Boyden Weekly Update
October 16, 2026
Black and Orange Day
News From the Art Room
It’s hard to believe how quickly the first few weeks have flown by. Your young artists have been busy, and I’m so proud of the risks they’ve been taking!
In Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade, students have moved from exploring types of lines to using those lines to make shapes. Kindergarten is diving head first into autumn activities, exploring new materials and techniques like paint sticks, contact paper, and printmaking. 1st and 2nd graders have used only scissors to make their artwork, cutting and gluing shapes without any drawing materials. After reading “Snippets: A Story About Paper Shapes” by Diane Alber, 1st graders made shape houses. 2nd graders learned about Henri Matisse and emulated his style by cutting and gluing paper to make unique picture collages.
Students in 3rd through 5th grade have been putting their new vocabulary to work. 3rd graders finished drawing full landscapes with a single, continuous line, and have since moved on to learning about organic (curvy and natural forms) and geometric shapes (square, triangle, etc.). 4th graders made their own scratch art and used it to create colorful mandalas. 5th graders are finishing up their unit on Op Art, using lines to make optical illusions. Next week, they will move on to learning about value, which is how light or dark a color is. Students will use oil pastels to draw pumpkins and add highlights and shadows.
Math News
This month in Math Corner, we will explore the importance of play in learning math.
- “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.”— Fred Rogers
In Walpole math classrooms, play is everywhere! Whether our students are solving ST Math puzzles, playing Bridges workstation games, or participating in Number Corner routines, they are constantly applying concepts, making connections, and extending their thinking. As they play, students are prompted to explain their reasoning and rephrase their strategies—deepening their understanding of the math behind the game.
Parents often ask how they can support their child’s math progress and development. Playing all kinds of board and card games at home is a wonderful way to strengthen these core skills as a family. (Digital math games offer great benefits too, when balanced in moderation!) Check out our Family Math site includes a whole section on games that support your child’s growth as a mathematician.
PAC News
Boyden PAC Restaurant Night at Sakura!
Take a night off from cooking and support Boyden Elementary! Join us on Wednesday, October 28, from 11:00 AM–9:30 PM at Sakura Japanese Restaurant, located at 691 Main Street in Walpole! Whether you're dining in or ordering takeout, 10% of sales will be donated back to Boyden PAC!
Please show the attached flyer when dining in or picking up your order. If ordering by phone, be sure to mention Boyden!
Enjoy a delicious meal while supporting our students and school! Thank you to Sakura for supporting the Boyden community!
Sakura
691 Main Street, Walpole
(508) 660-1870
Boyden PAC Trunk or Treat
Get your costumes ready! We have 45 trunks signed up and can’t wait for a spooktacular night with our Boyden families! Join us at
- Boyden Elementary on Friday, October 23 (Rain date: Saturday, October 24)
- 6:00–7:30 PM.
- Admission is $5 per child, with a $20 maximum per family. Pay cash at entry or purchase admission ahead on PTBoard Families who pay ahead should show their receipt at the check-in table.
Help us keep the treats going! Please remind your children to collect candy from each trunk just once rather than making multiple trips, giving all our trick-or-treaters a chance to enjoy the treats. Candy is available while supplies last and may run out later in the evening. Thank you for helping us make sure everyone gets to share in the fun!
This is an outdoor event and not a drop-off event. Children must be accompanied and supervised by an adult throughout the evening. Parents/guardians of children with allergies are responsible for monitoring their children and checking all candy, treats, and ingredient labels before anything is eaten.
Volunteers are still needed for setup, check-in tables, candy runs, parking assistance, and cleanup! Even a little of your time makes a big difference. Please visit the Volunteer section of PTBoard or sign up directly HERE
See the attached flyer for details. Questions? Contact boydenpac@gmail.com. Thank you for helping make this a fun night for our Boyden community!
Important Dates
- 2nd - Picture Retake Day
- 13th - Early Release (11:55 Dismissal)
- 20th - School Store
- 25th - Early Release (11:55 Dismissal)
- 26th & 27 - No school (Thanksgiving)
About Us
Email: bdearborn@walpole.k12.ma.us
Website: http://walpolebs.ss5.sharpschool.com/
Location: 1852 Washington Street, South Walpole, MA, USA
Phone: 508-660-7216
Instagram: @BoydenBuzz