Falcon Family Flyer

Greetings, Forestdale families!

Happy summer break!

It’s hard to believe a few weeks have already gone by since we closed out the school year. June was full of celebrations - from the classroom celebrations enjoying their last few weeks together, to the meaningful and heartwarming Kindergarten moving up and 8th grade moving on ceremonies. There were a lot of memories made, and a lot of joy shared.

This summer, Forestdale will be home to 4 summer programs, so when you see the morning and afternoon traffic and wonder what’s going on - it’s still bustling here! We’re hard at work in the office planning for next school year, so if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Expect some more communication coming your way (class/teacher placements and supply lists, to name a few!) by the first week of August.

Until then, rest, relax, and enjoy your summer break. See you soon!

Mr. Weldai

We have an amazing team of people supporting our students each and every day at the Forestdale School. Each newsletter, we'll try to showcase one of our amazing staff members here!

On the last day of school, Mrs. Pam Skinner closed the door on her classroom for the last time to head into a well deserved retirement! Mrs. Skinner has been working in the Malden Public Schools since 1993, a 32 year career. She has cared for thousands of students throughout her years, mentored dozens of colleagues, and been a friend and support system for many. Just last summer I remember sitting in the office when a student from years ago came back looking to find Mrs. Skinner, because of the impact that she had when she was a student in her classroom. Congratulations on your retirement, Mrs. Skinner!

The Malden Public Schools are pleased to share the comprehensive summer reading list for students as we prepare to start the 2025-2026 school year! Summer reading is a vital component of our educational curriculum, designed to engage students in enriching literacy experiences that enhance their skills, broaden their perspectives, and ignite their imaginations. We fully support our students participating in summer reading and keeping their skills sharp, and if you need any support or assistance please let us know! The full list is in the link below.

This year, the MPS food services department will again be providing free summer lunches! Between July 1 and August 8, 2025 lunch can be picked up at sites all around Malden. The schedule and menu are listed in the images attached here!

Thank you to the Forestdale PTO, Physical Education teacher Mr. Bill Hanifan, and DJ Zeke Santiago, for putting on some wonderful field days for our students! The kids had a great time, the weather was beautiful, and the memories made were priceless!

This spring, the PTO held their second annual family friendly Sensory Arts and Crafts night! Kids made sensory bottles and had a great time with some of their friends and family!

The Spring Concert for grades K, 2, and 4 choral arts/singing was held on June 4th and it was spectacular! Ms. Kim Barber put her all into two performances that day, one for students and one for families. The kids were amazing!

The Spring Band/Instrumental Concerts for grades 6, 7, and 8 was held on June 5th in the auditorium, and was a great show! Thank you to Mr. Greg Waite for all the work he put in with our students to make it a great success!

Malden Farmers Markets have begun! Come down every Wednesday July through September from 3-7PM at City Hall Plaza for fresh produce, food, beverages and cooking demos!

Mayor Gary Christenson is pleased to present the City of Malden’s Summer Concert Series. Four more fantastic concerts will be featured this summer! Local bands will be making the most of the summer heat on the following Tuesdays from 6-8 PM on City Hall Plaza:

July 15: Rico Barr Band

July 29: The Reminisants

August 12: Brothers Walk Band

August 26: That’s Ben Gardner’s Boat

In the event of inclement weather, concerts will be postponed and subject to the band’s availability for a future date. Please check in with the City of Malden website in the event of rain or inclement weather. https://www.cityofmalden.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1065

The Holland Memorial Pool is officially open for the summer season! It's located on 108 Mountain Ave in Malden, and open daily from 8am - 8pm. Bring your sunscreen and towels!

https://www.mass.gov/.../lt-dennis-c-holland-memorial...

Please be on the lookout for communication from the school during the summertime with plans and updates for next year! We plan to have a letter mailed to each student with classroom/teacher placement and a note from their teacher during the 1st week of August!

The School Committee recently announced that the district and the Malden Education Association collaboratively reached a tentative agreement for a three year contract. The agreement is subject to ratification by both the School Committee and the MEA members. Pending successful ratification, one of the major student facing changes coming next school year is around student hours (image attached!).

Adjusting the student day for both PreK-6, and 7-8 is allowing for more instructional time, as well as more recess time for our students. There are also some changes to the overall school district calendar for 25-26, which is linked with the green button below!

This spring, our staff were able to spend some time getting familiar with the ParentSquare portal in preparation for its rollout in August! Next year, every school and classroom will have access to the ParentSquare portal for communication. This will replace Class DOJO, Talking Points, and all the other platforms utilized across the system. With this platform, you'll be able to:

• Receive all district, school and classroom communications at the time, in the language, and via the channel(s) you prefer (email, text, phone message and/or smartphone app)
• Send and receive direct messages to and from your student’s teacher(s) in your preferred language
• Receive time-sensitive alerts regarding urgent or emergency situations

Families will be sent invitations to officially join ParentSquare ahead of next school year. Joining the platform is optional, but it will allow you to access all of ParentSquare's features! Thank you to Ms. Kelly Rufo and Ms. Kayla Connolly for leading some introduction sessions for our staff this spring!

