From Mrs. B. and Mr. Murray
Cheerleading Sponsor/s FOUND
After a final call for OG school spirit, it looks like we found a sponsor or two to lead interested 6th-8th grade students. Anyone interested should receive their parents’ permission and complete THIS FORM by Friday, October 29, 2021 so everyone can get started ASAP.
November’s Important Dates
Please see important dates below, including the 1:00 PM dismissal on November 10, 2021.
Nov. 3: Picture Retakes - Click here to order, PTO Mtg 6:30 PM
Nov. 6-7: Daylight Savings time switch
Nov. 10: Early Release at 1:00 PM
Nov. 11: Veteran’s Day
Nov. 12: Trimester 1 Report Cards go home
Nov. 15-18: Elementary Book Fair
Nov. 16: Committee of the Whole 6:00 PM, Regular Board Meeting, 7:15 PM
Nov. 22-23: Parent Teacher Conferences - No School
Nov. 24-26: No School - Thanksgiving Break
HOORAY Cross Country!
Message from Mrs. Bourdon and Mrs. Cummins, our Cross Country coaches: After a year without school sports, Oak Grove students were ready to get back to it. Seventy-four 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders made up the OG Cross Country team. Extreme heat caused a slow start to our training and we entered our first meet with only a couple of practices behind us. At each meet, multiple compliments were paid to our squads team spirit and camaraderie. Team members would cheer on each and every runner until all had crossed the finish line. In addition to our team spirit, we had 10 boys and 10 girls qualify for sectionals. The boys varsity team went on to place 2nd overall and qualify for state. At state, they gave their all and performed really well finishing 15th out of the 27 teams competing! We are so proud of all of our athletes for the 2021-2022 season!
Bus Situation - UPDATE
On Tuesday this week, Mrs. B will meet with Durham’s bus manager to discuss options for making the morning and afternoon bus routes more equitable for families. For example, we are aware that the same buses are routinely impacted with delays in dismissal and students returning home. One option might be to switch bus routes for the second trimester so that this impact is shared amongst the entire school community as opposed to the same neighborhoods. This would move the current first buses to be the next late buses. Any and all changes will be communicated with our community as soon as possible.
Red Ribbon Week - Spirit Days!
Tues. Oct. 26 - You have the power! Wear a SUPERHERO shirt
Wed. Oct. 27 - Lei off drugs! Wear your HAWAIIAN clothes
Thurs. Oct. 28 - Follow your dreams, don’t do drugs! Wear your PJs, K-4 Risk Watch program
Fri. Oct. 29 - Let’s team up against drugs! Wear TEAM Jerseys, Orange and Black, or Costumes - but no masks other than health masks (K-4), parade and parties K-3, parade starts at 1:30 pm
Color-Wearing Contest for Grades 5-8 on Friday, October 29, 2021
The grade 5-8 teams decided to have a contest on Friday to see which grade wears the most of their assigned color. Students in grades 5-8 are encouraged to wear as much of the following corresponding color to school on Friday (as much as they can find in their closets!!):
5th Grade - PURPLE
6th Grade - ORANGE
7th Grade - WHITE
8th Grade - BLACK
**PTO also has a special surprise planned on Friday for all students in grades 5-8 during each lunch-recess period.**
SEL at Oak Grove
Please click here to find out what happened in SEL last week or click here to access OGS SEL website.
Drive-Thru Lost & Found
The week of November 1st, we will roll out Elementary & Junior High lost & found items to the front curb area by the main office. There is a lot that has accumulated! Please stop by and check to hopefully claim your belongings. This will be available from 9:00am - 2:00pm, weather permitting.
Sixth Grade Social
Join us after school for some fun on the playground this Friday (10/29) from 3:30-5:00 pm. Students may wear their costumes after school if they choose. The bathrooms will be available to change. Make sure to dress for the weather as this is an outside event.
Admission is $5 to cover expenses. Concessions and raffle tickets for fun prizes will be available for sale. We will have a DJ and outside games as well!
Rides should pick up promptly at 5:00 pm and line up in the upper Junior High parking lot as you would during a normal pick up. Students will come out to meet their rides; we will not be using Driveline.
*As always, if students come inside the building to use the bathroom or purchase concessions, they will need to wear a mask.
Yard Signs
School spirit wooden yard signs are available for purchase. The yard signs are made of solid wood, measure 16” x 12”, and are painted OGS blue with white lettering. The cost for the sign is $35 and can be ordered on our RevTrak payment system using this direct link: https://ogs.revtrak.net/student-council/
The sale is open now and will close on Friday, November 5. All orders will be ready on or before our week of parent/ teacher conferences during Thanksgiving week. When yours is ready for pick up, we will contact you.
If you have any questions, please email Ashley Douglass at douglass@ogschool.org .
Student Council News
Join The Village of Green Oaks in collecting old, slightly worn, or new winter coats and other seasonal outerwear, which will be provided to our local veterans and their families.
This special coat drive is for Midwest Veterans Closet, a not-for-profit charity that provides free clothing and other items to our former soldiers.
Donations can be dropped off at the village hall at 2020 O’Plaine Road, Green Oaks, Monday through Friday 9am to 2pm through November 16th.
Please reach out to your friends and contacts to join the coat drive as well!
Band News
Things to note for Concert and Symphonic Bands: Shout out to the symphonic band for a fantastic performance during the Flash Mob Dance event! You all rocked it! Currently, concert and symphonic band members are continuing to prepare for the upcoming Veterans’ Day performance. That music should be the focus of at home practice time in addition to our at school lessons.
