Greetings FitzGerald Families!

We hope that everyone had a relaxing break last week and enjoyed time with family and friends. It has been wonderful getting back to the school routine and seeing excellent teaching and learning happening across the school!

As the colder temperatures have arrived, we want to remind everyone to please make sure that students come to school with a warm jacket, hat, and gloves for recess time. If any family would benefit from financial assistance to help with purchasing these items, please contact your child's teacher or Mrs. Santillo/Mrs. Lamoly directly.

We are very excited for the Winter Music Concert coming up on Monday December 16th. Families are invited to attend. Grades 3-5 will be at 1:00pm. Grades K-2 will be at 2:00pm. Please plan extra time to arrive, as the traffic around the school will be very busy. More information about the concert is in Mr. Irwin's music update below.

Items for Next Week:

Monday December 9th- Friday December 13th- Scholastic Book Fair (please see Mrs. McKeever's update below with more information)

Wednesday December 11th- Early Release Day, 1:00pm dismissal

Thursday December 12th- Principal Coffee Talk, 8:45am-9:15am, Cafeteria (we will send out a virtual link to join as well)

Thank you for your partnership and collaboration! Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Santillo, Principal- jennifersantillo@walthampublicschools.org

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

Hello Fitzy Family! December has arrived and the Winter Concert is soon upon us! Your child(ren) have been working super hard in music class since mid October learning their Winter Concert songs. Every class has been making excellent progress in learning their songs! This week we have begun singing on the risers, practicing with other classes, and working on our bows. Next week, each grade will meet together to have an all grade dress rehearsal as we put together the finishing touches for the concert.

There is also a lot of work that happens outside of music class to prepare for the concert! Mrs. Kelly has been working with your students on the choreography for many of the songs for the concert. Also, during art class, Mrs. Walsh has been having students make decorations for the concert! It is truly a team effort for the concert.

I am looking forward to seeing you at the concert!

FitzGerald Winter Concert

December 16th, 2024

1:00pm - Grades 3-5, Band and Orchestra

2:00pm - Grades K-2

Mr. Irwin

CharlesIrwin@walthampublicschool.org

General Music

FitzGerald Book Fair Starts Monday !

The Book Fair is an annual event that celebrates and encourage a lifelong love of reading and every purchase helps support our school library program. The Fair will begin on Monday, December 9th and continue through Friday, December 13th in the FitzGerald library. All students will have an opportunity to visit the Book Fair throughout the week. Families are welcome to shop at the Fair on Wednesday, December 11th from 1:00-3:00. For more information, click here or email Mrs. McKeever.

Mrs. Santillo will be running a before school movement program for students at FitzGerald School! The program will run from 7:45-8:25am on Mondays and Wednesdays starting in January. The program will be a 4 week session and will run from Monday January 6th to Wednesday January 29th (no program on Monday January 20th due to no school). A sign up form will be sent home in December for those interested in participating. This program is free!

Mrs. Santillo is looking for some parent/guardian volunteers to help with the program. If interested, please email Mrs. Santillo @ jennifersantillo@walthampublicschools.org or you can send her a Remind message also. Thanks for considering!

What are Principal Coffee Talks?

Principal Coffee Talk times have traditionally been offered once monthly in the morning for the last several years at FitzGerald. This is a monthly 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 informal conversation times at different times of day, so that there are more options available for those that would like to join.

We enjoyed the conversation this past Wednesday evening during the virtual "Dessert and Dialogue" time. Thanks to everyone who joined!

Next Coffee Talk Time:

Date: Thursday December 12th

Time: 8:45-9:15am

Location: This will be in the cafeteria, with a virtual option to join also.

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 October's School Council Meeting and the approved meeting minutes from the last school meeting in June.

Next Virtual Meeting*: Wednesday December 11th, 2024

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!

Wednesday December 11th- Early Release Day, 1:00pm Dismissal

Monday December 16th- K-5 Winter Concert- 1:00pm Grades 3-5, 2:00pm Grades K-2 (Family is invited to attend)

Monday 12/23- Wednesday January 1st- No School, December Break

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The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) will conduct an Integrated Monitoring Review of the Waltham Public Schools during the week of January 27, 2025. Each school district, charter school, vocational school, and virtual school undergoes an Integrated Monitoring Review every three years. The areas addressed during an Integrated Monitoring Review are organized into two groups, known as Group A Universal Standards and Group B Universal Standards.

The Waltham Public Schools will be undergoing a Group B monitoring review that addresses special education teacher and related service personnel licensure and professional development; parent, student, and community engagement, including compliance with Child Find requirements; facilities and classroom observations; implementation and oversight of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs); time and learning, and equal access.

The process includes interviews with district staff and administrators, review of policies and procedures, and school building visits. The process may also include parent/caregiver, student and teacher focus group meetings to gather additional information. Interpretation will be provided, if needed.

The Department will send a parent survey, in multiple languages and formats, as needed, to parents /guardians of special education students to gather key information on the special education processes and procedures.

Parents/guardians and other stakeholders may call Gillian Lange, Monitoring Review Chairperson, at (781) 338- 3246 to request a telephone interview. If anyone requires an accommodation, such as translation, to participate in an interview, the Department will make the necessary arrangements.

Within approximately 60 business days after the onsite visit, the review chairperson will provide the charter school with a report that includes information on further actions that may be required. The public can access the report at https://www.doe.mass.edu/psm/tfm/default.html.

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