Fisher Family Update

Dear Fisher Families,

We are in the process of planning a fun day for our students on Friday, December 23rd. On the schedule for this day will be a dance party with a DJ, schoolwide BINGO and a winter holiday Sing-A-Long with none other than our own Mr. Holmes! Since our day is going to be different we were hoping you could help us make snack look a little different too. Please plan on packing a special snack for your student on 12/23. The snack could include some of their favorite fruits, vegetables, chips or cookies along with a drink (no soda and no glass containers please) in a fun and festive bag. A decorated brown bag will do! Please remember that we are a peanut safe school and to check in with your child's teacher if you have any questions. Thank you for your help and we look forward to a very Funday on Friday (12/23)!

Please be sure to read through this edition of the Fisher Family Update for upcoming events and updates from our school.

Thank you,

Brian

Often as teachers we are asked how families can support the learning that is happening at school with activities at home. Our new Bridges Math Curriculum published by The Math Learning Center has helped answer that question with interesting and fun family math activities that support the concepts presented at school. Visit this direct link to Bridges’ Math At Home, which is also linked by buttons on our Family Math website's Student main page and Parent main page to engage in these fun, developmentally appropriate activities for each grade level. All grade levels will have fun figuring out Which One Doesn’t Belong, finding Same, but Different and exploring Would You Rather questions using mathematical concepts related to real world problems using their grade level concepts and routines. These simple, but often open-ended prompts help students build critical thinking skills and realize there can be more than one solution to a problem depending on your perspective.

In the spirit of the holiday season, we are looking for 14 Holiday meals to be donated to provide dinner for families in need. We are looking for a few more "stars" to be claimed as well!

The food will be purchased and put together by your family based on the list below to feed 10 people. Feel free to reach out to another family(s) if you would like to do it together as a group. Fisher students are going to be decorating boxes for the food to be put in so there is no need to provide a basket.

There are 4 slots to donate gifts or wrapping materials.

Please plan on bringing the below ingredients in the grocery bags as well as a $25 giftcard to Stop & Shop for a turkey or ham in an easily identifiable envelope.

If you selected a star, please plan on dropping the items off to the main office at Fisher school no later than December 15th. For those who signed up to provide a food basket, these should be dropped off at the school on Monday, December 19th from 3:45 - 4:30pm.

Please check the slot to donate if you would like to participate. If you have any questions please contact Erin Mansfield, guidance counselor, EMansfield@walpole.k12.ma.us or Lindsey Moyes, nurse, LMoyes@walpole.k12.ma.us

Thank you for your generosity and continued support to the Fisher community. We greatly appreciate it.

Click here to sign up.

December

9 Early Release - Dismissal at 12:25pm

26 Winter Recess Begins

January

3 Classes resume

13 No School - Professional Developement

16 No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Please click on the virtual backpack for the newest and latest information about sign ups, fundraisers and upcoming events in and around our community.

Battle of the Books is back at Fisher School! We are so excited that every student in grades 3,4, and 5 is participating in our Battle of the Books tournament. Students gathered with their teammates and met their staff member coaches for the first time on Thursday afternoon. They have a list of 20 books and have pledged to read at least 3 books before the Battle Tournament in February. Copies of the books are available in the Fisher Media Center, as well as read alouds available on the Google Classroom website. Everyone is encouraged to read at school and home! Once a book is completed, each student will write a brief summary, and return their book slip, and we will add a sticker to the team’s chart. The more you read, the more you know, and the more you can help the team win the Battle in February! Happy Reading!!

Battle of the Books Book list for 2022-23

Boxes for Katje By Candace Fleming

Mr. Peabody’s Apples By Madonna

The Proudest Blue By Ibtihaj Muhammad

Mr. Lincoln’s Way By Patricia Polacco

Magic Tree House:World at War, 1944 By Mary Pope Osborne

The War that Saved My Life By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Amari and the Night Brothers By BB Alston

Tuesdays at the Castle By Jessica Day George

Henry Heckelbeck Gets a Dragon by Wanda Coven

The Castle in the Attic By Elizabeth Winthrop

Poppy By Avi

El Deafo By Cece Bell

Amulet: The Stonekeeper By Kazu Kibuishi

Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows By Asia Citro

The Last Firehawk: The Ember Stone By Katrina Charman

A Boy Called Bat #1 by Elana K. Arnold

The Case of the Stolen Sculpture by Steve Brezenoff

Heat by Mike Lupica

Ivy and Bean: Doomed to Dance #6 By Annie Barrows

Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Julie Sternberg

Grade 1 Art classes have been reading “Snowballs” by Lois Ehlert.. They have selected their favorite character and created a cut paper collage!! There will be an exhibit of these compositions soon and here is our Artist of the Week,, Olivia Leone Congratulations Olivia!

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We are participating in Artsonia and art work from many classes can be viewed on this site! Artsonia is the world's largest collection of student art, published by teachers and students from around the world. Parents and family can view the art online, leave comments and order keepsakes featuring the artwork. In Art class I photograph and publish student art work periodically. Your child’s privacy is protected by not photographing their last name, only their first name and an assigned code. If you would like to participate in the program, please click the following link to submit your email and permission.

https://www.artsonia.com/connect/YCY46B3C

If you are having difficulty connecting with the above code, please visit www.artsonia.com for additional instructions.

I look forward to sharing your child’s artwork with you!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Joanne Hirschfeld

Elementary Art Teacher/Elementary Art Coordinator

Fisher School

In Physical Education classes, students have been working on throwing, dodging, blocking and their hand/eye coordination skills. Kindergarten students have learned different ways to ride the scooters while students in older grades have strengthened their scooter skills. All grades then implemented the skills they learned in a great game called Battleship. This game involves throwing, blocking, guarding, dodging, riding the scooters, balancing and so much more. It's a culmination of many skills and the students loved it!

