Dear OPR Families,

I hope you have had a great summer! I'm looking forward to school starting for grades 1-5 on Wednesday, August 30th and kindergarten on Tuesday, September 5th. The OPR teachers and staff are enthusiastic about a year of excellence in teaching and learning.

On the first day, we will have many staff members in front of and inside the school to assist students as they arrive. Adults will be at the carpool drop off and bus unloading to greet students and point them in the right direction. For car arrival and dismissal, please be sure to follow the directions of staff on duty so we can help students arrive and depart efficiently and safely. Please note it is a live drop off and that staff members will assist so that drivers do not need to get out of the car. For safety, all children must be able to depart on the passenger side of the vehicle. Having your children unbuckle their own seat belts is helpful. The complete arrival and dismissal procedures can be accessed using the link below.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Enjoy the remaining days of vacation!

David N. Barner, Principal

Email: dbarner@walpole.k12.ma.us

Instagram: OLDPOSTROADSCHOOL_WALPOLE

Twitter: @oprschool

OPR Website: http://walpoleoprs.ss5.sharpschool.com

AUGUST

28 Grade 1 Meet the Teacher from 2:00-2:30

30 First Day of School for Grades 1-5

31 Kindergarten Meet the Teacher from 9:30-10:30 AM

31 Kindergarten PAC Popsicle Social on the Front Playground from 2:00-2:30, Weather Permitting

SEPTEMBER

1 No School - Labor Day Weekend

4 No School - Labor Day

5 First Day of School for Kindergarten

7 PAC Ice Cream Social on the Back Playground for All Families from 5-6:00 PM

8 Student Picture Day

13 OPR After School Enrichment Class Registration Opens at 9:00 AM

13 PAC Meeting in the Cafeteria at 7:00 PM (Wednesday Evening)

The PAC will hold a 6:30-7:00 PM meeting for kindergarten parents. This is an opportunity for kindergarten parents to meet each other and learn about PAC activities before attending the 7:00 general meeting.

15 New England Patriots Spirit Day! Wear Patriots clothing or colors to celebrate the start of the regular season.

22 Early Release at 11:55 AM. Dismissal begins at 11:49

25 OPR After School Enrichment Classes Begin this Week

27 OPR Open House for Parents and Guardians; 6-6:30 PM Last Names beginning with A-L; 6:45-7:15 PM Last Names beginning with M-Z

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.

We are pleased to share that Massachusetts will continue to fund free school meals for all students, regardless of household income.

What does this mean?

All Walpole Public School children will receive free school meals, breakfast and lunch, while at school.

Important: We still encourage all families to submit a school meal application if they believe they are income eligible to receive free meals. While your child will receive a free meal regardless of their free or reduced-price meal status, the meal application can qualify your family for additional benefits beyond free school meals such as busing and more.

You can access our on-line meal benefit application here: https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application

This on-line application is available in multiple languages via a drop-down menu "Language" on the toolbar.

Fall 2023 - Students in grades 1-12 will report to school on Wednesday, August 30th, and on Tuesday, September 5th, we welcome our Kindergarten students. There will be NO SCHOOL Friday, September 1st, and Monday, September 4th.

2023-2024 school year calendar

Registration for the 2021-2022 Walpole Schools Extended Day Program is now open! The Extended Day Program provides care in the hours both before and after school at each of our 4 elementary schools. Our program allows families to drop off at school as early as 7:00am and pick up as late as 6:00pm. Families are able to select a schedule to match their needs.

For more information, and to register for the Extended Day Program, please follow the links below.

• Walpole Extended Day Home Page and Registration

Please do not hesitate to reach out to Devin Clifford (dclifford@walpole.k12.ma.us or 508-660-7361) directly with any Extended Day questions.

Please visit this site to see the recommended school supply lists for grades 1 through 5.

https://sites.google.com/walpole.k12.ma.us/opr-supply-list/home

Kindergarten students do not need to bring any supplies.

For all students, K-5, if you are purchasing a backpack, please make sure it will fit your child's Chromebook in addition to a lunch/snack bag and other school supplies.

Kindergarten students and their families are invited to meet the teacher on Thursday, August 31st from 9:30 to 10:30 AM.

