Fisher Family Update

Good Afternoon Fisher Families,

Wishing you a wonderful and relaxing April vacation! Enjoy the time off — the kids have earned it. When we return, we’ll be in the homestretch, so take this opportunity to recharge.

Please take a moment to read through the updates below before you go.

Enjoy the week,

Brian

April

18 - No School / Day of low attendance

21 - 25 April Vacation

28 - Classes Resume

29 - Gr. 3 Math MCAS Session 1

30 - Gr. 3 Math MCAS Session 2

May

1 - Gr. 4 Math MCAS Session 1

2 - Gr. 4 Math MCAS Session 2

6 - Gr. 5 Math MCAS Session 1

7 - Gr. 5 Math MCAS Session 2

7 - District Wide Art Show - 6pm-8pm Walpole Public Library

8 - Fisher (Incoming) Kindergarten Orientation 6pm

14 - Gr. 5 Science MCAS Session 1

15 - Gr. 5 Science MCAS Session 1

16 - Early Release, Dismissal at 12:25

16 - Fisher Carnival 5-7pm

21 - PAC Meeting 7pm

26 - Memorial Day NO SCHOOL

June

4 - Walpole Middle School Move Up day

6 - Fisher Field Day

10 - Grade 5 district field day

12 - Grade 5 moving on ceremony

13 - Last day of school, Dismissal at 12:25

Click the button below to see the latest events, sign ups and meetings in and around Walpole.

Placement is a school responsibility which we take very seriously. Parents frequently acknowledge how well our teachers know their children. In addition to the classroom teacher’s knowledge, there may be information that you feel would be helpful for us to know. Please note that written input is optional and you do not need to fill out the form in order to have your child’s needs considered. If you choose to send us parent input, we ask that you use the Parent Placement Information Form and complete it no later than Friday, May 2nd. We view placement as an extremely important task, and afford it significant time and reflection.

Click HERE to view the entire email/letter that was sent to families yesterday.

You are cordially invited to the Walpole District Art Show!

Wednesday May 7th

6:00 - 8:00p

Walpole Public Library

Throughout the year, artwork was selected from each grade and each assignment to showcase the breadth of studio experience, range of visual expression, and depth of learning in the art room.

With drawings, painting, collage, prints, photographs, digital images, spatial design, mixed media, weavings, and sculpture, students communicate their ideas about who they are, where they live, and how they feel.

When kids hear the word visualize at school, they often think about reading—picturing what’s happening in a story or using illustrations to understand the text. But visualization is just as important in math!

One of the key goals of our Bridges math program is helping students show their thinking. This might be through drawings, models, numbers, or words. When students can see the math by representing it in their own way, they develop a much deeper understanding—beyond just memorizing steps or rules.

As students learn new math ideas, they usually move through three stages:

1. Concrete – using physical objects (like blocks or counters) to explore the concept.

2. Representational – drawing a picture or model of the math.

3. Abstract – solving the problem using numbers or symbols, without needing visuals.

But learning doesn’t always follow this path in a straight line. Students might move back and forth between these stages depending on the problem. For example, they may solve a simple problem easily, but need visuals again when the numbers get more complex or involve fractions and decimals.

These days, math instruction focuses more on understanding and less on memorizing. Students are learning to break numbers apart (called decomposing) to make mental math easier. But sometimes students think this means they don’t need to show their work or use drawings. In fact, visualizing is one of the best tools they can use—especially when a problem feels tricky!

If your child is stuck on a math problem, here are two simple ways you can help:

• Find something concrete they can use—like coins, Legos, buttons, or small toys—to act out the problem.
  
  

• Encourage them to draw a picture of what’s happening in the problem. This helps them make sense of the situation and often leads them straight to the solution.

Bottom line: When students slow down and show their thinking, either through pictures or objects, it helps them see the math more clearly—and builds stronger understanding in the long run!

Our 2025 Rally Against Cancer closes this Friday, April 18th. It has been an incredible season for Fisher’s Finest, and we want to thank every single student, parent, co-worker, and friend who has supported our efforts this year. At the moment, we are still the top fundraising school in the standings, and we certainly hope that remains the case through Friday! If you follow Fisher’s Finest on Facebook, the results will be shared there over vacation. If not, we will be announcing it on April 28th, when we return to school. No matter the outcome, these students and families should be so proud of what you have done to support Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund. Stay tuned, and keep your fingers crossed!!

