Hello OCRS families,
Happy New Year to all of you and we hope that everyone is beginning a healthy and happy 2024 with your loved ones!
New Year's Day often encourages us to take some time to reflect and consider the prior year. This past year our school community has worked hard to foster strong partnerships with families to support our students' academic and social learning. Our wonderful school clinicians, school nurse, and school secretary connected families with a variety of community resources and supports. Our school also partnered with important community organizations to work with our students and provide ongoing educational opportunities; for example, we welcomed the Smithfield Police and Fire Departments, Balfour-Cole Post 64 American Legion, Revive the Roots, and the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (to name just a few). We're looking forward to a terrific continuation of all of these efforts as we continue this school year into 2024!
School Communication with Families
As we enter the new year, we want to continue to work hard to communicate with families in a variety of ways. In addition to regular email, phone calls, and meetings, here are all of the other ways available for our school and families to communicate with each other and share important information.
- Old County Road School website, https://oldcounty.smithfield-ps.org/
- Smithfield Public Schools app
- iOS app, https://apple.co/3nlS8HG
- Android/Google Play, http://bit.ly/2WT82AY
- OCRS Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/OldCountyRoadSchool
- OCRS X/Twitter page, https://twitter.com/OldCountyRoad
- OCRS Instagram page, https://www.instagram.com/oldcountyroad/
Also, please follow the OCRS PTA Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OCRSPTA !
Return to School, Tuesday 1/2
Students and staff return to school on Tuesday, January 2nd. There is no school tomorrow, Monday January 1st.
Starting the New Year with Excellent Student Attendance
As you know, improving student attendance is a significant focus for our school this year. We will be continuing that focus as we begin the new year. We know that it can be challenging for families to make sure that their child is attending school on-time every day while at the same time making sure to keep their child at home if they are sick (fever, vomiting, diarrhea, positive COVID test, etc.).
As challenging as it can be at times, the fact is that student attendance is a huge factor in students' academic and social success at school. The graphic below from RIDE illustrates just how much attendance impacts students' academic success using RICAS as a measure. It's apparent from the data below that students who are regularly at school perform significantly better than students that are chronically absent (10% or more of the scheduled school days). The truth is, attendance matters a LOT!
If any family has questions or is having issues getting their child to school on-time, every day, please reach out to your child's teacher and/or Mr. Barrette and we will work with you to figure out ways to work with you and support your child.
PTA 5th Grade Chipotle Fundraiser, January 6th
The PTA 5th Grade Committee is sponsoring a Chipotle Fundraiser on Saturday, January 6th from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Anyone can support the PTA 5th grade committee by ordering online using code 9L7AHKH or showing the attached flyer in store when you order. See the linked flyer for the details and support the OCRS 5th grade!
Smithfield Community Band
The Smithfield Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring a brand-new Smithfield Community Band! This new community band is open to all students and community members 14 years or older who play a concert band instrument. Let’s come together as a community as we share our common love of music, have a great time learning together, and entertain our families, friends, and neighbors at local events! See the linked flyer for all of the details.
Upcoming Dates and Events
View and subscribe to the OCRS Public Events Calendar at https://oldcounty.smithfield-ps.org/o/old-county-road-elementary/page/monthly-calendar. Click on the "Add to Google Calendar" button to subscribe to the calendar using your own calendar app.
Return to School, Tuesday January 2nd
PTA 5th Grade Chipotle Fundraiser, Saturday January 6th
NO SCHOOL, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday January 15th
Smithfield Special Education Local Advisory Committee meeting, Wednesday January 17th at 6:30 PM at Smithfield High School
PTA General Meeting, Tuesday January 23rd at 6:00 PM
Thank you,
Mr. Barrette
Fun with Celebrations before the Holiday Break
