News from the Nest

Hello Elm Street School Families and Friends,

What a whirlwind of a short week here at the Nest! Our Eagles were busy taking MCAS, connecting with their buddy classes, scootering all around our gym, detecting digraphs, planting seeds, practicing lines for Fairy Tale Plays, and so much more!

I want to share how proud I am of our grades 4 and 5 students for their efforts and perseverance through MCAS this week. I also want to share my appreciation for all our students in helping support their fellow Eagles by traveling quietly through the hallways, sharing words of encouragement, and being flexible with any schedule changes needed. Next week our Grade 4 students will complete Session 2 and Grade 3 students will complete sessions 1 and 2 of of the ELA MCAS. We will then have any students who missed any sessions work on completing those in the week leading up to the April Break.

In this week's News from the Nest you will find additional information about:

• Upcoming Dates/Events: April
• Essentialist Weekly Newsletter: Physical Education
• April Assembly Preview
• April Counseling Connection
• After School Enrichment
• Math Update
• Spring Concert Save the Date
• 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

As a reminder school is closed tomorrow (Friday March 29th). I hope that everyone has opportunities for connection and joy this long weekend and we will see everyone back at the Nest on Monday April 1st!

Jen

• 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

• 4/15 Patriot’s Day, Boston Marathon Monday

• 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

Next Friday we will gather for our monthly assembly. Our April assembly will follow the same format as our previous November, December, January, February, and March assemblies and you can find our plan below.

• Review Group Plan
• Greeting
• Share (Reflecting on the month of March)
• Announcements and Celebrations
• Preview April themes of Respect for Individual Differences and National Poetry Month

As a reminder our Elm Assembly is for students and Elm staff only.

We will open up registration on Monday at 5:00p for our last round of after school enrichment for the 2023-2024 school year. After reviewing the class descriptions please click below to sign-up.

Space is limited for each class.

Monday Classes

Robotics

Grades 2-5 (max of 12 kids)

Instructor: Scott Carpenter

Price per student: $50

6 week class

Mondays – April 8, 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20

The program is hosted by Walpole Robotics Academy and geared to all students ages 7-11 years old. Utilizing Lego WeDo 2.0 and LEGO Spike Prime students will receive a different mini-challenge each week based on the LEGO Education programs. Students will work in teams of 2 to design, build and program their robots, completing a variety of challenges and tasks that require creativity, innovation, and technical know-how. So get ready to embark on an exciting journey of discovery and learning as you explore the world of LEGO robotics!

Tuesday Classes

Bracelets Plus! With Mrs. Cantrell and Mrs. Rizzo

Grades 3 -5 (max 16 Students)

Price per student: $40 (includes supplies)

6 week class

Tuesdays – April 9, 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21

In this class we'll be expanding the creations using different mediums. Gimp keychains and "surfer and sailor" knot bracelets are a couple of the new additions. Want to stick to cotton or clay friendship bracelets? We've got those too!

Gym Games with Mr. I and Mrs. Joyce

Grades 3-5 (max 20 students)

Price per student: $35

6 week class

Tuesdays – April 9, 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21

Join Mr. I and Mrs. Joyce in the gym for some exciting fun gym games. Each week we will focus on playing a new sport inside the gymnasium. Students of all levels and abilities are welcome and each week we will focus on learning and playing a new sport!

We will choose from the following list of sports and may add or repeat depending on interest levels: Hockey, Basketball, Soccer, Football, Baseball/Softball, Volleyball, Tennis, Pickleball

Wednesday Classes

Cribbage/Chess Club

Grades 4 and 5 (max of 16 students)

Instructor: Mrs. Oberacker

Price per student: $35.00

6 week class

Wednesdays – April 10, 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22

Join Mrs. Oberacker and Mrs. Beach to learn to Master Cribbage and Chess and impress your friends. You will discover everything you need to know to have fun playing these captivating, competitive and strategic games.

Basketball Skills with Miss Ryan

Grades 2-5 (max 20 students)

Price per student: $35

6 week class

Wednesdays – April 10, 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22

Basketball Skills is an opportunity for students to work on their dribbling, passing, and shooting skills. It's also a great chance to practice teamwork skills.

Thursday Classes

Read Aloud and Crafts with Mrs. Joyce

Grades K and 1 (max 10 students)

Price per student: $40

6 week class

Thursdays – April 11, 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23

Mrs. Joyce has some great books and crafts planned for you. Each week we will read aloud a book and spend time doing crafts that are sure to be creative and fun!

