Stephen Olney Elementary School

Parents and Guardians,

It is with great excitement that I welcome you back into the Stephen Olney Elementary community. As both a parent and educator, I am well aware of the challenges that we have experienced over the last three school years, and I am hopeful for a return to normalcy.

For the upcoming school year, you can expect your children to engage with grade level content using newer resources from Reveal (Mathematics), Wonders (ELA), and Amplify (Science). They will also have an opportunity to be introduced to topics in arts such as Music, Visual Arts, and Library Media Arts. Finally, we can't forget about their work within Physical Education and Health.

Students will also be focused on character traits such as Safety, Trustworthiness, Accountability, and Responsibility. These four traits make up the focus of our STAR Buck system. No matter the location or supervision, students will have an opportunity to earn STAR Bucks based on behaviors that exhibit any of the above character traits. Class-wide, these STAR Bucks will be tallied up at the end of each month. If the classroom shows growth from their total the previous month, a class-wide reward will be decided on by the group and teacher. This will be celebrated on the first Friday of the new month.

Along with our STAR Buck system, this year we are excited to implement our STAR Time goal setting system. On the first Monday of every month, each student will meet one-on-one with their mentor. For the most part, this would be their classroom teacher, however other members of the school community will be taking on students to mentor as well. This meeting will be a maximum of 10 minutes long and will help the student to think more deeply about their current progress and what they can do next in order to grow. During each mentoring session, the student and teacher will complete a one pager, which we are planning to send home to you each month, so you have more frequent information about your child's growth.

Long story short, while I appreciated the ability over the summer to spend time with my own family, I truly look forward to getting back to the work of supporting your children as they grow and learn.

See you soon!

The first day for students in elementary school is Tuesday, August 30. Our Kindergarten students will have a staggered start to accommodate for the Kindergarten screeners taking place. This will take place on 8/30, 8/31, and 9/1. See below for more details.

For our grade 1-5 students, Tuesday, August 30 will be a normal first day of school.

For our Kindergarten students, Tuesday, September 6 will be their first full day of school.

Class lists have been drafted and I anticipate them staying mostly intact as we head into the middle of August. That being said, there is always some movement, for varying reasons, in class roster decisions. You can expect communication regarding final teacher decisions in mid to late August.

In preparation for the upcoming school year, please view this document containing lists of supplies needed for each grade level.

If you are interested in purchasing any clothing that shows your connection to Stephen Olney Elementary School, you can utilize this website to place your orders.

During the pandemic years, breakfast and lunches were made free for all students. This system will be ending after the first 30 days of the school year, on October 14, 2022.

You may be asking what does this mean for you. This means that starting on Monday, October 17, 2022, all students will revert to a full pay option unless a Meal Benefits Application has been completed, and submitted. It is my understanding that these applications were sent out to families in the second week of July through Skyward. If you have not received a copy of the application, you can find both the English and Spanish version linked below:

English Meal Benefits Application

Spanish Meal Benefits Application

Be sure to complete all pages prior to submitting. Students can submit these to their homeroom teacher. Homeroom teachers will send to the main office, and we will submit to central office.

Due to the change in breakfast/lunch information from the item above, there will be a slight adjustment to the breakfast procedures. The information below regarding where students enter the building does not change. Upon entering the building, all students, regardless of grade, will be ushered to the gym to sit in their class line. We will call each grade level students to report to the cafeteria for breakfast, if they are purchasing or qualify for free breakfast. At 8:55, we will begin dismissing classes from the gym, with their teacher. If students are still in the cafeteria eating, they will be allowed to finish up prior to being sent to class. If a student arrives after 8:55am, and they would like to purchase breakfast, they will report to the cafeteria, pick up their breakfast, and eat in their classroom.

Bus Students: These students are dropped off at our side door and enter the building at 8:45. They will walk directly into our gym and sit in the line designated for their teacher.

Grade 2-5 Drop Offs/Walkers: These students will be dropped off to the front doors of the building. Cars should line up down Salem Drive while waiting. Doors will open at 8:45, and students will be directed to the gym, where they will sit in the line designated for their teacher.

Grade K-1 Drop Offs: These students will be dropped off at the side doors near the K/1 wing of the building (Barrett Ave). Students will be sent down the hall to another adult, who will direct students into our gym. Here, they will sit in the line designated for their teacher.

Bus Students: Bus students in grade K-2 will be walked down to the gym. They will sit on one of the four white lines, depending on their bus number. As we receive confirmation that the bus has arrived, we will send out the K-2 students. Bus students in grade 3-5 will walk down to the bus door when their bus is called. This will continue until all buses are called.

Grade 2-5 Pick up: After all of the buses are called, "parent pick-ups" will be notified over the loud speaker. The remaining students will walk down to the main entrance with their teacher. Cars will line up using Salem Drive. Teachers will wait in front of the school with students. As the car arrives to the front of the line, we will dismiss the child.

Grade K-1 Pick-up: After all of the buses are called, "parent pick-ups" will be notified over the loud speaker. These students will utilize the side door by Barrett Ave for dismissal. Parents should line up here. If there are older siblings for pick-up, they should report to the K-1 hallway for pick-up.

From 8/30-9/1, we will be hosting half hour screener appointments for students and families. During this time, our K teachers, and Reading Specialist, will be assessing students, while families fill out a questionnaire to provide more information. I have reached out with confirmation to all families who have signed up for a time thus far.

On the afternoon of 9/1, teachers will collaborate to develop heterogeneously-grouped class lists, utilizing the data collected.

Kindergarten students will have their first full day on Tuesday, September 6.

From 5-6pm, on Thursday, September 1, we will be hosting a Kindergarten Ice Cream Social for our incoming K families. This will be held within the cafeteria at Stephen Olney Elementary School. In preparation for this event, we would like all Kindergarten families to complete this survey.

Please take a minute to review the Bullying Policy put together by NPSD. This was approved in 2012 and revised again in 2021. It includes the definition of bullying used, as well as the steps that we are required to take should there be an allegation of bullying made.

If you feel that there is an instance of bullying happening at our school, please reach out to me via email (anthony.pacitto@npsd.k12.ri.us) and we will follow up with an investigation.

Join us from 5-6:30pm, on Thursday, September 29 for our K-5 Stephen Olney Open House Event. We will also be hosting our PTO Book Fair during Open House. More information to follow.

Email: anthony.pacitto@npsd.k12.ri.us
Website: http://nprovschools.org/stephen-onley-main-page
Twitter: @StephenOlneyRI