Band News
5th grade Beginning Band Parent Meeting is this week- Wednesday, September 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Pat Patt Gym! Mr. Jones and Mr. Frankowski will be going over expectations, the students’ schedule, rental information and registration. If you cannot attend, please email Mr. Frankowski (frankowski@ogschool.org) and he will be sure to give you the necessary information. This meeting is for adults. If children must attend as a last resort, please bring something to occupy their time quietly.
7th and 8th grade band members will be performing with the Libertyville High School marching band on Thursday, September 30 at 6:30 p.m. in the LHS football stadium. Students will be working with the high school students learning how to march and performing music with them in lieu of our fall symphonic festival. This will give Grovers a taste of what it’s like participating in a fine ensemble and what adventure awaits in the next couple years. Mr. Jones and Mr. Frankowski will be re-emailing families with participating students a schedule of events as the date approaches. This event is free and open for the public to see how marching band is taught and rehearsed.
7th and 8th grade musicians! It’s that time of year again!
ILMEA District Band auditions are approaching! District Band is a half-day music festival held each fall and is open to all band students grades 7-8. This is an audition band that attracts the finest players in middle school from all over the area. Music was made available this spring to candidates wishing to try out.
The 2021 Junior and Senior District Band festivals will meet on Saturday, November 6. The Junior Band Festival will run from 8am-12pm and will be held right here at Libertyville High School.
Auditions will be pre-recorded on video with the director’s help during the week of Oct. 3rd. Once the videos have been created and uploaded to the Illinois Music Education Association, a panel of independent judges specializing in each instrument will rank the auditions and notify the board to compile the members of the ensemble. After directors will be notified of the results and who all was selected to participate.
Our plan right now is to have our fall festivals in-person for students, wherever possible. ILMEA will share details as they become finalized. If we have to forego those festivals, we will implement plans for a virtual option featuring high-quality artists and clinicians.
Please let Mr. Jones (jones@ogschool.org) know if your child is planning to audition this year.
If you did not audition this year but would like your child to have this opportunity for next year. Please contact Mr. Jones so he can keep you in the loop.
PTO News
PTO Crew T-shirts Available For a Limited Time
If you volunteer with the PTO in any capacity and want a PTO Crew T-shirt to wear to PTO events (or just to show OGS spirit!) we’re running a second printing of shirts for the next two weeks. It is not mandatory to purchase a shirt or to wear it to PTO events, but they do help identify who is working the event and who to turn to for help! These shirts are not part of the spiritwear PTO fundraiser; they are $11 and include no fundraising markup. Place your order directly with Sports 11 now through September 28th. Once the shirts are ready you will receive a call from Sports 11 to pick up your shirt in store.
Note: The ladies fit shirt runs very small so we advise you purchase one or two sizes up from your usual size if you choose that style. There is also a men’s/unisex option and the sizing seems more true-to-size.
One More Week to Order Caramel Apples!
If you ask anyone who ordered caramel apples last year, they’ll tell you “order double what you think you want!” They are delicious! Place your orders through Monday, September 27th using this form. Once your order is placed you will receive an invoice from the PTO paypal account within 24 hours. Orders will be available for pickup at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in downtown Libertyville on October 8th and 9th.
For any questions regarding ordering or payment please contact Kate Byers at kateGbyers@gmail.com. For any other questions about this fundraiser, please contact Jill Procop at jprocop@sbcglobal.net or Rachel Margelos at rmargelos@gmail.com.
DEI Committee
Curriculum Corner
Hello Oak Grove families,
iReady Assessment Information
Families will receive their child’s iReady family report via email on Friday, September 24th around 3:00pm. Please remember that this is one assessment tool that is used to guide instruction for our students in addition to other formative assessments used in the classroom. Students will take the iReady assessment again in both winter and spring as well.
TAG Appeal Process
As part of our Talented And Gifted (TAG) placement procedures, we will be holding our fall session of the Advisory Council. This process is discussed on pages 11 and 12 of the
TAG Handbook. Parents requesting participation in the appeal process are required to complete the Parent Inquiry Form, also on pg. 22 in the TAG Handbook. Forms must be completed and emailed to Leslie Weber at weber@ogschool.org no later than Friday, October 1st. Parents will be notified via email regarding the follow-up steps and final decision of the committee. Please note, the appeal process may only be utilized once per calendar year.
If you are a new family to Oak Grove and are interested in having your child’s information reviewed for our Talented and Gifted program, please email Leslie Weber at weber@ogschool.org.
From the Desk of Mrs. B
TikTok Issue
Last week, the Dev-Lik TikTok vandalism hit OGS, causing damage to a student bathroom (more info regarding this TikTok challenge can be found in this article).
OGS administration continues to investigate this matter. We have asked all staff to increase bathroom and hallway supervision. Classroom teachers in all grades held conversations today about taking pride in our school and the importance of speaking up when we see something that is not right. We are asking parents to also reinforce appropriate usage of social media with their child(ren). If anyone has information, please share it with Mrs. B or Mr. Murray as soon as possible.
ALICE Drill October 18, 2021
The safety of the students at Oak Grove School is of the utmost importance. Currently, Oak Grove school utilizes ALICE, which is a nationally recognized program, recommended by The US Department of Education, International Association of Chiefs of Police, FEMA, and the FBI. ALICE is a proactive set of responses to an active school intruder that empowers individuals to utilize human action. In addition, State law mandates that EVERY school in the State of Illinois participates in an Active Shooter Drill this year within the first 90 days of school starting. ALICE stands for:
● A- alert: Use clear and concise language to convey the type and location of the event
● L- lockdown: Lockdown and barricade in a secure area
● I- inform: Communication keeps a potential intruder off balance and allows for good decision making
● C- counter: Apply skills to distract, confuse, and gain control
● E- evacuate: Evacuate the premises
Oak Grove has been utilizing ALICE for several years with the cooperation and support of the Lake County Sheriff’s department. Our staff has been trained and have a solid understanding of the ALICE protocols. However, we can never be satisfied with our level of training and will continue to prepare for a school intruder incident.
Our Tentative Active Intruder Drill is scheduled for October 18th, 2021. The purpose of the training is to best prepare the staff and students to respond effectively and efficiently if a school intruder is present. NOTE: per updated school legislation, the drill does not include simulations that mimic an actual active school shooting incident. Following the training, the students will have a classroom debrief facilitated by their classroom teachers. Oak Grove staff has met with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department to discuss this year’s drill. If a parent/guardian has questions or concerns regarding their child(ren)'s participation in this drill, he/she should contact the school principal.
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
