Hello OCRS families,
Lots going on this weekend! We have another snow storm making things messy for Monday morning, it's Super Bowl Sunday, and we have Valentine's Day coming up quickly. Before we know it, we'll be looking at the end of February and getting ready for March (and the coming of Spring).
"Back to School" Report from Dr. Paolucci
If you have not already read the latest "Back to School" report shared by Dr. Paolucci, please take a few moments to review it at https://www.smithfield-ps.org/article/395202. As usual, there is quite a bit of important information for all Smithfield families.
Valentine's Day Cards Guidelines
If your child would like to bring Valentine's Day cards into school this year for their classmates, here are the guidelines that we will need to follow in order to ensure everyone's safety. Also, we do not want families to feel any pressure to need to provide Valentine's Day cards this year. These guidelines are only if your family wants to distribute cards and some families have asked.
- All Valentine's Day cards MUST be brought into school NO LATER than Tuesday, 2/9. This will allow us to let the cards sit in quarantine before any student is allowed to take them home on Friday, 2/12. This is a safety precaution for the health of all students.
- Please make sure that there is a card for EVERY child in the classroom. Feel free to send in cards with blank envelopes if your child can't share everyone's name with you. The envelopes will be addressed in school.
- For the safety of our students and staff with food allergies, no food or candy can be included with the Valentine's Day cards. Thank you for your understanding.
Wear Red, Pink, and White for Valentine's Day
We're inviting all students to wear any combination of red, pink, and/or white this Friday 2/12 to celebrate Valentine's Day as a school and show our collective OCRS school spirit. Families do not need to go out and purchase anything special for your child to wear! Anything that students already own that is red, pink, and/or white will be perfect.
Regular Student BinaxNOW COVID Testing
Like all six Smithfield schools, OCRS will be continuing with regular student BinaxNOW COVID testing during the school day approximately every two weeks. The next testing day at OCRS is tomorrow Monday, February 8th. During our first testing day we tested almost 70 students and the process went very smoothly. Baby Yoda hung out in the background to keep an eye on things and to help the students feel comfortable.
If families have already returned the signed BinaxNOW testing consent form, there isn't any additional paperwork for your child to be continued to be tested at school. If a family did not return the signed consent form and you would like your child to participate, please find a parental consent form available for download at https://5il.co/of5n. If you need a paper copy, please email Mrs. Deus at school and she will make sure that one is sent home with your child.
NAMI-RI Offers Free Virtual Family-To-Family Course
The local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is now accepting registration for their virtual Family-to-Family course which begins on February 24th. This is a free, 8-session educational program for family, significant others and friends of people with mental health conditions. It is a designated evidenced-based program, which means that research shows that the program significantly improves the coping and problem-solving abilities of the people closest to a person with a mental health condition. NAMI-Rhode Island's Family-to-Family course is taught by trained family members who have lived experience, and includes presentations, discussions and interactive exercises. For more information on the Family-to-Family curriculum and registration requirements, visit our website at https://namirhodeisland.org/ or call 401-331-3060.
Travel Guidance Reminder
With February Break around the corner, the district is again sharing our new policy about travel. An executive order issued by the governor allows for three quarantine options for someone returning to RI after traveling to a US state where greater than 5% of COVID tests are positive (check the RIDOH website for an updated list of these states at https://covid.ri.gov/covid-19-prevention/travel-tofrom-ri).
- The “gold standard” is to quarantine for 14 days and self-monitor for symptoms.
- As an exception, you may provide proof of a negative result from a COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours prior to your arrival back in RI.
- Travelers may also receive a COVID-19 test during their 14-day quarantine period in RI If they get a negative result, they can stop quarantining but should still self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days.
The district is now allowing members of our school community to use the testing options to reduce or eliminate the need to quarantine. Please notify Mr. Barrette and Mrs. Forte if your family is travelling during the February Break (or at any time) so we can review all of the information and keep everyone in the OCRS school community safe.
We also remind parents that travel during school days is considered a non-excused absence, even with the availability of distance learning. Ensuring school attendance is an important parental responsibility that results in school success as well as strong work ethics in adults.
Upcoming Dates and Events
Student BinaxNOW COVID Testing at School, Monday February 8th during the school day
Wear Red, Pink, and/or White for Valentine's Day, Friday February 12th
Winter Break, Monday February 15th through Friday February 19th
Ongoing thanks to OCRS families for your Patience, Flexibility, and Empathy. Those three words are guiding us throughout this school year and we will all need to continue to make adjustments as the year progresses (as we did these past few weeks). As long as we approach those adjustments with the best interests of our students as our priority, I am confident that this will continue to be a safe and successful year.
Sincerely,
Mr. Barrette
Snow Maze and Path thanks to Mr. Gruczka!
