The Middle Matters
February 8-12, 2021 OMS Parent Newsletter
Inspiring Excellence. Every Learner. Every Day.
A Note From the Principal
At OMS, we have been engaged in studying best practices in grading for the past 2 1/2 years. We believe grades should be communication indicating where students are in their learning. We are slowly implementing changes, which we believe will improve students' understanding of where they are as learners.
What have we done so far?
*Eliminated extra credit--we want grades to reflect what students know and do not want that distorted by extra credit that may or may not be linked to the content of a class
*Separating student behaviors and life skills from academic grades. We believe how a student acts, behaves, and develops work habits is as important as the content they learn in classes. Because of this, we have separated these categories from academic grades and developed our PAW grades. PAW stands for Practicing Kindness, Appropriate Conduct and Respect, Work Habits. These scores are seen in Infinite Campus at the end of each quarter (and the end of each Wheel class in 6th and 7th grades), and we believe they are valuable in understanding how a student presents himself/herself at school.
*Studied grading practices and spent significant time in staff development around best practices.
We still have work to do! If we have learned anything throughout this past year, it is that the way we have always done things doesn't mean it was always the best. As we continue our work with grading, we will be communicating changes to families along the way to ensure understanding of our process.
BE PREPARED EVERY DAY - CHARGE AND BRING YOUR CHROMEBOOKS
Every student must bring their Chromebook and charger to school every day. Make sure your Chromebook is fully charged.
Teachers will be using these on a daily basis; it is crucial your child brings his/her computer to school every day!
Late Arrivals
MASKS: We need your help!!
Students are required to come to school with masks each day they are here. While we have some masks as back-up, we regularly hand out 30+ masks each day. It is difficult for us to keep up with that number. PLEASE remind your child to bring his/her own mask to school for everyone's safety!
Calendar
Monday, February 8, 2021
Group 1 - A Day
Fastbridge Testing begins
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
Group 1 - B Day
Homework Help - 7:00 am - Learning Stairs
Free Lunch pick-up - 8:30-9:30 am - 15th St Entrance
No Tech Tuesday in the Cafeteria - Lunch
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Jazz Band - 7:00 am - Band Room
Chamber Orchestra - 7:00 am - Orchestra Room
College Wear Wednesday
Distance Learning Day
Thursday, February 11, 2021
Group 2 - A Day
Free Lunch pick-up - 8:30-9:30 am - 15th St Entrance
No Tech Thursday in the Cafeteria - Lunch
Friday, February 12, 2021
Group 2 - B Day
Homework Help - 7:00 am - Learning Stairs
Saturday, February 13, 2021
Saturday School - 8-11:30 am - Learning Stairs
Registration Forms for Next Year!
Please sign and return your child's registration forms for next year by Friday, February 12 to their teacher. Next week we will begin online registration and their signed forms will be needed in order to complete that process. If your child did not bring the information home, the forms were also e-mailed to all parents and students. You may also find the information on the OMS website at COURSE GUIDES.
If you have any questions after looking over the documents, please contact your child's counselor at:
Students A through K
Lindsey Hugstad-Vaa
E-mail: lhugstadvaa@isd761.org
Phone: 444-8724
Students L through Z
Jessica Procopio
E-mail: jprocopio@isd761.org
Phone: 444-8764
Google Meets
Google just released an update that allows students to check their audio and video quality before they join a Google Meet. If students test the audio and video in advance, it will provide a better meeting and distance learning classroom experience.
Why it’s important
With this new feature, you can enter meetings confident that your technology is working and that you’ll appear the way you want to to others.
For example, you can catch issues like:
- An unintentionally muted microphone
- A non-working webcam
- A secondary display monitor with a missing headphone or speaker connection
- Other audio issues, such as poor sound quality, audio that’s too loud, or your microphone amplifying background noises
A Month of Kindness #SpreadTheLoveOMS
Hello OMS Students and Parents,
With the start of February and the first week of reopening our School Store, the Student Council and OMS Husky Pride Committee are excited to share with you a challenge to carry out A Month of Kindness. We will use the hashtag #SpreadTheLoveOMS to promote all of the awesomeness happening in our school and community.
Throughout the month of February, we as a school will try to reinforce the culture of kindness, compassion, and empathy we always seek by highlighting what it means to be KIND! There will be activities in your Husky Connections classes, fun activities during all lunches, and prizes given out to those who participate in the fun!
One thing you can do STARTING NOW is participate in our Month of Kindness BINGO! By clicking the link or scanning the QR code on the fliers below, you will be able to access an interactive bingo board with small little challenges you can do as an individual throughout the month (and beyond!) to show that you care for others and are passionate about being an individual who practices KINDNESS. Some of these activities you can do by yourself or do with your family and Husky Connections classes!! OPEN THE BINGO BOARD HERE!
Your copy of the document will save in your google drive so you can come back to your bingo board again and again.
#SpreadTheLoveOMS ! Let's make this a great month!
OMS Student Council & OMS Husky Pride Committee
Wednesdays: Distance Learning
If a student has been asked to come in and work with a teacher on our Wednesday Distance Learning Day, please drop them off at the main doors on 15th St NE. We have a security guard there between 8-11:30 a.m. to let them in the building. Just a reminder that prior arrangements must be made with a teacher in order for students to come in and catch up on work. You must bring your Chromebook, charger and a mask.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do we do if we are having Chromebook issues? Please call 444-8630 to speak with our Technology and Innovations Department.
How is my child doing in school? Parent Portal is a very useful tool to follow your child’s progress in school with grades and attendance. If you have not yet requested a username and password, please contact your child’s counselor.
Lindsey Hugstad-Vaa: Students A through K 444-8724
Jessica Procopio: Students L through Z 444-8764
If you have any questions about grades or assignments, please contact your child’s teacher. If you are concerned about a pattern that you are seeing with academics, please contact your child’s counselor.
Who do I contact if I am concerned about my child’s mental health and personal well being. Please contact the school social worker that corresponds to your last initial.
Sue Schroeder: Students A through K 444-8727
Chely Flores: Students L through Z 444-8719