Students using our big wall maps to find Greece.

Dear Overlook Families:

The ending of the year is bittersweet. We had a very productive year of learning on all fronts - academically, socially, and emotionally. Our students have risen to challenges and persevered through those obstacles. Middle school is some of the toughest years developmentally and can feel completely overwhelming to both the student and the parent. We get it! However, working as a school-home team is most important and we want to continue to foster that "village" of care for our community of students. While the year is ending please do not hesitate to reach out to communicate any concerns or updates on your child over the summer. Albeit Ms. Miville and I will finally be able to take a chunk of vacation time that we have not been able to take since starting last July, we will return your emails/calls when we return to the office mid-July.

We also would like to bring to your attention that if you want to order a "proud parent" yard sign for your 8th grade student, please note that June 2nd is the last day to do it!

Don’t miss out on showing off your grad while also supporting the PTO. Buy yours today!

If you have already purchased one/two signs pick up will be on June 12th between 7am-8am and 2pm-4pm. See PTO Corner of newsletter for details (scroll down).

Staff Appreciation Week was AMAZING! Please see our happy teacher's below. They are very appreciative of the appreciation!

Sincerely,

Kristina Bogosh

Below are some winners of donated items and some "Oscar" awards!

If your child has medication in the health office, please let Ms Taylor know if it will be picked up by an adult on the last day of school or if it may remain in the health office/be sent to Oakmont for the fall.

If your child receives any immunizations over the summer, please send documentation to the health office. Incoming grade 7 students will typically receive TDAP (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) and meningitis vaccine at this age.

Overlook Summer Literacy Program 2023-2024

Overlook Middle School’s required summer literacy program will build background knowledge in preparation for grade-level literacy units by reading, listening, and writing.

Directions for each grade level can be found at:

https://oms.awrsd.org/

https://sites.google.com/awrsd.org/overlooksummerliteracy/home

Lab, labs, and more labs! Mr. Young's grade 8 students working on their understanding of physics!

• NIH Articles: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6449671/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27247125/
  
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4183915/
• VIDEO: https://youtu.be/kGZvNbfrNag
• WEBSITE: https://www.humanetech.com/youth
• https://www.humanetech.com/take-control
• https://www.humanetech.com/future-generations
  
• NYT Article: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PdtQZAuVsflH0SuM9E6BMNyDkq9NPcjq/view
• NYT Article: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zvHPmlIQios-a2llfLFyj6DbdMWB5h8S/view
• Guardian Article: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/05/smartphone-addiction-silicon-valley-dystopia
• PEW Research: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/
• VIDEO: https://youtu.be/rv0g8TsnA6c
• TIME Article: https://time.com/5555737/smartphone-mental-health-teens/
• INFOGRAPHIC: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/technology-addiction-concern-controversy-and-finding-balance-infographic

• Smithsonian & NMAAHC WEBSITE (Race): https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race
• Anti-Defamation League WEBSITE: https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/talking-young-children-about-bias-and-prejudice
• Oakland Library Resources DOCUMENT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s0lCA3FlulVhK6DFE2d3uYCipc6ApY8Gn2rMwm6fYqw/edit
• PJ Library WEBSITE (Antisemitism): https://pjlibrary.org/beyond-books/pjblog/february-2022/how-to-talk-to-children-about-anti-semitism
  
• Nick Helps WEBSITE (Bullying Prevention): https://www.nick.com/nick-helps/bullying-prevention/

We see the school and home as a partnership. We ask to review these expectations with your child in an effort to create unified expectations from both the school and home fronts. Please see the matrix attachment below to review with your child.

SMART watches are considered a personal device. Teachers have found that they can serve as a considerable distraction to students during class. They are also banned by the state during MCAS testing. We ask that all SMART watches be left at home or in the lockers during the school day. Please and thank you.

Students are only allowed water for drinks in class. There have been some young business entrepreneurs at OMS that have been selling the popular "Prime" drinks (as well as other things such as candy). Students are not authorized nor allowed to sell anything at school. Moreover, these drinks are not allowed. Please ensure that your student is not bringing these drinks to school or buying or selling these drinks at school or on the bus.

