Fitzy's Flyer
January 26, 2024
Principal Update
Greetings FitzGerald Families!
We had another wonderful week at FitzGerald School!
Mrs. Santillo and Mr. Brackett are looking forward to the fun basketball game against the Harlem Wizards next Friday night, February 2nd, at 7:00pm, at the Kennedy Middle School! They will be joining staff representatives from each school to try to win the game! This community-wide event is always a fun evening for all! We hope to see you there! Tickets are on sale now. You can find the link to purchase tickets in the PTO update below.
Are you interested in participating in parent/guardian experiences facilitated by FitzGerald School and/or the FitzGerald PTO? Here is an overview of many opportunities coming up over the next couple of months (Spanish translation will be available):
1. Principal Coffee Talk- February 12th- 8:45-9:15am, FitzGerald cafeteria (A virtual link will be available to join from home or work with your coffee as well!)
2. Fitzy Parent University (Social Emotional Learning)- February 13th, 6:30pm, FitzGerald cafeteria- Childcare will be available.
3. FitzGerald Parent University (Math Games)- March 6th, 5:30-6:15pm- FitzGerald cafeteria- Childcare will be available.
4. PTO Meeting- March 6th, 6:30-7:30pm- FitzGerald cafeteria (streaming option available as well)- Childcare will be available.
5. FitzGerald School Site Council- March 12th- 6:00pm- Virtual meeting (see information below)
Thank you for your partnership and collaboration! See everyone again on Monday!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Santillo, Principal- jennifersantillo@walthampublicschools.org
Mrs. Lamoly, Assistant Principal- julielamoly@walthampublicschools.org
MCAS Dates for Spring 2024
Each year, students in Grades 3-5 take the MCAS assessments. The FitzGerald School MCAS testing schedule this school year will be:
Grade 3 ELA Session 1- 4/4/24
Grade 3 ELA Session 2- 4/11/24
Grade 3 Math Session 1- 5/2/24
Grade 3 Math Session 2- 5/9/24
Grade 4 ELA Session 1- 4/3/24
Grade 4 ELA Session 2- 4/10/24
Grade 4 Math Session 1- 5/1/24
Grade 4 Math Session 2- 5/8/24
Grade 5 ELA Session 1- 4/2/24
Grade 5 ELA Session 2- 4/9/24
Grade 5 Math Session 1- 4/30/24
Grade 5 Math Session 2- 5/7/24
Grade 5 STE Session 1- 5/14/24
Grade 5 STE Session 2- 5/16/24
We kindly ask for families to please do their best to avoid appointments, etc. on the testing days. Thank you in advance for your help with this! More information will come home regarding MCAS testing closer to the testing dates.
Specialist Update #1: Art with Ms. Walsh!
Hi FitzGerald Families!
In December the students worked on creating beautiful decorations for the holiday concert. The fifth graders created 3D snowflakes and the fourth created 2D snowflakes. Third graders created the paper wreaths, second graders created the holiday tree, first graders created the 2D line pattern colorful ornaments and the Kindergarteners used their fine motor skills to create a patterned paper chain.
We are now halfway through the school year and its Square 1 art time! All classes have started working on their Square 1 Art project. Grades 2-5 have the ability to choose what they would like to do for their Square 1 art project. Kindergarten and first graders do a directive art lesson. The students look forward every year to doing Square 1 Art. This is a fundraiser for our school and order forms will be sent home sometime in April. All orders placed will be sent directly to your home. If you have a former graduate from FitzGerald that would like to do Square 1 Art at home, please have them or yourself contact me. I can be contacted at: Sandrawalsh@walthampublicschools.org.
Soon, grades 2-4 will be working on a Spring Art image for the Spring Art award night. There will be two winners per class. In May there will be a night for the recipients of the award to attend the award night and a letter will be mailed with all the information.
Mrs. Walsh
Visual Art Specialist
Specialist Update #2: Drama with Ms. Kelly!
Hello Again, Fitzy Family!
It has been a busy and fun couple of months in FitzGerald Drama! It was so exciting to see the joy on both students’ and audience members’ faces as our students performed their Winter Concert songs after many weeks of rehearsal. I appreciate the invitation to collaborate with Mr. Irwin, supporting the beautiful singing with choreography!
With the new year we have shifted into the “Big Idea” of dramatic structure at all levels.
In Kindergarten, we look at the structure of each story which has a beginning, middle and end, as we act out the stories in character. Two favorite stories we performed were The Mitten by Jan Brett and Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester.
Grade 1 classes take a closer look at the order of the events in a story. Using both The Mitten and Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, First Graders act as narrators, retelling each story in the correct sequence, both individually and in small groups.
