Oak Grove News

Since 1970, the Illinois State Board of Education has sponsored Those Who Excel awards to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to our state's public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools. Awards are presented in five categories: school administrator, student support personnel, educational service personnel, community volunteer and teams. Each year, the OGS administrative team reflects on the year and nominates personnel who have gone above and beyond in their roles. This year, we are excited to announce that OGS has two awardees!

Please share in our celebration for Mary Jo Swift (winner Educational Services Personnel category) and our Oak Grove Education Association (winner Team category).

Oak Grove parents, students, and administrators wrote letters declaring their support for these nominees. Please see a snapshot below of what our stakeholders had to say:

• "My experience at Oak Grove would not have been remotely the same if it weren't for the marvelous staff. Anyone that is lucky enough to attend this school knows how incredible the staff and education here is." (OGS student)
• "The OGEA embodies a true example of what it means to put students first and how to partner for the betterment of the community and the students..." (OGS parent)
• "Although her official title is paraprofessional, to the students and staff of OGS, Mary Jo is a superhero because she excels in every role she is assigned." (OGS colleague)
• "Mrs. Swift helped me tremendously throughout my junior high years at OGS. She was a great listener, very engaged and always went above and beyond to help me understand subjects and terms I struggled with. I was very lucky to have had Mrs. Swift in my corner." (OGS student)

Simply put -- our teachers and support personnel make the difference each and every day in the lives of our children. I know our administration, Board, and parent community is grateful for the effort and expertise they bring to their work each day. We are so proud they are acknowledged this year across our state!

Thank You!

We would like to thank 8th grader, Viktoria Tijunels, for her wonderful act of kindness. Viktoria took it upon herself to contact local schools and collect the abundance of Lost and Found items to donate to the children in Ukraine. Viktoria is packing up our Lost and Found this week.

Class Placements (Reminder)

Thank you to those that have already completed this form. We would like to extend the submission date one more week. Please click HERE to access the form and complete it prior to April 8th.

***Please note that completion of this form does not guarantee a placement with a particular teacher***

Upcoming Social Studies Unit- 8th Grade Families

Welcome back! We hope that spring break was fun and relaxing. Please take a few minutes to review the letter that explains Public Act 101-0227. This piece of legislation/curriculum will take place for all 8th grade students beginning the week of May 2nd.

If you have any questions about how Public Act 101-0227 is being implemented or do not want your child(ren) to participate, please contact Ryan Murray at murray@ogschool.org.

SEL at Oak Grove (Updated 4/3)

The theme for the month of April is GOALS.

Please take a few minutes to view the April page of our website to see what’s happening in SEL.

Important Dates

• Apr. 6 - PTO Mtg 6:30 PM

• Apr. 15 - No School

• Apr. 19 - Committee of the Whole Mtg 6 PM, Regular Board Meeting 7:15 PM

TAG Informational Webinars

The recent TAG webinars have been posted on the Oak Grove website and can be accessed using this link: https://www.ogschool.org/staff/curriculum-instruction/talented-and-gifted-tag. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Leslie Weber at weber@ogschool.org

Save the date: May 13, 5 - 9:30 pm.

Snowflake aims to inspire LHS feeder middle school students to envision a healthy and fun teenage journey. With a mentoring presence of high school leaders, students spend the evening in a combination of large group and small group activities, including a speaker. Topics include resilience, leadership, decision-making, and navigating teenage social life.

Open to 7th & 8th graders who will be attending LHS; registration opens soon. $25 per participant (confidential scholarships available) - limit of 200 attendees.

Includes shirt, dinner, and an end-of-event dance. Parent attendance is required at a 7:30pm session.

If you would like to be notified when registration opens, please email lconnectcoalition@gmail.com.

To inquire about need-based scholarships, please contact Susan Pinsel - susan.pinsel@d128.org.

Double Opportunity for 7th graders

The 7th grade will be attending their Spring class trip to Camp Duncan on May 13th as well. There is room to do both! Mark your calendars and get excited for a fun filled day and evening with your peers! Details to follow.

Reading is fun and so is tossing water at Mrs. Barnabee, Mr. Murray, and Ms. Waehner!

We are offering a “Splash Into Summer Reading Challenge” for Kindergarten through 4th grade students to encourage all of them to READ, READ, READ! As a family, you will decide how many minutes your child will read each week and the best way to keep track of the minutes read. Registering your child for Reading is Hydro-Mite couldn’t be easier. Either click on the link below or simply respond to the email that has been sent directly to you. We will check on your child’s progress each week, with an email. A simple click of a button is all that is necessary! Each child that participates will earn bragging rights for meeting their goal, the wonderful experience of reading, and being able to toss a cup of water at the administrator of their choice! What could be more motivating?

Happy Reading!

Link to Register: Click here

Any questions, please email: readingchallenge@ogschool.org

Thanks!

