News From The Nest: Issue #38

Hello Elm Street School Families and Friends!

What a fast and fun year it was at the Nest! I hope you are all having a great start to the summer break and have time set aside to unplug and connect with people and activities that spark joy for you.

This summer we have a lot going on while all our Eagles are away. We are busy working on some classroom relocations that will allow us to have grade level teams together. Grades 4 and 5 will be fully up on the third floor while grades 1, 2, and 3 will be located on the second floor. Our three kindergarten classrooms will stay located on the first floor along with our gym, music, and art spaces and new book room that will allow our educators to access multiple copies of authentic texts to support book clubs and literacy learning in the classroom.

We will also work on finishing up some hiring including our school guidance counselor, school psychologist, and some education support paraprofessionals. I anticipate being able to give an update about staffing later in July during our first Summer Update.

In this last edition of our weekly newsletter for the 2024-2025 school year you will find more information about:

• upcoming dates and celebrations for June
• counseling newsletter for May/June
• School Start/End Times and School Calendar Update
• Report Cards Viewable in the Parent Portal
• Summer Reading and Math
• Class Placement Information
• 2025 - 2026 School Year Calendar
• Walpole Annual Labor Day Road Race

Have a safe and fun summer and be on the lookout for our first Summer Update in July.

Jen

At the beginning of each month I will share a calendar of some upcoming Elm events as well as upcoming cultural celebrations and heritage months with hyperlinks to more information if you are interested in learning more. Below is information for the month of June.

If there are cultural celebrations that are important to you and your family that you would like to share with the adult Elm community, please email me so I can be sure to include them in upcoming newsletters. If you have any questions about anything you see on our calendar, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly.

• Pride Month
• 6/2 6:00p Rising Grade 6 Family Information Night at Walpole Middle School
• 6/3 Kindergarten - Grade 2 Spring Concerts (see schedules below)
• 6/5: 2:00p Incoming Kindergarten Peek and Practice
• 6/3: 6:00p Walpole Middle School Information Night for Incoming Grade 6 Families
• 6/6: Elm Street School Field Day
• 6/9: Elm Street School Field Day (Rain Date), 6:00p PAC Volunteer Appreciation Event
• 6/10: Grade 5 Field Day
• 6/11: Grade 1 Field Trip, Grade 4 Field Trip
• 6/12: Grade 5 Celebration, 6:45p School Committee Meeting
• 6/13: Last Day of School (Early Release- 11:55a)
• 6/14: Flag Day
• 6/15: Father's Day
• 6/19: Juneteenth
• 6/20: Summer Solstice

Next year Elm Street School will switch to being a "late school". Every 3 years the elementary schools in Walpole rotate late and early school hours. For the 2025 - 2026 school year we will have an official start time of 9:00a and an end time of 3:30p.

• Doors will open at 8:50a for arrival
• We will begin dismissal at 3:20p in the afternoon
• Early Release Dismissal will be at 12:25p

For a full list of start and end times for all Walpole Public Schools please click here.

The full school calendar will be available after the May 1st School Committee meeting.

Report Cards for Term 2 were posted to the Parent Portal on Friday June 13th. They will be viewable in the portal through the end of August. As a reminder, to view the report card, you must access the full site. Report Cards can not be viewed through the mobile site.

You can find the resources for Summer Reading and Summer Math directly on our website on the Student Online Resources page.

Engaging in reading throughout the summer months helps students of all ages build their knowledge of the world, learn new vocabulary, and practice their word solving skills. This helps them feel prepared and confident when entering the next grade in the Fall. Check out the WPS Summer Elementary Literacy Site (linked into our school's student homepage) for book recommendations, tips, and ways students can share what they are reading this summer. Also be sure to visit the Walpole Public Library, where students can "level up" by tracking their reading minutes and earn prizes. Happy Reading :)

The class placement process for the 2025 - 2026 school year consisted of several meetings this past spring and incorporated student data, educator observations, and family feedback to help construct balanced classes that have students who can spark each other, have common interests, and will work well together.

If your child(ren) are not returning to Elm for the 2025 - 2026 school year, please contact Jen Buller (jbuller@walpole.k12.ma.us) and Amanda Torigian (atorigian@walpole.k12.ma.us) to notify us and complete withdrawal forms.

We anticipate being able to share class placement information (through the Parent Portal) in early August.

Registration is now open for the 52nd Annual Walpole Labor Day Road Race!

Don’t miss this wonderful Walpole tradition. Sign-up now for the 5K, 10K, or Youth Mile. All proceeds support the 200+ athletes in the Walpole High School Cross Country / Track & Field Program. Each race participant will receive a finisher’s medal. If you register before August 15th, you’ll also receive a free race t-shirt! Can’t join us live? No problem. We have virtual editions for both the 5K and 10K races. For additional information and to register online, please visit www.walpoleroadrace.org.

See you on Race Day - Monday, September 1st!

Email: jbuller@walpole.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.walpole.k12.ma.us/o/ess
Location: 415 Elm Street, Walpole, MA, USA
Phone: 508.660.7374

Instagram: ElmStSchool