OMS Pirate Press Newsletter

OMS HONOR ROLL

Quarter 2

2024-2025

High Honors

Grade 8 - Alexander Campbell, Bella Coghlan, Nikolas Coraccio, , Emma Farrar, Ashlyn Halliday, Tucker Harrity, Ali Johnson, Riley Maki, Nathan Mayo, Tyler Melton, Catalina Montalvo, Gunjan Niroula, Brooke O’Connor, Savannah Pratt, Destiny Purcell, Colton Toedt, Samuel Yogaratnam

Grade 7 – Abigail Burque, Sadie Crouch, Karoline D’Alessandro, Lily Dolbec, Zachary Dubsky, Max Figueroa, Jillian Gustafson, Liam Harrity, Willow Keller, Alana LaFrance, Lucas Laurie, Ashton O’Malley, Michael Peck, Mateo Quintero, Jenselys Ramos, Megan Riley, Heather Stebbins, Lilliana Tervo, Jordyn Torteson, Harrison Voas

Grade 6 – Hazel Burlingame, Sadie Coghlan, Hadley Coraccio, Brynn Czernicki-Nasis, Cora Descheneau, Caleb Dubsky, Trevor Gould, Margaret Griffin, Jackson Harvey, Isabella LaMountain, Stella Pantano, Jenna Shenette, Chad Sliwoski, Sarah Stebbins, Sadie Stewart, Raeann Teal, Liam Valipour, Marissa Worden, Maklenzie Zwang,

Honors

Grade 8 – Brenna Burke, Ethan Campbell, Mason Case, Chase Checkoway, Kendra Cutroni, Kellsey Dunn, Michael Forbes, Sophia Francis, Natalie Gauthier, Emmary Gustafson, Mary-Jane Hall, Ethan Hamilton, Victoria LaMountain, Chloe Lavallee, Lily Margoupis, Samantha Marrier, Olivia Martinez, Keigan Mcilvaine, Agnes Molloy, Kaliyana Padilla, Joseph Peters, Noah Poirier, Dionne Quarshie, Isabelle Richmond, Jayden Rosado, Alexander Skeates, Ava St. Peter, Jameson Tyrrell, Jude Worden

Grade 7 – Cameron Aquafresca, Lilah Archambeault, Gemma Balboni, Dylan Barberio, Marina Biancaniello, Olivia Boulette, Haley Capistran, Hailey Cicerchia, Noah Durand, Brielle Fournier, Kohen Garney, Ava Graika, Sophia Meneguzzo, Maxwell Palaia, Pedro Paniagua, Sophia Renaud, Hunter Rodriguez, Rhegan Stopyra, Parker Tyrrell, Anabelle Watters,

Grade 6 – Clayton Almstrom, Saige Angell, Diego Aponte, Charles Augustynski, Kaylee Augustynski, Logan Barnes, Hayden Bates, Jack Belmore, Narta Berisha, Brianna Borelli, Emile Bourbeau IV, Gavin Brown, Bradley Bush, Riley Capistran, Briella Caracciolo, Kyle Case, Amber Conway, Kaiden Corriveau, Olivia Daoust, Anthony Degaetano, Kendall Donnelly, Joshua George, Ethan Gustafson, Kellen Harrison, Travis Kogbe, Mason Livingston, Brooke Mastromatteo, Joseph Menke, Ava Montalvo, Caroline Montalvo, Beowulf Morin, Landon Morris, Brandon O’Connor, Tianna Parker, Matthew Peck, Tessa Peloso, Mason Roux, Elijah Sims, Jr. Mia St. Peter, Briley Todd, Aislyn White

Monday, February 10th marked our 100th day of school! We have 2 students at OMS who have had perfect attendance for these first 100 days. We celebrated them with a Subway luncheon as part of our #AttendanceMatters drive. Congratulations to grade 6 student Joshua George and Grade 7 student Annabelle Watters on their perfect attendance!

Mr. Moriarity's students are learning about Ancient Egypt. Because of the nature of the topic, there are many details and notes to learn. In order to engage students in an interesting way to take old fashioned notes, Mr. Moriarty created the notes in 3D and had students wear 3D glasses to learn the information.

