Weekly Family Update #24
January 31, 2021
Principal's Message
Hello Falcon Families,
Welcome to February Falcons! On Friday, our whole staff had the opportunity to participate in a professional growth day. We focused our morning on our pedagogy in virtual learning and sharing best practices. Our goal is to continue to improve our instructional practices as we progress through this school year. We also spent a great deal of time focused on our work with equity and inclusion and amplifying our Falcon Culture. Oak Valley must be a place where all student voices are heard and represented in the curriculum we teach. We were engaged in conversations and activities led by some of our Equity Team members. It was a phenomenal day!
Tomorrow we begin African American History month. Join us as we honor the achievements of African Americans, reflect on their historical significance in society, and celebrate the heritage and culture that is part of the fabric of our community. The African American History Month theme 2021, “Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity,” explores the African diaspora, and the spread of Black families across the United States. Throughout the month, our students will engage in lessons focused on important historical figures, listen to their peers share information on significant events, and be exposed to relevant texts and media. Join us as we learn about, champion, and celebrate, what makes us uniquely different as individuals and what binds us together as one Falcon Family. This is what makes us exceptional Falcons. More information about African American Month can be found HERE.
Thanks for all you do for our Oak Valley Community! Go Falcons!
Beaming with Falcon Pride,
Mr. Young
Colin Young
Principal
Oak Valley Middle School
New Information
ASB January News Letter
Book Donations in Memory of Mrs. Chiu
Thank you so much Oak Valley Community for your generous donations of books in memory of Mrs. Chiu. The Welcome Center is overflowing with Amazon boxes! Our ASB students will be labeling all of these books with an honorary bookplate and then donating them to Rady's Children's Hospital. From all of us Falcons, thank you for your support and love.
Congratulations to our Computer Science Winners!
Avery J.
Sophia C.
And "team" David L. and ChenJia N.
#CSforSD is a program that seeks to promote and encourage the field of computer science and empower young and aspiring learners to pursue computing challenges outside of the traditional classroom environment. Congratulations Falcons on your work!!
Join the OVMS Health Club
Falcon students, have you ever wondered what antioxidants are? How vaccines are made?
Have you ever gotten confused reading a nutritional label?
Then the OVMS health club is the place for you! We meet for interactive and engaging sessions every other Thursday at 2:30 pm for 30-45 minutes, over Zoom. Please see the form HERE for more information and to join our club!
Continuing Information
Intradistrict Transfers
For students who live in the PUSD boundaries and would like to attend another PUSD school, PUSD will accept Intradistrict Transfer requests for the 2021-2022 school year from February 1, 2021, at 8 a.m. through March 31, 2021, at 5 p.m. During that time period, there will be a link on the PUSD webpage to submit a transfer request.
For students who live in another school district and would like to attend a PUSD school, PUSD will accept Interdistrict Attendance Permit requests for the 2021-2022 school year starting February 1, 2021. Please note that the document must first be signed by your district of residence before it is submitted to PUSD.
Decisions on transfers are made by the Student Attendance and Discipline Office, not Oak Valley Middle School staff.
PUSD February Break Is Shortened This Year
A reminder to PUSD families that the 2021 February break has been shortened from five days off to just two days off due to COVID-related adjustments to the 2020-21 school year calendar.
There is no school on Monday, February 15 and Friday, February 19 due to the observance of Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays.
However, school will be in session Tuesday through Thursday, February 16 through February 18, so students are expected to attend class as normal on those three days.
Spring Break remains the same, Monday, April 12 through Friday, April 16.
The last day of school was changed to Friday, June 18, 2021. You can view the official District calendar here.
PTSA Art Corps - Volunteers Needed!
We hope to offer three lessons per class over that time period, so we hope to have several volunteers in each class. You do not need to have an art background. Art Corps lessons are being modified to be delivered via distance learning, and we plan on a brief orientation (virtual) as soon as we collect the names of all interested parent volunteers and finalize the modified program details. Please sign up if you are interested in learning more: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090C45AEAB2FA7FB6-ovms7
Order Your Yearbook!
You may have asked yourself, “Is yearbook still happening this year?” Yes it is! There’s never been a more interesting year to document than 2020-2021. Make sure you reserve a copy today! Online payment plans are available. And thanks for your help in contributing photos, captions and stories along the way.
Last day to order personalization is January 29, 2021!
(Please be sure you select Oak Valley Middle School in San Diego).
8th Grade Dedications Close Soon!
8th grade dedication ad sales are coming to a close. These dedications go in the back of the yearbook and can be any size from 1/8th of a page to a full page.
The deadline to submit is Friday February 5th. For directions and more information, please visit the Oak Valley website and click on the orange box that says "Buy your 8th grade dedication here" to complete the order!
If you have questions, you can contact the yearbook advisor Rhea
Dawn Smith at rdsmith@powayusd.com.
Asynchronous Fridays
Asynchronous Fridays are a day for students to work independently and for teachers to have time to prep, grade and collaborate as seen in the details presented at the last Board Meeting (bulleted below) as well as work with students needing support. This is still a work in progress and staff will continue the conversation to adjust as we move forward.
For Students:
· Review and preview work from the week to deepen learning
· Review feedback and complete corrections
· Independent learning time
· Reduce screen time
· Additional support time with peers and staff
For Teachers:
· Provide timely feedback to students; including grades
· Review assessments and plan based on student needs
· Complete required COVID attendance tracking
· Collaboration
· Professional learning
· Office hours to provide support to individual student
New Weekly Bell Schedule and Monthly Calendar
Our new weekly schedule started after Winter Break. This schedule should be much simpler and easier to follow for students.
Please see the attached weekly bell schedule HERE and below.
There is also a new monthly calendar attached HERE and below. We will follow this same weekly schedule pattern for the reminder of the year, unless the School Board changes our current school model, with the exception of a few weeks where we have to adjust for holidays. Please look at both of these documents closely.
Continuing Reopening Information
Parent Academy
Oak Valley Middle School
Email: coyoung@powayusd.com
Location: 16055 Winecreek Road, San Diego, CA, USA
Phone: (858) 487-2939