Blue Fiske Falcon
Fiske Families,
Today we had an interactive Principal’s Coffee meeting where parents participated in a mindfulness and problem solving activity. The goal was to have parents experience some of the mindfulness and problem solving activities their children are learning in school while engaging in the 4cs; collaboration, creative thinking, critical thinking and communication. Participants commented on the collaboration and communication skills needed to complete the given task. Please come and join us on December 15th at 8:45 for our next Principal’s meeting.
STEAM Week!
What is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)week? Governor Baker has determined Monday, October 22-Friday, October 26 to be STEM Week. This is a time where teachers and students participate and highlight some of the ongoing STEAM activities the children are engaged in during the school day. Remember to ask your children about the STEM activties they particpate in school throughout the year. These could be problem solving challenges, working in groups, creating designs, building structures and much more.
Halloween Parade
Pumpkin
Parents, guardians and friends, we are excited to have you join us for our annual Halloween Parade on Wednesday, October 31st at 9:00 a.m. The parade route is as follows; students will exit the building from the front school lobby and walk along the sidewalk in front of the school to the primary playground. The parade will conclude by circling the backfield and reentering the building through the back doors. The parade route will be marked by cones. Fiske’s Student Council members will be leading the parade.
Please be aware that students should refrain from wearing masks, face paint or makeup and leave all props at home.
Please inform your child’s classroom teacher if your child will not be participating in the parade. There will be a fall activity in the library for students who will not be participating in the parade.
A Message from our School Psychologist
As a community, there are many activities we engage in to help others, especially as the holidays approach. A sampling includes Fiske Cares, Halloween Costume Drive, Cradles to Crayons, the Fiske Turkey Trot for the Wellesley Food Pantry, and Toys for Tots. These are wonderful opportunities to help our children, even very young ones, build empathy for others and offer many chances to shine a light on this important aspect of social-emotional development. Empathy is the ability to share in and understand the feelings and perspective of others, feel what they feel and respond in helpful and compassionate ways; it involves both an affective and cognitive state. Children with a high degree of empathy, as seen in their ability to identify with and comfort others, are more able to make friends and do better academically. Empathy has also been found to decrease anxiety and depression and increase overall mental health and satisfaction in all of our relationships.
The following are ways that parents/guardians help children develop empathy.
Conversations:
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Help children recall times when they felt scared, sad, lonely, disappointed, frustrated, etc. Encourage them to remember how others were comforting.
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Point out when you notice children demonstrating caring for others by being friendly, listening, sharing, or asking for help from an adult.
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Play “How Would You Feel If…” Some situations to use include:
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Someone made fun of you because of the way you looked?
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Someone comforted you by giving you a hug or holding your hand when you were scared or lonely?
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You were picked last when choosing sides for a game?
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Someone called you a bad/uncomfortable name?
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You noticed someone sitting on the Buddy Bench and invited the classmate to play?
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Someone helped you solve a problem?
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Someone invited you to join their game?
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You invited a new classmate to join in at recess?
Reading Together:
Shine the light on emotions by asking questions such as:
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What is this character feeling? What are the clues that are helping you to understand this (e.g. use non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and body language)?
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Have you ever felt this way? What did you do when you felt similarly? How did you make yourself feel better? How did others help you?
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What might the character do to deal with his/her feelings?
Use yourself as a role model:
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Describe the pleasure you feel when helping others.
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Talk about and share your feelings.
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Share your passions related to helping others. For example, if you volunteer for a specific cause, explain why and what the effect is on you.
Take Actions:
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Contribute to clothing and food pantry drives or be even more active by taking your contributions to a homeless shelter, food pantry, etc.
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Participate in walks and road races to benefit a cause.
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Research an event or issue together and contribute through fundraising, letter writing, etc.
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Volunteer together.
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Allow your child to care for a pet to understand that animals have needs.
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Give your child multi-age opportunities, e.g. helping or talking with older neighbors and family members, assisting in the care of a younger child.
Sharon P. Grossman, Fiske School Psychologist 10/18
Children in costumes
Fiske Costume Drive
The Fiske staff will be collecting gently used costumes, sizes 5T and up
Bin is in the front lobby of the school
Oct 15th-Oct 24th
Thank you for your donations
Your donations will allow students to have a memorable experience this Fall
Have a wonderful weekend.
Important Dates:
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Wednesday, October 31st – Halloween Parade on the backfield: 9:00 a.m.
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Wednesday, October 31st – Parent Teacher Conferences
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Tuesday, November 6th – Parent Teacher Conferences
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Wednesday, November 7th – Parent Teacher Conferences
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Thursday, November 8th – PTO Meeting – 8:45 a.m.
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Thursday, November 15 – School Council – 7:30-8:15 a.m.
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Wednesday, November 21st – Early Release – Thanksgiving