October Parent Newsletter

Dear Parents,

Last week our school enjoyed participating in #StartWithHello week activities as we modeled inclusive behaviors, random acts of kindness, and respectful behavior. I am very pleased to share that our French Creek students are generally extremely well behaved and kind on a daily basis, but it is always helpful if parents reinforce expectations for positive school behaviors within the home as well.

Sincerely,

~Malinda McKillip

Please review and reinforce the expectations below with your children routinely and throughout the school year. Many thanks in advance!

While the school does not typically get involved in behavior that occurs at home or outside of the school day, I do want parents to be aware that I have growing concerns related to inappropriate language that is being used between students while playing online video games (specifically Fortnite) and via cell phone text messages. Please review your child's texting history and gaming communication regularly.

The sign up for LEGO Club is now available via the PTA's PTBoard website. If your child is interested in joining LEGO Club, please visit the website at your earliest convenience. The club will be limited to the first 100 students who have a completed registration. The deadline to register is Wednesday, October 10th. Please note a parent will now be required to volunteer at least once during the duration of the club or arrange for another adult to attend on their behalf.

Mrs. Weber, our school nurse will be hosting a French Creek Wellness Committee Kick-off Meeting on Wednesday, October 3rd from 3:30-4:30 PM in the commons. All are welcome to attend!

Our next PTA meeting will be on Wednesday, October 3rd at 7:00 PM in the commons.

We will celebrate First Friday Fun this week on Friday, October 5th with Crazy Hat Day.

As a reminder, schools will be closed on Monday, October 8th for teacher professional development.

Grandfriends’ Day is fast approaching and excitement is definitely building here at French Creek! This is always an extremely well attended event and we enjoy welcoming all of our special guests each year. However, in order to ensure student and staff safety, all guests must be pre-registered no later than Monday, October 8th. Name tags will be pre-printed from the information you provide below on the Google Forms. Please make sure the information is accurate. Upon arrival, Grandfriends should pick up their visitor badge and building map in the main lobby and then proceed to our common area in the intermediate hallway until 9:30 AM. We are requesting that Grandfriends refrain from arriving earlier than 9:15 AM as space is limited. If a guest arrives and is not pre-registered, he or she will need to check in with the main office, present ID, and be scanned through our Raptor System.

Grades K-3

Thursday, October 11th

9:30-10:30 AM

PM Kindergarten

Thursday, October 11th

12:30-1:30 PM

Click here to register for K-3 Grandfriends' Day on Thursday, October 11th.

Grades 4-6

Friday, October 12th

9:30-10:30 AM

Click here to register for 4-6 Grandfriends' Day on Friday, October 12th.

OJR is once again participating in Make A Difference Day to help support the North Coventry Food Pantry. Each year, through the generosity of hundreds of families, Owen J. Roberts School District fills a school bus, and the shelves of the Coventry Food Pantry with items for those in our community who need support. The Owen J. Roberts celebration of the Annual Make a Difference Day 2018 will run from October 9th-26th. Each building in the district will be participating in the district-wide food drive to support the Coventry Food Pantry, collecting donations of non-perishable food and household items. On October 26th, a school bus with high school student volunteers will visit each Owen J. Roberts school and office building to collect the donations.

Picture Retake Day will be on Monday, October 15th.

Students and staff are extremely excited for our upcoming Wildcat Walk on Wednesday, October 17th. Students should wear their French Creek t-shirts or red and white to show their school spirt.

The Roberts Education Association will be hosting their annual Safe Trick or Treat Night at OJR High School on Thursday, October 25th from 6:00-8:00 PM.

French Creek will be hosting our annual Halloween Parade on Wednesday, October 31st at 1:30 PM. We welcome you to park and then join us outside in the front of the building for the parade.

Please note:

• Students may bring costumes to school on the 31st provided that they are appropriate and comfortable. Any student needing to put on their costume may do so between 1:00-1:15 PM.

• Costumes must not include WEAPONS, BLOOD, or GORE.

• Classroom parties for students will be from 2:00-2:45 PM unless otherwise noted in your child's homeroom teacher's newsletter.

• Students who will be going home with a parent volunteer should be signed out in the multi-purpose room at parent pick up. Students should not be signed out in the main office.

Unfortunately Facebook no longer allows Twitter to link between the two social media platforms, so parents may be missing out on a significant number of highlights if you are not following our Tweets. Please follow us on Twitter @OwenJRobertsFC to stay connected to all of the wonderful things that take place at French Creek each day.

Save the Date! American Education Week will be November 12th-16th. Parent Visitation Day will be on Monday, November 12th. More information will follow.

Calling all 5th and 6th Grade Students:

We are looking for actors and stage crew to bring Annie Jr. to life. Drama Club will run from Dec. 4, 2018 thru the performance dates of March 8 and 9, 2019. We will meet on Tuesdays and Fridays until 5:30 pm.

