The Owl's Nest October
OAKLEIGH ELEMENTARY 410–887-5238
Oakleigh Elementary School
Assistant Principal: Lisa Grace- lgrace3@bcps.org
Email: smason@bcps.org
Website: http://oakleighes.bcps.org
Phone: 410-887-5238
Facebook: facebook.com/OakleighElementarySchool
The Principal’s Corner
Greetings Oakleigh Families,
I hope that each of you have had an opportunity to connect with your child's teacher. Teachers can be reached using messages on BCPSOne, Class Dojo, or by directly emailing the teacher. Interims were sent home last week to all students in grades 1-5 to show initial academic grades. I encourage you to monitor your child's progress through BCPSOne. Contact your child's teacher if you do not have your child's access code. Additionally, you can monitor your child's behavior and learning skills through Class Dojo. We are so proud of the progress our students are making already this year.
We have many exciting and informative events coming soon. Please see the calendar section of this newsletter for events and dates.
Best regards, Sharon Mason, Principal
Dates To Remember
Dates
- October 3rd- Schools Closed for Rosh Hashanah
- October 4th- Monthly PTA Meeting @ 5:30
- October 12th- Schools Closed for Yom Kippur
- October 13th- Family Spirit Night - Bob Evans on Joppa Rd - 4-8pm
- October 13th- Kindergarten Field Trip to the Farm
- October 14th- Identakid
- October 18th- Pre-K/Kindergarten Fire Department Visit
- October 21st- Schools Closed for Professional Development
- October 24th-29th- Red Ribbon Week
- October 28th- Schools Close 3 Hours Early- End of 1st Quarter
- October 28th- Rock N Treat Event- 5-7pm
PTA UPDATES!
Hello Oakleigh Families,
Autumn is here and the PTA is busy at work planning great activities for the family. Our second Family Spirit Night is on Thursday, October 13th from 4-8pm at the Bob Evans on Joppa Rd in Towson. Our Rock N Treat event is on Friday, October 28th from 5-7pm.
If you missed the deadline to order from the Joe Corbi fundraiser, online ordering is available until Sunday, October 7th at midnight.
Our Spirit Wear online store will be open through Monday, October 10th. The store has a great selection of apparel for students and adults highlighting our new logo.
Everyone is invited to join the PTA in supporting our students through numerous programs and events. Membership is only $9/person (students can be members too). If you have 4 memberships on your form, you will receive 1 free wristband to the Rock N Treat event (1 per household). We also have business memberships available for $25. This is a great way to advertise your business and support our students. Everyone is welcome to attend the monthly meetings. They are the 1st Tuesday of the month at 5:30pm.
Information about Joe Corbi online ordering, Family Spirit Nights, Rock N Treat, Spirit Wear, and PTA memberships can be found on the PTA’s website, www.oakleighpta.org
Take Care,
Jean White (PTA President)
Nurse's Corner
Healthy Tip of the Month:
Help your kids make healthy food choices by teaching them to read food labels early! Even kids as early as preschool can be included in the food choice process if you read the labels to them and explain why one choice is healthier than another. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG
Important Reminder:
Fall is here:
Please send in asthma inhalers with medication orders from your child's physician . Students will be outside for PE and recess.
Please call Mrs. Levy RN for health questions at 410-665-0362.
Pre-Kindergarten News
We are off to a great start. Your children have been learning the procedures and routines of Pre-K. We have a busy month this October. We will have a visit from the fire department and Buster the Bus. Family homework will start this month. Please complete the project with your child and send it back to school. I would like to display them in the hallway. You should have received the monthly reading log in your child's folder. Please be sure to read each night. Mrs. Laursen will be with us through October 21st. It has been a pleasure to have her in our class this year.
Kindergarten News
Thank you for attending 'Back to School Night!' Our students are busy learning about counting and sorting in Math. In our Reading Language Arts our students are identifying the letters in the alphabet. Our field trip to the Pumpkin Patch is coming up! Please become a volunteer, more fliers will come home with the trip slip!
~Thanks!
The Kindergarten Team
1st Grade News
First grade has been busy this month! We are preparing for the arrival of devices in a few months so students are working with their second grade device buddies to practice their usernames and passwords for BCPS One. In reading, our first graders have finished the Wonders Start Smart and are beginning Unit 1 of our curriculum. Students should practice their high frequency and phonics words each night to help them become fantastic readers! We are working in small groups on a daily basis in order to develop our independent work skills! In math, our students are practicing counting, solving addition story problems, and comparing quantities! Students are really enjoying math workshop activities, which are building their teamwork skills! Mathematicians are having engaging discussions about strategies to add numbers as well. We are looking forward to a year full of learning and fun!
2nd Grade News
Second grade is off to a great start this school year! In reading, we are focusing on stories that tell about friendship. We are identifying story elements and plot components. We are also strengthening our phonics and sight word skills which will enhance our writing ability. In math, we are focusing on counting, coins, story problems, and finding combinations of two addends that equal ten. Please help your child practice their math facts at home by using their flashcards. Fact fluency will help them succeed! Please remember to stay connected with us on Class Dojo and BCPSOne. We appreciate your support! :)
3rd Grade News
Third graders have adjusted to cottage life and the increased expectations that come along with third grade. Students receive letter grades and will take the PARCC test for the first time in the spring. Our school wide Class Dojo program is off to a fabulous start and the kids are so excited when their “little monsters” receive points. Please ensure that you connect with your child’s class so that you can see the progress he/she is making. If you need assistance, contact your child’s homeroom teacher. Also be sure to log in to BCPS One to check your child’s academic progress and easily communicate with teachers.
