News From The Nest: Issue #7

Hello Elm Street School Families and Friends!

This week at the Nest was filled with engagement and excitement! Our kindergarten students took their first Elm field trip and visited Ward's Berry Farm where they toured the farm on a hayride and picked their very own pumpkin to bring back to school to engage with in some science and math activities. 70 of our 5th graders threw their hats into the School Council ring and spent the week giving passionate speeches about why they should be elected as one of our 12 student representatives. Voting took place on Wednesday (with run off voting on Thursday) and our winners of the election were announced during Friday morning announcements. Congratulations to all of our grade 5 students who participated in the elections and showed their interest and enthusiasm for leadership and service learning in their community!

Also this week, our first episode of this year's Soaring Speakers podcast was released on Thursday. Head on over to Spotify to give it a listen and hear all about the start of the school year from Ms. Spiniello's grade 2 class.

In this edition of our newsletter you will find more information about:

• upcoming dates and celebrations for October
• Elm Street School Counselor September/October Newsletter- Topics include: navigating separation anxiety and upcoming themes for SEL classroom lessons
• Essentialist Newsletter: PHYSICAL EDUCATION
• Math Corner for October
• Reminders from previous newsletters: MCAS 2026 Dates, Lice Prevention and Remediation (October 15th Family Workshop), Bus Expectations, Attendance Information, front office reminders
• Lunch Menus
• Walpole Virtual Backpack (community notices)

As a reminder school is closed in Walpole on Monday October 13th. We will see all of our Eagles back at the Nest on Tuesday. Enjoy the extra long weekend!

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 October.

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.

October

• Disabilities Awareness Month

• 10/1-2 Yom Kippur

• 10/2 National Custodian Day

• 10/6 World Cerebral Palsy Day

• 10/6-13 Sukkot

• 10/9 6:45p School Committee Meeting

• 10/10 Early Release Day

• 10/11 National Coming Out Day

In our fast-paced world filled with standards and expectations, goals and grades, one essential part of learning, no matter what subject or age of student, often gets overlooked-the power of play. Brandon Smith, the head mathematician for Mind Education and ST Math puts it best , “None of this is wasted time. It’s the brain at work, wiring itself for problem-solving, social understanding, and persistence. Play is the most natural laboratory the brain has. It sparks curiosity, lowers fear, and keeps learners engaged long enough to wrestle with big ideas.” (Read the full article, “When Math Begins with Play, Everything Changes”)

Fortunately, play is embedded in our math curriculum in Walpole. Through ST Math, Work Places in Bridges, Number Corner activities and the wide variety of math games our teachers use, students are actively learning math while having fun.

Families often ask educators what they can do to support their child’s learning at home. After a long day of school, some homework and probably an activity or sport one of the best things you can encourage after school is simple: play! Board games, card games, and even some computer games (though we do encourage more socially interactive games) will have your child engaging in a fun activity while boosting their pathways for flexible thinking, problem solving and number sense! Our Family Math site includes a whole section on games that can support your child’s growth as a mathematician. The next time you are wondering what might help your child the most, remember the wise words of Mr. Rogers…

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning.

But for children, play is serious learning.

Play is really the work of childhood.” - Mr. Rogers

Below is the schedule for MCAS that will take place in the Spring of this school year. We will share more information about MCAS and testing dates as we get closer. For now, please mark these dates in your calendar and help ensure that your child(ren) are present for each testing session for their grade level.

Grade 3

ELA Session 1: Tuesday March 31

ELA Session 2: Wednesday April 1

Math Session 1: Tuesday April 28

Math Session 2: Wednesday April 29

Grade 4

ELA Session 1: Thursday April 2

ELA Session 2: Tuesday April 7

Math Session 1: Thursday April 30

Math Session 2: Friday May 1

Grade 5

ELA Session 1: Wednesday April 8

ELA Session 2: Thursday April 9

Math Session 1: Tuesday May 5

Math Session 2: Wednesday May 6

STE Session 1: Wednesday May 13

STE Session 2: Thursday May 14

With a few cases of lice in the building here at Elm and entering the time of the year that we tend to see lice cases rise we want to offer some reminders and suggestions for lice prevention and remediation.

