Oak Grove News
Weekly Update ~ April 12, 2021
Spring Audit with CEC
Dear Families,
This spring, Oak Grove School is partnering with the Consortium for Educational Change (CEC) to conduct an audit of our curriculum, instruction, and assessment systems. The audit examines the extent to which there is alignment between written curriculum, delivery of instruction, assessment measures, and student performance results. The goal of the study is to discover the degree of alignment that exists and make recommendations that may be implemented to improve systems within these areas, and in turn, student performance. The audit assesses processes, not people, and relies on reviewing quantitative data, as well as gathering a sampling of qualitative feedback from a variety of stakeholders -- including staff, administration, parents and students.
We are in the process of confirming our focus group participants this week and will have the audit completed by early May. CEC will share findings in a report to our administrative team in mid-May. And subsequently, it is our plan to share results with staff, the Board of Education, and our parent community in June. We appreciate your support as we strive for continuous improvement and support of students in the best ways possible.
Health Updates
Over spring break, the Lake County Health Department (LCHD) removed the COVID-19 metrics pages from their school dashboard site, and this site now provides links to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). This move reflects the alignment of the LCHD to these other organizations in how they interpret metrics. You can still access data for our local and county area by going to the data hub on the LCHD website at this link. The link can also be found on our district website under the Parent tab.
https://covid19response-lakecountyil.hub.arcgis.com/
In addition, the daily symptom screener for COVID-19 was updated recently. IDPH has removed nausea, stomach ache, congestion, and runny nose from the symptom list. They have also added more language that allows a “medical evaluation” conducted on-site by a school nurse to determine whether symptoms are reflective of COVID or potentially due to another medical issue. The updated daily screener can be found on our district website main page.
From the Principal's Desk
Dear Families,
We are aware that Ramadan begins on 4/12/21 in the evening. We would like to provide a space for students to practice their beliefs during this time. We have designated areas that will be supportive of our students. Please contact your child's/children's homeroom teachers if you would like them to utilize this space during the school day.
All incoming Kindergarten and 6th Grade Parents
Please visit our website for information on state requirements regarding physicals and immunizations needed prior to entering the fall 2021 semester.
https://www.ogschool.org/parents/requirements-for-entering-kindergarten
https://www.ogschool.org/parents/requirements-for-entering-6th-grade
Curriculum Corner
Hello Oak Grove Community,
"Harvard research says this is the smartest, 'least costly' way parents can help kids learn faster." What a great title for an article! CNBC posted this article just recently on April 7, 2021 by Greg McKeown. Perhaps you read it already but if you didn't, here's a quick summary for you: failing more often when younger makes for stronger learners as they grow up.
- There is no learning without mistakes. An example was shared by a Spanish teacher who requires 1000 mistakes per student before they can "level up" in their language acquisition.
- Childhood is the cheapest place to practice managing finances. If there was ever a time to be wasteful with money and have regret about frivolous spending, it's between the ages of 8-10 while the stakes are low.
- Great achievements start with failure. Celebrate the errors and continue to encourage attempts. With every mistake, your child learns a little more.
Incoming 6th-Graders: Language Selection for grades 6-8
5th-grade parents,
It is time for your child to choose what world language they will study for the next three years at OGS. Your child has a choice of two languages: French and Spanish. We've provided links to two videos below with information about the programs.
An email entitled "Language Selection Choice for 21-22" was sent to all 5th-grade parents on Sunday, April 11th with more information, including the account name (family number) and password you will use to log in.
Please refer to Monday's email, then log in and fill out the form. It should only take a few moments. We ask that parents indicate the language choice before the end of April!
Merci and Gracias!
Introduction Videos:
French at Oak Grove
Spanish at Oak Grove
Camp Invention is coming to Oak Grove School District 68!
In partnership with the National Inventors Hall of Fame® (NIHF), Oak Grove School District 68 is pleased to offer the nationally acclaimed Camp Invention® program to children entering K through 6th grade. This exciting, weeklong summer adventure provides opportunities for open-ended exploration of science, technology, engineering and more! Children rotate through a variety of hands-on activities each day while collaborating with friends to think creatively and invent their own solutions to real-world challenges.
