Oak Grove News

8th Grade Career Day

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend several sessions at our OGS Career Day with our 8th graders.  I would like to offer my appreciation to our staff and each parent/member of the community that took time out of their busy schedules to engage with our students around their career paths. Our students had the opportunity to learn from a professional sports coach, civil rights lawyer, children's book publisher/editor, physician, and data manager -- to name a few!

The experience of sitting in these presentations reminded me, again, that our local community is one of the greatest assets upon which we can build authentic learning for students. When our vision is to prepare students for college and careers or to engage students in a "real world" curriculum, there is no better way to do so than to collaborate with our parents and community in building those learning opportunities. 

We are committed to looking for additional ways we can harness the "intellectual capital" of our community in building authentic learning lessons students can readily transfer to the world beyond the classroom. 

Our community is a "lab" for student learning, when we continue to collaborate with our parents and countless corporations/organizations to teach our children. 

I look forward to our continued partnership,

Allison 
 

A Message From The Board of Education

Dear Families,
Over the last year, our Board and administration have received questions from our school community regarding the role of the Board of Education and how the Board governs through its monthly meetings. In an effort to continue transparency around Board operations, we would like to engage with our families in building a Frequently Asked Questions page on our website. 

We invite families to use this link to ask any questions our parents have regarding Board operations -- i.e., How is the Board able to interact with the public during meetings? What is the difference between Committee of the Whole Meetings and Regular Meetings? 

These are questions that have been asked of the Board in recent months and we would like to add to our list and share responses with all families in future OG Newsletters. 

We appreciate you taking the time to collaborate with us in this effort. 

Sincerely,

OGS Board of Education 

A Letter From OGSEF

Dear Parents and Guardians,
As President of the Oak Grove School Educational Foundation, I am pleased to announce the second of three seminars on mental health targeted for parents. This next seminar is part of our commitment to supporting the well-being of our students and families.

The second seminar will be held on Tuesday 3/14/23 from 6:30-7:30pm in the junior high cafeteria. We are thrilled to have Audrey Grunst, CEO of Simply Bee, as our guest speaker. Audrey is a widely known licensed counselor and therapist who has been working with children and families for many years.

The second seminar is titled “Communication using Validation.” In this seminar, Audrey will present scientific reasoning and helpful tips and tricks to communicate to children in a positive way. As parents, we all want to have a positive and healthy relationship with our children, but sometimes it can be challenging to communicate effectively. Audrey's presentation will provide practical strategies to help you communicate with your children in a positive and supportive manner.

We encourage all parents and guardians to attend. It promises to be an informative and engaging session that will equip you with the tools you need to support your children's mental health and well-being. We will record the session so if you can’t attend check our website after the event for the recording. We will also have no-cost childcare available.  

Thank you for your continued support of the Oak Grove School Educational Foundation. We look forward to seeing you at the seminar.

RSVP here  https://forms.gle/SXhSZJcg9iZNUYf5A

Sincerely,

Jeff Barry

President, Oak Grove School Educational Foundation

A Message From Mr. Murray
Congratulations Wrestling!
We have 7 wrestlers going to state! Well done team and best of luck to our 7 student athletes as they compete at state beginning on Friday, March 10.


Spring Conferences - Coffee/Treat Team
A big thank you to Mrs. Zurawski, Mrs. Yarc, and our student volunteers for their efforts during our March 2nd conferences. The team made sure that our community was caffeinated, hydrated, and/or fed throughout the evening.

Attention First Grade Families!
Open House - First Grade 
Save the date, and mark your calendars.  First Grade will be hosting an Open House and a Music Concert on Thursday, March 16, from 6:00 -7:00 pm Families are invited to start the evening in their child's classroom to view the cooperative Bear Expert posters on display and published Bear Expert books.  Then from 6:30-7:00 pm, families will be treated to a First Grade musical performance directed by Mr. Farris in the Patt Gym.  Fancy frocks and dapper duds are encouraged for this evening of First Grade Fun!  We hope to see you there.  

5 Essentials Survey - Reminder
This is a reminder to participate in the parent survey supplement, part of the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. A parent survey report will be generated only if at least 20 percent of parents respond to the survey. Currently, our response rate is 14%. While the parent data will not be made public, the parent report will be made available to our school administration. This will enable us to make adjustments based on the responses given by Oak Grove families. Your participation in the parent survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Again, your identity and individual survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child. The 5Essentials Survey window closes on March 31st.

For more information, click HERE, and for direct access to the link please click HERE. Thank you all for your input and support. 

Mental Health Minute
This month's topic is using our voice to be supportive and help others who are being excluded or treated unkindly. Skills that students are being taught through SEL lessons include: (1) assertiveness in a calm and respectful way, (2) how to use kind words to help another student, and (3) taking time to listen to someone else’s voice. When students use their voices to support another student, a more caring and empowered community will grow! For more additional resources, click HERE

Variety Show - Reminder 
The Variety Show sign ups are during lunch periods Monday, February 27 and February 28.  8th Grade emcee tryouts on February 28.  Wednesday, March 1, 8th grade emcee will be announced.  Tryouts for the Variety Show are Wednesday, March 15 and Thursday, March 16.

Important Dates
3/6:  Filmmaking Club, 3rd Grade Art Club
3/7:  K-2nd Yoga, 5th-8th Board Games Club, Code Ninjas, JH Choir
3/8:  5th Grade Art Club, 4th-8th Spanish Club Rm 102
3/9:  4th & 5th Grade Choir, Italian Club
3/10:  Winter 2 Celebration Parade  2:45 pm, Be Well Fitness, JH Art Club
3/11:  Solo Ensemble Event in Band Room 8:30 am - 1:30 pm; Son and 1 Glow Bowl 6-8 pm @Bowlero Vernon Hills
3/13:  2nd Grade Art Club, Filmmaking Club Rm 399, French Club Rm 101
3/13:  5th Grade Candor Virtual Parent Mtg 6:30 - 8:30 pm
3/14: Simply Bee presentation sponsored by the Oak Grove Foundation is 6:30-7:30 pm in the Junior High Cafeteria
3/14:  Code Ninjas, K-2nd Yoga, 5th-8th Board Games Club, JH Choir, 4th & 5th Grade Drama Club, 6th-8th Math Counts Rm 116
3/15:  Variety Show Tryouts,  4th-8th Spanish Club Rm 102
3/16:  4th & 5th Grade Choir, Italian Club,  1st Grade Open House 6-7 pm
3/17:  Be Well Fitness
Please click here to view more upcoming events