Our Grade 7 & 8 Reading Classes and our Grade 6 ELA classes are preparing for the Read-A-Thon by visiting our library and participating in a "Book Tasting" in the library, hosted by Mrs. Kennen. Students sat down to an appetizer of books. Students were at tables with a place setting, a book, and a menu of prompts to have students sample the books. The goal of this was to expose students to a variety of books, authors, and genres to see what might spark their interest to promote independent reading.

Students of Mrs. Curtis' Ancient Civilizations class presented their projects demonstrating their knowledge of Ancient China. Students presented comic books, wrote lyrics using Chinese history vocabulary and a few students even put these to music!. The Terracotta Warriors created out of clay by several students were outstanding! There was also a replica of the Great Wall of China in room 259!. Just incredible work by OMS students, demonstrating their creativity and talent.

Mr. Mayotte's grade 8 Civics classes have been learning about public service at local, state, and national level. As a culminating project, students chose different careers at each level of public service and created skits where they presented information about their career, the variety of topics and issues they work with, and the impact those have on our society.

Our school Read-A-Thon is Monday February 17, 2025 through March 10, 2025, and is sure to be a fun and exciting event.

We understand that your time is valuable. We also know that providing the best education for your child is important. That's why we are encouraging everyone to activate their student's Read-A-Thon account as soon as possible.

How to Get Started:

1. Instructional video on how to sign up your reader: The instructions are straightforward, making it quick and hassle-free, and it should take less than 5 minutes of your time. Watch a short video to see how to sign up your reader: https://youtu.be/12tmuXH8zCg
2. Activate your child's reader account: Use the link below to activate your student's Reader account: https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/IuDTeg/1 This account will serve as a hub for recording and monitoring your child's progress as a Reader in the event, and for you to share their Read-A-Thon message with friends and family.

Thank you so much for your participation and support. Together, we can make this Read-A-Thon an amazing experience for our young readers! Thank you,

Registration is now open for the spring athletic season at OMS and OHS. Grade 7 and 8 students are eligible for the following sports according to grade:

Grade 8: Grade 8 students are eligible to try out for the following spring sports:

• Baseball
• Softball
• Boys' and Girls' Track and Field
• Boys' and Girls' Tennis

Grade 7: Grade 7 students are eligible to try out for the following spring sport:

• Girls' and Boys' Tennis

Here is the link for the spring registration: https://sites.google.com/oxps.org/athletics/registration

Please reach out to Kevin May, athletic director, with any questions kmay@oxps.org

Oxford Public Schools will be on February Break February 15-23, 2205. During this time, the building is closed. Students return to school on Monday, February 24, 2025.

• This is an online store that will be open for the remainder of the school year.
• If you wish to have deliveries made by the holidays, you must order by December 1st.
• The flyer is linked below, but you may order at http://grade8team.fpfundraising.com or https://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/index.php/marketplace/seller/profile/shop/grade8team
• All funds will benefit their class activities fund to support end of year activities and and travel with them to OHS to plan for class activities there and beyond for class reunions.

Monday, February 24th:

• Ski and Snowboard Club--Last Week!
• No Clubs after school today due to staff meetings

Tuesday, February 25th:

• Yearbook Club. Permission slips are available in the main office and with Mr. Moriarty. Any questions, please reach out to Mr. Moriarty smoriarty@oxps.org or Ms. Borowko dborowko@oxps.org
• Gaming Club after school with Ms. Berthiaume in the cafeteria. Students must have signed permission slips to stay after.
• Dungeons and Dragons Club with Mr. Standrowicz in room 101 begins today and will run weekly on Tuesdays. Students must have signed permission slips to stay after.
• Open Gym with Ms. Greenough begins today. Students must have signed permission slips to stay after. this club is currently full.

Wednesday, February 26th:

• Therapy Dog Visit
• After School Band with Mr. Kim.

Thursday, February 27th:

• Grade 8 Class Meeting during 7th period extension.
• History Club today with Mr. Moriarty. Students must have signed permission slips submitted in in advance.
• Book Club with Ms. Kennen. Students must have signed permission slips submitted in in advance.
• Homework Center Closed today

Friday, February 28th:

• Grade 6 and 7 Class meetings during grade level extension periods.
• Pirates Cove Store Open
• Attention Grade 8 Boys signed up or interested in Boys/ Spring Track and Field: There will be a Boys Track and Field meeting from 2:00 pm 2:40 pm this Friday, February 28th in the OHS cafeteria. All individuals that plan on participating should attend this meeting. If there is a conflict please speak with Mr. Pietro in room C-207. Students staying for this meeting will need a signed permission slip to stay. Slips are available in the OMS Main Office.