The week begins on June 21, 2021 with Donnatella Smith serving as Director, and the 2021 program lineup is all new, so whether your child is a new or returning camper, they are in for an amazing week full of new discoveries and a-ha moments.
During this energizing program, young innovators (aka campers) will:
• Design morphing vehicles to travel across land, then find inspiration in nature to add prototype elements for moving through air and water.
• Experiment with fun physics concepts like trajectory and velocity as they build, test and modify a device to launch rubber ducks to reach international landmarks.
• Make and adopt their own robotic crickets and apply empathy to build customized habitats and protective gear for their solar-powered bots.
• Reverse engineer their own wireless microphone to discover sound waves, then use their unique voice to create and promote an extraordinary invention.
To see some videos of what Camp Invention has to offer, feel free to visit The National Inventors Hall of Fame YouTube Channel.
Given the challenges presented by the pandemic, we are planning to run the 2021 Camp Invention program in person and virtually, so you can choose the format that works best for your child. Even better, you have the option to change your format selection up to six weeks before the program start date.
Early registration discounts available! Register using SUM30 by April 30 to save $30, or SUM25 by May 26 to save $25 off the $260 registration fee.
Availability is limited. Visit invent.org/mylocalcamp or call 800-968-4332 to secure your child’s spot today!
REGISTER NOW for the Mini 2021 Chess-Ed Virtual Enrichment Program
Keep your chess game sharp and join us for Chess-Ed’s 4-week Mini Session this May!
The 4-week Mini Session is offered Monday through Friday at a variety of times (4, 5, and 6 pm) with Beginner, Novice, Continuing, and Advanced program levels. The chess program runs from 5/3/21 to 5/28/21 and begins after the current Spring session ends on 4/30/21. The Mini Session is taught by Chess-Ed instructors using Zoom, lichess.org, and other chess software.
Please refer to the Eventbee registration site for chess level guidelines.
To register, go to: www.r-mini-virtual-chess-ed.eventbee.com. Be sure to register early to take advantage of EARLY FEE pricing. For more information about the program, please refer to the program flyer and Eventbee website.
Chess-Ed is looking forward to seeing your CHESS ENTHUSIAST this May.
Summer Learning Opportunities
Oak Grove School staff will be offering some week long learning opportunities during the weeks of July 19th and July 26th. More information will be coming soon!
PTO News
SHAKOU FUNDRAISER
Oak Grove PTO has partnered with Shakou Restaurant in downtown Libertyville for a delicious fundraising event! Please help support PTO and Shakou by dining at Shakou Tomorrow Tuesday, April 13th! You can make reservations here https://resy.com/cities/lvl/shakou-libertyville. Call for carry-out at 224-433-6675. Order online for carry-out/delivery through DoorDash.com, Grubhub.com, Seamless.com, or Alohaorderonline.com.
PTO COMMITTEE CHAIRS
The PTO needs volunteers for next year’s committees! Please reach out to Katrina Treutelaar at katrinatreutelaar@me.com if you are interested in volunteering.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
The Scholastic Book Fair is back and IN-PERSON! The fair will be held May 3-11 with an Eagles @ Home shopping night on May 5th. More details to come in next week’s Oak Grove News and Virtual Backpack.
BOX TOPS
Keep scanning those receipts with the Box Tops app! The app will find participating products purchased at any store and instantly add cash to Oak Grove School PTO’s earnings. Only have a digital receipt? Simply forward your receipt to receipts@boxtops4education.com using the same email you use for your Box Tops account.
Virtual Backpack
Oak Grove School Board of Education
Click HERE to view Board Agenda and Minutes
Email: boe@ogschool.org
Website: www.ogschool.org
Location: 1700 S. O'Plaine Rd. Green Oaks, IL 60048
Phone: 847.367.4120