Oak Middle School
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Dear Oak Middle School Families,
I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
Congratulations to the Magistra Sinacola and the Latin Club! On Saturday, March 11, thirteen students from Oak Middle School traveled to Boston Latin School to take part in a Certamen Tournament, a quiz-bowl style team competition with questions focused on Latin, Roman history, culture, and mythology. We had two novice teams, with players alternating between the three preliminary rounds of twelve questions. After three rounds, one team was tied with Boston Latin School for fifth place and another team had earned a place in the finals. At the end of the questions, Oak Middle School brought home the third place trophy in their first competition this year.
This past week we had three finalists for assistant principal position come visit Oak Middle School. Each candidate spent the day getting to know different groups of parents, students, and staff members. There is one more opportunity to meet the candidates this Monday night, 3/13, from 6:00-7:30 in the Oak Auditorium. Each candidate will introduce themselves and take about 25 minutes of questions. More information on each candidate can be found below. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow night and hearing your feedback.
Attention 8th Grade Families, this week we will be helping students register for their high school classes, which will be complete by the end of the week. You should have received a separate email with directions on how to view your child's recommendations. The letter is also attached below. If you have any questions or concerns about a placement, you should reach out to your child’s teachers.
This year we had enough student interest that we were able to create two Unified Basketball Teams. Both teams have their first home game this Wednesday and Thursday afternoon at Oak Middle School. Tip off is at 3:30. We wish both teams luck!
A reminder that our PTO fundraiser starts up Monday, March 13th and Trimester 2 and Cycle 4 are coming to a close this Friday, March 17th.
Please scroll through the newsletter this week there is a lot of new information: a community service project, spring sports sign ups, new clubs and activities, parent workshop opportunities, a 7th grade PTO dance, and much more!
Please reach out with any questions or concerns as our goal is to work together to make sure each and every child has a wonderful year at OMS.
In partnership,
Hallie Burak
Principal
508-841-1210
Pam Poitras
Interim Assistant Principal Grade 7
508-841-1205
Scott Yonker
Assistant Principal Grade 8
508-841-1213
Project 351 Service Project
Did you know that 1 in every 3 children living in Massachusetts are at risk of clothing insecurity? My name is Prisha Nair and I am the 2023 Project 351 Ambassador from Shrewsbury. In order to change these shocking numbers, Oak Middle School is participating in a clothing drive from March 20 to March 31, run by the Student Council. Throughout these two weeks, there will be bins located around the school for donations of clothes like pants and shirts. We ask that any clothing which is donated be of good quality and to refrain from donating socks and shoes. All donations will be given to Cradles to Crayons which is a non-profit organization working to end clothing insecurity for children. This clothing drive will be held statewide as Project 351 consists of hundreds of Middle Schoolers across Massachusetts looking to make a difference in our communities. Thank you in advance to anyone who is thinking of donating and together we can make an impact.
Parenting Strategies
Safety Care for Families
Yearbooks for Sale!
The Oak Middle School Yearbook sale has begun! We are excited to continue our partnership with Casson-Foster Photographers for an exceptional product, capturing all the events here at Oak! Cost is $33.00 per book, and the sale runs through March 31. Yearbooks will be distributed here at Oak in June -- For an additional charge, you may opt to have your book shipped directly to your home address. All orders this year are electronic. Please follow this link for more information and directions in order to order a copy!
Homework Academy
Homework Academy will be held every Wednesday & Thursday from 2:35 - 3:45 in the media center. This is a drop-in opportunity for all students and they can come either day or both! Students can be picked up at any time or they can take the late bus which leaves from the front of Sherwood at 4:00pm.
Routes and Sign Ups for the Late Bus can be found HERE
Community Members Needed for Oak Middle School Career Day
Oak Middle School is actively preparing for Career Day on April 4th between 8:30-11:00am. Community partners in various trades and professions are needed for this event. We are hoping to host professionals from approximately 50 different fields. Our 500 7th grade students will be choosing two professionals with whom they will interact during a series of 20-30 minute informational sessions.
If you have a career in one of these areas and you would like to share your experiences with 7th grade students, please complete this form.
Careers:
Medical: Nurses, Pediatrics, Medical Specialist, Sports Doctor, Surgeon, Physical Therapist, Psychologist
Human Services: Mental Health Professional, Teacher
Public Safety/Law: EMT, Police, Fire, Federal Agent, Lawyer,
Trades: Contractor, Interior Design, Realtor, Architect/CAD
Business/Finance: Accountant, Entrepreneur, IT Mgr, Financial Advisor
Art: Animation, Photography
Technology: Video Game Design, Software Engineer, Hardware Engineer, Aerospace Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Biotech
Animal/Wildlife: Biologist/Zoologist
Hospitality/Culinary: Restaurant/Hotel, Chef/Baker
Sports: Sports STEM, Statistics, Managers/Coaches/Owners, Community Relations, Sports Marketing
SHS Course Registration for all Current 8th Graders
Students registered for their high school classes this week. Please log into PowerSchool to see what classes your child(ren) registered for. If you have any questions or concerns about a placement, you should reach out to your child’s teachers.
CROSSING GUARD NEEDED!
Interested candidates please send email Lindsey Stasiowski, HR Manager, at lstasiowski@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us.
Team Information
Save the Dates
★ Friday, March 24th from 6:30PM-8:00PM 7th Grade Dance
★ Wednesday, March 29 - Report Cards available on PowerSchool
★ Tuesday, April 4 - Grade 7 Career Day
★ Tuesday, April 4 - Early Release Day
MCAS Dates
Cell Phone Policy
Just a reminder that students are not allowed to use their cell phones during the school day. If a child ever needs to contact a parent/guardian they should come to the main office. We ask that parents/guardians not “text” or call students directly during the school day. Please call 508-841-1200 to have a message relayed to your child.
