News From The Nest: Issue #6

Hello Elm Street School Families and Friends!

We had another fantastic week of learning, joy, and engagement at the Nest! Students across the grades are moving through units of study in math and literacy and could be found engaged in writing in response to reading, focusing on place value, measurement and utilizing number lines, learning new multiplication strategies, and connecting with our school counselors during SOAR lessons on understanding and navigating our feelings.

We held our first PAC meeting on the school year on Tuesday and are excited for all ways families can participate in building community and supporting the Elm Street School. Please be sure you are registered with the PAC through their website so you can stay up to date on all the community events and ways to engage with volunteer opportunities.

We also held our first School Council meeting of the year and are eager to fill our vacant family and teacher representative spots. As a reminder all School Council meetings are open to the community. You can learn more in this week's newsletter.

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

• upcoming dates and celebrations for October
• Elm Street School Counselor September/October Newsletter- Topics include: navigating separation anxiety and upcoming themes for SEL classroom lessons
• Essentialist Newsletter: ART
• MCAS 2026 Dates
• Literacy Screener for K-3
• MCAS Reports
• Elm Street School Council
• Reminders from previous newsletters (Lice Prevention and Remediation (October 15th Family Workshop), Math Corner, Bus Expectations, Attendance Information, front office reminders)
• Lunch Menus
• Walpole Virtual Backpack (community notices)

A reminder that this upcoming Friday is an Early Release Day with a 12:25p dismissal time. If you are changing your child(ren)'s regular dismissal plan(s) for this day, please make sure to connect with their teacher(s) and Ms. Torigian in the main office.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy some time outside playing and soaking in the early autumn weather and activities. We will see all our Eagles back at the Nest on Monday!

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 October.

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.

October

• Disabilities Awareness Month

• 10/1-2 Yom Kippur

• 10/2 National Custodian Day

• 10/6 World Cerebral Palsy Day

• 10/6-13 Sukkot

• 10/9 6:45p School Committee Meeting

• 10/10 Early Release Day

• 10/11 National Coming Out Day

Below is the schedule for MCAS that will take place in the Spring of this school year. We will share more information about MCAS and testing dates as we get closer. For now, please mark these dates in your calendar and help ensure that your child(ren) are present for each testing session for their grade level.

Grade 3

ELA Session 1: Tuesday March 31

ELA Session 2: Wednesday April 1

Math Session 1: Tuesday April 28

Math Session 2: Wednesday April 29

Grade 4

ELA Session 1: Thursday April 2

ELA Session 2: Tuesday April 7

Math Session 1: Thursday April 30

Math Session 2: Friday May 1

Grade 5

ELA Session 1: Wednesday April 8

ELA Session 2: Thursday April 9

Math Session 1: Tuesday May 5

Math Session 2: Wednesday May 6

STE Session 1: Wednesday May 13

STE Session 2: Thursday May 14

Our educators at Elm have many ways to check your child’s reading development and growth, including an early literacy universal screening assessment. Early literacy universal screening assessments are brief tests that provide information about your child’s early reading skills.

Screening makes it possible to see if a student is at risk of developing reading difficulties, including risk of dyslexia. Screening does not diagnose dyslexia or other disabilities, but it does help us understand which students may need additional support to be successful readers. We are required to assess students in grades K-3 at least twice per year consistent with Massachusetts regulation 603 CMR 28.03(1)(f).

Our district uses the screening assessment called iReady. This screening assessment is approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Your child will be assessed two or three times during the school year, depending on grade level. Grades 1-3 will be given the computer adaptive assessment in the Fall. Kindergarten will be given the computer adaptive assessment in the Winter and Spring. Assessments given in the Winter and Spring will also include offline literacy task assessments for grades K-3.

The tentative schedule for this school year is shown below:

Screening Assessment Months (Subject to Change)

Kindergarten

1. January

2. May

Grade 1, 2, 3

1. September

2. January

3. May

Following the screening assessment, a team at our school will review all students’ results. If your child scores significantly below benchmarks, we will contact you to discuss how we can support your child.

Screening is another step that helps students at our school become proficient readers, and we are grateful for the continued support and partnership with the Elm families. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Family-Educator conferences in November will provide an excellent opportunity to discuss your child’s progress in more detail, highlighting areas where they are excelling as well as aspects of the grade-level standards that may necessitate more targeted instruction and support.

What is a school council?

A school council is a representative, school building-based committee composed of the principal, parents/guardians, educators, community members and, at the secondary level, students, required to be established by each school pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71, Section 59C.

More detailed information can be found at Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Our Elm Street School Council meets several times over the course of the year to help develop our School Improvement Plan in alignment with the Walpole Public Schools Strategic Plan. We also gather to surface and address community concerns as they relate to the functioning and health of the Elm Street School. All of our meetings are open to the community and family members are encouraged to attend to learn more about our goals and action steps in relation to continuous improvement at Elm and bring forward community concerns and feedback. Each meeting is held in person with a virtual option to attend as well.

