VO News You Can Use
Dr. O's Weekly Parent Newsletter
NCSD Mission Statement
Developing each student's potential with a world class education.
October 26, 2020
Dear Village Oaks Families,
Happy Monday! In this virtual era, our teachers continue to work collaboratively to support our students' needs. We have a plan in place in case our technology platforms are erased or go offline. Our Technology Contingency Plan includes:
Short-term issue:
Teachers will send their parents/students details on how to read a book, do i-Ready, complete other asynchronous work, or access SeeSaw activities.
Long term issue:
For long term issues like SeeSaw or Schoology going down completely, a schoolwide email will go out that outlines emailed activities are coming from staff in addition to plans for a pick-up day for all impacted students.
If Zoom goes out:
Families will receive a email from their child's teacher with a new platform, possibly Google Meet. We will work with our Technology Department to turn this around as quickly as possible.
Upcoming Events
- Wednesday, October 28 -- Virtual Supply Pick-up 1:00pm-4:00pm
- Wednesday, October 28 -- Scott Green Virtual Magic Assembly
- Thursday, October 29 -- Hybrid A students can wear Halloween costumes to school
- Friday, October 30 -- Hybrid B students can wear Halloween costumes to school & Virtual students can wear their costumes at home, students submit Box Tops
Sincerely,
Alex
Halloween Reminders
Hybrid students can wear their costumes or dress in Halloween colors on either Thursday, Oct 29 (Hybrid A) or Friday, Oct 30 (Hybrid B). Virtual students can wear their costumes at home on Friday, Oct 30 as they participate in virtual celebrations/Halloween fun! For safety reasons parents will not be able to volunteer in classes for classroom parties. We also will not have our traditional Halloween Parade; we will however do a Virtual Parade. Both hybrid and virtual students can post a short clip of themselves in their costumes at flipgrid.com/VOHalloween. If your child would like to dress up, please follow these guidelines:
Children should wear costumes to school, as opposed to bringing them.
Please choose costumes of a friendly nature: no weapons, blood, etc.
Please keep bus safety and “bathroom business” in mind when choosing costumes with zippers, tails, etc.
Wear costumes that can easily be taken off before lunch (practice at home please)
Makeup (if any) should be applied at home.
Costumes need to fit in school bag or other provided bag to be sent home at the end of the day.
VO Staff Culturally Competency PD
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
Congratulations to our October Shiny HEART Award recipients!
October Shiny H.E.A.R.T Award Recipients for Great Leadership
Kindergarteners
Harthika Sivakumar
Jordan Jackson
Gabriella Ujkaj
Karter Jones
Kanna Wakita
Kayce Tie
1st graders
Isabel Lillard
Lars Crawford
Macy Fedell
Vedathmika Aravind Nair
Ishika Rawat
Alyse Stokes-Shreve
2nd graders
Mason Machesney
Drake Edwards
Ethan Kosmyna
Jensen Banez
Suvir Kavalakuntla
Aarush Dale
3rd graders
Akira Boppana
Ashlyn Warren
Enzo Moretti Tresmondi
Sarai Thomas
Aarav Sreejit
4th graders
Wyatt Curtis
Ravi Reddy
Maddy Jenkins
Luke Miller
Vyasarya Katti
Grace Lymon
Rick Lowry
Box Tops need to be turned in by October 30th!
Please turn in your unexpired Box Tops physical clippings to your teacher by Friday, October 30th!!! This is the last day for submitting Box Tops this fall. There will be another collection next Spring.
Also, please be sure to use the Box Tops app to scan your receipts after you shop!
Thanks so much for helping our PTO earn money for Village Oaks!!!
Panda Express Fundraiser Wednesday November 4th 10:30am-9:30pm
Virtual Halloween Parade
Veterans Day 2020
"Make a brick" instructions are also on Peachjar.
Great news! Free Meal Extension
Introducing Miss Littleton, our new 2nd grade teacher!
Hi VO Families!
My name is Miss. Gabby Littleton and I'm a new 2nd grader teacher here at VO! I just graduated from Michigan State University and this is my first year teaching. I am not a stranger to the Novi district though; I went to school here from Kindergarten -12th grade and worked for Novi CARE for a couple summers as well. When I am not teaching, I enjoy traveling, working out, reading and spending time with family and friends. I look forward to all the adventures this year will bring and couldn't be happier to be a part of the VO family! Here's to a great school year!
VO Morning Announcements--Virtual Students
Calling all virtual 4th graders: We want YOU to be part of our morning announcements! Record yourself saying the Pledge of Allegiance and/or the HEART Chant and send the video to Mrs. Golden at katy.golden@novik12.org OR post it to your Library Media Seesaw page (NOT your regular class page). We’d love to have a different virtual student every day!
