Boyden Weekly Update

Dear Boyden Families,

Please see the information below

Enjoy the weekend and Go Pats!

Brendan

Read. Remember. Rumble! Battle of the Books 2026

We are thrilled to announce the official return of Battle of the Books for grades 3–5! This beloved reading incentive program encourages students to dive into new genres, discover talented authors and illustrators, and grow their love of reading through a little friendly competition.

We kicked things off this past Thursday with an energetic assembly in the cafeteria. The highlight was an amazing hype video created by Mrs. Arnold. It certainly got our students fired up and ready to read!

For the full book list and all program details, please visit the Battle of the Books Website curated by Mrs. Arnold.

Key Dates

Season Starts: February 7th
Battle Day: Friday, April 17th

A Special Thank You!

This program is made possible through the generous support of our community partners. A huge thank you to Walpole Co-operative Bank, Dedham Savings and Boyden PAC for their continued investment in our students’ literacy!

Boyden Sweetheart Dance Tonight

Don't forget, the Boyden Sweetheart Dance is tonight, Friday, February 6, 6:30-8:00 PM at Boyden!

This event is open to all Boyden students. Many students invite a special adult (parent/guardian, grandparent, aunt/uncle, or family friend) to attend with them, while others come with friends and enjoy the night. Either way, it’s a fun, memory-making Boyden tradition!

You can still order your tickets in advance!: CLICK HERE

$5 ticket/$25 family cap/CASH only at the door

Professional Photos:

$10 per digital copy
6:30–7:30 PM | Cash only | First-come, first-served (All photos will be placed in one gallery)

Important reminders:

This is NOT a drop-off event. Students must be accompanied by an adult.
Families are responsible for their student and their behavior throughout the event.
Guests must remain in the gym or cafeteria. Classrooms and hallways (other than the main hallways) are off limits.
We reserve the right to ask any student and their family to leave if unsafe or disrespectful behavior occurs

Running Club Volunteers

CALLING ALL RUNNING CLUB VOLUNTEERS!

We are SO excited to bring back Boyden Running Club this April… but we need to be clear:

No volunteers = No Running Club.

To run safely, we need 15 adult volunteers who can commit to being there EVERY Running Club date:

Thursday, April 2 (3:00–4:15 PM)
Thursday, April 9 (3:00–4:15 PM)
Thursday, April 16 (3:00–4:15 PM)
Thursday, April 30 (3:00–4:15 PM)

You must be present for all 4 dates (this is how we guarantee coverage and keep Running Club running safely!).

Volunteer Thank You Perk (from PAC):

PAC will waive the Boyden Running Club fee for 1 of your students
Additional Boyden siblings are just $20 each

Please sign up by February 25th so we can confirm we have enough volunteers to run the progra

Volunteer HERE

Questions about volunteering for Running Club?
Please contact Paula Hartigan-Patey at pch588@gmail.com

Media/STEM February Updates

It’s been a busy month of building, coding, and judging! Here is what’s happening in each grade level:

Kindergarten: The Caldecott Critics

Our youngest learners took on the role of judges this month as they explored the Caldecott Medal. After reading past winners and making our own predictions, we celebrated the big reveal! We even watched the awards ceremony replay and enjoyed a special reading of this year's winner, Fireworks.

Grade 1: Ten on a Sled

What happens when ten animals keep falling out of a sled? You engineer a better one! First graders have been following the Engineering Design Process to solve this winter dilemma. Students have already brainstormed, planned, and built their prototypes. We can’t wait to start testing next week and discussing how we improve our designs.

Grade 2: Digital Discovery & Coding

Second grade successfully wrapped up their engineering challenge and has pivoted to digital literacy. They are learning to navigate Destiny Discover to search our library catalog, place holds, and track their favorites. Up next: we are diving back into Scratch Jr. to brush up on our coding skills for an upcoming project.

Grade 3: Snowplow Engineers

The recent snow days provided the perfect inspiration for Grade 3! Students are designing custom snowplows to attach to our Dash robots. The goal? Code the robots to clear "snow" from a designated area. Testing will be fun and then we’ll be reflecting on improvements to our designs.

Grade 4: Color-Coded Coding

Fourth grade continues to explore the world of robotics. Most recently, they’ve been working with Ozobots. These tiny, smart robots are programmed using specific color sequences. Students will also brush up on their research skills with a focus on searches, reliable sources and databases.

Grade 5: The All-Star Dash Challenge

Our Fifth graders are putting the finishing touches on their project. Students learned to attach and code the Dash Launcher, then designed original games around it. From basketball hoops and mini-golf holes to football goalposts and baseball diamonds, their creativity and technical skills have been amazing!

Counselor's Corner

Check out the information from our two counselors Mrs. Audet and Ms. Lemmler

Click Here

Report Cards

Last Friday familys had access to their child's Elementary Standard Based Report Cards and Special Education Progress Report (if applicable) in the Aspen Family Portal

The Term I report card communicates student progress toward meeting end-of-the-year learning standards. The slight, but important, change we made several years ago to the descriptors of the Academic Performance Levels is the phrase “at this time”. The purpose of including this phrase is to share with families where their students are academically, at this time of the year.

Teachers assess student performance against these learning standards, which are specific and observable grade-level skills. Our report cards reflect the learning standards as outlined in the current Massachusetts State Frameworks. Teachers assess by measuring individual student performance against the identified concrete learning standards, rather than in relation to the performance of other students.

Please check out the Parent/Guardian Guide by CLICKING HERE