Curriculum Corner
Hello Oak Grove Community,
Last year, the Board of Education convened an action team to initiate discussions about our former Curriculum Enhancement Services (CES) / gifted programming. An outside consultant was hired to review our program and provide suggestions for areas of development. After eight meetings over the course of six months, a mission & vision were established. Other completed tasks included; the program name was created, updated rubrics were developed for Talented And Gifted (TAG) math and English language arts placement, a comprehensive program guide was developed, and action steps for long term program development were determined.
This year, our Talented And Gifted (TAG) Committee would like to continue their long term planning to develop our TAG program for Oak Grove students. Our meetings are generally monthly on Monday nights, from 4-6 pm. Many of our original committee members have agreed to continue the work we’ve started but we are also looking for a few new parents to join the team. Specifically, the committee is currently looking for 3 parents of general education students:
- A parent of an elementary student (K-2)
- A parent of an elementary student (grades 3-5) currently not in TAG
- A parent of an intermediate student (grades 6-8) currently not in TAG
Please email your interest and information to Sarah Cacciatore at cacciatore@ogschool.org. 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 establishing the committee. Applications are due no later than 4 p.m. on Friday, October 23rd and the first meeting will take place prior to the start of the new year.
Student Council News
This year Student Council is planning on making a concerted effort to fund raise for our school and our community. With the help of Liz Howard, we are going to make our efforts count toward helping Wish Kids of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. We are hoping to make a wish come true this year for a local child.
How can you help? Please support our fundraisers! This month, we are offering a variety of ways to donate.
Coming soon!
We will be selling coupon books that directly benefit Make-A-Wish. Full of coupons for local businesses and fun for kids of all of ages, these coupon book order forms can be found in the Virtual Backpack and payment can be made on the school payment system, RevTrack. Orders will be filled and sent home through students at school. A special prize awaits the classroom or homeroom that purchases the most coupon books!
Purchase a candy gram for Halloween! Spooky suckers can be purchased in the junior high cafeteria during the 5th - 8th grade lunch periods beginning Wednesday, October 21. This is a very popular event and will end when we have sold out. Last year, that took two days! Suckers will be delivered to classrooms for distribution on October 30.
The school store will be open in the junior high cafeteria for 5th - 8th grade lunch periods on October 16 and October 30.
Oak Grove Recognized for Attendance Awareness
Lake County recognized September as Attendance Awareness month. Beginning in 1988, schools were invited to participate in this effort to bring awareness to the importance of attendance. On September 30th each year, the Lake County Regional Office of Education invites schools who place into the top ten for attendance percentages for a celebration and ceremony. This year, Oak Grove took seventh place in the large elementary school/middle school category!
Congratulations Oak Grove!
Band News
Hello Parents,
All students need to be in their seats ready to play at the downbeat of every rehearsal. Please make sure students are dropped off early enough to get setup and tuned.
We need everyone to get in the habit of practicing for 15 minutes each day, so instruments should be going home after each practice. They also should not be left at school on weekends.
Please email one of the directors if your son or daughter needs to miss a before school rehearsal for any reason.
Beginning Band:
Parents, we had an overwhelming number of sax and clarinet students this Friday- 25 students!
With only a 40 minute lesson, we were not able to accomplish all of our goals for the day. I am going to have to modify the lesson schedule for the near future, and see all clarinets on Thursdays at the regular meeting time, and the saxes only on Friday. This will cut the class size in half, and give each section member more time for help from me. What a great problem to have!
Our first full band rehearsal is set for Thursday, Oct 15th at noon. Your teachers will release you to come to the band room.
A little daily practice will keep the new notes fresh. Parents, there is a nice music “flashcard” program available at http://www.musicracer.com/
Concert Band:
Concert Band gets better every time we meet. We are starting to make sweet music together. Please remember that the downbeat is at 7:30, so if you walk in at 7:30, you’re late. The students need time to set-up their instruments and warm up before rehearsal begins, so 7:20 would be a great time to arrive. These are some of the songs we’ve been working on so the students should continue to practice these at home:
97- Trombone Rag
103- Minuet Duet
106- March Militaire
112- All Through the Night
114- Scarborough Fair
117- Auld Lang Syne
Symphonic Band:
Mr. Jones has created a listening page on edmodo for all Symphonic band students. Please check the whiteboard for the code.
Festival tee shirts have been ordered.
Friday night is the 8th grade LHS football night. I’m really looking forward to a fun night. This week the 8th graders will rehearse the music in their group lessons. Please dress appropriately in case of cold weather! You may feel silly bringing along cotton gloves and earmuffs, but they are very helpful to have on hand.
All Symphonic Band Students should have their green Essential Elements book by now. Each week we are covering a full unit in lessons. Also a tuner/metronome is a must. I recommend the Korg TM50. http://www.korg.com/us/products/tuners/tm_50/ These are available online through several popular sources.
