**Weekly Flash**

September 29, 2025

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:

Mark Your Calendars: September / October Important Dates
*NEW* Link to Sync the OHS Calendar to your phone!
A Note from Principal Smyth
ASA Registration Opens TONIGHT
Want to Participate in ASA? Join the PTA Today!
Picture Day Retake Details
Harvest Jam Raffle Prizes are Live - Buy Online Now! Two Grand Prizes This Year!
Purchase Your Harvest Jam Tickets
Bricks & Minifigs OHS Fundraiser! Any questions reach out toAli Galperin.
OHS Celebrates Culture
OHS Takes the Pink Pledge
Variety Show - Important Dates & Reminders

September

September 29 - Harvest Jam Raffle Tickets On Sale Online

September 29 - After School Activities Registration Opens

September 30th - Author Visit: Andrew Ginsburg Grades K-2

October

October 1 - Bricks & Minifigs School Spirit Month Fundraiser Begins

October 2 - OFF, Yom Kippur

October 9 - PTA Meeting 7:00PM in APR

October 10 - Pink Day – Donate $1 to wear Pink

October 13 - After School Activities Session 1 Begins

October 14-16 - Book Fair

October 15 - Early Dismissal, Conferences

October 16 - Raffle Tickets Online Sales End

October 17 - 2025 Harvest Jam and Raffle

October 21 - Early Dismissal, Conferences

October 23 - Early Dismissal, Conferences

October 24 - Spirit Day

October 29 - Picture Day Retakes

October 31 - Halloween Parades

PTA MEMBERS CAN NOW SYNC OHS CALENDAR DATES TO THEIR PHONES WITH A CLICK OF A BUTTON!

Click this LINK on your phone - Select SUBSCRIBE -

When your calendar app opens hit SUBSCRIBE again - Then Click ADD - DONE!

*This will only work if you are enrolled in the PTA*

Dear OHS Families,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

We shared some exciting news with the students this past Friday…they reached their first milestone by earning 100 Classroom Otters!! Their reward for reaching that milestone will be a Whole-School Dance Party on Friday at 2:00 PM. I am super proud of the classes for doing such a great job following expectations, and for working as a class and school team to achieve a goal! We look forward to celebrating with the kids.

Leading up to Friday, we have a few events this week: On Tuesday at 2:15 PM, we have an author visit by Andrew Ginsberg for grades K-2. On Wednesday, grades 4 and 5 have a Fire Safety Assembly at 2:15 PM. Please also remember we all have Thursday off for Yom Kippur.

I want to update you regarding our facilities work: The office wall and door were completed this past Tuesday, and the wall connecting the vestibule to the hallway was framed out. The plan is to complete that wall and the doors from the vestibule to the hallway this Thursday, when the students are off for Yom Kippur. In addition, the HVAC contractors continue to regulate the AC units so that we will have more consistent temperatures throughout the building, and they are completing a “punch list,” fixing things that got disturbed during construction. I also expect our trees around the K Playground to be replaced shortly, but I learned the shade structure planned for the K playground will likely not be installed until the start of spring. I continue to work with a number of partners to improve our facility. I think we are making good progress and have made some nice improvements, but I view this as a long-range plan, and there is a lot more I want to accomplish. Thank you for your patience as we work to create a safe and pleasant environment in which to learn and play.

I hope everyone has a terrific week ahead! Take care.

Sean F. Smyth, Principal

Registration Opens TONIGHT!

For registration to run smoothly, please make sure you follow these steps:

1. Update your child’s grade information in their PTA profile before registration opens on Monday. This is essential since many ASA classes are grade-specific with limited spots. If the grade isn’t correct ahead of time, you may not be able to register, and classes can sell out quickly. Please take a minute now to check your child's information on the PTA website (Membership Toolkit) and ensure it is up to date.

