OPR Weekly Update
April 4, 2025
Dear OPR Families,
The popular OPR After School Enrichment Program Registration is open now. The class information and registration can be found here. There are openings in Jump Rope Club with Mrs. Green, Crafty Stories with Mrs. Tranquillino, and the Lego Club with Mrs. Morris. All of the classes are fun, educational and enriching.
MCAS testing began this week for grades 3 and 4. Next week, grade 5 will take their ELA MCAS.
Please enjoy this week's OPR Video News: THIS WEEK
Have a great weekend!
David N. Barner, Principal
dbarner@walpole.k12.ma.us
Contact OPR Office (Secretaries and Nurse): oproffice@walpole.k12.ma.us
April
8 OPR After School Enrichment Registration Ends
8 PAC Sponsored Pumpernickel Puppets vists grades K and 1.
8 Grade 5 ELA MCAS
9 Grade 5 ELA MCAS
10 PAC Meeting, STEM Lab, 7:00 PM
14 OPR After School Enrichment Classes begin this week.
18 No School - Day of Low Attendance
21-25 No School - Vacation
29 Grade 3 Math MCAS
30 Grade 3 Math MCAS
May
1 Grade 4 Math MCAS
2 Grade 4 Math MCAS
5 Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week!
6 Grade 5 Math MCAS
7 Grade 5 Math MCAS
7 Walpole Public Schools District Art Show at the Walpole Public Library from 6-8 PM
8 PAC sponsored Gr. 3 High Touch High Tech: Friction Gives Me Traction program
8 PAC Meeting in the STEM Lab at 7:00 PM
9 PAC sponsored school assembly Cirque Us
14 Grade 5 Science MCAS
15 Grade 5 Science MCAS
15 Grade 2 Field Trip to Southwick's Zoo
15 Incoming Kindergarten Parent Orientation in the Cafeteria from 6:30-7:30 PM. This is for parents of next year's kindergarten students.
Extended Day Summer Program
We are excited to announce that Extended Day will be running a Summer Program this upcoming summer and registration is now live. We are anticipating registration to fill quickly and will do our best to enroll as many waitlisted students as possible.
This year, the camp will run for 4 weeks at Fisher Elementary and offer an Extended Day PM option for families. Registration will be open for incoming first-sixth graders. Registration will be available for individual weeks and families will have the option to register for all 4 weeks at a discounted rate.
Please see the attached PDF regarding Summer Camp Information and Registration Information for the Summer of 2025 and reach out to Dan Santangelo (dsantangelo@walpole.k12.ma.us) or Evan Storlazzi (estorlazzi@walpole.k12.ma.us) with any questions."
STEM with Mrs. Morris
March was a busy month for students in STEM. There have been a lot of different coding and engineering activities happening throughout the month as well as a few basketball themed lessons to celebrate March Madness. Students did different basketball activities including Scratch programs, Hour of Code, and "Dashketball", where they coded the Dash robot to launch balls into cups.
Kindergarten was introduced to the coding program Scratch Jr.. It is a free programming language and app designed to introduce coding concepts to young children. In the app, students create interactive stories and games using drag-and-drop blocks. Students have been learning about the different blocks and about characters, called “sprites” in Scratch. This program is available for free download on any device that has an app store if you are interested in learning more about it!
First grade students were introduced to our robot Ozobot. Ozobot is a small, programmable robot that teaches young children coding and robotics through both screen-free color coding and screen-based block coding. First graders have so far just done color coding but throughout April they will be introduced to more advanced coding with Ozobot.
Second grade students began a project coding with the Dash robot to create a program that will retell the story of the Three Little Pigs. In the following weeks, they will engineer the different houses for their wolf (the Dash robot) to knock down.
Third and Fourth grade students have been working on Scratch. Third graders are beginning to learn the program and how it differs from Scratch Jr.. Fourth graders are working on a project about their favorite person (i.e. singer, athlete, actor, etc.).
Fifth graders have begun an engineering project to design a prototype of a prosthetic for an animal. Each group was assigned an animal with a missing appendage. They are currently in their research phase of this project where they are learning about their animals and will soon be designing their initial plan for their prosthetic. They will use stuffed animals, graciously donated by PAC, to build the prosthetic on. I look forward to seeing their creations.
Digital Learning with Mrs. Milnamow
I am excited to share some of the incredible digital projects your children have been working on in class! Over the past few weeks, OPR students have been engaged in a variety of creative and educational activities, including:
Digital Citizenship – Learning how to be responsible, respectful, and safe online across all digital platforms
Creating Videos on Historical Women – students nominated important women to be featured on the twenty dollar bill and then used Book Creator and ChatterPix to animate and present their research
Creating Animated Videos – Using digital tools to bring stories and ideas to life in Adobe Express
Designing Google Slides Presentations – Exploring the Industrial Revolution while developing strong presentation skills
Making Digital Timelines – Using Canva and Book Creator to visually organize and present autobiographical events
Illustrating Song Lyrics- Using art supplies and Book Creator to display their masterpieces
As students become more active online, it’s important to reinforce digital citizenship at home. Here are some ways you can support these conversations:
Talk About Online Safety – Discuss the importance of protecting personal information and recognizing safe websites.
Encourage Respectful Communication – Remind children to:
Use kind words in comments and messages. (e.g., “Great job on your project!” instead of criticism.)
Give proper credit when using someone else’s work or ideas, including any AI sources
Think before posting—asking themselves, “Would I say this in person?”
Understand that anything shared digitally (by text, in a chat room, on social media, etc.) is all part of each person’s permanent digital footprint
Set Screen Time Guidelines – Establish healthy tech habits by setting limits and encouraging breaks from screens.
Model Good Digital Behavior – Children learn from what they see! Show them positive ways to use technology for learning and connection.
Stay tuned for some more outstanding projects in the upcoming months. Thank you for your support in helping our students grow as responsible digital citizens.
Teacher Snack Cart Donations
Click to shop from our Amazon list. Questions: Melanie.D.Taylor@gmail.com
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
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:
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
October 2024 - $113.40
November 2024 - $141.00
December 2024 - $92.10
2022 Calendar Year Total - $907.50
2023 Calendar Year Total - $1210.60
2024 Calendar Year Total - $1182.30
January 2025 - $210
February 2025 - $108.60
March 2025 - $128.40
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
OPR ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
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.
