The Walden Weekly
School News You Can Use - Sept. 23, 2022
Dear Walden Families,
What a wonderful week we had at Walden School! Today, as I walked into a 5th grade classroom, I heard students saying, "It's time for science? I love science!" It was music to an educator's ears. We are seeing students engaging in science this year with such enthusiasm! Our 5th graders are learning about supplying freshwater to those in need. They researched, experimented, and clearly, had fun in the process!
Just as a reminder, there is no school on Monday. Have a great long weekend and we'll see you on Tuesday!
- Stephanie Strenger
Battle of the Books!
Hi, 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade families,
I am very excited to announce that Walden is starting a Battle of the Books Team! Battle of the Books is a reading program that brings together great books and trivia. If your child loves trivia and loves to read, then this is the club for them!!
A student participates by reading from the book list provided. Students have between October and March to read at least five books. We will meet on a monthly basis before school to check in, discuss books, and practice answering trivia questions. In March, we will have our Battle of the Books competition, where our teams of students will compete in a trivia competition about the books they have read.
Click here to view a video sharing more information. If your child is interested in participating, please complete the form sent home with them today and return it to Walden by Friday, September 30th.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at amontgomery@dps109.org!
- Alexa Montgomery, 3rd Grade Teacher
Social Emotional Learning Survey
Building students’ social-emotional learning (SEL) skills is important at Walden School. As a part of the learning process, we will be asking our 3rd-5th grade students to reflect on their own SEL mindsets via an online survey. The survey will be administered between October 3rd and 14th, and it should take no more than 20 minutes to complete. It asks students to self-reflect on their own grit, growth mindset, self-efficacy, self-management, social awareness, emotional regulation, supportive relationships, sense of belonging, and engagement at school.
Individual student responses can provide the school and family with insight into what skills the child self-identifies as strengths and others they would like to develop. The overall data helps us (the educators) identify priorities and provide targeted learning opportunities to address the SEL needs in our classrooms.
Per policy, if you would like your child to opt out of taking the survey, please contact me no later than October 1st.
SHIELD Testing Concluding
A Note from Our Philanthropy Team (2nd Posting)
Hi Walden Families! We are getting ready for an upcoming book drive and we are looking for bin donations to help with the collection. These bins preferably would have a lid to help with stacking. If you are able to donate, please leave them in a stack in the foyer. Thank you so much in advance for your help!
Pictures From the Week
Upcoming Dates
Monday, September 26 - No School (Rosh Hashanah)
Wednesday, October 5 - No School (Yom Kippur)
Monday, October 10 - No School (Columbus Day)
- Friday, October 14 - Walden PTO Movie Night
- Wednesday, October 12 - Scholastic Book Fair @ Walden (3:30-7:30pm)
- Thursday, October 13 - Scholastic Book Fair @ Walden (3:30-7:30pm)