Falcon Family Flyer

Greetings, Forestdale families!

One of the best parts about being a building leader is the opportunity to visit classrooms all around the building and see lots of different kinds of learning taking place. Over the past few months, I've enjoyed welcoming Superintendent Sippel and Assistant Superintendent Bhasin to the district, and sharing with them all the great things that are happening in every corner of the school. Just this week, Superintendent Sippel came to visit, and the two of us had a chance to walk around and visit classrooms - which he's already done a number of times. A month or so ago, while we were walking on the 3rd floor of the C-wing, we stopped into Ms. Annie Harney's STEM classroom.

Ms. Harney has been at the Forestdale for a many years, but this year made the leap into a new role as our K-8 STEM educator. She brings a lot of experience working with kids throughout the grade levels in the building into her new classroom - and is already putting that experience to good use. When we walked in the room, we saw Ms. Harney reading a story to the class, "Javier Builds a Bridge." The kids were locked into the story, and really interested in each detail as she read through the selection. It was a great book that Ms. Harney discovered from a Museum of Science engineering unit, and then found a really creative and engaging way to use it with her students.

After she finished reading, the students broke into groups and began constructing their bridges. All around the room we saw kids who were deeply engaged, who were going through the steps of the engineering design process together, who were having problem solving conversations, and who were having a lot of fun in the process (and Ms. Harney was having a lot of fun, too!). When we walked in the room, I didn't think I would see Ms. Harney reading a story to the kids, because that's not what I "expected" to see in a STEM classroom. I was reminded that day that learning doesn't always look the way that we think it "should look," because our teachers make things engaging, challenging, and fun on a daily basis - and our students are the ones that benefit from it!

Mr. Weldai

Our students and staff have been working very hard to put on a great Fall Festival for the Forestdale community! Come join us tonight for a lot of food, games, raffles, and a new face being taped to the wall - Mr. Joe DelGallo, one of our stellar Health/SEL teachers! Students will also have the chance to pie Ms. Michelle Foley, Ms. Meghan Bowe, and Ms. Ashley Bratsis in the face - talk about good sports! Proceeds will benefit field trips and activities for the students this year, including the recently approved Nature's Classroom field trip for 6th grade students in May, 2025!

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!

Ms. Julia Mercurio recently joined the Forestdale team as our new 8th grade math teacher! This year, she is most looking forward to building relationships with her students and colleagues. She loves how kind everyone has been so far, and how willing everyone is to help her out! Outside of school, She enjoys traveling, reading, going to spin, and spending time with her friends and family. We're really excited to welcome Ms. Mercurio to our team!

The Title 1 department ran a wonderful workshop on Thursday, November 7th in the cafeteria to go over the DIBELS testing with families and caregivers. Ms. Kathleen Bracken, our literacy coach, talked families through the testing, what the results looked like, and how to support their literacy work at home. As always, families were able to leave with some books to take home, too!

The next PTO meeting of the year will be Wednesday, December 11th at 7pm! Come join this great group and hear about the upcoming events, ways to get involved, and more. The meeting will be held virtually on google meet, and the link can be found on the Forestdale PTO Facebook page.

The pick-up day for pie and cookie dough orders is Friday, November 22 from 2pm - 3pm. If you are available to volunteer at this event, spots are still available! Sign up here: https://www.forestdalepto.com/volunteer/139977

Please join us at the annual Gingerbread Cookie Decorating event, and stop by the Craft Fair on Friday, December 6, 2024 at 5:30pm. RSVP to ensure there are enough cookies for those participating! https://www.forestdalepto.com/form/m/313718

Vendors are still needed for the event on December 6th from 5:30 - 7:30pm! Have you ever wanted to participate in a craft fair? Do you know someone who would? Send them our way! Details are in the attached flyer.

The Bread of Life and the office of Mayor Gary Christenson invite you to the annual "Francis and Barbara Brown Thanksgiving Dinner", Thursday, November 28th from 12pm - 2pm at Malden High School (77 Salem Street). For more information, please visit www.breadoflife.org or call (781) 397-0404.

Join Run Club of Malden for the second annual Wobble Before You Gobble 5K race and Kids' Dash! Run through the streets with hundreds of fellow runners and cross our NEW start and finish line in downtown Malden. As a bonus, you’ll be helping raise money for Bread of Life, a great cause that benefits our community.

Wobble Before You Gobble 2024 includes a 5K race and Kids' Dash (best for ages 10 and under). All 5K participants who register by the order deadline will receive a T-shirt.

The Kids' Dash is at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 24, followed by the 5K at 10 a.m.

All are invited to a free Thanksgiving Day dinner on Thursday, November 28th from 12pm - 4pm at the First Church of the Nazarene on 529 Eastern Ave in Malden.

Just a reminder, this upcoming Wednesday, November 27th is early dismissal at 11am, and there is no school on Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th for the Thanksgiving holiday!

On Wednesday, November 27th, students are invited to wear a hat to school and participate in half day hat day! A $1 donation will help students fundraising for end of the year field trips.

Our 6th, 7th and 8th grade students worked hard to create a prize calendar to help fundraise for their Nature's Classroom and Washington D.C. trips this spring! Each prize calendar is $10, and your purchase gives you a chance to win one of the exciting prizes listed on the calendar (attached)!

Skitmania is coming! On Thursday, December 5th from 6pm - 8pm come join students from the Drama Club and see their hard work on display! Members of the club will be performing skits that they wrote themselves. A $5 donation is requested, and students are free (with an adult present)!

