Lake Oswego Junior High Newsletter
Important Messages and Events for the Community
Principal Message
We are excited to see our community this week as we compete against the Harlem Wizards on Wednesday night! I hope everyone has a great week and enjoys this unusually warm October!
In this week's Sailor Soundbites below, I interviewed Mr. Zuckerman, the LOJ Band teacher. He speaks about his joy in music and what led him to teach middle school band. Take a listen and enjoy the episode.
Sparrow Project
Sparrow Project for Charlotte Launched!
LOJ adopted their second Sparrow! Students at LOJ were introduced to Sparrow Clubs USA, a local nonprofit inspiring compassion in the hearts of today’s youth last year when they adopted their Sparrow Ava. On Friday, September 30, during a live assembly, students watched the journey of three-year-old Charlotte, whose life was turned upside down when her body contracted a rare type of blood poisoning called meningococcemia. Within a matter of hours, this rare virus became life-threatening by attacking her kidneys and in order to save her life, doctors had to amputate both her arms above the elbows and legs above the knees. Despite all of this Charlotte is inspirational and radiates oy and determination to overcome her challenges. Students were challenged to make a difference in the lives of others through acts of community service in honor of Charlotte. You can watch Charlotte’s story here!
Thanks to Community Club Sponsors, for every hour of community service students serve, $10 is unlocked for their Sparrow Charlotte up to a 300-hour challenge mark. By focusing on community service, the Sparrow program allows everyone to make a difference regardless of popularity, economic situation, athleticism, intelligence, etc.
What counts as community service? Anything students do that helps people other than those in their own family counts! Once students complete a service hour, they simply fill out the voucher and submit it. Vouchers can be accessed through this link:
Important Dates
Harlem Wizards vs Salty Sailors October 5, 7:00-9:00 pm @ LOHS
School Community Service Day: October 14 (more info to follow from Parent Club)
Student Led Conferences: October 27,28 (More info to follow)
Picture Makeup Day: October 25, 8:00 - 12:00
Homework Help
Need more time to finish your homework?
Come to Homework Help and Work time
EVERY Tuesday and Friday
from 8:15-8:50 AM
We will meet in Room 3
Starting Tues. Sept. 20
Check-In at the Main Office
Hosted by Mrs. Espinosa and Mrs. Cheng
New Application for School Volunteers
For the safety of children, volunteers are required to have an approved background check when volunteering in schools.
To help streamline compliance with state and school board policies, which require that all volunteers have background checks and knowledge of other board policies -- as well as state-mandated proof of vaccination (or a qualified exemption) -- we are introducing a new all-in-one volunteer application and approval process through our Raptor Visitor Management System.
Submitting an online application initiates the background check process. Once submitted, applicants will receive an email upon approval of their background check, and you will be given access through the onsite Raptor System at all schools. Please allow up to three weeks to process your approval.
Volunteers need to submit only one application for volunteering in all LOSD schools. Applications need to be submitted annually to capture changes in background checks, policies, and/or vaccination requirements.
Volunteer Application for LOSD
Thank you for applying promptly, and for your service to our students and schools. We are grateful for our volunteers.
- THIS WEEK...Harlem Wizards v. Salty Sailors! Get ready for some fun and games, LOJ! We hope to see our *entire* community come out to watch the Harlem Wizards play against 26 LOJ teachers and staff on Wednesday, October 5th! Doors open at 6pm; Game begins at 7pm in the LOHS West Gym. Tickets are selling fast! Buy them now: https://harlemwizards.thundertix.com/events/202696 Or get behind-the-scenes access as a volunteer at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A054CA5AB23A7F94-harlem
- LOJ Community Service Day on 10/14: Thank you to everyone who has already signed up! We still have a few spaces left so please check out the link. In addition, we need to make sure we have enough parent volunteers for each activity. Check your activity and if it’s missing parent volunteers it would be fantastic to add yourself so we know we can move forward with the event. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GLzbkMlTaaQ1ot41Keq-tFaIPkVEgVNNU2bZypA0-8k/edit?usp=sharing
- Salt & Straw: Sweeten your community service day with some ice cream! We are partnering with Salt & Straw again. For every pint that is purchased on Friday, October 14th, Salt & Straw (LO) will donate $1 to LOJ.
- Interested in volunteering at the LOJ Library? Have you been looking for an opportunity to volunteer at LOJ? Consider helping out the LOJ Library!
We are looking for a few parents to come in for an hour once a week to help us shelve books, and a parent with an artistic bent who would like to help us spruce up our library display boards. Benefits of supporting the library include getting to see all the fun books your kids have access to and making the school look more cheerful and inviting for kids. Contact Library Tech April Younglove with any questions about helping out the library.
- Direct Ask Campaign Update: Thanks to LOJ families, we met our $30k Direct Ask Campaign goal. We raised $30, 530.50 to be exact. Look for new microscopes in your child's science classrooms and new microphones for the theater!
REGISTER FOR LAKER YOUTH BASKETBALL:
This is not our Rec program that LOJ will run in the winter. This is for basketball through our LO youth program.
Registration is now open for the Laker Youth Basketball 2022-2023 season! In addition to our competitive program (boys, 4th-8th; girls, 5th-8th), this year we're excited to also offer a rec-league option for boys and girls grades 3-5. There will be an informational parent meeting on Monday, Oct 3rd at 7:00pm in the LOHS cafeteria to learn more about the two program offerings this year. Visit lakeoswegoyouthbasketball.com for additional information and to register your athlete TODAY!
Laker Dance Game Day Workshop
October 14, 2022, Professional Day
10:00 am - 1:00 pm, Check-In at 9:30 am
Lake Oswego High School Gymnasium
$60 if you pre-register, $65 at the door
Open to ALL Youth, Pre-K through 8th Grade
* Youth Workshop t-shirt for each registered dancer (pre-register by 10/5 for correct sizing)
* Showcase performance 10/14 - parents & friends welcome
* Football game halftime performance with Laker Dancers 10/14
* Laker Dance spirit items available for purchase
Register today! Click HERE
We can’t wait to dance with you!
For questions or assistance with registration, contact Whitney - whitney.woolf@gmail.com or 503-784-9054
Set up Meal Accounts
The universal free meals waiver with USDA expired on June 30, 2022. That means starting this school year LOSD will be serving meals under the free, reduced, and paid categories.
Please be sure to set up your student's meal account or apply for free/reduced meals. Look for Meals under Find it Fast on district and school website homepages for account setup and application information, and more.
Please have students memorize or write down their student id numbers to expedite the lunch line.
A Message from our Nurse
SafeOregon/Incident Reporting
Parents-guardians who have concerns about a student’s well-being are encouraged to reach out to their principal and to maintain strong lines of communication and partnership between students, families, staff, and other resources.
SafeOregon is also an effective way to report a tip regarding safety threats or potential acts of violence to our students or schools.
(Students should also be aware that intentionally providing a false report is a serious offense.)
In addition, Our district has additional reporting forms. These are for parents or students to use to report issues related to racism, bias, or harassment incidents. These forms are on the district website and school websites:
Important Links
Lake Oswego Middle School
Email: millsk@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org/loj
Location: Lake Oswego Junior High School, 2500 Country Club Road, Lake Oswego, OR 97034, USAOur Address
Phone: 503-534-2335
Facebook: facebook.com/ourschool
Twitter: @lojSailors