The Beacon
Olive Chapel Elementary PTA News & Information
~ JULY 16th - 20th ~
Welcome to the Beacon!
Welcome to the Beacon, the Olive Chapel Elementary PTA newsletter. Our goal is to keep you informed of PTA's activities and school happenings. In each issue of the Beacon, you can expect to find some of the following:
Calendar - A calendar of important dates will always come at the top of every issue.
Captain's Log - Occasional post with information for parents from Dr. Steidinger. This might include information about school needs, district news, or some highlights of the great things happening in the halls of OCE.
Set Sail for Success - One of the unique things about being a Clipper is that OCE operates under the Growth Mindset philosophy - that students can improve through effort with a focus on progress over perfection. In this new, occasional feature, we hope to provide inspiring quotes, articles, and other information on the Growth Mindset to expand your understanding of this philosophy and how you can support your student.
All Hands on Deck - Here you will find opportunities for volunteering as well as information on school events and Spirit Nights.
Treasure Chest - This section features everything you need to know about our PTA Fundraising efforts.
Crew News - All club information, teacher birthdays, and other information from the teachers and staff at OCE will land in the Crew News section.
We hope you will find the Beacon a useful tool for staying informed. Don't forget to follow the OCE PTA on Facebook, OCE on Twitter, and check the OCE PTA website for additional details on the information you find here in the Beacon.
Finally, the OCE webpage is updated constantly with information from the administration. Be sure to bookmark the page and check there for details on OCE and Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) happenings.
If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact the Communications team at oce.communications@gmail.com.
CALENDAR
July 13th - Kindergarten Meet the Teacher, Tracks 1, 2 & 3 (details below)
July 24th - Open House for Tracks 1, 2 & 3August 2nd - Kindergarten Meet the Teacher, Track 4 (details below)
August 9th - PTA Meeting, 6pm, Media Center, All are welcome
August 14th - Fall Pictures, Tracks 2 & 4
August 16th - Open House for Track 4
August 23rd - Fall Pictures, Tracks 1 & 3
CAPTAIN'S LOG
I want to remind you of the two new transportation changes for this school year. Our students' safety is our top priority. Please read over the new carpool and walker agreements and contact the office if you have any questions or concerns.
As always, thank you for your continued support. We are looking forward to a great school year!
~ Dr. Steidinger
Carpool: We are increasing the carpool drop off spots form 6 cones to 8 cones. Cars will pull up two spots further than where we typically have begun drop off. The new cone colors will be white and black so the first person to queue up should pull all the way up to the black cone. A safety patrol member will be at each designated drop off site. This should help increase the efficiency of carpool. Detailed carpool procedures can be found here.
* Reminder - All cars MUST use the carpool lanes (entrance off Kelly Road). Do not drop children off in the bus loop (entrance off Olive Chapel Road).
Walker: New procedures are in place for walkers this year. A letter was emailed to parents during the break (PDF) and detailed new procedures can be found on the Olive Chapel website. If your child will be going home as a walker at any point in the school year, a Walker Agreement will need to be on file, otherwise, they will need to be checked out of the front office. A copy of the agreement can be found here and returned to the school.
~ ALL HANDS ON DECK ~
Open PTA Positions
Do you want to be more involved at OCE? There are several open PTA positions that could use your expertise.
Boosterthon - When: Fall. What: Work with the Boosterthon company to plan the Fun Runs (October 15-26). The Boosterthon company does most of the work, we just need a PTA contact person to coordinate.
Book Fair - When: Twice a year. Fall (September 4th - 14th) and Spring (March or April, dates TBD). What: Work with the Scholastic rep and OCE Media Specialist to plan and implement the Fall and Spring Book Fairs. Notes from previous years and help is available!
Agendas and School Kits - When: Spring and Clopening week. What: Order agendas and school kits for the next school year. The ordering process starts in the early spring and distribution takes place during the Clopening week and first week of the new school year. Notes from previous years and help is available.
Family Marathon and Field Day - When: Twice a year. What: Work with the PE teacher to plan the Family Marathon and Field Days.
Art by Me- When: One time in the Fall. What: Work with the Art teacher to help with submitting and distributing Art by Me orders.
If you have questions or would like more details on any of the above openings, please email oce.pta@gmail.com. Thank you for volunteering!