Congratulations to Ms. Romano’s second grade class who raised the highest average per student in our Change for a Cure! Each student received an official Red Sox Rally cap and, if we are the top fundraising school, they will get a private Meet and Greet with a Red Sox player and front row seating at the assembly with our special visitor! Eleven classes earned their Jimmy Fund Rally bracelets for raising at least $50 in their class. That is the most classes we’ve ever had who earned bracelets! Our Rally total so far is nearly $14,000, so we have a great chance of breaking our all-time record and being the top fundraising team this year, never mind the top fundraising school!

Our Green Monster Wall of Honor has plenty of room for more baseballs! Order forms are available at school, I can send another one home for you, or you can just email me the information and send in your donation with your student. There is no specified amount - no donation is too small or too large! Let’s fill the wall with the names of those special people! This wall remains up until the beginning of next year’s Rally.

There are still some Fisher student Excuse notepads available. If you want to order one for only $5, all of which goes to our Rally, please click here: Student Excuse Notepad Order . As soon as I receive your payment, I’ll send the notepad(s) home with your students.

Once again, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to all of the Fisher families who so generously support our Rally Against Cancer each year. This cause definitely hits home for so many here, based on stories shared with me, the names and faces on our Green Monster Wall of Honor, and notes I receive with donations. We are helping Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund make great gains in both patient support and research to find better treatments and a cure for cancer. Thank you.

Thank you all for your amazing continued support of Fisher's Finest!

Carolyn McDonough - Rally Captain for Fisher’s Finest cmcdonough@walpole.k12.ma.us

NEXT MEETING

Tuesday, April 29th

7:00 - 8:00p

Walpole Public Library- Pinnacle Room

The Caregiver Connection Series is a newly organized group created by SEPAC members, offering an informal space for parents to connect, build a sense of community, and support each other. Parents of children with special needs are encouraged to participate in an open discussion to share experiences, seek advice, and explore practical strategies for self-care.

Calling Writers of All Ages!

The Walpole Cultural Council is pleased to announce the return of Walpole Writes, a town-wide writing contest open to all residents of Walpole (as well as non-resident students of Walpole schools).

First, second, and third-place winners will be selected and publicly announced in 5 age groups and 2 categories.The age groups are: elementary school (grades K-2), elementary school (grades 3-5), middle school, high school, and adult. The categories are short story and poem. Writers may choose to write about any topic.

The contest is open through April 30 and winners will be announced in May. To submit an entry, writers must complete an entry form with their entry uploaded by April 30. The entry form can be found here: https://bit.ly/walpolewrites25

Winners will be recognized at a celebration at the Walpole Public Library mid-June. Additional event details will be shared at a later date. The Walpole Cultural Council will create a publication of winning entries. Walpole Writes is sponsored by Dedham Savings Bank.

Next year, the school day will begin at 8:30am

Dismissal will be at 3:00pm

Early Release Days - dismissal will be 11:55am

The 2025-2026 Walpole Public Schools calendar will be made available to the public after the May 1st School Committee meeting. Please click here for all district calendar/times information.

Make.do session 1!

Counting & Sorting cereal boxes

The kids cleaned up the playground area in honor of Earth Day today

This week during STEM, 5th grade students concluded their testing for their engineering projects. The students were challenged to design and create a boat using materials that they purchased using the allotted budget given to them. Here are some photos of their creations.

Grade 4 math workplace fun!

Third graders worked with Scratch Jr programmers from the dev company. The students were able to make their own games during the code-along.

Fisher Carnival will be held on May 16th from 5-7pm.

Signup for volunteers coming soon!

Absences: If your student is going to be absent or tardy, please call the absence line and let us know in advance. You may call this line at anytime and leave a message. The telephone number is 508-660-7234 and then press 1

Dismissals: Please send a hand written note with your student in the morning or fill out this form with at least 2 hours advance notice.

Afterschool dismissal changes: If your student is changing their typical way of leaving Fisher at 3:25pm, please send a note into school with the plan that morning.

We understand that there are unavoidable last minute changes, however, please be mindful that we must call the classroom and upset time on leaning with each change.

Please feel free to email the front office: fisher-secretaries@walpole.k12.ma.us

School Day Begins at 8:55am

Dismissal is at 3:25pm

Early Release Days - Dismissal is at 12:25pm

Click HERE to view our arrival and dismissal procedures