VO News You Can Use
Dr. O's Weekly Parent Newsletter
NCSD Mission Statement
Developing each student's potential with a world class education.
September 2, 2019
Dear Village Oaks Families,
It was a pleasure meeting so many of you during our Open House--I truly enjoyed the experience! For those of you who I did not have the privilege of meeting last week I encourage you to introduce yourself to me as you drop off or pick up your child during the first weeks of school. I will continue to connect with as many parents as possible to discover how I can be of service to you as your principal.
This year we have some new additions to our VO family. To help parents learn more about the wonderful professionals in our building I will provide information on our new staff members throughout the year in my weekly newsletter.
Please see the flyer below for our Pancake Breakfast:
- The NEF All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast is Saturday, Sept 14 from 7:30am-10:30am. (See flyer below.)
Sincerely,
Alex
#NoviFirstDay
Please use this back-to-school sign to show your #NoviPride on the first day of school.
We hope this will help create a lasting memory of your child's special day.
We've created similar signs for every school in the district. Our hope is that you will take a picture of your child(ren) holding up this first day sign and then share that photo out on social media using the following two hashtags: #NoviFirstDay and #NoviPride
The chalkboard sign shows up best on a tablet. Pull the photo up and snap a photo, like we did with Dr. Matthews.
If you don't have a tablet, you can print out the sign and it will show up the way it did on the photo with the Novi Link Crew. Click on the link below to access the VO sign.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BUpjNOWuat6RjszQlwtaoAS2XPXLGncB
VO Staff Getting Ready for the First Day!
2019-2020 Curriculum Nights
Please mark the following dates on your calendars:
2nd, 3rd & 4th Grade- Tuesday, September 17th 6:30pm-7:30pm
Kindergarten & 1st Grade- Thursday, September 19th 6:30pm-7:30pm
ESL Curriculum Night -October 15th 6:30pm-7:30pm
Title One & Specials Curriculum Nights - October 17th 6:30pm-7:30pm
Birthday Books
Birthdays are fun for everyone and we love making your child’s special day memorable for years to come! This year Village Oaks Elementary will be implementing a new policy for birthday celebrations. In lieu of treats such as cupcakes and ice cream, all classrooms (K-4) will start using Birthday Books! Birthday Books are a great way to share the love of reading with your child and the entire class. It encourages a “Readerly Life,” and donating a book is a way to leave a legacy in your child’s class for years to come! Once the book is donated, it will always be on the Birthday Bookshelf.
VO School Day Conversations
- Before exiting the cafeteria at VO what do students do?
- What was your favorite thing about the first day of school?
- What's an important classroom rule that you learned on the first day of school?
At VO, we have HEART!
In Novi Community School District we believe in promoting high expectations for academics, meeting the emotional well being of our students and celebrating positive behavior for all of our learners.
At Village Oaks Elementary, we are building a culture of collaboration, leadership, and citizenship. As a school community, we strive to:
- Have a growth mindset
- Empathize and show kindness
- Act responsibly
- Respect everyone
- Team up and collaborate with others
As a Leader in Me school on Fridays throughout the year we are committed to developing leaders with HEART through a series of different activities, lessons, and assemblies known as Leaderific Fridays! As we kick off the year we will begin to place students in small learning groups known as Dens, which they will report to during Leaderific Fridays. As the year unwinds we will highlight the learning that occurs on Leaderific Fridays...stay tuned!
Novi Food Service
Information regarding our lunch program and monthly menus can also be found on the district web-page. Go to the section District and choose Food Service. Applications for free and reduced lunch are also located on this web-site. Please remember you must apply each year in order for your child to receive free or reduced lunch prices. Lunch prices will be 2.50 for lunch. Milk comes with lunch but students can purchase just milk for .50 cents. Village Oaks also offers a breakfast program. Students can purchase breakfast for 1.50. Fees will be deducted from your child’s lunch account.
