From the Desk of the Superintendent
In the last year, I shared through OG News updates that our District has engaged in a partnership with the Oak Grove Village and Libertyville Township to place a pedestrian crossing light at the intersection of St. Mary's Road and Lexington. A pedestrian will be able to activate a push button which triggers flashing LEDs on signs mounted on back-to-back poles on either side of the road, alerting motorists to yield. This type of agreement takes several months to secure, involving a bidding process, engineering designs, formal intergovernmental agreements, etc.
We expect the light to be constructed in the next few weeks -- which is great news! However, I am asking our parents and guardians to continue to discuss with your children proper crossing in the intersection. Many more students are riding bikes and walking to school due to our bus challenges. Our students have the "right of way" in the crosswalk, however, we are hearing of motorists not always yielding appropriately or getting surprised by the quick need to stop when a walker is present. Please remind your children to look both ways to ensure drivers are yielding -- before entering the road. This will help greatly to ensure their safety.
I will continue to keep you updated on the progress of the sign/light installation.
PTO News
PTO Calendars Delivered & Available!
If you ordered a PTO calendar during school registration, you should have received it sometime over the course of the last week. Calendars were sent home with the youngest student in your family. If you think you ordered a calendar and didn’t receive it, please contact Franci Klotz at francine.klotz@gmail.com. We have a limited number of calendars still available and they will be sold for $10 on a first come, first served basis. Reach out to Franci for more details! Many thanks to Franci for all her work putting the calendar together and preparing them for distribution!
One More Week to Order Spirit Wear
Don’t forget to order your OGS spirit wear by September 14th! Spirit wear Fridays will be starting soon where we’ll encourage the community to wear OGS gear and show their #oakgrovepride. Spirit wear orders help support the PTO! If you have any questions about spirit wear, please reach out to Courtney Johnston at johnstoncourtneyr@gmail.com.
Curriculum Corner
TAG Advisory Committee
Thank you to the parents who have shown interest in being a member of the TAG Advisory Committee. If you are a current parent of a TAG student and are interested in being a part of the committee please email your interest and information to Leslie Weber at weber@ogschool.org. We are looking for a parent who currently has a TAG student. Information should include your name, grade of student(s), and any unique background, experience, or perspective you would bring to the committee. All applicants will be reviewed prior to the next Advisory Committee meeting in October. Please send an email no later than 4 p.m. on Friday, September 10th.
From the Desk of Mrs. B
NEW Bus Times and Stops - LINK
As the bus company continues to work with us on solutions to longer routes due to the national driver shortage, the most recent strategy is one proposed by an Oak Grove family. Stops for both the morning and afternoon routes have been condensed, reducing the number of stops, in order to allow second run routes to begin and end sooner - hopefully reducing the time students need to wait at school, as well as reducing the time they spend on the bus. These new bus times and stops will be sent to families on Tuesday for a Wednesday start. The new times and stops will also be posted on the OGS website. For a quick glance, the new times and stops can be found here. Unfortunately, we still have two AM buses running double routes and four buses in the PM will still be running double routes. As soon as the bus company is able to hire and train new drivers we will return to normal single routes. As new information comes my way, I will be sure to update our community.
Early Release Dates and Times
In the next couple of months we will have both a SIP afternoon and an early release day. Both of these days offer teachers time to professionally learn and grow together. The first of these school improvement planning (SIP) days will occur on Thursday, September 16, 2021, with dismissal beginning at 11:15am. The second, called Early Release, will occur on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 with dismissal beginning at 12:45pm. In order to give families time to prepare for childcare, here are important upcoming dates to remember:
Sept. 16 - SIP Early Dismissal at 11:15am (No student lunch)
Sept. 21 - Committee of the Whole at 6:00pm, BOE Mtg at 7:15pm in the Jr. High Library
Oct. 6 - PTO Mtg, Elem Cafeteria 9:30 am
Oct. 8 - Institute Day - No School
Oct. 11 - Columbus Day - No School
Oct. 19 - Committee of the Whole at 6:00pm, BOE Mtg at 7:15pm in the Jr. High Library
Nov. 3 - PTO Mtg, Elem Cafeteria 6:30 pm
Nov. 10 - Teacher Workday Early Dismissal at 12:45pm (Yes Student lunch)
Nov. 11 - Veterans Day (details to follow)
Nov. 16 - Committee of the Whole at 6:00pm, BOE Mtg at 7:15pm in the Jr. High Library
Nov. 22-23 - Parent Teacher Conferences (options for virtual or in-person)
Nov. 24-26 - Thanksgiving Break
Birthday Invitations, Treats, and Goodie Bags
The staff at Oak Grove no longer participates in the delivery of student invitations, goodie bags, and treats due to the distractions this often creates. We also recognize that in our diverse community families have different ways of celebrating special events. Unless there is an event in a classroom being sponsored by the PTO, please do not send anything to school that needs to be distributed to individuals or to the class of students.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) at Oak Grove
Please take a moment to view our website
21-22 Clubs at Oak Grove
Please view the variety of clubs offered at Oak Grove this year.
Click here
ATTN: 8th Graders and Families
We received the timeline from LHS regarding the upcoming informational meetings and events that will help prepare your 8th grader and family for the transition to high school. Please use the following links to learn more.
SAVE THE DATE: D128 has decided to again host the PSAT 8/9 for 8th graders. The test will take place on Saturday, October 16, 2021 at LHS.
Red, White, and Blue - Friday, September 11, 2021
To help celebrate Patriot Day, which is this Friday, September 11, 2021, please encourage your child/ren to wear the colors red, white, and blue.
Band News
Band Rehearsal week #2 is off and moving! Here are a couple reminders and helpful tidbits from the music guys.
5th Grade (Beginning Band)- Recruitment week is coming up next week. Students will be getting to know Mr. Frankowski and Mr. Jones during their general music time. They will hear demonstrations of all the band instruments in addition to trying them all out to see what’s a good fit.
Our annual parent information night is Wednesday, September 22 at 6:30 p.m. located in the Patt Gym here at school. Please send at least one adult representative per family without students. If you cannot attend, please email Mr. Frankowski (frankowski@ogschool.org) for details.
6-8th Grade (Concert/Symphonic Band)- Pull-out lessons start this week. All students should have received a schedule for the quarter. As a reminder, lessons will be during Rotations or PE periods this year. We will be switching days and which periods students are pulled from to help accommodate class activities. Please have your musician see Mr. Jones, Mr. Farris or Mr. Frankowski if they did not receive a lesson schedule.
Please order your book if you have not!
6th Grade: Essential Elements 2000, Book 2 (red stripe on the cover)
7th/8th Grade: Tradition of Excellence, Book 3. (green cover)
7th/8th Grade (Symphonic Band)- LHS Marching Band Festival Night is on Thursday, September 30, 6:30-8 p.m. If your musician is planning on attending, please respond to Mr. Jones’ email regarding tee shirt size. It is not too late to participate, don’t miss out on the fun!
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
