Ocean Avenue Friday Notes

• 11/20 & 11/21: NO AFTERSCHOOL LEARNING WORKS ~ Learning Works will resume on Monday, 11/27
• 11/22-11/24: NO SCHOOL ~ Thanksgiving Break
  
• 11/29: School Picture Retake Day (See more info. below)
• 12/1: First Trimester Ends
• 12/7 & 12/8: Fall Conferences ~ Early Release at 11:10 AM
  **SCHOOL CONFERENCE SIGN UPS WILL BE SENT OUT EARLY NEXT WEEK BY YOUR CHILD'S TEACHER!
  See below under the Assistant Principal's Notes for more information.
  *During conferences, there will be a book fair in the library.
• 12/9: Designing Women Artist and Craft Show, 9 AM-4 PM
• 12/12: PTO Meeting in the Library, 5:30 PM
• 12/14: Ocean Avenue Night at Panera Bread, 4-8 PM
• 12/22-1/1: No School ~ Winter Break

To look ahead to future meetings, school events, etc., please click on the link below ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

Strawbridge Studios will be at Ocean Avenue School on Wednesday, November 29th to photograph our Fall Retake pictures.

Anyone who was absent on Fall Picture Day, is new since Fall Picture Day, or wants a retake of their Fall Picture Day photo should have their picture taken on this day.

For students who took a photo on Fall Picture Day that would like to do a "retake", please bring your original Fall prints to school on 11/29 to return to the photographer on Makeup Picture Day when they go to take their retake photo.

There is no additional feel for picture retakes. Strawbridge Studios provides a complimentary reprint of the original items using the new Makeup Picture Day photo.

If you have any questions, please contact the Main Office at 874-8180.

10. You read my newsletters 😉

9. You are expert bakers 🍪

8. You get your forms in on time 📝

7. You go to PTO meetings 🧑🏾‍💻

6. You attend our educational nights, concerts & community meetings 🎭

5. You keep your children home when they are sick 😷

4. You are responsive to your teacher's classroom needs 📚

3. You are so quick to volunteer 🙋🏻‍♂️

2. You get your children to school on time & ready to learn 🙌

1. You support your children to be the best they can be 😍

Dear Ocean Avenue Elementary School Families,

I am so grateful for this opportunity to step in as a substitute principal at OAES. It has been a wonderful experience to be back working in such a warm, welcoming and caring community. It’s hard not to notice how much everyone puts into learning here at Ocean Avenue School. When I visit classrooms around the school, I see children working hard, trying new things and benefiting from the strong instruction provided by the incredibly talented teachers, social workers, ed techs and support staff here at OAES. I appreciate how everyone is consistently focused on doing what’s best for the whole child. It is an honor and a privilege to be subbing as the principal for such an amazing school. Please feel free to reach out to me if you need anything while I am here.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Hanna

Student led conferences are coming up!

Below is some helpful information on the dates of our conferences, and what to expect.

Student led conferences will be held twice a year. Please save the following dates.

• December 7th and 8th (Thursday and Friday) ~ STUDENTS DISMISSED AT 11:10 AM
• March 25th and 26th (Monday and Tuesday) ~ STUDENTS DISMISSED AT 11:10 AM
  
  

Your conference invite will come directly from your child's teacher by email, text and/or WhatsApp and you will have the opportunity to choose the available conference date/time that will work for both you and the teacher. You have the option to choose either an in-person or virtual conference. If you choose a virtual conference, the Google Login information will be made available to you after choosing this option. You will receive a reminder the day before your conference as well as one hour before your conference is set to begin. Translators are made available for families needing interpretation.

Student-led conferences provide you the opportunity to talk about your child’s progress in school, including information on growth over time and goal setting. At the conference, your child will share samples of work that they feel particularly proud of, and that provide evidence of their progress. Conferences are encouraged throughout the year as needed and are not limited to these dates. You may call or email your child’s teacher to schedule a meeting.

We look forward to seeing you at our conferences in early December! Please contact the Main Office if you have any questions.

We're excited to partner with the wonderful, local, Back Cove Books this year and will have books for a range of interests, ages and budgets as well as a selection of free books available.

The fall Book Fair will be held December 6th-8th during conference times during the following hours:

• Wednesday, 12/6: 1-3:30 PM
• Thursday, 12/7: 7:25 AM-6 PM
• Friday, 12/8: 7:25 AM-3:30 PM

Please stop by and say hello!

The OAES library will receive 20% of sales to purchase new books for our OAES library.

Our students had a wonderful visit last week with author and illustrator Rebekah Lowell.

K-3 students learned about nature journaling, drawing birds and finding peace through art. She shared her picture book "Catching Flight" and students were able to create their own nature-based drawings based on new techniques.

The MSBA novel in verse "The Road to After" was the foundation for 4th and 5th grade students. Ms. Lowell shared 10 feel-better tools to utilize during and after tough times and explained how the fictional character in the book mirrored some of her own experiences with healing and resilience.

Some students were even able to have lunch with Rebekah and chat about their own passions for writing, drawing and reading. It was a fantastic day all around!

Ms. Nika, Ocean Avenue's Environmental Literacy teacher, helps to connect classroom learning with the environment, which we know is vital at this time on our planet. This work in the living schoolyard helps students build relationships, reciprocity, respect, and responsibility for our Earth in a shared learning experience.

See Ms. Nika's Nature Notes for the week of November 13th!

The Ocean Avenue PTO will be hosting the Designing Women Craft Fair on Saturday, December 9th, a one-day event that features women artisans who are selected through a juried process. This is one of the PTO's largest fundraisers of the year -- it raises money for school activities by asking visitors for door donations and by selling homemade food. We need a huge number of volunteers to make this event a fundraising success. Please volunteer your time or donate a food item for our food table:

SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER HERE!!

You're invited to join other parents, guardians, and staff for the next monthly meeting of Ocean Avenue's Parent Teacher Organization! Each meeting takes place in the school library on the second Tuesday of the month at 5:30 PM. Come for an update from our principal and stay for as long as you'd like.

Opt-in to text updates to stay up to date on community events, news, reminders, and more! Just text the phrase OAPTO to 844-795-0248. Text STOP to opt-out at anytime.