• Parent-Guardian/Teacher Conferences: Thursday, March 6, 2025 4:00-6:00 p.m.. Conferences will be on the evening of Thursday, March 6th at OMS. Registration for conferences will be done once again through MyConferenceTime.com where caregivers will need to register in advance for conferences. Registration information will be shared with families the week of February 24-28, 2025
• Pirates Cove School Store Open at Lunches: March 7,21; April 4,18; May 2, 16; June 6
• OXPS School Year 2024-2025 Calendar: https://4.files.edl.io/4acb/01/24/24/145713-e7ec4bb5-ee84-4575-880d-b5dc3f62160b.pdf
• Upcoming P/T conferences: March 6, 2025
• Upcoming Calendar Notes for school closures/early releases:
• No School Monday, January 20, 2025 MLK Day
• February Break February 15-23, 2025

Student meals are free this year and available daily to students.

Our breakfast for the first day of school will be grab and go.

Students arriving late to school will be able to obtain a grab and go breakfast daily upon arrival.

The lunch menu is linked here: https://www.oxps.org/apps/pages/food_menus

After School Snack Program: As part of the free breakfast/lunch program, the state has approved a free after school snack program. In accordance with state guidelines, these snacks must be distributed at least 30 minutes after the close of the school day. Therefore, they will be available in the main office from 2:15-2:45 daily. Students will need to provide name to obtain snack for food services record keeping in compliance with the state regulations. A menu for the month of snacks is located in the food service section of the OXPS website: https://www.oxps.org/apps/pages/food_menus

OMS offers a wide variety of after school activities throughout the school year. We encourage your student to become involved in our community, join activities things they have an interest or passion in or to explore a new activity of interest. These activities keep kids engaged in positive activities while also helping them to develop numerous skills and build community.

Some expectations/protocols for staying after include the following:

• Free after school snack available in main office 2:15
• All students are expected to depart campus by their recorded departure means (bus or parent pick-up/walking). If a parent/guardian needs to alter the afternoon departure means, we must have a note on file.
• All students must depart at dismissal time unless we have written permission where the student will be staying for a supervised school activity.
• Students staying after school at OMS must have a signed permission slip to stay in a staff supervised club or activity.
• Students are not permitted to remain on campus to hang out before an athletic or school event that they want to attend later in the day.
• Students are not permitted to leave campus to go to store across street and then return.

Are you interested in playing a variety of PE activities like kickball, basketball, dodgeball, capture the flag, team handball? Then Open Gym might be for you! OMS students grades 6-8 are eligible. This club will start on February 25th after break and run through April 1st. The club is limited to the first 30 students who sign up and will run on Tuesdays, after school until 3:00. Students will need a signed permission slip in order to participate. Permission slips will be available on February 3rd in the main office or with Ms. Greenough. Any questions? Contact club advisor, Ms. Greenough dgreenough@oxps.org .

OMS will be beginning a Drama Club. This club welcomes all students of all levels and experience. The club will help those to work on dramatic skills and overcome stage fright. They will meet two Mondays per month through the end of the year. Permission slips are in the main office. See Ms. Nasis with any questions cnasis@oxps.org. The first meeting will take place on February 3rd. However, she asks that those interested submit permission slips as soon as possible so she can prepare what she needs for this group.

The History Club is starting up! Meetings will be on Thursdays in Mr. Moriarty's room, Room 102. All students are welcome, but please remember to bring a signed permission slip to attend. In this meeting, we’ll talk about what the club does, hear from returning members, learn about National History Day, go over expectations, and more. Meetings weekly on Thursdays.

Do you want to play or learn a variety of games with your peers? Then gaming club may be for you! Students will have the opportunity to learn and play a variety of games such as chess, checkers, board games, card games, and family style games. This is a great way for students to interact, socialize, and build community. DUE TO HIGH DEMAND, GAMING CLUB WILL TAKE PLACE WEEKLY ON TUESDAYS. You can join by week, month or year. Students interested should obtain a permission slip, get it signed and return to the Main Office or adviser, Ms. Berthiaume. Questions, see Ms. Berthiaume mailto:dberthiaume@oxps.org See flyer below. Next meeting December 3rd.

