Hello OCRS families,
Happy New Year to all of you and I hope that everyone is beginning 2022 healthy and happy with their loved ones!
New Year's Day often leads many of us to take some time to reflect and consider the prior year. There is no question that 2021 was another challenging year for all of us for a variety of reasons. However, as I have been looking back over this past calendar year, I can't help but feel extremely proud for how the entire OCRS community has all pulled together to make the adjustments necessary to support learning. We have also been able to open our newly renovated school!
As long as teachers, staff, students, and families continue to have patience, we're willing to be flexible, and we are empathetic with each other, I am confident that the OCRS community will work together to handle whatever comes our way.
Return to School, Monday 1/3
School in Smithfield is scheduled to be in person on Monday, 1/3 unless the governor announces otherwise or if staffing, due to illnesses, does not enable us to adequately supervise students. If anything changes, families will receive an alert notification from the district.
Please let us know if a student or household member tested positive during the holiday break
As we exit the holiday break, we ask that families let us know if an OCRS student or a household family member tested positive during the break so that we can accurately calculate return dates for school. Here are the three people to email if your student or a household member tested positive AND you have not already notified the school (we thank families that have been in communication throughout the week). Please include ALL THREE people in your email:
mmoroni@smithfield-ps.org, Melissa Moroni, COVID Response Coordinator
pbarrette@smithfield-ps.org, Paul Barrette, Principal
cforte@smithfield-ps.org, Celine Forte, School Nurse
COVID Planning Update
Families may have heard about some changes from the CDC in terms of COVID quarantine and isolation protocols. These changes are not yet in effect for RI schools. As of now, we are continuing to use protocols for quarantines and isolation that were in place when we left for the holiday break. If any new guidance is put into place for RI schools, we will make sure to share that information with all families.
Mr. Barrette will be out this week, along with other staff
Unfortunately, I will be out this week due to testing positive for COVID during the holiday break. I will be back at school on Monday, 1/10. Our assistant superintendent, Dr. Monaco, will be assisting at the school in my absence. I am sorry that I will not be at school this week to welcome students back to begin the new year, but I'm looking forward to seeing them when I return.
There will also be other OCRS staff members that are out due to COVID this week (and likely the next few weeks) which means that students will be working with more substitute teachers and staff members than they may be used to. It is very important that all students remember to follow the OCRS rules and expectations with all staff and peers, even if the staff member is a substitute; Be Kind, Be Respectful, Be Responsible.
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.
PTA General Meeting, Wednesday January 5th at 7:00 PM
NO SCHOOL, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday January 17th
Thank you,
Mr. Barrette