We're not wishing any time away, but mark your calendars! The Winter Concert is approaching, and we wanted to make sure families had enough time to plan. On Monday, December 16th at 1:15pm in the auditorium, Grades 1, 3 and 5 will be hosting a singing performance with Ms. Kim Barber for families. The instrumental performance with Mr. Greg Waite will be on Monday, December 12th. Looking forward to hearing the music!

Looking for a FREE afterschool program to enrich your student's academic and social development, support their interests, and help them build community as they prepare to transition to high school? The Mini Writers' Den (run by Malden Reads and hosted at Malden High School) may be just the program for you.

About: In the Mini Writers' Den, students in grades 6-8 will practice their writing skills and learn to express themselves by exploring genres of writing beyond what they might study in their regular classrooms. It is an excellent way to build the writing skills they will need in high school and in the rest of their lives. The MIni Writers' Den brings middle schoolers from across Malden together at Malden High School so that they can become familiar with the high school, make friends from other schools, and feel prepared for high school! Whether your student is an avid writer, or needs an extra push to become more comfortable expressing themselves through writing, the Mini Writers' Den is an excellent opportunity for students to learn, grow, and have fun!

Please fill out this interest form to let us know if you are interested! https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSdzOgekXt1.../viewform...

Logistics:

- The 2025 Mini Writers' Den will run on Thursday afternoons from 3:00 - 4:15.

- Transportation: We are currently assessing the possibility of offering students transportation to MHS and from MHS home after the program. Please address your needs in the above google interest form.

Still have questions? Please reach out to: Rev Rothchild Tufts University rrothschild@maldenps.org or Heather Castonguay, Malden's Director of ELA and World Languages hcastonguay@maldenps.org

Students in grades 1 - 8 were given paper copies of their Quarter 1 report cards to bring home last week. They are also available online through the X2 portal. If you have any trouble accessing them, please reach out to anyone in the main office to help get you logged in. Starting in Quarter 2, we are shifting to report cards being sent home electronically only, which should provide you easy and consistent access to grades, and save a few thousand sheets of paper, too :)

Mr. Greg Waite, our band teacher extraordinaire, is still seeking any donations of musical instruments that families might have at home and are willing to part with! Do you have an old saxophone or clarinet in the attic? Do you (like Mr. Weldai did!) have an old trumpet in the back of your car that could use a new life? Our school will happily accept any donations of musical instruments that you have!

The main office has received a number of questions last year about excused vs. unexcused absences. If you are keeping your student home sick, have an appointment, etc. and would like to have the absence excused, please make sure to write a physical absent note and send it in, or write an email to your student's teacher. The phone call to the office line does not excuse your student's absence, it does however stop the automated absent phone call that comes home based on Aspen/X2. Any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out!

As we continue through the year, please be aware that pick-up time in the afternoon outside in the circle was one of our biggest challenges last year and this year we are still looking for some ways to improve it for our grades 2, 3, and 4 students and families. Forestdale Park will continue to block the driveway so families can not cut through, and we would again request that people do not double park in front of parked cars, block handicap spaces, and/or stop in middle of the road to drop off or pick up children for the safety of all our kids. We are still seeking parent volunteers to help with traffic during pick-up time, so if you are interested, please let us know!

Please make sure to check backpacks regularly for important notices from the nurse, and from your teachers. While most things are done electronically, a regular backpack check is always a good idea.

**Speaking of backpacks, if anyone still needs one for their student we have extras to give away in the main office. Please don't hesitate to reach out and let us know!**

Our lost and found is already going strong! For any students looking, the lost and found is in the cafeteria directly to the right when you walk in. If you're missing something, please encourage your student to come check it out. For a list of what's there so far, please check out this google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rK0N_O9rfX86rsG1t2fpV2dG4mFw7PK9RKRTezANSt0/edit?usp=sharing

The November school lunch menu is pictured below, and the link to the monthly menu can be found here: https://malden.schooldish.com/SchoolMenus/Forestdale?fbclid=IwAR2ZJ0dwZiruvvYiJhtVAk1yngQak5OmO8hyTVKfUV_rzL5gzDOlwP540_k

We were recently able to celebrate our first group of students-of-the-month! For the month of October, students were honored for their positivity - the first virtue from 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/bqhfg

This week, students in grade 2 were treated to a performance by the Tufts Traveling Treasure Trunk! Trunk is Tufts University's oldest student-run theatre troupe, who specialize in visiting area schools to put on engaging performances for kids of all ages. The students loved being visited by this animated group of performers!

Building off of their literacy unit on Pilgrims, the Plymouth Colony and the Native Communities, students in grade 3 took a trip to the Concord Museum this week to bring some of their learning to life! They participated a number of hands-on actives, explored some historical objects, and had a great time!

On Halloween, Kindergarten students had the opportunity to visit our neighbors at Forestdale Park for some trick-or-treating. They loved being able to spend time with the residents there, and have some sweet treats, too! We look forward to finding more ways to collaborate with our neighbors at Forestdale Park.

Students in Mr. Kevin Carpenito's 8th grade science class have been learning about fossil fuels! Before learning about global warming and the effects on our environment, kids spent time diving into the different types of fuels, their origins, their uses, and how they interact with our communities. They created some really informative graphics and posters that are on display as well!

Students in Grade 4 recently made personal "Coats of Arms" as a part of their literacy unit on the Middle Ages. Each student chose specific elements to include and wrote a supporting narrative explaining their choices and what they meant to them individually. The coats are all on display outside the 4th grade classrooms in all their glory!

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