Friday Fiske Update

“Honor the leap as well as the landing.” Shannon Donovan-Monti   Fiske Families, It was a short but busy week.  Our Fiske students were thrilled with the surprise four day weekend, thank you winter! The pilot Fiske After School Enrichment Program is up and running and plans for future STEM activities are in the works. Be on the lookout for information regarding the first Fiske Science Fair and the second Family Game Night. In addition, World Heritage Night is on March 2nd (new time 5-8 p.m.), and the Evening at Monaco Auction is on Friday, May 6th.  Spring promises to be very busy at Fiske!     Thank you to all those who attended the Principal’s Coffee this morning. The beginning of our conversation focused on discussing activities and initiatives that are in motion for this year.  These include the future of the after school enrichment program, student council activities, school safety plans, and the purchase of standing desks for grades 4-5 and wobble stools for grades K-2.  Parents and guardians had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss their thoughts regarding next steps for Fiske. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect over coffee.   Student Council A big thank you to our Fiske Student Council members Jiho Lee , Lucy Savarese, Maiwenn Kamdje, Mirabella Kushner, Julia Harding, Caroline Kenny, Mark Herlihy , Myles Siskind, Reagan O’Neil, David Maggiacomo, Isabelle Lee, and Aaron Lai for all their hard work over the past few months.  Since October this group of students has led two school assemblies, inspired all Fiske students to write letters to our community helpers, and led the charge in finding the new Fiske mascot. We are now the Fiske Falcons.  When asked what the students learned during their time on student council, they reflected on their enhanced leadership and public speaking skills. Fiske Mascot After all the persuasive essays were read, and votes were taken…the Fiske mascot is…        The Falcon! Students are thrilled with this choice.  Our next step is to find the perfect artwork to represent our falcon.     After School Enrichment Yesterday an email was sent out announcing the the pilot After School Enrichment Program.  This morning both classes were filled within hours!  This effort could not have happened without collaboration with the Wellesley Recreation Department.   A special thank you to the Fiske PTO for providing funding for our pilot program, enabling us to provide these first two classes at a low cost to families.   Black History Month Assembly The weather was not cooperating with us last Friday.  Our fourth grade Black History Month Assembly is postponed until Wednesday, February 24th at 8:45 a.m.  We invite parents to attend and see the incredible program our fourth grade children have created.     Fifth Grade China Museum On Thursday, parents/guardians of fifth grade students were invited to attend a morning of exploration of the China Dynasties through student created virtual tours.  Each student developed a presentation on their iPad that included an audible tour of their pictures and written presentation.  It was a wonderful combination of creativity, information writing, slide design, and public speaking. While  touring each class and viewing individual presentations, it was clear the students were very proud of the outcome of their work and effort.     Puppet Show Thank you to the Creative Arts Committee for bringing the Pumpernickel Puppets to our Kindergarten classes.  The students were presented with a puppet show of Peter Rabbit. After the play, students were taught how a puppet show works and were introduced to Scraps the puppet made from 100% recyclable items. The children even got a chance to dance with some of the puppets.   Do not be surprised if your Kindergarteners start making puppets of their own!
  One Room School House On Thursday, third grade had the opportunity to learn about a one room schoolhouse from the 1800s.  The presentation was give by Susan Fineman from the Country School Association in New Hampshire. During this program, the children learned that students from the 1800s went to school in the same room from Kindergarten to twelfth grade and had to read about a moral or politeness each day in school. All of our Fiske students agreed, 21st century education is MUCH better. We thank Susan Fineman for spending the day with our third grade classes.   A note from BOKS-Jen Bonniwell We are having a great start for BOKS in 2016. We typically have more than 25 kids each morning, which is great! Kids are having a blast and really loving all the fun BOKS games and activities. Session three will start right after vacation on Tuesdays and Thursdays and run until April vacation, Feb. 23-April 14. If your child currently participates in BOKS and would like to continue, there is no need to fill out new forms. If your child has not participated and  wants to join BOKS they should fill out the form and bring it to the school office.   In addition, we could use a few more parents to help in the mornings. BOKS Registration Form.pdf Please use this Signup Genius link to let me know you’re coming. I’ve added dates through April 14.
  World Heritage Night Manisha Varma and Rimi Chaudhuri Travel the world on Wednesday, March 2nd at the Wellesley Middle School for World Heritage Night!  Stroll from country to country from 5:00-8:00 p.m. as you and your students learn about different countries, heritages, and taste a variety of culinary creations!  After trotting the globe, relax and indulge in the sights and sounds of the cultural show from 5-6:30 p.m.!  We are lining up fantastic performances from classical and folk dances to rhythmic music.  The cultural program will truly be a memorable one!        Merci, Grazie, Arigato, Dhanyawad, Sukriya, Gracias, Xie Xie, To-Dah…and THANK YOU to those who have already signed up to volunteer at our World Heritage Night!  We still need many other countries within our student body to be represented and wonderful talent to be showcased.  Please do not miss this opportunity to share your heritage, talent, and help our Fiske students enjoy learning to become knowledgeable global citizens!   For more information, please contact Rimi and/or Manisha or visit SignUp Genius.  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080c4eaaa92ba31-fiske     SAVE THE DATE! The fifth grade is hosting a fundraiser at California Pizza Kitchen all day on Wednesday, March 9th .  20% of all proceeds go to Fiske Fifth Grade activities.  After some pizza, join your friends and family for golfing at Glow Golf and Laser Maze. Look for the flyer in backpacks when we return from February break.     Have a wonderful February break.  I look forward to seeing you all when you return to the busy Fiske halls.

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