Join your friends for a game of imagination and creativity as the club explores fantasy worlds, fights monsters and saves the day! Informational meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 10th after school with Mr. Standrowicz in room 101 from 2:00-3:15. No experience needed, students of all D & D levels of experience are welcome! Regular weekly meetings will begin on Tuesday, January 7th in rom 101 with Mr. Standrowicz. Students need to have signed permission slips to attend.

After school band will run on Wednesdays after school from 2:00-3:15 with Mr. Kim in the band room 122. Students staying for band will need a signed permission slip to stay for this club. Students will be able to take late buses home. Late buses begin September 8th and run between 3:15-3:30. Students interested should see Mr. Kim or reach out by email with any questions mailto:mkim@oxps.org

Homework Club will begin on Tuesday, September 10th!

Need help, time, and resources with homework, research, projects, and studying? The Homework Center will run on Mondays-Tuesdays-Wednesdays-Thursdays after school 2:00-3:00, with the exception of the once a month faculty days held mostly on Mondays. Students wishing to stay will need a blue Homework Center form signed by a teacher with a specific assignment/project to work on and the parent/guardian signature. See or email Ms. Kennen for permission slips and with questions. mailto:akennen@oxps.org . Homework center closed 2/27 and 3/6.

Are you interested in reading some great books? How about discussing and sharing your favorite books with other students? If so the Book Club may be for you.

The book club will run after school on the dates below from 2:00-3:00 in the OMS Library with Ms. Kennen.

Book Club Dates for the Winter: 1/9, 1/23, 2/13, 2/27, 3/13, 3/27

See or email Ms. Kennen for more information about the club's next book and next meeting. akennen@oxps.org . Students wanting to stay will need to submit permission slips.

Are you interested in having a voice to help plan events and activities for OMS? Student Council may be for you. Students interested in pursuing student council must complete recommendation forms and submit to Ms. Granger. Please see or reach out to student council adviser, Ms. Granger with any questions mailto:cgranger@oxps.org .

As a reminder, the 2025 Ski & Snowboard Season starts this Monday, January 6th. Our schedule for this season will be on the following (6) Mondays:

January 6, 13 & 27

February 3, 10 & 24

Our ski trips are scheduled to coincide with regular school days. If for any reason school is canceled, Ski Club is canceled as well. When a ski trip is rescheduled for any reason, it is made up on a Monday at the end of the season (03/03/25, etc. as needed).

Members will promptly follow directions when storing their equipment on the bus and board when it is ready. Because of this, students need to focus on getting their equipment and themselves ready for the trip as soon as possible. The bus typically leaves OHS at 1:50 and OMS at 2:00 arriving at the mountain at approximately 2:45.

**** VERY IMPORTANT !!!! We usually arrive back at the Oxford High School Parking Lot at approximately 8:00pm. On the bus ride home, all students are instructed to text/call their parents/guardians (15) minutes before we arrive. Please be prompt when picking up your student.

All parents/guardians should be in the parking lot when we arrive!

As a final reminder, If you have not already done so, please take the time to check that your Snow Suit/Clothes, Gloves, Balaclava/Scarf, Helmet, etc. still fit and are ready to go! Your boots still fit, bindings work, edges are good! Your Backpack/Gearbag is packed and ready to go! If you have your own pass, DON'T forget it!

If you do not have your own equipment, you should have already signed up for Rentals. Also, Helmets are required for every student while on the mountain and can either be rented or purchased reasonably at Walmart.

Again…what to expect on Monday!

1. All members should show up early for school that morning with their clothing, equipment, gear, etc. Storage will be provided at each school (OMS - Back Room of Cafeteria – OHS - Storage Room across from the Main Office) until the end of the school day. Whenever possible, all student gear for the trip should be in school and stored first thing in the morning with student arrival. Separate Backpacks and Gear-bags are great for keeping things organized and in ONE place!

2. At dismissal, Ski Club members should retrieve their gear and get ready to board the bus to the mountain as soon as possible.

