Weekly Update: May 18, 2025
Here’s a weekly update for May 9, 2025.
Dear Families,
Our annual car wash fundrasier was wet and wonderful. Special thanks to the crew - students and parents alike- who stepped in to make it all happen, and stayed with it all day! This Thursday is our next chance to step in; at lunch time we’ll celebrate birthdays for May, June, July and August - so if you can send in treats to share, it’ll be even more exciting! Speaking of exciting, it is hard to keep up around here! Below are some of the events we’ve held and participated in these past few weeks. Next week we’ll feature photos from the spring carnival. Stay tuned.
Community BLOOMS: CVPA UMASS Dartmouth + Our Sisters’ School
The Blooming Stories video highlights our recent partnership with UMass Dartmouth …
It has been a privilege to work with OSS, your teachers, and your students. Although I have very little experience with American middle school system, my students - junior and senior Art Ed. Majors — have remarked many times how they appreciate your programs much more than other school programs they have experiences with. I have worked with children from both privileged and underprivileged backgrounds. I've found your students competent, healthy, vibrant, collaborative, and emotionally mature. They are remarkably well-rounded young individuals.
OSS May Calendar Raffle
May 10 - Mariann Monteiro
May 11 - Kathy Bowers
May 12 - Bertha Cabral
May 13 - Desmond Doyle
May 14 - Krystal Fisher
May 15 - Lynn Wilson
May 16 - Lucia DeMelo
Our next drawing is Friday May 23, and we will pull for the dates May 19-23.
United Way - day of caring
7th and 8th graders participated in the United Way Youth Day of Caring ! They started at the New Bedford Public Library for the kick-off event and then headed to Buttonwood Zoo for service. Students cleaned benches and tables, raked leaves, and prepared a new pollinator garden.
Multicultural Luncheon:
First of all, thank you to all those who contributed (food & posters, etc.) and to those who helped and to those who attended with joy and exuberance.
What a perfect weather day for it and the participation was amazing!
A student said in the survey, “I liked trying out all of the new foods that I don't regularly get to eat, and I loved sharing my culture with people by dancing. It was nice to see so many cultures united.”
“Seeing the students let go of the familiar by trying foods outside of their norm was beautiful! They were all so respectful of each culture and seemed very appreciative for the whole experience.”
Sensata - day of service
We are thrilled to share that OSS was once again chosen as a partner for Sensata’s 2025 annual Day of Service! Volunteers from Sensata generously donated their time, energy, and expertise to improve our campus and show our students that they are valued. From repairs and upgrades to fresh paint and outdoor enhancements, their efforts make a real difference in the daily lives of our girls and staff. Sensata’s commitment to giving back through “Sensata Serves” reflects the very spirit of community we cherish. We are so grateful for their continued partnership and the impact they’ve made at OSS!
Adventure Park
Our Student Council students recently spent a powerful morning at The Adventure Park on Cape Cod, where they pushed themselves to new heights—literally and figuratively! As they navigated rope courses and ziplines, they demonstrated courage, critical thinking, teamwork, and strength.
Highlights included moments of cheering each other on, Letting Go of the Familiar, and realizing that just when it feels impossible, you can dig deeper and succeed. The experience offered powerful life lessons about facing challenges together and finding confidence in the climb. We’re so proud of their leadership and the way they supported one another through every step of the adventure
Portfolio Conferences
We are using SignUp to schedule our upcoming Portfolio Conferences on June 5-6, 2025.
If you haven’t already, please follow these three steps:
Select the appropriate of the link options provided, depending on your students’ grade.
Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like, notice these are 25 minutes in duration. Once you have scheduled a time slot, please add your student's name to the comment box.
You will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.
Note: SignUp does not share your email address with anyone. If you have any questions or prefer not to use your email address, please contact me through my email listed below, and I can sign you up manually.
DATMA Banners
Our OSS community recently took part in an incredible art-making event as part of Being Seen: Celebrating South Coast Pride! Students, families, and staff came together on our outdoor campus to create panels using upcycled textiles for a large-scale public art installation led by LGBTQ+ artist and activist Liz Collins.
The energy was joyful and creative as participants expressed their pride, celebrated identity, and contributed to a project that will be displayed across the SouthCoast through 2026. We’re so proud to be part of this regional celebration of visibility, activism, and community. Thank you to all who joined us in making art and making history!
Calendar
This link to the calendar on our OSS website is a valuable reference tool. Below are some key dates:
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 had a fun weekend,
Ms. Herman and the OSS Team
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
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
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
Weekly Update: April 4, 2025
Here’s a weekly update for April 4, 2025.
Dear Families,
We have just begun our 4th quarter, and the balance of our school year is jam packed. It will fly by, so you’ll want to know that we’ve updated our school calendar for the last week of school, June 2-6. Key highlights include:
Friday May 30th is our annual Festival of Arts and Student Achievement. 3:30-6:45pm. Make sure this is on your calendar. Please plan to join us - and bring friends! This event highlights and celebrates a broad collection of work from the school year, and is always an experience worth prioritizing. The formal event invitation is below.
Updated last week of the school year calendar ~ also in Friday folders:
Monday, June 2 and Tuesday, June 3 are regular school days (no Evening Study)
Wednesday, June 4th is a regular school day (our last day of classes) and also our Field Day (no Evening Study)
Thursday, June 5 and Friday, June 6 — are portfolio conference days, when students present reflections on their year of learning. Each student will have an appointment, and these will be scheduled soon - but not yet.
