Otter Outlook
November 9, 2017
In this issue...
A Message from the Principal
Need to Know!
Ocee's Thanksgiving Feast - Nov. 15 & 16
Coaches’ Corner: The Standards for Mathematical Practices (article 2 of 4) From Shannan LaPorte, CST and Math Coach
It's Almost Here - Ocee Night of the Arts
Picture Retake Day!
Around the World at Ocee: The Parade of Nations
Ryan's Resource
What's Happening in Our Learning Commons?
From Our PTA
Spirit Night @ Bezoria Tonight
The Giving Tree
PTA Reflections Competitition
Community News
Holiday Resources
Reminders
Saddle Up and Read
Classroom Celebration
Think First and Stay Safe
Dates to Remember
Nov. 9 - PTA Bezoria Restaurant Spirit Night
Nov. 10 - PTA Reflections Breakfast 7:15 a.m.
Nov. 10 - 3rd Grade ScienceX (all-day in-house field trip)
Nov. 10 - Deadline to Sign Up for Parade of Nations
Nov. 13 - Fall Picture Retake Day
Nov. 13 - 17 Book Fair
Nov. 14 - Admin Coffee for Parents
Nov. 14 - Literature Night
Nov. 15 - Thanksgiving Feast for grades 1, 3, 4
Nov. 16 - Thanksgiving Feast for grades PK, K, 2, 5
Nov. 17 - Around the World, Parade of Nations 7:50 a.m.
Nov. 17 - PTA Executive Committee Mtg. 8:30 a.m.
Nov. 20 - 24 - Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL
Nov. 27 - 28 - 5th Grade Rock Eagle Trip
Nov. 30 - Last Day for Giving Tree Donations
Nov. 30- Staff Luncheon provided by 2nd and 3rd grade parents
Nov. 30 - PTA Program - Old Joe and the Carpenter Storyteller
Nov. 30 - Get Air Spirit Night 3-7 p.m.
A Message from the Principal
Good Afternoon Ocee Family!
Every week in schools brings new challenges and opportunities. This week was no different for our Ocee family. Despite the sad news we received about our bus driver this week, we still held a Walk & Roll event at the school, engaged parents in a 21st Century Math workshop, and kicked off our annual book fair. The budgetary crisis in Fulton County is already beginning to subside as a court ruling allowed for the issuance of tax bills last Friday. This means that our district will begin receiving revenues from property taxes immediately. Our 5th grade Rock Eagle trip, which was in jeopardy due to the financial situation in FCS, has been approved meaning our students will be able to enjoy this wonderful Ocee tradition. We welcomed several new students to the Ocee family this week as well, and new friendships have already started to flourish. Tomorrow, we honor our 2016-2017 teacher and professional of the year at the annual Legacy of Excellence Banquet, and our third grade students will be experimenting with science concepts during our Science X day.
Why am I telling you all this? Because life is difficult, and those difficulties are often felt within the walls of a school building and in our communities. Despite those difficulties, it is important to remember that we are not alone and that there are also amazingly positive things happening. We are so fortunate at Ocee that we have a tight-knit community, an amazing staff and faculty, and students who value their own education. We need to remember these positives when times seem rough, because they exist in abundance at Ocee Elementary School.
Thank you all for your support of the work that we do to change the lives of children.
Best Regards,
Ryan Moore
Principal & Ocee Parent
Need to Know
Ocee's Thanksgiving Feast Nov. 15 & 16
Ocee will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with our annual family feast days. Family is invited to join the children for lunch on Nov. 15 for grades 1, 3 and 4 and Nov.16 for grades PK, K, 2nd and 5th. Please note that lunch times will be different for those two days. On the day your child is not feasting, they will be eating sack lunches (from home or the Café) in their classrooms and parents will not be able to eat with their child that day. These lunches will be picked up by the students between 9 and 9:30 a.m.
If you would like to join your child on his/her feast day, lunch will be $3.45 per guest. Please bring small bills or exact change. The PTA will have a table in the front lobby to sell lunch tickets so our lunch lines will move smoothly. Please meet your child in the rotunda outside the cafeteria. Unless your child's teacher has invited you to attend a program in the classroom, please say goodbye to your child in the rotunda following the feast so that the class can return to instruction for the remainder of the day.
Coaches’ Corner: The Standards for Mathematical Practices (article 2 of 4)
From Shannan LaPorte, CST and Math Coach
We all know that elementary students learn basic computation skills in math. We know they learn about things such as measurement, geometry, and fractions. Each year there are content standards that guide what students learn in these areas and more. What you may now know, however, is that there are eight additional standards that cover all mathematical learning in grades K-12. These are called the Standards for Mathematical Practice. Instead of being topic-driven, these standards require us to involve students in the things that mathematicians do each and every day. These can take place no matter what the content standards of math may be. In this series of articles, you will learn more about the Standards for Mathematical Practice and how they play out in Ocee’s classrooms each day. You will also learn how you can create experiences that build on these practices at home!
