Band News
Hello Parents!
The bands are looking & sounding great! Many teachers have commented how nice it is to have big bands filling the halls with music once again.
Lessons during the day start this week (Sept. 10th) for grades 5-8. Students will be given a lesson schedule for their folders and it will be updated on the web page. I am still revising the lesson schedule to make sure we can find a time for every student.
Students in each band need a lesson book. Here is a link to show you which book to get. http://ogschoolband.weebly.com/which-book-will-my-child-need.html
You can get them online easily, if you order them through Amazon.
8th grade students have the LHS Football Night coming up at the end of the month on Friday, 9/28/18. I’ll be supplying them with music to get ready. We will send more info on that soon. The kids get shirts and pizza; best night of the year!
I do have one important safety announcement I have been asked to share with you from Dr. Lemon. During morning drop off, please keep your vehicle in the single file line and drop students off only at the sidewalk by the Junior High office. In other words, don’t use the middle lanes of the parking lot to drop students off where they are forced to walk in front of cars to get into the building. We also do not want people zooming around each other to get in faster. We absolutely don't want anyone injured. Thanks!
6:30 Monday evening, September 10th, is the Beginning Band parent meeting held in the Band Room next to the Junior High office.
One parent per family should plan to come to the Beginning Band recruitment meeting. This will be about 45 minutes long and will answer questions you have, and get you and your child on the path to success as they begin their journey in music! This is a parents only meeting; space is limited.
We hope to see you there!
Oak Grove School Education Foundation
Creative Classroom Mini-Grant
The Oak Grove School Education Foundation is here to support our teachers' creative and innovative ideas to enhance the learning experience of the kids at Oak Grove. At the end of the last school year, the OGSEF offered mini-grants to fund teachers’ ideas related to Creative Classrooms - classroom enhancements to impact learning that could be implemented in time for the new school year. We were proud to award 11 Creative Classroom Mini Grants benefiting 15 teachers. Our teachers had so many interesting ideas including new manipulatives, learning aids, technology, environmental enhancements and much more.
The photo above is of Mrs. Honaker’s Creative Classroom grant in action - an OSMO project! The OSMO system allows students to use physical touch with technology on their iPads during both math small groups and word work time. In the activity pictured, the kids learned how to properly log in and start a Tangram activity. Pictures are of math work places including OSMO as a choice. They are learning to be aware of shapes and the manipulations of shapes in space. Thank you for your creativity, Mrs. Honaker! We look forward to sharing more photos of our Creative Classroom Mini-Grants over the coming weeks.
Social Emotional Learning
SEL 5-8
Today was our first monthly Mix It Up Monday in 5th-8th grade. Our goal is to have a lunch one time per month that encourages students to have conversations with classmates they might not otherwise know. We also wish to lesson the social isolation that many feel during lunch, recess or large group activities. Students were asked to brainstorm 2-3 things that you just KNOW about them by looking at them. Then they had to think about 2-3 things that you wouldn’t know unless you had a conversation with them! During lunch the goal was to ask questions and get to know each other a little better by sharing these interesting facts about themselves. All students who participated received a TOOTSIE POP! Just like a Tootsie Pop is colorful and bright on the outside, we don’t get to the candy until we take the time to enjoy the whole thing! We hope your child enjoyed Mix It Up Monday.
SEL K-4
Students in Grades K-4 have been learning about focus, listening, and self-talk these first couple weeks. This past week we also took the time to go outside and practice using our BUDDY BENCH! On the playground, there are three benches between the blacktop and playground. The middle bench is used for our buddy bench. We sang, “Why don’t you just meet me in the middle,” to remind us which bench is the BUDDY BENCH. Anyone who is looking for someone to sit with or can’t find a friend may sit on this bench. It is EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY to keep our eyes glancing and if we ever see someone on the Buddy Bench we should invite them to join. The rule is, IF YOU CHOOSE TO SIT ON THE BUDDY BENCH AND SOMEONE INVITES YOU TO PLAY, YOU MUST SAY YES. You can choose to face the blacktop for an invitation to play over there OR you may face the playground to play with someone on that side! We experimented with this last year and it really DOES WORK! We are one giant Oak Grove Family and we want everyone to have multiple opportunities to establish friendships and be included!
