Dear OMS Community,

We are counting down the days to the start of the new school year!

This week, we welcomed many of our incoming sixth grade students and new seventh and eighth grade students to OMS during our student orientations (see pictures below). We were able to share more about OMS and students participated in a scavenger hunt around the building. We also released student schedules on the PowerSchool Portal this week. Information was emailed home about student schedules and how to access the portal.

This is Part 2 of our Back to School Edition of the OMS Community Newsletter. Missed Part 1? Scroll to the bottom of the newsletter for a link to the previous newsletter. During the school year, the OMS Community Newsletter will be shared weekly.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer and we look forward to seeing all students on Wednesday, September 4th!

Best,

Mrs. Katrina Crowley

OMS Principal

(From left to right: Mr. Bernstein, Mrs. Kellogg, Mrs. Crowley, Ms. Montembault)

The OMS Administration Team is excited for a great upcoming school year!

Learn more about each of their roles below.

Mrs. Crowley (Principal, k_crowley@stoughtonschools.org)

As the Principal, Mrs. Crowley works to ensure OMS is a welcoming, inclusive, and safe learning environment for all students. She works with department head teachers and the Curriculum Director on curriculum and provides support and feedback to new OMS teachers. She oversees academic and social-emotional student support systems and structures. She reviews the school's data and works with students, families, staff and community members on ways to improve our school.

Mrs. Kellogg (Assistant Principal, k_kellogg@stoughtonschools.org)

As the Assistant Principal, Mrs. Kellogg works with all students at OMS in a variety of ways. Mrs. Kellogg works on providing academic support for students through a multi-tiered approach. She works closely with teachers and students in our self-contained programs. Additionally, she is the master scheduler for our building and coordinates MCAS testing.

Mr. Bernstein (Dean of Students, m_bernstein@stoughtonschools.org)

As the Dean of Students, Mr. B focuses on student support. He will be working with Grade 8 students and half of the students in Grade 6 (last names A through L). He works on supporting students in the classrooms and addressing students' behaviors, attendance, academic and social-emotional needs.

Ms. Montembault (Dean of Students, m_montembault@stoughtonschools.org)

As the Dean of Students, Ms. M focuses on student support. She will be working with Grade 7 students and half of the students in Grade 6 (last names M through Z). She works on supporting students in the classrooms and addressing students' behaviors, attendance, academic and social-emotional needs.

We are excited to continue our middle school athletic program this school year! Please join us for an information night on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at 6pm at the OMS Learning Commons (211 Cushing St.) to find out more about the middle school athletics program, including how to register, what to expect, and eligibility requirements.

The student drop-off/pick-up area is in the lot in front of the building, along the curb with the yellow stripes.

For morning drop-off, we ask that you pull your car all the way to the second crosswalk (towards the parking lot exit). The morning entrance for students is at the second crosswalk (see below picture for student entrance). As you enter this area, please drive carefully and be patient. There will be signs and OMS staff members in the parking lot to help direct the traffic in the morning.

Remember that students are able to be dropped off and enter the building as early as 7:00am. From 7:00 - 7:15am there is very little drop-off traffic, and we strongly encourage families to drop off at this time if possible.

The traffic is very heavy for afternoon pick-up, especially in the first few weeks of school before after school activities start. The dismissal bell rings at 2:12pm, but most students do not get outside until closer to 2:20pm. Most of the buses exit the front parking lot around 2:22pm. Please keep this in mind as you plan for pick-up.

THERE IS NO PARENT DROP-OFF OR PICK-UP IN THE UPPER PARKING LOT BETWEEN OMS AND SHS. This lot is for SHS student and OMS staff parking only.

Here is a visual of drop-off traffic patterns at OMS:

Please make sure the nurse has a copy of your child's annual physical exam from their doctors office. It is MA state law and required in grades K, 4, 7 and 11 but best practice is to send it in yearly because it is needed for sports and field trips.

All medications needed at school must be given in the nurse's office including over the counter medicines like cough drops. All prescription medications (like Epipens and Inhalers) need a doctor's order and parent permission form filled out. We are attaching the 2 forms below. Please contact our school nurse, Mrs. McDonnell with questions or about which over the counter medicines can be given at school. Documents can be sent via email to s_mcdonnell@stoughtonschools.org or faxed to 781-344-4065.

We appreciate your help in keeping kids safe and healthy at school.

Please read the 2024-2025 OMS Student & Parent Handbook. The handbook has important information regarding school policies and procedures, grading, athletics eligibility, code of student conduct, school dress code, and more. View the handbook by clicking the button below or accessing it on the OMS website.

We use Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports at OMS. During the first few days of school, we will have team meetings where administrators and school counselors will review school-wide expectations. (Teachers will review their own classroom expectations for students during class.) Attached you can find a copy of our OMS Behavior Matrix which we will review with students during our team meetings.