GAME ON! FUNDRAISER
Our Game On! fundraiser kicked off last Monday, and Oak is off to an AMAZING start! This is an online, donation-based fundraiser, and the email donation requests can go to people you know anywhere in the world. That means no direct pressure on your shoulders.
There's still time to register and earn prizes all with no donations necessary! There are also prizes that can be earned based on donation amounts as well!
You can check Schoology for more information, and you can also click here to register to begin helping the SMS PTO raise critical funds for all the things we support each year!
https://app.pop4kids.org/oakms01545
7th GRADE SPRING FLING DANCE
There will be a dance on Friday, March 24th from 6:30PM-8:00PM in the Oak Gym for all 7th graders who wish to attend
Tickets are $5 at the door - there will be NO advance tickets sales during lunch.
We are still in need of chaperones, as well as volunteers to help with concession sales, in order to make this event happen.
To volunteer or donate concessions please do so here:
APRIL PTO MEETING
The April PTO meeting will be Monday, April 3rd, @ 7PM in the Oak Media Center.
Join us as we look ahead to:
A spring food truck night at Sherwood
The wrap-up of our POP Fundraiser
Teacher Appreciation Week
**The PTO is looking for members to join and help fill roles, including fundraising coordinator and communications, as we have current members leaving at the end of the school year.
The SMS PTO serves both Sherwood and Oak and we welcome parents from grades 5-8!
📷📸📷📸Photos of the Week📷📸📷📸
🎭🎨🖌️🎵Sports and Activities🏀⚽🏅🏈
Our new activity wall!
Spring Volleyball registration will open Tuesday, March 14th
Oak will be offering a six-week volleyball class on Wednesdays, from 3:00-4:00, beginning April 6th. Please note, in order to allow more students to participate, we are offering this class to new students only. Students who participated in winter volleyball may not register for the spring season.
Description: Students will learn the basic skills in volleyball (bump, set, and serve). They will apply these skills and learn how to play the game of volleyball.
Instructors: Mr. DeNolf, Ms. Belliveau, and Ms. Studivan
Dates: 4/5, 4/12, 4/26, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17
Cost: $40 for the six-week session
Registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Payment is due at the time of registration, and unpaid registrations will be automatically deleted. Your payment receipt is confirmation of your enrollment in the class.
To register: go to the parent portal, select “sports and activities”, click “Assign Fee” for volleyball, and then click on the icon for the payment center to complete your transaction through SchoolPay.
For questions or additional information, contact Karen Isaacson, Director of Extended Learning, kisaacson@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us
Women in STEM Conference
Registration closes on March 24th.
On behalf of the Northborough Junior Women's Club, we are excited to inform you that the 2023 Women in STEM Conference for middle school girls will be in person this year! This conference historically fills to capacity VERY quickly and there is always a waiting list.
On April 1, 2023, the Northborough Junior Women’s Club will be hosting the 15th Women in STEM Conference for middle school girls at Algonquin Regional High School. This free conference is open to all 5th to 8th grade girls and seeks to actively engage and empower these pre-adolescent girls in STEM workshops presented by dynamic women role models working in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
Please see this registration form for more details:
Click to add a title
On behalf of the Northborough Junior Women's Club, we are excited to inform you that the 2023 Women in STEM Conference for middle school girls will be in person this year! This conference historically fills to capacity VERY quickly and there is always a waiting list.
On April 1, 2023, the Northborough Junior Women’s Club will be hosting the 15th Women in STEM Conference for middle school girls at Algonquin Regional High School. This free conference is open to all 5th to 8th grade girls and seeks to actively engage and empower these pre-adolescent girls in STEM workshops presented by dynamic women role models working in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
Please see this registration form for more details:
We Are Hiring
Daily Substitutes
Paraprofessional Support Staff
Shrewsbury Public Schools are seeking to hire paraprofessional support staff. We are very pleased that we are 99% fully staffed for teacher and other professional educator roles as we start the school year. Like in many employment sectors in the current economy, we are also working hard to fill certain open positions. If you or someone you know is interested in making a positive difference in the life of a child, please consider joining us as a paraprofessional in our schools. We are in need of: child-specific aides who work to support individual students with special learning needs; applied behavior analysis technicians who typically work to support individual students on the autism spectrum; and special education instructional assistants. Experience working with children is a plus but not required, and we will provide training. There are positions open at all grade spans, both full-time with benefits and part-time, and the hours are great for parents with children in school. For more information and to apply, please go to https://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/hr/currentopenings. Please forward this information along, including to local college students seeking part-time work and those considering a career change to education. If you have questions, please email Lindsey Stasiowski, Human Resources Manager, at lstasiowski@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us or call her at (508) 841-8483. Thank you!
If you see something, say something!
The Locker
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:
Questions? We are here to help!
Mrs. Hallie Burak
Mrs. Pam Poitras
Mr. Scott Yonker
Helpful Links
The Late Bus is Back!
We are thrilled to announce that we will continue to offer FREE late bus services for students at Shrewsbury High School, Oak Middle School, and Sherwood Middle School starting Monday, September 19th, 2022. Late buses will run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The buses will depart from SHS at 3:30pm and from the middle schools at 4:00pm.
This is a limited service with fixed bus stops. It is not intended to provide service to all neighborhoods due to financial limitations.
Please click the following link for all the details:
https://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/transportation/late-bus
Registration is open and the late bus service will start next Monday, the 19th.