Hello Elm Street School Families and Friends,
It's hard to believe that we are here at the end of the school year and all our Elm Street Eagles have flown from the Nest for their summer breaks! Today was quite the emotional day around the halls with lots of "happy sad" emotions, celebrations, and reflections.
Our fifth graders are all soaring onward towards middle school and we are so proud of all their hard work and accomplishments. We can't wait to hear about all of the academic and social achievements they will accomplish in the years to come! Mr. Iadarola and Ms. Iandoli shared their final goodbyes with students and staff today. Both of them have contributed so much to Elm students and families both within and beyond the scopes of their roles and we are truly grateful for all of their efforts, hard work, and love they poured into the community. We are going to miss them both so much and our Nest just won't be the same without them! (Please keep an eye out this summer for some summer editions of News From the Nest for staffing updates)
In this final 23-24 school year News From the Nest you will find additional information about:
- Upcoming Dates/Events: June
- WPS Virtual Backpack
- Summer Reading Update
- Summer Math Update
- Lost and Found
- Extended Registration is OPEN
- PAC Feedback Survey
- Student Run Plant Factory Celebrations
- Walpole Road Race Information
I am excited to spend the next couple of months reflecting, planning, and preparing for the upcoming school year. After a year of listening and learning I look forward to partnering with our team and families on continuing to think about and implement plans to keep improving our school community. If you haven't had a chance yet to fill out the PAC survey, please do so as soon as possible. Right now we only have 38 responses and we know there are many more voices and perspectives out there that deserve to be heard and counted.
I hope you all have a restful and safe summer with lots of opportunities to read, play games, and be curious with your child(ren) at home. Enjoy the break and I will see everyone back at the Nest at the end of August or around town this summer!
Jen
Upcoming Dates in June
6/3: 1:45p Incoming Kindergarten Peek and Practice
6/3: 6:00p Walpole Middle School Information Night for Incoming Grade 6 Families
6/4: Grade 5 Field Day
6/5: 8:45a/2:00p Grades 3-5/K-2 End of the School Year Assembly
6/5 3:15p Elm Street School Council Meeting
6/7: Elm Street School Field Day
6/10: 6:00p Elm Street School Talent Show
6/12: Grade 5 Celebration
6/13: Last Day Of School- 11:55a Dismissal
6/15: 1:00 - 2:00p Walpole 300th Cornhole Tournament at Lorusso Athletic Complex
6/16: Father's Day
6/19: Juneteenth
6/19: 2:00 - 5:00p Juneteenth Celebration at Walpole Common
6/20: Summer Solstice
6/25: 6:00p Walpole 300th Trivia Night at Jalapenos
6/28: 6:00 - 8:00p Walpole Pride at Walpole Common
Summer Reading Update
Engaging in reading throughout the summer months helps students of all ages build their knowledge of the world, learn new vocabulary, and practice their word solving skills. This helps them feel prepared and confident when entering the next grade in the Fall.
Students in kindergarten through 5th grade are highly encouraged to read great books this summer. Looking for book recommendations and ways for your child to share the books they are reading? Check out the WPS Summer Literacy Google Site by clicking HERE.
Rising 6th graders have preselected a book that they are committing to reading this summer. Ask them what title they chose! When they enter WMS in September, they will be meeting with a teacher and other students who read the same book and having a book discussion. Students will receive a grade of pass or fail for reading the book and participating in the discussion. For more information, click HERE.
Summer Math Update
Is Summer Slide Real?
Unfortunately, yes; research has shown that students can lose up to 2 months of reading skills and 2 ½ months of math skills over one summer depending on their grade level. The good news is that there are easy and fun ways to prevent this loss of learning and maintain or even make gains over the summer.
The most important thing to do is keep your children active and thinking over the summer. Preventing summer slide does not equate with giving your children worksheets to do each week. Instead, encourage them to play outside, play board games, participate in imaginative play, and read for pleasure!
In order to keep those young mathematicians’ brains active, we have a whole section of our Family Math Site dedicated to activities and games your students can access to keep their minds engaged and math skills sharp. While we do not require students to complete any specific task, we do encourage them to engage their mathematical brain for 60-90 minutes a week on activities of their choice. If you scroll to the bottom of the web page, there are also printable packets for each grade level if that is what your child enjoys.
We want our Walpole students to have a wonderful summer, but we don’t want them to lose all the hard work they put in during the school year! We hope you all find time to relax and recharge over the summer while staying active and engaged in your choice of fun learning activities.
Extended Day Registration is OPEN
Walpole Extended Day will be processing registrations for the 2024/25 school year through Community Pass. Families that wish to register for Extended Day programs must first make a Community Pass account using the following link: https://register.communitypass.net/WalpolePublicSchools
Please reach out to Dan Santangelo (dsantangelo@walpole.k12.ma.us) or Evan Storlazzi (estorlazzi@walpole.k12.ma.us) with any questions.
PAC Feedback Survey
We are getting closer and closer to the end of the year and want to spend some time this summer thinking about and planning for a great year in 2024-2025. To help ensure that the Elm Street School Parent Advisory Council (PAC) communicates effectively with you and provides events and initiatives that meet your needs and preferences we are reaching out and asking for your input. Your feedback is essential in helping us improve our efforts.
Please take a few moments to complete this survey. All of the feedback is anonymous.
Student Run Plant Factory Celebrations
The Plant Factory had a great 3rd season and a successful last stall at the recent Farmers Market. The cherry on top was surely a visit from Mr. Holmes a.k.a Farmer Jim. Thanks for stopping by Mr. Holmes.
3rd grader Abhinav G, 4th grader Arjun L, 5th graders Sanvi B, Isha K, Aayush A, Ruthwik V, Siddharth G Jai C, Srihan K and 6th grader Aditya Y who are the working team of the Plant Factory planned and organized three (3) stalls and in addition advertised and sold plants online to help make their third season fruitful. They set up a stall at Walpole Day, Impact Martial Arts and Farmers Market to sell the plants they have been growing indoors for the last two months. Thanks to the Walpole Police Department (WPD) and Walpole Fire Department (WFD) along with some of their teachers who stopped by their stalls. The kids were very excited to see the support and encouragement for their effort. The response Plant Factory received from the Walpole community was immense. It was amazing to see the Walpole Community responding in such an incredible manner. The kids were able to raise $1,160 for donations to the Police Department this year. Thank you to the schools and teachers who instill values in kids that make their growing minds think about social awareness and their responsibility towards the community.
Walpole Road Race: Registration Open
I hope to see many of our Eagles and their families this year alongside me at the Walpole Labor Day Road Race in September!
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!
Nest Connections
Email: jbuller@walpole.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.walpole.k12.ma.us/o/ess
Location: 415 Elm Street, Walpole, MA, USA
Phone: 508.660.7374
