Friday Update

Happy Friday Foster's Finest,

What a great week we have had here! First I want to extend my thanks to all of the parents who supported the 5th Grade Bingo Night. There were many smiles and winners! Thank you to our 5th grade teachers and Mrs. Newell for being awesome callers and board checkers! It was a very enjoyable and special night for our students. We hope that these memories of their time here at Foster will be with them as they prepare to leave us at the end of this year.

Second, my very first experience at Nona's! Thank you to the staff for helping cover the four hour shift. I must admit, we had some sore elbows here on Tuesday. For some reason during my shift , the most popular ice cream (Cotton Candy) was frozen solid. In all seriousness, the staff were so excited to be able to do this event again for the students.

Today was another fun day for our fifth graders. Together with the support of Officer McGillicuddy, they solved the kidnapping of the Principal. Apparently, one of our second grade staff really wanted to be the Principal so she had me kidnapped! Thankfully, Foster's Finest were on the trail using their fantastic skills of deduction and solved the crime. Thank goodness!

Finally, given the tragic events of the last week in Nashville, I wanted to share some resources with you in case you have children asking questions. We are committed to the safety and well being of our students. We began our year reviewing safety procedures back in the fall. Next week, the staff will be receiving a refresher on our emergency procedures with Officer McGillicuddy. Mrs. Newell and I will be attending further training next Wednesday. These trainings were planned ahead of these awful events. Please reach out to me if you have any further questions.

Have a great weekend!

Mr. Scheufele

• Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers - Courtesy the National Association of School Psychologists
• Helping Children Cope With Frightening News - Courtesy of the Child Mind Institute
• Tips for Parents and Caregivers on Media Coverage of Traumatic Events - Courtesy the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress
• Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teacher - Courtesy of National Association of School Psychologists
• https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/subtopics/community-gun-violence/

All Hingham Public Schools are getting back on track with separating & recycling trash. Our Foster’s Finest have started "slashing the trash" this week after lunch. Lunch trays are forming big compostable towers instead of landing in the trash! Fruit & veggie scraps are collected for composting offsite and recycling bins are overflowing! You might also have noticed the uneaten fruit or unopened snack in the backpack of your student returning home with them. Our Foster’s Finest are encouraged to stop food waste & to save their uneaten or still packaged food for later. By reducing the amount of waste we send to landfills & incinerators, Foster is doing its share to combat climate change.

Families who use MassHealth will need to renew their coverage this year, including children. If this pertains to your family, call 1-800-841-2900 or visit masshealthrenew.org to learn more about what steps you need to take.

Downtown Hingham Family Scavenger Hunt

Saturday, May 6 from 1-3 PM

This fun, community-building event is open to all Hingham students and their families. We will gather in the St. John’s parking lot at 172 Main Street in Hingham for a 1 pm start to the hunt, prepared by Hingham Historical Society interns. The event will include lunch at Morrell’s BBQ back at the church. Hope to see you there! This event is free, but registration by April 28th is required. See link to register.

Spring is here, which means that it is almost time for our Hingham Public Schools Art Showcase! It will be held Thursday, April 27th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the High School Cafeteria. Art from all schools will be on display, representing what the children learn in art class throughout the District. All families are invited. If your child has a piece of art in the Showcase, they will receive an invitation. (I have not received the invitations yet.)

One of the reasons I started Artsonia so long ago is that there is not enough room to showcase the art of all students on that one night. Children at Foster School have their art "up on display" on Artsonia. First, Second and third grade students have all recently had a piece of theirs uploaded. You can see the galleries here: https://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=104097

Click on a gallery image to open the class. If you are unable to see your child's image in the class gallery, please let me know (or you can give your permission here: https://www.artsonia.com/connect/4DMS33D4)

Next General PTO Meeting:

We will be meeting again on Wednesday April 26th @ 9:00am = Foster Presentation Room. This will be an information session to learn about all the ways you can get involved with the PTO. It doesn’t matter whether you have 1hr a week, 1hr a month or 1hr a year there is something for everyone! Come for Donuts and Coffee and find out more!

Thank you everyone who attended last night’s meeting.

We will be meeting again on Wednesday April 26th @ 9:00am = Foster Presentation Room. This will be an information session to learn about all the ways you can get involved with the PTO. It doesn’t matter whether you have 1hr a week, 1hr a month or 1hr a year there is something for everyone! Come for Donuts and Coffee and find out more!

What a night at Nona’s! Foster’s Finest really showed up! Thank you to all the teachers and staff that volunteered to be a part of bringing back our 1st scoop night since 2019! We are still waiting to hear back from Nona’s on the final amount raised but in the interim, here are the winners for our contest at school.

• 2nd grade took home the prize for most participation by grade with 76%!
• (EXTRA RECESS)

• Mrs. Garland’s 3rd graders took home the prize for the class with the highest participation with 90%!
• (EXTRA GYM CLASS)

OVERALL SCHOOL WIDE PARTICIPATION

66% (267 of Foster’s Finest Showed up!)

