OMS Pirate Press Weekly Newsletter
Week of October 16-20, 2023
Highlights for the upcoming week of October 16-20, 2023
- As a reminder, MCAS results from 2022-2023 school year were sent home on Tuesday, October 10th with students who sat MCAS exams last year.
- Scholastic Book Fair October 16-20 in OMS Library
- FOMS Money Madness Fundraiser October 16-26. See info below.
- We will be announcing our September Students of the Month during the week of October 16-20th! They will be celebrated in next week's edition of the Pirate Press!
From the Health Office
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Laws, a physical examination is required for each student upon entry into public school or entrance into a new public school district plus at intervals of three to four years thereafter. To be in compliance with this law the Oxford Public Schools, requires updated physical examinations in the 4th, 7th and 10th grades.
If you have not done so already, please send in a current physical complete with an updated immunization record. If you are unsure what your child is missing please email the school nurse at apackard@oxps.org. You may send in a copy with your child or have the pediatrician’s office fax it to 508-987-2588.
Given you and your family’s busy schedules, I appreciate your time and effort regarding this Oxford Public School requirement.
Upcoming School Events
*NEW" Winter Sports Registration:
- Family ID is now open for winter sports registration. Students must be registered before November 22nd to be eligible to try out and participate when winter athletics begin on November 27th. Please reach out to Mr. May at kmay@oxps.org with any questions.
- OMS offers both boys and girls basketball in the winter. In addition, 8th graders may register to participate on the OHS indoor track team
- The link for registration can be found here: https://sites.google.com/oxps.org/athletics/registration"
Treats for Troops: Don’t get stuck with piles of leftover Halloween candy this year. Donate your excess candy to Treats for Troops. The Intensive Learning Center will be collecting candy from Wednesday November 1st through Wednesday, November 8th. All candy will be donated to the crew aboard the USS Eisenhower, which was recently deployed, to support the conflict in Israel. Onboard is a former Oxford student, now sailor, and son of one of our OMS teachers.
Let’s give them some sweet treats in support of their efforts.
8th grade Bay Path Informational Meeting:
- On Friday, September 29th a representative from Bay Path Vocational Technical High School came and spoke to our 8th grade students. He discussed the academic, vocational, and extra curricular options available at Bay Path as well as the application and admissions process.
- To apply to Bay Bath, interested 8th grade students can complete an application by logging on to baypath.net and creating a profile. They should fill out demographic info and rank the vocational areas in order of most interested in to least interested in. OMS counselors will upload grades, attendance, and discipline information from 7th and 8th grade.
- Eighth grade students that are interested in visiting Bay Path are invited to attend a field trip to that school on Tuesday, 10/24/2023. Students were given a permission slip to be signed by parent/guardian and must be returned to OMS by 10/13/2023 if they want to attend.
- There is also an Open House at Bay Path on 10/25/2023 from 6-8pm that parents and students can attend to learn more about the school.
OMS Cheapo Depot: Open next on 10/27/23
Scholastic Book Fair: Our library will be hosting the Scholastic Book Fair October 16-20th. Please see the link for more information. The library will be closed for other purposes during this week so that we can host the book fair.
Guest Speaker: On October 27, OMS will host guest motivational speaker Jesse "The Machine" Green will be here to speak to students about believing in yourself, perseverance, finding and following your passion, goal setting.
Haunted Hallways: On Tuesday, October 31, 2023, students may wear school appropriate costumes to school. No masks, hoods, toy or real weaponry or other contraband.
Trax from The Railers visits OMS: Trax will be at lunches on November 1st to visit with students ahead of our chorus singing at the Railers game on November 3rd.
OMS Sings @ The Railers game: OMS grade 7 and 8 chorus will be singing the National Anthem at the Worcester Railers game on Friday, November 3, 2023 7 p.m. See the attached flyer below (Oxford Schools Night Flyer) for more information.
Picture Retake Day: Picture retakes will take place on November 20, 2023
OMS Musical Willy Wonka, Jr. : Save the Dates!
Friday, November 17 and Saturday, November 18th @ 7:00 p.m., Sunday, November 19th: 1:00 p.m.
Adults $10, Students and Senior Citizens: $5; Tickets available at the door and @ OMS Main office and lunches during the week of November 13th.
Attention Artists---Design Contests
Willy Wonka, Jr. : The OMS Fall musical is in need of a stage scene backdrop for Willy Wonka, Jr. Students interested in submitting a set design poster should see Ms. Crutcher for the poster paper and guidelines.
