OHS Newsletter
455 Fox Trail, Omro, WI 54963 920-303-2300
Congratulations Wendy Fisher and Erica Birenbaum
A "Job Well Done" goes out to our band and choir members for a wonderful Christmas concert performed on Monday, December 18! Thanks to Wendy Fisher, High School and Middle School Band Director and Erica Birenbaum, Middle School and High School Choir Director for all their never ending hard work, dedication and support of our music program! Additionally, kudos go out to our band alumni for dusting off their instruments and coming out of the audience to perform with the band for this year's rendition of Christmas Festival, a 60 year tradition at Omro High School!
SALT WIAA Sportsmanship Summit
Four Omro SALT Leaders attended the WIAA Sportsmanship Summit last week in Stevens Point. The purpose of the Summit is to assist membership schools with their citizenship and sportsmanship efforts for students, student-athletes, adult fans, advisors, parents and booster clubs; developing plans to improve or maintain good sportsmanship locally; and assisting schools identify and implement a respectful environment for education-based athletics.
Thank you!!
Our hearts are full! Sources of Strength would like to say thank you to everyone for their kindness and gratitude shared in collecting personal hygiene donations for our Giving Tree. We were able to supply over 300 items for the Omro Food Pantry!! A huge CONGRATULATIONS goes out to Mr. Douglas's Fox Time group for donating the most items-- 146!! A special treat is coming your way!
Merry Christmas to All--
Sources of Strength
Our Top Three Fox Time Donations
1. Douglas: 146 !!!! (Sophomores)
2. Whitney: 96 (Sophomores)
3. King: 62 (Juniors)
Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a national competition designed to empower students in grades 6-12 to leverage the power of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) to create innovative solutions addressing critical issues in their local communities.
This year students have selected dementia as their community problem to solve. Students are planning on developing an AI (Artificial Intelligence) platform to help support people with dementia and improve their quality of life.
50 State Winners will receive a Samsung Video Kit to assist in the development of their “STEM solution pitch video,” as well as $12K in Samsung technology
For more information on the competition, go here.
Are you interested in running for the School District of Omro School Board? There are currently 3 positions up for re-election in the April 2, 2024 school board election. Positions are three year terms with the third position (by number of votes) filling the remainder of a two year term. The deadline to submit the Declaration of Candidacy and Campaign Registration Statement papers, to be placed on the election ballot, is 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. The Declaration of Candidacy and Campaign Registration Statement papers should be turned into: District Office 455 Fox Trail Omro, WI 54963 To pick up papers, or find out more information, please email Nancy Stoflet at nstof@omro.k12.wi.us.
Join Omro Foxes for a Night with the Herd on Thursday, January 18 at 6:00 pm!
Time is running out to be a part of the fun!
Join the Omro Foxes community on Thursday, January 18, 2024 at "Omro Foxes Night at The Herd."
Details are listed on the attached flyer.
Order tickets online at fevogm.com/Omrofoxes.
For ticket information: scan the code or visit fevogm.com/Omrofoxes
Omro High School Attendance Line
Work Permits Are Available ONLINE ONLY
A parent can access the the work permit site using these instructions. Payment is made directly to the department through the application, using a credit or debit card or by ACH direct withdrawal. Once the permit application process is complete, the Department mails a paper copy of the permit directly to the employer. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact by email at workpermits@dwd.wisconsin.gov.
School District of Omro Family Resources
Looking for health forms? Bus pass/ change request forms? Skyward help? There is all kinds of information on our Family Resources page on the district website! Resources for Omro High School students and families can be found here!
SKYWARD/GOOGLE CLASSROOM
Stay in touch with how your child is doing in class by checking Skyward and Google Classroom. Here are some resources from the Family Resources page to help you:
There's an App for That!
Check out the School District of Omro App. We have made some improvements recently as well to include our daily announcements, newsletters and lunch menus now right at your fingertips!