PARTICIPATION BY GRADE:

1. 76% = 2nd Graders

2. 73% = 5th Graders

3. 65% = Kindergarteners

4. 65% = 3rd Graders

5. 58% = 1st Graders

6. 56% = 4th Graders

TOP 10 PARTICIPATION BY CLASS:

1. 3G - GARLAND = 90%

2. KM - MAGUIRE = 85%

3. 2V - VOGEL = 83%

4. 5T - THOMPSON = 83%

5. 2S - STEVENSON = 78%

6. 5K - KATNANI = 78%

7. 2MU - MURPHY = 75%

8. 5H - HEALEY = 74%

9. 2D - DAVEY = 71%

10.1BL - BLASI = 67%

Math Olympics Trophy Winner

Congratulations to Mrs. McGrath’s 1st Graders for taking home the Math Olympics trophy this week!

If you have any questions about the program please reach out to Caitlin fostermatholympics@gmail.com

More Math Olympics information can be found here:

https://fostermatholympics.weebly.com

Foster’s Finest had a great week of auditions. It’s going to be quite the event! Make sure you SAVE THE DATE: Saturday May 6th 2:30pm @ Hingham High School to see this star-studded line up @ the big show! Any questions please email: fosterschooltalent@gmail.com

Do you need childcare so you can attend Town Meeting? Drop your kids off for a fun night at the Hingham Rec. Register here: https://hinghamma.myrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=29911

Please join Hingham Middle School Principal, Derek Smith, for a discussion on "The Transition To Middle School".

When: Tuesday April 4th

Where: Foster School Library

Time: 7:00-8:00pm

RSVP HERE: https://forms.gle/6JXcotUZFJfRnibaA

Friday May 12th 5-7pm

Location: The Hingham Community Center, 70 South Street.

More details to follow from The 5th Grade Committee.

For the latest information on all things PTO please remember to follow the PTO on Instagram @Foster_PTO_02043, Facebook: @Foster PTO & Be sure to join the PTO Facebook Group too: Foster PTO News.

Please check out our website: www.fosterpto.com

FIELD DAY TUESDAY JUNE 6TH 9am-12:30pm

This year we will be having our Field Day at The Rec Center’s Cronin Fields. More info & Volunteer sign up coming soon. If you’re looking to get involved with planning Field Day please email: jen.mcguire912@gmail.com & melissa.mcnamara9@gmail.com

Wednesday June 7th @ Local 02045 in Hull.

“Thank You PTO Volunteers Social” – (Adults Only)

More info to follow… https://www.local02045.com

Foster’s Finest End of Year Party - Last Day of School

Thursday JUNE 15TH @ Bathing Beach

More info to follow. If you’re looking to get involved with planning this exciting day, please email jamielcrawford@gmail.com

Yearbook Picture submissions NEEDED ASAP!

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 3/31.

To ensure all our 5th graders are included in the candid picture collages in the yearbook, we need you to submit your pictures.

What types of pictures are you looking for?

• Foster school events only please. Only pictures taken at Foster or on school field trips. Note that we'd love pictures from all their years at school, so dig back through your files for Kindergarten - now.
• Group pictures are the best so we can include the most smiling faces!
• Baby pictures! We will have the 5th grade baby pictures included in the book.

How to submit pictures

Please add any photos with this link to the yearbook platform.

Please list your child's name (if you are a teacher submitting, list your name) in the 'student' section, list 5th grade as their grade and then PLEASE make sure to add a description (i.e. Aquarium trip, Field Day, Halloween Parade, “Name” / baby picture)

Please reach out to (dsdock@gmail.com) with any questions you may have. And, if you would like to help in pulling the yearbook together, your help would be greatly appreciated.

For the latest information on all things PTO please remember to follow the PTO on Instagram @Foster_PTO_02043, Facebook: @Foster PTO & Be sure to join the PTO Facebook Group too: Foster PTO News.

Please check out our website: www.fosterpto.com

Community Info:

ATTENTION 5TH GRADERS INTERESTED IN GIRL SCOUTS:

5th grade girls who are interested in having fun and learning new skills are encouraged to attend the open house for BSA troop 48 on Tuesday, April 11th, at 6:30am. Troop 48 is open to girls ages 11 and up who live in Hingham, Hull, and Cohasset. The Open House will be held at “The Locker,” which is located at the back of Deer Hill Elementary School in Cohasset. They will learn about Troop 48’s activities, make a first aid kit, and be able to meet current members. Upcoming activities include a camping trip in the Boston Harbor Islands, a Cape Cod Rail Trail bike ride, and rock climbing. For more information, please email troop leader Jenny Elwell at elwelljenny@yahoo.com.

From Our Friends at Hingham Maritime Center:

For ages 7-12
Does your child want to see what it’s like out in the picturesque Hingham Harbor?

Do they want to experience a new activity that they can do with a friend?

Sign them up for our beginner sailing lessons and we will help your child gain a sense of comfort and confidence on the water while learning new skills that could last a lifetime.

REGISTER at the HMC website: https://www.hinghammaritime.org/

Please see the flyer to sign-up if you are interested.