Grade 2 classes have the chance to dive deeper into the idea of conflict in a story. We discuss how conflicts are not a good thing to experience in real life, but they are necessary to drive a story’s plot. We identify conflicts and solutions in familiar stories, and have written our first scripts in class, making sure to come up with solutions at the end.
Grade 3 has had the opportunity to review the concept of conflict and resolution in a story, and we are beginning to explore how to make sure we are choosing a really good story to perform at the end of the school year in our 3rd grade production! Capitalizing on the concept of starting with a good story, we will be moving on to a unit on what it takes to produce and perform a good story for an audience.
Grade 4 has the challenge of identifying the events in a story as we review dramatic structure concepts, discussing that a more accurate word for us to use is resolution - since not every problem has a solution. We have done so using scripts as well as my favorite form of acting - Improv! As our school supports our older students with our core value of Empathy, we are connecting to one of the basic rules of Improv - “make each other look good.” Over the next week, please ask your 4th grader what kind words their classmates had to say about them in our “Put Up’ activity. It has been very uplifting to hear the students’ compliments for each other.
Grade 5 students have been using long form improv structures to create their own stories and put all of the dramatic structure elements together! They are all familiar with the “Rollercoaster Poster” from their ELA classrooms (see above - thank you, Mrs. Kearney!), and we tie it all together maximizing the fun, improvising epic stories such as “The Day The Ice Cream Machine at McDonalds Broke” and “The Day The Printer Stopped Working”. (Spoiler alert - the printer just needed to be turned on…)
A final note to “Put Up” the entire 5th grade class for their audience etiquette in the audience during our field trip to McDevitt Middle School this week to see their production of Footloose! It was amazing seeing how many former FitzGerald students were involved both onstage and behind the scenes, and I am so grateful our 5th graders had the opportunity to experience this performance! It was great for our students to see the opportunities that await them in middle school. Thank you to the PTO for providing the funding for the buses!
Thank you for all you do and please reach out at any time. I can always be reached at KateKelly@WalthamPublicSchools.org.
Sincerely,
Kate Kelly
Drama Specialist
Fitzy Parent Universities at FitzGerald!
We are excited to bring back Fitzy Parent Universities this school year! We ran these a lot during the COVID pandemic time (when students were learning virtually or in hybrid mode) as a way to provide more information for parents/guardians on how to support learning at home.
This year, we are bringing it back to continue the conversation on additional ideas and strategies to support learning at home!
Please see below for the schedule of dates and topics. We are offering the parent/guardian workshops on different days each month, to provide more flexibility for nightly family schedules/commitments.
We will be asking for parents/guardians to RSVP before each event (a Google Form will come out the week prior to each workshop) so that we can make sure to have enough materials/snacks available.
These sessions will be informational sessions, with opportunities for practice and learning for parents/guardians. Child care will be provided for in person workshops.
These voluntary workshops are completely free and will be held in the FitzGerald cafeteria or online.
Upcoming Fitzy Parent University Topics and Dates:
February 13, 2024- 6:00-7:00pm- 7 Habits of Leader in Me and the Core Values of FitzGerald (SEL-focus)
March 6, 2024- 5:30-6:30pm (Before the PTO meeting)- Math Games to Play at Home
April 11, 2024- 6:00-7:00pm- Internet Safety
Lunch Monitor Position Available at FitzGerald!
We are looking for a part time Lunch/Recess Monitor for the lunch and recess periods at FitzGerald!
The daily shift is from 11:00am-1:45pm. The opening is for 5 days a week, but we can discuss availability during the interview process. If you are interested in learning more about this opening, please contact Mrs. Lamoly at julielamoly@walthampublicschools.org or 781-314-5681.
Coffee and Conversation with Mrs. Santillo and Mrs. Lamoly
Thank you to everyone who has been able to join Mrs. Santillo and Mrs. Lamoly for Coffee Talk time! The group has been enjoying coffee and pastries together and engaging in conversations about FitzGerald School!
We will be hosting a Coffee Talk monthly this year for parents/guardians in the FitzGerald cafeteria. We will also now be offering the chance to join in virtually each month as well!
The next Coffee Talk will be from 8:45-9:15am on Monday February 12th.
Spanish and Portuguese translation will be available!
Come with questions, or just come enjoy a cup of coffee and/or a breakfast pastry on us! We would love to see you!
Library Guest Reader Program
I am happy to announce the return of the Fitzy Library guest reader program. All caregivers are welcome to come visit the library and read a story to their students' class during their scheduled library time. If you would like to be a guest reader, please email Ms. McKeever: elizabethmckeever@walthampublicschools.org
PTO News
Dear Families,
The Fitzy Valentine’s Party is on Friday, February 9th from 6pm - 8pm where we will have DJ, Raffles, Craft Tables, and Games! $5 per person with a $20 maximum per family. Please note: THIS IS NOT A DROP OFF EVENT! Parents must accompany all children regardless of their grade. Volunteer/Donation opportunities are now open. Please click the link to sign up/donate: https://volunteersignup.org/RJCQ3
Thank you for volunteering/donating!
