January 12, 2024
Happy New Year and welcome back families! It was fantastic to see your children this week, smiling, excited to be back with friends and their teachers, and sharing many great stories about their experiences over break. We're so excited to have our students and families return for a fresh start to the new year, as we embark on the 2nd half of the school year. Let's make this term one filled with exciting discoveries, positive connections, and a new term of learning and growing together.
This semester, we have many wonderful activities lined up for families and students. Please find our School Activities Calendar attached.
Cereal Domino Run Update:
Today our students had an opportunity to celebrate their hard work of collecting cereal boxes with our annual Cereal Domino Run. Our run was made up of over 760 cereal boxes, that were lined up around the building early this morning. Mr. Edwards, our Resource Room teacher, started the run. Our students loved it! Thank you to our OPC and parent volunteers for helping to make this event possible. In addition, all cereal boxes will be donated to churches and agencies in our local community, including Community Sharing, Oxbow Lake Baptist Church, White Lake Presbyterian Church Food Pantry, and Blessings in Backpack students at Oxbow.
Thank you parents for your help in donating the items and helping us to teach our students about giving back to others. This is a valuable life lesson for all.
Upcoming Important Dates:
January 13-15th- Can/Bottle Drop Off Fundraiser (trailer will be parked out front of the building)
January 15 - No School (MLK Jr. Day)
January 17 - Applebee’s 4-9pm
January 19 - ½ Day Students (Dismissal at 12:40 pm)
January 29 - OPC Meeting @ 7pm
MLK Day:
Here's some information about Martin Luther King Jr. that you can share with your elementary-aged children as we approach MLK Day on Monday, January 15th:
Who was Dr. King?
Dreamer and leader: Dr. King was a Baptist minister and civil rights leader who fought for equality for all people, especially Black Americans.
Peaceful protester: He believed in nonviolence and using peaceful protests, like marches and boycotts, to fight for change.
Powerful speaker: Dr. King was famous for his speeches, especially his "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington in 1963.
What did he do?
Fought unfair laws: He helped fight against laws that separated black and white people in schools, restaurants, buses, and other places.
Led the Montgomery Bus Boycott: This famous protest started when Rosa Parks, a Black woman, refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. Dr. King led the Black community in a boycott of the buses for over a year, which brought attention to the unfairness of segregation.
Marched for equality: Dr. King organized many marches for equality, including the March on Washington, which had over 200,000 people.
Why is he important?
Made a difference: Dr. King's work helped change laws and make America a more fair place for everyone.
Inspired others: He showed people that peaceful protest can lead to change and inspired others to stand up for what they believe in.
Had a dream for the future: Dr. King wanted everyone to be treated equally, regardless of their race or skin color. He called this dream a "beloved community."
How to talk to your kids about Dr. King:
Keep it age-appropriate: Focus on the main points of his work and use simple language.
Connect it to their lives: Talk about how Dr. King's work made a difference in your lives and the lives of others around them.
Additional Resources:
The King Center: https://thekingcenter.org/
National Civil Rights Museum: https://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/
Time for Kids: https://www.timeforkids.com/g34/martin-luther-king-3/
Remember, the most important thing is to spark a conversation with your children about Dr. King and his message of equality. By doing so, you can help them understand the importance of standing up for what they believe in and making the world a better place.
Positivity Project:
This week, our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Perseverance. Perseverance means you complete what you start despite obstacles. You never give up.
The concept of perseverance can most often be found in one’s active pursuit of overcoming obstacles. Perseverance is a uniquely human characteristic that identifies an individual’s ability to spend long periods of time devoted to a single goal or set of goals. People demonstrating high levels of perseverance can handle significant, sometimes repeated, setbacks in pursuit of goals.
Those who persevere through setbacks often reap the benefits of the success gained by refusing to give up. Sometimes, this comes with the added benefit of increased knowledge and skill as a result of the work needed to achieve. A single group member’s ability or willingness to persevere can substantially impact those working with them and the team. Groups that show high levels of perseverance can achieve goals they may not have believed possible.
To practice and encourage the character strength of perseverance 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.
Dismissal:
Please ensure that you are using the Pickup line to pick up your child at the end of the school day. If you choose to park and get your child, please be sure to utilize the parking in front of the building or on the North side of the building. Do NOT park in the Staff Parking lot (South side) and walk up to your child on the sidewalk.
Green Name Tags:
Please ensure that you are utilizing your fluorescent green name tag for afternoon pick-up. This helps for safety purposes and for organizational purposes in the parking lot. If you need another tag, please reach out to Mrs. Spangler at nicole.spangler@hvs.org She will work on getting you another one.
Cold Weather:
With the colder weather here, please be sure to send in a jacket and/or hat and gloves with your child daily. Label all items with your child’s first and last name. When the weather is dry, children go outside daily for recess, even throughout the winter months. For children to play in the snow on the playground, they must have snow boots and snow pants with them.
Main Office Updates:
Please remember that end-of-day plans should be called into the Main Office no later than 2 PM if changes need to be made. Unfortunately, late requests will not be honored.
-If you are absent for an appointment and can get a doctor’s note, please bring it in, email it, fax it, or have your child bring it when they return to school.
-When picking up your child early from school: You do not need to call the Main Office in advance. Students are called from the classroom when a parent arrives at the building.
1. Please come into the main vestibule and have your ID ready
2. Press the call button
3. Show your ID and state your child’s name, grade, and teacher. The Main Office staff will then call your child down.
4. Please be sure to also sign them out on the iPad in the vestibule. There will be detailed directions on how to utilize the system.
5th Grade Extra Pizza
This school year our 5th grade students will have an opportunity to purchase 1 additional slice of pizza (no additional items would be included) on Tuesdays to have with their already free school lunch. The cost would be $1.50 per pizza slice and this is optional for each 5th grade student.
At this time, the district is rolling out this program only for 5th-grade students. For students to be able to get the additional slice, they will have to have funds loaded into their account prior to their scheduled lunch time (1:15-2:00 pm). Please follow the instructions below and read through the attached flier for additional information. The most important piece is to ensure that your child understands and knows if they have the additional funds in their account. If their account is at $0, they will not be able to purchase an extra slice.
Enjoy your long weekend!
Mrs. Greenleaf
#WeAreOxbow