Family Updates
Family Update: September 19th, 2025
Here’s a weekly update for September 19, 2025.
Fall season clubs began today and include gardening, sewing, photography, swimming at the YMCA, and biking at Youth Opportunities Unlimited. Community Partnerships (internships for 7th and 8th graders) begin next Friday, 9/26. Keep a look out for the Community Partnership permission slip in Friday Folders; these slips cover the entire year. Please follow up with Mrs. Eugenio or Mrs. McSweeny with questions or concerns. We are excited to share that all 7th and 8th graders are in a partnership this quarter!
Follow our regularly updated CALENDAR to see all events.
IMPORTANT HEADS UP:
We would like to remind families again to be mindful of the messaging app Discord. Commonsense Media gives the following summary for Discord:
Discord requires users to be at least 13 years old, though many countries require users to be older (e.g., Germany requires users to be 16+), and parents should also consider their child's maturity for a safe experience. Some app stores may also assign higher age ratings, such as the Apple App Store's 17+ rating for Discord, which reflects the platform's potential for mature content and the importance of age-appropriate settings.
Age-restricted content: Be aware that some servers are marked as Not Safe For Work (NSFW) and require users to be over 18 to access.
Key Calendar Details
This Saturday we are busy hosting an OSS Admissions Presentation at10am. Please spread the word!
Also this Saturday, 8th graders can come to school for SSAT practice testing, 9-noon. Later in the afternoon we welcome 9th graders for a reunion luncheon. Yum!
If pizza is on you mind tomorrow, you could join World Cleanup Day beach cleanup at Ft. Phoenix in Fairhaven. Saturday 9/20, 9am- 12pm. Pizza & giveaway at noon!
Back to School Night: Sep. 24th, 5:30-6:30pm
Our next Required Family Meeting is also our Back-to-School Night. This is a great opportunity to meet your student’s teachers and other staff members who support their learning experiences. We encourage students to attend as well!
Ms. Sanders will meet with all 8th-grade families to discuss high school plans from 5:45-6:15pm in the Outdoor Classroom. She will then meet with all 7th-grade families from 6:15-6:30pm in the Outdoor Classroom.
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Secondary School Fair: Sep. 30th, 5:30-7:30 pm
*OSS is co-hosting the Secondary School Fair this fall in partnership with Alma del Mar and Nativity Prep. This year’s fair will take place at Alma del Mar’s Frederick Douglass Campus. All 7th and 8th-grade students and their families are encouraged to attend. You will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from both public and independent schools.
THERE ARE SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES described below. We hope you will consider them heartily, and sign up!
Join us for pumpkin carving if you can! Fliers in Friday Folders to sign up.
Dream Out Loud is a wonderful community program currently recruiting students for their FREE Fall Creative Careers Program for middle and high school youth who are interested in songwriting, digital music production, creative writing, digital art and graphic design. Classes start on October 7, 2025 and are held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:00pm - 5:00pm, and 6:00pm - 8:00pm through December 4th. Dream Out Loud is located at the Kilburn Mill, 127 West Rodney French Blvd in New Bedford.
Every Tuesday this fall and winter. FREE, fun, and hosted by the Zeiterion. All you have to do is sign up!
Enjoy this glorious weekend,
Ms. Herman and the OSS Team
Family Update: September 12th, 2025
Here’s a weekly update for September 12, 2025.
There were so many highlights this week ~ far more than we could keep up with!
Was the highlight when Lily, Jacqueline and Chelsea did an impromptu STEP performance for the whole school, and then graciously repeated it for our United Way volunteers?
Or was it that today we had 7 United Way volunteers on campus, helping us with big and small tasks - ranging from weeding and spreading that mountain of mulch you may have noticed, to assembling shelves and organizing musical instruments. THANK YOU United Way for your fabulous support. We thrive on community involvement!
Or, although it already feels like a month ago, was the highlight when we nimbly and cooperatively responded to a fire alarm that went off literally the minute we were supposed to commence drop off for our first day in the building?! We had families lined up in the parking lot, students ready to start the day, parents who needed to get to work, EMS vehicles on site…It was a relief that an over-toasted bagel on the synagogue side was the culprit, and for once, the bus being late was possibly helpful. Ultimately, we were encouraged by how well everyone responded - remaining calm, and collaborating to adjust our 1st day schedule! We had to talk about fire drills anyway, so we used the opportunity to really practice!
