Monday Message: April 27, 2026

Welcome back, OQS Team!

I hope you all had a wonderful Spring Break and found some time to relax, soak up some sun, and truly rejuvenate. It’s hard to believe, but we are officially entering the final home stretch before summer!

This week is a bit of a "grand finale" for our current leadership setup. Since the new interim principal officially joins us next week, this is the last week Jeff and I will be tag-teaming to hold down the fort. To keep things interesting, the calendar is absolutely packed!

We have 4th Grade Enrichment and committee meetings on Tuesday, followed by Spring Picture Day on Wednesday. Wednesday evening is our SPARK! Community Science Night from 5:00–6:30 PM. We are still looking for some staff volunteers to help make the magic happen, so please join in if you can! We’ll round out the week with a Pack Time Assembly on Thursday morning and a sea of Red for Respect on Friday.

I’ll be on-site Monday through Thursday until noon to help navigate the busyness. If there’s anything at all I can do to lighten your load during this transition week, please just let me know.

I hope you have a great week back.

Sincerely,

Lanni

Please fill this out ASAP: https://forms.gle/iaAouznp1jV6V5BKA

NOTE: Affinity Groups and Extracurricular Club Dates are all available on the OQS All-School Google Calendar.

4/28: 4th Grade Enrichment; Committees 3-4pm

4/29: Spring Picture Day; SPARK! Community Science Night 5:00-6:30 - Teacher/Staff Volunteers Needed!

4/30: Pack Time Assembly 8:25am

5/1: Wear Red for Respect; Student Leaders 1-1:45

5/5: 3rd Grade Enrichment; Staff Meeting 3-4pm

5/7: PTO 6pm

5/8: Wear Orange for Perseverance; 1st Grade Enrichment; Student Leaders 8:45-9:30

5/12: 2nd Grade Enrichment

5/15: Wear Yellow for Awareness; K Enrichment; Student Leaders 1-1:45

5/18: Late Start Monday: K-5 drop off 9:45-10:00; no school for PreK; All staff meeting 8-9:30 in the library

5/19: 4th Grade Enrichment; Committees 3-4pm

5/22: Wear Green for Courage; Student Leaders 8:45-9:30; 5th Grade Enrichment

5/25: NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)

5/26: 3rd Grade Enrichment; Spring Performance (Grades 1-5) 5:30-6:30; Kindergarten Orientation (no school for current K students)

5/27: SPARK! Community Science Night 5:00-6:30 - Teacher/Staff Volunteers Needed!

5/28: Student Leaders 8:30-9:15

5/29: Wear Blue for Kindness; 1st Grade Enrichment; Pack Time Assembly 8:25am

6/1: Spring Grading Window Opens

6/2: 2nd Grade Enrichment; Staff Meeting 3-4pm

6/3: Spring Concert (K-3)

6/4: PTO 6pm

6/5: Wear Purple for Joy; Student Leaders 8:45-9:30; K Enrichment

6/11: Celebration: Day of Play

6/12: Student Leaders 1-1:45

Monday - Kaitlyn

Tuesday -

Wednesday - Sophia (leaving at 1:00)

Thursday - Cheryl (PM)

Friday - Aimee

We have 2 more dates of fun, low-key, hands-on science stations led by Dartmouth graduate students in the sciences:

• Wednesday, April 29
• Wednesday, May 27

We need staff/teacher support to complete the partnership this year. Please consider volunteering for a time slot -- some of them are only 15-30 minutes. It's a great time to experience joy with kids with absolutely 0 prep required! SIGN UP HERE. Thank you, Beth, for signing up for the March date already!

Week 28: Neuro-affirming Spaces

Building neuro-affirming spaces is critical because it directly impacts the mental health and well-being of neurodivergent individuals. Traditional environments often demand "masking"—where people suppress their natural behaviors and needs to fit into a narrow definition of "normal"—which leads to chronic stress, burnout, and alienation.

When schools and homes prioritize affirmation over compliance, they reduce the "double empathy problem," acknowledging that neurodivergent people do not have a communication deficit, but rather a different communication style. These spaces foster autonomy and self-advocacy, allowing individuals to thrive as their authentic selves rather than being disciplined for their unique nervous system responses. By implementing sensory-friendly designs, clear communication, and behavior strategies rooted in empathy rather than compliance, parents and teachers can create inclusive communities where every individual feels a genuine sense of belonging.

Parents and teachers can begin by making physical and structural adjustments that reduce sensory and cognitive load. This includes choosing soothing color palettes, utilizing natural light instead of flickering fluorescent bulbs, keeping the space clutter-free, white noise machines and headphones to help regulate noise, and providing designated "quiet zones" for regulation.

Beyond the physical space, creating predictability through visual schedules and giving advance notice for transitions can significantly lower anxiety. At home, techniques like "body doubling"—simply being present while a child completes a difficult task—can help with executive functioning without the pressure of traditional "rewards and punishments."

Resources:

• https://www.fraser.org/resources/blog/8-ways-to-create-a-sensory-friendly-space-for-neurodivergent-parents-and-kids

• https://behavioral-innovations.com/blog/neurodiverse-friendly-spaces-standard-for-inclusion/

• https://www.socialcipher.com/post/neurodiversity-affirming-behavior-strategies

• https://www.neurodiversityhub.org/enabling-spaces

• 
  

Cultivating Connection and Compassion: Building on 30 Years of Learning and Growing Together.

June 22-25, 2026, Killington, VT. The BEST Summer Institute, funded with support from the Agency of Education, offers an immersive experience for school teams, including educators, caregivers/family members, students, and community partners. This experience is thoughtfully designed to enhance your skills and to rejuvenate your approach to supporting the social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs of all students. Review our online save the date (Keynotes and Anticipated Strands and Workshops). Registration materials will be made available by March 4, 2026.

Whether you are creating a standards-based expedition from scratch or leveraging the EL ELA modules as a starting point, this institute will support your next steps. Participants are welcome to come with a standards-based expedition ready to be tweaked, a module ready to be expeditionized, or start building from the ground up. Click here for more info.

The Panorama Survey window for grades 3-12 will open by the end of day, Monday, April 6, and close Friday, May 1, 2026. The Panorama Survey is a key data source supporting our Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP), particularly Goal #2: Safe and Healthy Schools, and is a component of our larger assessment metrics.

The use of cleaning products and chemicals in the school is regulated to ensure the health and safety of children and adults within the school environment. Teachers/staff may not purchase or bring cleaning products into the school. They should ask the custodian to supply product from what we already stock. Those products have been vetted and included in a district database, where all chemical information can be accessed. If you need something -- or have questions about a product supplied by the custodian -- please ask Lenny first, and if you need more guidance, reach out to Cheryl or Amelia.

• Please see the image below and look for a hard copy coming your way.
• Keep somewhere immediately accessible to you but not visible to students.
• You might choose to put these two extensions on a sticky note near your phone.