Fall 2023

Welcome to our Walpole METCO Fall 2023 Newsletter Edition. November is the month to remind us to be thankful for the many positive things happening in our lives. One thing I am thankful for, is the relationships that I am building with you and your children as the new Walpole METCO Program Director. Please enjoy our program newsletter. - Ms. Atisha

On Wednesday, October 4th we had our first parent meeting of the school year. The meeting was held at the Adam Street Library. Bus Behavior and the Parent Advisory Board were some of the topics discussed at the meeting.

Boyden and Old Post Road Highlights from Mrs. Valluri's desk

Time flies when we are having fun, our 18 students have been working hard at Boyden and Old Post Road Schools and are very familiar with the school routines. Time spent at Extended Day followed by Morning Meeting in their classrooms, eases students to their school day.

All students work on number corner, reading, writing and math workshops. Please ask your children about their writing prompts and their progress on ST Math. By the end of November, the goal is to have students complete 25% of their journey. Everyone's journey is unique to them. Please check out this link with resources for facts fluency:

https://sites.google.com/walpole.k12.ma.us/wpselementarymath/fact-fluency

Our five Kindergarten students at Boyden have made many new friends and are enjoying their time at school learning new sight words, learning how to make 5, writing alphabets and are loving reading and writing workshops. They are mastering logging in their Chromebooks and are so excited to meet JIJI. They also enjoy spending time with their reading buddies from 4th and 5th grades.

Fifth graders at OPR visited Hale Reservation in Westwood for a team building day long activities. Here are some skills they worked on:

• Get participants moving and thinking critically and creatively as they build communication skills and authenticity
• Work together to navigate challenges to execute plans and accomplish goals through listening and collaboration
• Participants put outdoor skills to the test with activities such as shelter building, ponding, orienteering, and work on improving their navigational and scientific skills as they learn to cooperate, share ideas and succeed as a team.

Building a fire safely, climbing and zip lining were a few favorites.

Our fifth graders are also working hard getting ready for middle school. They switch classes for math, science and social studies to get familiar with middle school routines. Students have to complete daily homework assignments and study for weekly and biweekly quizzes and tests. From learning about food chains in science, creating digital escape rooms in social studies, to reading "A Wrinkle in Time" in ELA and learning adding and subtracting decimals, our students are engaged and busy.

Other highlights:

Two students at Boyden participated in after school karate, they loved the experience as they learned positive life skills like self control, cooperation and respect.

Few students participated in the after school Trunk or Treat event at Boyden, spending time with their peers from school was a big highlight.

Students and families are looking forward to the PAC sponsored Holiday Breakfast on December 2nd

***School Success Starts with Attendance***

Jen DeLeon who is the author of,

"Don't ask me where I'm from" came to visit both middle schools on November 1st.

"Don't Ask Me Where I'm From" is a book about A First-generation American LatinX Liliana Cruz who does what it takes to fit in at her new nearly all-white school. But when family secrets spill out and racism at school ramps up, she must decide what she believes in and take a stand.

After-School Cooking Club at Johnson Middle School where students learn how to make easy at-home recipes.

Bird Middle School 8th grade students on the Rope Challenge Course

METCO Directors Association Youth Leadership Conference this year was held at Emmanuel College on October 20, 2023. The keynote speaker was Sara Monteiro. Students made wood beaded bracelets with Mrs. Burke ( DEI Director) and Ms. Atisha ( METCO Director)

Students from the high school attended an HBCU College Fair at the Reggie Lewis Center. The event was sponsored by Building Bridges.

Students in the METCO Program and their family attended Boston Celtics Games.

Saturday, November 18th at the Reggie Lewis Center, many METCO Districts came together to highlight and showcase their community.

Instagram: We now have an Instagram account. Please follow us on Instagram at walpolemetco

Tenacity: Mr. Sanders, our Tenacity coach will begin meeting with students after the Thanksgiving break to prepare for the Tenacity Competition in March. There will be two groups this year, one from each Middle school. To learn more about Tenacity please click on the link provided below.

https://www.tenacitychallenge.com/ms-tenacity

Bus Monitor: We are hiring for a full time bus monitor. If you would like to apply please click on the link provided: https://walpole.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=1244

Order a Walpole METCO 20 oz stainless steel tumbler for $35. All proceeds go towards the Walpole METCO Student Scholarship Fund.

The Scholarship Fund supports:

• Student activities
• Food for events
• Field Trips
• Student Leadership Conference etc.