Fiske Monthly News
May 2017
Welcome!
News from The Principal
We have completed all of our MCAS testing in grades 3, 4 and 5! I can not thank our school community enough for all of the work that took place as our students participated in this statewide assessment. Students took the test seriously giving best effort, staff were careful around administration and supporting students, and parents made sure that students were present, rested and prepared. A huge thanks always goes out to Mr. Baker who really does the behind the scenes work and preparation.
As you know, MCAS is a very public part of the work we do; that being said, while we hope that great teaching prepares our students for the assessment, we believe our students are far more than a standardized test score and our goal is to ALWAYS have students leave our school educated academically and socially.
Again, thank you for all of your support through MCAS season!
End of Year Work at Fiske
The end of year is a very busy time for schools! We're working hard to continue to teach students and wrap up the year's work, and then at the same time, we are working to plan for next year while we have staff and other school support personnel present so that we can gather input and make informed decisions. Despite all of the work, it is always exciting to see how our students have grown and matured over the course of the year.
We also know that the end of the year can sometimes be a challenge for students, as they get ready to leave the classrooms in which they've built relationships and worked with teachers and peers throughout the year. As we move closer to June, we continue to watch students, make sure that they are engaged learners, and support them with the upcoming changes they will face.
Our fifth graders will graduate on June 21st at 12pm, and then have their graduation ceremony followed by some fun activities through the end of the day here at school before they go home.
As we move towards the end of the year, please continue to communicate with us if you know that your child is nervous or sad about the school year ending. Our goal is to help them have a smooth close to the year!
Over the past several years, I have tried several forums for providing information for the greater school community on a variety of topics. My goal has been to be proactive in sharing information about our work at Fiske so that the school community is informed and also so that there is not potentially misinformation that is shared either. It is also a great way to share information to larger groups as opposed to one on one meetings, which I am never opposed to, but may not always be the most efficient in regards to time.
This year, I will be holding "Fiske Focus" meetings once per month from 8:45am to 9:45am. In the past, day meetings were better attended than night, and therefore, I've only scheduled meetings for days during the current school year.
Dates and Topics for Parent Fiske Focus Sessions:
June 9, 2017 8:45-9:45 TBD
Each meeting will have a topic or focus that will be shared ahead of time, and time will be devoted to share information about that topic and then a time will be available for questions, comments, or other items that attendees may have questions about.
News from the Assistant Principal
Dear Parents and Guardians,
It’s hard to believe that the last weeks of the school year are upon us! The months of May and June are marked by lots and lots of excitement and activity as we prepare to send our 5th graders off to middle school, to promote our current students to the next grade level and to welcome our incoming Kindergartners. There are field trips, assemblies, performances and other opportunities for families to come in and volunteer in a variety of ways.
As we wrap up our Math and Science/Engineering MCAS testing in grades 3-5 this month, I would like to thank all of the parents and guardians for making sure your child arrived to school on time and was well rested on days when their class was testing. The Fiske staff continues to work diligently to support the success and happiness for each and every student. This school year, I have seen so much growth and success throughout the entire building. It brings a smile to my face when I think about it.
I am proud to say that Fiske is a school of continuous learners. We certainly are doing something right for all of our students! This is due mainly, because we are partnering and coordinating our efforts with each and every family. We care very much about the whole child, and by working with you, the families, we have created a very special place for children to feel safe, successful and most importantly, happy. I am so proud of this community and look forward to a very positive and strong finish to the school year!
Sincerely,
Mr. Baker
Kindergarten News
We just completed our “in-house” field trip by Drumlin Farm called “Hatching Out” early in May. In this program the children learned that birds aren’t the only animals that lay eggs! They were able to meet two other egg layers. We also had a chance to discover more about the wonderful world of eggs and the animals that lay them. This was another wonderful Science Enrichment program the children are fortunate to experience in Kindergarten.
Thinking locally, Kindergarten classes are getting ready for our May field trip to Lexington Center. We look forward to visiting the Cary Library to receive our very first library card, stopping at the post office to mail a letter, and visiting Rancatore’s. We are fortunate to be able to take The Lexpress Bus, our local public transportation. This field trip shows children how much fun they can have right here in their own hometown. This field trip supports our Social Studies unit on Community and Community helpers. Keep an eye out for upcoming dates and details.
