Oster Newsletter
August 23, 2023
Principal's Message
We had a great start to our school year. During our first week of school, all of our students participated in SmartStart, focusing on getting to know one another, their teacher and other staff members on campus. We shared lessons, activities, and discussions on team building; classroom, playground, and school expectations; skills for success, and more. The student and staff culture we will build during the first weeks of school will create a foundation for rigorous student work and respect throughout the school year.
New Staff
We are excited for the following staff to join our Oster staff this year: Mrs. Williams (1st Grade), Sarah Williams (Health Clerk), YK (Occupational Therapist) Dominique Dates (Mental Health Therapist), Zhe Chen (Speech and Language Pathologist), Stacy Houston and Debra Mandanici (TK Instructional Assistants).
Safety
While your children are at school, our #1 priority is to keep them safe. To this end, we are using these first few weeks to review Oster's expected norms. This past Thursday, I met with all students during grade level talks about how to stay safe before and after school, on the playground, at lunch tables, and around campus. Over the course of the next few months, we will have our first fire drill, a Run Hide Defend drill, where classrooms will practice lockdown procedures in the event of police activity in the neighborhood, and a disaster drill where we simulate a response to a significant event such as an earthquake.
School Start Time
While we love the enthusiasm of students wanting to come to school first thing in the morning it's important that students do not arrive before 8:00 am as there is no adult supervision. Our gates will open at 8:00 am, and students are expected to line up by their classrooms and may not be on the playground or the playground equipment. Teacher supervision is provided from 8:00-8:10 around our primary and intermediate blacktop areas. School begins daily at 8:10 am where students are expected to be lined up. Students arriving after 8:15 am must come to the office for a tardy slip
Please help us maintain security and reduce distractions in the classroom by following these guidelines:
- No adult should be on campus during regular school hours without signing in and obtaining a name badge from the office.
- Parents picking up their students at the end of the day are requested not to enter campus until 2:38 (1:30 for TK/K). Gates will be open a few minutes before the bell rings.
- We have our Extended Care on campus with approximately 150 students who have priority to our playground and blacktop area after school. For the safety of our Extended Care Students, our campus and playgrounds are closed to the community until 6:00 pm. We appreciate in advance you not allowing your student to stay and play after the school day.
- At no time are dogs allowed on campus. This includes before and after school.
Forgotten homework, lunches, or water bottles
Please ensure all information between you and your child is taken care of before school. During instructional hours, the school office will no longer call into the classroom to give messages or deliver items, including water bottles and lunches. If you are bringing lunch for your child, make sure you deliver it to our lunch cart in front of the office before 12:00 (11:15 TK/K). Please write your child's name and room number on the lunch bag and water bottle and remind them where to pick it up.
Forgotten items during recess and lunch and at the end of the day will be placed in our lost and found located in our school cafeteria.
Lunch Duty and Crossing Guard Helpers
We are still in need of additional lunch duty helpers. Please consider offering your support and making a difference for our school community. These positions can be a fun way to meet more students, parents, and staff. Volunteer or paid positions are available ($16 per hour). If you are interested, please email Mrs. Beagle at beagleg@unionsd.org.
Mark your calendars
Back to School Night is next Wednesday, August 30th. This evening is for parents only. Your child's teacher will provide an overview of the curriculum and classroom procedures. We respectfully ask parents not discuss their child's progress this evening. The opportunity to have a private discussion on how your child is doing will happen at a later date during individual parent-teacher conferences.
- Primary grades (TK/Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd) will be from 6:35-7:05.
- Intermediate grades (3rd, 4th, and 5th) will be from 6:00-6:30
As always, don't hesitate to contact us with any questions, and we look forward to partnering with you for another great school year.
Go Cougars!
~Mrs. Taormina
Wednesday: August 30th
3rd-5th Grade 6:00-6:30
TK-2nd Grade 6:35-7:05
Parking Lot Safety
We ask all adults to be cautious and responsible when dropping off and picking up children from school. Please have your children use the crosswalks and do not allow them to cross in the middle of any street or the parking lot. Also, please do not park your vehicle in any drop-off zones, red zones, handicap parking (unless legally permitted by the DMV), or block any of the neighbor's driveways. The cars must keep pulling forward in the drop-off zone in front of the school, so please do not get out of your car when dropping off or picking up your child.
Please be mindful of cyclists! Bicycles have the right to use the whole lane, and little ones cycling are permitted to ride on the sidewalk. I also want to remind parents that students cannot be dropped off before 8:00 a.m. Until then, there is no adult supervision, so please do not leave children unattended before 8:00 a.m. We appreciate your cooperation in helping to keep all of our children safe.
Wednesday, August 30: Back To School Night @ 6:00 (3rd-5th) and 6:35 (TK-2nd)
Monday, September 4th: No School (Labor Day)
Wednesday, September 6th:Home and School Club Meeting @ 6:00 pm
Friday, September 8th: Picture Day
Monday, September 11th: USD Board Meeting @ 6:00 pm
Tuesday, September 12th Parent Information Night for Be Seen and Heard
Friday, September 15th: Oster's Movie Night
Come to HSC’s first board meeting of the year (9/6)!
Join us for the first Home & School Club Board Meeting Wednesday, September 6th at 6:30 in the staff room. Childcare is available, we look forward to seeing you all!
New Oster Spirit Wear - Get it 9/14!
We will have the new swag on sale after school in front of the HSC shed, stop by and get geared up to show your Cougar spirit! Here’s a sneak peek…
Frozen Friday
A favorite Oster Tradition, Frozen Friday, happens each week! Stop by after school on Fridays outside the cafeteria to purchase a frozen treat and hang with friends! All treats are $1 or $2. Small bills are appreciated or we can take ApplePay! OR, purchase a Frozen Friday Card here!
Sign up to Volunteer! This is a great opportunity to get involved with HSC & Oster’s connected community and only takes an hour or so on Friday afternoon!
Stay up to date on all the latest Home & School Club News!
Register your Membership Toolkit by visiting www.osterhsc.org!
Get Involved! Check out the variety of volunteering options at: www.osterhsc.org/sign_ups.
Like & Follow:
Facebook @OSTERHSC
Instagram @OSTERHSC1855
Oster Elementary School
Principal: Lisa Taormina
Email: taorminal@unionsd.org
Website: https://oster.unionsd.org
Location: 1855 Lencar Way, San Jose, CA, USA
Phone: 408-266-8121