Hello OCRS families,
It appears that the weather is going to be beautiful to begin our second full week of school and also for the first day of fall this Wednesday. We have some exciting events for students and families this week, so check out all of the details below!
Back to School Report #5
Like last year, Dr. Paolucci will be sharing a weekly report with Smithfield families to provide the latest information on COVID-19 information and protocols. If you have not already read this week's "Back to School" report shared by Dr. Paolucci, please take a few moments to review it at https://www.smithfield-ps.org/article/538234.
Open House, Thursday 9/23
The OCRS Open House is scheduled for Thursday, 9/23 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Come and meet your child's teachers, visit our classrooms, check out the new construction and renovations, and see the great things happening at OCRS!
This year all three elementary schools are creating a schedule that provides families with a specific time window to come into the school on Open House. This will help prevent overcrowding as we are still dealing with COVID. Everyone attending Open House is required to wear a mask for the safety of all others in the building. Please see the schedule below. If you have a blended family with multiple last names, please select one of the time slots that matches with one of your family's names:
Families whose last name begins with the letters A-D, 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Families whose last name begins with the letters E-M, 6:10 p.m. to 6:40 p.m.
Families whose last name begins with the letters N-Z, 6:50 p.m. to 7:20 p.m.
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 16th and are a more appropriate time for comprehensive discussions about individual students.
We are looking forward to seeing you Thursday evening!
School Pictures are Tomorrow!
School Pictures are tomorrow Monday, September 20th. Families will have the opportunity to view and order pictures of their students online from the Lifetouch website. We will share that information once we receive it from Lifetouch. The Picture Day ID is EVT73K672.
Families can also view the Lifetouch Picture Day safety protocols at https://lifetouch.com/newpicturedayexperience/.
Afternoon Dismissal/Pickup Changes
We understand that sometimes families need to make changes to their child's afternoon pickup arrangement. To help us make sure that we have time to communicate any changes to all of the staff members and teachers involved in afternoon dismissal, we are asking families to let the school know of any afternoon dismissal/pickup changes by 11:00 a.m. of the day of the change. This will help all of us be on the same page to make sure that our students and your children get home safely.
The absolute best way for families to let us know about an afternoon dismissal/pickup change is to send in a note with your child. The next best way is to call the school office before 11:00 a.m. Changes sent via email may be missed if the teacher or staff member is not able to check their email prior to dismissal. We cannot accept afternoon dismissal/pickup changes via word of mouth by a student. We require either a note or a phone call.
Finally, due to COVID protocols and the buses needing to keep seating charts of the students riding them, students may not change buses to go home with a friend for a playdate. Students need to ride the bus that they were assigned. We understand that some students ride different buses on specific days to go to different parents' homes or to attend programs like the YMCA. That is completely fine as long as we have a record of that schedule from the student's family.
We appreciate your cooperation in keeping afternoon dismissal as safe as possible for all of our students.
Heating Assistance for Families
As we approach fall and cooler weather, we wanted to share information about heating assistance available to Smithfield families that may need it. Please see the brochure and other information about heating assistance attached to this email.
PTA Information
Order New OCRS Spirit Gear through 9/24
New OCRS Spirit Gear is here! All new with a variety of different colors and styles can be viewed online. ORDER ONLINE NOW THRU SEPT 24th, http://jandrstores.com/oldcountyroad/. Show your school pride by wearing your OCRS SPIRIT GEAR every Friday!!!
Contact: Jon Poyourow, PTA President, with any questions or concerns at jpoyourow@gmail.com
Scholastic Book Fair online
You’re invited to shop our Scholastic Book Fair online from Sept 17th to 30th! All purchases benefit our school and connect kids with new books, favorite characters, complete series, and more. You’ll love the NEW option to shop for Book Fair exclusives directly from the interactive booklist and enjoy these special online shopping features:
- Over 6,000 items, including new releases, best sellers, and value packs
- All orders ship direct to home
- FREE shipping on book-only orders over $25*
- All purchases support our school and earn 25% in rewards
Visit our Book Fair Homepage and click “Shop Now” to get started, https://www.scholastic.com/bf/oldcountyroadschool
Happy reading,
Rose Poyourow
Old County Road School’s Book Fair Chair
rosepoyourow@gmail.com
OCRS PTA Membership
The Old County Road School Parent Teacher Association (OCRS PTA) would like to welcome everyone back this school year and extend warm greetings to those parents that are new to the school. We are fortunate to be part of a great school, with amazing teachers, and dedicated parents all working to support the educational experience of our children.
Please the linked OCRS PTA Membership form for information on how to join!
Congratulations PTA 5th Grade Committee on a successful car wash!
Congratulations to the PTA 5th Grade Committee on a successful car wash this Saturday! The students and parents that participated did a fantastic job and raised funds that will be used to provide our 5th graders with fun events to celebrate their last year at OCRS. Thank you to everyone who supported the car wash this weekend!
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. Clicking on the "Add to Google Calendar" to subscribe to the calendar on your own calendar app.
School Pictures, Monday September 20th
Open House, Thursday September 23rd from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Please see the schedule for families shared by Mr. Barrette.
NO SCHOOL, Columbus Day Monday October 11th
Thank you,
Mr. Barrette