~ TREASURE CHEST ~
Smile! Amazon Prime Day is Coming!
Amazon's fourth-annual Prime Day is coming up on Tuesday, July 17 and will feature one-of-a-kind deals exclusively for Prime members. This is one of the biggest shopping days of the year and a great time to remind you to shop at smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate to the OCE PTA.
To set up your Smile account, go to https://smile.amazon.com and select: PTA North Carolina Congress Olive Chapel Elementary School PTA. Every time you shop via smile.amazon.com (same great selection, price, and Prime shipping available!), a portion of the purchase price will be donated to OCE, whether you shop on Prime Day or any day. So get shopping, Clippers! It's for a good cause!
Go, Play, Save!
Get ready for our first big fundraiser of the year that will earn money for Olive Chapel Elementary PTA! Go, Play, Save Coupon Books!! The Go, Play, Save books will also save your family tons of money while having fun dining out and creating memories in the Triangle! GoPlaySave has more than $12,000 in local savings to amazing restaurants and fun places in the area.
Get a head start on purchasing your book! Beginning July 16th you can go here to create your personal link that you can email or text to friends, co-workers, and family to help raise money for our school! You will receive an email every time you have an online order. Mobile book purchases can be used right away and paper book orders will be sent home with your child to fill orders.
We also need some help stuffing the paper books into the information packets that will go home with students in the next couple of weeks. If you can spare some time Friday, July 20th, we'd love your help. Coffee and bagels will be provided! Sign up here!
~ CREW NEWS ~
Kindergarten Meet the Teacher
Kindergarten students participate in staggered entry the first week of school. After all assessments have been completed during staggered entry, you will receive a call on that Thursday afternoon of your designated staggered entry week letting you know who your child's kindergarten teacher will be for the 2018-19 school year.
Kindergarten Meet the Teacher for Tracks 1-3 will be held on July 13th and August 2nd for Track 4. Note the schedule for those dates below and please adhere to these designated times to help us with traffic flow:
July 13th:
- Track 1: 12:00 - 12:45
- Track 2: 1:00 - 1:45
- Track 3: 2:00 - 2:45
August 2nd:
- Track 4: 2:00 - 2:45
First full week for kindergartners on Tracks 1-3 begins July 16th and for Track 4, August 3rd. Staggered entry info can be found here.
HERE COMES THE BUS!
Instructions on downloading and updating the app can be found here.
Spotlight on Specials
PE: Carolin Roberts
"I enjoy promoting Health and Fitness and am excited to be at OCE to assist our young Clippers develop a healthy attitude towards exercising and nutrition."
Music: Dwayne Williams
"I hope to engage students in the same diverse music education I was fortunate to receive."
Media Specialist: Casey Lanier
"I'm passionate about collaboration, reading, storytelling, and technology. I believe our Media Center resources should serve as "windows and mirrors" that enable our students to embrace their own culture and celebrate the diversity of others."
Art: Carolyn Brockaway
"I can’t wait to begin my third year at OCE and my thirteenth year teaching elementary art!"
**The art room welcomes donations of baby wipes, paper plates, and glues sticks. You can also follow the Art Room on Twitter @OliveChapelArt.**
STEM: Marcia Ferreira
"There is something special about [elementary school children's] curiosity and unrestricted view of the world that keeps me reflecting about education and pursuing innovative ways to engage young minds."
OCE Specialists Team
CREW BIRTHDAYS
Happy Birthday!
7/1 - Kelly O'Hare
7/15 - Erin May
7/16 - Cynthia Seder
7/23 - Shannon Kelly
7/27 - Tracy Franklin
7/28 - Chelsea Drob, Kamilah Johnson, and Kelly Rattinger
SAFETY PATROL
Track 2 (training with new Track 3 team) - July 25 - 26
Track 2 - July 27 - August 17
Track 1 (training with new Track 2 team) - August 16 - 17
Track 1 - August 20 - September 7
THANK YOU TO OUR 2018 PLATINUM LEVEL SPONSORS:
To submit to the Beacon, please email oce.communications@gmail.com
Olive Chapel Elementary PTA
Website: https://www.ocepta.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Olive-Chapel-PTA-1834721613423092/
Twitter: @olivechapelelem