Hello OCRS families,
It's been approximately a month since the last day of school and I hope that all of our students have been enjoying their summer so far. Personally, I have enjoyed spending time with my own family and I'm looking forward to some short trips to Vermont and Maine before school resumes.
Important Information
Summer Learning Guide
Did you know that if students stop learning during the summer, they can lose more than two months of what they learned in reading and math? This SPS Summer Learning Guide contains a collection of recommended grade-appropriate activities that can be used to prevent summer learning loss. Students are encouraged to read every day and complete additional activities each week. Verify your child's summer learning activities by completing this form and your child will be invited to a celebration hosted by the school principal at the beginning of the new school year. Please see https://summer.smithfield-ps.org/ for all of the district's Summer Learning information and activities!
First Day of School for 1st through 5th grade students
The first day of school for all 1st through grade students will be Tuesday, August 27th.
Screening and First Day of School for Kindergarten students
The first day of school for Kindergarten students will be on Friday, August 30th. Kindergarten screening will take place by appointment Tuesday, August 27th through Thursday, August 29th. Within the next week, the families of incoming Kindergarten students will receive a notification with the date and time for their child's screening, along with additional information.
Class List Assignments
Class list assignments for students in 1st through 5th grades will be emailed to families during the week of August 12th. Per the Smithfield Public Schools Elementary School Handbook:
"Each spring, teams consisting of the principal and teachers work collaboratively to create balanced groups of students, taking into consideration such factors as learning styles, classroom performance, developmental levels, gender, peer relationships, social development, and class size. Input from parents regarding learning style will be taken into consideration when placement decisions are being made. A request for a specific teacher is discouraged, and may not always be granted due to the complexity of the placement process. Concerns must be submitted to the principal in writing prior to May 1st each year. No changes will be made following the release of the classroom assignments."
Changes to school start and end times
In order to address issues with buses being late for the routes at the later elementary schools, the start and end times for Old County Road School will be 5 minutes earlier next year. The school day will begin at 8:15 a.m. and the school day will end at 2:45 p.m. This also means that morning drop off will begin 5 minutes earlier at 7:55 a.m. Please see this posting on the district website for additional information, https://www.smithfield-ps.org/article/120504?org=smithfield-public-schools
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/