Oak Grove News

From the Principal's Desk

Mrs. B’s Message of the Week
With communication as our SEL theme, we are offered the opportunity to consider our words and actions - the messages that we want others to receive from us. Last week provided several lessons to us as the adults in our community, lessons on communication that can be hurtful (i.e. Facebook posts by people not going to a source directly involved to have an open conversation), and what communication can be helpful (i.e. connecting and having a dialogue to learn more from a source directly involved in a situation). At Oak Grove, we pride ourselves on the caring, giving community that we are, and I am grateful to be a part of wonderful OGS. I hope that we can grow to see each other as partners in our quest to positively nurture, not only the young members of our community, but each other as well. Please contact me any time you would like to work together on a problem that is bothering you.

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Notification of Lockdown Drill
The tentative date for our active intruder drill is September 19th, 2022. Please click HERE, to find more information about our active intruder drill and our ALICE response.

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Volunteers Needed for Junior High Lunch Periods
The PTO needs volunteers to help in assisting Marla's through the handing out of hot lunches to our students. Please use THIS LINK to sign up on Sign Up Genius if you can help between 10:15am and 1:13pm. If you have any questions, please reach out to Aayshah (registrar@ogspto.org).

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Arrival/Dismissal
Thank you all for your support, patience, and flexibility as we implement our updated arrival/dismissal procedures.
 If you have any questions, please refer to our 22-23 arrival/dismissal procedures, contact Jen Barnabee or Ryan Murray.
 
Reminder - Please be sure to only drop off students in the green zone. Specifically, between the two crosswalks directly across from doors 16 and 18. This is a safety procedure to ensure that all students are getting out of their vehicles in a safe location free of moving vehicles.

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Safety - Visitors Enter Thru Main Office
In order to keep our students and staff safe, we ask all visitors to enter through the Main Office Door. All new visitors will be required to show their drivers license and have it run through our Raptor system. Repeat visitors and volunteers are in our system, and still need to enter through the Main Office Door. We need to ensure that all adults in the building are accounted for, whether visitors or staff. Thank you for your help in keeping our school safe.

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Interested in Girl Scouts?
If you're looking for fun, adventure, skill-building, community service, citizenship, and sisterhood, take a look at Girl Scouts! Girl Scouting has a time-tested program for introducing girls to new challenges and leadership in a supportive, girl-led environment. We're looking for girls and adult leaders (men and women) to help us form new troops and expand existing troops. Girl Scouting has life-long benefits that help transform girls into women of courage, confidence and character.  Questions? Join us for a virtual information session on Wednesday, August 31 at 7:00 PM.  Email Nancy Fink for the Zoom link.

Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 7 PM
https://zoom.us/j/95353860912
Meeting ID: 953 5386 0912
Passcode: 540618

 

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Playground Afterschool
After school, use of the elementary playground is limited to students in the Extended Day program through 6pm. If other families wish to play during this time, please use the junior high playground.

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SEL at Oak Grove
The theme for the month of August is communication.
Please take a few minutes to view the August page of our SEL Website to see what’s happening. If you’re interested in all things social emotional learning at Oak Grove then please visit our SEL homepage.

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Soaring Eagles! Spirit Week
Click HERE to view the spirit week flyer for the week of August 29th.

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Important Dates

• 8/30: Cross-Country Practice 3:30-4:15 PM
• 9/1: Picture Day
• 9/5: Labor Day - No School
• 9/7: 7th/8th Girls Volleyball at Highland 4:15-6:15 PM, PTO Mtg @ 6:30pm
• 9/8: Superintendent Coffee Chat 8:30-9:30 AM in PD Conf Rm (Parents Welcome - please RSVP to Jennifer McBride), 7th/8th Girls Volleyball 4:15-6:15 PM, Cross-Country at Milburn 4:30-5:30 PM
• 9/12: Bus Safety Drills AM, 7th/8th Girls Volleyball at Deerpath 4:15-6:15 PM, DEI Mtg 5:30-7 PM
• 9/13: 7th/8th Girls Volleyball 4:15-6:15 PM, Cross-Country at Butterfield 4:30-5:30 PM
• 9/15: First Day of Hispanic Heritage Month, SIP Early Release 11:30 AM

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. All students start the reading test on Tuesday, September 6 and the math test on Thursday, September 8. All students will need headphones/earbuds at school next week. If your child is absent for testing, he/she will make-up the test(s) the week of September 12. Please view this presentation to better understand and help prepare your child for these assessments.

Assessment Results
In March of 2021, students in grades 5 and 8 took the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA). In April of 2022, students in grades 3-8 took the Illinois Assessment for Readiness (IAR) in the areas of math and reading.  The results of this assessment were recently distributed to school and they  will be mailed to families in the next two weeks. Each assessment will have a letter containing information about the assessment and student results. Please feel free to reach out to Leslie Weber if you have any questions.  

Sexual Health Education
On June 14, 2022, the Illinois State Board of Education adopted the National Sex Education Standards as the Illinois Learning Standards for sexual health education.  After reviewing the new law and the expectations from the state, as well as the programming provided by Candor Health, Oak Grove will maintain our current practice. Oak Grove currently uses Candor Health to provide personal health and sexual education in grades 5 and 8; no other grade levels receive sexual health education curriculum. Parents will receive information in the weeks prior to the presentation after reviewing the Candor curriculum and are able to opt-out their child(ren) from attending the presentation. If you have any further questions, please contact Leslie Weber.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee
We will be having our first DEI meeting of the school year, held virtually, on Monday, September 12th from 5:30-7:00pm.  The DEI committee works to ensure access to educational opportunities by advocating for students and staff and emphasizing the importance of equity and diversity in promoting learning and development. As a large committee we focus on the areas of family engagement, student support and staff professional learning. If you are interested in joining the DEI committee this year, please reach out to Lori Beres.

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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