Students should not be wearing pajamas or slippers to school. This is part of our dress code. We do on occasion have a spirit day where students are allowed to wear pajamas as a "treat" but appropriate, everyday school attire does not include pajamas or slippers. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for school. Thank you!

Students cannot enter the building before 7:20am as there is no supervision.

Classes begin at 7:35am.

Dismissal is at 1:50pm.

Please be sure to not park in the general parking areas to let students off or pick them up. Use the line that goes behind the school. This is a safety concern with students running through parking lots and parents disrupting traffic patterns.

Also, please pay attention to staff members directing traffic. Do not drive-by when they ask you to stop.

Passing busses with flashing lights is a $250 traffic citation.

Lots of PTO stuff.....

1. Thank to all our donors and volunteers who helped make Overlook's Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week a success. It was a big hit with our staff. We couldn't have done this without all of your generous contributions. And on behalf of the Overlook Middle School PTO and the entire Overlook Middle School community, THANK YOU!

2. This Friday, June 2, is the last day to buy this sign for your 8th grader! Don’t miss out on showing off your grad while also supporting the PTO. Buy yours today!

If you have already purchased one/two signs pick up will be on June 12th between 7am-8am and 2pm-4pm

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe01wnovtiF-XcHxiPgxF3jC4I8dZvoQgLoG7X4GLOLOTmyeQ/viewform?fbclid=IwAR0_kcnV2Gho1IcjdjGgoasaoi6jIs93kS4DiCAeLDIO3sa003dMl2B1aqc

3. We are looking to fill a few available positions for the 2023-24 school year:

● Membership Coordinator: Tracking and emailing new and recurring members. This is an important job particularly at the start of the school year. This can be done from home at your discretion.

● Social Media Coordinator: Create postings throughout the year for our social media sites. This can be done from home at your discretion.

● Community Liaison: Contact local businesses and other organizations to solicit their support (donations of items/funds) of our PTO. This can be done from home at your discretion.

Please email us by June 6 if interested. Voting is at the last meeting, June 13th, @6pm in the Overlook library.

Interested? Questions? Email us at overlookmspto@ gmail.com

4.We invite YOU to become a MEMBER of the Overlook Middle School PTO.

We appreciate the support you’ve given over the years at your elementary school and hope you will consider becoming a member at Overlook to continue your Support of the teachers, staff, students and community at Overlook.

This past year was our first year of the new PTO at the middle school and we are proud of all we accomplished: Teacher appreciation week activities, Holiday Hot Cocoa, Concessions at Drama Club performances, and more. We have big plans for MORE this next school year and need your support to make it happen.

To become a 2023-2024 PTO member:

● Fill out the membership Google Doc: https://sites.google.com/awrsd.org/overlookmspto/home

● Pay the $5 dues with cash or check to “OMS PTO” and bring it to the office. Or Venmo @overlookmspto and comment “2023 membership for (your name).”

Take a look at our website https://sites.google.com/awrsd.org/overlookmspto/home or our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram OverlookMSPTO for all the latest information.

Order by June 2!

Please check the Portal regularly. Google Classroom is not an accurate indicator of grades. Please reach out to the teacher directly if you have any questions.

General membership to the Ashburnham-Westminster Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is open to all AWRSD parents/guardians of children with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and Section 504 Plans and other interested parties. We are in need of volunteers to help plan workshops, staff tables at local school and community events, become future leaders, assist other parents, and plan new activities and projects. We welcome you to learn more about SEPAC and our work on our website, https://sites.google.com/view/ashburnham-westminster-sepac. You can also follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ashwestsepac. Please contact the current co-chairs about getting involved with SEPAC at awrsdsepac3@gmail.com (Kim Caisse's email) and awrsdsepac4@gmail.com (Dorene Francis' email).

See attachment below for more information on renewing MassHealth coverage.

Check out attachment below for Camp Marshall Summer Camp