Grade One News
Can you believe that May is already here? The first graders have been busy preparing for our play, “American Symbols”. The kids are very excited to get up on stage and show off their U.S. pride! We have been practicing on the stage for the past few weeks. So far they sound wonderful and enjoy practicing. The show is Thursday, May 25th at 9am. We are eager to see those creative costumes that they will come in wearing the day of the show. We would love to see you there! The first grade teachers are looking for one volunteer to record the play. If you are interested, please let your child’s teacher know.
Writing
Hats off to our first graders that have been actively engaged during the months of April and May in our realistic fiction writing lessons. Each student has been working on making sure their stories have a recurring character or characters, a setting, and that there is a problem or goal and a believable solution in their stories. The children have also brought their stories to life by using quotation marks as their characters speak in the stories.
Reading
During reading, the children continue to have guided reading and strategy groups. They practicing good reading strategies when stuck on tricky words. They have been checking to see if the hard words look right, if they sound right, and if they make sense using the strategies they have learned. Students have also been working on understanding the author’s purpose for writing and practicing making connections to the stories that they are reading.
Math
We just wrapped up our unit on shapes! The first graders have just begun their unit on money. They started with coin identification and now are working on counting pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. Thank you for sending in the coins to help students learn.
Science
Our last science unit is organisms. The children have been observing and comparing their guppies, snails, pill bugs and Bess beetles in their science journals. Students have been helping to create experiments to see what these organisms need to survive as well as learning about the environments they live in. We will also be planting later on in this unit and learning more about plants. That will be a fun and exciting learning opportunity as well!
Grade Two News
It is hard to believe it is already May! The second graders began the month with a field trip to the Museum of Science where we explored the Butterfly Garden. This trip served as a great way to start our science unit on Nature’s Partners, Pollinators and Plants. In this unit students will be exploring the interactions of living and nonliving things, specifically studying the relationship between butterflies and plants in pollination. We will observe painted lady caterpillars through metamorphosis into butterflies. In addition, we will also grow plants and observe pollination.
Second graders will be exploring poetry this month! Our focus will be on understanding that poets write to convey their thoughts or feelings, and that poetry allows a writer to be creative in the ways they share these thoughts or feelings. Students will read, write, and illustrate poems during this unit. One way you may choose to support your child at home with this unit might be to comment on things you notice in nature, or ordinary happenings. You may play a game where you might choose to compare things, like a bird flying to a kite, or a glass of spilt milk to a rushing river. In this way your child begins to see everyday experiences in a more unique manner.
We start May with a unit on fractions. This includes learning to partition circles and rectangles into equal parts, recognizing that equal parts of an identical whole do not have to be the same shape, and using words like halves, thirds, half, and fourths to describe equal shares of a whole. In addition to fractions, second graders will delve further into measurement, place value, time and money.
The weather is warming up, but it is still a good idea to send your child with an extra sweater or light jacket on these early spring days. Also, be sure to stop by and look through the Lost and Found for any items that may belong to your child.
Grade Three News
Math
In math the children have been solving multi-step word problems with all operations with an emphasis on following the 5 step process. We have also been studying geometry as the students look for relationships between different polygons. Perimeter and area continue to be examined as the children investigate building a rabbit hutch with 16 feet of wood with the biggest possible area. The math MCAS are on May 9th and 10th, and the students have been getting prepared to give their best effort on these two days.
Writing
The students will be embarking on the journey of writing fairy tales. This unit is a favorite where we investigate the elements of classic fairytales. The children then create their own “fractured” fairy tale combining the elements from such stories as Cinderella, Thumbelina, and Sleeping Beauty.
Reading
In third grade non-fiction reading is an important part of the curriculum. Using the techniques they have already learned the students will choose a biography and investigate the life of a famous person. Just like all other non-fiction units the children will be learning about text features that are used by the author.
Social Studies
How lucky are our students to live in the town that is at the heart of the American Revolution. In this unit they will see what it was like to live in 1775 through the eyes of a Lexington youth. They will learn what led up to the fight on the Battle Green that fateful April morning. They will also be studying the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. Our unit culminates with a visit of local historical landmarks.
Grade Four News
In literacy, fourth graders have wrapped up their historical fiction book clubs. Through group discussions and close reading, students have learned about the historical context, character perspective, and themes or big ideas. Many of the book club texts and our class read aloud, Letters From Rifka, featured various aspects of immigration that students had learned about in the fall. The background knowledge helped students make deeper connections and provide more thoughtful and insightful comments during discussions. We have also launched our exploration of Poetry both in Reading and Writing. Students are working on class anthologies as well as reading poetry for literary devices such as, metaphor, simile, alliteration and hyperbole.
