Greetings FitzGerald Families!

I hope that you all are staying warm in this bitter cold weather we are having! With this winter weather, comes many different illnesses that we are seeing pass through the building and, as a result, we are running quite low on tissues in the Science classroom. If there are any families who are able to send in a box of tissues with your child, it would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Here are the topics we will be covering in the coming weeks in the Science classroom.

First Grade: We are continuing our unit about Space! Students have learned about the phases of the moon and have created a “Phases of the Moon” paper that I have encouraged them to hang on their refrigerators at home. My hope is that they will use it as a reference to identify which phase the moon is in each night. This can be a great family activity to do together and a chance to reinforce what we are learning at home with your child.

Second Grade: In second grade, students are working on Physical Science. They started this unit by learning all about properties of matter. We discussed that properties are ways to describe objects and we will be working on creating hats in the next two weeks to shield their faces from the sun using common materials. This is a very interactive lesson for the students and they get very excited to bring their hats home when they are finished!

Third Grade: Students in third grade have started a Life Science unit. We started this week by studying how habitats have changed over time. We used clues from animal and plant fossils to determine what habitats were like millions of years ago. In the next couple of weeks, we will practice using clues from fossils and animals who are alive today to determine what dinosaurs may have looked like. We will review the key words, carnivore, herbivore, and omnivore. Please ask your children at home about these words to see what they are learning!

Fourth Grade: In 4th grade, students are wrapping up our Earth Science unit. They studied real fossils in the classroom and came up with educated guesses about what the fossil is and what type of habitat existed when it was living. We then studied fossil layers of a fictional canyon and determined how the habitat had changed in the canyon over time based on evidence we found in the different fossils. We will be ending our unit and completing the Earth Science unit assessment in the coming weeks.

Fifth Grade: A couple of weeks ago, the 5th graders visited the Museum of Science in Boston on a field trip! We had a fantastic time exploring the various exhibits and seeing the Lightning show! Huge thanks to the PTO for your help in supporting this trip! In the coming weeks, students will be working on a water filter engineering project. They will be working their way through all the steps of the engineering design process to create, test, and improve water filters in the science classroom. This is a messy but very fun project that is a big hit every year. Please encourage your students at home to share with you what they are trying out at school and if you have any water filters at home they are welcome to look at them for inspiration!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns or you would like to send in a mystery picture for your child, you can reach me at: jenniferwhite@walthampublicschools.org

Mrs. White

Science Specialist

BUSY BUSY BUSY

So little to do so much time to do it. Strike that! Reverse it.

A huge THANK YOU to our BINGO volunteers - we are excited to see you all tonight. Come visit us at concessions when you need a snack or drink!!

Next Friday is the Harlem Wizards game at Kennedy. Check out the information below for getting tickets.

Keep an eye on this space for opportunities to volunteer and get involved!

EVENTS

Mark your calendars for the upcoming events!!!!

❤️ Valentine’s Party - February 28th! The flyer will be sent home with your child in the next few weeks for ordering tickets! $5 per person, $20 per family. An evening of fun is planned: DJ for dancing, face painting, crafts, and raffles!!

Spring events: Pickleball Tourney (April); Fitzy Fun Run (May), Field day (June)

If you are interested in volunteering please contact the FitzGeraldPTO@gmail.com or FrancescaRpto@gmail.com

FITZY FUNDRAISING

💲We have raised $17k of our $44k goal!!

What are YOUR ideas for fundraisers and ways we can gain support from our community and beyond to hit our goal and continue supporting our school children?? 💡 Email FitzGeraldPTO@gmail.com

🏀 One more week til the Waltham Hawkstars take on the Harlem Wizards! Cheer them on Friday, January 31st - buy your tickets HERE

🍴Restaurant Night - What is it? A wonderful way for FitzGerald friends and families to gather for dinner at a local restaurant (or get take-out)! As a PTO fundraiser, the restaurants we partner with offer a portion of sales back to the PTO. Coming up…

• Feb 12th - Fiorella’s (Newton)

• Mar 11th - City Streets

• Apr 15th - Jake N JOES

👕Fitzy Gear - Buy some family faves, hoodies & flannel pants…or check out our new gear: a cozy pom hat, fanny pack & umbrella now available!

💸 Ongoing Fundraisers
Each of these partnerships offers a percentage of your purchase back to our PTO!!

• Raise Right - A gift card fundraiser with the LARGEST returns to the school from each store and it’s easy to use! Download the app and use FitzGerald’s Enrollment Code - 1B5L864C89184

• Mabel’s Labels || Box Tops

• Fitzy Drinkware - Stainless Steel Water Bottles, Cans and Acrylic Tumblers from Crafted by Dee - personalization available! Show your school spirit while helping to support the PTO’s fundraising efforts - 25% of sales goes to the PTO!

Parent Directory is available if you'd like to contact classmates! Be sure to submit your own information so that others may reach you too. (Contact information is only available for families who have provided it)

FIFTH GRADE:

This week, our 5th graders attended the production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown at McDevitt Middle School. Students really enjoyed attending and thank McDevitt Middle School for the invitation. Several students had never entered McDevitt Middle School before. For those who may be attending McDevitt Middle School next year, it was a great opportunity for them to see the school.

Message from 5th grade teachers:

Don't forget to ask your student to see their Weekly Memo each Friday so you can read and hear about the hard work they've been up to! You will also find in their backpack a "My Weekend Memo" where students are encouraged to write or draw about what they did over the weekend. The Weekend Memos are then added to an album that lives in the fifth grade hallway so students can learn more about their peers' interests and families.These communications help to strengthen the home to school connection, as well as connections amongst peers.

Yearbook Reminder:

If you have not already submitted your photo consent form (English/Spanish), please do so as soon as possible. This is essential for the creation of the 5th grade yearbook. We are also beginning to collect photos of our 5th grade students for the yearbook. If you have any photos from previous years (Kindergarten, 1st grade, etc.) or recent events that you would like to see included, please email them to FifthGradeFitzPTO@gmail.com.

Fundraisers:

The 5th grade committee will continue to fundraise for the next several months to help with end-of-the-year activities costs. Please continue to check social media for updates or send an email to FifthGradeFitzPTO@gmail.com.

Thank you for helping us make this year memorable for our 5th graders!

Ann Tierney & Diana Lehmann