Weekly Family Update #29
March 7, 2021
Principal's Message
Hello Falcon Families,
Here we go! Reopening is coming quick. We are still preparing for a tentative reopening of Monday March 15. This is still dependent on case numbers, which have been falling, and the wavier form sent to the State, which seems to be headed for a positive outcome. Fingers crossed!!
All of this means there is a lot of information for our families to read through.
I have updated our reopening plan HERE and you can also find this on the front of our website. If you are a family that has opted to return to campus, please read over this document carefully and completely. This details very important information about all things related to being on-campus.
In addition, families and students should review the family handbook HERE which can also be found on our website to familiarize yourself with the school rules. For those families who are new to Oak Valley, please make sure to read over our no cell phone policy during school hours. This policy is the same at all PUSD middle and elementary schools. We will be send out an email message to all on-campus families early this week indicating if your student is in Group A or Group B.
Here are some key highlights that can be found in our plan:
- Do not drop off your students and then leave in the morning, we must take student temperatures before you drive away.
- All students must come to school each day with a fully charged Chromebook.
- All students will need to bring headphones each day, otherwise they will not be able to hear their peers.
- Students must wear a clean mask each day. We recommend bringing a second mask on the day they have PE.
- Please make sure your student brings water every day, our water fountains have to remain closed per county health restrictions.
- All on-campus students must return a signed PUSD Health and Safety Agreement in order to be on campus. This form can be found HERE. We will be collecting these forms the first week back and will have blank copies available if families need.
Please note that our on-campus program has been built based on the family preference survey from earlier in the winter. At this time we do not have the space to move families around. If you would like to be placed on a waitlist to change your learning preference, you can add your name HERE. We will do our best to honor requests, but this will be dependent on space.
We have another round of campus tours this week for our students who are returning to on-campus learning but have never been on our beautiful campus. You can find the sign-up sheet below.
If you are a family who is remaining virtual, don’t worry, we will be hosting opportunities for our virtual students to come tour campus as well this summer as we prepare for opening next year. Connecting all students to our Falcon Culture is a critical part of what we do at OVMS!
Reminder that 5th Grade Family Night is Wednesday March 10th via YouTube Live. If you have an incoming 6th grade student, you can access the presentation HERE. I am very excited to welcome our 5th grade families and share with them why being a Falcon is so Fantastic.
Calendar Reminder Items:
- March 3: and 4: Counselors visited all 6th and 7th grade classrooms
- March 10: 5th Grade Family Night for all incoming 6th grade families
- March 12th: Courses for next year should be selected and locked in StudentVue for all returning OVMS Falcons
- March 17: and 18: Del Norte visits all 8th grade classrooms
- March 23: 8th Grade Family Night by Del Norte High School
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
Schedule for the Week of March 8-12
New Information
PE for On-Campus Students
Welcome Back Falcons!
The PE team is so excited to have students coming back to campus – We have missed you!
Some information for an easy transition:
Students will not be dressing out in the locker room or using PE clothes. All Falcons must come to school dressed in appropriate athletic attire and tennis shoes on their PE days in order to receive credit for the daily activities.
Things you might want to send with your student on PE days are:
1. Extra face mask
2. Water bottle
3. Hand sanitizer
4. One warm days, a hat/visor, and sunscreen.
Campus Tours for New On-Campus Students
These tours are for 6th grade and new 7th/8th students who have opted to return to campus per the family survey that was sent home earlier in the winter.
Please use the sign-up sheet HERE to take a campus tour with a Falcon student leader!
Help! We Need Water!
Thanks so much for your support!!
PTSA Election Update
TODAY, FEBRUARY 28, IS THE LAST DAY TO ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK!
Click on the image below to order your yearbook.
Upload Photos for Yearbook
Click the image above to upload your photos
Celebrate Women's History Month
Every year March is designated Women’s History Month by Presidential proclamation. The month is set aside to honor women’s contributions in American history. The theme for 2021 National Women’s History Month is “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced.” Join us as we honor the achievements of Women.
Did You Know? Women’s History Month started as Women’s History Week
According to the National Women History Museum, Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.
This week I encourage all families to visit the National Women's History Museum, which is a digital museum. You can visit the website HERE. There is so much to explore!
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.
Continuing Information
Attention 8th Graders: Preparation for High School
Soon our 8th Grade Families will begin to think about the transition to High School. If you will be attending a high school in PUSD, please see the flyer HERE for detailed information from all of the high schools on their up coming presentations for families.
Student presentations from all high schools will be held the week of March 15th. Students will hear about their future high school and receive information on how to start selecting their courses.
For families that are placing a transfer request, your student would need to attend the high school presentation of the high school that they are slated to attend, not the one they are choosing to transfer to. When they select their courses within synergy, they will need the high school codes for the school they are slated to attend (home location). Don’t worry, all virtual presentations will be recorded and accessible on the high school websites.
Student Presentations
Week of March 15th
Family Presentations:
Mt Carmel High School: March 2nd
Westview High School: March 9th
Poway High School: March 16th
Rancho Bernardo High School: March 16th
Del Norte High School: March 23rd
Intradistrict Transfers
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.
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
Caring Connections Counseling (CCC)
Continuing Schedule and Reopening Information
Weekly Bell Schedule and Monthly Calendar
Our 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.
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
Parent Academy
Oak Valley Middle School
Email: coyoung@powayusd.com
Location: 16055 Winecreek Road, San Diego, CA, USA
Phone: (858) 487-2939