Greetings FitzGerald Families!

We had another wonderful week at FitzGerald School!

We hope that everyone enjoyed the concert this week. Congratulations to the students and musical staff, Mr. Irwin, Mr. Dyson, Ms. Souza and Mr. Biela, on their hard work and fantastic set of performances! Thank you to Ms. Walsh and all of the FitzGerald students, who created the concert decorations within their art classes over the last few weeks and to Ms. Kelly for the choreography! Thank you also to Mr. Siskavich, Waltham Public Schools Fine and Performing Arts Director, for playing the piano for the performances.

FitzGerald BINGO Night is Friday January 24, 2025 from 6pm-7:30pm. Join the FitzGerald Equity Team as they host a free, fun family event. There will be lots of laughs, winners and special prizes. Tell your friends and let's make it a night to remember!

At this time, all students that have signed up for the Before School Movement Program, starting on Monday January 6th, will be able to participate. We are now closing registration and we will message out if more spots open up. We will send an email to all parents/guardians of student participants the week we return from break, with a reminder on the dates and time of the program.

We hope that everyone has a restful and enjoyable break, filled with many special moments with family and friends. We look forward to seeing everyone again on Thursday January 2nd.

Thank you for your partnership and collaboration! See you in 2025! Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Santillo, Principal- jennifersantillo@walthampublicschools.org

Mrs. Lamoly, Assistant Principal- julielamoly@walthampublicschools.org

Greetings Fitzy Families!

We have had another wonderful week of SEL here at school! Throughout the month of December we have been focusing on our SEL skills with our Core Value of Determination, the Competency of Responsible Decision Making and the Habit of thinking Win-Win. Students have been having grade level collaborative conversations with each other on how these skills relate to one another and how they are able to demonstrate these skills inside and outside of school.

The Fourth Grade Council has been meeting weekly and brainstorming ideas for our Winter initiatives. Students will present their ideas to Mrs. Santillo and Mrs. Lamoly and we will begin implementing them around the school soon! We are looking forward to engaging with our school community in these many amazing opportunities and ideas that the students have!

Our Panther Partners have been doing a great job helping around the school as well. Students are taking pride in their responsibilities and demonstrating leadership throughout the building. The Safety Squad will begin shortly when we return from beak. We look forward to having our students help Officer John keep areas around our school safe!

When we return from break, students will be focusing on our Core Value of Empathy, the Competency of Social Awareness and the Habit of Seeking First to Understand others. Be on the lookout for our next school wide activity that involves our whole school community!

We hope that families enjoy a relaxing break and look forward to the New Year!

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like to connect with me about our SEL skills of the month or any ways I can support your child(ren) and family.

Ms. Bernard

School Adjustment Counselor

What are Principal Coffee Talks?

Principal Coffee Talk times have traditionally been offered once monthly for the last several years at FitzGerald. This is an informal conversation time where family members can connect with Mrs. Santillo and/or Mrs. Lamoly and ask any questions about FitzGerald School that they may have. This year, we are going to try to hold these monthly informal conversation times at different times of day, so that there are more options available for those that would like to join.

Next Coffee Talk Time:

Date: Thursday January 16th, 2025

Time: 5:30-6:00pm

Location: This will be a virtual meeting. A virtual link will be sent out that day.

The FitzGerald School Council is an advisory group for the Principal that includes parent, staff, and community representatives. The council discusses items such as budget, School Improvement Plan, etc. Approved meeting minutes are posted in the Fitzy's Flyer office communication.

Please see below for the agenda from November's School Council Meeting and the approved meeting minutes from the last school meeting in October.

Next Virtual Meeting*: January 9, 2025

Time: 6:00-6:45pm

*Please reach out to Mrs. Santillo if you would like the meeting link.

*Breakfast and Lunch are available for free for all students this school year!

** All students should bring one snack and a water bottle to school each day.

Every Friday is "Fitzy Friday" at FitzGerald! Everyone is invited to wear Fitzy Spirit Wear or the colors blue and/or yellow to school, if they would like to!

Monday December 23rd- Wednesday January 1st- No School, December Break

Thursday January 2nd- School Resumes

Monday January 6th- Start of FitzGerald Before School Movement Program

Wednesday January 8th- PTO Meeting, 6:30pm, FitzGerald Cafeteria

Thursday January 16th- Virtual Principal Coffee Talk, 5:30-6:00pm (link will be sent out that day)

Monday January 20th- No School

Wednesday January 22nd- Early Release Day, 1:00pm

Friday January 24th- FitzGerald BINGO Night- 6:00-7:30pm- SAVE THE DATE!

Wednesday January 29th- Early Release Day, 1:00pm

Friday January 31st- Harlem Wizards Game, 7:00pm

February 17th- February 21st- February Vacation

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Clever is an app we use at school that makes it easy for students to access many online learning programs and resources with their Waltham Public Schools Google account. Students can also access Clever at home on a personal device. Click HERE for directions.

Email: jennifersantillo@walthampublicschools.org
Website: https://www.walthampublicschools.org/o/fitzgerald
Location: 138 Beal Road, Waltham, MA, USA
Phone: 781-314-5680