Dear Oak Middle School Families,

We have had another great week at OMS! We have now completed a full rotation of our schedule, and each day, students are becoming more comfortable navigating the building. Our focus on behavior expectations continues, and I am grateful for the time our staff has invested at the beginning of the year to teach students what those expectations look like. On Friday, we started BCOEI (Band, Chorus, Orchestra, Exploratory, and Intervention), and students will go to their “B” day classes on Monday.

Upcoming field trips for 7th and 8th grades are also approaching. The 7th grade will visit Boundless Adventures in Berlin, and the 8th grade will head to Teamworks in Northborough. These team-wide trips will focus on learning to work together, building a sense of belonging, and fostering community—skills essential for a successful school year. Please read the details in the following section of the newsletter and in your child’s team newsletter for additional information about these trips.

A new school year can be both exciting and challenging. Please reach out with any questions or concerns, as our goal is to work together to ensure each child has a wonderful year at Oak.

In partnership,

Hallie Burak
Principal
508-841-1210
hburak@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

Michelle Dillon
Assistant Principal Grade 7
mdillon@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us
508-841-1205

Scott Yonker
Assistant Principal Grade 8
508-841-1213
syonker@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

The 7th grade teams at Oak Middle School will be taking an exciting trip to Boundless Adventures in Berlin. This field trip is designed to help students learn how to work cooperatively, challenge themselves, build a sense of belonging, and create a strong community. These skills are crucial for a successful school year as a united team.

Trip Details

Dates:

9/17 - 7 Gold

9/18 - 7 Teal

9/19 - 7 Red

9/25 - 7 Blue

9/26 - 7 Green

Attire: Students should wear athletic clothing and closed-toed shoes. Long hair should be tied back, and students with glasses are encouraged to use an eyeglass holder. Baggy clothes and dangling jewelry should be avoided.

Lunch: Please pack a lunch for your child (no glass containers). Alternatively, students may choose a breakfast bag option from our cafeteria on the permission slip day.

Permission Slip and Payment:

Complete Permission Slip and send a $23 check or money order made out to Oak Activity Fund, or provide exact cash to your child’s homeroom teacher.

Additional funds for scholarships are welcome with your payment. For financial assistance, please contact Mrs. Burak.

Important Dates:

Permission slips and payment are due by Friday, September 13th. This ensures your child's participation in this enriching experience.

Boundless Adventures is a rain or shine field trip, so please prepare accordingly. Permission slips and a waiver from Boundless Adventures will be sent out by your child’s team.

Thank you for supporting this opportunity to enhance teamwork and community spirit among our 7th graders. If you have any questions or need further information, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

9/17: 8 Red

9/18: 8 Blue

9/19: 8 Teal

9/25: 8 Gold

9/26: 8 Green

8th grade teams will be taking a trip to Teamworks in Northborough to learn how to cooperatively work together, think creatively to solve problems, and take safe risks. Teamworks staff will provide us with rigorous activities to challenge us physically and mentally. The obstacles will require us to use communication and cooperation to solve problems successfully. These skills will carry over to the classroom and enhance our academic discussions. It will be a highly active day and students are encouraged to wear gym attire including sneakers (no crocs!). In addition, they must provide their own lunch (no glass!) or you can select a breakfast bag option from the cafeteria on the permission slip.

Complete the Permission slip.

Send a $23 check made out to the OMS Activity Fund or the exact amount in cash to your child’s homeroom teacher. If you would like to contribute to a scholarship, additional funds are welcome in your payment. If you need financial assistance, please contact Ms. Burak.

Students will depart Oak MS at 8:45 and return by 2:45 by bus.

PERMISSION SLIPS and Payment are due by Friday, September 13

Attendance: It is important to remind families of the Massachusetts laws around student attendance and absenteeism. The Massachusetts’ compulsory school attendance law (G.L. c. 76, § 1) outlines attendance requirements for students between the ages of 6-16. Section 1B of this law outlines the requirements of the school principal to notify and meet with the families of any student who has 5 or more unexcused absences. You may receive a notification from the school regarding your child’s attendance thus far this school year. Massachusetts defines chronic absenteeism as a student who misses 10% or more of days they are enrolled- regardless of whether or not these days are excused or unexcused. Consistent school attendance is critical for many reasons. We will be reviewing student attendance and identifying steps to support our students who are trending toward chronic absenteeism.

Child Safe Procedures: If your child is going to be absent or late to school, we require that you telephone us either the night before or first thing in the morning on the day of the absence. Parents/guardians should call 508-841-1200 and select 1 at the prompt for the Oak Attendance Line. We ask that you spell your child(ren)'s first and last name slowly and clearly. If we have not received a call to report an absence, the school will be in contact with the parent or emergency contact to confirm the child’s safety. Please help our busy office staff by always calling us when your child will be absent or tardy.

Just a reminder that if a child is absent from school, they cannot participate in any afterschool activities that day.