Maybe the highlight was going sailing at CBC, or learning about how the brain works during an all-school Dendrites workshop where we began to think about metacognition and how to be proactive learners.
We really haven’t even started with the highlights - but we want to keep this brief so you’ll read the very, very important details below. Next week we’ll have so much more!
Key Calendar Details
Back to School Night: Sep. 24th, 5:30-6:30pm
Our next Required Family Meeting is also our Back-to-School Night. This is a great opportunity to meet your student’s teachers and other staff members who support their learning experiences. We encourage students to attend as well!
Ms. Sanders will meet with all 8th-grade families to discuss high school plans from 6:00-6:30pm in the Outdoor Classroom. She will then meet with all 7th-grade families from 6:30-6:45pm in the Outdoor Classroom.
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SSAT Prep: Sat, September 20, 9am-12:30pm.
8th-grade students who plan to apply to independent schools are strongly encouraged to take the Secondary School Admissions Test (SSAT) in December. We will provide more information about the test at an upcoming meeting.
To help students prepare, Ms. Sanders is hosting practice sessions on Wednesdays during the school day, as well as practice tests on various weekends this fall. The first practice test will be held at OSS on Saturday, September 20, from 9am-12:30pm. Participation in the practice test is optional but highly encouraged. If your student plans to attend, please email Ms. Sanders at asanders@oursistersschool.org.
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Secondary School Fair: Sep. 30th, 5:30-7:30 pm
*OSS is co-hosting the Secondary School Fair this fall in partnership with Alma del Mar and Nativity Prep. This year’s fair will take place at Alma del Mar’s Frederick Douglass Campus. All 7th and 8th-grade students and their families are encouraged to attend. You will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from both public and independent schools.
Students chose their Community Partnerships (internships for 7th and 8th graders) and clubs this week. Next week, they find out their schedule for Friday afternoons for the whole year. Here are a few things to know:
If your student is placed in swim club at the Y for quarter 1, a permission form will be sent out to you in today’s Friday Folder.
If your student is placed in Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U) club for quarters 1 and 2, you will receive an email from Ms. McSweeny to register with Y.O.U. directly. Please fill out this registration form as soon as possible.
Please complete these forms BEFORE Friday so that your student is ready to participate on 9/19.
Community Partnerships do not start until 9/26. Permission slips with Community Partnership details will be in 7th and 8th grade Friday Folders next Friday.
Please reach out to Ms. McSweeny with any questions or concerns at mmcsweeny@oursistersschool.org.
Spaces are limited so don’t hesitate and sign up now. Follow a link to the right or use the flier in your Friday Folder. Just know that the spaces won’t wait, so jump on it.
South Coast Children’s Choir is a simply wonderful program, and OSS students can qualify for full scholarships if they want to participate. If you didn’t already, please do check it out!
We are so excited to welcome everyone back on Monday for another powerful week of learning and growing!
Ms. Herman and the OSS Team
Family Update ~ September 7th, 2025
Here’s a weekly update for September 7, 2025.
Characterized by nourishing meals and time in the great outdoors, our Brantwood experience was amazing! We all came home totally exhausted - but energized for the school year ahead. Enjoy the photo collection below that illustrates some classic moments.
Tomorrow we open the building at 8:10 for breakfast; drop off ends at 8:25, after which time an adult needs to accompany their student into the front office to sign in.
Our first Family Engagement Committee meeting of the year is this Tuesday, September 9th at 5:30, at OSS. All family members are encouraged to show up. We enthusiastically welcome your participation! Typically these meetings are held via Zoom, but the 1st one of the season is live - with snacks! 🙂
Follow our regularly updated CALENDAR to see all events.
Key Calendar Details
Family Engagement Committee Sep. 9th, 5:30-6:30pm
Back to School Night: Sep. 24th, 5:30-6:30pm
Spaces are limited so don’t hesitate. Use the link in the language of your choice, and sign up now.
