Family Updates
Weekly Update: May 2, 2025
Here’s a weekly update for May 2, 2025.
Dear Families,
We’ve got a required family meeting Wednesday of next week - May 7th, 5:30pm, Zoom. We look forward to seeing you there. Among other things, we’ll preview the end of the school year events calendar and answer any questions you may have.
OSS May Calendar Raffle
You can still purchase a calendar, even though the raffle has begun! The 3 top selling students who will each get a pass to Funz are: Essence, Abigail B., and Sy'ah. Congrats to these students for helping us make this fundraiser work!
And… the calendar winners for the first days of May include:
May 1 - Eduige Maxim won a $25 gift certificate to 99 Restaurant AND a basket from Jay Liquors!
May 2 - Lenira Pires won a $50 Servedwell gift certificate!
Our next drawing is Friday May 9, and we will pull for the dates May 3-9.
Annual Car Wash
Mark your calendars for Sunday May 18th, 11am-2pm
Every family sells at least 5 but…how many tickets can you sell?
This fundraiser event is a blast. We hope you’ll help sell lots of tickets, bring your own car for a wash, and maybe even help us out with the advertising or washing. There is something for everyone on this day!
DATMA Workshop
7th graders learned about adaptive design and architecture during a multi-day workshop with DATMA and Washington State University’s Morphogenesis Lab, led by professor Mona Ghandi. Using nuts & bolts, each student assembled one of four different laser-cut wood models. They further improvised by visualizing inventions and ideas using the models and the principles learned during the workshop.
Dartmouth High Robotics Team Visit
Students from Dartmouth’s Robotic Team visited 5th grade this week. They provided 4 engineering challenges, each involving their robotics team’s Competition Bot. Our students used the Dartmouth Robot fluently and rocked the challenges!
Book Character Day
Our Character Day reading celebration was a success! Students and staff were encouraged to dress up like a storybook character or a word to celebrate literacy at OSS. We had Ms. Frizzle, Where’s Waldo, Pete the Cat, Elmo, Big Bird and several others from Sesame Street. There were several spies, an Arab Princess, Tom and Jerry and Camilla Cream with a case of the stripes!
During Silent and Sustained Reading, students shared poetry and read picture books in their Big/LITTLE Crews.
Pavilion Update
The pavilion is almost done and the ribbon cutting will be May 30th at the Festival of Arts and Student Achievement, but we have already been enjoying the new space! This week the pavilion provided shelter for outside lunch and a special event recognizing an arts oriented partnership project with UMass Dartmouth.
Upcycling Day
Our UpCycle event was an extravaganza! We appreciate OSS Student Council members for coordinating an event that encouraged recycling, sharing and brought so much fun to a day!
Summer program late registration
If you haven’t yet signed up for summer programs at OSS or with OSS partners, please complete this summer program registration form. It’s also not too late to sign up for some sleepaway camps. ☀️
Please be in touch with Ms. Sanders at asanders@oursistersschool.org or 774.328.6694 and she’ll assist you!
Community Offerings
Design Day: Creating with Community
May 5 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Our Sisters’s School
Join DATMA in creating a powerful, community-made public art piece celebrating Pride in SouthCoast, Massachusetts. Inspired by the bold history of LGBTQIA+ Pride, public activism, and visibility, this project invites you to bring Being Seen to life! Whether you’re into painting, crafting, organizing, or just want to lend a hand, there’s something for everyone.
Babysitting Course
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
9:30 AM - 3:00 PM
YWCA Southeastern, MA
20 South Sixth St., New Bedford, MA
This workshop will give youth (age 11-15) the knowledge and confidence to care for infants, toddlers, and school-age children and start their own babysitting business. Certificates and lunch provided. $25 per person
Register by June 18
Calendar
This link to the calendar on our OSS website is a valuable reference tool. Below are some key dates:
May 7 - Multicultural Luncheon, 11-12:30pm
May 7 - FINAL Required Family Meeting for the school year, 5:30-6:30pm, Zoom
May 18 - Car Wash 11am-2pm
May 23 - All School b-day party at lunch
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 fun weekend,
Ms. Herman and the OSS Team
Making Waves Podcast Episode 4: Mr. Angel Diaz
In this episode, hear from OSS students and their conversation with Our Sisters’ School’s teacher Angel Diaz.
