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 5, 2020
Dear Village Oaks Families,
I hope everyone had a great weekend! A special thank you to Mrs. Luke, Mrs. Loiselle, members of VOICE, and Stuarts Ice Cream for making our first Virtual Fun Run a huge success. Our students had a blast, we raised a great amount of money for our school, and once again we came together as a VO family to have some fun! Please see the message below from VOICE and enjoy a few pictures from the special event.
Our next Virtual Students Supply Pick Up (grades K-4) will be this Wednesday, October 7th from 1pm-4pm. All materials will be outside of our building near our main entrance.
Sincerely,
Alex
Fun Run 2020
We would like to thank all of our Village Oaks families for their participation in our Fun Run this year! Even in the rain, so many of you participated and we are incredibly thankful for your contribution and support. We wish we could have all been together, but we love how you still showed up and supported our amazing school. We have always known Village Oaks is a special place and this year we are stronger together.
With your efforts, we surpassed our goal and are almost spot on to what we usually earn from Spring Fling...so for that we say THANK YOU!
VOICE
Growing Student Leadership
Members of the Student Lighthouse Team and their families volunteered some of their weekend to clean up and begin planting at our new VO Garden. We appreciate their time and effort and we cannot wait to see fruits of their labor! A huge thank you to Mr. W-H for coordinating this event for our families and volunteering his time to develop our new green space!
Food + Nutrition Department Updates
Per USDA school meals are currently FREE for all students until otherwise notified.
This means that all children will receive free breakfast and lunch while at school or learning from home. No additional paperwork is required to receive this benefit. This automatically applies to any child 18 and under or 26 and under for those with disabilities, including children who are not yet of school age.
On Thursdays, Virtual students are able to pick up 7 days of breakfast and lunch and Hybrid students are able to pick up 5 days of breakfast and lunch.
Distribution takes place at Novi High School at the entrance off Taft Rd. Times are 10:00 am-12:00 noon and 5:00 pm-6:00 pm. This is a drive up service and you will remain in your car. Children do not need to be present.
For questions or information please contact Evol Gazzarato, Food + Nutrition Director, at evol.gazzarato@novik12.org or 248-449-1225 or visit novi.k12.mi.us/departments/nutrition
Introducing VO's new gym teacher, Joe Haskill!
Hello to all VO families,
My name is Joe Haskill and I am coming to you as the new PE teacher here at VO. I am super excited to educate your children in the art of movement, fitness, and exercise.
My experience as a Physical Education teacher is long and diverse. I began teaching in 1989 with the School District of Lee County, Florida, where I spent over 20 plus years working in various capacities of the education field. My wife and I moved back to my home town of Milford, Michigan in 2017 where we have both continued our work in education. I come to VO after teaching adapted PE here in Novi Community Schools.
My wife, Molly, and I have 4 adult children ranging in the ages of 20-28 years old. We also have two mischievous puggles named Eva and Charger. In our time away from education, our family enjoys traveling and spending time together whenever possible.
I look forward to the privilege of educating your children here at VO.
Sincerely,
Coach Haskill
Zoom Meeting Expectations
Please see the friendly reminders below about virtual expectations.
Daily Health Screener is now on the VO website
Vision & Hearing Screening
2020-2021 Curriculum Nights
Please mark the following dates on your calendars:
First Grade: Wednesday, Oct. 7th at 6:30pm
Specials: Wednesday, Oct. 7th at 7:30pm
Blaze Pizza Day/Night 10/14/20
Please use the flyer when purchasing pizza for fundraiser so a percentage of your purchase goes back to VO! Thank you! Flyer attached.
Picture Days at VO
Thursday October 8th for Hybrid A students
Friday October 9th for Hybrid B students
Wednesday October 14th for Virtual students-Photographers will be in the gym. Please enter gym from playground. (The rest of the building is deep cleaned on Wednesday.)
Please follow schedule:
9:00-10:00 Kindergarten
10:00-11:00 First Grade
11:00-12:00 2nd Grade
12:00-1:00 3rd Grade
1:00-2:00 4th Grade
(If you have siblings that attend VO, you may come at either time.)
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 first day of school photos and other school related activities including lunch time, outdoor play and in academic activity photos.
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.
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
- What was you favorite part about the Fun Run?
- What is one lesson you learned from the Mr. Peace assembly?
- How do you ask for help during a Zoom meeting with your teacher?
VOICE Mtg.
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.
CubScout Pack 239 Fall Color Hike Oct 10 and 11
Our own CubScout Pack 239 has served the Village Oaks community since 1971 and is welcoming new scouts this year. Boys and girls in grades K-5 are welcome. We continue to offer in-person outdoor activities year round as well as at-home alternates for families preferring virtual experience. Next weekend, we will host an outdoor Fall Color Hike at Heritage Park in Farmington, feel free to join us at 10am Saturday or 2pm Sunday, meet at our tent in front of the Nature Center. Masks are required, please dress for the weather and bring a water bottle.
Contact us at info@pack239novi.com for more information and to register your child. NOTE: Photos are pre-COVID, masks and social distancing will be required.
(Pictures below were not taken this year.)
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
10/8/20 Picture Day Hybrid A Students
10/9/20 Picture Day Hybrid B Students
10/14/20 Picture Day Virtual Students
10/24/20 Virtual Family Literacy Resource Fair
11/3/20 Election Day No School
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