South Coast Children’s Choir is a simply wonderful program, and OSS students can qualify for full scholarships if they want to participate. Please check it out!
We are so excited to welcome everyone into the building tomorrow morning!
Ms. Herman and the OSS Team
Weekly Update: June 6, 2025
Here’s a weekly update for June 6, 2025.
Congratulations to all of us on completing the school year in style! Field Day was a blast, portfolios were a delight, graduation was simply beautiful - and now you take a break while we clean up, reflect and prepare for the year to come. This is our final Family Update for the season. We’ll be back in late August with Community Blooom - our approach to finalizing registration, preparing for Brantwood and gathering to welcome the school year.
In the meantime, summer programming has been carefully managed by Ms. Sanders, and students have exceptional opportunities ahead of them. We’ll be hosting academic coaching, gardening, SPARK programming and all kinds of summer goodness here at OSS. Many of you will participate locally and in sleep away experiences. No matter your plans, we hope everyone has a beautiful summer…and remember to complete your Summer Learning plans thoughtfully and thoroughly.
Water Balloon Toss
Our full calendar will be published soon.
Key Calendar Details
Community Bloom Registration Event for all families: Aug 27th, 5:30-7pm
1st days of school @ Brantwood: September 2, 3, 4
1st day in the building: September 8
Back to School Night: September 24th, 5:30-6:30pm
Community Events
Wizard of Oz
August 14-17, 2025
We have been offered free tickets to see the Wizard of Oz. See the flier and send an email to Ms. Cinnamond (gcinnamond@oursistersschool.org) to let her know your order.
Specify the date and the number of tickets you want; we’ll have them for you at the box office.
Friday the Thirteenth at Co-Creative Center
Friday, June 13, 6-7:30pm
Join the Co-Creative Center on Friday, June 13th for free iPad Art Class filled with sketching and drawing.
We hope you have a simply beautiful summer break,
Ms. Herman and the OSS Team
Weekly Update: May 30, 2025
Here’s a weekly update for May 30, 2025.
Dear Families,
It was a privilege to see you at the Festival of Arts and Achievement. Thank you again for your time and attention. We’ll share photos next week. In the meantime, this lovely note from Ms. Eugenio says it all:
“I want to take a moment to extend my heartfelt gratitude and admiration for each one of you. The Festival of Arts and Achievement was a powerful reflection of your hard work, dedication, creativity, and community spirit.
You stepped up, collaborated, and showcased the brilliance that makes OSS so special. Be proud—and take time to reflect on the incredible learnings, sharings, and connections that happened.
The evening was filled with inspiring project showcases, performances, interactive demonstrations, collaborative writing, student entrepreneurs (many of whom sold out!), gallery exhibitions, robotics displays, graduate visits, digital and 3-D design sessions, and so much more.
Thank you for sharing your time, expertise, and passion. You made this event unforgettable, and you continue to show what’s possible when we come together as a community.”
We felt so proud to share our collection of student work, and look forward to even more personalized experiences at portfolio conferences next week. It has been a busy spring and below we recognize some of the events that have kept us busy!
Community Partnership Program
On May 23, we celebrated our Community Partnership Program with a lunch and networking event. Ten of our seventeen partner sites were able to join us as we recognized the value of student service and shared the joy of this collaborative work.
Through this program, our students have given 837 hours of service to their community, with 72% of our 7th and 8th graders choosing to go out into the community three or more times. We are excited to continue this great work next year!
Why – and How – We Need to Talk to Teen Girls about Their Phones
With so many teens reporting that they're online almost constantly, how can adults best respond, support, and encourage the girls in their lives, given this new reality?
Banning devices at school or barring social media seems the simplest approach, but experts argue it might not be the best. So what do we do instead?
By listening to this podcast short, you'll find out how to talk to today's teens about their phones and social media. Get expert insights (and suggested language!) to engage girls on this topic.
