News From The Nest: Issue #37

Hello Elm Street School Families and Friends!

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of our family volunteers who made our Field Day such a success! Thank you for helping with set up and clean up, running all of the activities, getting our Survivor Trail ready, supporting students during lunch and transitions, spinning some favorite tunes to keep everyone dancing, and making sure everyone stayed cool and refreshed despite the heat. I am also so grateful to our team of family volunteer leaders who coordinated the events with Mr. Iadarola and were so incredibly flexible as we pivoted plans a few times to make sure we gave students ample indoor cooling breaks in the intense heat. We ended the day inside with a fun new event- a teacher inflatables relay race- which was met with so much excitement from the students!

In this edition of our newsletter you will find more information about:

• upcoming dates and celebrations for June
• Elm Street School Counseling Corner for June: topics include- supporting social emotional learning this summer, SEL lesson topics by grade
• Math Coach's Corner: Summer Math
• Summer Reading Resources
• Bus Registration for 2026-2027 School Year
• Walpole High School Construction Update
• Walpole Road Race
• Reminders from previous newsletters: Attendance, Arrival, Dismissal Form, 2026 - 2027 School Calendar, Attendance Information, Walpole Food Pantry
• Lunch Menus
• Walpole Virtual Backpack (community notices)

We are headed into our final week of school. We are excited to celebrate all of our fifth graders during their celebrations on the 16th. Please remember that Tuesday June 16th is an early release day and our final day of school on June 18th is also an early release day.

Have a wonderful weekend and we will see our Eagles back at the Nest on Monday to close out this school year!

Jen

At the beginning of each month I will share a calendar of some upcoming Elm events as well as upcoming cultural celebrations and heritage months with hyperlinks to more information if you are interested in learning more. Below is information for June.

If there are cultural celebrations that are important to you and your family that you would like to share with the adult Elm community, please email me so I can be sure to include them in upcoming newsletters. If you have any questions about anything you see on our calendar, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly.

June

• Pride Month
• 6/3 Grade 4 Field Trip
• 6/4: 1:45p Incoming Kindergarten Peek and Practice, 5:30p ELE Family Appreciation Dinner
• 6/5: Kindergarten Field Trip, Grade 5 Wax Museum
• 6/7: 1:00p Elm Street School at WooSox game
• 6/9: Grade 5 Field Day, Grade 1 Field Trip
• 6/10: Grade 4 Work Share
• 6/11: 6:45p School Committee meeting
• 6/12: Elm Field Day
• 6/14: Flag Day
• 6/15: Rain Date for Elm Field Day
• 6/16: Early Release Day, Grade 5 Celebration
• 6/18: Last Day of School: Early Release Day
• 6/19: Juneteenth
• 6/20: Summer Solstice
• 6/21: Father's Day

With summer break right around the corner, we wanted to share some ideas for how to keep those young mathematicians’ brains active throughout the summer. We have a whole section of our Family Math Site dedicated to activities and games your students can access to keep their minds engaged and math skills sharp. While we do not require students to complete any specific task, (with the exception of the rising sixth graders) we do encourage them to engage their mathematical brain for 60-90 minutes a week on activities of their choice. If you scroll to the bottom of the web page, there are also printable packets for each grade level if that is what your child enjoys.

We want our Walpole students to have a wonderful summer, but we also want them to retain the concepts and skills they developed throughout the year around math! We hope you all find time to relax and recharge over the summer while staying active and engaged in your choice of fun learning activities.

Let’s inspire reading this summer! There is no summer reading requirement for students entering Grades 1- 5, but HERE is a fun video from our ELA Curriculum Coordinator Shannon Findley that highlights some hot book recommendations, as well as provides more information about the WPS K-5 Summer Literacy website. The website (also found on the Student Resources page) has additional book recommendations for families (like THESE for K-2 and THESE for 3-5), a printable book report project, and a link to THIS Padlet board, where students can post books that they are reading.

Registration Options

Pay to Ride -

• If paid by June 18th: $300 per rider, Family Cap $600

• If paid after June 18th: $350 per rider, Family Cap $700

• If paid after July 1st: $400 per rider, Family Cap $800

Ride Free – Registration Required - Students in GRADES K-6 WHO LIVE OVER 2 MILES FROM THEIR ASSIGNED SCHOOL receive free bus transportation. A list of free streets can be found on the Walpole Public Schools website.

Ride Free – Registration Required - For families that meet Federal Low Income Guidelines for Free or Reduced School Lunch, students are eligible for free bus transportation.

To Register - Please click on the following QR code for registration and payment or visit www.myschoolbucks.com .

For more information please visit: https://www.walpole.k12.ma.us/article/2788908

Due to extensive construction, renovation, and paving projects taking place at Walpole High School this summer, the entire campus will be closed to the public from June 29 through August 20.

During this period, there will be no public access to any part of the high school property, including:

• The high school buildings
• Athletic fields and grounds
• The track
• Tennis courts

For safety and security reasons, fencing will be installed along Common Street, and signage will be posted throughout the site.

Please note that the Walpole High School administrative offices will temporarily operate out of Walpole Middle School during the closure. In addition, Summer School programs will be administered at Walpole Middle School.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we complete these important improvements to our facilities and look forward to welcoming everyone back to campus in August.

Registration is OPEN for the 53rd Annual Walpole Labor Day Road Race!

Register Early for your free race t-shirt

walpoleroadrace.org

We have officially transitioned to our new online reporting tool, the Elm Student Notification Form, to report absences, late arrivals, and changes to dismissal plans. You can also find the link to the form on the main page of our website by using the button labeled "ATTENDANCE"

• For ABSENCES and TARDIES, we ask that families do their best to complete this form as soon as possible in order to communicate with the main office. You will no longer need to leave messages on the Elm attendance line. We will be phasing out this number in the week after break.
• For EARLY DISMISSALS and CHANGES TO DISMISSAL PLANS, we ask that families complete this form no later than 2:00p when the form will be locked. This will minimize our front office staff calling and interrupting instruction. If there is an URGENT change in dismissal plans that occurs after 2:00p, families must call the main office to communicate the change.
• If families are reporting absences, tardies, early dismissals, and/or changes to dismissal plans for multiple students at the same time, please complete the form separately for each student.

By notifying our team in advance and centralizing information in one online platform we will be able to avoid interrupting instruction and avoid confusion and errors during dismissal.

What is Chronic Absenteeism?

A student is considered Chronically Absent when they miss 10% of the school year. In Massachusetts, this means a student who misses 18 or more days, regardless of an excused or unexcused reason, is classified as chronically absent. Just two missed days each month can lead to this status.

Why is school attendance so important?

Students who are in school consistently are more successful learners. Per the National Center for Education Statistics: A missed school day is a lost opportunity for students to learn and interact with their classmates. Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. This relationship between attendance and achievement may appear early in a child's school career. Greater absenteeism during the school year can lead to lower achievement in reading, math, and general knowledge. Poor attendance has serious implications for later outcomes as well. High school dropouts have been found to have exhibited a history of negative behaviors, including high levels of absenteeism throughout their childhood, at higher rates than high school graduates.

If your child starts to accumulate absences, we will work with families to figure out the best way to help improve your child's attendance at school.

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.

https://www.wcfp.org/receiving-food

Email: jbuller@walpole.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.walpole.k12.ma.us/o/ess
Location: 415 Elm Street, Walpole, MA, USA
Phone: 508.660.7374

Instagram: ElmStSchool