Thanks :)
Katy Golden, MLIS
School Librarian
Village Oaks Elementary School
Zoom Meeting Expectations
Please see the friendly reminders below about virtual expectations.
Daily Health Screener is now on the VO website
VO Spirit Wear
HEY PARENTS! Don't forget to add Spirit Wear to your back to school list. Stitch and Scribe has so many options available this year. . Sherpa sweatshirts, t-shirts, masks, lanyards, water bottles and more! Visit their website https://stitchandscribe.com/collections/village-oaks-spirit-wear/Village-Oaks-Spirit-Wear and click the Village Oaks Spirit Wear link at the top. A portion of the sale supports Village Oaks!
Yearbook Committee Seeking Photos
Do you have some great photos you would love to see in the yearbook?
We are currently seeking fall photos, Halloween photos, and picture day prep photos both in and out of school.
Please submit them to the Yearbook Committee e-mail: VOYearbookPTO@gmail.com
Be sure to include a description of the event/activity in the photo including hybrid or virtual, as well as the teacher’s name if appropriate.
This year we are relying on parents and teachers more than ever to bring you a quality yearbook full of wonderful memories!!
We are hiring noon aides!
We are currently looking for more noon aides to help supervise students during lunch and recess when we return to school. This is a paid position, not volunteer. We could use your help whether it's one or more days a week. For more information, please contact Melissa Kruger at melissa.kruger@novik12.org or by phone at 248-996-7215.
VO School Day Conversations
- How do you earn a Shiny HEART Award at VO?
- During Zoom meetings how do you get your teacher's attention?
- What is a Villa at VO?
NCSD Reminder
Novi Mental Health Alliance--Parent Empowering Parent Program
The Parent Empowering Parent Program connects parents in need with parents who know. PEP pairs up a parent who has experienced challenges in his or her own parenting to providing support, encouragement, and knowledge, to another parent going through a similar situation. Below are the flyers for program.
Learn more about the Novi Mental Health Alliance by visiting the website at: https://www.novi.k12.mi.us/community/novi-mental-health-alliance
Volunteer and Donation Opportunities
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, United Kingdom, 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, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Russia, Scotland and Yemen. 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.
Spellbound-Virtual Magic Assembly--10/28/2020
Playworks
This year NCSD elementary schools will continue our partnership 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 open the attached PDF to meet Coach C!
Virtual Family Literacy Resource Fair on October 24th 10:00am to noon
The 2020 Family Literacy Resource Fair will provide families with the opportunity to learn, gain tools, and get resources in real-time to support and better prepare them for the rest of the 2020-2021 academic year.
The Family Literacy Resource Fair is a virtual space for the Families of students in Head Start through 8th grade to:
- Learn how to access resources and ongoing education and support
- Explore strategies to create more conducive and healthy learning environments
- Gain access to knowledge that can be used to support virtual learning
The event will have free resources to share for families and educators, as well as other free stuff raffled off to families. Please add Playworks as the organization for the “How did you hear about this event?” question in the registration form for a chance to enter a raffle.
We hope to see Playworks families at the Virtual Family Literacy Resource Fair!
Karen Dunham
Senior Program Manager
c: 248-342-3689
o: 313-879-4934
Looking Ahead
10/28/20-Supply pick-up for Virtual Students 1:00pm-4:00pm
11/3/20-Election Day No School
11/19/20-Half Day for Students-12:30pm Dismissal
11/19/20-Parent/Teacher Conferences
11/25/20-11/27/20 Thanksgiving Break No School
12/21/20 -1/1/20 Winter Break No School
Parent Pick-up/Parking & Bus Stop Expectations
As you pick-up and drop off your children please be mindful of the following:
- All adults and students are expected to wear their masks during pick up and drop off times.
- Please socially distance yourself from others as you wait to drop off or pick up your child from school.
- 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. Whenever someone enters the building they will be asked to complete a Covid Health Screener Form.
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. We appreciate your help.
Thank you for your support!
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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 National Blue Ribbon Exemplary School
Village Oaks Elementary
VO school hours: 9:08 am-4:00 pm
Office hours: 8:30 am-4:30 pm
Attendance line: 248.449.1301
Office phone number: 248.449.1300
Email: Alexander.ofili@novik12.org
Website: https://vo.novi.k12.mi.us/
Location: Village Oaks Elementary School, Willowbrook Drive, Novi, MI, United States
Phone: 248.449.1300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NoviVillageOaks
Twitter: @NoviVillageOaks