Fourth graders continue to be very busy in Science. We have launched our study of Geology through a new unit titled Exploring Earth’s Materials. We will have a visit from the Museum of Science’s “Rock Detective” program on May 23rd, as well as a Big Backyard field trip to Whipple Hill on the 19th. Thanks in advance to all of our parent group leaders who will make this trip a success. If you weren’t able to join us on the hike, perhaps you could explore this fascinating area of Lexington with your fourth grader over a weekend or after school sometime!
In Math, our students have been becoming much more adept at solving problems related to fractions. They have enjoyed exploring some games and practice on the computers and have practiced creating visual diagrams and models to represent various fractional concepts.. In addition, we have continued to work on reasoning and explaining orally and in writing through a variety of story problems, and have also reviewed previously taught concepts within intervention blocks as a “refresher” before the Mathematics MCAS and the end of the year assessment. We were so proud of these marvelous mathematicians as they worked so diligently on the computer-based MCAS tests!
In social studies, students have shared their expertise of the different US regions by presenting skits, songs, and raps to their classmates. We have now moved south to Mexico to study the geography, culture, and history. Students have been exploring the similarities and differences between Mexico and the United States and will soon become experts on Mexican culture. We will have our Fourth Grade Mexican Fiesta on the afternoon of Friday, June 9th. This special event marks the culmination of our study of Mexico and will be a festive way to celebrate the end of the school year!
Grade Five News
Math by Mateus and Tristan (Mrs. McMahon’s class)
Math in 5th grade is fun and challenging. We are doing volume, algebra, and fun little challenges. We are learning how to calculate the volume of 3D shapes. First, multiply the the length and width. That would be the base and we multiply the base by the height to get the volume. We are starting algebra in math. The algebra was fairly complicated but able to be solved by using a method called Hands-on Algebra. It is just a visual to help us think and figure out the problem. In addition, we are doing fun challenges in class. The name of the challenges that we do mostly are logic problems, bridges, which one doesn’t belong, and tic-tac-no problems.
Literacy By Hannah B., Ella V. and Sophie S. (Mrs. McMahon’s Class)
In writing we have been learning many things! For example, we are finishing our persuasive drafts and there are several different topics. We have done them about zoos, sea and space exploration, extreme sports, and plastic bags and bottles. We have had many resources on the Fiske website, which helped us strengthen our pieces. For the zoo topic, we have been writing about whether zoos should be banned or kept. With the extreme sports topic , the argument is whether kids should have the ability to do extreme sports. Is it too dangerous or should kids be able to do extreme sports? For the space and water exploration topic, we are debating about whether we should spend money on space or sea exploration. The last topic we had the ability to write about is whether or not to plastic bottles and plastic bags. Argumentative writing is one of our major units in writing.
We are also kick-starting our memoir projects! We will first gather up pictures and mementos from our lives and put them on a poster to represent us. Then we will write a memoir writing piece to go with it. These will be hung around the school at our graduation. However, we can’t print random pictures from the internet. We have to use pictures that represent us. They will be the last writing assignment of the year.
Specialist News
Counseling News
Why Parents Should Let Their Kids Get Bored
As parents, we tend to try and fill our children’s lives with activity from the time they wake up to bedtime. But research suggests that a certain amount of idleness is beneficial.
By: Katie Arnold
As an ultrarunner and outdoor athlete, I’ve spent most of my life on the move. I’ve always viewed adventure as an antidote to the monotonous routines of regular life. But eight weeks ago, I fractured my tibia when our raft wrapped around on a rock in a rapid on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, in Idaho.
The freak accident happened on the first of a six-day trip. Thinking I’d torn my ACL, I stayed on the river, relying on Advil and an Ace bandage, rather than evacuating. When my husband and I finally emerged from the wilderness and drove 16 hours home to New Mexico, my doctor informed me that I’d broken my leg and would be spending the next 12 weeks on crutches.
For the past seven weeks, I’ve been laid up at home, unable to walk, let alone hike or ride bikes or float rivers. In the split second it took our raft to flip, our summer was derailed, a whole season’s worth of planned family adventures scotched. My first instinct was to outsource our two daughters’ summer vacation, filling their waking hours with activities and camps and sending them off with friends who graciously offered to keep them busy. They’ve spent the last two months hiking and swimming, planting the school garden, having sleepovers, learning to sew; I even arranged for them to fly to my parents’ summer cottage in Canada without us.