Yearbook: The Yearbook Cover Design Contest is back! We're looking for student art — hand-drawn or digital — to become the cover for this year's OMS yearbook. Students must submit their entry no later than Friday, October 20. Entries must be turned in on regular sized 8 1/2" x 11" blank paper or digitally in those same dimensions. Covers must include the words "Oxford Middle School" and the years "2023-24". Student names and grade should be on the back of the entry. Everyone will have a chance to vote on the winning design. Please see Ms. Berube or Mr. Moriarty for more information. See flyer below (Yearbook Cover Contest Flyer 23-24)
Clubs and Activities
**NEW** Ski & Snowboard Club: Winter is right around the corner and it's once again time for our skiers and snowboarders to sign up for the OMS/OHS ski club. Ski club is limited to the first 35 paid applicants. Information is attached below. Contact ski club adviser Mr. Vinzi with any questions. Registration due December 1, 2023. mailto:oxpsskiclub@gmail.com
Video Club: OMS Video Club is offered to students in grades 7 and 8, as they have a working foundational knowledge of the media room and equipment. This club is limited to 15 students because of equipment. The club will be held on Tuesdays from 2:00-3:00 beginning October 17th and running through December 19th. Interested students should see Mr. Janerico in room 218 for more info and permission slips. If you have questions, you can also reach out to him by email jjanerico@oxps.org .
Robotics Club: Mr. Kay at OHS is establishing a Robotics club with 2 sessions that he is inviting OMS students to participate in. Spots are limited. Students interested will need the recommendation of their STEM/Science teacher. Students will be working in collaboration with OHS JROTC students in these clubs. Recommendation/Permission slip forms will be available in the main office.
- The first session is for grade 8 students only. This session will focus on drones, engineering, programming, and team building. This club will meet at the OHS Cafeteria and run Thursdays in October through January 15th. The max group size for this is 15 students.
- The second session is open to grade 6-8 students and will focus on Vex IQ technology and run from February through June of 2024. The max group size will be 20 students. Vex IQ technology is a robotics program and will also include engineering and programming as well.
National Junior Honor Society: Your next meeting is October 18th after school. Please see Ms. Wagner for permission slips.
Chess/Board Game Club will meet on Tuesdays after school in the Cafeteria with Ms. McConnaughey. Permission slips are available in the main office. Please see or email Ms. McConnaughey with any questions. mailto:tmcconnaughey@oxps.org
Book Club: Do you love to read? If so the Book Club may be for you. The book club held its first meeting on Thursday, September 28th after school 2:00-3:00 with Ms. Kenner in the library. At this meeting, students chose their first book. Students interested but unable to attend the first meeting should see or email Ms. Kennen for more information about the club's first book and next meeting. mailto:akennan@oxps.org
Homework Center: 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, but some rare Tuesdays due to long weekends 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:akennan@oxps.org . Homework Center closed on October 25th.
Art Club (Fall Session): Art Club had limited space for 20 students and is now full for the fall session. For those who signed up and secured an early spot, Art Club will meet every Thursday 2:00-3:00 p.m. For those who were interested but weren't able to fit it in this fall, there will be a winter/spring session as well, which we'll do sign ups for in the future.
Morning arrival/Tardiness
- Please PULL ALL THE WAY FORWARD in the drop-off/pick-up lane to help expedite the process for all families.
- Just a reminder that school starts promptly at 7:20 a.m. We have a number of students being dropped off late, which causes them to miss class time, which impacts their learning, and causes a disruption to the class already in progress. Please work to have students arrive on time. Doors open at 7:05 and if you drop at 7:15, students will be able to get to class on time. Thank you for your assistance with this.
- We wanted to give families time in the month of September to acclimate themselves to the new district start time for OMS without penalties for tardiness during this adjustment period. However, as we turn the page to October, we will be moving forward to follow our tardy/attendance policy, which can be found on page 8 of the handbook, which is linked here: https://oms.oxps.org/apps/pages/oms_handbook . You may want to review this so you know how we'll be responding to tardiness.
- Thank you in advance for your support and assistance in getting students to OMS on time for the 7:20 a.m. start.
From Food Services
- Food Services has posted the October OMS lunch menu, which is copied below (OCT HS.MS Menu).
- They have also published a Wellness Newsletter, which is attached, and are inviting you to join them on October 16th at Chaffee Elementary at 3:30 p.m. to learn about and discuss the OXPS Wellness Policy. That newsletter is attached below-School Wellness Meeting Newsletter.
- Finally, they published a flyer regarding the wellness policy and ways in which families can assist us at OXPS with regard to that policy. That flyer is attached below-fns-lwp-parent-flyer.
OMS in Search of Parents/Guardians to serve on School Advisory Council
OMS is in need of 2 additional parents/guardians/caretakers to join us on the School Advisory Council, as outlined in DESE Ed Reform Act of 1993. The Council is instrumental in discussions surrounding our school. The focus of this group is to discuss means to continually be reflecting and evaluating ongoing ways in which we can be improving our schools. If you are interested in serving on this council, please email Principal Leigh Joseph at ljoseph@oxps.org. Our meeting time will be 3:30 on the following dates: 11/6, 1/8, 3/11, 5/6.
