Oak Grove News

Dear Families,
Please save the date for the next Superintendent Talk on Tuesday, May 2, from 5:30-6:30 pm. The meeting will be in-person in our Professional Development (PD) Room. This is an opportunity to hear from the community about any topics of interest. These meetings will have a maximum of 15 participants in attendance to ensure voices can be heard. If a session fills, we will open additional meetings. Please RSVP to Jennifer McBride if you plan to attend. Light refreshments will be served. 

District Communications Survey - We want to hear from you!

The Board of Education Communications Committee in collaboration with administration has developed a survey to gather your feedback on the District’s communication with families. Currently, the district uses OG News, the website, social media and email blasts to send pertinent information. In addition, we’ve expanded our communication platforms this year to include others, such as Superintendent Talks, streaming the BoE meetings, and distributing Board meeting summaries.  We would appreciate your input on the value of these communications.  A link to the survey will be sent via email later today and we would ask you to complete it by Friday, April 21, 2023.

Message from the Principal

What a week! 
I hope that you all were able to enjoy the extended weekend and the beautiful weather! We have several exciting things taking place this week at Oak Grove. On Friday, April 14, Fine Arts Day will take place during the school day and expose our students to numerous career opportunities for their future. In addition, we have our Variety Shows at 5:00 and 7:30 pm in the Junior High Gym. Please know that tickets are available through RevTrack (under the shop tab). We look forward to this wonderful opportunity for our students to demonstrate their abilities outside of the classroom! A big thank you to everyone involved in the planning for both of these events.

Preschool Screening
Preschool screening will be held at Oak Grove on Wednesday, April 19 from 12:30 - 3:30 pm. The screening is for three and four year olds who will NOT be entering kindergarten in the fall. The screening will examine a child's proficiency in speech/language and motor development, as well as assess pre-academic skills. Parents with questions or concerns about their child's development may schedule an appointment by contacting Julie Waehner at 224-424-4718. 

Special Education Meeting for Parents of Students who are in Private Schools and/or Homeschooled
Oak Grove School will host a virtual special education meeting on Monday, April 24 at 8:30 am. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the District’s plan to provide special education services to students with disabilities who attend private schools and/or are homeschooled for the 2023-2024 school year. Any parent of a student who has been identified with a disability and attends a private school and/or are homeschooled are encouraged to participate. Please contact Julie Waehner at 224-424-4718 for the meeting link or for any additional information.

Mental Health Minute
This month's topic is Reflection. Reflection helps your child consider their actions, behavior, and learning. Self reflection is also essential for goal setting. For more information, click HERE. 

Reminder
Early release day on Friday, April 21 at 11:30 am. 

23-24 Important Dates
The 23-24 list of important dates has been updated on the Oak Grove website.  Please click here to view it. 

Important Dates
4/10:  Filmmaking Club, Last 2nd grade Art Club
4/11:  K-2 Yoga, 4-5 Drama Club, 6-8 Math Counts, JH Choir, Talk Tuesday 6:00-7:30 pm
4/12:  Chess Club, 4-8 Spanish Club, Variety Show Practice
4/13:  Noetic Math Contest, Track @ Neal, 4- 5 Grade Choir, Italian Club 
4/14: Fine Arts Day 8:30 am-3:30 pm, Variety Show 3:30-10:00 pm
4/20: Kindergarten Open House 5:00-6:00 pm, Kindergarten New Family Night 6:15-7:15 pm
4/21: Early Release Day: Students dismissed at 11:30 am, Snow Flake @ LHS 5:00-9:00 pm
4/22: PTO Earth Day Clean Up 2:00-3:00 pm

Curriculum Corner

Talk Tuesday
The next Talk Tuesday will be tomorrow, April 11 from 6:00-7:30 pm, at Oak Grove. This month we will share an overview of our work in the Teaching and Learning department over the course of this school year and share with families our continued work for the 2023-24 school year. Please take a moment to R.S.V.P. for this event. The presentation shared at the Talk Tuesday will also be available on the Oak Grove website. 

8th Grade Candor Presentation
The 8th Grade Candor presentation will be on Thursday, April 13. Please see this letter with information in regards to the presentation. If your family would like to opt your child(ren) out of the presentations, please email Leslie Weber (weber@ogschool.org). 