All kindergarten students are invited to the PAC Kindergarten Popsicle Social on the OPR front playground in the afternoon of Thursday, August 31st from 2:00-2:30 (weather permitting).

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.

Bonnie Kowalsky, M.ed. BSN RN

OPR School Nurse

Email: bkowalsky@walpole.k12.ma.us

Students in grades 4 & 5 may ride bicycles unsupervised to school. Students in K-3 must have parent/guardian supervision.

No child is permitted to ride bicycles during snow or other inclement weather. All bikes must be placed in the rack with a lock and chain. The school system is not responsible for lost or stolen bicycles. Bicycle riding on the playground area is not permitted. State law requires that students wear helmets for safety.

All bicycle riders must conform to the automobile highway regulations as established by the Commonwealth. A list of these rules and regulations may be obtained at the Walpole Police Station. No skateboards, roller blades, or scooters are allowed.

If your child is interested, have him/her pick up a Bicycle License Application at the office to be submitted for approval.

Mark your Calendar:

PAC Meetings are held on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM in the OPR STEM Lab/Media Center.

September 13

October 11

November 8

December - No Meeting

January 10

February 7

March 13

April 10

May 8

OPR PAC WEBSITE

OPR PAC Website Link

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OPR.PAC

please add: Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/oprpacwalpole

Email with questions: oprpacwalpole@gmail.com

https://stopandshop.com/my-account/#/rewards-and-savings

From the link - log in or create an account. Go to your account in the upper right hand corner. Select Rewards & Savings. Make sure one of the two school spots is Old Post Road!

Download the App for BoxTops for Education and scan receipt within 14 days of purchase. Assign Credit by selecting the Star and entering the Teacher’s Last name before you hit submit.

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.

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:

January 2022 - $67.00

February 2022 - $58.75

March 2022 - $43.75

April 2022 - $70.50

May 2022 - $77.25

June 2022 - $78.50

July 2022 - $69.00

August 2022 - $72.50

September 2022 - 103.25

October 2022 - $102.00

November 2022 - $84.00

December 2022 - $81.00

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

Don’t miss this historic event! Sign-up now for the 5K, 10K, or highly-popular Youth Mile. All proceeds support the 200+ athletes in the Walpole High School Cross Country and Track & Field programs. Each race participant will receive a finisher’s medal. If you register before August 15th, you’ll also receive a free race t-shirt! Can’t join us live? No problem. We have virtual editions for both the 5K and 10K races. For additional information and to register online, please visit www.walpoleroadrace.org.

Thank you for your support. See you on RACE DAY!

The 2023 Walpole Farmers Market opens Saturday, June 10. Market runs every Saturday thru October 21, from 9am-1pm, at Spring Brook Park on East Street/Route 27, downtown Walpole. Plenty of free parking in the public parking lot. We once again have our 3 area farmers with fresh produce and products. We are thrilled to have our Walpole Elementary School Gardens joining us again. And the Norfolk Aggie Abundance Gardens will also be coming some weeks. In addition, many of our regular vendors will be there as well as some new ones. We will have baked goods, crafters, artisans, lots of specialty items, our Wal-

pole community table with info on all things around and about town, and entertainment including music, games, and crafting.

We are family friendly, and well behaved leashed dogs are welcome. We run rain or shine, unless there is thunder and lightning. Contact us for more information at farmersmarketwalpolema@gmail.com.

Please note the following contact information for Walpole’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). Co-Chairs are Sue Pace and Deborah Mulroy. The SEPAC can be reached by email at walpolesepac@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/walpolespedpac. Notices of future events can be found in this Weekly Update as they are scheduled.

Are you looking to receive the OPR Weekly Update at another email address? To add another email address, please click on this link and follow the steps. Ths link will also allow you to unsubscribe an email.

https://lists.walpole.k12.ma.us/mailman/listinfo/oprnews

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

OPR Website: http://walpoleoprs.ss5.sharpschool.com

Email: dbarner@walpole.k12.ma.us
Website: http://walpoleoprs.ss5.sharpschool.com
Location: 99 Old Post Road, East Walpole, MA, USA
Phone: 508-660-7219