Fitzy's Flyer
December 8, 2023
Principal Update
Greetings FitzGerald Families!
It's been another fantastic week at FitzGerald School!
We had a lot of fun at the BINGO Night last Friday! There were around 200 who attended! Thank you to the FitzGerald Equity Team for organizing the event and facilitating the BINGO games in both English and Spanish!
Thank you to the FitzGerald PTO for organizing the Holiday Shopping event and to the many family volunteers for supporting the shopping experience for each classroom. We hope that everyone enjoys their special holiday gifts!
As winter draws near, it is important for students to regularly bring a jacket, hat, and gloves to school every day. The temperatures have already reached 20-30 degrees this fall and we do go outside for recess each day. Students should have winter warm accessories with them every day so that they can focus on having fun with friends and not on the cold temperatures. All items should be labeled with your child's name as well. If your family would like support with purchasing any winter weather items, please contact the school and we will make sure a jacket, hat, and/or gloves are provided to any child in need.
Next week is the FitzGerald School Winter Concert! The schedule is as follows:
Grades 3-5- 1:00pm
Grades K-2- 2:00pm
We look forward to seeing everyone there! Please keep in mind that parking will be limited in the parking lot, but that side street parking will be available. Doors will open 10-15 minutes before each concert.
Have a great weekend and see everyone again on Monday! Happy Hanukkah to all who are celebrating!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Santillo, Principal- jennifersantillo@walthampublicschools.org
Mrs. Lamoly, Assistant Principal- julielamoly@walthampublicschools.org
Before School Exercise Program is Returning to FitzGerald!
Thank you to everyone who has returned participation forms for the Before School Exercise Program!
At this time, we will need to close registrations for this upcoming session. We are at full capacity!
More information will be coming home to those who signed up. The first session is on Wednesday 12/13.
The FitzGerald School Before and After School YMCA Program is Now Enrolling!
The YMCA is currently enrolling students for Before and After school! For any additional information or to register please contact Marina Mullaney at MMullaney@ymcaboston.org.
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 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 January 19th.
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,
We hope you enjoyed your presents from the Fitzy Holiday Shop! It was great to see all the students shopping around for their loved ones! Thank you to all of our volunteers and donors for helping us out!
December Restaurant Night: Join us on Monday, Dec 11th with CHIPOTLE (1030 Main St location only 4-8pm) where 33% of all orders will be donated to the PTO. English and Spanish Flyers located HERE!
BENTLEY HOCKEY FUNDRAISER: Mark your calendars for a fun, family night of Bentley Hockey! Join us on Friday, January 5th @ 7:05 pm or Saturday, January 6th @ 4:05 pm. Order forms coming home later this month in your child's folder.
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.
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!
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 ⬝ Valentines Day Party ⬝ Field Day ⬝ Fun Run ⬝ Garden ⬝
Send us an email @ FitzgeraldPTO@gmail.com to obtain more information!
ICYMI: FALL NEWSLETTER: Click HERE to read our September/October highlights!
*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.
First meeting will be at the end of November; date TBD. If you are interested in joining the Fun Run Committee, please Email Ann at FitzGeraldPTO@gmail.com.
We look forward to meeting you and working alongside you to make this the best school year yet!
FitzGerald School PTO
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
12/15- Winter Concert/ Grades 3-5 at 1:00pm, Grades K-2 at 2:00pm
12/20- FitzGerald School Improvement Plan Update, School Committee Meeting, 7:00pm
12/25-1/1- No School, December Vacation
1/2- School Resumes
1/4- Schedule Change- Monday Schedule
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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