OPR WEEKLY UPDATE
November 6, 2026
Dear OPR Families,
There’s plenty to keep in mind as we look ahead to next week! Tuesday is Picture Retake Day; please see the information below for details. School will be closed on Wednesday in observance of Veterans Day. Parent-Teacher Conferences begin Thursday evening and Friday afternoon and continue the following week. These conferences are intended for all families and offer a valuable opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher about their progress. Conferences are by appointment, so if you haven’t scheduled yours yet, please see the full information below.
Friday is an early release day and the Student Council’s Spirit Day: Color Day! Students are invited to participate by wearing their grade’s designated color. Check the Upcoming Events section below for the colors. We look forward to seeing everyone show their school spirit!
Here's the link to this week's OPR Video News: OPR Video News
Have a great weekend!
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
Tuesday is Picture Retake Day. Details are below.
Wednesday is Veterans Day. There is no school.
Thursday is the start of Parent-Teacher Conferences. The PAC Scholastic Book Fair is OPEN for all in the cafeteria from 5-7 PM.
Friday is an Early Release. Dismissal is at 12:25 (beginning at 12:19). Parent-Teacher Conferences continue in the afternoon. The PAC Scholastic Book Fair is OPEN for all in the cafeteria from 12:35 until 3:40 PM.
November
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
Picture Retake Day
Picture Retake Day is coming up on: Tuesday, Nov 10
If you're satisfied with your child's picture, no further action is required.
If you purchased and were unhappy with your Picture Package, please send your Picture Package to school with your student on Retake Day. Your Retake Picture Package will be produced and shipped to the school four weeks after Retake Day. Please note, if your child is photographed on the original and Retake Picture Days, the Retake picture will replace the original picture in certain products.
Students who were absent for Picture Day should come to school prepared to have their picture taken. If you have not preordered, please use the Retake Order Code 0760FMF to place your order at https://inter-state.com/Order. To see your Order History, check your Inter-State Account.
Find answers to Retake Day questions here.
The OPR Little Free Library in front of the school is low on books. If you have gently used children's books to donate to help us keep the Little Free Library filled with books, please send them to the OPR Office. Thank you!
"Take a Book Share a Book!"
Reading with Mrs. Driscoll & Mrs. Segal
Fall is officially here, and with it comes one of our favorite traditions—the launch of our annual Fall Reading Incentive! This year, we are taking our shared passion for literacy to a whole new level of excitement. Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting the favorite books of our very own OPR staff members on a giant "GUESS WHO?" bulletin board located right in the main hallway. It is a wonderful way for our community to celebrate the stories that shaped us and discover new titles to enjoy at home.
Adding to the mystery, we are also launching our weekly "Mystery Reader" challenge! Each week, a staff member will read their favorite picture book aloud for students to watch in class. The catch… The secret staff member’s face will be disguised! To help solve the mystery, students will listen for clues broadcasted throughout the week. Once they gather their evidence, classes and individual students can test their detective skills and guess which familiar face is hiding behind the disguise before the big reveal at the end of the week. We are excited for this engaging experience, as it gives our students a fun, interactive way to get to know our staff members through their personal reading choices.
Art with Ms. Kroll
Kindergarten:
Kindergarten artists have begun learning about the Elements of Art starting with Line. They studied all kinds of lines including castle, wavy, zig-zag, and spiral. Each student will create a Line Monster masterpiece for this lesson. Artists first drew lines in a variety of colors using oil pastels to their “Monster” paper templates. Next, students will add watercolor to the background in between the lines they drew. The final steps to this project will be to add collaged faces and accessories with construction paper.
Grade 1:
First grade artists have started working on Monochromatic Self Portrait drawings with pencils, colored pencils, and Sharpie markers. Students learned that the art vocabulary term, “Monochromatic,” means one color and so everyone was asked to pick one color to use for their artwork. Artists are having fun making their self portraits look very expressive with cartoon-like styles.
Grade 2:
Second grade artists have been working with the wonderful technique of printmaking. Each student learned how to use a brayer and block printing ink to create prints made from leaves that were collected from outside. Students will add sponge-painted backgrounds using only the warm colors to their masterpieces as the final step for this project.
Grade 3:
Students have been studying the Wampanoag Tribe and how flint corn was used by the tribe hundreds of years ago. Third grade artists reviewed the Element of Art: Color with a specific focus on warm and cool colors. Each student will create a Flint Corn masterpiece using black oil pastels and tempera paint. The corn will feature only warm colors while the background will have only cool colors. This method will create a sense of contrast in each student’s artwork.
Grade 4:
Students are learning about the Element of Art: Value with a specific focus on using the grayscale in white, black, and gray. They learned how there are four parts of value which are highlight, midtone, shadow, and cast shadow. Artists also received an introduction on how to use charcoal pencils, kneaded erasers, and blending stumps. These materials will be used to create observational drawing masterpieces that feature still lifes of pumpkins.
Grade 5:
Students are learning about the Element of Art: Value with a specific focus on using the grayscale with only white, black, and gray. They reviewed how there are four parts of value which are highlight, midtone, shadow, and cast shadow. Artists are creating still life masterpieces by drawing one of their shoes from direct observation using ebony pencils.
Join Us for the OPR PAC Meeting:
Thursday, January 7th from 7:00PM to 8:00PM
OPR STEM Lab
Attend in Person or Connect Virtually by Google Meet - https://meet.google.com/ctu-sfxr-sio
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
October 2026 - $163.50
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.
