Fisher Family Update
February 16, 2024
Spring Parent/Teacher Conference Information
The links for our spring parent/teacher conferences are live and will close at 4pm, 2 days before the conference date you selected. Contact the office if you have any difficulty signing up for the time you'd prefer (tmurphy@walpole.k12.ma.us). Please scroll through the signup Genius to find your student(s) teacher, they are listed alphabetically, be careful not to sign up for an incorrect teacher.
Spring Enrichment Announcement
There are spots available in the following After School Enrichment classes: Wednesday: Cursive Writing Grades 3-5 NOW OPEN TO GRADE 5! Wednesday: Homework Club Grades 4-5
There are also one or two spots left in some of the others so if you are interested, check them out as soon as possible!
Class description Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iZjus-yvtK0gNTT1fvMLlk4IGhDTjUyjJz-hoSrGHRw/edit?usp=sharing
Sign up link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4FA8AC29A3F85-47379636-spring
Math updates
With February Vacation next week, your students may be looking for some fun ways to fill their time, and you may be looking for something that is not on a screen! Board games are a fantastic way to build number sense and math skills while having fun! A compilation of research that explored relationships between playing board games and mathematical knowledge and numerical skills found significant gains in 52% of the tasks analyzed. When comparing the intervention group and the control group, there were significant positive differences in 32% of the cases (Ballardes, July 2023). Board games provide an engaging, fun atmosphere, boost critical thinking, enhance number recognition, and offer flexible learning opportunities.
So, what are some of the best games? Well, many of us grew up with Monopoly of course, the board with 10 spaces on each side, adding and subtracting different amounts of money, etc., so it is no surprise that it is number 1 on many lists. Here is a Top 20 list of the best board games to enhance your child’s math abilities. Artful Math offers some tips to look for when choosing a math board game to play-find one that all players can win and that helps all kids practice and improve while playing. If just the fastest or the most skilled player is going to win, it can be frustrating. That would negate the last tip of choosing one kids will LOVE! You want to hear them laughing and having fun while playing. This top list focuses on games for specific grade levels. Finally, our Family Math Website has this list of Family Board Games that you might enjoy. You probably already have some of these games in a closet somewhere, so dust them off, take a break from screens and enjoy some good, “old-fashioned” fun while growing your math brain at the same time!
Sportsmanship Superstars!
Every month Sportsmanship Superstars are selected, one from each grade. These students demonstrate respect and fair play to opponents, teachers, equipment and graciousness in both victory and defeat.
The Sportsmanship Superstars for the month of January are:
K- Joseph
1 - Kaiden
2 - Alexcia
3 - Ainsley
4 - Emily
5 - Luke
Fisher's Finest Update
FISHER’S FINEST FAMILY UPDATE
February 2024
First, a little bit about Fisher’s Finest - For those of you new to Fisher School this year, let us introduce ourselves. Fisher’s Finest is a group that began 17 years ago at Fisher School to support the Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Each year, the Red Sox and Dana-Farber team together to sponsor the “Rally Against Cancer”. Schools and companies are invited to raise money for the Jimmy Fund to help offset the costs of patient treatment and support as well as cancer research. We formed our team, Fisher’s Finest, as a way to “rally” our students and families and support this important effort.
Over the years, you have responded in the most amazing way, earning our school THREE Red Sox player visits, two visits from Wally the Green Monster and his little sister, Tessie, and a visit in 2019 from the 2018 World Series trophy!!!! In our first seventeen years participating in Rally Against Cancer, Fisher’s Finest has raised over $100,000.00 for the Jimmy Fund. That is beyond incredible!!! If you mention “Fisher’s Finest” to the staff at the Jimmy Fund Clinic, they know who we are!!! Our students and families have shown such understanding and compassion for those going through trying times with cancer, especially since this has affected a number of our families and staff members over the years. One note, to clear up some confusion we’ve had in the past – Fisher’s Finest is not connected to our Fisher PAC. It is a totally separate group.
We are preparing to start our Green Monster Wall of Honor for this season. Order forms will be going home soon. For those of you who are not familiar with the Green Monster Wall of Honor, it is a large green “wall” located in the hallway that leads to the auditorium. Families can make a donation to our Fisher’s Finest Rally team and have a baseball hung on the wall honoring a loved one who has battled cancer. Please stop by to see it the next time you visit Fisher.
Our classes will be starting Change for a Cure in the next week or so. We just need to get the collection jars set up in each classroom. Students are encouraged to bring in change from home - they may find it between couch cushions, under the car seat, bottle deposit refunds, etc. The class who raises the most money averaged per student in the class receives Jimmy Fund/Red Sox baseball caps and should we be the top fundraising school, a private meet and greet with a Red Sox player visitor. This activity helps our students (and staff!) realize what a big difference a seemingly small gift can make,
To keep up-to-date on what is happening with Fisher’s Finest, please visit and “like” our Facebook Page – FISHER'S FINEST
You may also support our Rally team by donating here: Fisher's Finest Rally Against Cancer Team Link Thank you all for your support.
If you have any questions or would like to help with any of our fundraising, please contact Carolyn McDonough at cmcdonough@walpole.k12.ma.us.
Fisher School Friendship Directory
Schools are not at liberty to provide student contact information for outside of school activities. If you would like to provide your child (ren)'s information for others to see please click the link below and complete the form.