The Wizards are coming to Town! The Harlem Wizards will be going against the Declan Hawkstars! Purchase your tickets here: http://tinyurl.com/DeclanHawkstars. The PTO is in search for 2 volunteers to help with the event. If our school provides volunteers, we will receive $3/ticket back to the school. More info HERE or email the PTO @ FitzGeraldPTO@gmail.com.
SAVE THE DATE: Field Day is scheduled for Friday, June 7th with a rain date of Monday, June 10th. More info in the coming months!!
FITZY SCHOOL STORE: The FitzyWear shop website is temporarily down due to technical issues. We are working on getting it open and will provide an update when we do.
*NEW* WINTER NEWSLETTER: Click HERE to read our November/December highlights!
PTO ELECTIONS FOR 2024-2025: Stay tuned for updates regarding PTO Elections coming up in June! We will have several positions available.
UPCOMING PTO MEETINGS & RESTAURANT NIGHTS
PTO Meetings 2024
January 2024: Originally for 1/3/24 - New Date: Thursday, January 25th *VIRTUAL MEETING ONLY*
March 6th, 2024: 6:30pm
May 1st, 2024: 6:30pm
Restaurant Nights 2024
Tuesday, 2/13/24: Bistro 781
Wednesday, 3/13/24: D’Angelo’s
Thursday, 4/11/24: Tempo
Thursday, 5/9/24: John Brewer's *In Person Only*
*ONGOING AND UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS/EVENTS*
2024 Science Fest: Our Science Fest last year was an absolute hit and could not have been possible without the generous support of the Waltham/Massachusetts Cultural Council! We will be at it again this year and our gears are starting to turn with ideas. Reach out to the PTO to find out information about this and more from our Enrichment committee!
The 6th Annual Fitzy 5k Fun Run is coming up this Spring with a tentative race date of May 30th, 2024. We are looking to form a committee to look at the current race route and start planning the event.
Our next meeting will be in February; date TBD. If you are interested in joining the Fun Run Committee, please Email Ann at FitzGeraldPTO@gmail.com.
FITZY DRINKWARE: Customizable Drinkware showing your Fitzy Pride. A portion of all sales go to the PTO to support our students. Click HERE to view options and order!
We look forward to meeting you and working alongside you to make this the best school year yet!
FitzGerald School PTO
Ongoing FUNDRAISING through BOX TOPS, RAISE RIGHT, MABELS LABELS, FITZY WEAR – Order online 24/7. Delivery takes 10 - 15 business days from date of purchase.
Stay in touch! PTO website – Facebook – Instagram
FitzGerald School Site Council
The FitzGerald School Council is a group that includes parent, staff, and community representatives that discuss items such as budget, School Improvement Plan, etc. Approved meeting minutes are posted in the Fitzy's Flyer office communication.
Next Meeting:
Date: March 12, 2024
Time: 6:00-6:45pm
Location: Virtual (please contact Mrs. Santillo if you would like the link)
School Lunch Information
*Breakfast and Lunch are available for free again for all students this school year!
** All students should bring one snack and a water bottle to school each day.
"Fitzy Fridays" at FitzGerald!
Every Friday is "Fitzy Friday" at FitzGerald! Everyone is invited to wear Fitzy Spirit Wear or the colors blue and/or yellow to school, if they would like to!
2023-2024 District Calendars
Upcoming Dates
2/2- Grades K and 1 Report Cards Go Home
2/2- Harlem Wizards Game, 7:00pm
2/9- PTO Valentine's Day Party, 6:00pm
2/12- Principal Coffee Talk, 8:45am-9:15am
2/13- Fitzy Parent University #2, 6:00-7:00pm, Topic: Social Emotional Learning
2/19-2/23- No School, February Vacation
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Information About the Clever App
Clever is an app we use at school that makes it easy for students to access many online learning programs and resources with their Waltham Public Schools Google account. Students can also access Clever at home on a personal device. Click HERE for directions.
Sign Up Information for the Waltham Public Schools App
2023-2024 WPS Elementary Student Handbooks
Please see below for electronic copies of the student handbooks for this school year. We appreciate your support in reviewing the handbook contents at home with your child.
Weekly Notices
James FitzGerald Elementary School
Email: jennifersantillo@walthampublicschools.org
Website: https://www.walthampublicschools.org/fitzgerald/
Location: 138 Beal Road, Waltham, MA, USA
Phone: 781-314-5680