Welcome Back, Greyhounds!
Welcome Back, Greyhounds!
Welcome Back, Greyhounds!
We are so thrilled to have our students back in school on August 4th! We hope everyone has had a safe and relaxing summer and is looking forward to another great school year of fun-filled learning! We have plenty of exciting improvements being made behind the scenes at OSSD, and we wanted to take a moment to highlight a few changes coming this school year.
“Together, we SOAR!” A new school year means a new theme and hashtag, and this year, we are preparing our Greyhounds to take off and soar together! Tag us in your back-to-school photos on social media using “#OSSoars.”
Returning this year is our Back to School Community Pep Rally on August 19th at Greyhound Stadium. The community will have an opportunity to listen to The Blue-Grey Pride Band, take pictures with Speedy & Sparkle, visit with school administrators, and check out vendor booths.
COVID-19 Protocols
The Ocean Springs School District will return to school on August 4th, 2021 in a traditional format. We will adapt and modify our COVID-19 protocols as necessitated by state requirements, and these changes will be communicated via email and on our Health Alerts Portal. We encourage you to check our full list of updated COVID-19 protocols by visiting our Health Alerts Portal on our website at ossdms.org/healthalerts.
OSSD Parent University & Schoology
OSSD is proud to introduce our Parent University! The Parent University is a place where parents and guardians can learn more about the tools and skills their children use each day at school, digital citizenship, academic processes, and more!
It is our hope and goal that through this program, parents and guardians will be equipped with the knowledge to assist their children with academic tasks. Our first events will be on August 2nd & 3rd and will cover SchoolMessenger and Schoology. Interested parents can sign up for these sessions here.
In an effort to move towards accomplishing our district goals, we’ve decided to partner with Schoology (pronounced “Skoo-luh-jee”) to provide our online learning management system. Schoology will allow our district to take the next steps in 21st-century education. In the coming weeks, all students and parents will have access to Schoology and you will receive an access code with your student’s schedule that will allow you to join our Schoology community.
As a parent in Schoology, you will have access to the following:
- The classes your child is enrolled in
- Your child’s assignments and all digital work
- School and class announcements
Soon, you will receive a letter for each of your children that will contain an Access Code for setting up your account. Once you receive the letter, read the “Sign up for a Parent Account in Schoology” Help Center article to see how easy it is to get started.
- If you are the parent of more than one child within the district, use one Access Code to create your account and then use the Add Child button located under the drop-down arrow next to your name to add additional children to your account."
For more information on Schoology, please visit the Parents Hub on our website, or navigate to ossdms.org/parentshub/schoologyparents.
New District & School Websites
OSSD is excited to introduce an all-new redesigned website at ossdms.org. Our new district & school websites allow us to do much more with our online footprint and will provide a much more user-friendly experience for our students, parents, and employees. We encourage you to take a moment to explore the new website. There, you can find supply lists, meet the teacher schedules, the latest OSSD news, and much more!
Child Nutrition
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the USDA approved the Seamless Summer Option program, which provides free meals to all children during the summer and will now be extended throughout the upcoming school year. This means that all students are to eat free for the 2021-2022 school year.
While applications for free meals are not required, OSSD Child Nutrition encourages all parents to still fill out an online free or reduced meal applications, as these are updated yearly and assist OSSD in qualifying for funding to support our student programs. You can find an application here. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Christopher LeBatard, Director of Child Nutrition, at (228) 875-5847.
Another new feature coming to the high school is our new Last-Chance Breakfast Station. Child Nutrition will have a station outside of the OSHS auditorium breezeway for students to grab a to-go breakfast as they head to class. This new feature will be available in the coming weeks, and will be open 8:20 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Child Nutrition will also be providing free lunches to any interested Greyhound Virtual Academy students throughout the school year. If you are interested in enrolling in this program, please contact Mr. LeBatard at clebatard@ossdms.org, or call (228) 875-5847.
Severe Weather Protocol
We are very fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful places in America, but it does come with distinct weather challenges. As a district, we understand that our decision to open or close schools based on the threat of bad weather has an impact on our families and on our staff members. We have a developed Severe Weather Protocol that we use to guide us through threats of severe weather as we determine the necessary steps to provide a safe learning environment. The full plan can be found on our Severe Weather Center page or by visiting ossdms.org/severeweather.
We hope everyone is as excited for the return of school as we are, and we look forward to soaring through another successful year!