Oak Grove News

Message from the Principal

What a week!
It was a wonderful week to be a Grover! The building was blue with Oak Grove pride on Monday, our students were able to begin building relationships with their new teachers throughout the week, and our kindergarteners were able to get comfortable with their new home away from home. With all that said, this took place in some extremely hot weather on Wednesday and Thursday. Thank you to students, staff, and families for your efforts and support!

Picture Day - Reminder 
Picture day is this Friday, September 1 during the school day. 

Important Safety Information 
As we continue to monitor our arrival and dismissal routines and have a few reminders that will continue to keep our students safe.

• Students are only allowed to enter and exit their car on the curbside. If you need to buckle your children in or load/unload backpacks through the trunk, please pull up to the north-most end of the car line. This avoids significant disruptions to the flow of traffic.
• Please do not pick up your child(ren) until you have pulled all the way up to the car in front of you, leaving no large spaces between you and the next car. Large gaps between cars create longer pick-up lines. 
• Students are only allowed to enter or exit their car between the two crosswalks. Students are not allowed to exit their car early, near the JH gym. 
• Please keep in mind that no drop-offs are permitted in the lower lot prior to 8:20 as this location is dedicated to buses.  

Important Note:
If you need to change your child(ren)'s routine for pick-up on any particular day, please follow the steps below.

Email both your child(ren)'s teacher and office staff (ogsofficestaff@ogschool.org) by 2:00 pm. This ensures that communications can be sent to staff and our bus drivers informing them of the change. You will receive a confirmation back from our front office staff when they have received your note. Our front office staff includes Karen Draths, Susan Gilbert, and Kathy Azzato. If you do not receive an email confirmation, please call the Main Office at 847-367-4120 to confirm. We understand emergency circumstances occur, and if you must change your child(ren)'s routine past 2:00 pm, please call the office directly and they will notify your child(ren)'s teacher and the bus driver directly. 

We appreciate your attention to these updates and thank you for your support as we look to ensure everyone's safety.

 Important Dates
8/28-9/1: Aimsweb Testing K-8
9/1: Picture Day
9/4: No Student Attendance
9/5: Curriculum Night Grades 6 - 8 6:00 - 8:00 pm
9/6: Curriculum Night Grades 3 - 5 6:00 - 8:00 pm
9/7: Curriculum Night Grades K - 2 6:00 - 8:00 pm
9/13: Supt Chat 8:30-10:00 am
9/14: Candor Virtual Parent Night 7:00 - 8:00 pm
9/19: Board of Education Meeting; Committee of the Whole 6:00 pm, Regluar Meeting 7:15 pm in the JH Cafe

Athletics Information
Looking for information about upcoming games or event? Please check the Oak Grove Athletics Calendar.

PTO News

Volunteers Needed for K-4 Room Parents & 5-8 Grade Level Volunteers
If you are interested in volunteering with the PTO as a Room Parent or Party Volunteer (grades K-4) or as Grade Level Coordinator/Volunteer (grades 5-8), please see the fliers in the virtual backpack.  For K-4, sign up here and contact Beth Zender or Catie Gelbman with any questions. For 5-8, sign up here and contact Laura Reutzel or Julie Kovach with questions.

Spirit Wear Sale is OPEN!
The OGS spirit wear shop is open for orders through September 6. Items ordered through September 6 will be delivered to OGS in mid-September. We are working with a new vendor who will keep the shop open year round so you will have the opportunity to order additional items later in the year as well. If you have any ideas for spirit wear items, please contact chairs Courtney Johnston and Christine Malkin.

Family Directory Update
There will be an online directory launching on the new PTO website in the coming weeks. The website platform we used last year went out of business at the end of June and we’ve been migrating information to our new site. We will work with Mr. Huber to populate the directory with family information for anyone who opted in during registration. Updates will be available in OG News and on Facebook.

PTO Event Thank You-s!
On Thursday 8/17 the Staff Appreciation Meals Committee organized a “Welcome Back” lunch for teachers and staff. Many thanks to Christine Merrild, Krista Sorensen and Laura Reutzel for coordinating.

We loved seeing so many new and familiar faces at the Boohoo Yahoo Breakfast on Friday. Thank you so much to everyone who came and special thanks to Lynsey Wolfe for organizing the event once again this year!

