News from the Nest

August

22-Sept. 8: NWEA Fall Testing Grades K-5

September

Hispanic Heritage Month

1: Picture day

4: No School Labor Day

6: Spirit Sticks for Sale $1 from 7:30-8:00

6: Spell Bowl Try-Outs for any fourth or fifth grader interested

11: PTO Meeting @ 2:45 in Library

15: Kindergarten Study Trip to Zoo

18: eLearning/Staff Development

18: IT Professionals Day

21: PTO McDonald's Night 4:30-6:00 p.m.

22: PTO Mother/Son Event 6:00-8:00 p.m. (Be on the lookout for more information coming soon)

23: First day of autumn

25: Fourth Grade NIPSCO Presentation

26-Oct. 10: PTO Fall Fundraiser

Happy September! We are working hard to create routine and structure throughout the school day for your children. It is so important for all of us to have that routine and structure in our lives. In fact, our students thrive with it!

I am happy to announce we have two new LRE teachers! Morgan McDonald will begin September 5 and Lauren Myers will begin September 13.

This has been a tough year for staffing. We are still looking to hire an instructional assistant, an interventionist, and a school nurse. We are also looking for substitute teachers. Applications may be found on the Tri-Creek website if you are interested in joining our team at Oak Hill!

Our Tri-Creek staff shirts say, "Embrace the Challenge". What does that mean for our district? It means embracing the challenges that we are facing with the failed referendum. Not only have we reduced our staff numbers, but this year we have to thoughtfully look at curricular programs to implement cost saving measures for next year. We are resilient in education. We are able to do amazing things, even during challenging times. Often as educators, it feels as if the world is against us. We give our all and yet are under more scrutiny than ever before. We have advanced degrees in education and learning, and have those with no education background telling us how to work with children. We embrace all challenges and continue to demonstrate that we are here for students and their success. Let's all work together to ensure that happens!

Warmly,

Mrs. Brandie Muha

Principal

Gear up for the school year with Oak Hill spirit wear! Enjoy a 30% discount across our entire website during the back-to-school sale. With hundreds of designs waiting for you, shop now and get your order in just 10-12 business days! Click here to shop!

Our Oak Hill Title I Team assists students in kindergarten through fifth grade who benefit from additional exposure and practice in reading and math. This team consists of Mrs. Gill, Mrs. Collins, and Mrs. Lomalie. Our small group sessions are hands-on and engaging. Reading intervention students in grades 3-5 will continue to grow from using MindPlay, with a goal of 20 minutes per day. The students can also access over 400 ebooks on RAZ-Kids! Ascend Math is designed to help fill any gaps in

instruction. We witnessed great success with this program last year and are excited to offer it again to our math students in grades 3-5. When we meet with the students, our goal is to help close academic gaps and build their confidence. Oak Hill’s Title I team is here to work alongside teachers and parents to support their students.

As we begin the school year, I would like to introduce parents to Common Sense Media. This is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to "improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century". They provide age-appropriate tips and advice for helping your children navigate the internet and social media. They review movies and books for parents. It is a wealth of information. I will share some articles from them this year, but I encourage you to explore for yourself too!

On September 18, 2023, students will participate in eLearning at home while teachers participate in professional development.

We will continue to use Canvas as our learning management system. Please read this letter from Mr. Kevin Deal regarding how to set up your Canvas parent account.

Your child's teacher will also communicate with you regarding eLearning assignments.

Student Day

• Our student start time is 8:00 a.m.
• At 8:00 a.m. the tardy bell will ring. If you are dropping your child off, please arrive in plenty of time for them to get to class.
• If you arrive after 8:00 a.m., please walk your child into the main doors, Door 1, to sign them in.
• For a two-hour delay, the start time is 10:00 a.m.
• Student dismissal for buses is at 2:25 p.m.
• Student dismissal for car pick-up is 2:30 p.m.
• Car pick-ups are completed by 2:45 p.m. If you do not get to car pick-up in time, we will call you and have your child in the office for pick-up.
• Walkers are dismissed after the buses leave.

School Office Hours

• Monday-Friday, 7:00-3:30 p.m.
• Phone number: 219-696-9285
• Fax: 219-690-2621

If your child is not up to date on immunizations, you have received communication from Nurse Meredith. All immunizations need to be up to date by September 20, 2023, or students are excluded from school until updated. You may also complete an immunization waiver for a religious or medical exemption. If you have a doctor's appointment scheduled to receive immunizations, please provide documentation of the scheduled appointment and that will count towards compliance. Please contact Mrs. Muha with any questions.

As a reminder, Nurse Meredith is no longer working for Oak Hill. We are in the process of interviewing for the nurse position.

We have many parents making last-minute daily changes to transportation at the end of the day. We have an obligation to ensure all students are getting home safely. Please help us do our part by being mindful of the following:

• Send a note to your child's teacher informing him/her of the change. Calls into the office for last-minute changes increase the risk of error.
• If changes need to be made, please call the office prior to 1:30 p.m. Our early transfer buses leave at 2:10 p.m. We need ample time to communicate changes to necessary staff and the student(s).
  
