Oak Grove News

• No students are to be dropped off at school prior to 7:45 AM
  
• Supervision of students by school personnel does not begin until 7:45 AM
  
• The district cannot be responsible for students prior to supervision times
  

There will be no Junior High library early hours on Thursday, January 21st due to the Character Counts Eagle Breakfast. Thank you!

Oak Grove School is in the process of determining kindergarten enrollment for the fall of 2016. Having correct enrollment numbers is important to us as it impacts the number of sections, teachers and classrooms. A child must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2016 to attend kindergarten. If you have a student who will be attending kindergarten in the fall, you can click the "Kindergarten 16-17" link from the main Oak Grove web site, or simply go to www.ogschool.org/kindy to pre-register your child.

You will be asked to enter the following information:

• Your child’s name, birthdate and gender

• Parent names and address, phone number and email address

If you have neighbors who do not have children at Oak Grove and do not receive the Oak Grove News, please share this information with them. We would also like to hear from you if you have a child that will be attending 1st grade at Oak Grove next year and is not currently attending kindergarten at Oak Grove this year.

Save the Date

Wednesday, February 10th @ 6:30PM

Kindergarten Parent Information Night, Elementary Library

• Information about the Kindergarten program for 2016/17, including the registration and screening process

• Kindergarten curriculum presentation

• Parent Q & A

An email will be sent out shortly asking you to select a language, French or Spanish for your child’s 6th, 7th and 8th grade language selection. If you do not respond to the email, your child will be placed into Spanish. If your child would like to be enrolled in French, then please follow the directions in the email.

Merci! Graciàs!

Would you be interested in planning the 8th grade graduation dance for the class of 2016? If so, please join us for an informational meeting on Thursday, January 28 at 9:30am in the Junior High cafeteria.

RSVP by calling Kathy Azzato at ext. 2038.

Coding in the Classroom
For the past few weeks, students in Mr. Oesch’s 7th grade Science by Design class have been using “Sphero” robotic balls to integrate science, math and coding skills. These devices, which resemble the “BB-8” droid in the new Star Wars film, are polycarbonate plastic balls that can be controlled by a tablet or smartphone. Students can simply drive the Spheros for fun, but they were tasked with several programming challenges that were similar in nature to the "hour of code" all of our students have participated in for the past two years. In one programming challenge, students had to program their devices to navigate through an obstacle course without any human intervention. Today, students engaged in a race where the students were in control of the device, but they were responsible for creating the programming that allowed them to control the Sphero with their tablet. To be successful, students needed to create a tightly coded program that allowed them to navigate the race course. Trial and error were involved as maximum speeds needed to be taken into account, as well as the advantages of using X-Y coordinates rather than simple “turn left” or “turn right” commands. At the end of today’s period, 7th grade teammates Avery Vang and Brittany Reed were crowned champions. They are pictured below with their Sphero and the iPad program they wrote to control the device. We are so glad to be able to offer the kind of fun learning activities that could only be dreamed of in the past!

The Kindergarten and 2nd grade Open House date has been changed. The Open House will be on Thursday, March 17, 2016 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Please mark your calendars.

We had a great first week back in SEL class! We read stories in multiple grades. Here are some of the titles. Please feel free to reread these books with your children. Many can be found at local libraries!

• Each Kindness, by Jacqueline Woodson (3rd & 4th grade)
  
• Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler, by Margery Cuyler (2nd grade)
  
• Good People Everywhere,by Lynea Gillen (3rd Grade)
  
• Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed, by Emily Pearson (3rd Grade)
  

As we are ending our Empathy Unit in grades Kindergarten through 5th grade we have given the students opportunities to share their kindness with others. We have practiced ways to be caring and helping. Students have learned how to predict someone’s feelings and respond with compassion. I hope you have enjoyed the photos and activities through ClassDojo and your children continue to discuss the activities with you at home. The goal for ClassDojo this year has been and continues to be the opportunity for a quick glimpse into your child’s day. We want to provide you with pictures and vocabulary so that you can reinforce the discussions at home and bring these lessons into your home setting. If you are not receiving ClassDojo, please let me know right away so that we can keep you informed! Thank you! skiefer@ogschool.org

A big shout out goes out to all the 3rd grade teachers who had a wonderful Kindness Week filled with wonderful activities! Way to go 3rd grade teachers and students!

Keep smiling! Share your smile today and it’ll spread to thousands of others before you know it! In the end, the smile will circle back to you!

~Mrs. Kiefer

Social Emotional Learning Teacher K-5

The Oak Grove Honor Society is raising money for the Red Cross by putting a container in each elementary (grades K-5) classroom. Students are encouraged to bring in loose change to donate. This fundraiser will run from January 19th to January 27th. The classroom that raises the most money will win prize bags for each student in that class.