Even though I was stuck at home to heal, I reasoned, my kids didn’t have to be. But now that summer’s winding down, and the workaday routine of school looms large, I wish I’d left some empty space in their days. I wish I’d let them be bored more.
Boredom—the very word has dreary connotations. As Americans we’re conditioned to abhor aimlessness and lethargy. In a 2014 University of Virginia study two-thirds of male participants and one-quarter of females preferred to give themselves an electric shock than sit alone in a room with their thoughts. Excessive or chronic boredom (what scientists call “trait boredom”) has been linked to poor academic performance and truancy in schools, and to missed workdays and diminished productivity in the workplace. It has also been tied to compulsive escapism behavior like alcohol and drug use, gambling, overeating, and dropping out of school.
But the truth is, a little tedium is good for us. Two separate studies from 2013 found that, in moderation, boredom increases creativity and helps us redirect our focus to new goals. In an experiment at the University of Central Lancashire, in England, psychologists directed one group of participants to copy numbers out of the telephone book for 15 minutes. Afterwards, they were tasked with devising different uses for plastic cups. Those who had copied the phone book came up with more answers, and more creative answers, than a second group that had not.
In a 2013 article published in the journal Behavioral Sciences, psychologists at Texas A&M found that “boredom is frequently considered inconsequential and has received relatively little research attention,” and asserts that it motivates us to channel our energy into a more stimulating, and rewarding, activities. Tedium is also associated with greater mind wandering, which studies have shown, can lead to our most creative thinking. In 2012, psychologists at the University of California, Santa Barbara, found that mind wandering isn’t a sign of laziness, and that it boosts our inspiration and problem-solving abilities.
Last summer, my then seven-year-old daughter used to complain when we took her out in the rowboat—until, that is, I suggested she use the idle time to daydream. She looked at me strangely, like she wasn’t sure if it was okay to just sit there and do nothing. I nodded gently and she leaned her head over the gunwales and trailed her fingers in the lake. For the next half an hour, the only sound was the slosh of water beneath the oars; she was quiet and content. We all were. And the next day, and then the next, she asked to go again.
When I was young and complained of being bored, my mother would look at me pityingly. Not because she felt sorry for me that I was listless but that I hadn’t come up with something interesting to do, like reading, playing Four Square, riding my bike, or even organizing my room. Being bored, her reaction implied, meant that I was boring. She might make suggestions, but it was up to me to figure out how to escape my own monotony.
My mother intuitively knew what researchers have found: that boredom doesn’t arise from a lack of something to do, but rather a lack of something enticing to do. “It is very hard to come up with a situation where a person's options are so limited that he or she literally can do nothing,” write Sandi Mann and Rebekah Cadman, of the University of Central Lancashire. Rather it “stems from a situation where none of the possible things that a person can realistically do appeal to the person in question.”
The point is not to wallow in boredom or eliminate it altogether, but learn to navigate it gracefully by allowing periods of idleness and daydreaming to arise organically and not fight them with busyness. It’s during these aimless times, researchers have found, that people naturally come up with ideas and new interests. Think of tedium as creativity training. In her recent creativity podcast, “Magic Lessons,” bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert recalled the times when her mother shooed her and her sister out to play so that her mother could sew in peace. Left to their own devices, the two girls concocted elaborate story lines and invented whole imaginary worlds. Is it any wonder they both went on to become writers?
Of course, it’s not always as easy as it sounds. Sometimes, as parents, you just have to get some work done around the house and need your children out of your hair; other times, kids get fidgety and grumpy with too much down time on their hands. Just the other day, my DIY boredom experiment took a major hit when my girls couldn’t seem to pass a free hour at home on a Saturday without annoying each other—and me. I wish I could have kept my cool and let us ride out our restlessness at home, but instead I hit eject and drove them to the pool where they released their pent-up energy in an epic session of Marco Polo.
It might not happen overnight, but with practice your kids—and you—will be better able to tolerate the spaces between activities and tap into their own imaginations and creativity. In the beginning, it’s OK to encourage them to come up with activities they can do on their own at home when they’re feeling listless. Simple things like playing a board game, building Legos, writing stories, or drawing maps of the neighborhood. Chances are, after some practice, they won’t need any help in devising their own ways to entertain themselves.
Last week, we finally joined our daughters at the lake in Ontario. They’d finished their sailing and swimming lessons, and the days yawned open, without commitments or organized activities. I was worried they’d be bored, but then I decided to just wing it and see what happened. What happened is that they played in the woods, made scavenger hunts, and strung beads on bracelets. One evening before dinner I found them outside with their cousins, building elaborate fairy houses, fashioned out of sticks and pinecones, in rock walls and tree stumps.