Early Dismissal: Should be the exception; a pattern of early dismissal interferes with student learning, teacher instruction, and important end of day routines for students. If you plan to dismiss your child, a parent/guardian must notify the office (talvarez@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us) and your child's team teachers with either a note or email. Students are not allowed to call home to arrange for a dismissal.

Please enter through the water tower entrance, drive up the hill, and pull up as far as possible—ideally to the second entrance. This helps ensure an efficient drop-off process and is considerate of other parents.

Students should exit the car on the Oak building side.

The Food For Families Food Pantry at OMS is open! This year we are offering 2 different options for families as we recognize that every situation is different. Any family, no matter how big or small the need, can access the pantry. It does not matter if your need is short term or long term, the pantry is here for you. We understand that food insecurity is on the rise and we want to help our OMS families.

Option 1 is our Weekender Program: Each Friday, students can pick up a bag from the health office that will include individual portion size foods for 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches, along with a sleeve of crackers and 2 snacks. (Breakfast may be small cereal boxes, breakfast bars, instant oatmeal, small shelf stable milk, instant breakfast packet, small pancake mix. Lunch will be small mac and cheese or other pasta cups, tuna fish, canned chicken, soups). This is meant to help families who need support when school is not in session on the weekends.

Option 2 is our Biweekly Program: Every other Friday, families will receive 2 bags of groceries, one with a minimum of 12 lbs of food (including food items for breakfast, lunch and dinner and rotating staple items like peanut butter, jelly, cooking oil, condiments) and the other with household items (paper towels, napkins, toothpaste, dish soap, laundry soap, trash bags, deodorant, bar soap, etc.) This program requires that an adult family member come to school and pick up the bags during school hours. The bags will be ready by 9:00 A.M. Friday morning of the pick up week, located in the health office.

For both programs, pickup is in the Health Office. This program is confidential and no documentation of need is required.

If you are in need please contact the OMS nurses by calling 508-841-1204 or emailing them at oaknurse@shrewbury.k12.ma.us. Referrals can be made by anyone. Please reach out if you are in need.

The Locker is a donation based program housed at Oak that helps families in the district that could use support with clothing and personal care items. We are happy to help you in the most discreet way possible, information will be kept confidential. It would be helpful to have as much information you can provide in what you are looking for and what will be most useful to your family.

We recognize that each student has their own preferences in what they would like to wear as far as styles and colors. If your child would be interested in helping us select items, we can arrange for them to come to the neatly organized closet and choose their own items.

Items can be sent home with your student if they are comfortable or pick up can be arranged through the health office.

Please complete this form if you would like help:

https://forms.gle/tnuzo69hdmZXvNjA6

Save the date! Oak Dance | Friday November 1, 6:00-7:30 pm

Stay tuned for ticket sales and more information.

Curious about the PTO? Join us on Zoom the first Thursday of every month.

Whether you just want to listen in and ask questions or want to get involved, join the monthly PTO Zoom meeting to get all the info you need. Our next meeting is October 3.

Here’s how to join: https://app.zoom.us/wc

Meeting ID: 851 4598 4921

September

9 & 10 - Fall Play Auditions begin after school

12 - Advisory Day

16- Grade 7 Curriculum Night @ 6:00-7:15pm

17- Grade 8 Curriculum Night @ 6:00-7:15pm

17- Grade 8 Teamworks and Grade 7 Boundless Adventures

18- Grade 8 Teamworks and Grade 7 Boundless Adventures

19- Grade 8 Teamworks and Grade 7 Boundless Adventures

19 - No BCOEI

20 - Picture Day

25- Grade 8 Teamworks and Grade 7 Boundless Adventures

26 -Grade 8 Teamworks and Grade 7 Boundless Adventures

26 - Advisory Day

27 - MARC Presentations During BCOEI

Before the pandemic, screen use, anxiety, and social problems (like bullying and fighting) were top concerns for parents. The last few years have made some of these issues even more challenging. This talk will examine challenges in school, like bullying, friendship skills, and mental health, and how the ways kids use screens, gaming, and social media can impact these. Research will be summarized, and practical approaches to family life that can help children develop emotional resilience, healthy social skills and friendships, and sensible screen and social media habits will be discussed during this presentation. We will discuss how to move forward, how to partner with your child's school, and how to help parents be most productive in guiding their children towards optimal social and emotional health.

https://bridgew.zoom.us/j/97840259737?pwd=VXhTRFR3azRrbXAzNk8vWlZqT1Z1Zz09

Grade 7

Last Names A-L: Laura Candelaria

LCandelaria@Shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

508-841-1240

Last Names M-Z:

Jennifer Lencioni

JLencioni@Shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

508-841-1214

Grade 8

Last Names A-L:

Amy Wallace

AWallace@Shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

508-841-1212

Last Names M-Z:

Kristen Minio

KMinio@Shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

508-841-8761