Curriculum Corner
Hello Oak Grove Community,
With classroom routines getting established and benchmark testing almost complete, teachers and students are gearing up to start learning new ways to critically think and process through information.
While this might come easy for some students, others need positive reinforcement to keep the excitement for learning up and running. I found an interesting article written by Bill Murphy Jr., that studied Dweck’s research on the differences between a growth or fixed mindset. In summary:
Praising kids merely for their innate abilities, such as their intelligence, actually makes it less likely that they'll grow up to enjoy learning and to excel. (Fixed mindset)
Praising kids instead for the strategies and processes they develop to solve problems--even when they don't fully succeed--makes them more likely to try harder and ultimately achieve. (Growth mindset)
For example, Dweck says, “Instead of saying “Einstein was brilliant." A person with a growth mindset might observe that Einstein solved some incredibly difficult problems.”
By focusing on growth, students are more likely to be less worried about making mistakes, less likely to complain about being bored in school and more likely to find that effort aids in creating successes.
TAG Advisory Council Appeal Requests Due October 5th
As part of our Talented And Gifted (TAG) placement procedures, we will be holding our fall session of Advisory Council. During the fall Advisory Council meeting, the committee will review placement appeals. Parents have the right to request an additional review of student placement into Oak Grove’s TAG program, through a placement appeal which would be reviewed by the Advisory Council. This process is discussed on pages 11 and 12 of the TAG Handbook.
In addition, please see the TAG Handbook for the matrix used to make placement decisions (p. 10) as well as the placement flow chart (p. 13) for additional information.
Parents requesting participation in the appeal process are required to complete the Parent Inquiry Form beginning on page 22 of the TAG Handbook. The Parent Inquiry Form, located on the OG website- click on Parent Inquiry Form, must be completed and emailed to Sarah Cacciatore at cacciatore@ogschool.org no later than October 5th for consideration at the fall Advisory Council meeting. Parents will be notified via email regarding the final committee decisions.
*Please note, appeal process may only be utilized once a calendar year.
4th-6th Grade Fall Intramural Volleyball
4th-6th Grade Fall Intramural Volleyball
3 Sessions Left!!!
September 14, 21, 28
3:30-5:30 in the Patt Gym (by the elementary lower parking lot)
Intramural volleyball is open to 4th-6th grade boys and girls. Kneepads and athletic clothing/shoes are highly recommended. Please bring a water bottle and a snack to eat during the break (4:30-4:40). A physical is not required. There is a $10 fee for participation. Please fill out the permission form and pay the fee online through RevTrak.
Questions? Contact Coach Anna Edelson edelson@ogschool.org
PTO News
Hot Lunch Reminder
Don’t forget to place your hot lunch orders. Orders must be placed by noon on Monday the week before. To order go to www.marlaslunchordering.com
Calendar Time!
Get your 2018-19 OGS calendar! Contact Leah Parr at dlparr82@gmail.com to buy yours for only $10.
Stuck on You Label Fundraiser
Has your student already misplaced a water bottle or sweatshirt? Try Stuck on You labels and make it easier to get it returned. For every purchase you make, Oak Grove PTO receives a portion of the sale. Please check out the link for more information. https://www.stuckonyou.us/affiliate/fundraiser/OAKGROVEPTO Our fundraising code is: OAKGROVEPTO
Box Tops Changes and Reminders
Box Tops is a program designed to support education and benefit America’s schools. OGS is excited to once again partake in this program. All we need is a little help from students and parents alike. Box Tops can be found on products you already have at home. Cheerios, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Ziploc and Kleenex are just a few of the participating brands (for a more complete list see the Virtual Backpack). Look for the Box Tops logo, clip on the dotted lines and send to school with your student.
This year, we have opened the collection process to the entire school. Kindergarten through 5th grade classrooms have their own collection bags. Collection bags can also be found in the Junior High office and both cafeterias in the coming weeks.
Our 2018-2019 goal is to raise $2,000. If OGS as a whole reaches this goal, Mr. Fenton and/or Dr. Lemon have so kindly agreed to be duct taped to the gym wall at the end of the school year. Let the collection begin!!
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