Things to note for Beginning Band: Our new musicians are off to a great start with their new instruments! Almost every student has had two lessons on their instruments and are sounding great and gaining confidence with each lesson. Parents, please check your email for an email from Mr. Frankowski by the end of the day Monday, October 25. If you do not receive that email, please email him at frankowski@ogschool.org to get your email added to our list.
Due to a delay in receiving our PPE and to help our new musicians feel more comfortable with their instruments and playing together, beginning band rehearsals may be delayed a week from our original projection of starting the week of November 1. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Curriculum Corner
Veteran’s Day Celebration
On Thursday, November 11th, we will be honoring veterans and service members within the Oak Grove community. There will be a brief ceremony beginning at 10:00am outside Oak Grove School in the Junior High parking lot. We would like to extend an invitation to all Oak Grove community members that are veterans or current service members to attend. We ask that only one additional person accompany the honoree in order to maintain a safe number of attendees. We will also be live streaming the event for those that will not be able to attend in person. Please complete the RSVP form by Friday, November 5th, whether you are attending in person or virtually. Our students will be wearing masks and we encourage all outside participants to wear masks as well due to the large number of people expected.
Please do not arrive prior to 9:15am for the ceremony. There will also be an opportunity to view an Artifact Walk in our Junior High gym from 9:15-9:45am and 10:20-10:50am. Our 8th grade students will be sharing information about many amazing artifacts that have been donated to our school community in honor of Veteran’s Day.
Standards Based Reporting Webinar
There will be an informational webinar on Standards Based Reporting on Tuesday, November 2nd from 6:00-7:00pm. The webinar will discuss what standards based reporting looks like at Oak Grove and how our reporting tool is used in grades K-6. This webinar will be recorded and also be posted on the district website for parents to reference. If you would like to attend the webinar, please register here. You will be sent a link to the webinar once you have registered.
Oak Grove School Education Foundation
The Oak Grove School Education Foundation (OGSEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer organization run by parents, teachers, and administrators. OGSEF funds targeted OGS teacher-initiated grants and programs focused on engaging, empowering, and inspiring students to advance to new levels of learning.
In the last two years, OGSEF funded more than $50,000 for new classroom technology, specialized equipment, teacher training, school experiences, alternative seating pilot programs, foreign language book purchases, an elementary library improvement project, and hands-on science experiments for students.
OGSEF also created and runs the Teacher of the Year Award where an OGS teacher is chosen by their peers, recognized for being an outstanding leader, and receives a plaque/cash award.
OGSEF is 100% funded by donations from parents and the local community and we need your help!
On the evening of Saturday February 19, 2022, OGSEF will host a biennial Gala at Independence Grove in Libertyville. This fun night is complete with great food, music, dancing, entertainment, silent auction, and a live auction. This year’s event is focused on awareness and a goal to “Expand Learning Beyond the Classroom.”
The OGSEF team is working now to put together a fantastic event which will comply with all COVID safety precautions in place at that time. Please note COVID vaccination or proof of a recent negative COVID test will be a requirement to attend.
If you want to volunteer or if you have an item/experience to donate to the auction (rental properties, event tickets, theme baskets, or wine/liquor) please reach out to mrjeffbarry@gmail.com or hillarydover@gmail.com.
Your family or business can also sponsor the Gala (many levels available) so be on the lookout for more information on that in the future.
We need your help to make this Gala a success which, in turn, directly helps our students, teachers, and school. If you can’t make the event in person, you can still participate virtually by downloading an app listing all of the silent auction items, current bid amounts, and more.
More details coming soon and also check out www.ogsef.org for updates!
PTO News
Halloween Celebrations
The PTO is excited to host Halloween Parties for K-4 on Friday the 29th, and grades 5-8 will celebrate with a DJ during lunch! If you are a designated volunteer for Friday, please make sure you’ve submitted your information to the OGS Vaccination/Testing Database and that you arrive 15-20 minutes early to allow time to park and for the office check-in process. If this is your first time volunteering in the building this year, don’t forget to bring your Driver’s License/State ID. Thank you Grade Level Coordinators and Room Parents for planning these fun celebrations!
Haven House Thanksgiving Meal Service Project
Thank you, everyone, who signed up to provide all the makings for a Thanksgiving feast for the residents of Lake County Haven! The generosity of the OGS community is astounding. There are still a few items on the list, so if you are able to donate please see the linked Google Sheet. Items will be collected November 15th-20th at Brooke Schamber's house in Saddle Hill: 1681 Wilton Court. The PTO also encourages students to include a picture or a hand-made decoration to share Thanksgiving cheer with the residents. For further information about the Haven as well as a variety of additional donation opportunities, please visit their website. If you have questions, please contact Brooke Schamber at Brooklee5@gmail.com.
Caramel Apple Fundraising Total
Thanks to the generous support of our Libertyville Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, the PTO raised $1,342.38 from the caramel apple sale! Thank you to all the families and staff members who supported the PTO with your purchases. We hope you enjoyed your delicious apples as much as we did! Thank you to Jill Procop and Rachel Margelos for coordinating the details!
Next PTO Meeting 11/3
Save the date for our next PTO meeting: Wednesday, November 3rd at 6:30 pm in the Elementary Library. A Zoom option will also be available. We look forward to seeing you there!
Virtual Backpack
Oak Grove School Board of Education
Click HERE to view Board Agenda and Minutes
Email: boe@ogschool.org
Website: www.ogschool.org
Location: 1700 S. O'Plaine Rd. Green Oaks, IL 60048
Phone: 847.367.4120