There will be a mandatory parent meeting on Friday, Dec. 7th at 5:00 in the gym. Auditions will be held on Dec. 14th and 18th. There will be 2 mandatory Saturday practices on February 23rd and March 2nd as well as long practices on March 6th and 7th where we will keep the children after their ½ days of school until 5:30. We will also need everyone to be available the entire week leading up to the performance in case we need additional rehearsal time. We are asking for commitment for all dates.

This year the club is requesting a $100 fee to help with costs. More information will be coming soon from the PTA including how and when to sign up, as well as, detailed information about how the Drama Club will be running this year.

Please clip Box Tops coupons – each one is worth 10⊄ for our school! Each classroom will have a collection box for students to deposit their Box Tops. There will be 3 collection times throughout the year. The classroom that brings in the most Box Tops will win an ice cream party sponsored by the French Creek PTA!!

How to submit your Box Tops:

1. Clip Box Tops coupons from products. Please check the expiration dates!

2. Place Box Tops in a zip top bag or on a BoxTop Collection Sheet. Please separate into bags of 50 if you have more than 50 Box Tops.

3. Be sure your teacher’s name is clearly marked on the bag/sheet.

4. Bring Box Tops to your classroom collection box by the following contest date deadlines:

Oct. 22rd, February 25th & May 20th

School season is prime time for classes, homework, sports… and the flu. With the flu virus most active from October to May, getting vaccinated is the #1 way to prevent the flu and the fever, sore throat, body aches, and even serious health complications it can cause. We are partnering with the Chester County Health Department to offer a flu shot clinic to community members.

When: November 5, 2018, 3:00pm-6:00pm

Where: OJR Middle School, Cafeteria

For more information, visit www.chesco.org/health/flu. Same day, onsite registration only. If you have health insurance, bring your cards. All insurance types, including medical assistance, are welcome.

We still have 86 students who still do not have updated profiles as of today. The district will be extending the parent portal until Friday, October 5th. Please take a moment to complete the annual update for your child.

To complete the Annual Information Update Process:

• Login to Skyward
• Click the Annual Information Update tab on the left
• Select a child
• Fill out the forms on the page
• When finished all steps, click Submit Annual Information Update (If the submit button is greyed out, you must go back and complete all sections.)

If you have any difficulties, please contact the school office for assistance.

The French Creek Lion Cubs is holding a Stuffed Animal Drive from September 26th-October 5th to support the Red Corner Benefit. The Red Corner Benefit is a local nonprofit organization that supports the fight against childhood cancer. If you are interested in learning more about the organization, please use http://www.redcornerbenefit.org/.

All families are invited to donate 5 new or gently used stuffed animals to the stuffed animal drive. We are starting with only 5 per family because we are anticipating a large donation of stuffed animals. The stuffed animals will be used as prizes for the games at the benefit that they are hosting. They are also asking for donations of small new toys that they can use for prizes as well so if you have any sitting around the house, please send them in too.

If you have any questions, please contact Amy Hess at ahess@ojrsd.com.

RUN 101 is an Owen J. Roberts School District fitness incentive program for

boys and girls in grades 3-6. The program will be led by OJR staff Team Leaders, Mrs. Cristina Houston and Mrs. Christine Wittlinger. This after-school activity will promote a fun, non-competitive introduction to the sport of running as lifetime exercise. Students will be encouraged to accumulate miles walking, jogging, and/or running. Students will work toward the goal of running or walking a family-oriented, fun, culminating 5K event on December 1. The 8-week program starts Wednesday, October 10, 2018. The celebratory running event is the RUN 101 Hot Chocolate Run on Dec. 1, 2018 at the High School Wildcat Stadium.

Please click here for additional information regarding the Fun Run at Warwick Park on October 23rd from 3:05-4:45 PM.

REFLECTIONS is a National PTA creative arts competition. Each year hundreds of thousands of students in preschool through grade 12 create and submit original works in the areas of dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts. The theme this year is "Heros Around Me".

Please click here for the Student Entry Form and Summary of Rules.

All submissions are to be turned into Mrs Horosky or Mrs. Walls by Friday, November 2nd.

Mrs. Hess is looking for adults who either work in the science field or have a strong understanding of science. She is looking for people that would be interested in helping on November 7th to meet with students to provide feedback and suggestions with students about their research plan. Anytime you can give that day would be greatly appreciated. She is also searching for judges for the January 16th, 2019 French Creek Competition. The snow date is January 17th, 2019. Judges need to be available between 8:30-2:30 and lunch will be provided. Please email her directly at ahess@ojrsd.com if you would be interested in volunteering as a judge. Thank you for your consideration.

November 2nd

First Friday Funday

Wear Red, White and Blue

November 2nd

Bingo Night

6:30-8:30 PM

November 7th

PTA Meeting

9:30-11:00 AM

November 9th

Veteran's Day Celebration

More Information to Follow

November 12th

Parent Visitation Day

More Information to Follow

November 19th

Parent Teacher Conferences

1/2 Day for Students

November 20th

Parent Teacher Conferences

1/2 Day for Students

September Parent Newsletter

Back to School Updates and Reminders (August 24th)

Back to School Newsletter (August 18th)