Oak Middle School
Sunday, November 27, 2022
Congrats to Prisha Nair our Project 351 Ambassador!
Dear Oak Middle School Families,
I hope that the past few days off afforded everyone some rest, relaxation, and fun. At the Burak House, we have been watching a lot of the World Cup! Gapko's goal for the Netherlands, Richarlison's fantastic bicycle kick volley for Brazil, Morocco's upset against Belgium (that is just wrapping up), and so many more incredible moments.
We are looking forward to having the students back tomorrow! Monday is scheduled to be a day 2. Trimester 1 ends Friday, December 2. Please encourage your students to check in with their teachers before the close of the trimester to make sure they have completed all work.
We have two holiday fundraisers starting this week. The Coins of Fury Fundraiser starts on Thursday, December 1. This is a fundraiser for Oak Middle School Families who are in need this holiday season. It is also a competition where 7th and 8th grade color teams work together! The second fundraiser is a Toy Drive. The ELC classroom has teamed up with Marina O'Farrell to collect “toys”for the Shrewsbury Youth and Family Toy Drive. At Oak, we are focused on collecting items for a teenager (age range 10-18). The Drive which will start on Monday November 28, 2022 and run through December 15, 2022. Boxes will be outside the main office at Oak.
Looking ahead, we have a half day on Tuesday, December 6. We will be offering "To Go" lunch options. If students would like to get a bagged lunch home they should let their homeroom teacher know on Monday, December 5.
On Thursday, December 8 at 6pm there will be a virtual presentation for Sherwood Middle School and Oak Middle School Families to learn more about SchoolPulse. SchoolPulse is a Positive Psychology tool that provides weekly inspirational podcasts, check-ins, and the best Positive Psychology skills available.
Please reach out with any questions or concerns as our goal is to work together to make sure each and every child has a wonderful year at OMS.
In partnership,
Hallie Burak
Principal
508-841-1210
Anne Koertge
Assistant Principal Grade 7
508-841-1205
Scott Yonker
Assistant Principal Grade 8
508-841-1213
Coins of Fury Starts Thursday 12/1
For over 10 years, the Community Service and Leadership Club has sponsored 'Coins of Fury' to support our OMS families in need during the holiday season. The money raised allows us to provide funds for families to purchase what they need for the holiday season. This year Coins of Fury will begin on Thursday, December 1st and run through Thursday, December 7th. Donations will be collected during lunches. Seventh and eighth grade color teams work together to collect the most money in coins! However, paper money donations subtract from their coin total. It is fun to watch the teams make plans to make sure they are the winners. Thank you very much for your support, a donation of any size is appreciated.
The ELC and Marina O'Farrell, 7 Red Student, have teamed up to support the Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services Toy Drive. We are asking for donations aimed towards teens (ages 10-18). The Toy Drive will take place from November 28, 2022 to December 15, 2022. Donation boxes will be located outside the main office. Some gift ideas are:
Makeup, skin care stuff, hair products
Legos
Sports equipment
Earbuds
Panorama Survey
Our district uses surveys from Panorama, an education and technology company, to get feedback from students about topics related to Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). We will administer this survey to all students in Grades 3-12 beginning December 5. You can read about Panorama in detail here, including the questions students will be asked and what we have learned from past results. We continue to find surveys a helpful source of information, and we look forward to comparing this year’s results to last year’s.
We want to get feedback from as many students as possible. However, if you don’t want your child(ren) to participate, you may opt your child out of the survey. Students whose families opt them out will not participate in the survey. To opt your student(s) out of the Panorama survey, please send an email to surveyoptout@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us. Opt out emails must be received no later than Thursday, December 1st.
Strategic Plan Update
Focused Schools, the consultants working with the district to develop the district's next strategic plan, created this summary to share the feedback collected at the community forum on Wednesday, November 16th. Please stay tuned for opportunities to share your thoughts!