• We will only accept transportation changes from an adult. Communicating changes to your child will not be accepted.
• Please do not email or Dojo message transportation changes. We cannot guarantee the adults will have an opportunity to check those messages during the day. Please call the office at 696-9285 if changes need to be made.

We want to ensure our families have information regarding our gates to ensure safety:

• The gate is activated through a pressure plate. It doesn't work by a sensor.
  
• The gate is timed to go down after 3 seconds of being raised. There is no sensor that stops the gate from going down.
• To ensure all cars are in queue so we have no tardies, the gate shuts down at 7:58 a.m. Students are counted tardy at 8:00 a.m. We need to ensure there is time for cars in the queue to get to the door by 8:00 a.m.
• To ensure safety, if there is a car in front of you, please wait for the gate to come down and reset prior to driving through.

Please bookmark the following link for the Elementary Lunch Menu.

You may also download the NutriSlice app for on the go menus and dietary information!

Breakfast $1.40

Reduced-Priced Breakfast $. 30

Lunch $2.00

Reduced-Priced Lunch $ .40

You will go to My MealTime to add money to your child's lunch account. You will need to set up a new account on this website if you have not done so before. You will need your child's STN number to create an account. Please call the school office to receive that number prior to create an account.

IMPORTANT! My MealTime is also where you can apply for FREE or REDUCED breakfasts and lunches. You may also stop into the school office for a paper application at any time.

• Call the main office at 696-9285 by 8:30 a.m. to let us know if your child will be absent for the day.
• When your child returns to school, if you have a doctor's note please send with your child.
• Please read more about absences in our Student Handbook located on the district website.

All prescription medications need to be brought to the school office by a parent/guardian and a permission form will need to be completed. We will not give any student medication without this signed form. All medications must be in the original prescription bottle.

A Permission for Administraton of Medications Form may be picked up in the foyer of the school office.

We will again be collecting Stracks receipts from September 1, 2023-March 31, 2024 to earn points to “buy” items for our school! Last year, we added to our indoor recess supplies! Please save your Stracks receipts and send them to school with your child. We appreciate your support! Thank you!

We have many students that are texting parents and other students during the school day. This is a learning distraction. These devices are required to be put away during the school day. If there is a need for your child to communicate with you, they can come to the office to make a phone call. In elementary school, there is not a need during the school day for texting to occur whether on a cell phone or Apple watch.

If your child is found to be using their cell phone or Apple watch during the school day, we bring it to the office and ask you to come to pick it up.

In the event you come to the school for a meeting or other need you must present a valid picture ID. Your ID will be scanned and you will obtain a visitor badge.

Anytime a child is picked up at the school, we will ask to see your ID each and every time. Even though we may know you, we need to follow our safety procedures to ensure the safety of our children.

In order to volunteer for the school, you will need to have a background check completed. This includes being a chaperone for study trips or volunteering to help in the classroom. Forms may be picked up in the office or you may call and request one to be sent home. During Back to School Night on August 15 from 5-6:30 p.m. a table will be available for you to fill out the background check form.

Due to limited space in the cafeteria, we are unable to allow parents in to eat lunch with their child(ren).

In order to ensure we are keeping our students with food allergies safe, you must send in food for birthdays and parties that are purchased from the store and prepackaged. Ingredient lists must be visible on the packaging. If ingredients are not listed on the package, the food items will not be shared and will be sent home with your child.

Birthday treats can be ordered from the cafeteria by filling out this form. You may also call the office to order the treats.

We utilize the Adventure Club as a third-party business for before and after school care. Before school hours begin at 6:30 a.m. until school starts. After-school hours go from dismissal until 6:00 p.m.

You may visit www.TheAdventureClub.com for pricing and more information.

Class Dojo

We use Class Dojo to communicate classroom and school events. You are also able to message us directly through Class Dojo.

To access our Dojo, click here.

When you open the link, you are prompted to log in to your existing parent account or sign up for a parent account. You are then asked to select the name of your child's teacher from a list of verified teachers at our school. Once you select the child's teacher, you are able to enter your child's name and submit the request. The teacher will need to approve the connection request before you will be connected to the student. The teacher can also decline the request.

Other Communication

We also send emails, so be sure to check your email regularly. If you are not receiving emails from the school, please check your spam folders.

We use Facebook to also post events and other happenings in our school community! Check out Oak Hill Elementary School on Facebook.

You may find the Tri-Creek Student Handbook by clicking here. For information found here in our newsletter as well as additional information, visit our school website and read through the Parent FAQ, which is found under the Parent Resources tab.

Email: bmuha@tricreek.k12.in.us
Website: https://oh.tricreek.k12.in.us/
Location: 425 S. Nicholas St., Lowell, IN 46356
Phone: (219) 696-9285
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ohecardinals