OPR Weekly Update
November 9, 2023
Dear OPR Families,
For many years, the OPR community has donated to “The Giving Fund” to support our families during a time of need during the winter holidays. OPR continues this tradition and will collect donations from November 6th through December 8th. Through your compassion and generosity, we have been able to assist many OPR families with food, clothing, and gifts.
A Giving Fund jar will be passed around each classroom every day for any monetary donations if your child or family would like to donate. We are also collecting gift cards to local stores such as:
Stop and Shop, Big Y, Walmart, Target, and Amazon. This is a great way for your children to learn the power and spirit of giving and working together to build a caring and generous community. Venmo is also accepted: @OPRSunshine
Donations are voluntary. Thank you OPR community for your generosity and compassion! Please contact Ms. Bishop, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Kowalsky or Mr. Barner if you and your family would benefit from assistance during the holiday season.
Reminder: There is no school on Friday, Nov. 10 as we celebrate Veterans Day.
Have a super long weekend!
David N. Barner, Principal
Email: dbarner@walpole.k12.ma.us
Instagram: OLDPOSTROADSCHOOL_WALPOLE
Twitter: @oprschool
Dates to Remember
NOVEMBER
10 No School - Veteran's Day Observed
21 Student Council Spirit Day: World Hello Day
22 Kindergarten Friendsgiving from 10:30-11:30
22 Grade 1 Celebrating Our Uniqueness event from 9:00-10:30
22 Early Release at 11:55 AM. Dismissal begins at 11:49
23 No School - Happy Thanksgiving!
24 No School
28 School Council Meeting in the STEM Lab at 3:05
DECEMBER
1 Neponset Valley Watershed Presentation for Grade 5 Students (2 Classes)
8 Student Council Spirit Day: Silly Hair, Hat and/or Sock Day!
8 Early Release at 11:55 AM. Dismissal begins at 11:49.
8 PAC sponsored Stay on the Half Day
15 Neponset Valley Watershed Presentation for Grade 5 Students (2 Classes)
20 PAC sponsored Grade 5 High Touch High Tech Matter Matters STEM Program
21 PAC sponsored School Assembly for Students: Amazing Hero Art
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.
OPR Student Council
The OPR Student Council met earlier this week to select school spirit days. The School Council is comprosed of two students from each 4th and 5th grade classroom. A total of 16 students represent their peers. Mrs. Golden (Gr. 5 Teacher) and Mr. Barner facilitate the School Council. The School Council will keep everyone informed on their decisions during their weekly Student Council segment beginning next week in the OPR Video News.
Here are some upcoming school spirit days:
Tuesday, November 21st
Student Council Spirit Day: World Hello Day
Greet everyone you meet with a hello, a friendly smile, a wave and witness the power of communication to build bridges and bring about peace.
Friday, December 8th
Student Council Spirit Day: Silly Hair, Hat and/or Sock Day!
Show your silly side by wearing a silly hat, silly hair and/or silly socks.
PE with Mrs. Green
Grades K-2: Students have been having a blast working as a team to create a giant mushroom with the parachute. This is a blast from the past that is a must for all to remember as they grow older. We pop popcorn, go into the parachute and play “Cat & Mouse”.
Next, students practiced tossing and catching flying bean bags. This was followed by fitness stations such as the agility ladder, hurdles, hula-hooping, target practice, jump rope and tossing and catching with an implement.
Coming up, students will continue to work with different fitness equipment in stations and practice throwing to targets using underhand and overhand throwing.
Grades K-5: Played a fun October game called Superman versus Batman, where one team tries to knock down the other team's cones standing up on a tall mat. They also played a game called “Trick or Treat”. This is where there are four teams working together to try to get the most candy in their bag. Meanwhile, there are four taggers trying to stop them from gathering the candy.
Grades 3-5: Students have been working on their fitness testing. They have done the running test called the “Pacer Test”. This was followed by the pacer push-ups and two minute sit-ups test. Next, was the pull-up and chin-up tests. This will be followed by the bar hang test and sit & reach test for flexibility.
Coming up, students will have the opportunity to work on their fitness with stations and the use of PVC pipes. Grade 5 will be working with barbells as they show the readiness to do so with the PVC pipes.
Math with Mrs. Rinaldi
What exactly is Fact Fluency?
You may have heard at your parent teacher conference that your child’s fact fluency is a strength or maybe it is an area for growth. But what exactly is fact fluency? In days past, fact fluency was taking home a set of flash cards and practicing them until they were memorized. There was not a lot of conceptual understanding behind those facts, it was just practice until you knew them. Unfortunately, that did not work for all students, especially those that might process information in a different way or struggle with working memory.
