Oak Grove News

Message from the Principal

Please don’t forget that spirit week is this week!

Mental Health Minute
The Mental Health team at Oak Grove, consisting of School Social Workers and School Psychologists will be providing you information on several social emotional topics throughout the 2023-24 school year. These topics are aligned with our monthly Soaring Eagles! themes. 

This month's topic is building relationships. THIS article, highlights the importance of relationship building skills like collaboration, joint task completion, and discovering ways to be a team player. These skills help define and build children’s emotional and academic foundations, and are helpful throughout one’s lifespan. Below are ideas for activities parents and children can participate in together or that children can engage in with other children: Group Jump Roping, Team Hula Hoop Balance, Scavenger Hunts, Volunteering At a Local Agency like “Feed My Starving Children”, Decorating A Cake Together, Lego Build Challenge, Dry Spaghetti and Marshmallow Build Challenge, Homemade Obstacle Course, Attending a Public Library Program With Other Families or Same Aged Children, and Joining a Book Club

Attendance Reminder
To report an absence, please call the attendance voicemail at 847-367-4120, option 3.  Standalone emails are not used to report absences.  For questions regarding attendance procedures, please contact Karen Draths at draths@ogschool.org or 847-367-4120 ext 2027.

Teacher Institute Day Reminder 
There will be no student attendance on Friday, October 6, 2023

Legal Holiday Reminder
There will be no student attendance on Monday, October 9, 2023

Important Dates
10/3/23 - Talk Tuesday presented by the Teaching & Learning Department from 6:00 - 7:30 pm
10/6/23 - Teacher Institute Day (No Student Attendance)
10/9/23 - Legal Holiday (No Student Attendance)
10/11/23 - PSAT 8th Grade
10/13/23 - 5th Grade Candor Presentation 
10/18/23 - Elyssa’s Mission Grade 6-8 (more details to come)

Athletics
Looking for information about upcoming games or events? Please check the Oak Grove Athletics Calendar

Curriculum Corner

Talk Tuesday
Our first Talk Tuesday will be held on October 3 at Oak Grove from 6:00-7:30 pm. During our first session, we will share information updating families about our K-8 literacy instruction and pilot, current Illinois State Board of Education curricular mandated units of study as well as assessment. Talk Tuesday slide decks will be available on the Oak Grove website after each session. If you will be attending the session, please RSVP using this link. 

TAG (Talented and Gifted) Committee/TAG Advisory Committee
The TAG committee is looking to add new parent members for the 2023-24 school year. This committee is open to all parents, regardless if you have a student currently in TAG. We are also looking for a parent representative for our TAG Advisory Council. The Advisory Council consists of parent and teacher representatives that review TAG placement appeals. If you would like to participate on the TAG committee or be a part of the TAG Advisory Council, please contact Leslie Weber, Assistant Superintendent of Learning and Teaching at weber@ogschool.org by Friday, September 29.  

Fall Placement Appeals 
Parents/guardians of students in grades 4-7 can request an additional review of student placement for consideration into Oak Grove’s talented and gifted (TAG) program for the 2023-24 school year. Families can appeal placement for a child in ELA and/or Math once per every 12 months. To initiate an appeal, please complete the Parent Feedback form and email to Alexa Dunn (adunn@ogschool.org) by Monday, October 2. In completion of the form, please do not reference your child by name when providing examples and explanations. All student information is to remain anonymous when reviewed by the Advisory Council. Parents will be notified via email regarding the testing process and a final decision about placement. To learn more about talented and gifted services at Oak Grove, please visit our website.

DEI Committee
The Oak Grove Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee will meet virtually on October 23 from 5:30-7:00 pm. If a parent or guardian would like to participate on the Oak Grove DEI committee for the 2023-24 school year, please email Leslie Weber at weber@ogschool.org.  The committee is establishing the work and meetings for this coming year and value the participation of our families.

PTO News

The PTO Website is LIVE!
We are excited to share that the new PTO website is now live. The most notable feature of the website is the OGS family directory. Other useful features include a PTO event calendar, centralized volunteer sign-ups and easy access to PTO agendas, minutes and other resources. Please note: you will only have access to the website and be listed in the directory if you opted in during school registration. If you find you cannot access the site, please contact the PTO Presidents for assistance.

1. Please log in to the website to review your family profile and make any changes as needed. Click “Not registered yet? Sign Up”. You must use the e-mail address you used during OGS registration. After filling in your information, you’ll get an error message that you have already been invited. This is because everyone is preloaded in the directory and it is a glitch our vendor, PTBoard can’t work around.  Next select “Please set your password HERE” in the red box. A password reset email will be sent, and you’ll choose and confirm your password from there. Please refer to the Virtual Backpack with detailed instructions if having difficulty.
2. Sign Up for Committee Volunteering for a chance to WIN! Look for the committee volunteer sign-up in the blue section. Select any/all committees that interest you. Committee chairs will reach out when help is needed. At the PTO meeting on 10/4 we will announce 3 winners of $20 Amazon gift cards. Names will be drawn from the list of those who fill out the committee signup sheet by noon on Tuesday 10/3!
3. Download the Mobile App - On both Apple and Android search for “PT Board” and look for the app icon with the orange rocket ship. The PT Board app will give you access to the family directory and other PTO resources at your fingertips.

Board Briefs

Board Briefs are a quick summary of each School Board Meeting. The official minutes will be posted in the Agenda section after the Board Minutes have been approved at the following month's meeting. CLICK HERE for the September 2023 Board Briefs.

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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