OPR WEEKLY UPDATE
October 30, 2026
Dear OPR Families,
This week, students and staff voted to select the winning design for the Student Council’s OPR Flag Contest. Congratulations to fifth grader, Nora, whose design will represent our school this year! There were many creative entries, and all students who participated should be proud of their work. You can see the winning flag in the OPR Video News.
If you haven’t signed up for Parent-Teacher Conferences coming up in November, please see the details below. Today also brought our annual OPR Halloween Parade, a fun opportunity to come together as a school community. Enjoy some pictures from the parade below!
Here's the link to this week's OPR Video News: OPR Video News
Have a great weekend and Happy Halloween!
David N. Barner, Principal
dbarner@walpole.k12.ma.us
Contact OPR Office (Secretaries and Nurse): oproffice@walpole.k12.ma.us
Highlights for the Week Ahead
Monday is the start of the OPR Giving Fund collection. All donations help OPR families.
Tuesday is Election Day in the gym. Staff will be parking offsite.
Thursday is the OPR PAC Meeting at 7:00 PM in the STEM Lab or connect virtually.
November
1 PAC Restaurant Night at Jake N' Joes
2 OPR Giving Fund Collection Begins
3 Election Day in the Gym
5 PAC Meeting in the STEM Lab at 7:00 PM
10 Picture Retake Day
11 No School - Veterans Day
12 Parent-Teacher Conferences, 5:00-7:00 PM, by appointment. Scholastic Book Fair Open in the Cafeteria.
13 Early Release at 12:25 PM. Dismissal begins at 12:19.
13 Student Council Spirit Day: Color Day! (Gr. 1-5 are encouraged to wear last year's Field Day t-shirt)
Kindergarten - White
1st Grade - Red
2nd Grade - Blue
3rd Grade - Green
4th Grade - Yellow
5th Grade - Orange
13 Parent-Teacher Conferences, 1-3:40 PM, by appointment. Scholastic Book Fair Open in the Cafeteria.
17 Parent-Teacher Conferences, 5:00-7:00 PM, by appointment. Scholastic Book Fair Open in the Cafeteria.
21 PAC Parents Night Out from 7:00-11:00 PM
25 Early Release at 12:25 PM. Dismissal begins at 12:19.
25 Student Council Spirit Day: Mismatch Day (inside out, backward, mismatched clothes, crazy socks, hair, etc.)
26 Happy Thanksgiving! No School
27 No School
December
7 School Council Meeting in the STEM Lab at 3:35
10 OPR Holiday Sing Along! Families last name A-K 5:30-6:15 PM; L-Z 6:15-7:00 PM in the Cafeteria
11 Early Release at 12:25 PM. Dismissal begins at 12:19.
11 Student Council Spirit Day: Pajama Day! (Wear appropriate footwear please.)
22 PAC Sponsored Cultural Arts School Assembly: Ammaya African Dance and Drum
22 Full Day of School before December Break
Parent-Teacher Conferences - Sign Up Now!
Parent-Teacher Conferences are in November. In order to best meet the needs of all of our families and allow for a little more flexibility with our conference scheduling, we are using Google Appointments for all teachers for the upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences. Conferences will take place on Thursday, November 12th between 5:00 - 7:00pm, on the Early Release Day on Friday, November 13th between 12:30 - 3:40pm, and Tuesday, November 17th between 5:00 - 7:00pm. All conferences are in person.
Below is the spreadsheet that contains the links to each teacher's appointment calendar. Families should use those links to sign up for a conference with any of the teachers listed. Grade 4 and 5 families will make an appointment with the homeroom teacher. If you are having trouble with the links or finding a time that works, please reach out to the teacher.
Thanksgiving Donations
Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, community, and sharing. We are collecting food items for our neighbors who may need help this season.
OPR will be collecting food donations and gift cards to help local families have an enjoyable Thanksgiving. If you would like to contribute, please use the Sign up Genius link below. Thank you for your support.
How to Help: OPR Thanksgiving
STEM with Mrs. Morris
Our kindergarteners have become increasingly comfortable with our STEM routines and expectations! They have continued to develop their engineering skills using a variety of building materials and tools while also practicing how to keep our STEM classroom organized and ready for the next group of students. They were also introduced to the iPads and have been building their technology skills through hands-on activities.
In the other grades, we've kicked off our coding units! Coding is the process of using a set of instructions to communicate with computers. There are many different coding languages and a variety of robots and technology tools that students will explore throughout the year.
Students were first introduced to coding through unplugged coding activities. They took turns being the programmer and the "computer," following each other's instructions to complete a task. These activities helped students understand the importance of giving clear, specific instructions and how even a small mistake in an algorithm can affect whether or not the code works as intended.
First graders were introduced to coding through the PBS KIDS series Work It Out Wombats! This engaging program introduces students to coding, problem-solving, and computational thinking. Through games featuring the Wombats characters, students explored important concepts such as sequencing and debugging while also getting some valuable practice navigating and using their Chromebooks.
Students in grades 2–5 began coding with a program called RodoCodo, a self-paced coding game that introduces core programming concepts through interactive puzzles. After building a foundation with RodoCodo, students had the opportunity to put their new skills to work using Scratch!
Looking ahead, students in all grades will begin working with robots to further develop their coding skills and computational thinking. I'm looking forward to another exciting month of building, creating, problem-solving, and exploring in STEM!
Join Us for the OPR PAC Meeting:
Thursday, November 5th from 7:00PM to 8:00PM
OPR STEM Lab
Attend in Person or Connect Virtually by Google Meet - https://meet.google.com/icv-isnv-yqb
Agenda snapshot below. Full agenda attached.
Textile Bin Donations
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. The collections resulted in the following:
2024 Calendar Year Total - $1182.30
2025 Calendar Year Total - $1788.90
January 2026 - $205.50
February 2026 - $132.60
March 2026 - $103.50
April 2026 - $190.80
May 2026 - $181.20
June 2026 - $185.10
July 2026 - $186.60
August 2026 - $180.60
September 2026 - $213.00
Walpole Public Schols 2026-2027 Calendar
OPR ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
WPS ELEMENTARY STUDENT & PARENT HANDBOOK/CODE OF CONDUCT
Walpole Elementary School Homework Guidelines
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.
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
Email: dbarner@walpole.k12.ma.us
99 Old Post Road
East Walpole, MA 02032
508-660-7219
Arrival: 8:50-9:00 AM
Tardy Bell is at 9:00 AM. (Students must be signed in at the office by an adult if tardy.)
Early Release Dismissal: 12:25 (Dismissal begins at 12:19)
Dismissal: 3:30 PM (Dismissal begins at 3:24 PM)
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.
