Dear OHS Families,

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend!  

We have today off to honor those who have served our country in the armed forces. I want to thank all veterans, and especially those veterans in our school community. We are very grateful for your service, your sacrifice and your bravery. You are much appreciated!

In case anyone missed it, Osborn Hill received quite an honor last week!  We were deemed a 2023-2024 School of Distinction by the Connecticut State Department of Education. The award is based on a set of twelve indicators related to preparing students for college, career and life. It is granted to schools who fall in the top 10% of individual indicators each year. It can be granted for “all students,” or for a subgroup, such as “high needs students.” It can also be granted for “high performance” or “high growth.” Osborn Hill actually received the award in multiple categories: We were recognized for “all students” earning high performance and high growth in both ELA and math, and our “high needs students” earned the award for high growth in both ELA and math. Kudos to the entire staff and the students last year for their wonderful achievement!

Not resting on our laurels, the hard work continued last week to improve our craft: Classroom teachers engaged in high-quality professional development on Election Day focused on reading instruction, while specialists learned alongside their colleagues in each of their respective departments. In addition, our classroom teachers had a very useful coaching session with an HMH literacy coach on Thursday, November 7th. Ongoing professional learning keeps our staff up-to-date on current teaching practices so we can continue to best meet the needs of all our students. 

We also finished up fall conferences last week. Communication between the school and home is vital to student success. Formal conferences are important, but communication should be ongoing. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns, or if you have information to share that will help us educate your child.

Have a wonderful week! Take care.

Sean F. Smyth, Principal

Otters helping others! The Turkey Trot Food Drive runs through November 21st and culminates with the Turkey Trot - a fun run around the building during school on November 26. 

Please consider bringing in non-perishable goods to be donated to Operation Hope. Last year they were blown away by our support. Donations can be brought right to your child’s classroom. The classroom with the most items collected will receive a prize! 4FL is currently in the lead, but it's still anyone's game!

Also, if you have any spare cardboard boxes (think small moving box size) please drop them in the office. Below are a list of items requested by Operation Hope: 

Any of these sweatshirts look familiar? The OHS lost and found table outside of the office is full of unlabeled items. If you recognize an item, please have your child pick it up. Any unclaimed items will be donated by Friday, November 15.

Need labels? Buying from Name Bubbles supports the PTA

Mrs. Budlowski searches each item for a label to return them to their rightful owners. Help her out by labeling your child's clothes and water bottles.  Need some labels? Order Name Bubbles washable labels through the link below and a portion of the proceeds will go to the PTA.

Order Name Bubbles labels here