Good afternoon OB Parents and Families,

    We have had a very exciting and successful week. First of all, we need to give a big “Spotlight OB” shout out to both our boys and girls basketball teams. After both teams experienced an undefeated season, on Tuesday evening, both the boys and girls teams won their championship game. We need to recognize all the students on the teams for their dedication, hard work, commitment, teamwork, and enthusiasm. These qualities in which the team members presented to our school, each other, and the public represent the qualities we want to establish and recognize in all our students. We could not be more proud. We also need to recognize and thank the coaches: Alex McClusky, Ben Medeiros, Tucker McNeely, Katherine deBettencourt, and Katie Marchand. We could not have succeeded with out their dedication to our students. A huge, heartfelt “Spotlight OB” shout out goes to our coaching staff.

Another notable “Spotlight OB” shoutout needs to go to all our students who were involved in the Oak Bluffs School Constitutional Congress. On Tuesday morning we had our first Constitutional Congress meeting. This was truly an awe inspiring and emotional experience for me.  Witnessing our Student Council read books with themes related to habits of goodness, habits of kindness and citizenship to our Kindergarten through sixth grade (K-6) student representatives was amazing. The students were completely engaged in the discussions that centered around these themes and how we can continue to instill similar values to our OB school community. Witnessing this interaction was more than simply a memorable moment.  I am impressed by the overall character of the members of our student body. I am so looking forward to our next meeting in which we will continue to establish our Oak Bluffs School core values which reflect our Responsive Classroom philosophy. Next week the K-6 representatives will be charged with the responsibility of sharing with their homerooms the progress of the Constitutional Congress as they generate contributions and thoughts from their homeroom classmates. I look forward to updating you further on this admirable and essential work being done by our student body. I hope you enjoy the weekend.


Respectfully,
Dr. Megan Farrell

GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM: Bella Arias, Riley Yuhas, Sasha Lakis, Victoria Searle, Nicole deBettencourt, Becket Wadleigh, Kat OBrien, Jada Randolph, Ciara Hoyt, Anya Dwane, Klara Reimann, Hope Bettencourt,  Grace O'Malley,  Aaliyah Burney, Leah Hairston, Samantha Seidel-Aldrich-Moodie, Kaya Seiman

BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM: Jared Regan, Jeremy Regan, Aiden Araujo, Ben Peters, Skylar Hall, Andrew Marchand, Miles McNeely, Josh Billings, Josh Sampaio, Zach Smith, Marcellus Rubio, Kamel Timmons, Frank Cray, Lucas Reis, Trip Hopkins. Liam Dawley, Jake Cleland, Charlie Lakis and Cayo Almeida.

Dear Oak Bluffs Families,

  I hope everyone is faring the cold and preparing for the snow. During this time of year it is important to be aware of snow delays/cancellations. OB families will be alerted of any cancellations or delays via a "rob-o-call" (an automated phone call), through television newscast alerts, and through radio transmission. Due to the cold weather, students are coming in the morning and leaving at the end of the day rather quickly to avoid the cold. Please be mindful and extra cautious while picking up your child in front of the building as many children are rushing to cross the parking lot. Thank you for your cooperation with this important safety matter.

    During community meeting this morning we were able to recognize and share the wonderful writings of the students in Jen Robinson's second grade classroom. They presented an opinion piece that centered around the best type of vacation. It was so exciting to witness these young writers share and defend their thoughts. The community meeting was led by members of the Student Council.  

     Student Council leaders are certainly taking initiative in building our community. They will be leading our new Constitutional Convention that will begin meeting next week. The charge of the Constitutional Convention will be to develop our Oak Bluffs School core values that reflect the Responsive Classroom philosophy, which is our foundation. These values will include habits of goodness, habits of kindness, and citizenship. The Student Council will be joined by two representatives from each homeroom, kindergarten though sixth grade. On Tuesday January 26th, the Constitutional Convention will have their first meeting. During this meeting the Student Council will read picture books to the K-6 representatives. The themes of these picture books revolve around topics related to cooperation, empathy, responsibility, caring, kindness, and honesty. Once these books are read to the younger students, the Student Council members will engage them in conversation in an attempt to generate meaningful connections to the themes presented in the picture books. This conversation will help students to articulate what habits of goodness, kindness, and citizenship we value as a school community. The Constitutional Convention will continue to meet throughout the month of February working towards establishing our Oak Bluffs School Community Constitution.  

    We are all excited about this process of continuing our work on developing and furthering our foundational philosophy. The fact that this process is being lead by students and is involving so many students, kindergarten through 8th grade, makes this a wonderful and powerful experience for all. This is what truly makes our school special and reminds us daily that we are proud to be from OB.

I look forward to keeping you abreast of the progress our Convention is making. The students are so excited to be part of this process. I am truly proud of their engagement and enthusiasm. I hope you have a peaceful weekend, travel safely.

Respectfully,
Dr. Megan Farrell 

At today's Community Meeting, Mrs. Robinson's 2nd grade classroom presented their thoughts and persuasive  arguments on vacation: warm weather vacation, cold weather vacation or staycation!

Dear Oak Bluffs Family,
    It has been a wonderful week at the Oak Bluffs School.  I'm still amazed at how our community pursues individual and collective excellence through busy times.  As the days progress and I'm able to visit classrooms daily, I'm in awe by our amazing, dedicated teachers and staff. I am also inspired by our student's engagement and polite manners towards each other and faculty. This is truly a reflection of the strong community at Oak Bluffs School and our dedication to the Responsive Classroom philosophy.  
    This dedication was evident when I witnessed our student council members lead our community meeting this morning.  Young leaders from Ms. Bausman's class reminded us how important it is to honor Dr. Martin Luther King's vision and stand up for social concerns. It was inspiring to witness young student's personal understanding and devotion to social justice issues. This was also echoed when we recognized the entire third grade for their efforts to support the Red Stocking Fund over the holiday season.  
    Witnessing a community meeting led by students and recognizing the efforts of students who are interested and committed to habits of goodness and building a strong community is truly what the Oak Bluffs School community is about.  I'm excited to move toward this type of meeting as I gather input from the students in order to make these meetings our own.
    I would like to thank all of you for completing the survey that was sent out last week. It is helping me learn about your vision for our school as we work towards nurturing and continuing to build a strong community of support with its  dedication to societal and community concerns, as well as educational excellence.

Enjoy the long weekend!
Respectfully,
Dr. Megan Farrell

Artwork by Ms. Bausman's Third Grade