Fitzy's Flyer
November 22, 2023
Principal Update
Greetings FitzGerald Families!
While short, we have had a fantastic week at FitzGerald!
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we want to take a moment to thank you for your collaboration as we continue to work together as one school community to support a positive and enriching elementary experience for the students of FitzGerald School. We are grateful for your partnership and we appreciate all that you do at home to support your child's education.
Please note that there is no school on Thursday 11/23 and Friday 11/24.
We hope that everyone has a wonderful upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and a restful break. We'll see everyone again on Monday November 27th!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Santillo, Principal- jennifersantillo@walthampublicschools.org
Mrs. Lamoly, Assistant Principal- julielamoly@walthampublicschools.org
Before School Exercise Program is Returning to FitzGerald!
Mrs. Santillo and a FitzGerald parent volunteer will be running a before school exercise program for students at FitzGerald School! The program will run from 7:45-8:25am on Wednesdays and Fridays starting on Wednesday December 13th! The program will start as a 4 week session. As we learn more about how many students will be interested in participating in the program, we will revisit if we will hold a second session. A sign up form will be sent home on Monday and will be due back by Friday December 1st for those interested in participating. This program is free! Sneakers are required.
If any additional parents/guardians are interested in volunteering in the program, please contact Mrs. Santillo. We would love to have more adults joining us so that we can open up this opportunity to as many students as possible!
FitzGerald BINGO Night! December 1st, 6:00pm
We hope you are able to join us for a fun family BINGO night at FitzGerald on Friday December 1st from 6:00-8:00pm. Admission is free! Please complete the form sent home (also attached here) to RSVP. The RSVP date has been extended to Tuesday November 28th.
Healthy Waltham Food Pantry- November 30th
Waltham Police Department PAL League Information
Please see the flyers below with lots of great information on student athletic programs being sponsored by the Waltham Police Department. If you would like for your child to participate in one or more of the Waltham Police Athletic League opportunities, and are unable to print a sign up sheet, please contact the office or have your child see Officer John for a paper copy. All completed forms for FitzGerald students can be returned to Officer John here at FitzGerald School.
Wayside Youth and Family Support Network- Caregiver Resources Information
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 was able to join Mrs. Santillo and Mrs. Lamoly today for Coffee Talk time! The group had coffee, bagels, and pastries and enjoyed conversation together about FitzGerald School!
We will be hosting a Coffee Talk monthly this year for parents/guardians in the FitzGerald cafeteria.
The next Coffee Talk will be from 8:45-9:15am on Friday December 8th.
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
Fall Reading Challenge!
To inspire your students to read widely and often, we are excited to announce our school-wide reading challenge, which will continue throughout the season.
K-2 Fall Reading Challenge(English)
K-2 Fall Reading Challenge(Spanish)
PTO News
Dear Families,
Words cannot express how amazed we were in the support of our Blood Drive for the Pulselli/Strafford families. We were able to get every slot filled in addition to several walk-ins throughout the day! A huge THANK YOU to the American Red Cross, all of our donors and Waltham Warriors for baking and providing snacks and drinks during our drive.
PIZZI PIES: Pies will be delivered to the school on Tuesday, November 21st. You may pick up your order at the school from 2pm - 3:30pm. If you cannot pick up at that time, please have someone else pick up on your behalf. If other accommodations are needed, please contact the PTO asap at fitzgeraldpto@gmail.com. Pies MUST be picked up Tuesday as we do not have the space to keep them overnight.
The 5th Grade will be selling flowers tonight for our talented performers - Stop by the concession stand to purchase your bouquet!
HOLIDAY SHOPPING 2023-PTO STYLE
NEED GIFT CARDS? RaiseRight’s 2023 Holiday Guide is HERE with over 750 brands available! Purchase what you need AND help the PTO along the way where a percentage of your purchase amount goes towards our fundraising goal! You can click HERE to sign up.
FITZYWEAR: Get ready to show that Fitzy Pride with our FREE SHIPPING (ENDS SUNDAY!) event from our school store! From now until Nov 19th, all orders will ship FREE to the school. Click HERE to access the store!
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!
HOLIDAY SHOP: Our Holiday Shop is happening in early December. Students will have the opportunity to purchase items ranging from $1 - $5. We will be looking for volunteers to help assist with set-up, cashiers, wrapping and clean up. If you are interested in signing up early to help with this event, please send an email to FitzGeraldPTO@gmail.com.
These amazing events and more would not be possible without the assistance of volunteers! Please consider signing up for one of our many subcommittees below:
⬝ Enrichment ⬝ Fitzy Wear ⬝ Holiday Shopping ⬝ Valentines Day Party ⬝ Field Day ⬝ Fun Run ⬝ Garden ⬝
Send us an email @ FitzgeraldPTO@gmail.com to obtain more information!
*ONGOING AND UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS/EVENTS*
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.
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: December 12, 2023
Time: 3:15pm
Location: FitzGerald School Library
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
11/22- VERY Early Release Day, 11:45am Dismissal, Lunch Served
11/23-11/24- No School, Thanksgiving Recess
12/6- Early Release Day, 1:00pm Dismissal, Lunch Served
12/15- Winter Concert/ Grades 3-5 at 1:00pm, Grades K-2 at 2:00pm
12/25-1/1- No School, December Vacation
1/2- School Resumes
1/4- Schedule Change- Monday Schedule
--
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