The Grove Gala 2016 - Tickets & Sponsorships on Sale Now!
Tickets are limited, so secure yours today!
www.ogsef.com/gala-2016.html

Our biennial Spring Gala will take place on February 27th, 2016 at Independence Grove. The Gala is OGSEF’s biggest fundraising initiative and we need the support of our community, parents, faculty and students to make it a great success. In addition, this year we have a spotlight project we are funding: The Oak Grove Green Screen Room, which offers our students a unique opportunity to intersect creativity, technology, science, math and communications.

The Gala features food, open bar, entertainment by CoverGurl, and more. The Silent Auction features priceless classroom projects, amazing Teacher-led experiences and plenty of fun items including sports outings, sky diving, golf, pampering, great food and much more! This is an event you will not want to miss!

FAQ: There is no formal dress code for the Gala – from cocktail dresses and suits to jeans, all attire is appropriate.

To purchase tickets or commit to one of our Sponsorship Packages, please visit http://www.ogsef.org/gala-2016.html and click the "Buy Gala Tickets Now" tab at the bottom of the page or visit our event campaign page.

Gala Auction Volunteers – We Need You!
The Oak Grove Gala Committee is seeking individuals to lend a hand. We need volunteers to help our auction team secure items, follow up on requests and pick-up auction items within the community. We also need help monitoring the auction tables the night of the event. You can sign up to volunteer online at https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/Mjg1MA==.

Calling all Connections…

Auction Donations

The Committee is also requesting donations for the silent auction – No donation is too big or small & all your creative ideas are welcome! ex. Do you have a summer home you would be willing to donate for a week or weekend? Do you know a chef for a private dinner? Connections to a jeweler? A favorite restaurant that would donate a gift card? We welcome any and all your ideas!

Please contact Carlene Lichter at carlenelichter@gmail.com with your donation ideas.

Thank you for your support!

The Oak Grove School Education Foundation
www.ogsef.org

January 11, 2016

A Message from PTO Co-Presidents Lisa Perrone and Mia Hughes:

Lunches this week:

Monday – Quesadilla/Hot Dog

Tuesday – Panera

Wednesday – Pasta

Thursday – Culvers

Next PTO Meeting – This Wednesday, January 13th at 9:00am in the Junior High Teacher’s Lounge. All are welcome.

What is it?
The Illinois Mathematics League Contest is a 30-minute, multiple choice examination

Who can participate?

Any 4th or 5th grade student registered at Oak Grove

When is the contest?

Tuesday, April 19th, from 3:45-4:15 p.m.

Where will the contest be held?

After school, in the Junior High library

What will be awarded?

*A Certificate of Merit to the highest scoring student at each grade level

*Highest scoring student will be awarded a book of math contests

Please see the Virtual Backpack for the contest registration form.

The school spelling bee is this Thursday beginning at 6:30 in the Junior High Learning Center. Spellers should check in by 6:15. Families and students are welcome to come and watch this exciting competition, but an adult must accompany them for the bee. The staff in the building will be working on the bee and unable to supervise children during this time. Good luck to all of our spellers!

We welcome new students and hope to see our current students again!!

About Us

Students ages 4 to 14 explore their natural curiosities while being introduced to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) through hands-on learning projects that focus on problem solving, critical thinking, and peer collaboration. For more information about Engineering For Kids classes, visit us at: www.engineeringforkids.com/lakecounty

Winter Session

Junior Civil Engineering (Grades K – 2nd)

Building a house to withstand the Big, Bad Wolf is where the fun begins in Junior Civil Engineering. This class is centered on exploring the concepts of building and construction through hands-on exploration and design. Students explore the engineering behind sky scrapers, bridges, roads, and more!

Electronic Game Design: Pong (Grades 3rd– 5th)

During the Electronic Game Design Pong class, students will use Multimedia Fusion 2.5® to create their own video game. Students will recreate the real game of Ping-Pong in which a human player (the ping) interacts with an electronic player (the pong). The aim is to defeat the opponent in a stimulated table tennis game by earning a higher score. At the end of the program, everyone takes home a working Windows-compatible game (Clickteam Fusion 2.5® does not support Mac or Android operating systems).

New! Master Mechatronics Mastermind (Grades 6th – 8th)

During this class, students will explore the basics of mechatronics engineering and logic based programming. Students will explore mechanical and electrical design using littleBits™ electronic modules, as they work together to design gadgets, tools, and machines . Students will design and build a car, explore hardware based video game design with Arduino coding and much more!

All classes: Thursdays 3:30pm - 5:00pm Oak Grove School Jan 21st - Feb 25th $150

Register by January 18th at www.engineeringforkids.com/lakecounty

Next Session: 4/7 – 5/12

Junior Engineers: Space Pioneers with Scratch Programming

Apprentice Engineers: Computer Hardware Engineering

Please click HERE to view the flyers in our Virtual Backpack.

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