Family Update: January 30, 2026
You probably heard about OSS through a current or former family, a graduate or a community member. We ask that you help us build the strongest possible learning community and invite families with 4th and 5th grade girls to attend an upcoming Admissions Presentation. Also, ask Ms. Pires about how you can earn service credits by referring families:
Wednesday, February 4th at 5:30pm Spanish language presentation via Zoom
Saturday, February 7th at 10am English language presentation at OSS
Many students participated in a Spooky Story writing contest in October. They wrote short, 100 word, scary stories. It was recently announced that six students were chosen to be published! Luna, Mazalei, Larayah, Willow, Aria G-M, and Elise! Congratulations to our published authors! And speaking of spooky stories - Mr. Bones visited the math classroom recently!
Summer Stars, a sleepaway camp for the performing arts, will open their application on February 2. Students must be 12 years old by the start of camp to apply.
As part of the application process, students complete an essay and provide a recommendation, often written by a teacher. If your student plans to apply, please encourage them to check in with Ms. Sanders, who can help guide the application process.
We encourage you to explore additional sleepaway camps on our Summer Programs website!
OSS Good News is an annual news broadcast created in our Creative Suite, published by our 6th graders. This week we highlight: OSS Good News ~ Healthy Eating
Calendar Highlights:
Wed Jan 28 ~ 7th grade HerStory + NBRR Showcase, 4:15-5pm
Wed Feb 4 ~ Lucy Stone performance 8:30am-12:20pm
Thurs Feb 5 ~ All School MOMIX @ the Z
Sat Jan 31 ~ 84 Youth Power Summit, 8:30am-3pm
Mon Feb 2 ~ Creative Writing Club, 4:15-5:15pm
Our Grade 7 and 8 math work this year has our older OSS students on the move! We are building our students' skills up to be able to offer a full Algebra 1 course for our 8th grade students. That means offering a fast paced and rigorous pre-algebra foundation in seventh grade, including a deep study of functions, including quadratic functions in eighth grade.
Why you might ask? Our quest to empower our students to step into the future with valuable life skills means we focus on algebra. Empowerment can mean taking charge of one’s life to create opportunities for oneself and others - and access to algebra does just that. Algebra 1 acts as a gatekeeper. Beyond the gate are opportunities. A student who takes Algebra 1 in eighth grade has more opportunity to take and succeed in math and science courses in high school and are more likely to pursue a STEM related major in college. And as a matter of practical and financial empowerment, students with early access to Algebra 1 are likely to make more money over the course of their career.
Even careers and life paths that do not directly use algebra skills, all exist in a complex and quickly changing and data driven world. Learning how to manage complexity, apply reason to difficult situations and how to conjure up resiliency in the face of challenge are all reinforced by the practice of thinking algebraically. Next week we’ll tell you how we do it!…
Our guest videographer Lulu Tian followed OSS students on a Field Learning trip to Bridgewater State University.
(We are highlighting OSS videos here for the next few weeks - the full collection is also available on our website.)
Stay warm!! We look forward to seeing everyone Monday!
Ms. Herman and the OSS Team