Hello OCRS Families,
Teacher Appreciation Week!
It's Teacher Appreciation Week and we're excited to let all of the OCRS teachers AND staff know how important they are to our students! Thank you to our wonderful OCRS PTA for planning specific treats for the teachers and staff throughout this week. We are truly grateful for your thoughtfulness.
Classroom teachers tend to hear the most expressions of appreciation (and those are well deserved), but we also want to make sure that other OCRS teachers and staff members are recognized for their important work and what they do to support our students. To make this easier, what I would ask is that each classroom "adopt" a few teachers and staff and reach out to them to express your appreciation. For example, if students create cards or draw pictures to show their appreciation, they could also create one for the teachers and staff "adopted" by their classroom.
Check out the list below to see which teachers and staff are being adopted by each classroom!
Ms. Mennella's Kindergarten
Mrs. Malissa Lima - paraprofessional, Mr. Oliver Sylvestre - certified occupational therapy assistant, Mrs. Kerri Murphy - long-term substitute, Mrs. Jen Trainor - long-term substitute
Mrs. Sisco's Kindergarten
Mrs. Laura Gaule - paraprofessional, Mrs. Jeannine Fortin - paraprofessional, Mrs. Mary Deus - school secretary, Mrs. Wendy Fitz-Simon - certified occupational therapy assistant
Mrs. Mariotti's 1st grade
Ms. Amanda Lemek - special educator, Mrs. Alyson LaGreca - paraprofessional, Mrs. Liz Wood - behavior specialist,
Mrs. Moretti's 1st grade
Mrs. Kristen DeAmaral - reading specialist, Mrs. Melissa Gershon - speech/language pathologist, Mrs. Caitlin Bellavance - special educator
Mrs. Chomka's 2nd grade
Ms. Erin Tourgee - art educator, Mrs. Marie Brown - behavior specialist
Mrs. Deslauriers' 2nd grade
Mrs. Jennifer Tsonos - special educator, Mrs. Michaella Costa - school social worker, Mrs. Celine Forte - school nurse
Mrs. Corbeille's 3rd grade
Ms. Jennifer Stepsis - school psychologist, Mrs. CeAnna Pellegrino - physical therapist, Mr. Gary Regniere - custodian
Ms. Murphy's 3rd grade
Mrs. Robin Cahill - math specialist, Mr. Brent Holden - custodian
Mrs. Mooney's 4th grade
Mrs. Amy Pimental - behavior specialist, Mrs. Camille Sparkes-Griffin - occupational therapist, Mrs. Megan Barros - long-term substitute
Mrs. Connole's 4th grade
Mrs. Cheryl Niquette - special educator, Mrs. Tara Lagner - special educator, Mrs. Michelle Nonis - STEM/Media Specialist
Mr. Austin's 5th grade
Mr. Tom Gruczka - physical education, Mr. Angelica Moschetti - long-term substitute reading specialist, Mr. Robbie Marx - 5th grade band
Mr. Davenport's 5th grade
Mrs. Kasey Ellis - special educator, Mrs. Kelly Marshall - English language learner teacher, Mrs. Jill Fontaine - behavior specialist
Wear Green and Gold (or OCRS Gear) this Thursday!
The students in the "Good Vibe Tribe" are encouraging all students and staff to wear green and gold (or OCRS gear) this Thursday to show their spirit and to support the OCRS students who will be participating in the Unified Field Day. Our "Good Vibe Tribe" Unified Club continues to promote Being Kind, Respectful and Responsible at OCRS and including all students.
OCRS' Got Talent!
We are continuing an OCRS tradition by having a "talent show" type event at the end of the school year! This event is "OCRS' Got Talent!" and is going to be held on Friday, May 17th at 6:00 PM in the Smithfield High School Auditorium.
The event will be free and open to ALL OCRS families to attend, even if you do not have a student performing. We would love to have LOTS of OCRS families and friends in the audience!
ONLY students in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades will be eligible to perform in the event. Students can perform solo or with a group. Performances can be musical, dance, comedy, magic, lip-sync, drama, etc.
Students will have a maximum of 3 minutes for their performance and they will need to get their performance pre-approved by Mr. Barrette. This will make sure that all material is appropriate for an elementary aged audience.
If any 3rd, 4th or 5th grade student would like to sign up to perform, please complete this online form. Mr. Barrette will touch base with the student and schedule a time for the student to preview their performance for approval for the show.
Bolt's Trail Adventure-Hiking Challenge
OCRS' own P.E. teacher, Mr. Gruczka, has organized "Bolt's Trail Adventure" Hiking Challenge here in Smithfield starting on April 13th and running through May 20th. Students and families are encouraged to hike the wonderful trails in Smithfield to look for "Bolt", one of this years' American Heart Association's "Heart Heroes". Please see the linked flyer for more details and happy hunting for "Bolt"!
Memorial Day Ceremony
Our friends at The American Legion Balfour-Cole Post 64 are inviting OCRS students and families to join them for the annual Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, May 27th at 11:00 AM at the Veterans Memorial at Deerfield Park.
PTA "Funny for Funds" event, Friday 5/31 from 6PM to 9PM
The PTA is organizing a "Funny for Funds" event on Friday, May 31st from 6PM to 9PM. Please consider sponsoring OCRS first annual comedy show! See attached flyer for details and go to https://www.funny4funds.com/events/ocrs-pta-annual-fundraiser/1280 for sponsorship information.
The comedy show will be held at the Elks Lodge right here in Smithfield and it will be a great night out for OCRS adults! Because this is a comedy show intended specifically for adults, children should not attend.
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.
Teacher Appreciation Week, Week of May 6th
"Wear Green and Gold" Spirit Day, Thursday 5/9
RICAS Math, Tuesday 5/14 and Wednesday 5/15
SSELAC Meeting, Wednesday 5/22 at 6:30PM in the SHS Media Center
OCRS' Got Talent!, Friday 5/17 at 6PM in the SHS Auditorium
PTA General Meeting, Thursday 5/23 at 6PM
NO SCHOOL, Monday 5/27, Memorial Day
PTA "Funny for Funds" (adults only event), Friday 5/31 at 6PM at the Smithfield Elks Lodge
Thank you,
Mr. Barrette