October 13, 2023
Good afternoon Oxbow Families,
Happy Friday! What a fun and action packed week! Today, we were able to take part in our annual Color Run with our students. Thank you to all of our families for making this event possible with your donations and to our supportive and awesome OPC, for all of the planning and organizing that went into making this event possible. We are so incredibly lucky here at Oxbow to have such dedicated and loving families.
A few important dates to remember for the Week:
October 16th-20th- School Safety Week in HVS (teachers will have discussions with students about safety) Please check out the following link on the HVS website regarding safety https://www.hvs.org/page/safety
October 20-Popcorn Friday @ $.50/bag and the Hoot Shop
October 20- UM vs. MSU (sport your favorite schools colors or gear)
Fun Run:
As of today, we have currently surpassed $20,000. Way to go Oxbow families! We thank you for all of the hard work that went into getting donations and pledges. Monies raised will go back into our building, students and classrooms. This will truly make a difference for our kids and staff!
Donations will be accepted until midnight on Sunday, October 15th.
Parent/Teacher Conferences:
Conferences are scheduled for 11/9 and 11/14. Please be on the lookout for sign up times from your child’s teacher to be sent home in the next couple of weeks.
Positivity Project:
This week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Integrity. Integrity means you are honest and speak the truth. You present yourself genuinely and sincerely.
Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody is watching. People with integrity practice what they preach and maintain a consistent pattern of behavior aligned with their values. They have the courage not to follow the crowd if it means going against their beliefs. Integrity is closely aligned with the terms of honesty and authenticity. People with integrity tell the truth and have alignment in their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Integrity is vital to individual growth. It is correlated with a multitude of psychological well-being measures. Harmony in your feelings, thoughts, and actions makes you better able to personally grow and achieve goals. Authenticity and a lack of pretense make you more likable and trusted by others, meaning your relationships will benefit.
To practice and encourage the character strength of integrity with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2), where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.
Health Corner:
Please be sure to send clothing for cooler weather with your child daily. This can include a jacket, parka or sweatshirt. Students go outside daily, even in the winter time.
We have had a number of colds and viruses going around the building this week. Please be sure to monitor your child, keep them home if they are ill and inform our Main Office of their symptoms. In addition, please discuss the importance of washing hands, coughing into your elbow and not touching your face with unwashed hands with your child.
Cross Country Race for Elementary Students:
The Milford Cross Country program is proud to again be hosting the Huron Valley Schools
Highland Hustle Elementary Cross Country Race on Monday, October 23rd, 2023.
The event is open to all Huron Valley Elementary & Pre School Students:
Pre-K through 5th grade and take place on the old Highland Middle School Site: 305 N John St, Highland 48357.
Halloween Parade 10/31:
Our annual Halloween Parade will be on Tuesday the 31st at 2:30 pm. Parents are invited to attend if weather permits and we can hold it outdoors. Unfortunately if it is indoors, parents will not be permitted to attend, due to lack of space and safety within the building with almost 415 students.
All students will head outside to the back field and complete a lap outside. More information will be shared on where parents can stand, watch and enjoy.
Parents will not be able to take their children home from the back field. This is a safety issue and students would need to be signed out from the main office/vestibule. This is our standard procedure.
If parents have already communicated with their child’s teacher about volunteering for classroom celebrations, you will arrive at the time of your child’s classroom party and sign in, in the main office. All volunteers have to have a current CRC on file.
In addition, all items that are donated to classrooms must be store bought and pre-packaged, no open items or items made at home. In addition, please be sure to communicate about what may be donated, as there are many allergies. Most teachers will have a concrete and specific list of items that they need or are hoping for.
There are some classrooms that will not need volunteers due to the activities that they are planning.
Halloween Costumes:
Please ensure that costumes are school appropriate, no weapons, gore or violent costumes. Please also try to avoid culturally insensitive or offensive costumes here at school. It is also very helpful to have your child practice putting on their Halloween costume at home, so that they can get dressed independently here at school. Some costumes have masks, you can send in your child’s mask with their costume. If a child is having a difficult time walking with their mask, they can hold onto it during the parade.
Please remember to send in your child’s Halloween costume in a labeled bag with their name on it, as children are asked not to wear costumes to school.
Updated CRC Process:
The Criminal Records Check process has been updated again. Please note this process must be completed for any volunteer opportunities each year including HVS employees.
1. You now only need to follow this link to complete the process:
https://app.droplet.io/form/PKvdLy
2. Once the form is completed through Droplet please allow up to 2 weeks process time. Please plan accordingly.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding this process.
If you need to know if your form has been cleared please contact the office.
Thank you for your understanding and patience with this new process.
Phones on Buses:
I wanted to bring something to parents' attention regarding phones on buses. Some bus drivers are ok with their students bringing and using their phones on the bus, while others are not. Unfortunately this decision is solely based on the bus driver that your child has. As long as your child has the approval from their driver, they are permitted to have them. I kindly ask all parents to please have a conversation with their child about what is appropriate to view on the school bus. Content must still be school appropriate and age appropriate. We are currently having some children view gory or scary videos and this is scaring some students. We appreciate your cooperation on this important matter.
The policy at school still stands, that phones must be turned off and stored in backpacks throughout the school day. If phones are seen by a staff member, they will be taken and placed in the Main Office for the remainder of the day.
Green Name Tags:
At Oxbow, we continue to utilize bright, green fluorescent name tags for afternoon pick up. Each family has received two tags. This helps ensure that our students are safe getting into the vehicle of an approved family member or family friend. In addition, this helps the car line move quicker, as it makes it easier for staff to identify your vehicle. Please be certain that you continue utilizing the green name tags at dismissal time.
During afternoon pick up, students are lined up outside with their classroom teacher. As the line moves up, students are loaded into vehicles by staff members. The key is to ensure that you pull up as far forward in line as possible, this allows us to stack more vehicles along the curb. Staff will be present to help direct vehicles and parents. The most important safety issue is that parents remain in their vehicles and do not exit.
Upcoming Important Dates:
October 23 - Cereal Box Collection Begins
October 26-Oxbow Pink Out Day in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (wear anything that is pink-socks, t-shirts, skirts, pants, dresses, hats, etc)
October 30 - OPC Meeting 7pm - Flex Lab
October 31- Halloween Parade @ 2:30 pm
November 1st- PJ Day/Sweats Day (cozy day after a long night of trick or treating)
November 2- Parent Resource Night @ Oxbow with Easterseals @ 5:30 pm
November 3- Half Day for Students/Dismissal at 12:45 pm
November 7- No School for Students
November 9 and November 14- Parent/Teacher Conferences
November 9-14th- Online Silent Auction
November 14-Picture Retake Day