Falcon Family Flyer

Greetings, Forestdale families!

December is a fun month at Forestdale for a lot of reasons, but one of my favorite reasons is something I would not have said as a student - it’s a month full of poetry! I remember last year when the 4th grade hallway underwent a quick transformation from medieval coats of arms and suits of armor, to door awnings and microphone stands for the Poetry Cafe (following along the trajectory of the literacy units). This year was no different, but it also came with a newly established poetry cafe in Grade 5 as well!

I was fortunate enough to pop in and out of our fourth grade classrooms over the last month and see the kids in the process of writing, editing, peer reviewing, and preparing their poetry for their poetry cafes. One of the days, Superintendent Sippel got a chance to see some kids in action and talk to them about their poetry, too. It was just as awesome this year as it was last year. To cap it all off, I could not have been more excited when I got the invitation for the 5th grade poetry slam in Ms. Susie Horvitz’s room.

I could write paragraphs about all the reasons the writing process and these exhibitions are incredible - from the types of writing styles the kids are practicing, to the depths of emotion they dive into when they write their personal pieces, to the joy they have seeing a finished product after lots of careful review and revision. The thing that stands out to me the most, however, is how they interact with each other throughout the process - and the excitement they have for the process and product of their peers as well.

Being in 4th grade rooms and seeing kids read their work out loud, and raise their hands to give their peers feedback was not something new - not simple feedback either, meaningful feedback about their word choice, their rhyme scheme, their emotional delivery. Seeing those same 4th graders from last year grow and thrive in their 5th grade poetry slam cafe was exactly as amazing as you would expect. Kids snapped and cheered for each other’s readings, and gave each other feedback on their work. They pumped each other up before heading up to the microphone, and were waiting to celebrate with them when they sat back down. When the actual slam ended, they were just as eager to show me some of their works that were displayed around the room, and took pleasure in letting me know which of their classmate’s writing pieces was one “I had to go see.”

I left the 5th grade slam in awe of the culture that’s being created and fostered in our building. The routines and expectations that we instill in our students in their classrooms matter - not just to their development as learners, but to their growth as people, too. They lift each other up, cheer each other on, and know that those values are important, and matter to all of us.

Mr. Weldai

Special thanks to all the educators who helped make the 5th grade poetry cafe possible - Ms. Susie Horvitz, Ms. Molly Whisler, Ms. Pam Skinner, Ms. Kayla Connolly, Mr. Joe Ialuna, Ms. Priscilla Cruikshank, Ms. Beth Ganley, Mr. Ron Fales and Ms. Lucy Morales!

We have an amazing team of people supporting our students each and every day at the Forestdale School. Each newsletter, we'll try to showcase one of our amazing staff members here!

Mrs. Lucy Morales recently joined the Forestdale team as our new 7th and 8th grade Multilingual Learner teacher! This year, she is most looking forward to getting to know the staff and students as much as she can. She loves how welcoming everyone has made her feel, like she has been here for years! Outside of school she enjoys staying home with a good book, watching Netflix, and enjoying a little TikTok humor, too. She is so happy to be here, and we are all excited to have Ms. Morales as part of our team!

The Title 1 department will be hosting their next family event on Tuesday, January 21st from 6pm - 7:30pm in the cafeteria - a family Zumba night! The whole family is invited for pizza and drinks, Zumba, and a free book giveaway at the conclusion of the night. Looking forward to seeing you there!

The next PTO meeting of the year will be Wednesday, January 8th at 7pm! Come join this great group and hear about the upcoming events, ways to get involved, and more. The meeting will be held virtually on google meet, and the link can be found on the Forestdale PTO Facebook page.

The Forestdale PTO will be holding their annual Winter Ball for students in grades 3 and 4 on Friday, January 24th. More information will be coming your way soon!

The PTO held a successful Gingerbread Cookie Decorating event and Craft Fair on Friday, December 6th. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make the night a success, and to all the families that came out to take part in the fun!

On Thursday, January 2nd from 4pm - 9:30pm, the Stone Zoo in Stoneham will be holding a Sensory Inclusive Night at ZooLights! The event is designed to provide a more accessible and enjoyable experience for guests with sensory sensitivities. It will feature calmer, more subdued lighting and reduced or limited sounds. Sounds like a wonderful experience!