To read our School Improvement Plan along with our past meeting minutes and agendas and find more information about dates, times, and ways to attend virtually, please visit our Elm Street School Council section of our school website.

With a few cases of lice in the building here at Elm and entering the time of the year that we tend to see lice cases rise we want to offer some reminders and suggestions for lice prevention and remediation.

For cases in the Elm Street School community we follow guidance and protocols put forth by the CDC, National Association of School Nurses, and the Walpole Public Schools. You can read that guidance here.

In order to help you identify and treat cases of lice at home please take a look at this resource. Through regular checks, proactive measures such as tying back longer hair, and thorough treatments at home we can reduce the incidences of cases within the community.

Additionally, join us for a free presentation on October 15th at 6pm with Camille Merian, the owner of Close Nit Family in Norwell. This presentation will offer parents a thorough, science-based guide to understanding head lice. It will clear up common myths, provide effective prevention strategies, and recommends proven treatment methods. Emphasizing the importance of accurate information and regular head checks to become an advocate for your family.

About the presenter: Camille Merian is the founder of Close Nit Family, a professional lice removal service. Drawing from her own experience managing head lice in her family, Camille combines compassion, expertise, and non-toxic treatments to help families quickly return to their normal routines. With a team of professional moms, medical assistants and hair stylists, Camille is dedicated to reducing stress, educating families on lice prevention, and turning the "lice panic" into a manageable and empowering experience.

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Call/text: 781-741-LICE

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Welcome to the Math Corner of the Weekly S’more! Each month, we use this space to share helpful tips, resources, activities, and insights related to elementary math across the district. We’re our district’s elementary math coaches - Sheila Rinaldi-Boyden/OPR (srinaldi@walpole.k12.ma.us) and Jennifer Torigian Elm/Fisher (jtorigian@walpole.k12.ma.us) - working to support students, teachers, and families in building a love of math. If you ever have a topic or question you’d like us to explore, feel free to reach out to us via email and we will do our best to include it in a future Math Corner of the S’more!

Every September, we like to share our Math Family Website, a resource for families that supports all components of our elementary mathematics curriculum here in Walpole. For Parents and Caregivers, you will find resources on:

• Bridges Curriculum

• ST Math

• Math Standards

• Fact Fluency and more!

For students, we offer quick access to:

• ST Math

• Fact Fluency Practice

• Bridges on-line tools/apps

• Bridges At Home activities and more!

Our school year is off to a strong start! Students are already solving puzzles with JiJi in ST Math, finding new patterns in their Number Corner Calendar Grids, mastering their facts with Math Fact Lab, playing new Work Place Games, and diving into their Bridges investigation lessons. We are excited for a great year of mathematical learning, growth and excitement!

Since the start of the school year we have had several incidents of unsafe behavior on the buses and the need for some reminders for students about expected behavior on the bus. Please review the bus conduct and safety rules which can be found in the WPS Elementary Handbook and Code of Conduct with your child(ren) if they ride the bus. Our goal is to ensure a safe ride to and from school for everyone who utilizes this service.

The handbook also includes disciplinary action that could be taken if students continue to not meet expectations.

Violations of these procedures could result in the following actions

A. FIRST VIOLATION: Upon receipt of a Bus Conduct Report, the Principal will issue a warning and inform Central Office and the driver, as well as the parents of the child.

B. SECOND VIOLATION: A second violation will result in a suspension of bus privileges for a minimum of five (5) school days.

C. THIRD VIOLATION: A third violation may result in a suspension of bus privileges for the remainder of the school year.

D. The Walpole School Department, through the Superintendent of Schools or his designee, retains the right to suspend the bus privileges of any student for behavior or misconduct that endangers the safety of its students, the driver, or the bus at any time. Parents, bus driver and Central Office will be notified of all suspensions in writing by the Principal. Further disciplinary action may be taken by School Administrators depending on the severity of the

offense.

Please discuss these rules and procedures with your student and contact Jen Buller if you have any questions or concerns.

Absences: If your student is going to be absent or tardy, please call the absence line and let us know in advance. You may call this line at anytime and leave a message. The telephone number is 508-660-7374 and then press 1

Early Dismissals: Please send a hand written note with your student in the morning or email the classroom teacher and Ms. Torigian in the main office (atorigian@walpole.k12.ma.us)

Afterschool dismissal changes: If your student is changing their typical way of leaving Elm Street School at 3:30pm, please send a note into school with the plan that morning.

*If you haven't already filled out the dismissal plan form sent by Ms. Torigian, please do so as soon as possible.

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.

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