Ms. Hoyt will be at OHS and students will gather their things and meet in the Cafeteria in preparation for boarding the bus. Attendance will be taken and students at OHS will board the bus at approximately 1:50pm

Mr. Vinzi, Ms. Tallis and Ms. Meneguzzo will be at OMS and students will gather their things and meet in the Gym Hallway in preparation for boarding the bus. Attendance will be taken and students at OMS will board the bus at approximately 2:00pm.

3. (6) Week Passes will be handed out on the bus enroute to the mountain. Because this is our first trip of the season, students will be given extra direction and guidance both during the bus ride and at the mountain this first week.

Chaperones and mountain staff are always there to help! However, students are expected to use and move their equipment without assistance and become more self-sufficient with each successive trip.

4. Two very important things will happen immediately after we arrive at the mountain (First Week Only). The first is that a representative from the Ski Patrol will board the bus to welcome us and remind everyone of the Courtesies and Rules of the Mountain. The second is that as soon as we are all off the bus, we will gather everyone for (3) group photos for yearbooks. One for OMS, one for OHS and one with the entire club!

5. SAFETY always comes first, and appropriate behavior MUST be maintained by all students! Please remind your student that listening skills and following directions are the most important things for a smooth and successful trip. Chaperones, Safety Patrol and Wachusett Mountain staff are always available to help or to answer any question during each trip to the mountain. If you have a question…ANY question…ASK!

6. Incidents at the mountain are very rare and usually minor. However, Parents/Guardians should have their cell phones ON and be AVAILABLE at all times should immediate communication become necessary.

7. Students should be prepared with their own snacks/dinner and/or money to purchase it at the various concessions available at the mountain. $20-25 should be more than enough for each trip.

8. VERY Important***Students are responsible for their own valuables. Please note that there is a strict unspoken code of trust and honesty regarding personal belongings at the mountain which is very rare in this day and age. You will see bags of belongings stowed along the walls and under every table, for the most part unattended. This is the norm. Everyone expects that their belongings will be respected and untouched and again, we have never had an issue. However, students should not have anything of value with them other than what they can carry on their person (small amount of money, cell phone, etc.). School stuff (Laptops, Books, etc.) should be left on the bus where they will be safe. Also please note that there are lockable lockers available in the Rental Lodge for a small fee. If you do end up using one of these lockers, do not forget your stuff!

9. The Return Home - Students should be in the Main Lodge at BASE CAMP at 7:00pm gathering their belongings (Please DOUBLE_CHECK that you have everything) and preparing to leave the mountain and ready to board the bus no later than 7:15pm. These (15) minutes give everyone plenty of time to gather their things, DOUBLE-CHECK and be on the bus in time for departure. Repeated tardiness to the bus for departure will not be tolerated. Attendance will be taken at 7:15 and we will depart immediately from the mountain returning to the OHS Parking Lot at approx.8:00pm where ALL students will disembark from the bus, collect their belongings, and dismiss with parents/guardians at OHS. Students will be told to Text/Call their rides 15 minutes before our arrival at OHS. It is VERY important that parents/guardians be in the parking lot upon our arrival to pick up their student(s) promptly! It is unfair to ask volunteer chaperones to wait unnecessarily for students to be picked up at the end of a long day!

Your promptness is appreciated!

10. Please know that Parents/Guardians are ALWAYS welcome to join us at the mountain to share the adventure with their student(s). This includes skiing, snowboarding or just hanging around Base Camp to watch the action! If you are there, please introduce yourself to Mr. Vinzi and/or any of the chaperones. We would love to meet you!

11. ***VERY IMPORTANT – Because SAFETY is the most important thing, NO student may leave the mountain or be dismissed from the trip for ANY REASON without a signed note delivered personally to Mr. Vinzi either prior to or at the mountain. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this policy. Any deviation from this rule may lead to dismissal from the club.

• Please if you have not done so already, please return the health forms to the school nurse and send in a current physical with update immunization records It is important we have update information in our system.
• Those wanting to drop off medication for your child to take during the school year please contact me. You will need a doctor's order and a signed parent/guardian consent form when dropping off the medication. We cannot accept medication from a student. This includes students requiring inhalers and epipens.
• As we enter the colder New England months, we inevitably will have periods of cold and flu symptoms that will arise. Please see the attachment to help guide you with regard to protocols and suggestions for when to attend school and/or when students may need to stay home to recover.

