Hello OCRS families,
The new school year is off to a great start and all of our teachers and staff would like to thank you for partnering with us to help all of our students be successful at school. Remember, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your child's teacher.
Important Information
Miss Burrows Selected as R.I. Art Education Association's Outstanding New Art Educator of the Year!
Join me in congratulating Lindsay Burrows for being selected as the 2020 RIAEA Outstanding New Art Educator of the Year! Here is a quote from the award letter from the Rhode Island Art Education Association award letter:
"Congratulations on being selected as the 2020 RIAEA Outstanding New Art Educator of the Year! Your dedication and service to art education have been recognized as extraordinary. Thank you for implementing a model art education program that has increased community awareness of the importance of art education for all of Rhode Island's school children."
We are all so proud of Miss Burrows and glad that our students have the opportunity learn from her each week at OCRS!
Reminder about Morning Drop-off
Due to the traffic at the school during morning arrival, we strongly encourage families to send their children to school on the bus whenever possible. If taking the bus is not possible or you need to drive your child(ren) to school, please drive into the parking lot on the right side of the school and follow the Morning Drop-off route outlined below. To ensure the safety of students arriving by bus, NO cars should drive into the driveway at the front of the school during arrival or dismissal.
Families waiting in the drop-off line need to be aware of staff arriving at school for work as they will need to cross between the line of cars in order to get to the school after they park their vehicle. I will also remind staff to cross carefully through the line of cars as they enter the building.
Bus Routes and Transportation Information
The district office has posted the most current bus routes and transportation information at https://www.smithfield-ps.org/o/smithfield-public-schools/page/transportation--244. If you have any questions, you can contact the transportation company, Durham School Services, at 401-349-2770.
First PTA Meeting of the Year
The first PTA meeting of the new school year will be held on Thursday, September 12th at 7:00 p.m. in the OCRS library. All families are welcome and encouraged to attend! Mr. Barrette will be offering the first volunteer training session of the new school year prior to the PTA meeting.
Volunteer Program
We encourage families to volunteer at OCRS. We are especially looking for volunteers to assist during lunch and recess. In order to volunteer at school or chaperone a field trip, parents/guardians must participate in a volunteer training at school at least once. Volunteer training takes only 15 minutes and Mr. Barrette offers training prior to each PTA meeting. Volunteers also need to get a background check once per year, https://www.smithfield-ps.org/o/smithfield-public-schools/page/school-volunteer-bci. Please see the "Volunteer Program" section of the Elementary School Handbook for more information, https://5il.co/9qij.
Information about the Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus
The Smithfield Public Schools are working with Smithfield Emergency Management to monitor the risk of Eastern Equine Encephalitis and to provide information to our families about E.E.E. Please see the attached flyers for more information, https://5il.co/9w0y and https://5il.co/9w0z.
Upcoming Dates and Events
Fall School Pictures, Monday September 9th
Fall School Pictures for students will be held on Monday, September 9th during the school day. Families should have received information from Lifetouch as part of their Back to School packets and Lifetouch will also be sending out follow-up emails to families. Families are NOT required to purchase pictures.
PTA Meeting, Thursday September 12th at 7:00 p.m.
The first PTA meeting of the new school year will be held on Thursday, September 12th at 7:00 p.m. in the OCRS library. All families are welcome and encouraged to attend! Mr. Barrette will be offering the first volunteer training session of the new school year prior to the PTA meeting.
Open House, Thursday September 19th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Old County Road School is holding our Open House for families on Thursday, September 19th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. We encourage families to stop by and meet their child's teacher! As we get closer to the date, additional information will be shared with families about the Open House.
Follow OCRS Online and on Social Media
To stay up to date with the latest OCRS information, please check out the OCRS website at https://oldcounty.smithfield-ps.org. Also follow OCRS on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OldCountyRoadSchool/, our Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/OldCountyRoad, and our Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/oldcountyroad/