Oak Grove News

A Message From Mr. Murray
Congratulations!
Recently we found out that Oak Grove had multiple students who achieved a perfect score on their 2022 IAR test! We want to celebrate this achievement and say well done to the following students; Johana Alam - 3rd Gr ELA, Aiden Trout - 3rd Gr Math, Abdullah Mahmood - 6th Gr Math, Carter Schlitt - 6th Gr Math, Hamza Alsawaf - 7th Gr Math, Shriteja Patil - 8th Gr ELA, Shubh Varshney- 8th Gr ELA & 8th Gr Math, Eli Cui - 8th Gr Math, Aryaman Hati - 8th Gr Math, Imose Osayimwen - 8th Gr Math

Expectations Reminders 
Last week, Mr. Murray reviewed the school-wide expectations to every grade level for 15 minutes during their PE time. HERE is the slide deck of the presentation. 

New Clubs - Looking for participants
Board Games Club Grades 5-8
We are getting close to starting our Board Games Club for the year.  Are you going to join in the fun? We will meet on Tuesdays from January 24- March 14 from 3:25- 4:15.  Any interested student needs to complete a registration form.  If you would like to join, please complete this Google Form for your student (one for each sibling if more than one student will be participating).  Once registered, you will receive an email with details ahead of our initial meeting on January 24.  Feel free to email Ms. Douglass with any questions at douglass@ogschool.org . Register here using this link:  https://forms.gle/F85EzkhkL4RMGrRY7

BeWell Co-Ed Fitness Opportunity for 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Students is located in the virtual backpack. The series begins this Friday, January 13th, 2023, 3:30-4:30pm in the Pat Patt Gym. Click HERE to sign up, and for any questions please email ben@bewellfitness.com.

Code Ninjas - 2nd through 8th grade
If you are interested in coding then please click HERE and go to slide 21 and sign up! Please note that there will be a cap for the club so sign up early!

Art Club - 2nd and 3rd Grade
If you love art and are looking for a wonderful opportunity to practice your skills with Ms. Spector then please click HERE and go to slide 4 to sign up! Please note that there will be a cap for the club so sign up early!

Information for Camp Galileo
Innovation, Friendship and Fun is also located in the virtual backpack. Enroll during Early Bird registration and save $50 per week! www.galileo-camps.com

Important Dates
JANUARY
1/17: COW @6PM & BOE Meeting @ 7:15PM
1/18: 8th Grade Musical Parent meeting JH Cafe 7PM - 8PM
1/19: Spelling Bee - 6PM
1/20: SIP Early Release Day 11:30AM
1/25: 8th grade musical rehearsals 3:30 - 5:30PM
1/27: 8th grade musical rehearsals 3:30 - 5:30PM
1/30: 8th grade musical rehearsals 3:30 - 5:30PM
1/31: Junior High Book Fair

Dismissal Reminders
We have received complaints of cars parked on Lexington Avenue during afternoon dismisal. Please remember that this is no parking zone.  Parents should not be waiting on Lexington Avenue to pick up their student(s).  If you need to pick up your student(s), please use the Drive Line. If you need to review the Drive Line process please click here.

Reminders for Morning Carline
Please have students ready to exit your car prior to entering morning drive line.  If you feel the need to help your child out of the car at morning drop off, please pull all the way to the end of the line to avoid disruptions in the flow of the line.  We have also had a number of close calls due to "line jumping".  Please remember that we have both students and staff members in the parking lot during drop off and pick up.  For everyone's safety, it is important that you reamain in your spot during drive line, and do not try to drive around or skip the car in front of you.  

 Lost and Found
"Lost & Found" has grown considerably over the first 5 months of school!  We will be placing the Elem. & J.H. Lost & Found out front (Weather Permitting) by the main office for you to look through before we donate it. It will be kept out for this week 1.16.23 & next week 1.23.23. Please make every effort to come by and check for anything that belongs to your student(s).  All items will be donated on at the end of the day on Friday, January 27th.  Happy Hunting & Thank you for your help!! 

Curriculum Corner

Winter Diagnostic Testing

The winter iReady assessments were completed last week and students who were absent will be taking their assessment this week. This assessment information is used to identify students’ strengths and areas of growth and to determine what instructional strategies are necessary to meet their needs in both math and reading. Student reports will be sent home via email on Friday, January 27th.

Illinois Science Assessment

If you have a current sixth grade student or freshman, the test results for the Illinois Science Assessment that were taken in the spring of 2022 will be sent home to families in the next two weeks. Please reach out if you have any questions in regards to the assessment. This is a state mandated assessment that students in grades 5 and 8 take each school year.

Talk Tuesday

The next Talk Tuesday will be on Tuesday, February 7th from 6:00-8:00pm in the PD room with Biz Lindsay-Ryan, an expert consultant on diversity, equity and inclusion. She believes that we need to prepare our children to be healthy and effective communicators and that requires them to be able to navigate race and difference in the world around them. This session will ground parents’ experiences in research and begin a productive dialogue giving tools to parents that will benefit the entire family. We look forward to inviting our Oak Grove parents to this unique opportunity!