The one and only evening rehearsal that all Symphonic band members have is coming up on Monday night Nov. 2nd at Highland School. Carpooling is recommended. Drop off should be at 6:45. Please head to the gymnasium/multipurpose room located at the back of the school. Rehearsal will start at 7:00 and we’ll release the students promptly at 9 p.m. The coaches all know of this yearly rehearsal and have tried to make accommodations in the athletic calendar.
Jazz Band enrollment for the quarter is officially closed. If you would like to join next concert cycle, please let Mr. Jones know.
PTO News
October 5, 2015
A Message from PTO Co-Presidents Lisa Perrone and Mia Hughes:
Lunches this Week
Monday - Quesadilla/Hot Dog
Tuesday - Panino/Potato
Wednesday - Pizza
Thursday - Panda Express - Parents of 4th grade students, please tell your child to pick up their panda lunch from elementary cafeteria to take home with them after school. Due to the field trip to the Botanical Gardens, you will need to pack your child a lunch that day.
PTO Meeting
Wednesday, October 7, 2015 in the Teachers' Lounge at 9AM. All are welcome! The agenda is posted on the PTO website.
Schwan's Home Delivery
This fundraiser has begun! Thanks to those who have already made some purchases. Introducing Schwan’s Home Delivery benefitting the Oak Grove PTO. Schwan's™ Home Service offers mealtime solutions delivered right to your door. Choose from more than 350 family favorites, all flash-frozen for freshness and flavor.
The PTO will receive 20% of the sales placed from October 1-November 15. So please consider placing an order today. It’s all online and they deliver to your door. Starting on October 1st, please visit the website below to be linked to our fundraiser campaign:
https://www.schwans-cares.com/campaigns/23066-oak-grove-pto-district-68
Eagle Extravaganza
Mark your calendars for the 4th Annual PTO Eagle Extravaganza!
Saturday, December 5th 9am-12pm
Bring the whole family for shopping, food and fellowship!
There will be local vendors (LHS items, jewelry and more!) for your holiday shopping, a gym filled with gifts priced at $1-$5 for your kids to do their holiday shopping, and a fun breakfast to purchase for all! Presented by the Oak Grove School PTO! Vendors sign up at: https://oakgroveschooleagleextravaganza.shutterfly.com/.
Heinen's Teaming up for Education
Heinen's Grocery will donate up to 1% of qualifying purchases from Oak Grove participants. It's easy to participate. Just sign up for their preferred card and enroll in their Tasteful Rewards program. This can be done in store or online at heinens.com. You then select Oak Grove School PTO as a school. Then make sure you use your rewards card every time you shop. Please note, you need to re-select the school every year.
Junior High Book Fair
This week is the Junior High Book Fair for 5th-8th grades. We have lots of great new books!!! Please see the schedule to know when your student will be attending. We accept cash, check or credit card (no AMEX). We will be open until 3:45pm on Tuesday and Wednesday in case your student forgot their money or parents would like to shop. We will be open at 8am on Wednesday, as well. Thank you for supporting the PTO and OGS!!!
OGSEF News
WE NEED YOU!
Volunteers
The Oak Grove Gala Committee is seeking individuals to lend a hand. We need volunteers for small shifts on the night of the event (February 27, 2016) or wherever we can leverage your unique talents and connections!
The Committee is seeking volunteers for areas such as:
- Graphic Arts/Design
- On-site volunteers to monitor silent auction bid sheets in short shifts
- Volunteers to support fundraising and auction donations
If you would like to volunteer, please email Leigh Foltz at leighfoltz@gmail.com
Auction Donations
The Committee is also requesting donations for the silent auction – No donation is too big or small & all your creative ideas are welcome! ex. Do you have a summer home you would be willing to donate for a week or weekend? Do you know a chef for a private dinner? Connections to a jeweler? Do you have tickets to a Cubs/Sox/Bears/Hawks game?
Please contact Carlene Lichter at carlenelichter@gmail.com with your donation ideas.
Thank you for your support!
The Oak Grove School Education Foundation & The Oak Grove Gala Committee
Cub Scout Members Receive Supernova Awards
Cub Scout Pack 194 has recognized five of its scouts who have achieved high honors for superior achievement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The Dr. Luis Alvarez Supernova Award was presented to three Cub Scouts, and the Dr. Charles H. Townes Supernova Award was presented to two former Webelos Scouts who have since crossed over into the Boy Scouts ranks.
At the pack’s Oct. 2 pack meeting, the following scouts received this prestigious award and were presented with a Certificate and Supernova Medal: Christopher Benavides, Aydin Merchant, Connor Milligan and Luke Anderson. Jack Fadlovich also achieved the award but was unable to attend the event.
September Board Briefs
This is a summary of events that occurred at the September meeting, not the official minutes.
- The Board approved the FY2016 Budget
- The Board approved the Administrator and Teacher Salary and Benefit Report
- The Board approved Personnel Action
- Mrs. Cacciatore provided the Board with a math curriculum update
- Reports were given by various committees
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