Students have been working hard in ELA, learning to write paragraphs, and are even working on their own personal narratives! The first unit, “A Delicate Balance”, focuses on the relationship between humans and nature, and includes a research project on endangered animals. Check out your local library for additional reading materials on your child’s chosen animal. Please be sure to sign your third grader’s reading log each night after they have spent their 15 minutes reading!
In Math class, students are learning the concept of multiplication and how to apply various strategies to solve equations and story problems. By the end of third grade, your child should be fluent in their multiplication facts! Practicing at home with flash cards is an excellent way to become a “master” at multiplication.
The first unit in Social Studies focuses on concepts of community in the various countries of Asia. The goal of this unit is for students to understand the diversity found in Asia. Students will study elements of geography, economics, civics, culture and history in different countries of Asia in order to gain an understanding about how these elements are similar and different in various parts of the continent.
We are looking forward to a fun filled year of learning!
4th Grade News
Welcome to fourth grade! We've had a busy start, but routines are now well established, and expectations are being met. In math we've been working with place value, and are working toward some complicated addition and subtraction. In language arts, we're learning about people who have made a difference in the world, and summarizing the information. The earliest native Americans and space are the current hot topics in social studies and science.
Thank you for all of the supplies you have sent in. As we approach the sniffling cold season, more boxes of tissues would be very much appreciated, if you haven't sent them in already. As far as routines, the students understand what is expected, and have made a lot of good progress in meeting those expectations. We are using Class Dojo on a daily basis, and the children really seem to be interested in their progress. If you haven't signed up yet, please do. Your child was given a paper with the code, and it's available for your computer or phone. If the paper has gotten misplaced in the beginning of the year rush, just send a note to your child's teacher, and another copy will be sent home.
As you are also encouraging routines, please check each night that your child has completed their homework, and then sign their planner, signifying that you have checked their homework. The planner is also a very useful communication tool, as both parents and teachers can send notes which will be read easily.
Thank you for sending us your children. The year is off to a great start, and we're looking forward to watching "our" children grow, together.
5th Grade News
Hello Oakleigh Community, our fifth grade students are off to a fantastic start in the new school year. In math students are learning place value and in language arts students are reading either Out of my Mind or The White Mountains. If your child is in band, they need to bring their instruments to Oakleigh every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday to practice with Mr. Mitchell. Also, Magnet Middle School applications are due November 18th. Please remember to connect with your teachers on bcpsone and class dojo.
Best Regards,
The Fifth Grade Team
FALS News
Mrs. Mullen’s Primary FALS class:
We have been working on and have learned our daily and weekly routines. In Reading, we continue to learn sight words as well as read stories and answer questions in the Wonders reading program as well as in the Unique Learning System program. In Math, we are learning/reviewing Touch Math Touch Points for the numbers 1-9. We will begin our addition unit soon. We work on our BCPS devices daily in Handwriting to fine tune our typing and touch screen skills. We are also working on our fine motor skills by writing our names, letters and words. During our Social Skills lessons and daily opportunities, we practice taking turns, sharing and using proper personal space.
Physical Education News
We are off to a great start in PE this school year. Fourth and Fifth grade students have been given information regarding our morning intramural club, and our first morning session will be October 4th! Our students will be working hard, so please make sure your students are prepared for PE class.
Please be sure to send your student to school with the proper sneakers on PE days. If it is raining, cold, and students are wearing boots or other fashionable shoes that are not safe for physical activity please consider sending a pair of sneakers to school that they can change into for safe participation in activity.
- Mrs. Bornman and Mr. Strevig
Art News
Students have been extra busy getting their hands into some awesome art. Please make sure that your students are prepared for art with an art apron, smock, or old shirt to cover themselves during these messy projects on their art day.
Pink permission to publish forms were sent home during the first week of school. This gives us the ok to display your students artwork outside of the Oakleigh school building. If you have not returned your form yet, please do so ASAP so we can continue to share our artistic ability with the community.
Artfully yours,
Mrs. Kerr and Mrs. Rogers
Library Media News
Music News
-Mr. Moon
Conselor's Corner
We are now in full swing of the 2016-2017 school year! I am so excited to continue working with each of your students as their school counselor. As the school counselor, it is my responsibility to assist your student in developing the skills that they need to be the most successful they can be, both in school and at home. I do this through monthly classroom lessons on topics such as peer relationships, decision making, career awareness, goal setting, academic success, and bullying to name a few. In addition to classroom lessons, I also run small groups on a variety of topics based upon the needs of the students. I can also be available to meet with a student individually.
During the month of October, classroom lessons will focus on the continued development of friendship skills. Kindergarten students will learn how to be a “bucket filler.” First graders will discuss attracting and repelling friends. Second graders will identify ways to be a flower friend and avoid being a cactus friend. Third graders will demonstrate positive behavior skills by being “bucket fillers.” Fourth grade students will continue to work on responding to teases and put downs in a calm way, utilizing the Simon’s Hook strategies that they learned in September. Fifth grade students will work to effectively respond to situations in a way that will include everyone.
Please feel free to reach out to me at any time!
Sandi McKinney, School Counselor
Phone: 410-887-5238
Email: smckinney@bcps.org
IDENT-A-KID Coming to Oakleigh October 14th!
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