look at their motor, language and social development, self-help and concept skills. Adult caregivers will have the opportunity to meet with myself or our school adjustment counselor Sarah Iandoli to review the intake form and share any additional information or questions you may have.
Incoming Kindergarten Peek and Practice Day at Elm Street School (adult caregivers and incoming kindergarteners): June 3rd 1:45 - 2:30p
plan to arrive at the main entrance around 1:30p and leave plenty of time to find parking and walk to the main entrance by the flagpole
Students will be divided into 4 groups and head to a kindergarten classroom to experience and practice kindergarten activities together
Adult caregivers will meet in the Cafetorium for a meeting with our Parent Advisory Council (PAC)
Students will get walked out and meet their adult caregivers on the playground at the end of the event
In order to attend the Peek and Practice day you MUST complete a kindergarten screening appointment (see above)
Spring Concerts: SAVE THE DATE
Be sure to mark your calendars for our Spring Grade Level Concerts!
In the spring, students in grades K-5 will have an opportunity to share what they have been learning throughout the year with their families! Performances will feature the culmination of their work demonstrating skills and concepts learned throughout the academic school year.
The concerts will be held during the school day, on the following dates:
Thursday, May 16th
Grade K - 9:00 am
Grade 1 - 9:40 am
Thursday, May 23rd
Grade 2 - 9:00 am
Grade 3 - 9:40 am
Thursday, May 30th
Grade 4 - 9:00 am
Grade 5 - 9:40 am
UPDATED Solar Eclipse Safety Information
In response to the April 8 solar eclipse, which will occur during our school dismissal, we have secured eclipse sunglasses for students and staff. The glasses are AAS approved and ISO Certified for viewing. To view the eclipse you must look through safe solar viewing glasses (“eclipse glasses”) or a safe handheld solar viewer at all times.
Our team will distribute the eclipse sunglasses right before dismissal on Monday.
We have addressed safety concerns for watching the eclipse. This safety information regarding the eclipse can be found on the DESE website. For additional information on the solar eclipse, visit the NASA webpage at: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/. We appreciate your partnership in reminding your student(s) to not look directly at the sun without proper eye protection.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Thank you for your cooperation and support in making sure our students have a safe and enjoyable learning experience during the upcoming solar eclipse.
Rising Grades 1 - 5 Class Placement Information
Starting now in April, we will devote a great deal of time, care and thought to creating the following year’s classes. This letter describes our class placement process. The goal of the placement process is to create balanced and equitable classes that provide the optimal learning environment for both the individual child and the group of children as a whole. We strive to create groupings that provide academic peers for each student and make it possible to provide high quality instruction and the most effective delivery of student services. As we balance classes, we create clusters as follows:
Each class will have students who can spark each other, have common interests, and will work well together.
Each class will have students with varied learning strengths, and students may be clustered to facilitate service delivery.
Given sufficient numbers, students will not be isolated in terms of gender, race or ethnicity
Friendships are considered, and our primary focus is to provide appropriate learning peers for each student, understanding that each year brings new opportunities for friendships. We know that classroom communities in which students feel safe and supported allow for increased academic growth and achievement and we are committed to working with each cohort that we construct in the coming year to build and support those communities.
Class building is a team effort to which we devote a great deal of time and thought. Grade-level teachers, literacy specialists, instructional coaches, special education teachers and related service providers, our Multilingual Learning teacher, guidance counselors, and myself will all work together on our placement process over the next two months.
Family Role in the Placement Process
Our placement process includes an opportunity for families to provide information or share unique circumstances that you feel are important. We respect your right to advocate for your child and understand that you know your child best over time. If you feel that you have additional information that the placement team is not aware of, you are invited to fill out our Class Placement Feedback form.
All information must be submitted via the form no later than Friday, April 12th.
Completing the form is optional. The same care and consideration will be given to every child during the placement process whether or not a parent/guardian submits input. If you do complete the form, your information will be shared with the placement team. Please remember that our primary objective is to ensure that each student will be assigned to a class that they can learn and grow academically and socially, and to build classes that function as lively heterogeneous cohorts. Requests for specific teachers in writing or in person will not be considered as part of this process and will invalidate the form. We take our responsibility seriously and, therefore, allocate ample time and care as we engage in reflection while looking forward to planning for next year’s classes.
Elm Street School Gear Store
Our Student Council has partnered with the Run House here in Walpole to sell Elm Street School and Walpole gear. 10% of sales from our online shop will be donated to the Walpole Council on Aging. Visit our online shop here: https://therunhouse.com/collections/elm-street-school
Walpole Writes: A Town Wide Writing Contest
Calling Writers of All Ages!
The Walpole Cultural Council is pleased to announce the return of Walpole Writes, a town-wide writing contest open to all residents of Walpole (as well as non-resident students of Walpole schools).
First, second, and third-place winners will be selected and publicly announced in 5 age groups and 2 categories.The age groups are: elementary school (grades K-2), elementary school (grades 3-5), middle school, high school, and adult. The categories are short story and poem. Writers may choose any topic to write about.
The contest is open through April 26 and winners will be announced in May. To submit an entry, writers must complete an entry form with their entry uploaded by April 26. The entry form can be found here: https://bit.ly/WalpoleWrites24
Winners will be recognized at a celebration at the Walpole Public Library on Thursday, June 20. The Walpole Cultural Council will create a publication of winning entries. Walpole Writes is sponsored by Dedham Savings Bank and Sharon Credit Union.
April Vacation Camp
Extended Day is offering an April Vacation Camp.
- Hours of camp are 9-4.
- Drop off is 8-9am.
- Pick up from 3-4pm.
- Camp will take place at Boyden April 16-18.
Register here: https://forms.gle/ythtVbAZseMrGP548
Walpole's First Holi Festival
Be Inclusive and Walpole Cultural Council invite you to Walpole's first Holi Festival, which will take place on Saturday, April 6, 2024. Please see the flyer for details!
The event promises to be colorful, complete with performances, organic color play, an array of vendors, Indian cuisine, and much more!
Registration Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-aUllILM5ynpUJ2ILe4dCHn4gzE1iGeP_KN-0xgVmYtzkSA/viewform
We are grateful for your support and look forward to celebrating Holi together with you.
Nest Connections
Email: jbuller@walpole.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.walpole.k12.ma.us/o/ess
Location: 415 Elm Street, Walpole, MA, USA
Phone: 508.660.7374