PTO News
Frontier Soups Fundraiser
We are excited to partner with a local company to offer a fundraiser that provides delicious and nutritious meals to you as well as a generous profit back to the PTO! Both the “Homemade in Minutes” and “Hearty Meals” soup mixes are all natural with no added sodium, preservatives, or MSG. There are 18 soup options as well as cornbread and taco dip mix options too. Your student(s) will bring home a product catalog this week that includes product details and additional ingredient/allergen information is available here.

Order online HERE between Monday, January 9th and Wednesday, January 25th. Within 24 hours of your order submission you will be contacted via text to coordinate payment. Unpaid orders prior to January 25th will not be submitted. Orders will be delivered to your doorstep the weekend of February 4th by a PTO volunteer If you have questions about this fundraiser, ordering or payment please contact Erin Liebgott.

Tickets Now on Sale - Girl & Guest Dance
Please join us for the OGS Girl & Guest Dance on Saturday, February 4th! We are so excited for our girls to break out those beautiful outfits and have fun with their adult guests and friends! We'll have a photo booth, raffle prizes, music/dancing, and cupcakes/light snacks. Tickets are on sale now through January 27th on the PTO website. Check out the flier in the Virtual Backpack for more details. We can't wait to see you all there!

Attention All 5th-8th Graders
Anderson’s Bookfair Co. is coming to Oak Grove Junior High Library! January 31st through February 2 all 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th graders will attend the fair with their ELA classes. Click here for the schedule and ask your student when they have ELA. Click HERE to volunteer for this event.  Cash, credit, & ApplePay will be accepted.  If you would like to view some of the books in advance, they can be found here. Any questions? Please contact Melissa Sallmann or Lynsey Wolfe.

2023 Lunch Volunteers Needed
The lunch volunteer sign up sheets have been updated through the end of the school year. We need your help to make lunch distribution run like clockwork. Your student(s) would love to see you on their birthday or any day, so please join us in 2023! Sign-up forms are linked here: Elementary Lunch Volunteering AND Junior High Lunch Volunteering
 

MATHCOUNTS Club Grades 7-8
Attention Math Club members! Our first meeting is coming up next week. We will meet on Tuesdays from January 24 to May 9 from 3:25 - 4:25. During our time together, we will help you work on your speed, accuracy, problem solving, reasoning, and collaboration skills in math. If you would like to join but missed the initial sign-up in the fall, please email Mrs. Oesch at oesch.megan@ogschool.org
Our first meeting will be held in Mr. Walsh’s room 116. See you there! 

Eighth Grade 2023 Graduation Dance Meeting. 
Tuesday, Feb 7, 2023 @ 9:00am
Please join us in the JH Cafeteria to discuss the planning process.
RSVP Kathy Azzato azzato@ogschool.org 

SEL and Mental Health Minute
This month our students and staff are focusing on Emotion Management. In Kindergarten through Fifth grade we learn about the parts of the brain and what their roles are. During the month of December all students learned at least 26 different types of breaths as we read Alphabreaths!

Some of the vocabulary words we use in our emotion management unit include cortex, amygdala, upper brain, lower brain, or a phrase “flipping a lid.” The cortex is the thinking part of our brain that tells us to walk away or take a breath. The amygdala is the part of the brain that reacts. When the cortex is lifted (we’re overly excited, stressed, upset, angry, etc.) our amygdala escapes like a tornado sometimes hurting without thinking. We slam a door, scream at our children, children hit or yell at their siblings.  There are many things that can cause us to get into the red zone. Students practiced and continue to practice a variety of ways to calm down including breathing.  

Last year during a training program Lori Sandler (school psychologist) and myself were introduced to a tool that could help students reach personal coherence. With personal coherence we focus on connecting our heart to our breathing. As you breathe you also think of people that are kind to you, adventures that you enjoy or things you are grateful for.  

Practicing coherence creates balance and cooperation rather than competition and stress between our heart, mind and emotions. Lack of balance between our mental and emotional systems encourages much of our impatience and lack of resilience. 

Personal coherence increases deeper connections which creates more harmony and better outcomes in our interactions.The Oak Grove Foundation was beyond amazing in purchasing our school 6 devices that help students reach personal coherence. Next week in grades 3-5 I plan to show students how to use the tool and practice with them. I have practiced with my own children and it’s a wonderful way for students to see that it TAKES TIME and more than 1 deep breath to regulate your emotions. While it is okay to be angry, mad or upset it is important to continue practicing steps to calm down, Stop, Name Your Feeling, Calm Down. It is also important to find time to get to the green zone each day. This is one tool that helps students actually see that they have reached coherence.

*Please watch the video in the link for more information on Personal Coherence
*Watch this video to watch me demonstrate how it works! EmWave2 Demonstration

Northwestern Youth Camps
Situated on campus at Northwestern University, this 4-day camp is a great way for young players to spend some time having fun while playing soccer in a positive environment. Each day will center around a soccer-theme (dribbling, passing, etc) and will include numerous, fun exercises and games designed to challenge each individual player. These sessions are appropriate for boys and girls from all levels of the sport. The camps are run by a staff with many years of camp experience, motivated by a desire to inspire and coach youth players! In addition, players from both the men's and women's soccer programs will serve as counselors who are fantastic role models for our campers!  Please see the flyer in the virtual backpack for more information.