Old County Road Elementary School

5th grade was working on a science experiment today using yeast #WeLoveScience

Just a reminder that all students and staff are encouraged to wear something GREEN to school tomorrow (10/9) to support Noah, a 5th grader from LaPerche, who was recently diagnosed with Burkitt's disease, a form of Lymphoma. To show our support for Noah and to send him some positive energy, we are asking all OCRS students and staff to wear green. We will take some pictures of the OCRS staff and students and share them with Noah. Please help us to support Noah and his family as they go through this difficult time! #NoahStrong

Tomorrow, October 4th, we're going to be having an "I love the 80's" Spirit Day where staff and students are encouraged to dress as if they were back in the 80's. This could include things like: - Leg warmers - Anything in neon colors - Big hair; spiked hair - Scrunchies - Side ponytails - Track suits - Raised collars - "Double-denim" (jean shirts and pants) We do NOT want any families to go out and purchase anything special for this Spirit Day. We are looking forward to seeing our students' creativity! Mr. Barrette was a teenager during the 80's, so he is especially excited to see some old styles come back to life.

Thank you to the fire fighters from the Smithfield Fire Department for coming to speak with our students about fire safety this morning. As you can see, the Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade students were really interested in learning more!

𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗣𝗧𝗔 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝟳:𝟬𝟬 𝗽.𝗺. 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗖𝗥𝗦 𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟱𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗖𝗥𝗦 𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝟲:𝟬𝟬 𝗽.𝗺. Remember, if you have been a PTA member before or are new to the school, PTA memberships are annual and we need you to signup and join each year. OCRS PTA memberships are now only $5! Come on out on Thursday night to sign up and participate with other members of the PTA to support all of our students.

Thank you again to Mr. Caine and the staff of the Smithfield Recreation Department for spreading the new wood chips under our playground equipment. As you can see, the students are enjoying it!

After dismissal yesterday afternoon, OCRS received a delivery of new wood chips for our playground! The kids in the YMCA after school program were very excited to watch the wood chips be delivered. https://youtu.be/1e2IK0MABI0

Roy the Raccoon was at OCRS during tonight's Open House to welcome families and students. He even helped some 5th graders spell out "OCRS"

Hello OCRS families, Just a quick reminder that the OCRS Open House is scheduled for tomorrow (9/19) from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Come and meet your child's teachers, visit our classrooms, and see the great things happening at OCRS! Students are welcome to come with their family to the Open House, but all students must stay with and be supervised by their family at all times. Also, please be aware that, while the Open House is a terrific opportunity for families to meet their child's teachers, it is not intended to be an in-depth parent/teacher conference or a discussion about specific issues and concerns. Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled to take place on December 5th and are a more appropriate time for comprehensive discussions about individual students. Parents and families should also feel free to reach to individual teachers at any time regarding their child. We are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow evening!

Thank you very much to Mr. Caine and the staff of the Smithfield Recreation Department for their hard work on our school grounds. The front landscaping around the Old County Road School sign looks great and makes it much more visible for families.

Just a quick reminder that there will be a PTA meeting tomorrow night, 9/12, at 7:00 p.m. in the OCRS Library. It's a terrific opportunity to get involved in what's going on at school. Also, Smithfield's superintendent of schools, Dr. Judy Paolucci, is scheduled to speak as part of the agenda. Also, Mr. Barrette will be offering Volunteer Training prior to the PTA Meeting at 6:30 p.m. for any parents or adult family members that are interested in serving as a volunteer at OCRS. All volunteers are required to attend the training once in the time that their child is a student at OCRS and the training itself takes about 15 minutes to complete. You will also receive a hard copy of the 2019-2020 Volunteer Handbook which can also be found on the school website under "Parent Info".

The telephone provider for several RI schools is experiencing technical issues & our phones at the schools have been periodically affected. Please email your school if you have to contact them about an issue today & we will update you when Cox Communications resolves the issue.

Smithfield's September District Newsletter now available at http://bit.ly/30MLzn0 and on the district website at https://www.smithfield-ps.org

Mr. Barrette wants to let families know that there is a recall on Contigo Kids Water Bottles, just in case you may have purchased one of these bottles for your child. The recall information can be found at https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2019/contigo-recalls-57-million-kids-water-bottles-due-to-choking-hazard

Please find linked below the Lunch Menu for August/September 2019. The prices for this year are remaining the same as last year, so ignore any mistakes that may be displayed on this first menu. The vendor will correct the pricing next month, https://5il.co/9qio

A few families have asked where they can find the OCRS School Supplies lists, so I wanted to make sure that all OCRS families are aware where to find the School Supplies lists. All of the school supplies lists are available on the OCRS website at https://oldcounty.smithfield-ps.org/. Once on the site, click "Explore > Parent Info" and you will see a link for "School Supplies". I will also re-post this information on the school Facebook page and other social media.

The district's bus routes have been published. You can find them online on the district website at https://www.smithfield-ps.org/o/smithfield-public-schools/page/transportation--244. If you have any questions about your child's bus route, please contact Christine Mitchell at Durham School Services, cmitchell@durhamschoolservices.com or ​401-349-2770.

Just a reminder that our "Back to School Night" is scheduled for tonight from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. There is the possibility of thunderstorms tonight, especially towards the end of our event. Obviously, if at any time we feel that the weather is unsafe, we will end the event early. Thank you and we're looking forward to seeing families tonight!

The 5th Grade Committee is hosting it's first fundraiser of the year, a Car Wash this Sunday, 8/11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fast Freddie's (at the intersection of Putnam Pike and Cedar Swamp Road). Come on out and support the 5th Grade Committee!

It's hard to believe, but the first day of school for students in Grade 1 through 5 is just over one month away on August 27th! Please check out the "School Supplies" list posted on the Old County Road School website under Explore > Parent Info, https://5il.co/8y2z