Fitzy's Flyer
January 5, 2024
Principal Update
Greetings FitzGerald Families!
We had another wonderful week at FitzGerald School! Here are some weekly updates:
1. Before School Exercise Program- The Before School Exercise Program has been a lot of fun! Next week will be the last week for this session. Thank you to Mr. Turin for organizing the activities and to all parent volunteers who were able to help!
2. Harlem Wizards Game- The Harlem Wizards are returning to Waltham this year on February 2, 2024 and will be playing a fun basketball game that night at 7pm at the Kennedy Middle School. We will once again have 2 FitzGerald staff members playing on the Waltham team! The staff playing will be announced soon! Save the date!
3. WIDA ACCESS Testing- Each January, students receiving English as a Second Language services take part in the WIDA ACCESS testing to measure growth in their second language acquisition skills. Testing will begin at FitzGerald next week and will last through the month of January.
4. Core Value This Month- During the month of January, we emphasize the core value of empathy. Our school's definition of empathy is: "Putting yourself in someone else's shoes. Understanding how actions and words may hurt someone's feelings, and being kind to a friend who is hurt or sad."
Please see below for information on Fitzy Parent Universities, which we are excited to once again offer to parents and guardians this school year!
Thank you for your partnership and collaboration! Keep warm this weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Santillo, Principal- jennifersantillo@walthampublicschools.org
Mrs. Lamoly, Assistant Principal- julielamoly@walthampublicschools.org
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 have snacks and light refreshments available. 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. We are working on providing childcare for these events and we will update everyone on soon on this. We are working hard to be able to provide this for families.
These voluntary workshops are completely free and will be held in the FitzGerald cafeteria.
Fitzy Parent University Topics and Dates:
January 18th, 2024- 6:00-7:00pm- Supporting Reading Skills at Home
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
This Week's Specialist Update- Physical Education with Mr. Brackett!
Hi Fitzy Families,
I hope everyone had an amazing holiday season! This month we are moving onto our hockey and mini golf units. Students will be learning the basic skills of hockey: passing, stick handling, shooting, and goalie skills. We are also introducing mini golf and working on our putting skills!
We had our first pacer "beep test" last month. I am emphasizing the importance of healthy eating, nutrition, hydration, and exercise as it pertains to physical and mental performance. We will be talking about simple changes that can be made in their diets. I hope everyone can improve their score if they are more mindful of eating healthy and getting proper hydration and exercise!
After doing some research I was amazed by some of the statistics, like the one below:
Empty calories from added sugars and solid fats contribute to 40% of daily calories for children and adolescents age 2–18 years—affecting the overall quality of their diets. Approximately half of these empty calories come from six sources: soda, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza, and whole milk. Most youth do not consume the recommended amount of total water.
Please find additional information here https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/facts.htm
Have a great January!
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.
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
PTO News
1/5/2024
Dear Families,
Happy New Year to all of our Fitzy Families!
Our Fitzy Holiday Shop was a great hit and we hope that all enjoyed their gifts! The Board members shopped for every item and with the assistance of parent volunteers, helped all students shop, pay and wrap their gifts. For their hard work, the PTO was able to provide our parent volunteers with Front row seats to the Holiday concert.
It absolutely takes a village to run events like these and that is why the PTO is already in full swing planning the remaining awesome events that are coming up! We are looking to our Fitzy Community to help with volunteering opportunities for the rest of the 23-24 year which include: Valentine’s Day Party, Teacher Appreciation, Fun Run and Field Day. Contact us via email @ FitzgeraldPTO@gmail.com to obtain more information!
BENTLEY HOCKEY FUNDRAISER: Thank you to all who have purchased tickets to the Hockey Fundraiser! We are looking forward to a fun 2 nights of Bentley vs Air Force! All tickets have been distributed. If you ordered tickets and have NOT received them, please reach out to the PTO asap so that we can help.
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 TBD
March 6th, 2024: 6:30pm
May 1st, 2024: 6:30pm
Restaurant Nights 2024
Thursday, 1/11/24: John Brewer's *In Person Only*
Tuesday, 2/13/24: Bistro 781
Wednesday, 3/13/24: D’Angelo’s
Thursday, 4/11/23: 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: January 16, 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
1/15- No School
1/17- Early Release Day, 1:00pm (Parent Conferences)
1/24- Early Release Day, 1:00pm (Professional Development)
2/1- Grades K and 1 Report Cards Go Home
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