Cell Phone Policy
Just a reminder that students are not allowed to use their cell phones during the school day. If a child ever needs to contact a parent/guardian they should come to the main office. We ask that parents/guardians not “text” or call students directly during the school day. Please call 508-841-1200 to have a message relayed to your child.
PRIVATE SCHOOLS
A message to families who are applying to Private Schools:
We are approaching the time of year when some students and families start the process of applying to private schools for admission next fall. This message is specifically for families engaging in the application process to a private school for next year. Below you will find some helpful information for families and students as you begin to navigate this process:
Students Applying to Private High Schools
If you are using an online platform such as Ravenna to submit your child’s application, please watch this short video, 3 Tips for Using Ravenna, to clarify the process.
If submitting a paper application to your child’s high school of choice, please submit the Transcript Request Form and Counselor/Principal Recommendation form by dropping it off in the OMS Main Office Mailbox or emailing to oakcounselor@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us . Please read the information on your application carefully as some schools have all of this information on one form and some schools have multiple forms.
Please allow 8-10 business days to process your child’s paperwork. There are many different application deadlines so if your child is applying to multiple private schools, please allow for plenty of time to process this paperwork.
Teacher Recommendation Forms should go directly to the teacher that you would like to have fill out the form. Please let the teacher know the application deadline and provide an addressed, stamped envelope that can be sent directly to the private school, if not emailed directly to the private school.
St. John’s Application deadline is December 15th for incoming 9th graders. Please submit Transcript Request and Teacher Recommendation Forms to OMS by December 1st to assure on time submission.
If you have questions about the process, please reach out to Ms. Minio at (oakcounselori@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us).
The Locker
The Locker is a donation based program housed at Oak that helps families in the district that could use support with clothing and personal care items. We are happy to help you in the most discreet way possible, information will be kept confidential. It would be helpful to have as much information you can provide in what you are looking for and what will be most useful to your family.
We recognize that each student has their own preferences in what they would like to wear as far as styles and colors. If your child would be interested in helping us select items, we can arrange for them to come to the neatly organized closet and choose their own items.
Items can be sent home with your student if they are comfortable or pick up can be arranged through the health office.
Please complete this form if you would like help:
If you see something, say something!
Upcoming Dates
12/6 - Early Release - Professional Development Day
12/8 - 6 PM School Pulse Presentation
12/23-1/2 - December Vacation
1/16 MLK Jr. Day - No School
FAIR TRADE CARAVANS
The holidays will be here soon. Check out all the unique handcrafted gift items available in our holiday fundraising catalog. 25% of everything you buy goes directly to Sherwood Middle School PTO. And with your purchase, you will support academic enrichment programs, media center materials and student field trips. Shop now: https://fairtradecaravans.com/fundraiser/sherwood-middle-school-pto/
DECEMBER PTO MEETING
The December PTO meeting will be Monday, December 5th, @ 7PM in the Oak Media Center.
Help us plan the next Sherwood Night Out and the next Oak Dance!
Help with the upcoming Spelling Bees, or our big spring fundraiser!
The SMS PTO serves both Sherwood and Oak and we welcome parents from grades 5-8!
Lunch Available on Early Release Days
The Food Service Department will now offer a “Grab & Go” lunch bag on all scheduled student half days this school year.
For the “Grab & Go” lunch bag, students will be asked to pre-order by indicating “yes” or “no” on the Monday before each half day so the cafeteria staff have an accurate estimate of lunch bags to prepare. Pre-orders will be taken at each school and sent to the cafeteria.
On each scheduled half day students will be afforded time before dismissal to go to the cafeteria to pick up a “grab and go” lunch bag by inputting their cafeteria PIN number.
Lunches will be eaten at home.
📷📸📷📸Photos of the Week📷📸📷📸
7 Gold Amazon Rainforest Debate
7 Gold Amazon Rainforest Debate
7 Red Enrichment - Marshmallow Challenge
7 Red Enrichment - Marshmallow Challenge
7 Red Enrichment - Marshmallow Challenge
7 Red Enrichment - Marshmallow Challenge
8 Blue Science Presentation
🎭🎨🖌️🎵Sports and Activities🏀⚽🏅🏈
🏀🏀🏀Oak Basketball Try-outs🏀🏀🏀
Oak Basketball try-outs will be Monday, November 28.
