Falcon Family Flyer
October 28, 2023
All in the family!
Greetings, Forestdale Families!
During the height of the pandemic, having to close off school communities to outside visitors was something that felt very strange (among other things happening!) for any school community. I’m sure here in particular, where the school-family partnerships are alive and well, having a sense of separation was noticeable. From when I worked here last, I have vivid memories of all the ways families were a part of this school community. I remember them being in Mrs. Sullivan’s room while families came to see their 3rd grade student’s early settler presentations, and got to interview and ask them questions about the Early America unit they were working on. I remember being in the auditorium for Mrs. Famiglietti’s interactive class plays. I remember having parents and community members come into classrooms across the school regularly to be guest readers and speakers.
I was reminded recently of how exciting it can be when our families are able to not just be in the building with us, but bring a part of their own story and expertise into the building, too. Our first grade students were thrilled to welcome Paul Sieswerda, author of the book Big Whale, Big City, to read his book and discuss his work alongside his son Paul, to our students - one of which was his grandson Paul! Students were engaged in the reading, and got to learn a lot of new information and ask lots of questions about whales, how they feed, what threats they face, and so much more. It was awesome.
Our students and their families have great stories and expertises of their own outside of school, and being able to bring parts of that into the building and share them with the greater community is invaluable. We are always interested and looking for more opportunities just like that! If you’ve ever thought of coming to visit and share your work like the Sieswerdas did, or want to come in and get more involved, don’t hesitate to reach out! We’d love to welcome you.
Mr. Weldai
Meet Mrs. Fazio!
- My name is...Kaitlyn Fazio
- I am...the Health 1 teacher at Forestdale.
- What I am looking forward to this year is...getting to know my students and coworkers and becoming a part of the Malden community! Also, participating in the teachers vs. 8th graders floor hockey game sounds like SO MUCH FUN!
- What I love most about the Forestdale Community so far is...I have learned so much from my students. Even though I am an educator, I like to learn from my students as much as they can learn from me!
- Outside of school I enjoy...spending time with my husband and our four sons. We watch a lot of sports and attend many of my son's travel hockey games.
Meet Mr. DelGallo!
- My name is...Joe DelGallo
- I am...the Health 2 teacher at Forestdale.
- What I am looking forward to this year is...meeting new students and coworkers. I am also looking forward to working in the Malden School District as it is my first year teaching!
- What I love most about the Forestdale Community so far is...how much everyone cares for each other. Especially being new here, the students and staff have been very supportive and helpful as I begin my teaching career.
- Outside of school I enjoy...cooking new recipes, listening to music, and going for walks through Salem!
An Engaging Aspen/Data Workshop!
Title 1 ran a wonderful workshop recently on the ASPEN/X2 Parent/Caregiver portal, online platforms, and assessment data. There was a lot of great information shared, and many questions answered. We appreciate all the parents and caregivers who came to the event, and a big thank you to Title 1 Director Martha Jancaitis and Family Coordinators Lisa Hammersley and Patti Amirault for organizing this great event!
The Craft Fair is coming!
The Forestdale PTO will be holding a craft fair on Friday, December 8 from 5:30 - 7:30pm in conjunction with the gingerbread cookie event! If you'd like to volunteer, or sign up to be a vendor, follow the link here: https://forestdalepto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/261922
Halloween in Malden!
The City of Malden comes alive every Halloween with a festive spirit that's hard to match! If you celebrate, please be safe, responsible, have a ton of fun, and consider joining one of the great events that are going on to celebrate in our community. The closest to home is the annual Ward 5 Halloween Party, taking place in the Forestdale School Cafeteria on Sunday, October 29th from 3-5pm! All are welcome! For more information, check out the "Halloween in Malden" page on the City of Malden website: https://www.cityofmalden.org/1031/7969/Halloween-in-Malden
November 7th - Election Day in Malden (No School)!
Tuesday, November 7th there is no school for the Malden Public Schools, and staff has a professional development day. It is also Municipal Election Day in the City of Malden - check out the city's election resource website (https://www.cityofmalden.org/1003/2023-Election-Information) for more information and ways to participate, and exercise your civic duty to vote! If you happen to vote at the Forestdale School (or would like to swing by on Election Day to support them!), there will be a bake sale going on in the lobby to benefit the middle school field trip fund.
Spirit week - next week!
Next week we'll be having our first Forestdale Falcon Spirit Week! Shout out to Ms. Rocca and the Student Council for organizing this fun week for our students. The schedule is attached here, and outlined below:
Monday, 10/30: Pajama Day! Feel free to dress in your comfiest pajamas, but don't fall asleep!
Tuesday, 10/31: Character Day! Dress up as your favorite character from a book, movie, etc and enjoy the day in costume! No masks or weapons/weapon like props will be allowed - school appropriate is a must! Students will need to make sure whatever they wear is easily bathroom friendly, and able to participate in all aspects of the normal school day.
Wednesday, 11/1: Sports Day/Hat Day! Represent your favorite sport or team with a jersey or hat!
Thursday, 11/2: Mismatch Day! Do these socks clash with this shirt? Do I have pajama bottoms on with a fancy top? Today's the day to...not make sense!
Friday, 11/3: Forestdale PRIDE/Malden Day! Wear your favorite Forestdale Falcon gear, or some Forest green - or sport some Blue and Gold for our Golden Tornadoes - whatever you wear, wear it with Forestdale/Malden Pride!