2019-2020 VOICE Board Members
We are always in need of new parents who want to work with VOICE to support all of the great things that are taking place at VO ! If you're interested in volunteering and supporting VOICE please contact our president Debbie Luke at debbielukehomes@gmail.com
GEMS After School Math Enrichment
Hi Third and Fourth Grade Parents:
Do you know that at the end of fourth grade your child will take a test that determines whether or not they are placed in advanced math classes at Novi Meadows? Children who place into this advanced math path will have the opportunity to take further advanced classes in high school such as AP Calculus and AP Physics. The GEMS (Grow Excellence in Math and Science) program has helped many students onto this advanced math path and we would love to help your child too. Our program emphasizes excellence in mathematics, problem solving, analytical and critical thinking skills starting from a young age. We strive to prepare our students for competitive exams (AMC 8, GAUSS, CML, MOEMS (Math Olympiad)) as well as enable them to ace standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT. As students progress, they gain high test scores, better grades in school, more self-confidence, and admission to top universities.
Please refer to the Novi Community Education (novicommunityed.org) catalogue for details of schools and locations for these after school classes. Please visit www.gemsenrichment.com or write an email to info@gemsenrichment.com for further information.
A flyer is also attached for your perusal.
Thanks and best regards,
Anupam
Email: info@gemsenrichment.com
Phone: (313) 308 5616
Volunteer and Donation Opportunities
PTO is CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!
Your support to our school in the volunteering of your time is extremely valuable to all of us! We cannot help our students and staff in the planned activities without YOU! As VOICE creates different committees please consider signing up for one of them. A link will be created in the near future with the available committees for the year...stay tuned!
Your time is so greatly valued and appreciated!
VO Flags
One of the things that makes our building so special is our diverse student population--we have families in our community who come from all over the world! To celebrate our global diversity we have hung flags in our cafeteria that represent many of the countries of our VO families. As a gift from VO retirees we were given flags of the following countries: Israel, India, England, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, South Korea, China, and USA. Thank you to our parents who have also donated the following flags: Poland, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Nepal, Greece, Pakistan, Uruguay, Ecuador, Portugal, Spain, Central African Republic, South Africa, Wales, Iceland, Australia, Armenia, and Sri Lanka. If you would like to purchase a flag of your country of origin or to represent one of the many nationalities of our school please visit Amazon and search for an ANLEY 3x5 flag: VO Flags
Before purchasing and donating the flag to our school’s collection please contact me or one of our secretaries with the flag information so we can make sure that another family has not already ordered the same flag.
Playworks
This year NCSD elementary schools will partner with Playworks to enhance the learning experiences for students throughout the district. Playworks is the leading nonprofit in Michigan and nationally using play to transform schools. A Playworks recess creates a place for every kid on the playground to feel included, be active, and build valuable social and emotional skills. Please click on the link below and read the attached Playworks article to learn more about our partnership and Patrice our Playworks Coach!
Looking Ahead
9/3/19--First day of school: 9:08am-4:00pm
9/14/19--NEF All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast: 7:30am-10:30am
9/17/19--2nd, 3rd & 4th Grade Curriculum Night: 6:30pm-7:30pm
9/19/19--Kindergarten & 1st Grade Curriculum Night: 6:30pm-7:30pm
Parent Pick-up/Parking & Bus Stop Expectations
As you pick-up and drop off your children please be mindful of the following:
- Do not park in front of our neighbors' driveways or mailboxes.
- Park in our parking lot and keep your pet in your car.
- For the safety of our students do not walk your children through our bus loop as students are loading/exiting our busses.
- Stay in your car as you drive through our car loop.
- Please do not drop off children before 8:55am. We do not have any supervision outside prior to this time.
- If you arrive late, please walk your child into the office and sign them in.
We ask that you remind your children that VO expectations/rules apply at our bus stops. We expect all of our students to be on their best behavior as they wait for their bus and we appreciate your help.
Thank you for your support!
CARE
Please remember if there is a change in your child's CARE schedule you need to notify Holly Bengle no later than 3:15. She will then contact the teachers. Holly Bengle can be reached at
holly.bengle@novik12.org or (248) 449-1307.
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VILLAGE OAKS MISSION
The mission of Village Oaks Elementary is to create and maintain an educational environment that supports academic achievement, consistent with district, state and national standards to meet all students' learning needs.
VO 2018 National Blue Ribbon Exemplary School
Village Oaks Elementary
VO school hours: 9:08 am-4:00 pm
Office hours: 8:15 am-4:15 pm
Attendance line: 248.449.1301
Office phone number: 248.449.1300
Email: Alexander.ofili@novik12.org
Website: www.novi.k12.mi.us/vo/
Location: Village Oaks Elementary School, Willowbrook Drive, Novi, MI, United States
Phone: 248.449.1300
Twitter: @NoviVillageOaks