Oak Grove News

The Jr. High Library will be closed on Tues., April 26th and Wed., April 27th due to Kindergarten screening.

... and it is very important to remember to send your child with one on days they are not scheduled for hot lunch. In the past, we have had extra pizza available for those who have forgotten their lunch at home; however, this is no longer an option as we are out. If your child forgets their lunch, you will receive a phone call to bring one as soon as possible. Thank you.

Hello Oak Grove Community,

As you may have heard already, the Talented And Gifted (TAG) committee will be hosting a presentation and would like to invite you and your kindergarten through fifth grade student to practice having quality conversations around student learning. In addition, each family in attendance will receive one set of take - home materials. It is sure to be a fun night! See additional information in the Virtual Backpack for details.

Mrs. August will be teaching second through eighth grade art for the rest of the school year while Mrs. Vance is on maternity leave. Mrs. August has years of teaching experience and is an accomplished ceramicist. Please give her a warm Oak Grove welcome! If you need to contact her while Mrs. Vance is on leave, please e-mail her at august@ogschool.org

Oak Grove had a winning team of players at the 90th Kumbaya Scholastic Chess Tournament held on Sunday, April 17, in Skokie.

Matthew and Nikhil returned to Oak Grove with the 1st place team award in the U1200 section. Landon returned with an individual recognition award within his section -- matching points to tie for 3rd place with 7 other players. It was a thrilling section to watch! Matthew returned with an individual recognition award for 4th place in his U1200 Section and Nikhil was tied for 6th place with 4 other players in the U1200. This was also very exciting!

There were over 100 players competing for trophies and recognition. As always our students represented Oak Grove with excellent sportsmanship, professional behavior and kindness to their opponents. We are very proud of these fine students.

National Park Week, April 16 to 24, 2016, is America's largest celebration of national heritage. It's about making great connections, exploring amazing places, discovering open spaces, and enhancing America’s best idea—the national parks!

Launched as part of the campaign to celebrate the 2016 National Park Service Centennial, SAVE THE PARK seeks to inspire and encourage a new generation of park lovers to take an active role in helping preserve these important natural and historic resources for future generations.

To drive additional resources to the cause, the American Express Foundation will make a $1 donation to the National Park Foundation for each download of SAVE THE PARK occurring on or before December 31, 2016, up to $50,000. The donation will support the NPF’s park conservation and stewardship work.

Playground Pavers Summer Installation Orders -- Leave your Mark at Oak Grove!

Our children's memories of their time at Oak Grove will last a lifetime, so take this opportunity to leave a permanent mark with a custom brick paver and support innovative curriculum enhancements for your children at the same time! The custom brick pavers are the centerpiece of the Elementary playground! If you order your Paver by May 20th, it will be installed over the summer. For sizes, information and order, please visit http://www.ogsef.org/playground-pavers.html. Thank you!

Gala Experience Highlight - Bon Appetit!

The Furlong family was the lucky winner of a delicious Gala auction item - a gourmet dinner courtesy of the Sixth Grade team! We all appreciate what these teachers do for our kids each day in the classroom, but their talents do not stop at the school doors! Ashleigh Grambo, Krista Demma, Matt Oesch, Lori Colclasure, Lynn Klunder, Ashley Evans, Karyn Thompson and Katie Riley whipped up a fantastic dinner for a group of 6th grade Oak Grove students. After the last bite was taken, the rave reviews were unanimous!

Please share your Gala Auction experiences with the OG community! You can send photos to ogsfoundation@yahoo.com. Thanks!

We have been reviewing all of the Social Emotional Learning topics covered this year because we will channel all those lessons to help us with our final unit. We are learning to be better PROBLEM SOLVERS! Now that we have rehearsed, practiced and reinforced ways to calm down, we are ready to solve problems. There are 4 steps to solving problems and we use the acronym STEP!