Download for Android https://bit.ly/3Vi7WxT
Download for iPhone https://apple.co/3LF4wC5
This month's Athletics/ Activities Newsletter
School Attendance and Sports
The Student/Parent Handbook which includes our Extracurricular Handbook states that:
ATTENDANCE POLICY - PRACTICE & COMPETITION
Students must be in attendance for the entire school day in order to practice or compete in an event. Special circumstances may merit exception with prior approval from the Principal/Dean of Students, or designee.
Step 1 - Parent notification to office at least 24 hours prior to absence
Step 2 - Student picks up signed Excused Slip from office
Step 3 - Student gives signed Excused Slip to coach/advisor to participate the day of the absence
If an absence is deemed unexcused it will result in ineligibility for participation in extracurricular activities until the next full day of attendance.
Special circumstances that would be acceptable would be dentist appointments, medical appointments (students should bring their medical provider's note in order to pick up the "Excused Slip" for their coach in the office). However, things like sleeping in, haircut appointments, or getting their favorite coffee are never approved to miss classes and would result in the student not being able to participate that day. If you have any questions about what may or may not be accepted, please ask the office in advance to ensure they are in full compliance of the extra curricular activity policy. We hope this clears up any confusion.
School Store Apparel - Year Round!
Just a reminder that our school store is available ALL YEAR LONG! The school store will be on the Omro School District webpage. When you order you can pay right on the website and orders are shipped directly to you. There is a shipping and handling fee of $8.95 for any order.
There is so much to choose from. Please take time and look at the store catalog.
https://www.omro.k12.wi.us/families/school-store.cfm
Happy Shopping!
Illness Guidelines
General Illness Guidelines
Please contact the school office, school health services or your child’s primary care provider with any specific questions.
A child with a fever of 100 F or higher needs to stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.
In general if a child feels too ill to participate in classroom activities, regardless of fever, they should be at home.
Students with vomiting and/or diarrhea must stay home for 24 hours after the symptoms have resolved.
Students with an infection such as strep throat must be on antibiotics for 24 hours prior to returning to school.
Covid-19
Symptoms of Covid-19
Fever, Shortness of breath, Cough, New loss of taste or smell, Muscle or body aches, Headache, Sore throat, Congestion or runny nose, Nausea or vomiting, Diarrhea, Fatigue
Testing for COVID-19 is no longer required
A student with a lab confirmed test (not a home test) is excused from school for 5 days following the day of symptom onset.
For students that have tested positive, it is recommended that they should stay home for 5 days from symptom onset, their symptoms should be improving, and they must be fever free for 24 hours prior to returning.
For students that have covid symptoms, but have not tested. They may return to school when they have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications and symptoms are improving.
Students will not be required to quarantine following an exposure to COVID-19.
A WIAA post covid physical is recommended for those that recover from COVID-19.
Contact Health Services with any questions or concerns at 920-410-3378.
You may leave a voicemail or send a text 24/7, be sure to include your child’s full name.
Steps to a Stress Free Holiday
Celebrating and connecting with family is important during the holiday season, but it's also essential to care for your mental health. Here are some helpful tips for a more stress-free holiday season:
- Make modifications to holiday traditions. Consider ways to modify traditions that may negatively impact your mental health. It can be nice to stick with holiday traditions, but your mental health should take priority.
- Don't forget the power of "no." It's okay to say no to plans if you are feeling overwhelmed.
- Plan ahead. Keeping a calendar of events can help you stay on track and prepare for events. It can be stressful to shop on the same day as an event, so keep a list of tasks to prevent the rush.
- Talk about your feelings. You might be overwhelmed or missing a loved one. Talking about your feelings with a trusted friend or family member is okay. You are not in this alone.
- Take time for self-care. It's important to take care of ourselves before caring for others. This holiday season, make time for yourself.
- Find a therapist. Acknowledge your feelings and talk to a professional when needed. If you would like help finding a mental health care provider, use Care Solace, a complimentary and confidential coordination service provided by the School District of Omro:
- Call 888-515-0595. Multilingual support is available 24/7/365.
