Dear OPR Families,

The OPR Student Council is proud to have been able to showcase many OPR students during The Stars of OPR Talent Show last night. Thank you again to all of the teachers, parents, and Student Council members who coordinated the show. Inadvertently missing from the printed program were two of our most committed teacher coordinators who need a big thank you, Mrs. Morris and Mrs. Shaw. I'm grateful for all those who made the event a fun time for OPR families to get together as a school community.

JiJi came to visit OPR this week to celebrate our next group of students that have reached 100%. Eighty-five students received their certificates and got their picture taken with JiJi to add to our ST Math Wall of Fame. We are so proud of all of our mathematicians as OPR students are surpassing the March goal of 64% with an amazing 88% puzzle progress currently. We can't wait to see more students reach their goals and build their math skills solving puzzles with JiJi! (Pictures below)

Be sure to watch the OPR Video News this week. All students learned about Ukraine! Click here to watch today's OPR Video News.

Have a great weekend!
David N. Barner, Principal
dbarner@walpole.k12.ma.us

MARCH

26 OPR Spring After School Enrichment Registrations Opens

26 OPR School Council Meeting at 3:05 in the STEM Lab

29 No School - Day of Low Attendance

APRIL

5 PAC sponsored OPR Spring Dance! See below for more information.

8 OPR Spring After School Enrichment Programs begin this week.

10 PAC Meeting, STEM Lab and Virtual at 7:00 PM

11 PAC sponsored visit from Discovery Museum to Grade 1: Dinosaurs

12 OPR Student Council Spirit Day: Favorite Sports Team Colors Day

15-19 April Vacation - No School

26 Kindergarten Field Trip to Franklin Park Zoo

MAY

2 Grade 1 Field Trip to Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary

4 PAC sponsored Furn Run and Spring Fair!

8 PAC Meeting, STEM Lab and Virtual at 7:00 PM

11 Wapole Day

15 PAC sponsored school assembly: Mark Rothstein's World of Jump Rope

15 Incoming Kindergarten Orientation at 6:30 PM

16 PAC sponsored High Touch High Tech Grade 3 Presentation: Friction Gives Me Traction

16 PAC sponsored Grade 4 Presentation: Southwick's Traveling Zoo Program

17 Early Release; Dismissal is at 11:55 AM (beginning at 11:49)

17 Student Council Spirit Day: Students Dress Like Teachers and Teacher Dress Like Students

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.

Your students are probably buzzing about March Mathness, our Math version of the NCAA March Madness tournament. Classes have been competing against each other to see whose class can solve the most ST Math puzzles and move on in the bracket. All classes, even if knocked out, are still in the tournament to the very end as there are Wild Card entries where teams can get back in and Honorable Mentions at the end, along with lots of other positive recognition for all the students have accomplished.

You might be wondering why we emphasize puzzle progress in ST Math. Well, it is a lot more than just solving puzzles. ST Math provides a great opportunity for students to grow their problem solving skills, resolve and persevere through productive struggle, and most importantly, strengthen their Number Sense. There is no reading involved with ST Math which means no directions. Students need to problem solve to figure out what JiJi is trying to get them to do in order for JiJi to cross the screen. The puzzles become progressively more difficult as students need to use what they learned in the last puzzle to be successful in the next. Each level helps them cross the bridge in order to get to the next mountain. This continuum allows students to build connections and fosters growth around Number Sense.

What exactly is number sense, you might be asking? Number sense is a person’s ability to compose and decompose numbers, compute mentally using a variety of strategies, make reasonable estimates, reason with numbers, and understand quantities and the magnitude of numbers. It begins with learning to count and seeing the patterns in our number system and grows to being able to look at a more complex problem and find the most efficient way to solve it based on the numbers. ST Math is just one way students work on their Number Sense. The activities students do in Number Corner everyday also help strengthen this skill. Below are some links with quick activities to help build number sense at home in your daily activities.

• Quick Number Sense activities for in the car, while waiting to pick up a sibling, cooking dinner or waiting for a meal at a restaurant.

• 12 Activities to Build Number Sense

• What is Number Sense

We are looking forward to a great end to our March Mathness Tournament and love the excitement and energy the students are bringing to their classrooms around it. Just as a frame of reference, the puzzle progress goal for the end of March for all students is 64%. Our goal this year is for all students to reach at least 80% completion by June and March Mathness is helping so many students take positive steps toward reaching that goal!

Please join us for the OPR PAC Meeting on Wednesday, April 10th at 7:00 PM in the OPR STEM LAB or virtually via ZOOM (Link to be shared prior to the meeting).

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

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

November 2023 - $113.70

December 2023 - $81.30

2023 Calendar Year Total - $1210.60

January 2024 - $85.80

February 2024 - $104.10

April Vacation camp with families. Hours of camp are 9-4. Drop off is 8-9am. Pick up from 3-4pm. Camp will take place at Boyden April 16-18.

Here's the link: https://forms.gle/ythtVbAZseMrGP548

Please contact the Multilingual Learner Family Engagement Center at mlfec@walpole.k12.ma.us or at (508) 660-7257 ext. 5033 for further information or to request an interpreter or child care for the event.

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.

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

Email: dbarner@walpole.k12.ma.us
99 Old Post Road

East Walpole, MA 02032

508-660-7219