PAWS Newsletter

Friday, Feb 3 | 5th Grade Social
Thursday, Feb 9 | 6th Grade Social
Friday, Feb 10 | No School Parent-Teacher (Virtual) Conferences

Tuesday, Feb 14 | Election Day
Monday, Feb 20 | No School President's Day

Winter Virtual Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on Friday, February 10. There is no school for students on this day, but students are encouraged to attend and participate in their conference. Conferences are offered virtually via Google Meet, by appointment. You may also request an in-person conference by contacting your student's teacher.

The schedule for conference slots are:

Morning Sessions | 8:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

Afternoon Sessions | 1:05 p.m.–3:30 p.m.

The conference scheduler will be open January 27 to February 9 at 3:30 p.m. For more information, click here: https://www.ohsd.net/Page/10038

On February 14, 2023, Oak Harbor voters will consider a $121 million school bond measure that will replace three aging schools, enhance safety at all schools and address critical needs of the community.

If approved by the voters, the bond measure would do the following to enhance our schools and utilize available funding from the federal and state governments:

• Enhance safety at all of the Oak Harbor Public School sites
• Rebuild Crescent Harbor Elementary on its current site to address critical infrastructure needs of the school
• Rebuild Hand-in-Hand Early Learning Center and HomeConnection to move the schools out of the military flight path and address critical infrastructure needs of the school
• Build a new school on the OHPS-owned fields at Fort Nugent Park to address the growth in the area
• Reutilize the Oak Harbor Elementary school site to address the growing need for early learning and child care in Oak Harbor
  
  

Washington state is one of 11 states that requires a supermajority of 60% approval in order to pass a bond.

Learn more at www.ohsd.net/bond2023

Our Winter Socials are right around the corner! We are thrilled to provide our students with a safe and fun opportunity to get to know other students in their grade. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out a Volunteer Application and turn it in to the OHPS District Office. Adult chaperones must be pre-approved with an approved OHPS Volunteer form 48 hours before the event.

Students will need a ride to and from the social, please be sure to pick up your student on time at the front of the school at 6:30 pm. Please remind your student that all OHI school rules apply during the social. If needed, be sure to work with your student's case manager/nurse to ensure additional support during the social. Please see the details below:

5th Grade Winter Social

• Who: 5th Graders
• What: Time for students to get to know each other, play games, eat pizza and other snacks
• When: Friday, February 3rd from 5:00 – 6:30 pm
• Where: OHI Cafeteria, Gym, and some C-Wing Classrooms
• How: Students can get a free ticket from the ASB window January 30th - February 3rd before school or during recess, no behavior referrals the week of the social
  
  

6th Grade Winter Social

• Who: 6th Graders
• What: Time for students to get to know each other, play games, eat pizza and other snacks
• When: Thursday, February 9th from 5:00 – 6:30 pm
• Where: OHI Cafeteria, Gym, and some C-Wing Classrooms
• How: Students can get a free ticket from the ASB window February 6th - 9th before school or during recess, no behavior referrals the week of the social

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

Volunteer Opportunities - Reminder All Volunteers in School must have Badges

1. DPAC - Need regular rep for OHI/ PTA - 1st Thurs. Of Month 5:30pm .For more information, email ohipantherspta@gmail.com

2. Cookie Wednesdays - 2nd and 4th Wednesdays per month - Sign up

3. Reading Partner(s) Volunteer(s) Needed - 3 times a week 10:35 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Email ohipantherspta@gmail.com for more information.

4. Winter Socials - 02/03/2023 & 02/09/2023 - Sign Up

VALENTINE GRAMS!

Help us treat the students this month and sponsor a classroom for only $15. For your contribution, every student in the class will receive a "Valentine" Gram delivered by the PTA. Click here to find out more.

Buddy Passes have been suspended for the 22-23 school year. Students may only ride on buses specifically assigned to them. For more information, click here or you can contact our transportation department at 360-279-5570. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

We always appreciate it when our school has approved volunteers to assist our students. This week, students from Oak Harbor High School have been able to tutor in our AVID class near the end of the day. Yesterday, our students interviewed these high school volunteers about their high school experience. They learned about what classes their tutors take and the hard work they put in.

Today in Ms. Rome's class students were working on a decimal review: adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. They used a "Starbooks" theme and menu to engage and connect the students to real world problems.

Several of our children suffer from severe and/or life-threatening food allergies. Food treats for celebrations will not be accepted/distributed. We want all children to receive special recognition and have the opportunity to celebrate special occasions. Please consider an alternative “treat” such as special pencils, erasers, etc. Thank you in advance for your understanding and thoughtfulness toward all our students.

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM). The most common condition among children is largely preventable! According to the AAPD (American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry), dental caries/cavities are four times more common than childhood asthma and three times more likely than childhood obesity. NCDHM is a great opportunity to spread the word about how poor oral health and caries impact our kids’ health and quality of life.

