OPR Weekly Update
October 20, 2023
Dear OPR Families,
Happy Digital Citizenship Week! Our students are learning to be excellent digital citizens and will continue to engage in lessons throughout the year to teach them critical skills for engaging with the online world. One topic that they have learned about in many classrooms is how to have a healthy balance of technology and screen-free activities in our lives. Click on the resources below to support your conversations, boundaries, and media balance in your homes.
Family Tech Planner, Ages 9-12
Please scan the QR code below to complete a short survey about the Family Tech Planner. Thank you!
Watch today's OPR Video News: OPR Video News Link
Have a great weekend!
David N. Barner, Principal
Email: dbarner@walpole.k12.ma.us
Instagram: OLDPOSTROADSCHOOL_WALPOLE
Twitter: @oprschool
Dates to Remember
OCTOBER
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 Grade 4 Field Trip to Patriots Hall of Fame for Raytheon Tech/STEM Program
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
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
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.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
The Parent-Teacher Conference scheduler is open. 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
MUSIC with Ms. Yee
Students continue to work on building musical skills through seasonal activities and lessons. Please see recent grade level learning activities below.
Ms. Yee
Grade K -
Literacy and Composing: We learned the rhyme "Mumbo Jumbo". Using a steady beat chart we learned that the rhyme was sixteen beats long. We composed our first musical pathway showing high to low direction.
Creating and Performing: We read the picture book "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything" by Linda Williams. The story included sound words. We added body sounds to accompany the sound words. The class performance was energetic!
Singing and Movement: We learned a seasonal song called "Autumn Leaves". We improvised and created leaf dances using colorful scarves to accompany the song. It was beautiful!
Grade 1 -
Singing & Movement: We learned a dance from Mexico called "Conga". The music had A/B patterns throughout and was really fun to play.
Literacy: Iconic notation is a great tool for beginning music reading. We reviewed the song "Apple Tree" from Grade K. We read iconic notation showing the rhythm of the song.
Instruments: We read the book "The Old Woman Who Was Not Afraid of Anything" by Linda Williams. The story included sound words. We matched different instruments to the sound words. We enjoyed exploring the color of sound.
Grade 2 -
Singing: We learned a seasonal song called "Pumpkin Bones''. We sang a repeated pattern of words throughout the song. We call this pattern of words the refrain of the song.
Rhymes: We learned a rhyme called "Miss White". We will notate the rhyme next week using traditional notation.
Instruments: We learned a cumulative song called “Autumn is Here”. The song was catchy and included an instrument part. We loved playing drums, guiros, triangles, woodblocks and maracas while singing the song.
Grade 3 -
Instruments: The recorders are in! We learned how to play notes B, A, and G. We had a lot of fun playing a piece of music called the “B Note Rap”.
Singing: We warmed-up our voices using an alliteration called "Mashing M & M’s”. We learned a seasonal song called "Black in Gold". We will play a spooky learning game to accompany the song next week.
Movement: We learned a quick clapping game in Spanish called “Mariposa”.The title translates as “butterfly”. Increasing the tempo while playing the game made it challenging and exciting! We will create our own hand jive to accompany the game next week.
Grade 4 -
Singing: We learned a new song from Ireland called "1,2,3 O'Leary". We created an ostinato using basketballs to accompany this fun learning activity. We learned a seasonal song called, “Pass the Pumpkin”. We added an accompaniment using a gong, crash cymbal, xylophones and triangles.
Instruments and Literacy: We continue to review notes B, A, and G on the recorder using a variety of new songs. One of our favorites is called, “Get Down G”. The tempo is quick and rhythms include quarter, eighth, half, and whole notes and rests. We learned a new note (low E) and will learn another new song next week.
Grade 5 -
Movement: We played a fun rhythm review game called, “Four Square Run”. Patterns included quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes. It was fun to search and race to the correct rhythm square.
Creating and Composing: We’ve been having a great time working on a rhythm project called “Rap My Name”. In small groups we wrote a sixteen beat rap using our names and our favorite activities.We created a beatboxing loop using Incredibox to go with the rap. It was fun exploring and creating looping accompaniments in a non-traditional way. We look forward to performing our projects next week.
Social Emotional Learning with Ms. Bishop & Mrs. Murray
Our students did an amazing job with September's theme of getting acquainted! For the month of October our theme is “Liking & Caring for Myself”. As we transition into October, our focus shifts to "Liking & Caring for Myself." Throughout this month, our educational journey will encompass subjects such as recognizing and managing emotions, fostering self-esteem, practicing self-control, enhancing communication, and honing problem-solving skills.
Just a reminder our School Counselor, Mrs. Murray, will be providing support to students in Grades K, 2, and 4, while our School Adjustment Counselor, Ms. Bishop will be working with students in Grades 1, 3, and 5.
In Kindergarten we will read “The Color Monster” by Anna Llenas. Our little learners will have the opportunity to identify various emotions and associate each one with a specific color. Subsequently, they were encouraged to design their own Color Monster, reflecting the feeling of their choice.
In first grade we will be reading “The Way I Feel” by Janan Caine. This book provides our students with expressive images to help learners identify feelings with body language. Our learners will be reviewing “zones or Regulation” to foster identifying emotions within themselves. Students will have the opportunity to share experiences about when and why they were feeling a certain way using language from our “Zones of Regulation”.
In Second grade we will read “I Think, I Am!” by Louise Hay and Kristina Tracy. They will find out the difference between negative thoughts and positive affirmations. Fun illustrations and simple text demonstrate how to make the change from negative thoughts and words to those that are positive.Additionally, they were tasked with creating posters to reinforce these positive affirmations.
In third grade we will be reviewing the “Zones of Regulation.” Zones help our students identify their feelings, foster emotional regulation, and self awareness. Our third grade learners will participate in an activity based on the movie “Inside Out” where students have to identify what types of feelings they are seeing in the clip and categorize those feelings to the correct zone.
In Fourth grade we will revisit the “ZONES of Regulation”. We will watch a short video about the four zones and then collaborate in groups to complete a feeling sort worksheet, categorizing various emotions into the correct zone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rk7sAJvaoo
In 5th grade we will be revisiting the “Zones of Regulation.” Students will participate in a class discussion about their personal experiences that correspond with specific emotions. Students will work together in small groups to create coping skills fortune tellers and share what strategies they use to help them feel better!
News from the Nurse
Snack time: Please ask your child if they are feeling hungry in school. Some of our classes have their snack in the afternoon. Students In those classes often eat the snack you send in as part of their lunch. Please consider adding an extra snack for your child especially on days when they may be participating in after school activities. Please choose healthy snacks for your child to consume at school and refrain from sending in sugary snacks, such as candy or soda. Thank you for your assistance!.
Health Screenings: Health screenings are continuing through the end of the month.
Medications: Just a reminder that Massachusetts law requires that all medications which need to be given during the school day must have a doctor’s order, written parent/guardian permission, and MUST be brought to the school nurse by an adult. If you have any concerns regarding the medication drop off process, please contact me. If your child needs a short term medication such as an antibiotic that is given three times a day it can be given at breakfast, after school, and at bedtime. If your child is in the extended day program please contact me about giving the medication at the end of the school day prior to extended day.
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
