OPR Weekly Update
October 6, 2023
Dear OPR Families,
As we approach the upcoming parent-teacher conferences beginning later this month, I want to emphasize the immense value these meetings hold for your child's academic and personal growth. I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to meet with your child's teacher and engage in meaningful conversations about their progress. Your active involvement is crucial to the success of our students, and we value your partnership in ensuring that every child at our school reaches their full potential. Please see below for information about signing up for conferences.
Hightlights for next week include:
- No school on Monday
- OPR School Council Meeting on Wednesday afternoon
- OPR PAC Meeting on Wednesday evening
Have a great long weekend!
David N. Barner, Principal
Email: dbarner@walpole.k12.ma.us
Instagram: OLDPOSTROADSCHOOL_WALPOLE
Twitter: @oprschool
Dates to Remember
OCTOBER
9 No School - Columbus Day
11 PAC Meeting, STEM Lab/Media Center at 7:00 PM. All are welcome!
11 School Council Meeting in the OPR STEM Lab at 3:05 PM
18 Grade 3 Field Trip to deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum
23-27 PAC Sponsored Scholastic Book Fair Week!
25 Parent-Teacher Conferences, 6:00-8:00 PM by Appointment
27 Early Release at 11:55 AM. Dismissal begins at 11:49
27 Parent-Teacher Conferences, 1:00-3:00 PM by Appointment
31 OPR Annual Halloween Parade! 8:45 AM Families are welcome to watch the parade out front, weather permitting.
NOVEMBER
2 Parent-Teacher Conferences, 6:00-8:00 PM by Appointment
3 Student Picture Retake Day
8 PAC Meeting, STEM Lab/Media Center at 7:00 PM. All are welcome!
10 No School - Veteran's Day Observed
OPR SCHOOL HOURS
Arrival: 8:15-8:25 AM
Tardy Bell is at 8:25 AM. (Students must be signed in at the office by an adult if tardy.)
Early Release Dismissal: 11:55 (Dismissal begins at 11:49)
Dismissal: 2:55 PM (Dismissal begins at 2:49)
If your child is going to be absent or tardy, please call the OPR office before school (508-660-7219) and press 1 for the absence line. The automated attendance verification system is in use. Those students marked absent and who have not called in will receive an automated phone call.
Cellular Phones/Electronic Devices
Per the Walpole Public Schools Elementary Student and Parent School Handbook (Page 19), students may not use cellular phones, smart watches, or other electronic devices during the day. If students need to have one of the above devices for an out of school purpose, the device must be kept turned off and remain in the backpack. If a student is found to have an electronic device in his or her possession, outside of the backpack, it will be kept in the office until a parent is able to pick it up.
Lost and Hoping to be Found: An OPR 5th grade student recently lost a smart watch that has been tracked using Find My Phone. If you know of anyone who found a watch, it can be returned to the office.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
The Parent-Teacher Conference scheduler will be open on Tuesday, October 10th at 9:00 AM. It will remain open for your convenience until Monday, Oct. 23rd at 5:00 PM. Please be sure to sign up as soon as possible as each day only has limited slots available.
Parent-Teacher Conferences begin later this month. We encourage all families to attend conferences as communication and collaboration are essential for your child(ren) to continue to have a strong school year. Conferences may be held in-person, virtually using Google Meet or by phone. If you are a parent with more than one child at OPR, please allow for at least 10 minutes between your conferences. We have found that back-to-back conferences do not allow for travel from classroom to classroom or transition between teachers.
Click on the day you would like to attend and sign up with each teacher. All classroom teachers and specialists are listed.
If you have questions or need help scheduling a conference please call the main office for assistance.
Wednesday, October 25th (6-8:00 PM) In-Person Conferences
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4FA8AC28A2FE3-oprparent
Friday, October 27th (1-3:00 PM) In-Person Conferences
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4FA8AC28A2FE3-44643282-oprparentteacher
Thursday, November 2nd (6-8:00 PM) In-Person, Virtual, or Phone Conferences
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4FA8AC28A2FE3-44613016-oprparentteacher
Art with Ms. Kroll
Grade K: Students have been using non-traditional art tools to create their Monet-inspired Japanese garden paintings - their fingers! Kindergarten artists were instructed to use cool colors for their lily ponds and warm colors for their autumn trees. Each student was able to capture the beautiful texture of the water and trees by using their fingerprints.
Grade 1: Students have been working diligently on their Monochromatic Self Portrait drawings with pencils, colored pencils, and Sharpie markers. We studied that the art vocabulary term, “Monochromatic,” means one color and so each artist was asked to pick one color to use for their artworks. Artists enjoyed making their self portraits very expressive with a cartoon-like style.
