Greetings FitzGerald Families!

We have reached the 100 day mark for the school year! We had a lot of fun at FitzGerald enjoying in activities that celebrate in the number 100. It was also the 1,000th day for fifth graders! Around the school, staff members hid Jiji penguin cards (the ST Math main character) and the students were tasked with seeing if they could find all 100. We had a lot of fun with this whole school activity! Thanks to Dr. Flynn, FItzGerald Math Coach, for organizing this activity for us!

FitzGerald After School Enrichment Program- The FitzGerald After School Enrichment Program begins this coming Monday, February 10th. We have 182 students participating! If you have not received an email regarding your child’s program, please contact Miss Grimes at amandagrimes@walthampublicschools.org.

K-1 Report Cards- Kindergarten and first grade report cards went home in student backpacks today.

Thank you for your partnership and collaboration!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Santillo, Principal- jennifersantillo@walthampublicschools.org

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

Hi FitzGerald Families!

In December the students worked on creating beautiful decorations for the winter concert. The Fifth graders created 3D snowflakes and the fourth created 2D snowflakes. Third graders created the paper wreaths and second graders created realistic evergreen branches that became our winter trees. The First graders created paper snowpeople and the Kindergarteners used their fine motor skills to create a patterned paper chain.

It's almost Square1 art time! Students have been hard at work drawing their ideas onto their Square 1 Art paper which will be sent out to Square 1 Art in March. This company sends back their original art once it's been scanned into their database. Families will have the opportunity to order items with their child's own artwork on it. Coffee Mugs seem to be a very popular choice, however other items they sell are sketchbooks, Christmas ornaments, pillow cases, note cards that can be personalized and so much more. This is the website if you would like to see what they have to offer: www.square1art.com

Over the Winter break students in grades 3-5 students drew up sketches at home for their Square 1 art project. This was for the students to start getting ideas down on paper. Their ideas only needed to be a contour drawing, not a full color image. Grades 3-5 have the ability to choose what they would like to do for their Square 1 Art project. However, it could not be copyright images or traced images. Students could look at a picture and draw from it. They could have used Art Hub for Kids too. Kindergarten, first and second graders will be doing a directive art lesson in the classroom with me during their art class. The students look forward every year to doing Square 1 Art. This is a fundraiser for our school and order forms will be sent home some time in the early Spring. All orders placed will be sent directly to your home. If you have a former graduate from FitzGerald that would like to do Square 1 Art at home, please have them or yourself contact me. I can be contacted at: Sandrawalsh@walthampublicschools.org.

Mrs. Walsh

Visual Art Specialist

Students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 will be taking the MCAS tests this spring.

- Grades 3 and 4 will take 2 English Language Arts (ELA) tests and 2 Math tests.

- Students in Grade 5 will take 2 ELA tests, 2 Math tests, and 2 Science/Technology/Engineering (STE) tests.

Please see the dates for each MCAS test below. Please plan ahead to try to avoid appointments/vacations on these days, so that students arrive to school on time and are at school for the entire school day. Thank you for your help with this! More information will be sent home closer to the MCAS tests.

Grade 3:

ELA 1- April 3rd

ELA 2- April 10th

Math 1- May 8th

Math 2- May 15th

Grade 4:

ELA 1- April 2nd

ELA 2- April 7th

Math 1- May 7th

Math 2- May 14th

Grade 5:

ELA 1- April 1st

ELA 2- April 8th

Math 1- May 6th

Math 2- May 13th

STE 1- May 19th

STE 2- May 20th

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: Monday March 3, 2025 (date change)

Time: 8:45am

Location: Cafeteria (a link will also be sent out for anyone that would like to join virtually)

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 January 9th's School Council Meeting and the approved meeting minutes from the last school meeting in November.

Next Virtual Meeting*: February- Date TBD

Time: TBD

*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!

February 17th- February 21st- February Vacation

Friday February 28th- PTO Valentine's Day Event- More info to come soon!

Monday March 3rd- Principal Coffee Talk, 8:45am

Wednesday March 5th- PTO Meeting, 6:30pm, Cafeteria

--

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