Rotations Preference Survey
Students currently in grades 5-7 will be taking a survey in the next few weeks to choose their preferences for Rotations courses for next school year. Rotations courses include art, music, drama, technology/media arts, and STEM. Students will review a presentation with information about the courses offered and will indicate their choices. Families will have an opportunity to review student choices before the start of next school year if any changes need to be made. More information will be forthcoming about this process. 
 

PTO News

“Keeping Dreams Alive!”: This Friday!
Come see the amazing talent we have at Oak Grove! There are two showtimes on Friday, April 14 at 5:00 pm and at 7:30 pm. Tickets are on sale now on Rev Track for $8 through April 13. Due to Ramadan and the breaking of the fast, we will be starting the 7:30 show 10 minutes later to allow families to break their fast before the show starts. 

We are still looking for volunteers to help with the show. View volunteer needs and sign up here. Please contact Christine Merrild or Ashley Wilson if you have any questions.

RSVP Now! Stepping Up to 6th Grade
We are excited to offer a new spin on a PTO tradition for 5th graders. On Monday, April 24 from 6:00-8:30 pm we will host “Stepping Up to 6th Grade” which is an evening for students and their adult guest to come together to learn about tricky middle school topics from mini-seminars presented by professionals from Inspire Counseling. The first half of the event you will choose 2 mini-seminars and the second half will consist of snacks, open gym, board games, time to socialize with OGS friends and more. Please RSVP Here. Contact Elizabeth O’Neil with any questions.

Wear Purple on April 26 and All Month Long
All Oak Grove families are encouraged to wear purple during the month of April to support military kids– and especially on April 26. Why purple? In the military, purple is thought to signify the combination of all military branches into one. The Air Force, Coast Guard, and Navy all wear blue. The Army wears green, and the Marines often wear red. When you mix green, blue, and red, you’ll likely end up with some shade of purple! Because of this, purple signifies the entire military. 

4th & 5th Grade Social
Calling all 4th & 5th graders! Come to Ultimate Ninjas on Friday, April 28 from 7:00-8:00 pm for your grade level social. We will have exclusive use of the space during this time so it will be a great time to socialize with friends. This event is limited to 75 students and a designated adult must remain on site (this can be one adult for a group of students). Sign up here - it’s sure to be an ultimate evening! Water and a snack will be provided at the conclusion of the event. Upon completion of the sign-up sheet be sure to also submit the Ultimate Ninjas waiver. Please reach out to Donna Bachman with any questions.

Earth Day Clean-Up
Earth Day is Saturday, April 22!  Please help us celebrate by beautifying our school and community! We will meet at 2:00 pm by the junior high playground to pick up trash around the school.  We’re also bringing back Chalk the Walk with Earth-friendly messages; we will provide sidewalk chalk for those who would like to decorate the school grounds.  Can’t make it to Oak Grove, or prefer to clean up your neighborhood? That’s great!  Snap some pictures of your cleanup efforts to be entered into a drawing for all participants. Check out the OGS PTO Facebook page for more details.  Wearing old clothes and gloves are recommended; trash bags will be provided. If you have questions, contact Jennifer Davis.

Fine Arts Day is This Friday!

Oak Grove School is beyond excited to bring back our treasured Fine Arts Day this Friday, April 14, 2023. For many years we have had the privilege of exposing our students to career opportunities in the Fine Arts World. This year students will spend the day moving throughout the school and learning about professions in art, music, theatre and more. Small groups will witness live pottery making, singing, bagpipes, and makeup artists. Don't be "April fooled," if 6th graders come home with battle wounds as some students may volunteer to have fight makeup applied to their hands or arms. In addition to make-up they may hear a variety of live music, learn a new dance style or get hands-on experience designing wigs. The students will be exposed to a variety of activities they can participate in at Libertyville High School from LHS' drum school, theatre dance, dance team, and more! We will practice being professional audience members, ask questions and have so much fun! 

Yearbook Photos

Do you have great photos from this school year to add to our yearbook?  Please use the link to upload your photos.  You may continue to add photos through the last day of school!

Upload Photos for the Yearbook HERE. Use school code: ogsyb2023.

LIBERTYVILLE SNOWFLAKE :  What’s yOUR Story

Friday April 21, 2023    Open to 7th & 8th graders