Grade 2: Students have started working with the Element of Art: Line and began with a review of the many kinds of lines that exist. We viewed two paintings by Jackson Pollock and Bridget Riley and discussed how each artwork uses lines in different ways. Now we are working on a scaffolding art activity called “Stained Glass Line Art” to practice for upcoming masterpieces.
Grade 3: Students have been working on a unique and re-imagined self portrait project titled “Tee-Self.” We first reviewed what a traditional self-portrait is and looked at some examples by Vincent Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo. Third grade artists created a t-shirt, tank top, or sweatshirt template which was then divided into sections. Each section displays something special about the artist.
Grade 4: Students have been hard at work drawing the human face using the method of face mapping. This technique allows each artist to draw their facial features more realistically and proportionally. We studied the art movement of Surrealism and looked at masterpieces by Frida Kahlo who is our featured artist for this project. Students will create their own Surrealist Self Portrait masterpieces with pencils and watercolor pencils.
Grade 5: Students have started studying the art movement of Surrealism as well as featured artists: Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte. We will be creating Surrealist-style landscapes that depict imaginative and dreamlike worlds. Each artist will practice blending with oil pastels along with other techniques as this will be the selected art medium for the project.
Reading with Mrs. Driscoll & Mrs. Segal
Reading and writing require practice, just like playing a sport or a musical instrument. Engaging in reading and writing throughout the school year is very important. One way to get students hooked on reading is to help them find a book series they enjoy.
Check out these great series below!
Great series for grades K-2 K-2 Series
Great series for grades 2-5 Gr. 3-5 Series
Don’t forget that the Walpole Public Library is a great place to explore and find great books for free! https://www.walpolelibrary.org/
Check out these other great resources:
Storyline Online! https://storylineonline.net/ Each book is read by a famous person and includes extra activities to help support verbal, written and comprehension skills.
Starfall https://www.starfall.com/h/
Lalilo https://lalilo.com/?language=en
Teach Your Monster to Read https://www.teachyourmonster.org/
Free Rice https://play.freerice.com/categories/english-vocabulary
Freckle https://freckle.com/en-us/
News from the Nurse
Please consider packing extra clothes in your child’s backpack for accidents. I would strongly advise especially if your student is in kindergarten or first grade.
The Health Office will gladly accept new underwear donations of all sizes and gender. We are in need of gently used clothes for all sizes ( size 5 - youth large) Thank you so much!
If your child requires medication during school hours, please submit school medication ORDERS signed by the provider (can be electronically signed), along with the medication in the original prescription package. Please sign a parental consent form, which can be found on the WPS Health Services webpage.
For the most recent Covid Guidelines: Click Here
Remember to call your child's pediatrician for medical guidance and for excusal letters for absences. Please submit them to the main office or via email. Thank you!
Bonnie Kowalsky, M.ed. BSN RN
OPR School Nurse
99 Old Post Road
East Walpole, MA 02032
phone: 508-660-7219 ext 5804
fax: 866.809.6567
Here is a link to the WPS Health Services website. On this site you can find links to forms (i.e. medication administration, over the counter medication consent forms), medication policies, and information regarding illnesses, concussions and injuries.
Mabel's Labels
https://mabelslabels.com/en_US/fundraising/support/
Starting to lose those water bottles? Put a label on it! Please navigate to Support a Fundraiser and select Old Post Road Parent Advisory Committee.
Bay State Textiles Recycling
Massachusetts no longer allows clothing to be disposed of in the trash. Clothing must be donated or recycled. RECYCLE your clothing and textiles in the OPR Collection Bin and OPR receives money.
Thank you for donating your textiles in the Bay State Collection Bin in the OPR parking lot. The collections resulted in the following:
2022 Calendar Year Total - $907.50
January 2023 - $102.00
February 2023 - $83.25
March 2023 - $95.50
April 2023 - $93.00
May 2023 - $88.20
June 2023 - $126.90
July 2023 - $100.20
August 2023 - $92.40
September 2023 - $118.80
WPS Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC)
About Us
OPR Mission Statement
The Old Post Road School community educates all students to excel and become productive citizens.
OPR Vision
OPR students will be motivated to learn in a supportive and safe environment. The faculty will foster self-confidence in the students and encourage them to make positive choices. Students will learn to accept responsibility for their behavior and will mature into responsible citizens and lifelong learners. All students will appreciate that they are part of a diverse, global society.
Instagram: OLDPOSTROADSCHOOL_WALPOLE
Twitter: @oprschool
Email: dbarner@walpole.k12.ma.us
99 Old Post Road
East Walpole, MA 02032
508-660-7219