Calendar Raffle
And… the calendar winners for the final days of May include:
May 24 - Wylde Latulippe
May 25 - Crystal Fernandes
May 26 - Megahn Frias
May 27 - Irene Charles
May 28 - Alexis Stringer
May 29 - Jasmine Gomes
May 30 - Joseph Omwata
May 31 - Kayla Clapp
All gifts have been distributed. Let’s play again next year!
Community Events
Wizard of Oz
August 14-17, 2025
We have been offered free tickets to see the Wizard of Oz. See the flier and send an email to Ms. Cinnamond (gcinnamond@oursistersschool.org) to let her know your order.
Specify the date and the number of tickets you want; we’ll have them for you at the box office.
Friday the Thirteenth at Co-Creative Center
Friday, June 13, 6-7:30pm
Join the Co-Creative Center on Friday, June 13th for free iPad Art Class filled with sketching and drawing.
Calendar
This link to the calendar on our OSS website is a valuable reference tool. Below are some key dates:
June 4 - Field Day 12:45-4pm
June 5 & 6 - Portfolio Conferences by appointment; No School
June 6 - 8th grade Graduation, 5:30-6:30pm
Brantwood and start of the school year dates that we can share so far:
Brantwood is September 2,3,4 and our 1st day in the building is September 8th. We’ll send more calendar info home next week.
We hope you have a fulfilling weekend,
Ms. Herman and the OSS Team
Weekly Update: May 23, 2025
Here’s a weekly update for May 24, 2025.
Dear Families,
It is Memorial Day weekend and we have no school Monday, so please take extra time today to look at the collection of amazing opportunities highlighted in our community events section below.
Our Festival of Arts and Student Achievement is next Friday, May 30th. The end of the school year is quickly approaching and we always have tons going on! Students will present Portfolio Presentations, we’ll celebrate Field Day and 8th grade Graduation. Fourth quarter will end, grades will close and report cards will be distributed. This is a friendly reminder to students that this long weekend is a smart time to get caught up on assignments so that the last few weeks of the school year feel like smooth sailing.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Field Trip
On May 19, 6th and 7th graders visited the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance (CCCFA) in Chatham, MA, alongside scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI). Students explored the impact of overfishing through a hands-on M&M activity and learned about ocean water layering using a tank of dyed freshwater and saltwater. By simulating storms with straws, they saw how mixing occurs in nature.
WHOI scientists explained how they monitor ocean temperatures using CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) instruments, which are deployed with help from local fishermen. The data helps track warming waters, Cape Cod has warmed 4–5°F above the global ocean average, and informs fishing practices as fish migrate or decline.
At a nearby pier, students took turns operating CTD instruments, analyzed real-time data on iPads, and spoke with a local fisherman working with WHOI. They asked thoughtful questions and gained insight into the challenges and importance of sustainable fishing on Cape Cod.
Max Courage Essay Contest Award
Congratulations to our 5th grade Max Courage Essay contest recipient! Earlier this year her writing was published in the 2025 Max Courage book, and this week she and Ms. Kozak attended a formal celebration in Boston. We are so proud of you, J!
Car Wash Results
Between our car wash, lemonade stand and a donation from our vendor fair friends, we raised just over $1,000 last Sunday. Wow. Thank you to everyone who helped, and do keep us on your calendar for next year!
Calendar Raffle
And… the calendar winners for the first days of May include:
May 17 - Megahn Frias
May 18 - Leon Gomes
May 19 - Leon Gomes
May 20 - Ben Moniz
May 21 - Debbie Gautreau
May 22 -Debbie Arabian
May 23 -Michael Lefebvre
…
Our final drawing is May 29. We will pull the winners for the 23-30.
Community Events
See attached fliers for a free girls soccer clinic with NB Parks and Rec., Radiation Rush summer robotics program and a very popular digital art opportunity with Sketchy Go ichie.
Calendar
This link to the calendar on our OSS website is a valuable reference tool. Below are some key dates:
May 26 - Memorial Day; No School
May 30 - Festival of Arts and Student Achievement 3:30-7pm
June 4 - Field Day 12:45-4pm
June 5 & 6 - Portfolio Conferences by appointment; No School
June 6 - 8th grade Graduation, 5:30-6:30pm
We hope you have a meaningful weekend,
Ms. Herman and the OSS Team