Oak Grove News

Message from the Principal

Board Games Club
Board Games Club is coming soon! For grades 5-8, come join this club that meets weekly from 3:25 - 4:15 pm in room 308 for students who enjoy gaming. Bring your own games and socialize with other players. Board games, card games, Pokemon, trading (if allowed by parents) are welcome each week. Interested students must register ahead of time so details can be emailed. *No computer games - we are going old school! Meeting dates: January 24 , January 31, February 14, February 21, February 28.

Please complete THIS form to register.

Lost & Found 
Our lost & found has grown considerably over the last few weeks and we would love to return these items to their owners. Over the next few weeks, please come in and check the lost & found in the Elementary Cafe and JH Cafeteria to provide a joyful reunion for some of these items! Please note that on December 22, all lost & found items will be donated to help those in need. If you have any questions, please contact Rob Rendon at rendon@ogschool.org

Important Dates
12/19/23 - BoE Mtgs; *CoW 6:30, 7:15 Capital Fund Transfer Hearing & Regular Mtg 7:17 (JH Cafe) *New Time
12/22/23 - Classroom Winter Parties in Grades K through 4 (More details from grade level communications)
12/25/23 - Winter Break Begins

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

December Board Meeting Time Change

Please note that the Committee of the Whole meeting will start at 6:30 pm this month instead of its typical 6:00 pm start time. Please see the adjusted schedule for the December 19 Board Meetings below.  All meetings will take place in the JH Cafe.
6:30 pm CoW
7:15 pm Capital Fund Transfer Hearing
7:17 pm Regular Meeting

Curriculum Corner

Computer Science Week 
From December 4–10, 2023, schools around the world  joined in the Hour of Code movement as part of Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek). With just one hour of coding—whether during CSEdWeek or anytime throughout the year—anyone can learn the basics of coding. Last week at Oak Grove, we asked our teachers and students to move beyond just an hour of code and use it as a stepping stone to the larger world of computer science. Each grade level chose different activities with the older grades focusing on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on our world. 

What is Hour of Code: 
A one-hour introduction to computer science. The Hour of Code began as a one-hour coding challenge to give students a fun first introduction to computer science and has become a global learning event, celebration, and awareness event. Hour Of Code.com offers hundreds of one-hour activities in over 48 languages for kindergarten and up. We encourage all families to explore throughout the year all the resources at www.code.org


iReady Winter Benchmark
iReady is a district administered assessment in reading and mathematics used to measure growth relative to national and local grade level peers. This benchmark assessment is given three times a year. Beginning this week, all K-8 students will take the winter iReady diagnostic assessment in reading and math. Teachers will use this assessment data, as well as classroom data, to identify areas to support individual student learning. Specific testing dates and times will be shared by the classroom teacher. Reports for both assessments will be shared with families via email on January 10. 

Please help your child(ren):

• Charge his/her iPad or laptop at home prior to test day
• Bring headphones for testing
• Get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast 

For more information, please see the iReady Family Presentation.

SEL Update
SEL Theme for December: Gratitude
K-5 SEL
The quote of the week is “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it” by William Arthur Ward.  The tone of our voice, the look on our face, and our body gestures do matter! We all have things in common that unite us, help us work together and look out for each other. Students are practicing ways to recognize feelings and show compassion. Check out the website for more information.

6-8th Grade Habitudes
The name of the lesson is “Solos and Symphonies.” No matter how well you play an instrument, the sound of a symphony cannot be replicated without working together. Students worked together to realize the importance of teamwork and collaboration. 

A Message From OGSEF

Looking for lasting gifts for your children during the Holidays?
Purchase a playground paver which will be engraved and thus leave a lasting memory at Oak Grove School, while at the same time also supporting the OGSEF.

Please click below to place your order.
https://www.ogsef.org/playground-pavers.html

PTO News

Mark Your Calendar for One Sweet Evening
Looking forward to seeing you this Friday the 15 at Sugarville from 4-8pm!  While there, enter for a chance to win an Oak Grove swag bag and MainStreet gift card, a $60 value!  Look for Oak Grove students volunteering to help with ticket sales.

Marla’s 2024 Ordering & Pricing
Marla’s has opened the website for placing 2024 orders for January through Spring Break. We’ve received notification from Marla via vendor partners including Chik-Fil-A, Panera and Raising Canes that they will increase prices slightly moving forward to account for rising costs. We always welcome your feedback on the lunch program and we are hoping to conduct a survey in the near future. If you have any questions or concerns please contact president@ogspto.org.

Cub Scouts Ice Skating Party - Open to ALL K-4!
Cub Scout Oak Grove Pack 194 has rented the ice at Top Shelf Ice Arena in Gurnee Mills on December 27 from 1 pm-2 pm. They would like to invite all Oak Grove Students K – 4 to participate. This event is completely FREE and is a great opportunity to have fun, and maybe try something new over the winter break, all while hanging out with other OGS community members. Show up as early as 12:45 for free skate rental so you can spend the whole hour on the ice.

Girl & Guest
Come join us for a Night in Paris on February 3, 2024!  Event and Raffle Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased HERE.  See the Girl & Guest flyer in the Virtual Backpack.

If you have 1-2 hours to spare, we would love some volunteers to help out.  Volunteers are needed for raffle ticket prep, set-up (the night before), check in/food/raffle tables, and decoration tear down after the dance. Sign up HERE!

If you have any unopened toys or gifts to include in this year’s event raffle, we’ll gladly accept your donations! Examples could be dolls, crafts, legos, slime, puzzles, gift cards etc.! Please reach out to Heather Bildsten to coordinate a pickup.