O'Maley Family Focus

Hello O'Maley Families!

Happy Memorial Day weekend! There will be no classes on Monday due to the holiday, and our weekly overview will be sent bright and early Tuesday at 8:00 am to start the week.

8th Grade students, if you have not yet ordered a t-shirt, PLEASE GET YOUR ORDER IN BY TUESDAY, MAY 26TH. PTO needs to place the order to ensure that they are ready for the end of school June 17th. Remember, there is no cost to you. PTO will be funding the cost.

Link here to order a t-shirt.

Please view O'Maley news Edition #2 below. Mr. Sousa is doing an amazing job hosting, and there are quite a few entertaining guest spots. Students, please join the newscast next week by submitting a video, photo or story to your guidance counselor.

Parenting in a Pandemic: Sponsored by Gloucester Education Foundation, the second part of the two-part series will be held Thursday, May 28th beginning at 7:00 p.m. The panel, including our own O'Maley School Psychologist, Ms. Rebecca Wetter, is fabulous. You do not have to have attended the first session to benefit from second. See the full description below, or simply link here to access on Zoom. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89256526498

Once again, we are STILL planning for the end of the year! Celebration for 8th grade, closure for all grades, and return of student belongings for everyone. I appreciate your patience as you continue to wait for information.

If you are headed to the beach this weekend to enjoy some sun and swimming, please stay safe and remember to practice social distancing!

Have a great weekend!

Principal Lynne Beattie

Creating Stability in The Midst Of Uncertainty

A Gloucester Education Foundation Virtual Event
May 21 & May 28, 2020
7:00 pm

Guest Speakers:
Rebecca Wetter, School Psychologist, O'Maley Innovation Middle School
Dr. Brian Orr, MD, Brian Orr Pediatrics
Dr. Mark Konecky, Phd (May 28th event only)

Moderated by:
Aria McElhenny, Executive Director, Gloucester Education Foundation, and
John Sarrouf Co-Executive Director and Director of Program Development, Essential Partners

To access this event, please click on this link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89256526498

Balancing work, children, remote learning, and family life in the midst of a pandemic is challenging new territory for all of us. With so much information out there it’s hard to know what to prioritize and how to cut through the clutter.

Join us for a two-part interactive series to discuss how the change in our daily lives is affecting our children. Our experts will answer your questions and provide ideas and solutions for how parents can maintain a sense of calm for our kids during an uncertain and anxiety-producing time.
Topics will include:

• How do we keep our kids mentally healthy during this time of uncertainty?

• Dealing with disappointment and grief- how to help kids mourn the losses that they are experiencing.

• How to safely fulfill our kids needs to be social.

• Spotting the warning signs of anxiety and depression.

More on our Guest Speakers:

Brian Orr is a Gloucester Pediatrician. He has authored two parenting books and written many parenting articles for local papers. His work extends beyond his practice to local nonprofits and international care systems for children. -He continues to advise Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos which operates homes for children in 9 countries in Latin America. In free time, he loves to do artwork and storytelling. https://brianorrpeds.com/

Rebecca Wetter is the school psychologist at the O’Maley Innovation Middle School in Gloucester, Ma. She has served the students and families of Gloucester since receiving her Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study from Tufts University in 1998. In her twenty years at O’Maley, she has passionately enjoyed working in dual roles as a member of both the Special Education and Student Services Teams. In recent years, her focus has been in the incorporation of mindfulness and trauma informed teaching practices to the classroom.

Dr. Mark Konecky is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst in private practice in Gloucester. He has advanced training in cognitive behavioral treatment and specializes in treating anxiety and depression for adults and families and has clinical specializations in child and adolescent therapy. He has a website on Psychologytoday.com.

Register Here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/parenting-during-a-pandemic-tickets-105591021588?aff=efbeventtix

As you may recall, I communicated a few weeks ago that during Term 4 students will be graded Credit or No Credit. Notation of earned credit on assignments is posted on SchoolBrains, and teachers are providing regular feedback to students on work they might be missing and how to be sure they will earn credit for the term.They are also sending out Shout-outs to those students who are rocking remote learning, and there are many despite the challenges! If you have questions about academic standing, be sure to check SchoolBrains for information, or please contact the classroom teacher or guidance counselor for the grade.