Students in the podcasting class present the Making Waves Podcast. In this episode, hear from OSS students and their conversation with Angel Diaz, Our Sisters’ School Fitness, STEAM, Music, Audiovisual Storytelling teacher.
Keep Listening
Weekly Update: April 18, 2025
Here’s a weekly update for April 18, 2025.
Dear Families,
We look forward to seeing everyone again the morning of April 28th! Until then, our hope is that everyone is finding fun and relaxation - peppered with moments of helpfulness and productivity. Are you enjoying sunny weather? Are you using your time to visit with people you love, to explore new places or try new things? Are you helping with chores around the house? Reading a book or getting ahead on tasks?
Whatever it is, may it bring you joy AND… whatever it is, may you be staying OFF social media. We want to remind students and parents that on-line communication is a very messy space that regularly leads to conflict. Please heighten efforts to limit and supervise.
OSS May Calendar Raffle
OSS Family Engagement Committee has secured donations for a calendar raffle drawn during May. Each calendar entry is $10. Students are asked to sell a minimum of 3 calendars. Payments can be made by cash, Venmo, or check.
The three students who sell the most raffle tickets will each receive a 1-hour jump pass at FUNZ. Winners will be drawn weekly on Fridays and announced in our weekly newsletter.
Using Venmo to purchase tickets? Include the word “Raffle,” your. name, phone number, and OSS student’s name.
Annual Car Wash
Mark your calendars for Sunday May 18th, 11am-2pm
How many tickets can you sell?
This fundraiser event is a blast. We hope you’ll help sell tickets, bring your own car for a wash, or really dig in and help us out with the advertising washing. There is something for everyone on this day!
DATMA Workshop
7th graders learned about adaptive design and architecture during a multi-day workshop with DATMA and Washington State University’s Morphogenesis Lab, led by professor Mona Ghandi. Using nuts & bolts, each student assembled one of four different laser-cut wood models. They further improvised by visualizing inventions and ideas using the models and the principles learned during the workshop.
Meet SPARKS
Sparks may not be soft and cuddly like a real pet, but this robot dog is packed with personality and potential. Students can interact with Sparks or program its actions to learn key ideas in coding, robotics, and engineering. It’s a fun, hands-on way to explore how AI and real-world tech work.
We’ll create exciting “missions” and challenges for Sparks, turning the classroom into an interactive tech lab. Sparks isn’t just a cool gadget—it gives students real experience with the kinds of tools and technology used in today’s industries, helping them build skills for the future.
Multicultural Lunch
Our intention is to promote a greater awareness and appreciation among our students for the different cultures represented in our community. This year, we will have individual tables for each cultural representation. Students will rotate through, trying food, learning about the various cultures, and getting a stamp in their “passport.”
The lunch will be held on May 7th from 11am to 12:30pm.
We are hoping to have many yummy, multicultural dishes to share with our community. If you want to bring food to share, please fill out this Google Form to sign up. Please see Ms. McSweeny’s email, or the paper copy in Friday Folders, for more details.
Upcycling Day- Save your stuff:
Upcycle Day is an event where we all bring in our gently used items, and exchange them for other items we need or want. It is fun, keeps things from the landfill, and limits the need to purchase as much stuff.
We have 3 ways for volunteers to get involved:
Help us set up:Tuesday, April 29, 4:15-5:15 in the Community Room
Help us run the event: Wednesday, April 30, 11:30-4:30 in Community Room
Pack up and deliver left over items to Gift to Give: 4:30 (1 service credit for each trip)
Ask Ms. McSweeny if you want to help: mmcsweeny@oursistersschool.org
Summer program late registration
If you haven’t yet signed up for summer programs at OSS or with OSS partners, please complete this summer program registration form. It’s also not too late to sign up for some sleepaway camps. ☀️
Please be in touch with Ms. Sanders at asanders@oursistersschool.org or 774.328.6694 and she’ll assist you!
Calendar
This link to the calendar on our OSS website is a valuable reference tool. Below are some key dates:
April 18-25 April Break; No School
May 7 - Multicultural Luncheon, 11-12:30pm
May 7 - FINAL Required Family Meeting for the school year, 5:30-6:30pm, Zoom
May 18 - Car Wash 11am-2pm
May 23 - All School bday party at lunch
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
Enjoy your vacation - and take it easy with the social media!
Ms. Herman and the OSS Team
Summer SPARK
What is SPARK?