2. Make sure you have previewed and planned out which class you’d like to sign up for during phase one. You may only sign up for ONE class during the first wave. There are no changes/refunds once registered, so please triple-check before committing. Here are our FALL ASA OFFERINGS

3. The link to register can be found under My Account >Forms & Paperwork in Membership Toolkit.

4. Registration will begin at 8pm and remain open through Wednesday at 12pm. A second round of registration will run from Friday, October 3rd at 12pm through Saturday, October 4th at 8pm. At that time, you can register for as many classes as you’d like.

5. Please remember to be kind and patient. We are all volunteers trying our best for our kids.

Thanks,

Katie & Courtney

The After-School Activities Team

PTA Registration is Still OPEN

You must be a member to participate in... After School Activities

How to Join

Go to www.ohspta.com and click “Register/Login.” Sign in with your information, or, if you haven’t yet signed up for a Membership Toolkit account, create a new account.
Click "Join PTA" on the OHS PTA homepage and follow the three steps listed:Add a PTA membership to your cart, click "Save and continue." Note: When purchasing a PTA membership, you’ll be asked to select one parent’s name. Don’t worry – your membership covers the entire family.
Update your family's directory information and **change your child(ren)'s teacher for the new school year**
Fill out a waiver for each child
Proceed to checkout!

Note: Membership must be renewed each school year. Only 1 membership is necessary per family!

Questions? Please contact Vicky Siewert

Picture Day Retakes

School portraits were sent home with your child last week. Not thrilled with your school photo? Don't worry - Picture Retake Day is on Wednesday, October 29. All you need to do is bring in your undamaged portrait package for the photographer (you can keep the class photo). If you have any specific instructions for the photographer, write them down so they show through the envelope window. Retake photos should be available 3-5 weeks after they are taken.

Questions? Contact Coffee Pond

Harvest Jam Raffle Prizes!

Online ticket sales are live HERE now through Thursday, October 16th. We have over 115 prizes up for grabs including 2 GRAND PRIZES! Thank you to all our donors, including OHS Families and Faculty!

The raffle will open live for ticket purchasing, in the gym, at dismissal on Friday, October 17th (3:30pm), and close at 6:30 pm. You do not need to be present to win!

Reach out to Ali Galperin & Eileen Ainsworth with any ideas or questions.

2026 GRAND PRIZES

2 Night Stay at The Rosewood Bermuda Resort (Ocean View King Room with breakfast included) and a $250 Visa Gift Card to use towards airline tickets
2025 Jingle Ball Tickets

OTHER PRIZES

New Beauty Wellness Signature Massage
FS8 Pilates Class Pack and Swag Bag
Barcelona Dinner for 2 Gift Certificate
Lottery Ticket Bouquet
Front Row Tickets to the 2026 OHS Variety Show
Front Row Tickets to 5th Grade Graduation
Aquila's Nest Winery Igloo Sphere Experience
Downtown Cabaret Theatre $50 Gift Certificates (2 Winners)
AirPods 4 Wireless Earbud
Triple Double - Free 8-week Skills Session
GCA Ninja, Cheerleading, Parkour - $150 Gift Card

Buy your tickets to the Harvest Jam!

Tickets are on sale, so click here to get yours on the OHS website!. You’ll find lots of helpful information on the site, like what’s included in your $12 ticket, what fun add-ons will be available, and what food options you’ll find at the event. Remember, this is OHS’s BIGGEST FUNDRAISER of the year, so please support our fabulous school!

Harvest Jam FAQs

Q: Do I need a ticket for myself? Or just my kids?

A: Yes! Everyone over the age of 2 will need a ticket to attend, even adults.

Q: What if I can’t stay the whole time, or my kid will be super late because of sports?

A: There’s something for everyone, no matter when you’re there! If you can’t stay for the movie, enjoy lots of free and ticketed activities before the sun goes down. If your child has a game and isn’t free until later, you can still catch the movie and concessions!

Q: What exactly is the timeline of events?

A: So glad you asked!

