Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher conferences for grades K-8 will take place on Monday, November 23rd from 1:00 to 8:30 p.m. and Tuesday, November 24th from 8:00 a.m. to noon.
Please register for Parent/Teacher Conferences by going to www.ogschool.org between 6:00 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 16th and noon on Friday, Nov, 20th. Conferences are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
A letter was emailed home to each family today with instructions, including the student number and password you need to book conferences. If you do not see the letter, please check your spam folder - the subject line is "How to Register for PT Conferences."
Parking Lot Reminder
Curriculum Corner
Hello Oak Grove Community,
Now that students are taking iPads home in grades K-5, we’ve come across a unique issue with families that use Comcast as their ISP (internet service provider). It appears that in some cases Comcast blocks port 8080 on residential customer’s internet service. If this port is blocked, the iPad will not be able to access anything on the internet from home since there are settings on the iPad requiring all content to be filtered on any network connection outside of OGS. Port 8080 is required for the iPad to be filtered outside of OGS. So far we’ve only seen this issue occur with Comcast residential customers.
If a student comes to school and indicates they are having issues connecting to the internet from home, but not at school or elsewhere, the first question we ask is, “Are they using Comcast as their ISP at home?” If the answer is "yes", in most cases the families should contact Comcast to have port 8080 unblocked. This will allow the iPad to communicate with our systems from home to ensure Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) compliance and allow the iPad to behave as it does here at school.
If you do speak to Comcast about port 8080, please try to document the support case number and let the tech team know. We can share that with our Comcast commercial rep and they can further address this blocking practice with the residential part of their company with the hope that port 8080 can be unblocked universally as it is with most other ISPs.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of the tech team members or place a helpdesk ticket.
The Tech Team
Social Emotional Learning
This week in SEL I stood in front of many classes and began to rip a piece of paper. In every class one or two people would say, “Stop!” I did stop. I then informed the children that they were BYSTANDERS. Those that said to stop chose to speak up when they felt uncomfortable. All of the students watched the piece of paper get torn. They heard it, they saw it and they had a little feeling in their stomach that something was not right. As bystanders we RECOGNIZE bullying and we have empathy for the person being bullied. It is the next step that we take that can help or hurt our friends. We can do nothing, walk away and say “I don’t really know that person, I'm not going to get involved,” or we can REFUSE, REPORT, or SUPPORT the target! As bystanders we can choose to go up to the person being bullied and offer to sit by them, ask them how they are doing, or even ask if they want someone to go with them to report what has been happening.
In 4th and 5th grade, we introduced the students to CYBER BULLYING. The steps are the same. The students practiced by posting messages that supported the target or refused the bully. When one bystander takes positive actions others will follow. It is never too late to do the right thing. You CAN stop cyber bullying. Cyber bullying may happen at home, but the minute it is brought into a discussion at school it becomes a school issue and actions will be taken. Here are some comments our 4th and 5th graders would make to REFUSE cyber bullying or SUPPORT the target.
School Board Members Day
November 15 will mark the seventh official statewide observance of School Board Members Day in Illinois. This is the community’s opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to the local board of education and honor their commitment to providing a local voice for your education decisions.
When it comes to public service, school board members are some of the most selfless volunteers around. They are your neighbors, friends, coworkers, parents and everything in between. They are also the front-line advocates fighting for quality education opportunities for every child. They serve without the expectation of a paycheck in a position that requires long hours and continuous dedication to the betterment of the community.
Everyone understands that school board members attend meetings, but those hours represent just a fraction of the actual time that they devote to being an educational leader for the district. They attend extracurricular events to support schools. They participate in professional development opportunities to learn how to be better board members and gain insight into new ideas and policies. They are involved in other community events, representing themselves, their community, and their district. Many of these activities take them away from time that could be spent with their own family. Their sacrifices often times go overlooked, but their work is of utmost importance. That is why this year’s theme for School Board Member Day is “Everyday Heroes.”
More than any other public servant, school board members must listen to the voices of their community and then craft a vision, mission, and goals for their district to accurately reflect the desires and objectives expressed by parents and residents. They act as guardians of two of the community’s most precious resources — the children and tax dollars — while working to create the best educational environment possible with the resources available.
Veterans Day Ceremony
Wednesday, November 11, 2015 9:00 am
Have you ever thought how much your freedom is worth? Well, freedom is not free. Many veterans and active duty service men and women have worked very hard to ensure you have freedom today. To honor them and to show them our appreciation every year, Oak Grove School has a Veterans Day celebration. Please wear red, white, and blue to show spirit. Donations will be collected for the Wounded Warrior Project.
**Parents, just a reminder, the junior high parking lot will be closed on Veterans Day. Please use the elementary parking lot to drop off your children.
PTO News
November 9, 2015
A Message from PTO Co-Presidents Lisa Perrone and Mia Hughes:
Lunches this week:
Monday – Quesadilla/Hot Dog
Tuesday – Panera
Wednesday – Pasta
Thursday – Culvers
Ladies Wine & Shop Night:
On Thursday, November 19th from 5-8pm. What She Wants Boutique will be hosting a ladies wine and shop night to benefit the OGS PTO. The store offers a nice variety of clothes and exceptional gifts not found anywhere else. It is located inside the Condell Center Club – 200 W Golf Road.
Schwan’s Home Delivery:
Thanks to those who have already placed an order. Schwan’s Home Service Delivery offers mealtime solutions delivered right to your door. Chose from more than 350 family favorites, all flash frozen for freshness and flavor. NOVEMBER 15th is the last day to order! The PTO receives 20% of sales and also receives $10 for every $25 gift certificate purchased.
https://www.schwans-cares.com/campaigns/23066-oak-grove-pto-district-68
Elementary Book Fair:
It's almost time for the Elementary Scholastic Book Fair! Please mark your calendars and plan on joining usNov. 18th thru Nov. 23rd for our annual Fall Book Fair geared for students in GRADES K-4 and their families. Times and class schedules will be posted a week before the Fair. In the spirit of promoting the love of reading the Book Fair will be running its " All for Books" Classroom Coin Challenge starting Nov. 9h thru Nov. 19th. Each of the K-4 classrooms will be collecting any spare change the children would like to bring. All the money collected during this period will help build the classroom libraries of A.J. Katzenmaier School in North Chicago. This is a wonderful way for the children to give back! The classroom that collects the most money will get a pizza party! See the Virtual Backpack for more info.
Board Briefs
- Dr. Lemon stated his concern about continued criticisms to the Board about student programming
- Dr. Moline from SEDOL gave a presentation regarding the program and it's services to the District
- The District received a FOIA request
- The District received an attendance award
- Mrs. Cacciatore gave a curriculum update
- Mrs. Pittam presented a request to the Board regarding a 5 day trip to Puerto Rico for the 8th grade students in her Spanish class
- Dr. Valentin discussed the tentative levy FY15, and recommend the District vote to take the full levy amount next month
- Various committee reports are attached to BoardBook
Approvals
- The Board approved the FY15 Audit Report
- Personnel Action was approved
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
