Boyden Weekly Update

November 8, 2024

Dear Boyden Families,

On behalf of the Boyden staff and students, I'd like to thank all Veterans, past and present, for their service to our country and for protecting our freedom.

Please remember there is no school Monday (November 11th) in observance of Veteran's Day.

Have a nice weekend!

Brendan

Conferences

Parent-teacher conferences will be held next week on...

Tuesday, November 12th (5:00 - 7:00 PM)
Thursday, November 14th (5:00 - 7:00 PM)
Friday, November 15th (1:00 - 3:00 PM)

Our conference scheduler is closed so please contact your child's teacher directly if you haven't schedule a confernce or need to make a change

What are the Students Learning in STEM/Media?

We’ve had a busy start to fall in the media center.

Grade 5 finished an Animal Adaptation project as part of MA STEM Week. This project was a partnership with the Wade Institute for Science Education, the Boyden 5th grade team and the Buttonwood Park Zoo. Students learned about prosthetics, adaptations, and engineering. 5th graders researched their sea animal. They designed and built a prosthetic for the injured animal that would fulfill the function of its adaptation.

Grade 4 finished their first engineering design challenge. Their expertise was needed in designing a box to move spiders to a new zoo enclosure. Students were given certain parameters to include such as a latch, a viewing window and enough space for ten spiders. Students worked with a partner to complete this challenge.

Grade 3 spent time exploring a variety of resources to find information about bats. They utilized our elementary databases and nonfiction sources. Students compiled facts in a graphic organizer. Currently, they are creating a 2 slide project to share using Scratch Jr.

Grade 2 has been learning about animal jobs in the fall. Using resources such as Pebble Go and nonfiction books, students explored what animals need to do in the fall in order to survive the winter. Students chose their animal, and created a disguise and materials to demonstrate the animal’s adaptation. They will code a Bee-Bot to act as their animal.

Grade 1 has explored the idea of a design challenge. They brainstormed, planned and built a design solution. This month, we read Builder Brothers: Big Plans and students created plans for a birdhouse. They used materials such as planks, magnetic tiles, and legos for the build.

Grade K continues to become familiar with the Boyden Media center. They started using shelf markers and choosing their own books. Students have learned about the picture book neighborhood and the early reader neighborhood. Both areas have great books for kindergarten students.

Grade 1

Grade 4

Grade 5

Student Council School Spirit Days

Student Council has finlaized the school spirit days for the 2024-2025 school year. Here they are:

Friday, November 22nd - Hat Day
Friday, December 20th - Comfy Cozi Day
Friday, January 17th - 80’s Day
Thursday, February 13th - Sports/Jersey Day
Friday, March 21st - Crazy Hair Day
Thursday, April 17th - Silly Sock Day
May - TBD

Boyden/Walpole Apparel

The Run House, located at 15 West St, Walpole, MA, is proud to be the official retailer for Boyden Elementary School, with 20% of all profits going back to the Boyden Elementary School PAC. Chcek out all the great gear!

CLICK HERE

School Store

The next School Store for grades 1-5 will be on Friday, November 22nd. Look for a list of items on sale to come home sometime that week.

Math Update

With Family/Educator Conferences coming up next week, many teachers may be sharing information around fact fluency. Fact fluency is not memorizing a list of equations to see how fast a student can complete a paper. Fact fluency incorporates children being able to use efficient strategies to work with their basic facts in multiple ways. Multiplication and division rely on fluency with addition and subtraction. Fractions rely on fluency with multiplication and division. Fact fluency extends to all math concepts throughout the grades.

This year, we are fortunate enough to have the Math Fact Lab program at school so students in grades 1-5 have a systematic approach, filled with visual models to master their math facts. Sessions for Math Fact Lab run anywhere from 8-15 minutes and it is suggested that students complete at least 3 sessions a week. Once students complete a certain number of activities they get a chance to pass a level lifter which will move them on to the next level of facts. Our students are doing an amazing job passing their level lifters to become Math Fact Masters.

There are several other fun ways students can work with their facts to become fluent and efficient mathematicians. Check out this book of math games, Acing Math (One Deck at a Time) that only needs a deck of cards for fun math fact practice. Our Family Math Site has a special section devoted to Fact Fluency where you will find even more resources for fun practice for your child.

End of School Year Fact Fluency Expectations:

Kindergarten: Fluently add & subtract within 5

Grade 1: Fluently add & subtract within 10

Grade 2: Fluently add & subtract within 20

Grade 3: Fluently multiply all products up to 10x10 and related division facts

Grade 4: Fluently multiply all products up to 12x12 and related division facts

Grade 5: Keep practicing all facts for fluency

Lost and Found

There are a lot of items in "Lost and Found" at Boyden. If you are missing something, have your child check the "Lost and Found" in the cafeteria or stop by during conferences next week. We only have the capacity to hold items for a certain amount of time and then we donate them to charity. We will be donating all items on November 18th.

Parking at Terrace Hill Cemetery

The Town of Walpole would like to remind families not to park at the Terrace Hill Cemetery during school arrival of dismissal. This needs to be kept clear for families who are visiting loved ones. Thank you for understanding.

Holiday Breakfast and Holiday Shop

The Boyden PAC is excited for our annual Holiday Breakfast and Shop on December 7th. For new parents , there is a breakfast in the cafeteria with some great raffle prizes for the students to win. In the gymnasium, students go into the "Holiday Shop" by themselves (older students help younger students) to shop for parents and loved ones!

To have this be a successful event we many volunteers:

CLICK HERE to volunteer

For raffle prizes, the PAC puts together grade-level baskets that will be raffled off that morning. If you are able to donate to the basket(s) please click on the links below to sign up.