If you are interested in hosting a booth for the multicultural fair taking place on May 14th, please complete this form. We’re looking forward to celebrating the many cultures that day and check out the photos below from past successful fairs!

If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth O'Neill at elizabethoneill60048@gmail.com.

Please see the information below regarding two scheduled meetings and register for one or both at this link if you are interested in attending.

On Tuesday, April 5, from 6:00-7:00 pm, there will be a virtual (interactive) webinar on proposed instructional model changes for the 2022-23 school year that impact students going into grades 4 and 5 next year. While the target audience is families of students going into grades 4 and 5 in fall 2022, any parent/guardian may register. This webinar will be recorded and a link will be shared with all families on April 6.

On Monday, April 11, from 6:30-8:00 pm, administration will host an in-person meeting at OGS (Pat Patt Gym) to share ideas for the long-term development of STEM programming and any potential impact on elective courses at both the elementary and junior high levels. Please note: the 8th grade play for the 2022-23 school year will remain an elective class during the school day. There will be no adjustments to the play next year. All families are welcome. The presentation will be recorded for those that cannot attend and distributed to families after April 11.

Variety Show Sign-ups THIS WEEK!

Tell your 5th-8th grade students to look for the PTO volunteers at lunch this Tuesday and Wednesday April 5th & 6th! Volunteers will be available to answer any questions they have about Variety Show and will have the tryouts sign-up sheets there! Students can sign up as an individual OR a group act. After Wednesday no additional sign-ups will be accepted, so we encourage them to sign up even if they are unsure if they want to try out. It’s better to have their names on the sign-up sheet and decide not to participate than regret not signing up in the first place!

Let’s Get Back to Socializing Eagles!

The PTO is excited to announce that we have two outside-of-school events planned! As much as we wish that we could have hosted our traditional dances and socials, they weren’t able to happen this year. Instead, we are offering two events to families: a trampoline event and a roller skating event. Oak Grovers can choose how they’d like to participate: student+parent, whole family event, or a social where a group of friends attends with a chaperone. Please keep in mind these are not drop-off events and an adult must be present the entire time. Space is limited for each event– so sign up right away! You may attend both, if you wish. If you sign up and do not attend, the PTO will ask you for reimbursement, as we have to pay for all reserved spots in advance. Next year we look forward to returning to our regular dances, family socials, and grade level socials.

Launch Trampoline Park Social is on Monday, April 18th, 5 - 6:30 pm. This event will be FREE to Oak Grove students and their families; admission will be paid by PTO. There is a limit of 150 jumpers during this private OGS PTO event (and a total number of 250 people in the building at one time). Event location: 880 Lakeside Dr, Gurnee, IL 60031. Launch Social Sign Up deadline is Wednesday, April 13th.

Just For Fun Roller Rink Social is on Saturday, April 23rd, 10-12:30 pm. This skating event will be FREE to Oak Grove students and their families; admission will be paid by PTO. There is a limit of 100 skaters to this private OGS PTO event. Event location: 139 N Seymour Ave, Mundelein, IL 60060. Roller Skating Social Sign Up deadline is Wednesday, April 20th.

Spirit Wear Swap

Have your kids outgrown their spirit wear and you’ll happily pass it along to another Oak Grove family? The PTO’s Facebook page has a pinned post where you can share a picture of the item(s) you can pass along. Private message each other to make the swap! Wear your Spirit Wear on Fridays to show your Oak Grove Pride!

Lunch Volunteers are Needed!

As a reminder, Marla’s Lunch is a PTO fundraiser, and we need volunteers to distribute lunches. It’s only a couple hours of your time, and it’s fun to get to see your children and their peers! Thank you so much to all who help out!

Elementary Lunch Volunteer Sign Up (11 am - 1 pm)

Junior High Volunteer Sign Up (10:45 am - 12:35 pm)

Collection for PADS

This month, the PTO and Nurse Callie are collecting items that PADS has identified as a priority. Items can be dropped off by your child outside of the nurses’ office. Items in need:

● Men’s and women’s sweatpants and sweatshirts (all sizes)

● New sports bras and women’s underwear (S - 2XL)

● New men’s boxers (M – 2XL)

PADS Lake County provided over 32,300 nights of emergency shelter since the COVID-19 outbreak. Our support makes it possible for them to continue to provide shelter & services for our neighbors!

Any 7th or 8th grade student interested in playing on the Oak Grove Golf Team should email Mr. Karolewicz - karolewicz@ogschool.org by Thursday, April 7th.

Students interested in golf do need to have their own clubs, golf equipment, and transportation to and from the golf course and the practice facility to participate.

Please click here for Board Briefs, which is a short summary of discussion points at each Board meeting. Briefs are generated after meeting minutes are formally approved at each subsequent meeting.

We encourage our community to visit these sites to stay engaged in the topics and discussions of the OGS Board.

Official minutes and agendas can be found here.

Please click HERE to view the flyers in our virtual backpack. Flyers are updated weekly, so please check back often so you won't miss any of the events going on in our community.

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