Boys 3:00-4:30
UPDATE - Postponed - Try-outs will be on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday - Girls 4:30-6:00
🍪🍪🍪Cookie Cutters For Sale 🍪🍪🍪
3D printed cookie cutters are now available for purchase! They were designed by 7th grade students in the Design Lab class here at OMS. Cookie cutters cost $5 each, and all of the money raised will be donated to the Design Lab classroom. Donations will be used to purchase consumable materials (3D printer filament, plywood & acrylic for laser cutter, etc.) and maintain classroom equipment.
Please click the link below to explore the 60+ cookie cutter designs, learn more information, and order yours today!
We Are Hiring
Daily Substitutes
Paraprofessional Support Staff
Shrewsbury Public Schools are seeking to hire paraprofessional support staff. We are very pleased that we are 99% fully staffed for teacher and other professional educator roles as we start the school year. Like in many employment sectors in the current economy, we are also working hard to fill certain open positions. If you or someone you know is interested in making a positive difference in the life of a child, please consider joining us as a paraprofessional in our schools. We are in need of: child-specific aides who work to support individual students with special learning needs; applied behavior analysis technicians who typically work to support individual students on the autism spectrum; and special education instructional assistants. Experience working with children is a plus but not required, and we will provide training. There are positions open at all grade spans, both full-time with benefits and part-time, and the hours are great for parents with children in school. For more information and to apply, please go to https://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/hr/currentopenings. Please forward this information along, including to local college students seeking part-time work and those considering a career change to education. If you have questions, please email Lindsey Stasiowski, Human Resources Manager, at lstasiowski@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us or call her at (508) 841-8483. Thank you!
School Pulse
As stated in our student handbooks, Shrewsbury Public Schools is excited to be launching a new initiative for our students at Sherwood Middle School, Oak Middle School and Shrewsbury High School. ‘SchoolPulse’ is a Positive Psychology tool that provides weekly inspirational podcasts, check-ins, and the best Positive Psychology skills available. This will be done through text, three times a week. Participation is voluntary. Your child’s responses are completely anonymous (meaning we do not have their personal cell number or any personal information).
Some additional features include:
This service is entirely voluntary, and students can opt in and opt out anytime.
The child has access to an individual dashboard (accessed through their text), that shows their check-in responses in the moment and longitudinally.
The school will receive a general electronic report demonstrating the overall emotional pulse in the school. There is no individual data available to the school or district.
These texts are completely free.
Data shows that students who utilize and interact with SchoolPulse improve their thinking and feeling, and those who improve their thinking and feeling, ultimately improve behavior and academic performance.
You are welcome to participate as well. Simply text the word “Demo” to 78573, to see how SchoolPulse works. Enjoy!
If you want to find out more about SchoolPulse, simply go to www.schoolpulse.org.
Here is the video link that your children will see prior to the launch of the service at the end of September.
Our goal is to make each and every one of our students believe the statement, “You matter. You belong.” School Pulse is a proactive approach to making this goal a reality.
Team Information
Questions? We are here to help!
Mrs. Hallie Burak
Ms. Anne Koertge
Mr. Scott Yonker
Helpful Links
The Late Bus is Back!
We are thrilled to announce that we will continue to offer FREE late bus services for students at Shrewsbury High School, Oak Middle School, and Sherwood Middle School starting Monday, September 19th, 2022. Late buses will run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The buses will depart from SHS at 3:30pm and from the middle schools at 4:00pm.
This is a limited service with fixed bus stops. It is not intended to provide service to all neighborhoods due to financial limitations.
Please click the following link for all the details:
https://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/transportation/late-bus
Registration is open and the late bus service will start next Monday, the 19th.