SPARK is a free, four-day summer program hosted by Our Sisters’ School in New Bedford. Designed for rising 3rd and 4th-grade girls, this week is filled with hands-on activities in engineering, art, and creative problem-solving , all in a fun, supportive environment that celebrates curiosity and confidence.
Whether your child loves to build, explore, or express herself through art, SPARK is a place to shine!
Let Your Imagination SPARK This Summer
Free Summer Program for Rising 3rd & 4th Grade Girls
July 14–17
Program Details
Dates: Monday, July 14 – Thursday, July 17
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM daily
Location: Our Sisters’ School, New Bedford, MA
Cost: Free to attend
Who Can Join: Rising 3rd and 4th-grade girls
Making Waves Podcast Episode 3: Our OSS Journey
In this episode, hear from OSS students as they reflect on their OSS journey.
Students in the podcasting class present the Making Waves Podcast. In this episode, hear from OSS students and their journey so far throughout the school year.
Keep Listening
Weekly Update: April 11, 2025
Here’s a weekly update for April 4, 2025.
Dear Families,
We had an exceptionally busy last few days and so this update is later than usual, but still before Monday morning!
As you have surely noticed by now, report cards were in Friday Folders. Our team puts a lot of effort into each comment, and we know the feedback is important. To maximize the value of the time invested in writing them, we energetically encourage families to look at comments carefully, and with their student!
Tuesday April 15th, 5:30-6:30 we are hosting our annual Zoom Admissions Presentation, so if you know of someone who has been eager to learn about OSS but can’t make it on a Saturday - this is their opportunity! Please help us spread the word.
Also, a big heads up that the NB Girl’s Lacrosse team is looking for players and we encourage students to check it out. Students can try it at no cost and, no equipment is needed! If they don’t like it, they don’t have to continue, and full scholarships are available for all OSS students, so there is absolutely no downside to giving it a shot. Register below:
Sixth Grade opens gallery at the Whaling Museum
6th graders rocked their presentation at the New Bedford Whaling Museum this week. After months of research and art making, their presentations wowed us all. The show, featuring drawings, paintings, and sculptures related to life in the 1800s is on display through the end of the month, and we encourage everyone in the community to check it out!
Summer program late registration
If you haven’t yet signed up for summer programs at OSS - or with OSS partners, please complete this summer program registration form. It’s also not too late to sign up for some sleepaway camps. Please be in touch with Ms. Sanders at asanders@oursistersschool.org or 774.328.6694 and she’ll assist you!
Upcycling Day- Save your stuff:
Upcycle Day is an event where we all bring in our gently used items, and exchange them for other items we need or want. It is fun, keeps things from the landfill, and limits the need to purchase as much stuff.
We have 3 ways for volunteers to get involved:
Help us set up:Tuesday, April 29, 4:15-5:15 in the Community Room
Help us run the event: Wednesday, April 30, 11:30-4:30 in Community Room
Pack up and deliver left over items to Gift to Give: 4:30 (1 service credit for each trip)
Ask Ms. McSweeny if you want to help: mmcsweeny@oursistersschool.org
Women in STEAM Convention
8th graders showcased their research posters to the school community at our very first Women in STEAM Convention on Thursday. Each student researched three careers within a STEAM topic of their interest, and highlighted three women within those fields to acknowledge and educate others on their accomplishments. Younger students were inspired to learn about the various career paths passion can lead us to!
Celebrating Ms. LeBlanc
Carlene LeBlanc has served for 13 years as our Director of Finance, and this spring we celebrate her dedicated service and all of her hard work. At the end of this school year she’ll finally have time to do some anticipated home renovation projects and spend more time camping! Carlene crosses her professional finish line at a sprint - always dotting her i’s, crossing her t’s and never missing a beat. We are so grateful for her careful stewardship of all things OSS. Carlene, we salute you!
Calendar
This link to the calendar on our OSS website is a valuable reference tool. Below are some key dates:
April 15 - Virtual Admissions Presentation, 5:30pm
April 16 - Spirit Day ~ Movie Day
April 18-25 April Break; No School
May 7 - Multicultural Luncheon, 11-12:30pm
May 7 - FINAL Required Family Meeting for the school year, 5:30-6:30pm, Zoom
May 18 - Car Wash 11am-2pm
May 23 - All School bday party at lunch
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 fun weekend,
Ms. Herman and the OSS Team