Kindergarten enjoyed a special craft day!

December ST Math winners

Kindergartners putting on puppet shows of their favorite storybooks. They retold the stories of The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Little Red Hen.

Mrs, O’Neill’s 5th graders study worms during science.

HUGE shout out to Kristi McPhee and Nancy Niles for this gorgeous hallway!

The Fisher PAC is happy to roll out our Teacher Wish Lists!!! Click on our website and look through the grade levels to see what they want. If you can help out, great! We have also included the Math Household Items wish lists on here, too, to keep it all in one place!!! Teachers will be updating these lists throughout the year so keep checking back!

Fisher PAC

https://sites.google.com/walpole.k12.ma.us/fisherpac/home?authuser=3

Happy Fall!

• Please remember if your child is ill with a fever (greater than 100) they need to remain at home for 24 hours without the use of an antipyretic (Tylenol, Motrin, fever reducing medication).
• Here is a link to the WPS Health Services website. On this site you can find links to forms (i.e. medication administration, over the counter medication consent forms), medication policies, and information regarding illnesses, concussions and injuries.
• Please pack an extra outfit in your child’s backpack in case of emergencies, this can be stored at the school in their locker or cubbies. Please be mindful of your child wearing appropriate shoes to minimize injuries at recess and PE- sneakers are best.
  

• The Health Office will gladly accept donations of new or gently used clothes of all sizes and gender. We are in need of leggings (size women's small/medium) presently. We really appreciate it! Here is the Fisher health office wish list.

As always, please feel free to send me an email with any questions or concerns regarding your child.

There are many items in the lost and found, all items that are not collected will be donated during winter break. The lost and found will be displayed outside the building the week of 12/12 from 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM. Please stop by to collect any items your child may have misplaced.

The four elementary schools rotate start and end times every three years. The 2022-2023 School Year represents year one of the next rotation. For the next 3 years, Boyden and Fisher School will start at 8:55 a.m. and end at 3:25 p.m.

Doors open at 8:45am and the doors will be locked at 8:53. If your child arrives after 8:53 they will be marked as tardy. Instruction/learning begins promptly at 8:55am

We are excited to have our students back at Fisher School! Please see below some guidelines for attendance. Any questions can be emailed to fisher-secretaries@walpole.k12.ma.us

If your student will be absent or tardy for any reason, call 508 660 7234 and press 1 and leave a message as to the reason before school begins at 8:55 am. Our automated absence calls go out at 9:30. If we do not have a reason noted for the absence you will receive an automated phone call and email. This is for your student’s safety, to ensure that all are accounted for.

The front doors will be closed at 8:53 as students are expected to be sitting in their seats at 8:55. If your student is arriving tardy, please ring the front doorbell and you will enter the building to sign your student in. A student must be accompanied by a parent/guardian when arriving. There is a sign in sheet with a column to indicate the reason for the tardy arrival.

Please note: We mark all students having school lunch in Aspen with a “L”. This does not mean the student was marked Late. We use T for tardy.

If you are dismissing your student early or changing the way they go home, send a written note on the day of dismissal that includes your student’s first and last name. The teacher will note the dismissal and plan accordingly, and the note goes to the office so we can enter it into our Aspen system. An email sent during the day may be missed by your student’s teacher.

Please avoid calling with an early dismissal change or a change in the way your student goes home. When this happens we need to call the classroom to let the teacher know and this disrupts learning time.

We cannot change the way a student goes home based on them telling the office or their teacher. We need to hear from a parent/guardian via note or phone call to make that change. If they are scheduled for Extended Day and we do not hear otherwise, we will send them to Extended Day.

Arrival/Dismissal procedures will be the same as they were last year. Please click HERE for all details regarding car drop off and pick up. Staff will be outside everyday to assist you student. Please do not exit your vehicle.

If your student is a "walker" at dismissal time.....

• Please do not park in the Fisher parking lot - You could park on Cobb terrace and walk down but the parking lot is not a safe option at dismissal time
• You may walk down to door 18 (by the Fisher Garden) to pick up your student

Please be aware that we are required to see you in the office with your CORI form. We need to ascertain that whoever we are checking is in fact the correct person. We will take a copy of your license while you are here. Also, please try to avoid arrival and dismissal times if possible when you are coming in.

If you are interested or think that you will be later this year, please complete the "Volunteer Contract" and the CORI form below. The contract has some general "agreements'' that we need all volunteers to abide by and we appreciate your cooperation. We know the students really enjoy seeing their adults involved in the school and we hope you sign up to join us.

We are pleased to share that Massachusetts will continue to fund free school meals for all students, regardless of household income, under a one-year expansion of a free federal school lunch program. The state’s budgetary commitment will ensure 400,000 students statewide, who would not otherwise qualify for free school meals, continue to have access to free school lunch and breakfast for the next year.

What does this mean?

All Walpole Public School children will receive free school meals while at school.

Important: We still encourage all families to submit a school meal application if they believe they are income eligible to receive free meals. While your child will receive a free meal regardless of their free or reduced-price meal status, the meal application can qualify your family for additional benefits beyond free school meals.

You can access our on-line meal benefit application here: https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application

This on-line application is available in multiple languages via a drop-down menu "Language" on the toolbar.

HERE is the school calendar for 2022-2023, including start dates, holidays and early dismissal days. This is continually updated over the course of the year if we have snow days.Please note that there are different start dates for Kindergarten students