As part of PBIS, we will be recognizing students who continue to follow school expectations in order to highlight positive behavior in our school. Students can earn positive recognition cards throughout the school year for demonstrating traits of respect, responsibility, and readiness. They can trade these cards in for various prizes on Ticket Tuesdays. Students who consistently follow expectations can be selected as Students of the Month. Each month, five students will be selected as Students of the Month and can earn a certificate and Daddy's Dairy gift card. Students will have opportunities throughout the year to earn grade-wide, team, and school-wide incentives.

Cell phones should remain in students' lockers during the school day. If a parent/guardian needs to reach their child, please call the main office. If a student needs to call home, they can go to the main office to call. Please read our cell phone rules attached below.

Student schedules are now available to view on the PowerSchool Portal. All students will receive a printed schedule in their first period class on the first day of school.

Schedule Overview:

There are 7 classes in a school day. Our school schedule follows a two-day cycle: A Day, B Day. Students will follow the schedule for the designated letter day. Some classes meet every day, while others meet every other day. There are also some classes that run for a trimester, while others run for the entire school year.

All students will participate in our advisory program. Knight Time Advisory meets daily for 15 minutes and functions as a check-in for students with a teacher. Morning announcements will be played during this time and students can build a connection with a trusted adult in the building. On Early Thursdays, Knight Time Advisories will meet for a full class period with a lesson focused on Career and Academic Planning.

Schedule & Class Information:

• Core Content Classes are on Team (all grades): English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies. These classes meet daily for the entire school year. All students are enrolled in content classes.
• Exploratory Classes (all grades): Art, Physical Education/Health, STEM. These classes meet daily for the trimester (60 days). All students are enrolled in these three exploratory classes.
• Grade 6 Exploring Music as a Language, Math Lab, Reading Lab: Grade 6 students who have availability in their schedules are enrolled in these classes. These classes meet daily for the trimester (60 days). Students have the opportunity to learn more about music, music production, and will learn how to play various instruments. Students will also get to strengthen their reading and math skills in our labs.
• World Languages (Grades 7 and 8): These classes meet daily for the entire school year. Classes include: Spanish 1A, Spanish 1B, French 1A, French 1B. Students who have availability in their schedules are enrolled in a world language.
• Grades 7 & 8 Reading Lab: Our Grade 7 & 8 Reading Lab is a Tier 2 support designed to provide identified students with additional reading support.
• Enrichment Classes and Support Classes (all grades): Each grade has an enrichment block. These enrichment classes meet every other day. Some of the classes run the entire school year, while others only run for a trimester. Enrichment class offerings vary by grade. The following classes run for the entire school year: Academic Lab, Band, Chorus, Creative Dramatics 7, Theatre Arts Workshop 8. The following classes run for a trimester: Academic Enrichment, Digital Art, Exploring Drama 6, Physical Education Enrichment, STEM Enrichment, Reading DEAR, Lab Support.
• Reading DEAR: DEAR stands for "Drop Everything and Read." In this unplugged enrichment class, students will take a break from the busy school day and technology by reading. Students can discover their love for reading by going on an adventure in their books. Students who have DEAR on their schedule can bring in a book to read from home or the Stoughton Public Library. DEAR classes will also have the chance to visit and check out books from our OMS Learning Commons.
• Academic Enrichment: This is a new offering this school year. Academic Enrichment is a Tier 2 academic support for general education students. Identified students will receive organizational and academic support in a small group setting. They will have the opportunity to have additional academic support in this class. We utilize data from the STAR assessments, classroom assessments, and course grades to identify students who can benefit from this support.

Parents/guardians can learn more about our schedule and classes by coming to our Back to School Night on September 17th (6:00-8:00pm). The event will begin with a presentation from OMS administration. Then, parents/guardians will be able to follow an abbreviated schedule of their student's schedule.

Chromebooks will be distributed to students in school on September 10th. Students will not need a Chromebook for the first week of school.

ALL students will need a lock for their locker.

All bags and backpacks will be required to be placed in lockers during the school day this year. There will be scheduled locker times throughout the school day when students can access their lockers. Students can also access their locker at other times during the day with a pass from their teacher.

Take a look at the pictures below for some examples of types of locks that can work for lockers. Talk to your child to see which type of lock would work best for them. Once you get your lock, your student can already start practicing how to open it so they are prepared for school! All students will be assigned a locker on their first day of school.

Check out the school supply lists by clicking the link below!

Here is some important information about our school. Please visit the OMS website for more information, including the most up-to-date school calendar.

Email: k_crowley@stoughtonschools.org
Website: oms.stoughtonschools.org
Location: 211 Cushing Street, Stoughton, MA, USA
Phone: 781-344-7002
Facebook: facebook.com/stoughtonpublicschools

Missed a newsletter? Click the link below to review a previous newsletter.

Back to School Edition Part 1