S: Say the problem ~ Without blame

T: Think of a solution ~ Safe and respectful

E: Explore consequences ~ What could happen if…

P: Pick the best solution ~ Make your plan

This past week we focused on saying the problem without blame and we began to think of solutions. This is a fun unit as we are trying to focus on real problems happening in their grade level. 5th grade invited me to play Ga Ga ball and we had fun as I learned about some of the problems they were having. Mrs. Jackson had put in new rules and it has really helped. We will continue to solve problems together in a calm and respectful way as we work through this unit!

7th & 8th Grade Sexual Abuse Lesson On How Child Lures Are Used

Today the 7th & 8th grade students participated in a grade level lesson to help protect them and keep them safe from sexual abuse. We reinforced the fact that most people are sunny but like the weather people can change. We want students to feel safe and confident, but also to trust their instincts. Students were exposed to a variety of lures that have been used on children their age. The goal was to “program” their brains to recognize lures when they are happening and refuse unsafe touches or experiences. Secrets can always be told and their body belongs to them. No one can ask to see, touch, take pictures of or ask you to touch their bathing suit zone. We focused on listening to our instincts and our inner sirens. We want students to report anytime their siren goes off to parents or a trusted adult. 25% of girls and 15% of boys have been sexually abused by the time they are an adult. With Erin’s law in place, we hope and believe we can get this number down to 0! If interested, there is a 'Race to Zero' sponsored by the Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center at Independence Grove.

Racetozero5k.rallybound.org

April 18, 2016

Lunches this Week

Monday - Jersey Mike's

Tuesday - Panino/Potato
Wednesday - Pizza

Thursday - Culvers

Volunteer Needed

Want to get involved with the PTO? We are looking for a person to chair a Fall Festival. If you are interested or want more info, please contact Katrina Treutelaar at Katrina.treutelaar@me.com by April 25th.

Book Fair

The Elementary BOGO Book Fair begins tomorrow! Everything will be "buy one, get one free." Please, plan to join us during the school day or during our Wednesday "Family Night" event from 6pm-8pm. See the Virtual Backpack for a schedule of individual classroom visits to the fair and an order form to purchase gift certificates for teachers.

If you would like to volunteer to help at the fair, please, follow this link to our Scholastics web page and click on "Volunteer to help at the fair." Otherwise, you may contact Jennifer Liu- jen_hen@comcast.net.

Link:http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/oakgroveelementaryschool12

Fair Hours

- Tuesday 4/19 - 8:15am - 3:30pm

- Wednesday 4/20 - 8:15 - 3:30pm & 6:00pm - 8:00pm "Family Event"

- Thursday 4/21 - 8:15am - 3:30pm

- Friday 4/22 - 8:15am - 3:30pm

As always, all profits benefit the Elementary Library, classrooms, and the PTO. Hope to see everyone there!

Pre Pack School Supply Orders

PTO offers a program to make school supply shopping easy. Not only will you have your grade appropriate school supplies conveniently delivered to your home, you will also be helping us raise money for Oak Grove School. Please, consider placing your order on our EPI webpage www.educationalproducts.com/shoppacks using school ID OAK039 for your 2016-2017 school supplies. The pre-packs will be delivered to your home before school begins in August. The deadline for ordering is June 10th. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Jennifer Liu- jen_hen@comcast.net. See the Virtual Backpack for prices and details.

Thank You to Our Socials Volunteers

The 4th/5th Grade social was held this past Friday at the Tilt Studio in Gurnee. A great group of students enjoyed pizza, laser tag, arcade games and mini golf. Thank you so much to our chairs Liz Howard & Kirsten Willis. and their volunteers that included Stacie Nevins, Stacey Ramstedt, Mindy Warren, & Samantha Eichner.

Thank you so much to our chairs Kelli Kuypers, Liz Howard and Kirsten Willis for organizing the 2nd/3rd grade social that was held last Friday at Just for Fun Roller Rink. They would like to thank their volunteers Dana Huennekens, Barb Davoux, Crushaunna Tayfel, Jennie Schlitt, Christina Swanson, & Nadia Sethi.

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