Oak Grove News

Superintendent Update

Exciting news! Congratulations to former Oak Grove students Cameron Huang, Kyle Li, and Vanessa Zhang for being named semifinalists in the 69th National Merit Scholarship Program!  The high school seniors were among 16,000 named nationwide. Finalists will be announced in Spring 2024. 

Message from the Principal

Bullying Prevention Month
October is Bullying Prevention Month. This Thursday (10/5), we will wear orange. The simple act of wearing orange shows the students that they are not alone and will hopefully empower them to speak out and reach out. We will focus on recognizing and reporting bullying.

How to recognize bullying
- It’s mean/hurtful and on purpose
- It’s happening repeatedly
- It’s one sided
- There’s an imbalance in power

Elyssa’s Mission
Oak Grove School is partnering for a fourth year with Elyssa’s Mission to offer depression and suicide prevention training. Elyssa’s Mission is an evidence-based suicide prevention program that has been shown to address suicide risk and depression while reducing suicide attempts. Our training will take place on Wednesday, October 18, for grades 6, 7 and 8. For additional information, please click HERE.  If you do not wish for your child(ren) to participate in the depression and suicide intervention conversation, please contact Joe O’Malley at omalley@ogschool.org. Thank you for your support with this program.

Lunch Update
Due to a safety concern with the microwaves, we would like to ask that soup in styrofoam cups not be sent for lunch. These cups are not safe for our microwaves. Please feel free to reach out to Mr. Rob rendon@ogschool.org if you have any questions. Thank you all for your support and understanding.

Cheerleading/Spirit Squad Tryouts
The cheerleading/spirit squad is a team activity with elements of dance, tumbling, and stunts that are combined with cheers to entertain and encourage the crowd. We practice Mon-Thurs 3:30pm-5:30pm. We cheer at most home basketball games and compete in one formal competition. There are 8 spots available on each of the 7th and 8th grade teams (16 spots total). Questions may be directed to Jen Liu: Liu@ogschool.org. 

When are tryouts: Tryout practice Oct 10-11. Cheer tryout Oct 12. 
Who can tryout: Anyone in 6th-8th grade

What will you need 
1) A current physical on file with the nurse. 
2) A signed copy of tryout info/cheer bylaws. 
3) Sign up through the link below. 

OGS Cheer Tryout & Program Information

6th-8th Grade Computer Club
The 6th - 8th grade computer club has begun!  We had our first meeting last Thursday afternoon, and it was a fun introduction to Computer Science, coding and creativity!  Tynker.com is the program we are using currently to help us code and create in this club. Creating games that incorporate gravity was a focus area of discussion and learning the steps of how to create in a virtual environment. Every two weeks will have a different area of focus. If anyone is still interested in joining they are welcome to do so by signing up HERE. If you have questions you can ask Dr. Meltzer at meltzer@ogschool.org or Mrs. Klunder at klunder@ogschool.org.

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 for 8th Grade Students Only
10/13/23 - 5th Grade Candor Presentation 
10/17/23- Board of Education Meeting; COW @ 6:00 pm and BoE Meeting @ 7:15 pm in the JH Cafe
10/18/23 - Elyssa’s Mission Grade 6-8

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

Safety Reminders, Please Help!

It has been brought to our attention that cars are not stopping or coming to a complete stop at stop signs.  Please help us keep everyone safe by coming to a complete stop at all stop signs in and around the school area. 

Curriculum Corner

Talk Tuesday-Reminder
Our first Talk Tuesday will be held tomorrow evening, October 3, at Oak Grove from 6:00-7:30 pm. 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. 

Spring 2023 ISA Results
Current 6th grade families will receive their child’s Illinois Science Assessment results from last Spring in the next few weeks. Federal accountability law requires Illinois to administer the ISA to all students in grades 5, 8 and during their first high school Biology course. The ISA aligns with our new Illinois Learning Standards in science. This assessment helps families understand how well students are performing academically and see whether they are ontrack to succeed in college. The ISA represents Illinois’ commitment to preparing all students for college and careers, including in the high-demand science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. 

Fall Placement Appeals 
Today is the last day to request a placement appeal. The next opportunity will be in the spring. Any requests filed after today will be honored during the spring placement appeal window.

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.

IAGC & SENG Regional Parent Conference
The Illinois Association of Gifted Children is hosting its regional parent conference in October. Various sessions are scheduled to support advanced learner students, parents of gifted and talented kids, and the SEL and 2E needs of gifted students. Please visit this link for more information. 

K-5 SEL
Does your child ever whine to get what they want or demand that you do something for them? If you’ve experienced your child being passive or aggressive at home, we’ve got some tips for you! Recently, we have been practicing “how to get what you want!” No, we’re not talking about asking for a million dollars and getting it, we’re talking about how to ask for help or request a favorite meal or help with your homework. Students this week practiced posture, voice, and respectful verbage to ask for what they want. We call this being assertive. To find out more, please visit the 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

PTO Meeting This Wednesday
The next PTO meeting will be this Wednesday, October 4, at 6:30 pm, in the Professional Development (PD) room or via Zoom. The Zoom invite and meeting documents will be sent out via email.

Signup to Volunteer Today!
There are only 24 hours left to sign up as a committee volunteer to be entered in our drawing to win a $20 Amazon gift card! Signup can be found at the new PTO website. If you have not yet signed in to the new website, instructions can be found in the Virtual Backpack.

RMCF Caramel Apple Fundraiser
Back by popular demand the PTO is once again partnering with Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to offer delicious caramel apples and gift cards! We are so grateful to Pam & Tom Lockowitz, longtime Green Oaks residents, who own the local Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and generously support the PTO with a substantial portion of the proceeds from this sale. This year we have 5 caramel apple varieties for sale as well as gift cards in two denominations! Click HERE to order! For any questions about this fundraiser, please contact Erin Liebgott.

• Order Dates: NOW through October 13
• Pick Up Dates: Friday, October 20 (10 am-9 pm) and Saturday, October 21 (10 am-9 pm) at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, 541 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. (*If you do not pick up on the 20th or 21st, your order will no longer be available and cannot be reimbursed.*)
• Payment: Within 24 hours of completion of this order form you will receive a text from the PTO with payment options. All payments must be received by Sunday, October 15, 2023. Unpaid orders will not be submitted.

Spirit Wear Delivered
All spirit wear orders have been delivered to students at school. Please reach out to Courtney Johnston or Christine Malkin if you have not received your order. We are working with the vendor on some new ideas and items that will be avilable on the website soon. Stay tuned for details.

Don't forget to check out the new PTO Website!

Parents Night Out
 

Student Council invites you to Parent's Night Out. This is a terrific opportunity for parents/guardians to get away for the evening. Children ages 4-11 can come and enjoy a fun night of playing. If you would like to send your child a packed dinner or snacks please do so!
The cost is $15.00 per family.
Please CLICK HERE to sign up.
Any questions- please email abrown@ogschool.org
 

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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