OPR Weekly Update
October 25, 2024
Dear OPR Families,
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held in just a few weeks. These meetings are invaluable opportunities for parents and teachers to connect and discuss your child’s progress in school. These conferences are a chance for you to engage directly with your child’s teacher, learn about your child's academic achievements, and address any questions or concerns you may have. Together, we can celebrate your child’s successes and collaborate on ways to support their continued growth.
The Parent-Teacher Conference scheduler is now open. It will remain open for your convenience until Friday, November 8th at 5:00 PM. Please be sure to sign up as soon as possible as each day only has limited slots available.
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 below that you would like to attend and sign up with each teacher for an in-person conference. All classroom teachers and specialists are listed. Virtual and phone conferences may be scheduled by emailing the teacher directly.
If you have questions or need help scheduling a conference please call the main office for assistance.
5:00-7:00 PM on Tuesday, November 12, 2024
5:00-7:00 PM on Thursday, November 14, 2024
1:00-3:00 PM on Friday, November 15, 2024
Click here to watch this week's OPR Video News.
Have a great weekend!
David N. Barner, Principal
dbarner@walpole.k12.ma.us
Keep the OPR office in the loop. If you are emailing your child's teacher about an absence, tardy, dismissal, or appointment, include the office email oproffice@walpole.k12.ma.us This will ensure the secretaries and nurse receive the email. Classroom teachers can't always check email during the day. Thank you!
October
30 Student Picture Retake Day - Only for students who need their picture retaken.
31 OPR Halloween Parade at 8:45 AM. Families welcome!
November
5 No School - Election Day - Professional Development Day for Teachers and Staff
7 PAC Meeting in the STEM Lab at 7:00 PM
11 No School - Veterans Day
12 Scholastic Book Fair Week on the Stage. Open during Conferences!
12 Parent-Teacher Conferences by Appointment, 5-7:00 PM
14 Parent-Teacher Conferences by Appointment, 5-7:00 PM
15 Student Council Spirit Day - Sports Day! Wear your favorite sports team or your own sports team attire or colors to celebrate!
15 Parent-Teacher Conferences by Appointment, 1-3:00 PM
15 Early Release at 11:55 AM. Dismissal begins at 11:49.
16 PAC Sponsored Parents Night Out!
27 Student Council Spirit Day - Pajama Day! Wear proper footwear please.
27 Early Release at 11:55 AM. Dismissal begins at 11:49.
28 No School - Happy Thanksgiving!
29 No School
December
4 School Council Meeting, STEM Lab at 3:05-4:05 PM
13 Early Release at 11:55 AM. Dismissal begins at 11:49.
13 PAC Sponsored Stay on the Half Day
13 Student Council Spirit Day: Wild Hair, Socks, Mismatched, Inside Out, Backwards Day
23 No School - Vacation Begins. School Resumes on Thursday, January 2nd.
OPR Halloween Parade
On Thursday, October 31st, we will continue the long-standing tradition of the OPR Halloween Parade. The parade begins at 8:45 AM. Families may watch the parade from the front of the school. Spectators should assemble on the grass area island across from the front door. The parade will walk in the driveway and circle the island. If it happens to be raining, we have an indoor parade route that will allow families to watch from inside.
Remember:
Students can wear their costumes to school. Students should change out of costumes after the parade.
It is recommended that any makeup is minimal, as students will need to wear it all day.
Scary masks are not allowed.
No weapons (real or toy) are ever allowed in school. This includes parts of costumes - Ninja swords, firefighter’s ax, cowboy gun, bow and arrow, etc.
Alternate activities will be provided for those not participating.
From the Office of Student Support & Attendance:
Dear families,
Please read this month's newsletter. It contains links to the WPS Health Services Department and other helpful sites you can use when making decisions about whether or not you should send your child to school based on symptoms of illness.
"What if my child is sick?" - https://secure.smore.com/n/9ga8n The newsletter is also posted on the Walpole Public Schools website.
--
Edward Connor
Dean of Student Support & Attendance
Walpole Public Schools
508-660-7257 ext. 5020
Martial Arts After School Program Grades K-2
LG Martial Arts is collaborating with OPR to bring a Kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2 after school martial arts program!
Program Includes:
- 3 Week Course
- Finale at LG Martial Arts Studio
- Weekly Assignments
- Character Development
Important Dates:
Class 1: Thursday, Nov 7th, 3:00-3:40 pm
Class 2: Thursday, Nov 14th, 3:00-3:40 pm
Class 3: Thursday, Nov 21st, 3:00-3:40 pm
Finale: Sunday, Nov 24th, 10-11 am
Fundraiser Cost:
4 Classes (3 Weeks + Finale): $35
Check or Money Order to: Town Of Walpole
Dismissal is at the gym doors at 3:40 pm.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER by Friday, November 1st!
See the attached flyer for more information and a letter from LG Martial Arts.
Digital Learning with Mrs. Milnamow
Happy Autumn OPR Families,
We have been having a blast in the digital world and learning so many new skills! One program we are really digging into is Adobe Express. I have mentioned this program in the past, but new features are constantly being added and the teachers and I have been partnering to create meaningful and engaging learning experiences for students to showcase their work.
First graders wrote about their favorite thing to do in fall and used the program to animate their voices. They selected a thematic background and then a character. After practicing reading their sentences with fluency and expression, they recorded their voice. Then, Adobe Express animated the character they chose to speak using the student’s voice!