For most students, year-end grades will be determined from the average of Terms 1-3 grades provided credit is earned for Term 4. The distinctions of High honors, honors, and honorable mention will not be made for Term 4. In the case of students who have not completed work during Term 4, situations will be handled on an individual basis.

We would like students to be able to access online books from Sawyer Public Library and Overdrive. In order to do so, we will be providing the library with student names and school email addresses.

At the start of the school year, all families were sent information on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). It included a disclosure of the types of information GPS might share with outside organizations; examples were listed. While the list of examples is not exclusive, the Sawyer Free Public Library is not listed, so I would like to take this opportunity to request that if you do not want your student's name and school email address to be shared with Sawyer Free Library for the purpose of setting up a library e-card, please email me at lbeattie@gloucesterschools.com before Tuesday, May 12th.

In case you want to refresh your memory on the FERPA disclosure, a link to the letter is here:

GPS FERPA Letter 2019-2020

• Use the Chrome web browser so that you have access to necessary extensions and apps.
• Not sure how to link to Google Meets for your Class? See Ms. Crosby's video how-to.
• Too many emails? Create labels in GMail to keep them organized. Link to Ms. Pinta's Video and Skills Sheet on how to create labels in your GMail inbox.
• OR, if the email overload is from Google Classroom you can turn off those notifications. Just be sure to check Classroom daily for information and assignments. See Ms. Hand's video to learn how to turn off email notifications for Classroom.
• Use Google Keep to organize yourself. See Ms. Beattie's video.
• Use your phone to help you stay on schedule: Set alarms or reminders for the start of each class or a few minutes before so you don't lose track of time.
• Create a customized schedule for yourself! Make a Copy of the student schedule template and fill in your subjects and teachers.

We have officially launched our virtual after school program!

Here is how it will work: No sign-up needed! Students access the enrichment activities through a Google Classroom page, and complete enrichment at their leisure. The goal is to stay connected and engaged with our community and have fun! As we move through the spring we will hold some Zoom or Google Hangouts video sessions, but they are not required.

Students who would like to participate in a Virtual Spring Session should can join the Classroom using the class code below. There will be 3 different virtual options, they can choose one or more to participate in!

Option 1- O'Maley Academy Virtual Drama Club

What to expect: Activities involving acting skills, dancing, and singing. ALL are welcome!

Class Code: xqt3kfl

Teacher: Ms. Lauren Horne

Option 2- O'Maley Academy Virtual Capture, Compose, Create

What to Expect: Activities that involve writing, expressing yourself using creative and visual arts, creativity is welcome!

Class Code: l5hhfq2

Teacher: Ms. Theresa Dannaher

Option 3 - O'Maley Academy Virtual Sports and Recreation

What to Expect: Activities to get you up and moving! Students with all levels of sports experience are welcome!

Class Code: z5xkqnk

Teacher: Ms. Hannah Dupre

Feel free to reach out to Allison Alves at aalves@glouesterschools.com with questions.

Locations and Times:

• The Heights/Pond View.

  Meals can be picked up at from the bus parked in the lower loop from 2:00 - 2:20.

• Beeman and Veterans' Elementary Schools - Drive-up Grab & Go will be available from 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm.
• Veterans' Way – Meal drop-off will be from 2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
• Willowood Gardens – Meal drop-off will be from 3:15 pm to 3:45 pm.

The Student and Staff Compilation is a collection of creative contributions, a sharing of what we are all doing while we are out of school and an opportunity to connect. If you want to add your own slide, create a Google Slide in your school account, and email it to Ms. Beattie.

Email: lbeattie@gloucesterschools.com
Website: http://omaley.gloucesterschools.com
Location: 32 Cherry Street, Gloucester, MA, USA
Phone: 978-281-9850
Twitter: @omaleyprincipal

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