For the month of April, students were honored for their Forestdale PRIDE! These students were highlighted by their educators for exemplifying all five of the characteristics of our school motto of P.R.I.D.E. (positivity, respect, independence, determination, and excellence). Many of them are pictured here, and a full list of students for this month can be found here: https://shorturl.at/tGgtL

For the month of May, students were honored for their Forestdale PRIDE! These students were highlighted by their educators for exemplifying all five of the characteristics of our school motto of P.R.I.D.E. (positivity, respect, independence, determination, and excellence). Many of them are pictured here, and a full list of students for this month can be found here: https://shorturl.at/36X8b

On June 12th, we were able to recognize and honor our 8th grade graduates as they finished their time as Forestdale Falcons and prepared to head off to high school! It was a great ceremony, followed by a dinner and dance for the students. Thank you so much to the 8th grade team, Ms. Kendra Rocca, Mr. Kevin Carpenito, Ms. Julia Mercurio, Ms. Jessica Brown, Ms. Erin Gannon, Ms. Christine Leva, Ms. Claudia McCafferty, Ms. Paula Higgins and Ms. Melissa Hambley for all their work with our students and the work they put into making this special night happen!

After a year of some enriching and meaningful activities and experiences, our 8th graders and their Kindergarten buddies had a fun popsicle party in the park to celebrate their time together! As the kids made their way around the park they played games, held hands, and had a great time reflecting on the relationships they made with each other.

Our 6th grade students were able to visit Nature's Classroom this year at Camp Cody in Freedom, NH - and it was an awesome experience! Thank you to everyone who helped make this experience possible for our students, and thank you to our amazing staff who went on the trip with the kids! Shout out to Ms. Michelle Foley, Mr. Pat Kane, Ms. Amy Despres, Ms. Kim Sullivan, Ms. Melissa Hambley, Mr. Joe DelGallo, Mr. Greg Waite, Ms. Ariana Mathews, and Mr. Kenji Foster!

Some of our Forestdale Falcons participated in Special Olympics this June, sending some very excited participants to MacDonald Stadium - but not before being clapped out by classrooms all over the school! The kids had a great time, and made a lot of great memories.

5th and 6th graders had a really great time dancing the night away at their end-of-the-year dance! From the first song until the last song - they had a blast! Thank you to the team of 5th and 6th grade teachers who helped organize this and stayed to support the students!

Congratulations to our Grade 5 students who ended the year with a very special Honors breakfast, celebrating their academic achievements this year! They were joined by special guests MPD School Resource Officers Conor Cloherty and Chuck Washington, who had a great time sharing pancakes with the students!

The Drama Club debuted their spring performance of the musical The Little Mermaid to two almost full auditoriums! The students were amazing, and each performance was full of enthusiasm and joy. Special thanks to the dedicated staff members who helped make this happen for our students: Ms. Ashley Bratsis, Ms. Michelle Foley, Ms. Meghan Bowe and Mr. Greg Waite!

A recording of the performance can be found at this link below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G33cAdnD1uo

This spring, 5th grader Claire Johnston won 1st place overall in the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Arbor Day poster contest, under the guidance of art educator Ms. Chelsey Powell. Claire was recognized at a School Committee meeting in May, and then representatives of DCR came to Forestdale in June to plant a tree outside in her honor. One day, this great new tree will provide shade to our students on the playground at recess - an amazing legacy!

The 6th and 7th grade students ended the year with a friendly competition in a game of "Falcon Feud!" The staff did a wonderful job of setting up this great experience for the kids - and Ms. Michelle Foley even got into character for the game!

At the end of May, the dedicated team of Ms. Kendra Rocca, Ms. Julia Mercurio, Ms. Ashley Bratsis and Ms. Meghan Bowe took a group of 7th and 8th graders on an unforgettable trip to Washington D.C.! The kids saw a lot of amazing sights and had a great time making memories with their peers. Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible for our students!

During the last week of school, I had the great opportunity to be a guest "investor" with Mr. Foster, Ms. Byrne, and Ms. Bracken in Ms. Lauren Gorse and Ms. Jess Surette's 4th grade class as they debuted some of their inventions from their CKLA unit on inventors and their inventions! The students learned about the process of inventing things using problem-solving and logic, and created some inventions of their own that they were really excited to share.

On the last day of school, our 8th grade students were able to do one last walk through the building with their teachers, passing by the classrooms that they learned in for the past 9 years, before all leaving through the door that they entered as Kindergarteners 9 years ago. It is one of the most heartwarming traditions to end the year that I have ever seen as an educator, and the kids sure felt the love.

Forestdale is home to a number of Falcon siblings! During the first week of June, two of them just happened to receive student of the month together - and during one of their last few weeks being in the same school. Happy to have caught this heartwarming moment for brothers Alden and Aaron Deronja (8th and 5th grade)!

If there's anything that we can do, please don't hesitate to reach out to any member of our main office team. Our phone number is (781) 397-7326, and each of our email addresses are listed below.

• Mr. Adam Weldai, Principal: aweldai@maldenps.org
• Mrs. Karie Carpenito, Assistant Principal: kcarpenito@maldenps.org
• Mr. Kenji Foster, Assistant Principal: kfoster@maldenps.org
• Mrs. Megan LoPilato, Administrative Assistant: mlopilato@maldenps.org