Boyden Weekly Update

Dear Boyden Families,

Our "Spring Concert Series" began this week with Kindergarten and Grade 1 students performing. Directed by Mrs. Cassani, the students were able to showcase all of their hard work throughout the school year.

On Tuesday, Walpole High School graduating seniors who were Boyden alumni came back for a "clap out" through the school. It's a special event for the teachers to see their former students and for our current students to be inspired by the seniors. We wish these amazing seniors the best of luck!

Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend with family and friends as we honor and remember those who lost their lives in service to our country. On Monday, May 27th take some time to salute our fallen and honor our heroes.

Brendan

Have you heard the buzz about Pebble Go? It has quickly become a favorite tool of Boyden students and staff and was recently named an AASL Best Digital Tool for Teaching and Learning. It is a developmentally appropriate database which contains hundreds of informational articles, videos and more. These resources encourage our students’ curiosity and exploration.

Our youngest learners focused on their favorite animals. They found information about where they live, what they eat and some fun facts. K students practiced their speaking skills and showed their learning via Chatterpix app. Here is an example of the work from Mrs. Field’s class.

Grade 1, as part of the MA History and Social Science Frameworks, have been learning about American symbols. Each student researched a symbol and showed their learning by drawing a picture and writing at least one fact. With help from Mrs. Carroll, first grade students were recorded presenting their American symbol information in front of a green screen. Stay tuned for that movie!

Boyden students have Who Would Win fever!

Grade 2 created animal pairings and are writing their own books. Students are using Pebble Go, Britannica Elementary and Nat Geo Kids as sources of information. They are showing their learning by collaborating with a partner to complete their very own Who Would Win on Book Creator.

Grade 3 students have worked hard this year to learn block coding using Scratch Jr. They are currently working on an animal research project and using Scratch Jr. to show their learning.

March Madness and the NBA Playoffs have infiltrated the media center!

Grades 4-5 enjoyed Basketball Belles, a story about the first ever women’s collegiate basketball game. Students then designed, built and tested their own basketball hoops, soccer nets, football uprights and more. For this project, students coded a Dash robot to interact with their design. Many students used the launcher attachment for the first time. This led to the coding of many celebration dances by our robots.

It’s hard to believe that Boyden students just finished their last book checkout of the 23-24 school year. All library books are due back by 5/30. Reminder notices will go home after that date. Please help your students find and return any library books.

As we come to the end of our second year with the new Bridges Math Curriculum, it is wonderful to see the teachers and students embrace Number Corner, Work Places and the use of Number Strings to build number sense, increase critical math thinking and improve math discourse. The deep mathematical thinking that is happening in our classrooms from kindergarten to grade 5 is impressive. At every grade level students have learned to use new tools, visual models and strategies to improve their efficiency as mathematicians.

We have taken some time to analyze the data from last year to this year in regard to unit tests and Number Corner check ins and we already see growth at all grade levels. The percentage of students reaching mastery is growing because both the teachers and students are more familiar with the curriculum. The vertical alignment embedded in Bridges helps students bridge their learning from one year to the next strengthening their conceptual understanding of the standards.

Of course, we have also continued to utilize ST Math as a supplement to our Bridges Curriculum and for the second year in a row the entire district has reached the 100% puzzle progress goal. This year, schools strived to reach 80% for all students and every school improved their overall percentage of students who succeeded in hitting that benchmark. More importantly the goals achieved, incentives and celebrations have helped improve overall math disposition for students throughout the district. We see it in their smiles, their eagerness to solve the next puzzle, and how they verbalize to anyone who will listen how many puzzles they solved or what percentage they are at.

We couldn’t be more proud of our students and staff and the growth we have seen around our mathematics curriculum over the past two years. We are excited to see where we will be at this point next year. In the Summer Edition S’more that will come out in June, we will provide ideas and links for how to keep your children engaged in fun mathematics over the summer to keep their skills sharp and ready for the challenges of the next school year.

The WPS 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

Enrollment Forms in other languages are below.

Thank you,

Jill Masterson,WPS Summer Learning Program Coordinator

summerlearning@walpole.k12.ma.us

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)

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

The Boyden Field Day is Tuesday, June, 11th with a rain date of Wednesday, June 12th

The PAC once again will be providing all students and staff with a Field Day T-shirt. Below are the colors that each grades t-shirt will be:

• K- yellow
• 1st- green
• 2nd- purple
• 3rd- pink
• 4th- blue
• 5th- orange

Thank you to all who hav volunteeered we currently have enough volunteers.

• Please remember ALL volunteers need to fill out a CORI before the event. Below is the CORI FORM. If you have filled out one before, please check with the office if they have you on file (they are good for three years). CORI FORM (You will need to provide this document and a copy of your license to the front office)

Check outStudents in Grades 4 & 5 were invited to participate in NPR’s Podcast Challenge 2024. New this year to NPR’s challenge is the addition of a separate challenge just for 4th grade students. Fifth grade student submissions compete against other students in grades 5-8. Mrs. Carroll went into each classroom to explain the contest, its rules & to answer questions. Basically, to enter the contest students needed to submit original content created just for this challenge (including original sound) that was between 3 to 8 minutes in length. Students had to work on their podcast outside of the classroom, but worked with Mrs. Carroll to record & put the podcast together. NPR will be announcing the winners in June.

School Supplies

Parents, it's time to buy your 1st Day School Supplies. It may seem early, but before you know it, summer will be here. You must order your supplies before it's too late or supplies run out. Start the school year with the exact supplies your teacher requested, and give your child the confidence they need to conquer next year! Get them today, before it's too late!

• CLICK HERE to ORDER

Registration is now open for the 51st Annual Walpole Labor Day Road Race! Don’t miss this wonderful Walpole tradition. Sign-up now for the 5K, 10K, or Youth Mile. All proceeds support the 200+ athletes in the Walpole High School Cross Country / Track & Field Program. Each race participant will receive a finisher’s medal. If you register before August 15th, you’ll also receive a free race t-shirt! Can’t join us live? No problem. We have virtual editions for both the 5K and 10K races. For additional information and to register online, please visit www.walpoleroadrace.org. See you on Race Day - Monday, September 2nd!

• Thursday, May 23rd (Kindergarten (9:15 AM) and Grade 1 Concert(9:45 AM)
• Thursday, May 30th (Grade 2 (9:15AM) and Grade 3 Concert(9:45AM)
• Monday, June 10th (Grade 4 (9:15 AM) and Grade 5 Concert (9:45 AM) (NEW DATE)
• Tuesday, June 4th (Grade 5 District Wide Field Day)
• Tuesday, June 11th (Boyden Field Day)
• Wednesday, June 12th (Boyden Field Day - Rain Date)
• Thursday, June 13th (Last Day - Early Release)

Click Here for the Walpole Public Schools School Year Calendar

Email: bdearborn@walpole.k12.ma.us
Website: https://sites.google.com/walpole.k12.ma.us/wpsstafflinks20/school-websites
Location: 1852 Washington Street, South Walpole, MA, USA
Phone: 508-660-7216
Twitter: @BoydenSchool