Bus 6/Transportation
Bus 6 will be delayed by approximately 30 minutes daily for the near future, as students will be taking bus 2 after bus 2 does their route. This plan will be in place until such time as a new driver is hired and trained on the route for the afternoons. The good news is that we've learned they have hired 3 new drivers, so we are hopeful this delayed departure process will come to a conclusion soon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
The bus company is looking for new drivers. If you or someone you know is interested, the flyer is below, titled FS Hiring.
Community Events
*New* Elks Lodge #2118 "Hoop Shoot" Free Throw Competition: The Auburn Elks free throw contest is open to all boys and girls ages 8-13 (as of 4/1/24) on Saturday, November 18th @ Auburn High School Gymnasium. Information is in attached flyer below and in electronic backpack under the month of October 2023.
*NEW* Friends of Oxford Public Library Book and Bake Sale: Thursday, October 19th 12:00-7:00, Friday, October 20th 10:00-4:00, and Saturday, October 21st 10:00-2:00. See Flyer Below.
*NEW*: Trunk or Treat @ OHS: OHS Student Council is hosting Trunk or Treat/Haunted Hallway event on Saturday, October 28th 6:00-8:00 p.m. at OHS. Please see the flyer below for info.
*New* OHS Class of 2025 Nothing Bundt Cakes Fundraiser: The OHS Class of 2025 will be selling Bundle cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes until Monday, October 30th. Cakes are $7 each and come in a number of different flavors. See the attached flyer. Email Class Adviser, Pat Button, with your order pbutton@oxps.org
OHS Student Council Lawn Sign Fundraiser: OHS Student Council is running a Oxford Pirate Pride Lawn Sign Fundraiser. Share your Pirate Pride while supporting OHS student council and the programs and events they sponsor for the student community. The flyer is attached below (Oxford Lawn Sign Flyer).
Tickets for Athletic Events:
- The School Committee voted to change the admission prices for OHS athletic events moving forward. Students are now FREE- this will hopefully increase school spirit, and have more kids at games rooting for our student athletes!
- The new prices are:
- Adults: $8
- Students: Free!
- Senior Citizens $3
*NEW* Oxford Youth Soccer: Oxford Youth Soccer is now accepting registrations for the spring season for students in grades K-8. Please see info via the following link: https://clubs.bluesombrero.com/oxfordyouthsoccer and below on the flyer entitled Oxford Youth Soccer Registration Flyer. Any questions can be directed to mailto:oxfordyouthsoccer@gmail.com
Oxford Winter Recreational Basketball at the community center has announced registration information. See the link below and in the Electronic backpack.
Dudley Charlton Youth Lacrosse welcomes Oxford students to register for the Spring League. Information is attached below (DCYLA 2024 registration flyer).
GRG Support group-join us!
The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (GRG) and caregiver support group meets every 2nd Wednesday of the month from September to June @ 9:30 a.m. in the Community Room at Oxford High School. Coffee and snacks will be provided, please park in front and come in the main entrance. Feel free to contact Kimberly Rockwood with any questions-(978) 413-8989- all are welcome!
NAMI Support Group via Zoom:
We are collaborating with NAMI to offer a FREE new Support Group for caregivers of pre-teens and teens with mental health challenges provided for our Oxford families by the Central Mass chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI).
NAMI Support Group for Caregivers of pre-teens and teens with mental health challenges is a peer-led support group for any adult who cares for a child or adolescent who has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition. The group will enable you to gain insight from the challenges and successes of others facing similar experiences. You are not alone. NAMI’s support groups are unique because they follow a structured model, ensuring everyone has an opportunity to be heard and to get what they need.
FREE of cost to participants
Designed for adult loved ones of young people with mental health conditions
Led by family members of people with mental health conditions
60-120 minutes long and meeting weekly, every other week, or monthly (varies by location)
No specific medical therapy or treatment is endorsed
CONFIDENTIAL
The NAMI Support Group for caregivers of Pre-teens and Teens with mental health issues (POPTT) will begin on Wednesday evening, October 25th, from 7:00 – 9:00pm, via Zoom, and continue on the fourth Wednesday evening of each month. To sign up for this group, please email Robin at robinbahr1@gmail.com or Joy at cummingspj@worcesterma.gov. Please indicate that you are interested in joining the POPTT group; give your email address and the best phone number at which to reach you. The email link will be sent the day before each meeting.
Save the Date- School Conferences
November 20th 11:30-1:45 Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences
November 21st 11:30-1:45 and 6:00-8:00 Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences
March 7th 5:00-7:00 Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences
Helpful Resources
- Our District Calendar can be found via the following links:
- District School Day Calendar: https://4.files.edl.io/b2fc/08/30/23/192743-caa5596d-7c83-451f-8868-d753af9ebf0d.pdf
- District Events: https://www.oxps.org/apps/pages/district_calendars
- School Hour changes, per district updates and the implications for OMS students. The link to the school hours is here: https://www.oxps.org/apps/pages/school_times .
- 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