In grade two, we took this activity to the next level with the help of AI (Artificial Intelligence). Students have been learning about our community and each wrote a fictional story about a spooky neighborhood building. Then, focusing on descriptive language and being careful with our word choice, students created prompts to generate an AI image to illustrate their story. They did such an incredible job that we even took the lesson further to learn how to add and remove parts of the AI generated image to improve it even more. Once these images were complete, we learned to screen capture and then upload theses as backgrounds for an animated narration. The final product was an animated character in front of the AI background reading the paragraph in the student’s voice! Second grade parents should watch their email as these outstanding videos are shared over the next week. Feel free to ask your child to show you how to use Adobe Express!
Some fourth grade students also used the same technology to illustrate and perform their fall Haiku poems!
After the program we used to use for podcasting was eliminated, we have been trying different ways to get students recording again. And, we are thrilled to share that podcasting is back in action! A third grade class recorded their first Would You Rather podcast and it has been published on Old Post Road Radio. Check it out!
We have many more projects planned including using Canva, BookCreator, green screens and more. I cannot wait to showcase more next time!
Here is the link to Old Post Road Radio.
STEM with Mrs. Morris
It’s that time of the year in STEM again…coding! For those families new to the STEM world, coding is using a set of instructions to communicate with computers. There are many different coding languages and many different robots students use at our school.
Every grade was first introduced to coding this year through unplugged coding. Students took turns being the programmer and being the “computer” being coded. This gave students the opportunity to see how important specific instructions are in your algorithm to ensure that your code works.
Next, kindergarten was introduced to coding through our robot, Bee-Bot. Bee-Bot is an easy-to-operate robot that is the perfect first robot to help teach counting, sequencing, directionality, and problem-solving! Students will continue to work with the Bee-Bot in the following weeks to code their Bee-Bots around different mats before moving on to another robot.
First grade and second grade students have also been using the Bee-Bot robots to review coding before beginning with the more challenging robots.
Third, fourth, and fifth grade students have been using the Dash robots and have been working through the puzzles portion of the app Blockly. In the upcoming weeks these students will also begin designing their “Balloons Over OPR” Lego float for the Dash robots and coding the path for their float to follow. Stay tuned for that!
I look forward to another great month of STEM in November!
News from the Nurse
The Flu has arrived. Please review these precautionary actions with your children:
to regularly cover your cough and sneezes
wash your hands often
avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
How can I protect my child from the flu?
The first and best way to protect against flu is to get a yearly flu vaccine for yourself and your child.
Are flu vaccines safe?
Flu vaccines have an excellent safety record.
Millions of people have safely received flu vaccines for decades.
Flu shots and nasal spray flu vaccines are both options for vaccination.
What are the benefits of getting a flu vaccine?
A flu vaccine can keep you and your child from getting sick. When vaccine viruses and circulating viruses are matched, flu vaccination has been shown to reduce risk of getting sick with flu by about 40 to 60%.
Flu vaccines can keep your child from being hospitalized for flu in the pediatric intensive care unit. One recent study showed that flu vaccines reduced children’s risk of flu-related pediatric intensive care unit admission by 74%. Flu vaccines can be life saving in children.
Flu vaccination also may make your illness milder if you do get sick.
Getting yourself and your child vaccinated also can protect others who may be more vulnerable to serious flu illness, like babies and young children, older people, and people with certain long-term health problems.
AAP Recommendations for the Flu Vaccine
For more information about the Flu: Flu guide for Parents
Thank you for the generous donations from the Amazon Wish List! We are so appreciative!!!
The Health Office has a limited amount of clothes to borrow for emergencies. We will gladly accept gently used clothes donations. Please see our Amazon Wish list as well. Thank you so much!!! OPR Health Office Wish List
In order to minimize the spread of infectious disease and to provide for a safe environment, the WPS Health Care Policy has been created to assist you. Please review this document as the nurses are required to adhere to these guidelines to help support the health of the entire school community. WPS Illness Protocol
Kindly,
Bonnie Kowalsky, RN
508-660-7219 ext 5804
fax: 866.809.6567
OPR Links:
OPR ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
Walpole Public Schools Links:
WPS ELEMENTARY STUDENT & PARENT HANDBOOK/CODE OF CONDUCT
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.
Box Tops
Download the App for BoxTops for Education and scan receipt within 14 days of purchase. Assign Credit by selecting the Star and entering the Teacher’s Last name before you hit submit.
PAC Socal Media / Contact Info.
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OPR.PAC
please add: Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/oprpacwalpole
Email with questions: oprpacwalpole@gmail.com
Teacher Snack Cart Donations
Click to shop from our Amazon list. Questions: Melanie.D.Taylor@gmail.com
OPR 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:
2022 Calendar Year Total - $907.50
2023 Calendar Year Total - $1210.60
January 2024 - $85.80
February 2024 - $104.10
March 2024 - $71.70
April 2024 - $83.70
May 2024 - $114.90
June 2024 - $100.50
July 2024 - $100.20
August 2024 - $115.80
September 2024 - $59.10
What's in the Walpole Community Backpack?
10/23 Teen Halloween Pop Up Art; 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.; Ages 13+; Lmit of 15; Must register online
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.
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
