Family Update: September 12th, 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!
Follow our regularly updated CALENDAR to see all events.
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