You walk by a math classroom at Ocee and hear a teacher say, “Make a model that shows 3 x 4.” Students get busy drawing all kinds of pictures, including arrays of objects, grids with rows and columns, and circled groups. You might wonder, “Why doesn’t she just teach them that 3 x 4 is 12?” The answer is that students need to do both. Mathematical practice #2 says: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. While we think of math as mainly being about numbers, there are many visual aspects to mathematics that are just as important. If students can tell you AND show you that 3 x 4 = 12, they are truly doing the work of mathematicians.
On another occasion you walk into a math classroom, and students are all on the carpet, talking to one another. You wonder how students can even think about math in a room with so much chatter! As you listen in on the conversations, though, you hear things like, “I used the number line strategy to help me because I could easily put the numbers in order.” That child’s partner responds with, “I prefer the strategy of using tens and ones to put the numbers in order because I know all of the numbers that have more tens will be larger.” Yet another child says to her partner, “I disagree that 34 is larger than 43 because the value of the 4 in 43 is 40, and 34 is less than 40.” You realize that all of that chatter in math class has meaning. This talk in math class is because of Mathematical practice #3, which says: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. In order to be clear about math, you have to be able to do it AND explain your thinking. Mathematicians work together to solve problems, and that is exactly what we do here at Ocee as well!
It’s Almost Here! - Ocee Night of the Arts
The time for Ocee’s Night of the Arts is almost here! On Thursday, December 7th, Ocee will hold its fifth annual Night of the Arts. On this night, you have the chance to see Ocee Chorus’ winter performance as well as a framed art show featuring a piece of art from every student in the school. During this art show, you have the option to purchase your child’s framed artwork and reproductions of his/ her work for $25 each. In addition, there will be 4 free art activities for students to participate in. We look forward to seeing you there!
Can’t come that night? That’s okay! Order forms will be sent home for pre-show orders in a week. If you wish to order, please send in the order form and check or cash payment to Ms. Cessna OR go online to oceeotters.com and click on the OSP button on or before December 7th. Sorry, because of the quick turnaround, orders after December the 7th cannot be accepted.
*Please Note: We are able to take check or cash only in person if you plan to buy your child’s framed work. If you do not wish to buy your child’s artwork framed, artwork will be returned to students after the art show.
Picture Retake Day!
Picture re-take day is Monday, November 13. If you were unhappy with the pictures you purchased, you may send the packet back with your child and Lifetouch will re-take the picture. If your child was not here on the original picture day (October 17) and you would like to purchase the pictures taken on re-take day, you must send the money in prior to the picture being taken. Every student not here on Oct. 17 will have their picture taken regardless of whether or not money is sent in so that they will be in the yearbook. Only those students who were not here on picture day or who bring back the picture packet will have their picture take on November 13.
Ocee’s annual “Trip Around the World” will be held on Friday, November 17, 2017. A highlight of this event is our Parade of Nations. This event starts at 7:45 a.m. and includes students who were born in another country, or who have one or both parents who were born in another country, representing that country in a parade that goes throughout the entire school building. All other students and staff members watch the parade and cheer participants on as they move through the building. Students and teachers watch the parade on the A and B halls, and parents are welcome to line the N hallway to watch the parade as well.
Student participation in the parade itself is completely optional, but students love walking behind the flag of a country that is such an important part of their home and heritage. Many students choose to dress in traditional clothing from the country they are representing, although this is also optional. If your child or children would like to participate in this year’s Parade of Nations, please complete the sign up sheet that went home last week in Thursday papers and return this slip to the school no later than tomorrow. This ensures that we are prepared with a sign and flag of your child’s country of heritage. If you do not have a copy of the sign up sheet, please contact the front desk at 470-254-2960 to get one. All participating students should meet in the gym between 7:10 and 7:30 a.m. on Friday, November 17. Parents wishing to view the parade should be in place on N hall no later than 7:40 a.m. Contact Mrs. LaPorte at laportes@fultonschools.org with any questions.
Ryan's Resource
This week's article discusses how to make an existing culture work. As usual, I have gravitated towards an article that contains a short checklist. Although short, these concepts are important and relevant considering our work towards developing a strategic plan aligned to the district pillars of Student Achievement, People & Culture, and Community Collaboration. I can assure you that we are thinking about these concepts as we work on our strategic plan. I encourage all of you to think about how you embrace and/or practice these concepts in your work and personal lives.
I hope you enjoy this week's article: https://www.inc.com/steve-farber/your-company-culture-already-exists-but-is-it-work.html?cid=landermore
Sincerely,
Ryan Moore
What's Happening in Our Learning Commons?
Excitement about literacy is in the air! We are wrapping up Book Fair browsing week and will begin selling books on Monday. Don’t forget to come and see our wonderful Ocee teachers bring books to life at our annual Literature Night next Tuesday.
From Our PTA
SPIRIT NIGHT @ BEZORIA--TONIGHT!!
OCEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY
THURSDAY, NOVEMEBER 9th 2017
BEZORIA RESTAURANT
2685 Old Milton Pkwy #150, Alpharetta, GA 30004 OPEN UNTIL 9 PM
Bezoria, is a fast-casual innovative Eastern Mediterranean grill serving freshly made incredible food with our house-baked pitas, perfectly seasoned meats, hand chopped fresh veggies and our signature sauces. http://www.bezoria.com
A portion of the daily sales will be returned back to Ocee Elementary School.
THE GIVING TREE
November 11th ~ December 1st
It is an Ocee Elementary tradition to collect items for those in need in our community as the Thanksgiving season approaches. This year Ocee will be collecting items for Creative Community Services, Inc.
Ocee students will listen to The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein on Otter Talk and will then have the chance to write something they are thankful for on a leaf & place it on our very own Giving Tree. Instead of assigning items this year, we invite families to visit our website & choose from a list of suggested items.
Donations should be new and unwrapped, and may be dropped off in collection bins in the lobby of the school between Nov. 11th & Dec. 1st. Literature Night and Feast Days are a great time for parents to drop off donations if you would rather not send to school with your child. This a wonderful opportunity for all of us to give back and express our gratitude.
On behalf of Creative Community Services, Inc., we thank you for your consideration in participating in our annual Giving Tree event! Please contact fran_rissland@hotmail.com with any questions.
Click here to view the list of requested donation items: Giving Tree Wish List
PTA REFLECTIONS COMPETITION
North Fulton Council has announced the results of Reflections judging. The following Ocee Otters have received recognition:
Visual Arts (2nd) Adwait Dhaneshwar--Honorable Mention
Film (3rd) Aaron Urbanawi--Honorable Mention
Photography (4th) Victor Huang--Winner
Congratulations to these students and all the students who worked so hard this year!
Community News
Holiday Resources Lift Up Atlanta, a non-profit organization that helps the homeless and low income families in the metro Atlanta area will be hosting a pre-Thanksgiving meal and food basket giveaway. Families in need are invited to join on Saturday, November 18th from 11:30 – 1 p.m. at the Fulton County Oak Hill Center (2805 Metropolitan Parkway SW, Atlanta, GA). Lift It Up is also accepting client applications for families in need for Christmas toys. Interested families should email liftupatlanta@yahoo.com or call 678-245-4622.
Reminders
Howdy partners!!! It's time to wrangle up your cowboy hats and your cowboy boots, and join the hootenanny at our annual Scholastic Fall Book Fair. This year's theme is "Wild West" and we are ready to SADDLE UP AND READ!!! But we need your help, too.
Please take a moment to view the sign-up links below and pick a time to help our kids find and purchase amazing new books for their home libraries. There are 4 volunteer sign up links:
Volunteers for Preview on 11/8-11/10: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4eafa62ca02-wild
Volunteers for Shopping Week on 11/13-11/17: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4eafa62ca02-wild1
Volunteers for Literature Night on 11/14: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4eafa62ca02-wild2
Volunteers for Break Down/Clean Up on 11/17 and 11/27: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4eafa62ca02-scholastic7
**NOTE: If you would like to volunteer when your child will be coming to preview or shopping, you may view the class preview and class shopping time Sign Up Genius links provided here for your reference and sign up for the slot/s that overlap your child's preview and/or shopping time. But please know that times may be subject to change if the teacher decides another time may work better for her class. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Class Preview Times: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4eafa62ca02-scholastic5
Class Shopping Week Times: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4eafa62ca02-scholastic6
Thank you for helping to make our Wild West Book Fair a Rootin' Tootin' Good Time!
Thank you,
Marcy Morantz
Think First, Stay Safe
Think First & Stay Safe™ enables students to take an active and necessary role in protecting themselves from harassment, abduction, bullying, exploitation, and various forms of abuse (physical, sexual, emotional). The Health Advisory Committee reviewed and approved this program and selected components will be implemented through the elementary health curriculum by teachers and school counselors.
Please contact our counselor, Anna Aronowitz at 470-254-2960 to schedule a preview or if you have any questions. The materials will be available for preview from November 1, 2017 to November 17, 2017. In late November and early December, Think First & Stay Safe™ prevention lessons will be implemented for all K-5 students. You can also learn more about the detailed lesson plans and research behind this program at www.childluresprevention.com. Please be aware that more information is provided on the website than is actually used in Fulton County Schools.
If you prefer that your child not participate in the Think First & Stay Safe™ program, please fill out our Think First, Stay Safe curriculum opt out form. Unless opt out documentation is received by Friday, November 17, 2017, your child will participate in the Think First & Stay Safe™ program. Please click here to access the Think First, Stay Safe opt out survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LQ2CQZJ
Outstanding Character Educational Excellence
Ryan Moore, Principal @oceeprincipal
Jennifer Rosenthall, AP
Shannan LaPorte, CST
Anna Aronowitz, Counselor
Email: fowlerjj@fultonschools.org
Website: www.oceeotters.com
Location: 4375 Kimball Bridge Road, Alpharetta, GA, United States
Phone: 470-254-2960
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OceeElementary
Twitter: @oceeotters