AAPD recently released their State of Little Teeth Report in 2021, which examines the epidemic of tooth decay among children. Check out the following key stats from the Report:

• Tooth decay is the NUMBER ONE chronic infectious disease affecting children in the United States and is on the rise, but it is largely preventable.
• The rate of tooth decay in baby teeth of children aged 2 to 5 years increased nearly 17% from 1988-1994 to 1999-2004.
• By age 5 about 60% of children will be affected by tooth decay.
• Children with oral health problems are THREE TIMES more likely to miss school due to dental pain than children with no oral health problems.
• AAPD recommends taking a child for their first dental visit by the age of 1.
• Delaying dental care to age 2 or 3 can have a negative impact on a child’s oral health. 40% of parents and caregivers surveyed are delaying their child’s first visit until after age 2.
  
  

This year's NCDHM theme is Brush, Floss, Smile. Here are some references:

1. The ADA website has free posters and printable coloring pages.
   
2. For help finding a dentist: DentistLink is a great resource for those without a dental home who need one and it includes those on Apple Health.
   
3. Dental tips: 4 Key Brushing Tips, How to Keep Your Teeth Clean, Tips for Parents
   
4. Healthy foods for teeth

COVID 19 INFORMATION

As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout our community, families can anticipate receiving a Health Situation Update via email. During this time, we would like to emphasize communication and transparency to prevent or mitigate possible spreading. Let’s keep our community safe by working together. To find out about any updates on COVID-19 and our school district, click here.

This flowchart from the Department of Health is an additional resource that may be used if you or your child is symptomatic or has been identified as a close contact of COVID-19.

FLU AND RSV INFORMATION

As the community has been affected from respiratory illnesses resulting in absences it is important to identify the differences between the flu, COVID-19, and RSV. For example, a symptom unique to COVID-19 include the loss of taste or smell. To review information from the CDC, please click here. Additionally, RSV -- an illness most dangerous to infants and the elderly -- exhibit symptoms are very similar to symptoms of the common cold. This article from Labcorp provides more information.

For tips to stay healthy during the holidays, click here.

Our school nursing team can be reached at (360) 279-5340. Please communicate medical conditions and/or medications with nursing staff as soon as possible before school starts and during the year if there are any changes.

FEBRUARY 2023

Hello future NWMS Cougar families!

North Whidbey Middle School Counselors will be visiting 6th grade classrooms at the end of the month. During this visit, students will get to hear about elective classes offered at NWMS. 6th grade students will go home with an elective selection form, which they will turn in the next week. This form lets counselors know what classes students are interested in taking next year outside of their core required classes, so we can begin planning for 7th grade. It is important that each student return an elective selection form.

Recommendations for placement in honors classes and extra support classes will come from core subject teachers. More opportunities to learn more about NWMS classes, activities, teachers, sports, clubs, and everything else will come in the spring and fall!

The Character Trait for the month of February is: Honesty

5th Graders: This month, 5th Graders will be learning about Honesty. Honesty is being truthful in what you say and do. Students will learn the difference between honesty and dishonesty and be able to identify how honesty can be used to decrease stress and improve relationships. Students will all see how stress can impact decision making and develop a toolbox for better managing their stress.

6th Graders: This month, 6th graders will be learning about Developing and Maintaining Friendships. Making new friends can be difficult so students will be practicing skills to build friendships and to make friendships last.

Tip: There are lots of ways to meet new friends at Oak Harbor Intermediate! Come to Friendship Groups on Tuesdays or Thursday during recess, join a club, step outside your comfort zone and ask to join a game or conversation with other students, ask your teacher to help set you up with a buddy for lunch/classroom activities!

Family Dare: Book Club

February 12-18 is Random Acts of Kindness Week: Try a Character Dare as a family this week!

Ideas from CharacterStrong:

• Each family member holds doors open for others for 24 hours and compares notes with each other at the end.

• Write a letter to a family member in another state letting them know you miss them and ask how they are doing. Extra points if it is handwritten!

• Offer to help a family member with one task one day that week. If they can’t think of it right away, circle back around later.

Harvard Health found that one act of kindness each day for a week made participants significantly happier themselves! And who doesn’t want to be happier?

Student Last names A-L: Grant Finney, gfinney@ohsd.net

Student Last names M-Z: Chandra Mays, cmays@ohsd.net

TWO NEW RESOURCES FROM THE DESK OF THE MFLC:

1. A new self-paced virtually delivered resource for military couples is available from Military One Source.

It personalizes guidance based on a couple’s goals, issues and communication patterns so that suggestions are relevant and actionable.

2. In case you missed the seminar given by Military Child Education Coalition on Staying Connected During a Service Member’s Absence, here is the link to register which when completed will take you immediately to the recorded session. For a brief summary of suggestions, check out the pdf file below.

If you are interested in having your student receive Child and Youth Behavioral Military and Family Life Counseling Services please fill out the form below. For any questions, please contact the front office at 360-279-5300.

Oak Harbor Intermediate

150 SW 6th Street,

Oak Harbor, WA 98277

360-279-5300