Fiske Families,
Thank you to the Motesharei, Sisitsky, Matheson and Poulicakos families for filling the teachers’ snack cart over the last two weeks. The teachers are grateful for your kindness.
As you saw in the Superintendent’s Weekly COVID Update, WPS has 23 COVID cases this week. For daily updates on COVID cases go to the District COVID-19 Dashboard. Please remember to follow safety precautions to assure the health of all. Some of these are;
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Do not come to school if you exhibit any COVID-related symptoms, even if mild;
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Get vaccinated and receive a booster if you are eligible;
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Wear a properly-fitting mask while indoors at school;
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Wear a mask when you attend large indoor gatherings or participate in indoor activities, such as shopping, when you don’t know the vaccination status of those around you;
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Practice social distancing where possible, particularly when not wearing a mask.
If you would like to provide consent for your child to participate in the WPS COVID-19 viral testing program but have not provided consent, please do so using this Testing Program Consent Link Without this consent, students cannot participate in the district’s viral testing program, including the test and stay program.
Concert Reminders!
On Wednesday, December 15th at 9:00 a.m. (rain 12/16 at 9:00 a.m.) the Fifth Grade Chorus will be holding their concert outside at the front of the school. Parents are invited to join the Fiske Community for this musical presentation. This will be a 15 minute concert so chairs will not be provided. Please do not park or drive in the upper parking from 8:35-9:30 a.m.
On Wednesday, December 22nd at 9:00 a.m. (Rain Date 12/23 at 9:00 a.m) the Fifth Grade Chorus will be strolling around the outside of the school building to share some winter songs with the classrooms. Parents are welcome to join our strollers and sing along.
A Message from our Literacy Specialist, Kristin Stoetzel
Parents/guardians often ask how they can best support their child/children’s reading at home. To help your child/children grow as readers, they should be reading at home for a minimum of 15-30 minutes each night. This may include:
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Listening to a proficient reader read (family read alouds model fluency, teach vocabulary and comprehension, and promote engagement- AND are fun for everyone, no matter what grade!)
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reading or rereading a just right book sent home by a teacher (perfect for building fluency and automaticity)
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reading a book at the student’s independent level
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writing about reading in a journal
Reading daily is an essential habit to build and is especially important over a long vacation, where students have the potential to forget newly-mastered skills. The best choices for independent reading are books of high interest and those that can be read with high accuracy (98-100%). If you are unsure if a book is a good fit, ask your child to read you a page. Praise the student’s use of strategies to figure out unknown words. If the student is making too many errors, offer to read it to them and look for a different book for independent reading. Please feel free to reach out if you want books sent home or need book recommendations. I am always available to discuss our Fiske readers!
Kristin Stoetzel, Fiske Literacy Specialist/ Coach
Important Dates:
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Wednesday, December 15- 5th Grade Chorus Concert at the FlagPole-9:00 am (Rain Date 12/16)
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Wednesday, December 22- Winter Stroll -9:00 (Rain Date 12/23)
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Friday, December 24-Friday, December 31(Return on Monday, January 3)- Winter Break
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Thursday, January 6- School Council Meeting -4:00-5:00 p.m.
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Thursday, January 6-PTO Zoom Meeting -7:00-8:00 p.m.
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Monday, January 17- Martin Luther King Day- No school
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Thursday, February 3- Zoom Coffee with the Principal- 8:45 a.m.
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Thursday, February 3- School Council Meeting – 4:00-5:00 p.m.
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Monday, February 21 -Friday, February 25- Winter Break