Family Newsletter
October 30th , 2026
Dear Malcolm White Families,
We had an eventful week at school to close out the month. Below are some of the highlights from this week.
As shared in a previous message, our school's float won first place at the 72nd Annual Halloween Parade hosted by the Lions Club! Our 5th grade families and students spent so much time, creativity, and hard work to bring the float to life. And a very special thanks to Mrs. Makinen for supporting our students and families throughout the process.
We also want to thank our PTO and parent volunteers who came out this morning to make our Tiger Trot a success! We received some unexpected rain overnight and into the morning, which meant we had to make a last-minute adjustment and relocate the event from the field to the parking lot. We are grateful for the PTO and the volunteers for their flexibility, making the needed adjustments, and encouraging our young runners throughout the event.
Beyond the above two events, we held our monthly Character Trait Assembly this afternoon, where we recognized and celebrated students who demonstrated our core value of Responsibility! We had a number of brave students who spoke at the speech and talked about what Responsibility meant to them. We also had guest speakers from the community to share their take on the core value. A big congratulations to all the students who were recognized! We are proud of you for being positive role models.
Last but not least, we held a wonderful Book Swap organized by our Title I Reading Teacher, Mrs. Desmond! The event provided students with an opportunity to discover new books and celebrate their love of reading. Thank you to Mrs. Desmond for organizing this event and to all the students and families who contributed books to make it possible!
I hope everyone will have a wonderful and safe weekend! See you in November.
Qi
One of the most powerful ways families can support their child's learning is by making reading a regular part of their daily routine. Research consistently shows that reading at home helps children develop vocabulary, strengthen comprehension, build background knowledge, and foster a lifelong love of learning.
Reading at home doesn't have to mean having your child read independently. For younger children, reading aloud together is especially valuable. Even as children become more proficient readers, listening to stories and discussing books helps them develop language skills and deeper understanding.
Here are a few simple ways to support reading at home:
Aim for 15–20 minutes of reading each day. Consistency matters more than the number of pages.
Take turns reading, or simply enjoy reading aloud to your child. Even older elementary students benefit from being read to.
Ask open-ended questions such as "What do you think will happen next?" or "Why do you think the character made that choice?"
Whether it's a picture book, graphic novel, nonfiction book, or chapter book, giving children choices helps build motivation and enjoyment.
Celebrate curiosity, explore different genres, and create opportunities for children to associate reading with positive experiences.
At Malcolm White, our teachers work hard every day to develop students' foundational reading skills, vocabulary, and comprehension. When families reinforce these experiences at home, we create a powerful partnership that supports children's growth as readers and learners.
Remember, the goal isn't simply to read more books. It's to help children discover the joy of reading, develop curiosity, and become confident, lifelong readers. Every minute spent reading together makes a difference!
In these past two weeks, we welcomed the Reading Specialists to Malcolm White to work alongside our Kindergarten to 3rd grade teachers to strengthen our reading instruction through our FUNdations program. FUNdations helps students develop essential reading and spelling skills, such as recognizing letter sounds, sounding out words, and understanding how words are formed. During the visit, our teachers will work together to plan and teach a lesson, then reflect on ways to make their instruction even more effective. This is part of a districtwide professional learning initiative. At Malcolm White, we believe that when teachers continue to learn and grow, our students benefit. These opportunities help us provide high-quality reading instruction and build a strong foundation for every student's success.
Thank you to all the families who took the time to share their feedback on our proposed dismissal change. We appreciate your input and partnership as we work to improve student safety and reduce traffic congestion on Bow Street.
After reviewing the feedback and considering the potential benefits and challenges, we plan to implement the dismissal change beginning Monday, November 2, for afternoon dismissal only.
As illustrated in the map below, vehicles entering the school driveway will form two lines (blue on the right and green on the left) before merging into a single lane near the center staff parking lot. We anticipate that this adjustment will allow an additional 12-15 vehicles to wait on school property rather than on Bow Street.
A few important reminders:
This change applies to afternoon dismissal. Morning arrival procedures will remain unchanged.
School staff will be present to direct vehicles, assist with the merge, and help ensure a safe and orderly traffic flow.
All existing student pick-up locations and procedures will remain the same.
As we introduce this adjustment, we ask families to drive slowly, follow staff directions, and allow extra time as everyone becomes familiar with the new traffic pattern.
Our goal is to reduce congestion on Bow Street while maintaining a safe and efficient dismissal process for all students and families. We will closely monitor how the new system works and make adjustments as needed. Thank you again for your patience, flexibility, and partnership.
Message from the Malcolm White PTO
How to Reach Out to the Malcolm White PTO:
Email: mw.tiger.pto@gmail.com
Facebook: MalcolmWhiteElementarySchoolPTO
Website: malcolmwhitepto.org
Call/text: 781-357-7119
The clothing items pictured below are currently in our school's Lost and Found, located in the main lobby. Please take a moment to look through the items to see if any belong to your child. If you recognize something, kindly remind your child to pick it up when they return to school next week.
We also encourage families to label their children's jackets, sweatshirts, and other belongings with their names. This helps us return misplaced items to their rightful owners.
11/3/2026 (Tuesday)
Election Day (No School For Students)
11/6/2026 (Friday)
8:30AM Virtual Coffee Hour with Principal (link here)
11/11/2026 (Wednesday)
Veteran's Day (No School)
11/12/2026 (Thursday)
6:30PM PTO Family Event (More Details to Come)
11/17/2026 (Tuesday)
7PM PTO Meeting
11/18/2026 (Wednesday)
12:30PM Early Release For Students
11/25/2026 (Wednesday)
12PM (Not 12:30PM) Early Release For Students
11/26/2026 - 11/27/2026 (Thursday & Friday)
Thanksgiving Break (No School)
12/4/2026 (Friday)
School Picture Re-Take Day