On Saturday, January 18th from 3pm - 6pm there will be a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Malden. There will be speakers, performers, and more! Flyer is attached here.

The 16th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration by the Chinese Culture Connection is back! Saturday, January 18th from 11am - 1pm, please come by the Malden High School Auditorium for activities, performances, and a special United States Postal Service (USPS) stamp unveiling for the Year of the Snake!

ACCESS testing begins in mid-January and continues through early February! This is a test that is used to assess our multilingual learner students' progress in building English language fluency. Our fantastic ELL team (Ms. Melissa Katz, Ms. Lisa Sheridan, Ms. Ariana Mathews, Ms. Lucy Morales and Ms. Lauren Beltran have been working diligently to prepare for the assessment with our students, and if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out!

Just a reminder, there is an early release (11am) dismissal day on Wednesday, January 8th.

Just a reminder, there is no school on Monday, January 20th in honor of MLK Jr. Day.

Mark your calendars - Quarter 2 report cards will be coming out on Thursday, February 6th! Just a reminder that for Quarter 2, we are shifting to report cards being sent home electronically, which should provide you easy and consistent access to grades, and save a ton of paper as well.

Our next Parent/Caregiver conferences are coming up in February! On Wednesday, February 12th from 3:30pm - 5pm here in the building, you will get a chance to connect with your educators and hear more about your student's progress. Keep an eye out for communication from your teams about appointments!

Looking for a FREE afterschool program to enrich your student's academic and social development, support their interests, and help them build community as they prepare to transition to high school? The Mini Writers' Den (run by Malden Reads and hosted at Malden High School) may be just the program for you.

About: In the Mini Writers' Den, students in grades 6-8 will practice their writing skills and learn to express themselves by exploring genres of writing beyond what they might study in their regular classrooms. It is an excellent way to build the writing skills they will need in high school and in the rest of their lives. The Mini Writers' Den brings middle schoolers from across Malden together at Malden High School so that they can become familiar with the high school, make friends from other schools, and feel prepared for high school! Whether your student is an avid writer, or needs an extra push to become more comfortable expressing themselves through writing, the Mini Writers' Den is an excellent opportunity for students to learn, grow, and have fun!

Please fill out this interest form to let us know if you are interested! https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSdzOgekXt1.../viewform...

Logistics:

- The 2025 Mini Writers' Den will run on Thursday afternoons from 3:00 - 4:15.

- Transportation: We are currently assessing the possibility of offering students transportation to MHS and from MHS home after the program. Please address your needs in the above google interest form.

Still have questions? Please reach out to: Rev Rothchild Tufts University rrothschild@maldenps.org or Heather Castonguay, Malden's Director of ELA and World Languages hcastonguay@maldenps.org

Mr. Greg Waite, our band teacher extraordinaire, is still seeking any donations of musical instruments that families might have at home and are willing to part with! Do you have an old saxophone or clarinet in the attic? Do you (like Mr. Weldai did!) have an old trumpet in the back of your car that could use a new life? Our school will happily accept any donations of musical instruments that you have!

The main office has received a number of questions last year about excused vs. unexcused absences. If you are keeping your student home sick, have an appointment, etc. and would like to have the absence excused, please make sure to write a physical absent note and send it in, or write an email to your student's teacher. The phone call to the office line does not excuse your student's absence, it does however stop the automated absent phone call that comes home based on Aspen/X2. Any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out!

Please make sure to check backpacks regularly for important notices from the nurse, and from your teachers. While most things are done electronically, a regular backpack check is always a good idea.

**Speaking of backpacks, if anyone still needs one for their student we have extras to give away in the main office. Please don't hesitate to reach out and let us know!**

Our lost and found is already going strong! For any students looking, the lost and found is in the cafeteria directly to the right when you walk in. If you're missing something, please encourage your student to come check it out. For a list of what's there so far, please check out this google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rK0N_O9rfX86rsG1t2fpV2dG4mFw7PK9RKRTezANSt0/edit?usp=sharing

The January school lunch menu is pictured below, and the link to the monthly menu can be found here: https://shorturl.at/Fw2mQ