Safety Trainings with MPD!
The Forestdale School will be working with the Malden Police Department to facilitate a safety training for all students on Friday, November 3, 2023. This is a 2 part training to ensure students and staff have a strong understanding of what is required during a shelter-in-place, a lockdown, or an evacuation.
Part 1 will be done in the auditorium by grade level, where the trained MPD staff will review proper terminology, procedure, and protocols in an emergency situation. Grades K-4 students will remain in the auditorium while classroom staff practice barricading the classroom doors.
Part 2 will involve a practical training on shelter-in-place and lockdown procedures where MPD and the Forestdale leadership team will walk the building and test the lockdown procedures of classrooms to ensure optimal protection is in place in case of an emergency.
Both trainings will be led by Lieutenant Rich Correale, who is the safety training coordinator for the MPD. Everything covered during this training is a review of what was shared at the district-wide meeting for families and caregivers in September. We unfortunately live in a world that requires us to train all of our students on sensitive topics like these, but the experienced staff will handle these sensitive topics with care. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact Mr. Weldai!
MCAS Score Reports!
Students in grades 4-8 should have brought home their Spring 2023 MCAS Test Parent/Guardian Report this week! Included in the report are the results of the Spring MCAS testing, a description of each achievement level and some topics for discussion with you and your students. If you did not receive a report, please let us know!
New K-4 Report Cards!
Did you know that this year the Malden Public Schools adopted a new standards-based report card for students in grades K-4? If you're interested in learning more before you see the report card itself, please join Mr. Weldai, along with representatives from the working group, to learn a little more about the process, reasoning, and what you can expect to see once report cards come out! We will host a zoom for families and caregivers on Thursday, November 2 from 6:00 - 7:00pm for a brief presentation followed by a question and answer period. We will plan to record the meeting as well so families can watch on their own, in case you can't attend! The link for the meeting will be sent via email early next week!
Fall Festival is back!
Picture Day - Take 2! (12/4)
The Winter Concert!
Check your backpacks!
Please make sure to check backpacks regularly for important notices from the nurse, and from your teachers. While most things are done electronically, a regular backpack check is always a good idea.
**Speaking of backpacks, if anyone still needs one for their student we have extras to give away in the main office. Please don't hesitate to reach out and let us know!
Lost and Found!
We know it hasn't been too long, but our lost and found is already going strong! 40 days into school and the pile keeps growing and growing! Take a peek at the images here to see if you recognize any of these items. For any students looking, the lost and found is in the cafeteria directly to the right when you walk in.
Come join our team!
The Forestdale School is still seeking a few candidates for open positions! If you or anyone you know is interested, we have a newly created Special Education position, an ELL position, and four Education Support Professional (ESPs, formerly known as ParaProfessionals) positions open. If you'd like to learn more, please feel free to reach out or visit https://maldenps.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx
Malden Fire Department - Safety Presentation!
This week students in Grades K-3 were given some very helpful tips and interactive demonstrations around fire safety from members of the Malden Fire Department! The kids were extremely attentive and learned some important information to help keep themselves and their families safe. Thank you to Ms. Jill O'Brien for helping organize this for our students!
STEM week with MassRobotics!
Massachusetts STEM week is an annual statewide event that takes place every year during the third week of October. This year, MassRobotics, one of the largest independent nonprofit robotics innovation centers for startups and STEM initiatives came to visit the Forestdale School and partnered with Mr. Coughlin in his STEM class to provide an interactive STEM challenge program for our 5th and 6th grade students. It was a great success and we hope to expand this partnership in the future!
Northeast visits Forestdale!
This week our 8th grade students were visited by a counselor from the Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School to ask questions and start to think about high school next year, and the bigger picture of college and career readiness. Thank you to Ms. Hambley for organizing this, and the other upcoming events for our 8th graders as they begin to get ready for their next adventure!
Making music!
3rd and 4th grade students in Ms. Barber's room created their own musical instruments after learning about different instrument families and how sounds are produced. They had to think about the size, the sound, the engineering design process, and then create, execute and evaluate their plan. It has been great being able to share some of their final products with the building this past week. Considering how cool these turned out to be, "please do not touch" was pretty tough!
From Global to Local!
Students in Ms. Bowe's 7th grade science class tackled a real world problem here at home! They learned about the African Penguin Nest project which has created artificial nests on the shores of South Africa to help penguins and their young beat the heat. They then worked in teams to create and develop their own nests, and then used heat lamps to test out the resiliency and efficacy of their creations. They had a lot of fun doing it, too!
Congratulations, Ms. Sorlien!
Congratulations to Ms. Sorlien, one of our fantastic Forestdale first grade teachers! Friday was Ms. Sorlien's last day before beginning her maternity leave and welcoming the newest baby Falcon to the family. We wish her, and her soon to be family of four, a lot of love. We know that her and Ms. Hoffman's class will miss her and look forward to seeing their new friend be born!
Forestdale Main Office Team
If there's anything that we can do, please don't hesitate to reach out to any member of our main office team. Our phone number is (781) 397-7326, and each of our email addresses are listed below.
- Mr. Adam Weldai, Principal: aweldai@maldenps.org
- Mrs. Karie Carpenito, Assistant Principal: kcarpenito@maldenps.org
- Mr. Kenji Foster, Assistant Principal: kfoster@maldenps.org
- Mrs. Megan LoPilato, Administrative Assistant: mlopilato@maldenps.org