Life is short and all too busy. And so, sadly, is summer. What better way to savor the final days than by giving your kids the gift of idleness?
Art News
Grade K
We are working on “My Art Books”. The activities in this book are a review of all things we’ve learned this year. We started the pages about shapes and line. Coming up – A self-portrait, texture, neutral colors, secondary and primary colors, warm and cool colors and all about and pattern.
Grade 1
We have started to design decorations for the American Symbol Parade. This 2-3 week project will focus on lettering and decorating American Icons. Look for this art when the parade comes to town on 5/25! Soon to come - a small Matisse like painting. We will also be working on what to pack for summer vacation.
Grade 2
We are now working on a “Bug’s” eye view of a flower, with the flowers inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe. Geometric shape design book covers. We will be designing the ultimate dream house project inspired by the Taj Mahal.
Grade 3
Students have been working on sculpting a self-portrait of what they want to be when they grow up, inspired by Dr. Seuss’ “Maybe you should fly a jet! May be you should be a vet! The students are making clothing and set them in an illustrated scene. We will also be working on a silhouette type painting of warm colors. Hopefully we will get to a painting of an animal hiding in its environment, inspired by Henry Rousseau.
Grade 4
We have looked at the work of Paul Klee and design a painting using overlapped symbols for planets with black paint, florescent colored paint and iridescent glitter. We will be working on a Celtic stained glass like design as well as a giant face card.
Grade 5
We will be designing starbursts with our names for graduation, based on the Pop Art style of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. Look for your son or daughter’s during graduation. We will be designing our own Campbell Soup and practicing drawing a city in one point perspective.
If you would like to come in or work on the cap mural project over the summer, please email @ toleary@lexingtonma.org
That should wrap it up!
Hope you all have a great summer relaxing and having fun together.
Creatively,
Mrs. O’Leary
ELL News
Students in ELL classes have been using the skills of paraphrasing and elaborating in their conversations and in writing this year. We added the language of comparing and contrasting in our academic conversations this month.
In K, we are reading big books to our students in order to get exposure to comparative and superlative adjectives. Using the familiar content of farm animals, we are encouraging students to engage in academic conversations while incorporating new vocabulary. In addition, we continue to work on teaching students the elements of retelling a story and using sentences in oral discourse.
In grade 1, we are incorporating the language of story elements such as character, setting, problem, and solution as we read well known fairy tales. We are also incorporating comparative language as we discuss the details of the stories. As in all ELL classes, academic conversations are encouraged and we scaffold these conversations with individual conversation cards which provide students with sentence stems to start their talks.
In Mrs. Murphy’s 2nd grade class, students are finishing their unit “Lend a Hand” where they are learning about good citizenship and reading about good deeds that leaders have done in society. This is the culminating work of the Courage Project, which they completed prior to reading about good citizenship.
Second graders in Ms. Hine’s class are learning about animal features and adaptations and are engaged in interactive activities to understand the content. Next they will be writing about specific animals using descriptive language. They have also completed the “Lend a Hand” unit which included speaking and writing about helping others.
Third graders are busy learning language through science in their “Mysteries of Matter” unit. They have been talking and writing about the similarities and differences between states of matter. They will begin work on a theme theatre called “Melt the Snow” in the upcoming weeks.
Fourth graders have finished their essays about a time in their lives when they showed courage. These essays were planned on paper but typed using their new computers. They are on display in the hall at the end of the literacy suite.
PE News
Students in grades 3-5 have completed their FITNESSGRAM unit. I applaud their personal best effort! Well done Fiske students. We look forward to the nice weather and getting outside in the next few weeks to end the year. Grades K-2 continue to work hard with fitness and skill development. Sportsmanship and following the rules has been a point of emphasis.
Music News
News from the Music Room
Performance dates are set for the 2016/2017 school year:
Fifth Grade Chorus/Band/Strings:
Wednesday, June 7, at 9 am and 7 pm in the Fiske Gym
Third Grade Recorder "Informance": Thursday, June 1, at 11:30 am in the Fiske Gym
Fourth Grade "Informance": Thursday, May 18, at 11:30 am in the Fiske Gym.
Here are some of the things you might see and hear if you looked into the music room this month:
Kindergarden: Singing Epoitaitai with sticks, playing and singing our frog games. (Jump Frog Jump, Frog in the Meadow, Hear the Lively Song…).