For cases in the Elm Street School community we follow guidance and protocols put forth by the CDC, National Association of School Nurses, and the Walpole Public Schools. You can read that guidance here.

In order to help you identify and treat cases of lice at home please take a look at this resource. Through regular checks, proactive measures such as tying back longer hair, and thorough treatments at home we can reduce the incidences of cases within the community.

Additionally, join us for a free presentation on October 15th at 6pm with Camille Merian, the owner of Close Nit Family in Norwell. This presentation will offer parents a thorough, science-based guide to understanding head lice. It will clear up common myths, provide effective prevention strategies, and recommends proven treatment methods. Emphasizing the importance of accurate information and regular head checks to become an advocate for your family.

About the presenter: Camille Merian is the founder of Close Nit Family, a professional lice removal service. Drawing from her own experience managing head lice in her family, Camille combines compassion, expertise, and non-toxic treatments to help families quickly return to their normal routines. With a team of professional moms, medical assistants and hair stylists, Camille is dedicated to reducing stress, educating families on lice prevention, and turning the "lice panic" into a manageable and empowering experience.

CloseNitFamily

Head Lice Treatment & Education Centers

Professionally Trained, Certified, Insured & BBB A+ Rated

100% Natural, ZERO chemicals.

Regain your personal time, relieve stress: Complete Peace of Mind!

Call/text: 781-741-LICE

148 Washington St. Rear Building

Norwell, MA 02061

www.CloseNitFamily.com

Since the start of the school year we have had several incidents of unsafe behavior on the buses and the need for some reminders for students about expected behavior on the bus. Please review the bus conduct and safety rules which can be found in the WPS Elementary Handbook and Code of Conduct with your child(ren) if they ride the bus. Our goal is to ensure a safe ride to and from school for everyone who utilizes this service.

The handbook also includes disciplinary action that could be taken if students continue to not meet expectations.

Violations of these procedures could result in the following actions

A. FIRST VIOLATION: Upon receipt of a Bus Conduct Report, the Principal will issue a warning and inform Central Office and the driver, as well as the parents of the child.

B. SECOND VIOLATION: A second violation will result in a suspension of bus privileges for a minimum of five (5) school days.

C. THIRD VIOLATION: A third violation may result in a suspension of bus privileges for the remainder of the school year.

D. The Walpole School Department, through the Superintendent of Schools or his designee, retains the right to suspend the bus privileges of any student for behavior or misconduct that endangers the safety of its students, the driver, or the bus at any time. Parents, bus driver and Central Office will be notified of all suspensions in writing by the Principal. Further disciplinary action may be taken by School Administrators depending on the severity of the

offense.

Please discuss these rules and procedures with your student and contact Jen Buller if you have any questions or concerns.

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 508-660-7374 and then press 1

Early Dismissals: Please send a hand written note with your student in the morning or email the classroom teacher and Ms. Torigian in the main office (atorigian@walpole.k12.ma.us)

Afterschool dismissal changes: If your student is changing their typical way of leaving Elm Street School at 3:30pm, please send a note into school with the plan that morning.

*If you haven't already filled out the dismissal plan form sent by Ms. Torigian, please do so as soon as possible.

What is Chronic Absenteeism?

A student is considered Chronically Absent when they miss 10% of the school year. In Massachusetts, this means a student who misses 18 or more days, regardless of an excused or unexcused reason, is classified as chronically absent. Just two missed days each month can lead to this status.

Why is school attendance so important?

Students who are in school consistently are more successful learners. Per the National Center for Education Statistics: A missed school day is a lost opportunity for students to learn and interact with their classmates. Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. This relationship between attendance and achievement may appear early in a child's school career. Greater absenteeism during the school year can lead to lower achievement in reading, math, and general knowledge. Poor attendance has serious implications for later outcomes as well. High school dropouts have been found to have exhibited a history of negative behaviors, including high levels of absenteeism throughout their childhood, at higher rates than high school graduates.

If your child starts to accumulate absences, we will work with families to figure out the best way to help improve your child's attendance at school.

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