Hello and Happy Summer Elm Street School Families and Friends!
Things are kicking up a notch at the Nest now that the calendar has turned a page and we are into the month of August. Curriculum materials and supplies are being delivered in a steady stream to the building and our custodial team is doing a phenomenal job deep cleaning, waxing, and getting the building ready for everyone to return in a few short weeks.
This Friday class placement assignments will be shared through the Family Portal. Please take a few moments to visit the PAC website and sign up/register for the friend finder so you can see who is in your child(ren)'s class(es) and start making connections.
In this summer update you will find information about:
- upcoming dates and celebrations in the Elm community
- more Elm staff updates
- a reminder about supply ordering with PAC
- class placement information
- monthly Coffee and Conversation save the dates
- Our Elm sign
- summer reading reminder
- summer math reminder
I will send one final summer update the week before school begins with all the essential information and reminders about the beginning of the year. As always, if you have any questions or feedback that you would like to share please don't hesitate to reach out.
Jen
Elm Staff Updates
As I shared in my July update, summer is a busy time at the nest as we work to fill vacant positions for the 2024-2025 school year. In the past few weeks since the July News from the Nest we've completed some additional hiring and I am excited to share the new staffing updates below:
- We are thrilled to welcome Amanda Torigian back to the Nest in the position of administrative assistant working alongside Mrs. Breen in the main office. Amanda is an Elm alum and will bring warmth, kindness, creativity, and a collaborative spirit to our main office team!
- Victoria Dore will be joining the Elm team as our new School Adjustment Counselor this upcoming school year. Mrs. Dore joins us after 9 years as a guidance counselor in the Billerica public schools. We are excited for her to get started with us and begin building connections with all our students, families, and staff.
- We are still working on hiring a handful of new ESPs (education support paraprofessionals) for the upcoming school year. If you know of anyone that may be interested in these positions please have them email me with a copy of their resume (jbuller@walpole.k12.ma.us)
Supply Ordering with PAC
School Supply Kits are now available through the PAC website! A portion of the proceeds will go directly to the Elm Street PAC. This year's kits will be made directly by Elm parents and families. Buy now at https://www.elmstreetpac.org/school-supply-kits
Class Placement Information
Class placement information for all students will be available in the Aspen Family Portal on Friday August 9th.
Our team spent many thoughtful hours this past spring configuring each class and thinking carefully about the best placement for each student taking into account individual academic and social strengths and growing edges, family feedback, peer relationships, and unique needs. As such all class placement assignments are final. Our goal is to establish balanced classroom communities that support the academic and social emotional growth for all students. Thank you in advance for appreciating the complexities of this process as we strive to always make decisions in the best interest of the whole child.
Below is a link with instructions on how to access this information in Aspen.
X2 Aspen Family Portal Instructions
Go to www.walpole.k12.ma.us
Click on the Aspen icon and use the credentials provided to you to log in
If you’ve forgotten your credentials or password you can click on the links on the Aspen log in page for support
You can also access the Aspen FAQ user guide which explains how to view your child(ren)’s homeroom assignment: https://sites.google.com/walpole.k12.ma.us/newstudent/aspen-family-portal
Monthly Coffee and Conversations: Save the Dates!
In response to family feedback centered on a desire to know more about curriculum and what's happening around the Nest, I will be hosting monthly Coffee and Conversations this upcoming school year. Each month I will start with a brief overview of what's been happening around Elm and then the bulk of the rest of the meeting will focus on a specific theme/topic and occasionally have guest speakers (such as Mrs. Torigian, our math specialist, Shannon Findley, WPS literacy curriculum director, etc) that you can engage directly with to get your questions answered. Below are the dates to put into your calendars now as well as a list of tentative topics based on family feedback. If there are specific topics you would like to have presented/discussed, please email me directly.
Elm Coffee and Conversation Dates
All meetings are on Fridays and will begin at 8:30a after drop off. The cafeteria will be open beginning at 8:15a for connections and coffee/tea/snacks. Please enter through the MAIN ENTRANCE to avoid bus congestion in the bus loop by the cafeteria and help keep our community safe.
September 6th
October 4th
November 8th
December 13th
January 10th
February 7th
March 7th
April 4th
May 9th
Possible Elm Coffee and Conversations Topics (not in order)
If you have suggestions for topics/ideas for Coffee and Conversation please email me directly at jbuller@walpole.k12.ma.us
- Literacy curriculum and learning at Elm
- Math curriculum and learning at Elm
- Elm School Improvement Plan
- Special Education at Elm
- Social Emotional Learning (SEL) at Elm
- The role of technology in 21st century education and online safety
- Data: what do we use/measure at Elm and how does it inform instruction
- Homework and supporting student learning at home
Our Elm Sign
Some of you may be wondering what happened to our school sign that was at the entrance to our driveway off Elm Street. Late in the school year in June a large tree branch fell and destroyed our sign. Thanks to some funding and support from the Walpole Public School central office and Mrs. Martin's (Feeney Preschool Principal) hard work, we contracted with Signarama to design, build, and install a new sign. We are hoping the new Elm/Daniel Feeney Preschool sign will be ready for the first day!
Summer Reading Reminder
Engaging in reading throughout the summer months helps students of all ages build their knowledge of the world, learn new vocabulary, and practice their word solving skills. This helps them feel prepared and confident when entering the next grade in the Fall.
Students in kindergarten through 5th grade are highly encouraged to read great books this summer. Looking for book recommendations and ways for your child to share the books they are reading? Check out the WPS Summer Literacy Google Site by clicking HERE.
Rising 6th graders have preselected a book that they are committing to reading this summer. Ask them what title they chose! When they enter WMS in September, they will be meeting with a teacher and other students who read the same book and having a book discussion. Students will receive a grade of pass or fail for reading the book and participating in the discussion. For more information, click HERE.
Summer Math Reminder
Is Summer Slide Real?
Unfortunately, yes; research has shown that students can lose up to 2 months of reading skills and 2 ½ months of math skills over one summer depending on their grade level. The good news is that there are easy and fun ways to prevent this loss of learning and maintain or even make gains over the summer.
The most important thing to do is keep your children active and thinking over the summer. Preventing summer slide does not equate with giving your children worksheets to do each week. Instead, encourage them to play outside, play board games, participate in imaginative play, and read for pleasure!
In order to keep those young mathematicians’ brains active, 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, 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 don’t want them to lose all the hard work they put in during the school year! 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.
Nest Connections
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