4:30-6:15pm: All games, face painting, raffle and cake walk are available
5pm: Pizza is delivered - buy by the slice or pick up your pre-ordered pizza
5-6pm: Dance party (led by Double Up Dance)
5-7pm: UrbanTaqo food truck will be on-site
6:30pm: Movie will start
7:30pm: Raffle will announce biggest prizes

Q: How can I pay for things at the Harvest Jam?

A: JamBucks will be the primary method of payment to keep things moving quickly. You can use JamBucks to use the inflatable games, participate in the Cake Walk, get your face painted, buy pizza, drinks and snacks, as well as enter to win the VIP seating for the movie. If you need to buy tickets at the door, buy more JamBucks, or buy a custom OHS blanket, we will accept cash or credit card. The food truck will accept cash, credit card or Venmo.

Calling all Volunteers!

We’d love your help to make sure this event is a huge success. Sign up for a time slot - even one hour of your time will be a giant help! We are beyond thankful for the Fairfield University tennis team for stepping in and helping with a ton of slots, but we still need parent help, so check out what else is needed.

Thank you to our sponsors!

A special shout out to our amazing sponsors: O’Dell Group, Children’s Art Classes CAC, Blue+Berries, Smile Ark Pediatric Dentistry, UrbanTaqo, and Shoshana Snyder. Please show some love to these amazing local businesses!

Questions? Email the Harvest Jam committee (Carolyn Wagenseller, Kristen Dufour, Christine Rollo and Tina Cerbone) at ohsharvestjam@gmail.com.

A Sweet New Year for the Jewish Community

Hi. My name is Juliette Dunne and I’m in 5^th grade at OHS. My family is Jewish and celebrates Rosh Hashanah. This is a fun holiday to celebrate the Jewish New Year. There is a different calendar, which is why we have a different new year then some others in Fairfield. We eat a round Challah, which is a delicious bread, because it shows that life never ends, just like a circle! We also dip it in honey to bring in a sweet New Year. We dress the Torah in white to, you guessed it, represent a fresh start and a new year. I hope you enjoyed learning about Rosh Hashanah and find a fun way to celebrate with your family.

Osborn Hill Takes the Pink Pledge

OHS, get ready to think pink! October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On Friday, October 10th, OHS will celebrate Pink Day to promote awareness and to raise funds for the Norma Pfriem Breast Center. Students can bring in $1 that day to wear pink!

In the meantime, if you'd like to contribute to the Pink Pledge, please click HERE to donate.

Variety Show Updates

Registration

All acts, narrators, and stage crew applicants should now be registered.

Missed the deadline? Don’t worry—just email us at ohsvarietyshow2026@gmail.com and we’ll do our best to get you included.

Song Submission Opens October 3rd at 12:00pm

• Deadline: Sunday, December 8th

• First come, first served — if your song is already taken, you may need to move to a backup.

• Tip: Submit 1–2 backup choices with your request.

• Approval: If there’s a problem, you’ll hear from us by Monday, October 6th. No news = your song is approved.

To submit, just email your song request to ohsvarietyshow2026@gmail.com. Be sure to use this address—older links led to the wrong account, and one had a typo that bounced back emails.

Important Dates

Tuesday, November 5th - 7:30pm - Mandatory Zoom for all group leaders

- Every group must be represented (a parent can fill in if the leader cannot attend).

- Nothing due - just attend and take notes.

- Topics: upcoming deadlines, information needed from groups, dress rehearsal & show day procedures.

- If your group can’t be represented, please email us to arrange a private call.

Week of December 1st

- Tickets go on sale (details coming soon)

- All act information due (instructions will be shared at the Nov 5th Zoom)

Sunday, December 8th

- Final cut of music due

- Group photo due

- Group name due

Need Help? We’re here for you! Please reach out with any questions or roadblocks at ohsvarietyshow2026@gmail.com

Have news to share?

Email Melissa McGowan by 10am Friday to include in the following Monday’s OHS Weekly Flash.

SUBJECT: OHS Weekly Flash: Harvest Jam Raffle Ticket Sales Open Today | Afterschool Activities Registration Today