First Grade: Students leading our call and response song, Tres Pajaritos, singing and moving to Little Red Caboose, and doing the Tideo dance.
Second Grade: Learning about accents, measures, and time signatures.
Third Grade: Putting the finishing touches on our Recorder Performance!! (see above)
Fourth Grade: Performance! (see above). The Seasons Ostinatos, Boot of Shining Leather, and the DANCE.
Fifth Grade: Getting ready for our Fifth Grade Chorus Concert (see above). Learning Bruno Mars, Phil Collins, Dry Bones, and the Kazoo Concerto.
Thanks from Mr. Hart and Mrs. Larson
Library News
The first week in May will be part two of Digital Citizenship library lessons for grades 1 through 5. Following up on lessons from October, students will be learning about what it means to be a good digital citizen. These lessons are part of a digital citizenship curriculum developed by Lexington Public Schools in collaboration with Instructional Technology specialists, Guidance and Counseling, classroom teachers, and Library Media specialists. Many of the videos and lessons are from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/, a fantastic resource for parents and educators.
Each grade will focus on the following topics:
1: My Online Neighborhood
2: Pause and Think Online (featuring the world’s catchiest song!)
3: Staying Safe Online
4: You’ve Won a Prize!
5: Digital Footprint
The digital citizenship lessons for library class were developed in a spiral fashion, so many key ideas will repeat in later grades, including middle and high school. The main objective of developing this curriculum was to give educators common language and themes across the grades and across the district. Please feel free to contact me if you would like additional information regarding the Digital Citizenship curriculum.
Math News
Math is Visual! There is evidence (see research link in article below) that ties spatial reasoning skills to future success in math and reading. It is important that students know that math is not just about numbers - it’s so much more! Included below are a variety of different games and activities to develop spatial reasoning.
Online Math Game: Square It https://nrich.maths.org/2526
Check out: A Game About Squares - another game that can be played online (available as an app)
Here is an interesting article titled “Why Spatial Reasoning Is Crucial For Early Math Education” https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2017/01/29/why-spatial-reasoning-is-crucial-for-early-math-education
Game/Activity Recommendations:
MagFormers
IQ Twist
Pentago
Literacy News
Thanks to all who came to Literacy Night! We had great fun listening to and talking about stories and then making some creative, unique, beautiful, silly poems! And thank you to Mr. Martellone for getting a brand new book for every student at Fiske School!!! Keep the fun going by having family read alouds or book talks. When writing, play around with words - poetry does not have to be serious!
Word Bowls: Cut out words from magazines or newspapers. Look for interesting words or words with unusual colors or fonts. Spread them out and choose words to create a poem. Play around with their spacing on the paper. Once you’re ready, glue them to the paper!
Health Office News
We are so joyful that the warm weather and sunshine are finally here, however, mosquitoes and insects are too. Please consider applying insect repellent before school to prevent bites. Insect bites can be very distracting to the child and disruptive to learning.
Sun safety is another area of concern. Please consider applying sunscreen on exposed skin at home before school. Also encourage hydration by sending in water bottles or containers with your child.
Trees and flowers are blooming and pollen is wafting through the air. Sneezing, stuffy noses or itching, burning eyes make it difficult to concentrate on learning and there is little a nurse can do to alleviate the symptoms other than cool compresses to eyes and reassurance.
If your child has symptoms of allergic reaction that you treat with any medication, either prescription or over the counter medicine, it might be helpful if the medication is available during school hours. This will require both a doctor’s order and a signed parental permission. This is true for eye drops, nasal sprays and any other allergy medicines.
Thank you in advance and enjoy the beautiful weather!
YEAR END MEDICATION PICK UP NOTICE
If your child has medication at school, it must be picked up by the last day of school. If it is possible, and your child will not need the medication, you are welcome to pick up the medication anytime before the last day of school. Any medication not picked up from school will be discarded.
At the elementary level, medication is usually transported from home to school and back by adults. This is to prevent any accidents with medication among children.
It is important to note that a new medication form must be completed for any medication to be administered by the school nurse for next year. New forms can be downloaded for your convenience.
All prescription medications must be submitted in the original prescription bottle, clearly labeled. Over the counter medications that are ordered must be in small, unopened, original container, marked with your child’s name.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call, or stop by the Health Room.
Have a safe, happy and healthy Summer!
Fiske Elementary School
Email: tmartellone@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us
Website: http://lps.lexingtonma.org/Domain/12
Location: 55 Adams Street, Lexington, MA, United States
Phone: (781) 541-5001
Twitter: @fiskeschool