Fisher Family Update
November 7, 2025
Dear Fisher Families,
As a reminder, there will be no school on Tuesday, November 11 in recognition of Veterans Day. This important day gives us all a chance to pause and honor the brave men and women who have served, or are currently serving in our country's armed forces.
On behalf of the entire Fisher School community, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all veterans and active service members for their dedication, courage, and sacrifice in protecting our nation and the freedoms we enjoy each day.
We hope everyone takes a moment to reflect, give thanks, and enjoy the long weekend with family.
Have a great weekend,
Brian
Please click on the link below to read about Walpole's homework guidelines.
Mrs Vose's 1st grade taking a break at art!
Students in Mrs. Terranova's class received certificates for graduating from Math Fact Lab!
Students in Mrs. McDonald’s class collaborated and worked in teams to research Canada and Mexico.
Kindergarten buddies!
"Dress Up as Your Favorite Book Character" Day!
We are excited to announce that November 19, 2025 is Battle of the Books Kick Off Day!
Students are encouraged to come to school dressed as a character from a book. This a great opportunity to come together as a school community to promote and celebrate reading. We encourage all students to join in the fun and dress up as acharacter from their favorite book.
Thanksgiving Baskets
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Fisher School is collecting 13 complete Thanksgiving meals to support families in need. Each meal should provide dinner for 10 people.
How It Works
Each participating family (or group of families) will purchase and assemble one full meal. Fisher students will decorate boxes for the food — no need to bring your own basket.
Drop-Off Details
Date: Monday, November 24
Time: 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM
Location: Front of Fisher School
Click here to sign up
During family conferences next week, you will be hearing about your students’ progress in our Bridges math curriculum, which is designed to build deep number sense around key grade-level standards. A crucial component of this progress is fact fluency. You might wonder what exactly is fact fluency and how does it change across the elementary grades?
Fact fluency is the ability to recall basic math facts (like 5+3 or 7x4) accurately, efficiently, and with flexibility. This skill is essential because it provides the foundation for higher-level mathematical thinking and problem-solving. When students develop fluency with their basic math facts they can complete complex tasks more efficiently and with greater confidence.This fluency allows students to focus their mental energy on understanding new concepts and applying strategies rather than struggling to compute simple facts. Moreover, strong fact fluency supports number sense, pattern recognition, and mathematical reasoning, all of which are critical for success in later math learning. Building fluency through engaging practice and conceptual understanding helps ensure that students develop flexibility, precision, and logic in their mathematical work.
Our district uses a systematic and strategic approach to ensure that all students have opportunities to develop fluency. Our kindergarteners focus on building number sense and the foundation for facts through hands-on activities in Number Corner and Bridges as well as spatial-temporal activities in ST Math. In Grades 1-5, students use Math Fact Lab, an online program that utilizes a systematic approach with visual models to master facts. We suggest students complete at least three sessions per week (each session closes after 8-15 minutes). Once students complete a certain number of activities they have an opportunity to pass a “level lifter” which will then move them on to the next level of facts. Our students are doing an amazing job passing their level lifters on the path to becoming Math Fact Masters! Here are the core facts students are expected to master by the end of each grade level:
Kindergarten: Fluently add & subtract within 5
Grade 1: Fluently add & subtract within 10
Grade 2: Fluently add & subtract within 20
Grade 3: Fluently multiply all products up to 10x10 and related division facts
Grade 4: Fluently multiply all products up to 12x12 and related division facts
Grade 5: Keep practicing all facts for fluency!
We encourage you to visit our district’s Family Math Site which has resources about fact fluency for parents and caregivers as well as a whole page of fun practice ideas for students to use at home (online and printable). Thank you for your partnership in helping our students become confident and flexible mathematicians and supporting your child’s fact mastery at home.
The Walpole Food Pantry continues to support local families in need throughout the year. Donations of non-perishable food items, household essentials, and grocery store gift cards are always appreciated. You can help by dropping off contributions at the pantry during open hours or at one of the collection boxes located around town. Every donation—big or small—makes a meaningful difference for our neighbors in need.
It's that time of the year! Please take a moment to sign up to meet with your student's teacher.
Instructions/Links to Google Appointments
Please make sure your personal device is set to Eastern Standard Time (EST).
If your device is set to a different time zone, your conference reminders may appear at the wrong time based on your phone’s current settings.
Over the past few years, there has been a surge in national conversation about new AI technologies in our society. Like many new tech tools, AI has the potential to dramatically change how we work, learn, and play. This year, WPS is beginning a process of intentional, thoughtful study of AI’s opportunities and challenges, with an eye toward adopting the most beneficial AI practices while avoiding pitfalls.
We are seeking interested parents/guardians to join our new WPS AI Steering Team. The AI Steering Team will be made up of a representative sampling of teachers, administrators, parents, students, office staff, and other stakeholders. Members of the team need not be “AI experts” and may be anywhere on the spectrum between “excited” and “skeptical,” as long as they can approach the work with an open mind. This team will meet approximately once a month after school via Google Meet.
Parents/guardians who are interested in joining the WPS AI Steering Team can fill out this form to apply. Please note that there are a limited number of seats available on this team and selections will be made to ensure a wide range of perspectives. Questions can be directed to Tom Reeve at TReeve@walpole.k12.ma.us.
5th Grade Yearbook Information
PARENTS AND GUARDIANS OF FIFTH GRADERS: WE NEED YOUR PHOTOS OF YOUR STUDENTS! The easiest way is through the yearbook app. See the information in the fifth grade newsletter for how to submit. Please submit by November 10!
Kindergarten Portrait (school photo, first day of school, etc.)
Baby Photo (birth to 2 years old)
Kindergarten Memories→ Fourth Grade Memories. Please upload to the specific category.
Fifth Grade Memories- start submitting now, but we will accept them until April 1.
Link to the informational sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gRkK-f3vfKJStJ-6A-q5C3WbFOiP3GxmIfjyIUCxFFQ/edit?usp=sharing
Fisher School will be hosting the Scholastic Book Fair in November! Student previews will be held during the day on November 10th, 12th and 13th. Books and items will be available for purchase during parent-teacher conferences on the evenings on November 13th and 18th as well as the afternoon of November 14th. Parents are encouraged to help! Please see the below sign-up. All day preview volunteers must have an active CORI background check on file.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080448A8AE28A4FA7-59167091-2025#/