Boyden Weekly Update

October 20, 2023

Dear Boyden Families,

This week the Boyden Student Council met for the first time. The Student Council is made up of (12) 4th and 5th-grade students (2 from each class) selected by their peers. The Student Council will be creating school-wide spirit days each month and collaborating to facilitate school-wide community service projects throughout the year. Be on the lookout for more information to come from the Student Council.

Have a nice weekend!

Brendan

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Black and Orange Day

Tuesday, October 31st, will be Black and Orange Day at Boyden. Students and staff are encouraged to wear black and orange to school on Tuesday. We ask that students do not wear or bring Halloween costumes to school. Thank you!

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Trunk or Treat

The PAC is excited about the upcoming Trunk or Treat at Boyden on Friday, October 27th from 6:00-7:00 PM. For this to be successful we need parent volunteers. Please click the link below to volunteer.

SIGN UP FOR A TRUNK and/or VOLUNTEER HERE

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Math Update

With conferences coming at the end of the month, it is usually a time when parents ask, “What can I do at home to support my student,” or “How can I help with math work when it looks so different from how I learned it?” Your conference time is precious so, hopefully, we can provide a few tips here to help answer those questions. First, our Family Math Site is full of tips, suggestions, and ideas for how to support your child in math and how to support yourself in the process! If you click on the Parents/Caregivers Link you will find the section on FAQs for Math Today. Here you will find podcasts, videos, and articles that help explain why math has moved away from just teaching formulas and procedures, to embedding concepts in real math situations so students can see there is more than one way to solve a problem, regardless of the operation needed.

When you are supporting your students at home with math work, two things you want to do are: try to understand your child’s thinking and build on what they know. You can ask them open-ended questions like, “Tell me about this problem…,” or “What do you notice about the situation….”, this will help you zone in on what your child already knows and maybe where they are getting stuck. Some basic questions that work in almost any situation include:

What do you notice?
How did you figure that out?
How can you show your thinking? (e.g., picture, model, equation)
Do you see any patterns?

Finally, please remember, that their way of solving a problem might not be the most efficient way right now, but they are building conceptual knowledge and problem-solving skills that will get them there. Getting your child to teach you “their way” deepens their understanding of the concept, so encourage them to share and teach you!

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Cellular Phones/Electronic Devices

Per the Walpole Public Schools Elementary Student and Parent School Handbook (Page 19), students may not use cellular phones, smart watches, or other electronic devices during the day. If students need to have one of the above devices for an out-of-school purpose, the device must be kept turned off and remain in the backpack. If a student is found to have an electronic device in his or her possession, outside of the backpack, it will be kept in the office until a parent is able to pick it up.

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MCAS Scores

The Walpole Public Schools mailed MCAS results home to families this week. It is important to understand that the MCAS are one of the many ways we measure student progress across the curriculum. We also use many ongoing assessments in classrooms not only to measure student progress but also to assess the success of our district curriculum. Parent-teacher conferences will be taking place over the next two weeks and this is a great opportunity to hear about specific aspects of the grade-level standards that going well for your child and other areas that may be a challenge.

What's are the students learning about in Art?

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Book Fair Returns to Boyden!

Get ready! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming back to Boyden. It will take place in the Boyden media center during parent-teacher conferences.

Wednesday, October 25th, 6:00-8:00 pm

Friday, October 27th, 1:00-3:00 pm

Thursday, November 2nd, 6:00-8:00 pm

Students have the opportunity to browse and create a small wishlist during their media period. Families are then invited during conference times to browse the fair and make purchases. Choosing their own books empowers students and inspires them on their journey to becoming lifelong readers. It’s a great way for families to see popular titles that excite young readers. Every purchase benefits the Boyden Media Center and classroom libraries. Stay tuned for more details and volunteer opportunities.

Social media book fair post

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Resources

Due to the continued conflicts and wars around the globe, we offer this resource to help navigate conservations with your children:

How to talk to children about conflict and war.
How to Talk to Kids About Violence, Crime, and War (Common Sense Media tips and conversation starters to help you talk to kids of different ages about the toughest topics)
Tips for Parents and Educators - Talking to Children about Violence (Infographic from National Association of School Psychologists)

If further conversation is needed, our counselors are always available.

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PAC News

Check out the PAC OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

Walpole Wheel of Fortune

If you aren't a member of the Walpole Wheel of Fortune facebook page, join us! The wheel is a fundraising page managed by the Boyden PAC where items are raffled to raise funds for the school. Raffles will be held weekly on Wednesday or Thursday nights.

Volunteer Opportunities

The Boyden PAC needs you! Check out the sign-up genius below for many exciting opportunities to volunteer and enrich the Boyden community during the 2023-2024 school year. You can help with a Halloween Trunk or Treat, work on the school's Scholastic Book Fair, connect teachers and parents for your student's grade, and much more! Volunteer HERE

Boyden Friendship Directory

Want to add your child's name to the Boyden Friendship Directory? Fill out this quick form and you will be all set! CLICK HERE