We were recently able to celebrate our next groups of students-of-the-month! For the month of November, students were honored for their respect - the second virtue from our school motto of P.R.I.D.E. (positivity, respect, independence, determination, and excellence). Many of them are pictured here, and a full list of students for this month can be found here: https://shorturl.at/CcBtS

For the month of December, students were honored for their independence - the third virtue from our school motto of P.R.I.D.E. (positivity, respect, independence, determination, and excellence). Many of them are pictured here, and a full list of students for this month can be found here: https://shorturl.at/VIat6

On Monday, December 16th, Ms. Kim Barber led our 1st, 3rd and 5th grade students in two performances for our annual winter concert! The students practiced for weeks and were amazing for both the crowd of parents and guardians, and their peers earlier in the day! The link to the recording of the performance is below.

On Thursday, December 12th, Mr. Greg Waite led our 6th, 7th and 8th graders in a fantastic instrumental performance for the annual band concert! The students showcased their talents and families got a chance to see the kids go through the whole process of getting their instruments ready, tuning up, and performing their work! The link to the recording of the performance is below.

Following the end of quarter 1, the grades 5 team was able to celebrate the students who received Honor Roll and High Honor Roll on their report cards with a donut and hot chocolate breakfast! The students enjoyed being recognized for their academic achievements, and we hope the numbers continue to grow each quarter as the year goes on!

Prior to Thanksgiving break, grade 2 students came together with their teachers to celebrate the 11th annual Grade 2 Friendship Feast! After learning about the origins of Thanksgiving, students had the opportunity to share what they were thankful for with their peers, make trail mix, and create friendship bracelets as a great group activity full of creativity and fun!

The early release day before Thanksgiving break was celebrated with the annual staff/8th grade students floor hockey game! The whole building got to enjoy the activity as spectators, cheering on our teachers and 8th graders as they played a few games of floor hockey.

Our grades 6, 7 and 8 students and teachers worked very hard with our PTO to hold the Fall Festival - and it did not disappoint! There were games and raffles all around the lobby and cafeteria, and by the end of the night every bit of food was gone, too. Mr. Joe DelGallo did a great job being taped to the wall - and maybe next year he'll be able to stick up there! The group raised a lot of money to benefit field trips and activities for the year, including the Washington D.C. and Nature's Classroom field trip scheduled for spring 2025. Thank you for all your support!

On Friday, December 13th, 3rd grade students led by Ms. Kim Barber and their teachers were invited to Forestdale Park Assisted Living next door to sing holiday songs and spread cheer with the residents there. The kids represented Forestdale admirably, and the residents had a great time! Special thank you to Forestdale parent Jennifer Dhanjee who accompanied Ms. Barber on guitar and helped bring the music to life!

On Thursday, December 5th, the Forestdale Drama club presented "Skitmania" - It was a night full of songs, skits and a lot of laughs showcasing the talents and camaraderie of the Drama Club! It was a great way to have some fun and raise some funds for their spring showcase coming this May!

December's activity with our Kindergarten and 8th grade buddies was a holiday themed STEM challenge - building a gingerbread house! Students had a great time working with their partners and adjusting and readjusting their structures hoping to construct something that not just looks good, but stands on its own, too!

I highlighted it above, but it's worth mentioning again - our 4th grade students spent time in December learning tools and strategies for approaching poetry, and reading and interpreting both free verse and formal poems. They used their knowledge to write, and recite their works admirably! Students worked all across their classrooms with their teachers, Ms. Sue Ellis, Ms. Julie Fisk, Ms. Kelly Rufo, Ms. Lauren Gorse, Ms. Jess Surette, and Ms. Sue Johnson to bring their work to life!

Students in Sra. Andrea Jones Spanish class spent some recently time reflecting on what they were thankful for (damos gracias por...). We all really enjoyed getting to check out their handprints and thoughtful words as we walked into her classroom!

If there's anything that we can do, please don't hesitate to reach out to any member of our main office team. Our phone number is (781) 397-7326, and each of our email addresses are listed below.

• Mr. Adam Weldai, Principal: aweldai@maldenps.org
• Mrs. Karie Carpenito, Assistant Principal: kcarpenito@maldenps.org
• Mr. Kenji Foster, Assistant Principal: kfoster@maldenps.org
• Mrs. Megan LoPilato, Administrative Assistant: mlopilato@maldenps.org