Friday, June 6 — 8th grade graduation is at 5:30pm.
Teacher Appreciation Month
Teacher Appreciation Month is around the corner! At OSS we celebrate for the whole month of May; we find that spreading out the love makes it even more fun.
The Family Engagement Committee coordinates our efforts, and we put a flier in your Friday Folder this week. Please email jhachem@oursistersschool.org directly if you have any last minute ideas, suggestions or questions!
4th Quarter Tools Bundle
We strive to think through our Community Core Values and Tools. In other words, when considering life, we lean on these ideas to help guide the decisions we make. We reference these tools throughout the school day, and each quarter we focus on a new collection.
This is our current bundle of Community Core Tools: Be Grateful, Question and Pose Problems, Value Identity, Reflect Own Values, Overcome Obstacles, Work on Personal Challenges.
Have you practiced a CC Tool today? If so, which one(s)?! When, and how?
We often hear from families that they embrace our CC Tools at home too, and we’ve even heard encouraging stories of dinner table conversations about them! Has your family embraced Community Core at home? We are curious, and would love to hear about it.
Indoor Croquet!
What fun. Glow in the dark croquet! This week we wrapped up a season of indoor croquet hosted weekly by gracious volunteers. As we like to say, “never a dull moment at OSS!”
Value Identity
This week, fifth graders explored and researched different Native American cultures. Sixth graders worked on personal challenges such as speaking in large groups, and preparing for their upcoming show. We are excited about their opening exhibit at the Whaling Museum!
Buttonwood Park Zoo Gallery
We'd love for you to join us in viewing the amazing pastel animal artwork created by 5th graders all month long at Buttonwood Park Zoo. The students put in a lot of effort, exploring new techniques and keeping an open mind as they carefully built up their designs layer by layer with pastels.
Calendar
This link to the calendar on our OSS website is a valuable reference tool. Below are some key dates:
April - Climate Justice, Arab American Heritage Month, and Poetry Month!
April 6 - (Sunday) Red Cross Blood Drive in the OSS gym 9am-3pm
April 8 - 6th Grade Whaling Museum Exhibition, 5-6:30pm
April 9 - Spirit Day ~ “Younger You”
April 10 - AHA Night, downtown NB 5-7pm
April 11 - March/April all school b-day party during lunch, Volunteer Lunch 11-1pm, Report cards go home in Friday folders
April 15 - Virtual Admissions Presentation, 5:30pm
April 16 - Spirit Day ~ Movie Day
April 18-25 April Break; No School
We hope you have a fun weekend,
Ms. Herman and the OSS Team
Weekly Update: March 28, 2025
Here’s a weekly update for March 21, 2025.
Spirit Show
From slime racing to singing and dancing, our Spirit Show was so much fun! Congratulations to our Student Council for hosting an amazing event, and kudos to our brave and talented OSS performers! There were at least three heartwarming 'sibling acts,' we had multiple performances set to world music, and the whole event was capped with a surprise reprise by Mr. Spencer. The event was a hearty collection of goodness!
Women’s Advocacy Day
On March 24, 7th and 8th grade students attended Women’s Advocacy Day on the Hill, an event organized annually by the Mass Commission on the Status of Women. Students spent the week before preparing a pitch on something they care about that relates to present legislation. Students did an amazing job using their voice to speak on issues such as affordable housing, reproductive freedom, racial and economic justice, and immigration rights. Despite the rainy day, it was a trip filled with sunny moments. They even got to hear Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell speak! Thanks to the YWCA for partnering with us to get our students up to the State House and to work together as a community to #AccelerateAction.
Monkey App Concerns
We are aware that some parents may need to be aware of a digital app called Monkey which allows users to Facetime with strangers. The following are some details about Monkey. The rating for this app is mature, but underage users can access and use it:
Safety Concerns:
The Monkey app, which is a video chat-based platform similar to Omegle, was removed from Apple's App Store due to safety concerns, specifically the ease with which underage users could join and the lack of robust safety features to protect them.Age Requirement:
The app's terms of service state that users must be 18 or older, but the platform's design and lack of strong verification measures made it vulnerable to misuse by minors.Google Play Store:
While Apple removed the app, it's still available for download from the Google Play Store, where it's rated "mature 17+".
We appreciate you, Ms. Goulding!
Georgie Goulding has served for 11 impressive years as our Director of Advancement, and this week we celebrate all of her hard work. Now she has a well deserved chance to kick back and relax for a bit as we welcome Amy Duffell, our arriving Director of Advancement. Thank you Ms. Goulding - and Tully!
Our Sisters’ School at the New Bedford Whaling Museum
Calendar
This link to the calendar on our OSS website is a valuable reference tool. Below are some key dates:
March 29 (Saturday) - 8:30-12:30 ~ Greenlight for Girls at Bridgewater State University
Sunday April 6, 9am-3pm - The American Red Cross is holding a blood drive in the OSS gym.
April 8 - 6th Grade Whaling Museum Exhibition, 5-6:30pm
April 10 - AHA Night, downtown NB 5-7pm
April 11 - March/April all school b-day party during lunch, Volunteer Lunch 11-1pm, Report cards go home in Friday folders
April 15 - Virtual Admissions Presentation, 5:30pm
April 18-25 April Break; No School
We hope you have a fun weekend,
Ms. Herman and the OSS Team