OPR Weekly Update
October 13, 2023
Dear OPR Families,
On Tuesday, 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.
Watch today's OPR Video News: OPR Video News Link
Have a great weekend!
David N. Barner, Principal
Email: dbarner@walpole.k12.ma.us
Instagram: OLDPOSTROADSCHOOL_WALPOLE
Twitter: @oprschool
Talking about Current Events with Children
Due to the continued conflicts and wars around the globe, we offer this resource to help navigate conversations with your children:
How to talk to children about conflict and war and
How to Talk to Kids About Violence, Crime, and War (Common Sense Media tips and conversation starters to help you talk to kids of different ages about the toughest topics)
Tips for Parents and Educators - Talking to Children about Violence (Infographic from National Association of School Psychologists)
If further conversation is needed, our OPR school counselors are always available.
Dates to Remember
OCTOBER
18 Grade 3 Field Trip to deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum
23-27 PAC Sponsored Scholastic Book Fair Week!
25 Parent-Teacher Conferences, 6:00-8:00 PM by Appointment
27 Early Release at 11:55 AM. Dismissal begins at 11:49
27 Parent-Teacher Conferences, 1:00-3:00 PM by Appointment
31 OPR Annual Halloween Parade! 8:45 AM Families are welcome to watch the parade out front, weather permitting.
NOVEMBER
2 Parent-Teacher Conferences, 6:00-8:00 PM by Appointment
3 Student Picture Retake Day
8 PAC Meeting, STEM Lab/Media Center at 7:00 PM. All are welcome!
10 No School - Veteran's Day Observed
22 Early Release at 11:55 AM. Dismissal begins at 11:49
23 No School - Happy Thanksgiving!
24 No School
28 School Council Meeting in the STEM Lab at 3:05
OPR SCHOOL HOURS
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.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
The Parent-Teacher Conference scheduler is open. It will remain open for your convenience until Monday, Oct. 23rd at 5:00 PM. Please be sure to sign up as soon as possible as each day only has limited slots available.
Parent-Teacher Conferences begin later this month. We encourage all families to attend conferences as communication and collaboration are essential for your child(ren) to continue to have a strong school year. Conferences may be held in-person, virtually using Google Meet or by phone. 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 you would like to attend and sign up with each teacher. All classroom teachers and specialists are listed.
If you have questions or need help scheduling a conference please call the main office for assistance.
Wednesday, October 25th (6-8:00 PM) In-Person Conferences
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4FA8AC28A2FE3-oprparent
Friday, October 27th (1-3:00 PM) In-Person Conferences
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4FA8AC28A2FE3-44643282-oprparentteacher
Thursday, November 2nd (6-8:00 PM) In-Person, Virtual, or Phone Conferences
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4FA8AC28A2FE3-44613016-oprparentteacher
MCAS Parent Reports for Gr. 4 and 5 Families
This coming week, the Walpole Public Schools will be mailing MCAS results home to families. It is important to understand that the MCAS are one of the many ways we measure student progress across the curriculum. We also use many ongoing assessments in classrooms not only to measure student progress but also to assess the success of our district curriculum. Parent-teacher conferences will be taking place over the next two weeks and this is a great opportunity to hear about specific aspects of the grade-level standards that going well for your child and other areas that may be a challenge.
PE with Mrs. Green
Grades K-2: Students have been practicing routines, moving and having fun. With routine, much more can happen for these new learners. They continue to warm-up with locomotor movements and Knee-Tag. Every student had their own soccer ball and practiced dribbling, kicking and passing as well as goalie practice. Pac-man is a moving tag game that was practiced. Next, students practiced underhand and overhand throwing, followed by a target throwing game of “Monster Ball”. This is where students throw small balls at a larger ball to get it to move to their opponents side.
Keep - away is being practiced while practicing proper overhand throwing. Sharks & Sailors is a fun tag game where the sailors try not to get tagged while trying to get to a new ship.
Next, we will be working on fitness and throwing stations followed by October themed games and some parachute fun.
Grades 3 - 5: After playing 5 v 5 soccer games, students played a game called Speed-ball, which you can score by running and throwing the ball into the net for three points or kicking into the net for one point. Handball is being practiced this week which is similar to ultimate frisbee with a ball.
Next, we will begin the fitness tests, which begins with the running test called the Pacer test. We will follow that with some October themed games and then continue with testing, such as the push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and sit & reach flexibility test. Students will begin working on fitness stations as well, while testing is going on.
Math with Mrs. Rinaldi
With conferences coming at the end of the month, it is usually a time when parents ask, “What can I do at home to support my student,” or “How can I help with math work when it looks so different from how I learned it?” Your conference time is precious so, hopefully we can provide a few tips here to help answer those questions. First, our Family Math Site is full of tips, suggestions and ideas for how to both support your child in math and how to support yourself in the process! If you click on the Parents/Caregivers Link you will find the section on FAQs for Math Today. Here you will find podcasts, videos, and articles that help explain why math has moved away from just teaching formulas and procedures, to embedding concepts in real math situations so students can see there is more than one way to solve a problem, regardless of the operation needed.
When you are supporting your students at home with math work, two things you want to do are: try to understand your child’s thinking and build on what they know. You can ask them open-ended questions like, “Tell me about this problem…,” “What do you notice about the situation….”, this will help you zone in on what your child already knows and maybe where they are getting stuck. Some basic questions that work in almost any situation include:
- What do you notice?
- How did you figure that out?
- How can you show your thinking? (e.g., picture, model, equation)
- Do you see any patterns?
Finally, please remember, their way of solving a problem might not be the most efficient way right now, but they are building conceptual knowledge and problem solving skills that will get them there. Getting your child to teach you “their way” deepens their understanding of the concept, so encourage them to share and teach you!
News from the Nurse
The Health Office will begin health screenings within the next few weeks. While most children see their pediatricians annually, this program frequently identifies problems that arise between doctors’ visits.
State regulations require vision and hearing screenings for all students enrolled in public schools. Screenings are done at selected intervals throughout the school years. At OPR, ALL grades will have a vision screening and grades K-3 will have their hearing screened as well.
Massachusetts schools have taken heights and weights of students each year since the 1950’s. According to the state’s BMI screening regulations (which were approved in 2013), schools must now collect the heights and weights of students in grades 1, 4, 7 and 10. BMI data collected for all children in these grades will be gathered and reported to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health as a combined number. No individual student BMI results will be shared with anyone.The nurse screener will supervise your child’s screening and will make sure your child’s privacy is respected at all times. The results of your child’s height, weight, and BMI measurements are strictly confidential – the results will be kept in your child’s school health record and will not be shared with anyone without your written permission.
Scoliosis (Postural) screening will take place in the Spring for the FIFTH grade. The Health Office will contact the families of the exact screening days ahead of time.
Parents and/or legal guardians can request in writing that their child not participate in the screening. This letter should be addressed to the school nurse.
Please provide a copy of your child's most recent physical with their vision, hearing and/or height and weight recorded within the last calendar year.
Please email me with any concerns or questions. Thank you!
Bonnie Kowalsky, M.ed. BSN RN
OPR School Nurse
99 Old Post Road
East Walpole, MA 02032
phone: 508-660-7219 ext 5804
fax: 866.809.6567
Here is a link to the WPS Health Services website. 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.
Bay State Textiles Recycling
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.
Thank you for donating your textiles in the Bay State Collection Bin in the OPR parking lot. 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
WPS Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC)
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
