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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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 – 3:00 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
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