Feel free to reach out anytime with questions or concerns: acronauer@oxps.org.

With cold winter weather ahead, our district nursing staff would like to share some cold weather reminders to avoid frostbite and hypothermia. Please see the attached flyer for more information.

Stay safe and warm!

• *New* 7th grade students SBIRT screening:
  
• Again this year all Massachusetts school districts are required to include a substance use preventive screening as part of their annual mandated universal health-screening program. Our district will use the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) protocol with students in grades 7 & 9. Screenings at OMS will begin the week of December 2, 2024. A letter with more information will be sent via Parent Square separately to grade 7 families. If you have any questions, please reach out to the school nurse, Ms. Cronauer acronauer@oxps.org

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) requires all schools to perform mandated health screenings. The screenings include postural for grades 6th through 9th, vision & hearing for grades 4th, 5th, 7th & 10th, and Body Mass index for grades 1st, 4th, 7th & 10th.

*All Parents and Guardians have the right to opt their child out of any of the following screenings by filling out the opt-out form attached.

Oxford Middle School will begin performing these screenings for all grades for postural and 7th grade hearing, vision, BMI during the first week in February.

Postural- Grades 6 - 8 students- This screening will be conducted in the privacy of the nurse’s office. A current physical submitted with MD documentation of a scoliosis screen will satisfy this screening.

Body Mass Index (BMI)- Grade 7 students- This screening will be conducted in the privacy of the nurse’s office. A current physical submitted with documentation of height and weight will satisfy this screening.

Vision and Hearing- Grade 7 students- These screenings will be conducted together in the privacy of the nurse’s office.

If results of the screening warrant further follow up you will hear directly from your school nurse. The majority of students do not exhibit any abnormal findings. You will not be notified if your child has a normal screening.

For more information about these screenings you can visit https://www.mass.gov/lists/school-health-screening or contact the school nurse at acronauer@oxps.org. If you would like to opt out your child for these screenings, you must complete the attached paperwork (below) and submit to the school nurse by Tuesday, January 14, 2025.

• Year round we have our apparel store open. We have all kinds of Oxford gear for families to choose from to show their Oxford Pirate Pride!
• In March, the delectable NOTHING BUNDT CAKES will be sold.

FOMS Spirit Wear Fundraiser

Want to be ready for the with the latest Oxford and OMS gear? FOMS sponsors a year long OMS Spirit Wear Shop. You can order the latest in gear--t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, shorts, outerwear, hats, and more! . All proceeds benefit FOMS, which in turn benefit our OMS students and programs. Please see the link below to order and the flyer below for more info. https://www.kerringraphics.com/customer_portal/login.html?ut=b174a64a-ac5d-43a5-bfa2-424393e5bc8d

FOMS Spirit Wear Shop has started to add club and team clothing as well, should your child have special interests. There are several options--short sleeve tshirts, long sleeve tshirts, tank tops, shorts, sweatpants, a variety of sweatshirts, bags and much more! Stay tuned for more clubs and sports to come, as they are being added every week!

Reminder about food/beverages brought to school: Please remember that we do not allow energy drinks, and we are a water only in classes and hallways. Please refrain from sending your students in with such things as Dunkin'' Donuts drinks to school as they are not permitted to go to class with them. Thank you.

Water Bottles: Please pack a refillable water bottle with your child daily and remind them to drink water throughout the day. With seasons changing and heat coming on soon, the air will be dryer and students will benefit from hydration. They are beginning to present with dry throats to the nurse yet are not consuming water. Please encourage this at home through discussions and packing a water bottle for them. Thank you!

Cell Phones/Earbuds/Personal Technology: As a reminder to families, OMS has an "Away for the day" cell phone/earbud/personal technology rule, which is outlined in our handbook and has been communicated to students as well. The expectation is that those personal technology items will remain in the student's bag or Chromebook case the entire day without coming out during the school day. Teachers have also been supplied hanging storage to store phones as well. Students are issued a Chromebook by Oxford Public Schools and do not have a need for personal technology in our building. Please know that students who are caught utilizing the technology have progressive behavioral responses from staff--store it as directed, turn over to staff and it remains in office for the day, repeated use will include only returning the device to a parent/guardian to pick up, and may include consequences if it persists. We recommend that the technology stay home or settings are set by you to disable the device during the school day hours so that it is not a temptation for students. If you have messages that need to get to students, please contact our main office at 508-987-6074 and we will get messages to students.

