Boyden Weekly Update

Dear Boyden Families,

Please see the information below.

Have a nice long weekend!

Brendan

Spring Pictures...Smile

Spring Picture Day is scheduled for Monday, April 6. Order forms were sent home this week, and photos may also be purchased online using the information below. This session is for individual student pictures only, and ordering is optional for families.

We continue to contract with Inter-State Studio for our pictures. You can order pictures by visiting:

https://inter-state.com
Ude code: 0445KEA

PE Update

K: Kindergarteners in the month of February, worked on gross and fine motor skill activities and games. Students learned some basic gymnastics skills such as; animal walks, holds & scales and balances.

1st: First graders also worked on gross and fine motor skill activities and games. Students

revisited gymnastics to build on the walks, balances, and movements they learned from a year

ago.

2nd: Second grade classes started the month of February working on the key components of

throwing. We also played a variety of throwing games to go over those components throughout

the month.

3rd: Third grade started their first lessons on the sport of handball. Students had an opportunity

to learn how the game is played. Third grade students will continue to grow in the sport of

handball over the next few years!

4th: Fourth graders once again started their handball unit. Students revisited game rules, skills

during their lessons. It was fun seeing how well students work together both on defense and

offense during this fast paced game!

5th: Fifth graders also worked on handball through the month of February. It is amazing how far

fifth grade has developed over the last three years playing this amazing game! We will continue

with nets games over the course of March!

Counselor's Corner

Check out April's Counselor's Corner from Mrs. Audet and Ms. Lemmler

CLICK HERE

Math Discourse

What was the story about? Who were the characters? Where did the story take place? Conversing about reading comes naturally to students and families. When getting kids to talk about books, there are many entry points. Talking about math, however, may not come as easily. You might be wondering where to start, or why we need to talk about the math — isn’t solving the problem enough?

In today’s math classroom, students are expected to consistently explain their thinking, compare strategies, discuss patterns and relationships, critique each other, and defend their solutions. Not only are they expected to discuss these things, but they are often expected to write about them. Writing about math is extremely challenging if students have not had the chance to practice using the vocabulary, sentence structure, and phrasing through math discourse. Math discourse includes all of these aspects. It is students sharing their thinking through words, drawings, and pictures, then listening to others do the same to deepen their understanding, learn a more efficient strategy, or discover a different way to approach a problem. “Effective discourse happens when students not only explain their own mathematical ideas clearly but also listen carefully to their peers’ ideas.” (Blankman, Richard, “Mathematical Discourse in the Classroom”)

How can you help your child develop the skills they need for math discourse? Talk about math! The more opportunities children have to talk about math, the stronger their math discourse will become. One of the best ways to develop math discourse is by asking your child about the math they are doing. When they are working on something math- related (homework, playing a game, buying things at the store) encourage them to talk about the math behind it. Some general questions that support math discourse include:

Do you see any patterns in your work?
How can you be sure your answer is correct? (Don’t let them respond that they did it in their head!)
Is there another way to explain that, draw that, or solve that?
What is this similar to?
What tool might help with that problem?
What do you like about the strategy you used? Why?

When students have the opportunity to practice talking about math, it not only develops and expands their math vocabulary, but it also deepens their conceptual understanding. Then, when they are asked to write about math, they have a starting point to get them going in the right direction.

If you are looking for ideas to create an atmosphere for math discourse, visit our Family Math Website, particularly the section on Family Math Activities. When you really stop to think about it, you will be amazed by how many small moments in your day could be the catalyst for a math-related conversation!

Calling Writers of All Ages

The Walpole Cultural Council is pleased to announce the return of Walpole Writes, a town-wide writing contest open to all residents of Walpole (as well as non-resident students of Walpole schools).

First, second, and third-place winners will be selected and publicly announced in 5 age groups and 2 categories.The age groups are: elementary school (grades K-2), elementary school (grades 3-5), middle school, high school, and adult. The categories are short story and poem. Writers may choose to write about any topic.

The contest is open through May 1 and winners will be announced in May. To submit an entry, writers must complete an entry form with their entry uploaded by May 1.The entry form can be found here https://bit.ly/4uQjz0e .

Winners will be recognized at a celebration at the Walpole Public Library mid-June. Additional event details will be shared at a later date. The Walpole Cultural Council will create a publication of winning entries

Next PAC Meeting

The next PAC Meeting is

April 8th @ 7:00 PM in the Boyden Media Center
Agenda (TBD)
Virtual Link

Extended Day April Vacation and Summer Camps

2026 April Vacation Camp:

The Walpole Extended Day Program is excited to host our 2026 April Vacation Camp at Boyden Elementary School for all Walpole students in grades K-5! Camp will run from Tuesday, April 21st - Thursday, April 23rd. Camp hours are from 8:00am-4:00pm each day. Families who are registered for the camp option may also register for AM Extended Day (7:00am-8:00am) and PM Extended Day (4:00pm-5:00pm).

Registration opens on Thursday, March 5th. For more information, please visit the February and April Vacation Camps page on our website.

2026 Summer Camp:

The Walpole Extended Day Program is excited to host our 2026 Summer Camp at Fisher Elementary School for all incoming first-sixth grade Walpole students! This year, the camp will run for four weeks:

Week One: Monday, June 22nd - Friday, June 26th
Week Two: Monday, June 29th - Thursday, July 2nd (Closed on Friday, July 3rd)
Week Three: Monday, July 6th - Friday, July 10th
Week Four: Monday, July 13th - Friday, July 17th

Camp hours are from 8:30am-3:30pm each day. Families who are registered for the camp option may also register for AM Extended Day (7:30am-8:30am) and PM Extended Day (3:30pm-4:30pm).

Registration is open and we expect spots to fill up quickly! For more information, please visit the Summer Camp page on our website.

If you have any additional questions regarding registration for these programs, please reach out to Dan Santangelo (dsantangelo@walpole.k12.ma.us) and Evan Storlazzi (estorlazzi@walpole.k12.ma.us).