Building fact fluency today is based on conceptual understanding and concept development so students can apply strategies to solve facts, therefore giving them a stronger foundation for future learning. There is a specific sequence to learning the facts (and it’s not just 1-10) as certain facts build on other facts learned in all operations. Have you heard of the doubles +/-1 for addition and subtraction or the double, double, double strategy for multiplying by 2s, 4s, and 8s? These are just two of the many strategies students learn to help them become more fluent with their facts and therefore more efficient mathematicians. Listed below are the fact fluency expectations for each grade level. The links take you to a document that describes the specific strategies for that operation in the order they are taught. When supporting your student at home, using this common language will help them in their journey towards mastering fact fluency.
Our Family Math Site has a special section for families devoted to Fact Fluency as well as a page for students with resources for fun practice.
End of School Year Fact Fluency Expectations:
Kindergarten: Fluently add & subtract within 5
Grade 1: Fluently add & subtract within 10
Grade 2: Fluently add & subtract within 20
Grade 3: Fluently multiply all products up to 10x10 and related division facts
Grade 4: Fluently multiply all products up to 12x12 and related division facts
Grade 5: Keep practicing all facts for fluency!
News from the Nurse
As we are approaching “the really germy” months, we ask for your assistance to reduce the spread of illnesses. Please also develop a sick day plan for when your child is home sick OR when they will go home from school sick.
Please have emergency contacts in place if you are unavailable to pick up your child from school. Students should be picked up within one hour after a phone call from the nurse.
Call your pediatrician with any questions or concerns regarding your child’s health and illness.
Please demonstrate and encourage proper handwashing technique. It takes a village!
Please demonstrate how to cough into your elbow to prevent the spray of germs.
Demonstrate how to properly blow their nose and dispose of tissues (and sanitizing their hands after!)
If your child needs a temporary medication during the school day, please consider a schedule outside of the school day. Do not send medication with your child to school, unless you confirmed this plan with Mrs Kowalsky or the covering school nurse. If your child needs medication administered, please ask the doctor for medication orders for school and sign the parental consent. A family member/adult can also schedule a time to come into school and administer the medication without doctor’s orders (and the nurse). The student CANNOT administer their own medication in the classroom for their own safety.
WPS Illness Protocol
Children who are ill with a temperature over 100, or who have diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, undiagnosed rashes, uncontrolled coughing, impetigo, or conjunctivitis should remain at home.
If your child is ill with a fever they must be "Fever Free" for 24 hours WITHOUT the use of TYLENOL, MOTRIN, or any other fever reducing medication before they can return to school.
If your child has a viral stomach illness with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, please keep them home for an additional 24 hours after symptoms have subsided.
If your child has been diagnosed with an infection requiring antibiotic treatment such as Strep Throat, Conjunctivitis, Impetigo, etc. they must be treated with the antibiotic for at least 24 hours before returning to school. In addition, for Conjunctivitis, your child's eyes must be free of drainage. For Impetigo, lesions may not be oozing.
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.
PAC NEWS
Please join us for the OPR PAC Meeting on Wednesday, January 10th at 7:00 PM in the OPR STEM LAB or virtually. Link to be shared closer to the meeting date.
Who loves OPR? We do! Sign up here to volunteer to coordinate one of our great events or fundraisers this year. PAC Coordinator Sign up:
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/9040e49a4aa2ba2fb6-oprpac1
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.
Box Tops
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.
PAC Socal Media / Contact Info.
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
OPR 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:
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
October 2023 - $90.60
WHS Drama presents Annie!
Walpole High School Drama will be presenting its fall musical, Annie, on Friday and Saturday, November 17th and 18th at 7:00 PM, and Sunday, November 19th at 2:00 PM in the Walpole High School auditorium. Tickets are $12 online and $15 at the door. To purchase tickets and read a synopsis of the show, visit https://our.show/whsdrama/annie-2023. We hope to see you there!
Multilingual Learner PAC (MLPAC) Meeting
As the month of November has many conference nights for parents/guardians, we will not have a formal MLPAC meeting this month. Instead, we will have a Drop-In Night for any parent/guardian of a multilingual learner who would like to stop by the high school to ask a question or share a suggestion with regard to the English Language Education (ELE) program or MLPAC.
MLPAC DROP-IN NIGHT INFORMATION
DATE: Wednesday, November 15, 2023
PLACE: Walpole High School Media Center
TIME: Stop by the school anytime between 6:00 - 7:00 P.M. if you would like to ask a question or share a suggestion about the ELE Program or MLPAC
Please contact the Multilingual Learner Family Engagement Center at mlfec@walpole.k12.ma.us or at (508) 660-7257 ext. 5033 for further information.
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