- Visit www.caresolace.com/omro and either search on your own or click "Book Appointment" for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.
We wish you a joyous and stress-free holiday season!
Care Solace helps you find mental health care providers and substance use treatment centers. They're available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and 365 days per year to quickly connect you to carefully verified providers in our community. You can:
● Contact your child's school counselor, to ask for assistance for a referral
● Call (888) 515-0595 at any time. A dedicated Care Companion will help you every step of the way to research options, secure appointments, and follow up to make sure it is a good fit.
● For an anonymous search, answer a few questions to get matched with an extensive list of care
providers at https://www.caresolace.com/site/omro
Care Solace is available at no cost to our students, families, and staff members. They will connect you with providers accepting all medical insurances including Medicaid, Medicare, and sliding scale options for those without insurance. All information is completely confidential and securely stored.
Please note: This service is an optional resource available by choice and is not mandatory to use. Care Solace is not an emergency response service or mental health services provider. In the event of a life-threatening emergency:
Dial 911 or the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or
Dial 988 - for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
If you are interested in counseling-related services for your child, yourself, or another family member, please contact Care Solace directly, or reach out to your school's counselor:
● HB Patch/OES : Tracy Rees, trees@omro.k12.wi.us , 920-685-3100 ext.2683
● Omro Middle School : Carrie Sabel, csabe@omro.k12.wi.us , 920-303-2301 ext.2207
● Omro High School : Rachel Williams, rwill@omro.12.wi.us , 920-303-2319
Mental and Behavioral Health Resource
Well Badger Resource Center is an information and referral (I&R) service for Wisconsin individuals and families. Information and referral services create and maintain databases of programs and services, and then make sure, through a variety of channels and outreach, that you and others in your community know about those services.
Well Badger is a one-stop connection to community, social, health, and government programs and resources — so you can find what you need, when you need it.
The Navigator is a free, confidential, online tool designed to help parents, caregivers, and professionals navigate mental and behavioral health services for children, adolescents, and young adults under the age of 21! Just answer a few questions about the child, and the Navigator provides a customized guide to connect the child with the resources and support they both need and deserve.
Children’s Mental & Behavioral Health Resource Navigator (Navigator)
A QUICK HOW TO: CHECKING IN WITH TEENS ABOUT THEIR MENTAL HEALTH
"It’s difficult for us to think about our kids struggling — especially when we may be struggling ourselves. However, it’s important for us to know that we can make a difference." Click on this link for some helpful information about checking in with your child regarding their mental health from the Wisconsin DPI Student Services/Prevention and Wellness team and DPI ConnectEd.
FAFSA
If your child plans to pursue any post high school training (such as college or technical college), it is important you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (
FAFSA). Completing the FAFSA is a critical step for your child to receive grants, student loans and work study to help pay for his/her post high school education.
Due to a major overhaul of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), access to the application for the 2024-25 school year has been delayed this year (from the typical October 1st availability). At this time, the FAFSA is set to open by December 31, 2023. FAFSA Application
To get started on the FAFSA, both student and parent will need to create an FSA ID. Mike Gawell, Financial Aid Facilitator, will be at Omro High School on Friday, January 5th during Fox Time to meet with our seniors to walk them through that process and to share more general information about the financial aid process.
Please encourage your child to sign up for the FAFSA information session (see blurb below) on Friday, January 5th through Edficiency (Fox Time).
Here are some additional links and a Youtube video series (provided by Ripon College) that you may find helpful:
FAFSA Checklist: What you need to complete the form
FAFSA Simplification Fact Sheet
College Goal Wisconsin - for personalized help completing the FAFSA
The Ripon College Office of Financial Aid has updated their annual FAFSA YouTube video series, "Ripon College: Understanding the Financial Aid Process" for the upcoming cycle. The full playlist is:
