The Owl's Nest May
OAKLEIGH ELEMENTARY 410–887-5238
Oakleigh Elementary School
Assistant Principal: Lisa Grace- lgrace3@bcps.org
Email: smason@bcps.org
Website: http://oakleighes.bcps.org
Phone: 410-887-5238
Facebook: facebook.com/OakleighElementarySchool
The Principal’s Corner
Greetings Oakleigh Families,
The last day of school has been announced as June 13, and we have so much to do before that date! Oakleigh students in grades three, four, and five have begun PARCC assessments. We are proud of their perseverance. Students in kindergarten through grade two will participate in MAP assessments in the coming weeks. Please look for information to come home regarding field trips, the Spring Concert, Fifth Grade Farewell, and end-of-the-year activities for each grade.
There are several important announcements regarding enrollment.
If you have a child that is turning five years old by September 1, 2017, please call the office at 410-887-5238 to schedule an enrollment appointment.
Residency verification must be completed for all students entering sixth grade next year. Look for directions found in a letter sent on May 2 to all current fifth grade students.
Students enrolled under “shared domicile” will also receive a letter this week with directions for updating their enrollment.
Please call the office if you have any enrollment questions.
Best regards,
Mrs. Mason
May Dates To Remember
May 2nd-PTA Monthly Meeting 5:30pm
May 8th- May 12th- Oakleigh is celebrating Staff Appreciation Week
May 8th- Pre-K and Kindergarten Conference Day – No Preschool-3, Pre-K, or Kindergarten sessions
May 8th- M 5/8 Family Spirit Night at Monster Mini Golf - 6-9pm - more information coming soon
May 9th- Pre-K Conference Day – No Preschool-3 or Pre-K sessions
May 19th- Oakleigh's Night at the Yard - Orioles vs Toronto - Fireworks Night! Ticket Pre-orders due April 21st
May 24th- May 25th- Oakleigh's Kindergarten Round Up - by Appointment only, more information is avaliable by calling the office
May 26th- Field Day
May 29th- Memorial Day Observed – Schools Closed
Coming Up in June!
June 2nd- Spring Fair 5-8pm - check back for more information
June 6th- PTA Monthly Meeting 5:30pm
June 9th- Last Day of School for IGE-3s and Pre-Kindergarten Students
June 12th-Elementary and Middle Schools close 3 hours early for students
June 13th- Last Day of Classes - Elementary and Middle Schools close 3 hours early for students
PTA UPDATES!
Family Spirit Nights Coming Up:
Monday, May 8th - Monster Mini Golf 6-9pm
Friday, May 26th - Baskin Robbins on Joppa Rd near Old Harford 6-9pm
Staff Appreciation Week
The PTA is celebrating Staff Appreciation Week this year May 8th-12th. We have a wonderful staff at Oakleigh and we are thanking them for their hard work.
Monday, May 8th - We ask that you send in flowers and/notes for your child's teachers. These can be real or handmade. Don't forget our special area teachers and support staff.
Tuesday, May 9th - Our annual luncheon will be this day. Staff will also have the chance to win gift baskets. Donations are needed to make this event a success. Information can be found on the PTA's website, www.oakleighpta.org.
Thursday, May 11th - We are having a breakfast for the staff. Panera Bread in Towson is donating some bakery treats, but we'll need a few more items. Donation information can be found on the PTA's website, www.oakleighpta.org
Spring Fair
Our Annual Spring Fair will be held Friday, June 2nd from 5-8pm. We will need a large group of volunteers to help with this event. Volunteer information will be posted on the PTA's website, www.oakleighpta.org. This is a great opportunity for middle and high school students to earn Service Learning Hours.
PTA Monthly Meetings are the 1st Tuesday of each month. Everyone is welcome to attend. If you can't attend the meetings, you can still volunteer with the PTA. We have many opportunities to help our students and staff.
Yearbooks
At this time, yearbooks will be delivered to students and staff the morning of June 12th. This date may change if the delivery arrives earlier from Lifetouch. There will be about 20 books available if you didn’t get a chance to purchase one. They make great keepsakes for the 5th graders.
Send in a payment (cash or check) for $20. Make all checks payable to “Oakleigh Elementary PTA”. Include your student’s name, grade, homeroom teacher, your name, and an email address I can send a confirmation that I received your payment.
Please contact me with any questions.
Happy Spring!
Jean White
Kindergarten News
Kindergarten Home & School Connections:
- Parent Teacher Conferences: May 8, 2017
- May 5th White T-shirts are due for tie dye project
- May 8th School closed for Kindergarten students due to Conferences
- May 31st Field Trip to Goucher College
Kindergarten Upcoming Skills…
Our students will continue to review math skills such as adding and subtracting. Please take the time to present story problems to them as well. A story problem is like a word problem where children must listen and find the solution to the answer. Our shared reading stories will discuss how things change (growing up we change, good citizens create change, and things can change in nature). Phonics lessons continue to teach the students the letter sounds and vowel concepts. We continue to teach new sight words to increase their reading fluency skills. The students are becoming excellent writers, as they remember to begin with capital letters, leave spaces between words and end with punctuation marks! Keep up the good work!
Thank you,
The Kindergarten Team
2nd Grade News
This month in reading, we are focusing on how to make a difference. We will read a variety of stories to identify how characters can make a difference in their school, community, or at home. Later in the unit, we will apply that topic to nonfiction text by reading biographies. We will learn about famous people who have helped make a difference. Please continue to practice phonics homework, independent reading, and iReady at home. All of that practice will reinforce reading skills to help your child grow!
In math we are beginning to work on fractions. We will be looking at halves, quarters, and thirds and looking at the relationship between parts and the whole. We will continue to work on word problems, working with money, and telling time. Don’t forget you can practice Dreambox at home! :)
3rd Grade News
The fourth quarter is under way and we are continuing to prepare the students for fourth grade. With the next year in mind, please continue to reinforce the importance of completing homework every night. Not only does it reinforce academic concepts, but it also promotes responsibility. Third graders will continue to have homework in both Reading and Math Monday-Thursday.
Our Safe Racer unit has come to its completion and the students experienced a hands on cooperative learning activity. After the conclusion of the races, students were given an opportunity to analyze the data to determine the winner. It certainly was a great learning lesson to try and try until you are successful!
In Math, students will study many geometric and measurement concepts, including the attributes of quadrilaterals, telling time, and finding area and perimeter. Mathematical concepts are everywhere, so try to incorporate them into everyday conversation at home (fractions, time, multiplication, division, etc.).
In English/language arts, students have dived into the unit titled “Historical Perspectives.” They’ve learned about many individuals who have made contributions to our society, such as: Lewis and Clark, Sacagawea, the workers who built the transcontinental railroad, immigrants from various countries, Mary McLeod Bethune, Abraham Lincoln, Jimmy Carter, Dolores Huerta, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and more! For the culminating event, your child will conduct research on another specially selected famous individual, dress up as this person, and present this information to his/her peers.
The second unit in health focuses on healthy habits, which includes topics such as handling stress in a healthy way, eating balanced meals rich in nutrients, exercising regularly, and goal setting. These are all important topics to discuss and practice at home too!
The Third Grade Team
4th Grade News
This is also testing season, so please ensure that your child has a solid night's sleep, gets to school on time, and eats a good breakfast before coming to school, or has time to get it once arriving. We've been working hard all year, and now it's time to show what we know.
Keep studying the multiplication facts, and it's also probably time to start the summer journal. It's almost summer - we can do this!
Physical Education
We are looking forward to finishing out the school year on a high note! Our annual field day will take place on Friday, May 26th, 2017. More information will be provided to the students soon. Our fifth graders will also be busy reviewing in order to prepare for our fifth grade cognitive exam.
Please be sure to send your student to school with the proper sneakers on PE days. Now that the weather is finally warming up, please be aware that flip flops, sandals, and other fashionable shoes are not safe for physical activity. Please consider sending a pair of sneakers to school that they can change into for safe participation in activity if they are not already wearing them to school that day.
BOX TOPS!!!! BOX TOPS!!!!
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