Parent Square:

Oxford Public Schools will be moving toward the free online app called Parent Square for all Communication. Please sign up now so that you don't miss out on any important communications from the schools or district, including weekly newsletters and weather related school cancellations, as we will be moving away from the One Call Now system this year. Go to the following link to get started: https://www.oxps.org/apps/news/article/1961166

Families who pick up in the afternoon: When arriving to pick up your child, please proceed to the student pick-up area, filling the lane that is curbside FIRST then go to the middle lane, then to the outer lane. This is important to not back up the rest of our driveway to other traffic as cars cannot see the other open lanes or get through when you park in the outer most lane first. Thank you for your continued assistance in following these guidelines to help us expedite student drop off and pick up and keep our students safe.

OHS will has a new school and community-wide fundraiser: Trivia Night! This trivia will be hosted by Mr. Paul Frykberg and Ms. Lindsay Castonguay as they challenge each team with questions that fall under various school-related subjects (no, we will not be asking you to recall the formula for slope).

Please see the attached PDF for the flyer and registration form.

Oxford Youth grades 1-8 are invited to register for the Auburn Worcester Youth Lacrosse League, which begins in March. Registration Info is in flyer below and link is www.banditsyouthlacrosse.org. Reach out by email to auburnbanditsyouthlax@gmail.com with any questions

Registration is now open for Oxford Little League. Registration closed on February 1, 2025. The league is open to those ages 4-16 as of August 31, 2025. Visit oxfordlittleleague.com for any questions or information.

This past year, girls in grades 6-7 had the opportunity to join OMS Field Hockey club while grade 8 students had the opportunity to play with OHS student athletes on the OHS varsity team.

In the fall of 2026, OMS will have a middle school field hockey team. More information is below in the flyer. We share this information now so that students interested may seek out camp and learning opportunities in the off season. Any questions, please reach out to Coach Peloso dpeloso@oxps.org

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) is pleased to announce that our free Parenting Solutions Library is now available in English and Spanish. MPY is offering this valuable resource in partnership with Peace at Home Parenting Solutions, a non-profit organization located in Mansfield, Connecticut. Through this partnership, MPY is providing proven resources to help students’ families thrive.

Peace At Home Parenting Solutions specializes in empowering parents with evidence-based strategies to foster nurturing connections that safeguard their children's mental well-being. The Parenting Solutions Library is easily accessed using the link on MPY’s home page. No log in or passcode is needed.

The Peace at Home Parenting Solutions Library is a free, valuable resource for PTOs, SEPACs, ELLPACs and other parent-oriented groups. Please see the attached handout for information regarding this free resource.

• Are you getting text messages of our automated calls/texts/emails? If you are not currently receiving text prompts about school and district news, please send a message to the number 22300 and type ALERT in the message in order to receive texts in the future.
• Our District Calendar can be found via the following links:
• District School Day Calendar: https://4.files.edl.io/4acb/01/24/24/145713-e7ec4bb5-ee84-4575-880d-b5dc3f62160b.pdf
• District Events: https://www.oxps.org/apps/pages/district_calendars
• School Hours The link to the school hours is here: https://www.oxps.org/apps/pages/school_times
• At OMS, doors will open to students (buses and drop-off) at 7:10--this is a change of 5 minutes from 23-24 school year. All OMS classes will begin at 7:20 a.m.
• At OMS afternoon dismissal will run as follows: bus riders' dismissal 1:50; walkers, bike riders, and private transport dismissal 1:55
• Electronic Backpack: Please be sure to remember to check the electronic backpack for forms, letters, community announcements as well. The link to the electronic backpack for OMS is as follows: https://oms.oxps.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=2070226&type=d&pREC_ID=2128528
• School Transportation Information: https://www.oxps.org/apps/pages/transportation
• School Breakfast and Lunch Menu: https://www.oxps.org/apps/pages/food_menus