Lunch Volunteers Needed
We are looking for volunteers to help distribute Marla’s lunches in both the elementary and Jr. High lunchrooms each day. Dates to volunteer are currently open through Winter Break - please sign up!

• Elementary Lunch Room volunteer sign-up (K-3)
• Jr. High Lunch Room volunteer sign-up (4-8)

Curriculum Corner

Aimsweb Testing
Aimsweb testing is this week. AimswebPlus uncovers learning gaps quickly, identifies at-risk students, and assesses growth at the individual and group levels. The assessment is given in both reading and math in grades K-5, and reading only in grades 6-8.

Curriculum Nights
Curriculum Nights are next week. Each night will kick-off with a presentation from administration in the Patt Gym at 6:00 pm followed by two identical presentations given by the grade level teachers. Childcare will be provided by our Honor Society students. We hope to see many of you there!

• Grades 6-8: September 5 
• Grades 3-5: September 6
• Grades K-2: September 7

Fall iReady Diagnostic Testing
The iReady district benchmark assessments are given in reading and math three times a year to better understand what a child already knows and what a child needs to learn. Our teachers rely on this information to make instructional decisions and best help your child grow. Grades 2-8 will take the tests during the week of September 5. Grades K-1 will take the tests the following week on September 13 and 14 in order to give our youngest learners time to acclimate to school and their devices. All students will need headphones/earbuds for testing. If your child is absent for testing, he/she will make-up the test(s) on an alternate date.

Band News

All Bands: Welcome back! This week is our first week of rehearsals! Just like last year, Jazz Band (in the Band Room) meets on Monday and Friday mornings. Concert (in the Small Gym) and Symphonic (in the Band Room) Bands meet on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. All band rehearsals start at 7:30 am Door 16 (District Office entrance) will be open 7:15-7:30 am. 

If you missed our “welcome back” email or need more information, please email Mr. Frankowski (frankowski@ogschool.org) or Mr. Jones (jones@ogschool.org) to forward that letter.

Beginning Band: Do you have a current 5th grader who is excited about making music? Beginning Band sign-up is coming soon! This week and next week, students will see live instrument demonstrations, learn about the OGS band program and try instruments to see where there’s a good fit. On Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 6:30 pm in the Junior High cafeteria, there will be a parent informational meeting about Beginning Band- there will be information about the class, expectations and instrument rental. We will be sending out more specifics via email this week.

COME JOIN THE OG CHOIR!

Rehearsals begin next week! 
Rehearsals are from 3:30-4:30 in the music room
Junior High choir rehearses on Tuesday (starting Sept. 5).
4th and 5th grade choir rehearse on Thursdays (starting Sept. 7)

For more information and to sign up please click here.

Computer Club:

In this club, we will learn or improve our skills in coding languages such as Block, Javascript, and Python. We also explore some advanced 3D designs. Grades 6-8.

Anticipate starting September 14.  More information to come over the next few weeks.

Text Opt-in

Oak Grove is providing a new option to parents allowing them to receive time-sensitive text messages. Example notifications include late buses, school closings, emergencies, etc.

Please text YES to 87569 to “opt-in” to receive text messages from Oak Grove School.

Please note: text opt-in does not replace regular emails and/or phone calls. It simply adds another method of contact for short, time-sensitive messages. 

Oak Grove School District 68 Device Insurance

This year, Oak Grove is piloting a partnership with an insurance provider to minimize families’ risks for device repair costs.
For more information and to sign up, please visit https://www.ogschool.org/staff/technology/device-insurance. The enrollment deadline is September 24, 2023.

Fee Waivers/Free and Reduced Lunch

Fee Waivers and Free/Reduced Lunch Applications are approved on a year-by-year basis.  Families are encouraged to complete and submit the application for fee waivers and free and reduced-price meals.  Both can be found on the District website at www.ogschool.org/business/parent-forms.
 
The income eligibility guidelines for the 2023-24 school year can be accessed below:
Fiscal Year 2024 Income Eligibility Guidelines (ISBE).
 
If you have questions or would like to speak about this, please contact Kelly Mitchell, Assistant Business Manager, at mitchell@ogschool.org or 817-367-4120 ext. 2099.

Virtual Backpack

Please click HERE to view the flyers in our virtual backpack. Flyers are updated weekly, so please check back often so you won't miss any of the events going on in our community.

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