Signup Genius - Spring Enrichment

Reminders:

1. When picking your child up from enrichment you will need to park in a parking spot and walk to the main entrance to meet your child. We will not be using the loops

2. Students should dress appropriately for activities and bring a snack.

3. Please email a note to jbreen@walpole.k12.ma.us to give permission for your child to stay after for enrichment class and the dates your child will be staying after school. This note will be shared with your child's teacher. If something comes up and your child is unable to attend one of the classes, please write a note that day to send your child home and not attend after school enrichment.

4. Please send in your payment right away! Payment is due by Friday, April 5th. Please write your child's name and the class on the memo line of the check.

5. If after school activities are canceled by the town due to weather, enrichment is canceled and a date will be added to the end of the cycle.

Important Information

When: Classes are once a week for six weeks from 3:05-4:05. (Unless otherwise noted) Please refer to the dates listed with the class description. Weeks may not be consecutive because of holidays or vacations.

Cost: Please see the description of each class regarding the cost. Checks should be made out to Town of Walpole and should have your child's name and enrichment class listed in the memo line. It is often helpful to send separate checks for each child in the event a class does not run and we need to refund your money. If financial help is needed please contact the principal, Mrs. Buller directly.

Your students are probably buzzing about March Mathness, our Math version of the NCAA March Madness tournament. Classes have been competing against each other to see whose class can solve the most ST Math puzzles and move on in the bracket. All classes, even if knocked out, are still in the tournament to the very end as there are Wild Card entries where teams can get back in and Honorable Mentions at the end, along with lots of other positive recognition for all the students have accomplished.

You might be wondering why we emphasize puzzle progress in ST Math. Well, it is a lot more than just solving puzzles. ST Math provides a great opportunity for students to grow their problem solving skills, resolve and persevere through productive struggle, and most importantly, strengthen their Number Sense. There is no reading involved with ST Math which means no directions. Students need to problem solve to figure out what JiJi is trying to get them to do in order for JiJi to cross the screen. The puzzles become progressively more difficult as students need to use what they learned in the last puzzle to be successful in the next. Each level helps them cross the bridge in order to get to the next mountain. This continuum allows students to build connections and fosters growth around Number Sense.

What exactly is number sense, you might be asking? Number sense is a person’s ability to compose and decompose numbers, compute mentally using a variety of strategies, make reasonable estimates, reason with numbers, and understand quantities and the magnitude of numbers. It begins with learning to count and seeing the patterns in our number system and grows to being able to look at a more complex problem and find the most efficient way to solve it based on the numbers. ST Math is just one way students work on their Number Sense. The activities students do in Number Corner everyday also help strengthen this skill. Below are some links with quick activities to help build number sense at home in your daily activities.

• Quick Number Sense activities for in the car, while waiting to pick up a sibling, cooking dinner or waiting for a meal at a restaurant.

• 12 Activities to Build Number Sense

• What is Number Sense

We are looking forward to a great end to our March Mathness Tournament and love the excitement and energy the students are bringing to their classrooms around it. Just as a frame of reference, the puzzle progress goal for the end of March for all students is 64%. Our goal this year is for all students to reach at least 80% completion by June and March Mathness is helping so many students take positive steps toward reaching that goal!

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

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will occur across our region. While this is a rare and exciting phenomenon, we want to share some important safety information with you since the event will occur before and during our dismissal time. Since looking directly at the sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing is unsafe, we encourage parents to review NASA’s Eclipse Safety Guidelines and How to Safely View the Total Solar Eclipse information with their student(s).

At Elm, we will also take precautions to keep all our students safe. We will refer to the MA Department of Education information and suggestions to safely enjoy this event. Dismissal may be a little slower than usual on this day so that we can support safety. Staff will remind students to not look directly at the sun during dismissal.

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

Please note these dates for our upcoming Spring MCAS

April 2: Grade 4 ELA Sessions 1 and 2

April 3 and 4: Grade 3 ELA Sessions 1 and 2

April 30 and May 1: Grade 5 Math Sessions 1 and 2

May 2 and 3: Grade 4 Math Sessions 1 and 2

May 7 and 8: Grade 3 Math Sessions 1 and 2

May 9 and 10: Grade 5 STE Sessions 1 and 2

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.

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

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.

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