Updates from Mrs. Froning
September 13, 2020
Important September Dates
- 2nd Grade Curriculum Night 6:00 - 7:00 pm
- 3rd Grade Curriculum Night 7:15 - 8:15 pm *please note the slight time adjustment
Tuesday, September 15th
- 1st Grade Curriculum Night 6:00 - 7:00
- 4th Grade Curriculum Night 7:15 - 8:15 *please not the slight time adjustment
Friday, September 25th
- 1/2 Day: Teacher PD Classes end at 12:25 pm
Monday, September 28th
- No School- Observance of Yom Kippur
Some helpful tips to support your student
- Set the tone that every day is a school day...even though it is at home! Remind your student the school day starts at 9:00 am and they should be dressed and have had breakfast before that time. (Just as they would be ready to get on the bus or walk to school each day).
- During the first few weeks at school, a great deal of time is spent establishing routines and procedure as well as building stamina for learning. The same ground work needs to be in place during this virtual learning period too. Just as students are learners at school encourage them to think of themselves as learners during the school hours at home too. Maybe an a good "go to" line is simply "Remember you are learner from 9:00- 4:00 here at home just like you would be at school!"
- Be sure their learning space is conducive to learning! While we are not suggesting students should be sitting in the same chair at a table or desk for the entire day, designating space where learning happens can be very helpful. In the classroom, students do NOT sit in the same chair at a desk all day. They might choose to work in a different area of the classroom during independent work time. Work with your student to create a space that includes some flexible seating that is still within range of the computer.
- Screen Time: We feel STRONGLY the students need their video "on" during direct instruction and other whole group experiences. Having said that, we want to STRONGLY encourage that videos are turned off during independent work time or breaks. We share your concerns regarding screen time and are working to build in periods of time where videos are off (allowing students to disengage from the screen). We do ask that the audio is always on...this allows the students and teachers stay connected and allows for interaction when needed such as asking questions. *I will discuss screen time in more detail at our upcoming Curriculum Nights.
- When students finish their work quickly in the classroom, teachers often have a chart or a list of academic things they may do while the rest of the class finished their work. A part of the establishment of routines and structure is the creation of a list of ideas to help students answer the question "What do I do when I am done?" is an important step as we begin a new school year. Some teachers might call the list a Task Board/List or Independent Work List. Below are some ideas you can use at home. Allowing your student to choose the activity is best! ALWAYS reminding them it is school time and they ARE a learner from 9:00 - 4:00 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and 9:00 - 3:00 on Wednesday and Friday.
- Read or take a picture walk through a book
- Color a picture (this building hand strength for our littlest learners)
- Practice writing letters and numbers
- Write a letter to someone special
- Start writing a new story
- Practice basic math facts
Constitution Day: Thursday, September 17th
Constitution Day is also known as Citizenship Day, which was the name of the holiday until 2004, as its purpose was to "recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens". The official name of the holiday is now "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day"
Oakley Park students will engage in various activities related to the Constitution in the coming week. We invite all students to wear Red, White and Blue on Thursday!
A Special Message from our President
Dear Oakley Park Families,
Congratulations! We have survived the first couple of weeks. I know this is not the return to school we wished for or expected, but I am proud of us for coming together as a community for our kids.
The PTA is adjusting our expectations this year in the areas of events, fundraising, and membership goals. First, while we have always prided ourselves on family and community events, we are just no able to host anything right now due to the pandemic. Instead, we have chosen to help our families directly by providing school supplies, teacher supplies, and literacy materials. It cannot substitute the smiles and conversations, but it is a start.
Second, we will not be fundraising this year at Oakley Park. We were fortunate enough to carry over a large amount of funds from last year’s budget and have repurposed it for this year. We felt that with the surplus, we could avoid any additional pressure on our families.
Third, we know the pandemic has affected all of our budgets, therefore, we reduced the cost of membership this year to $7.50 for a parent and $5.00 for a teacher or staff member. I know that we are not together as usual, but we still need membership dollars to fund our behind the scenes work. We still need your support to remain an active and engaged PTA as we emerge from this fog. What will your money go toward this year?
- School directory
- T-shirts for all students (January)
- School supplies
- Additional teacher resources
- Spring Fair (keeping our fingers crossed)
The membership application can be found here. Please join!
We also understand that the reduced PTA price might still be outside the budget for some families. To that end, we will be making the directory available to all families. In these isolating times, the PTA wants to make communication among our families as easy as possible. You will receive an invitation to gain access so the directory shortly. We will be using a new directory this year from Directory Spot.
Finally, it has been my great pleasure to be your PTA President for the last three (plus) years. I have enjoyed leading our community to find new and creative ways to support our students and I have loved getting to know all of you. But now it is time to bring in new leadership and new ideas. I will be stepping down as President at our next PTA meeting on October 7 (details for the virtual meeting to follow). At this meeting we will be inducting the new board (slate below). Please let me know if there are any questions or concerns about the slate before the meeting. We will not be filling many of our non-board positions until we get back into the school.
- President: Jessica Maurer
- Past-President: Sarah Garrison
- Treasurer: Debbie O’Rourke
- Membership VP: Diane Yanalunas
- Secretary: Valerie Novaes
- Volunteer VP: Bobbie Sue Young
Thank you for your continued support and patience and we all navigate through this crazy school year. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the PTA.
Stay Safe!
Sarah Garrison
PTA President
Oakley Park Family Directory
Food Service
On August 31st, the USDA announced that they have extended free meals for all kids under the age of 18 to go through as late as December 31st regardless if they are an enrolled student or not. This is effective immediately and will undoubtedly help our community during these unprecedented times!
Regardless of this exciting announcement, we still need families to complete their free and reduced application. Having these applications completed will ensure a more smooth transition for families when the federal funds are depleted. You can complete the application by logging onto your family access and going to the registration packet.
Please join us every Monday at each of our high schools to pick up meals from 12:00PM - 1:30PM. If school is closed on Monday, we will be serving the next open school day.
Yearbooks
Attending Art, Music, Physical Education and Media Center
My Path Updates
Oakley Park My Path Teaching team:
Kindergarten- Mrs. Kristin Squires
1st & 2nd grade- Mrs. Lorena Hawkins
3rd & 5th grade- Mrs. Shellie Avery-Franz
Reminder: Student Login Credentials
Parents can now access their child’s Google login information via Skyward Family Access. It can be found on the Report Cards tab as the very top report. If you still do not see it, please email Mrs. Froning. kristinfroning@wlcsd.org.
Reminder:Virtual Grade Level Curriculum Nights
*Grades 3rd & 4th- please note the slight adjustment in the start time. A follow up email will be send to families with the Zoom meeting links.
Monday, September 14th
- 6:00 – 7:00 2nd Grade
- 7:15 – 8:15 3rd Grade
Tuesday, September 15th
- 6:00 – 7:00 1st Grade
- 7:15 – 8:15 4th Grade
5th Grade: Curriculum Night
Regarding the Remote Bell Schedule
Monday 9 - 4:00 pm
Tuesday 9- 4:00 pm
Wednesday 9- 3:00 pm
Thursday 9- 4:00 pm
Friday 9- 3:00 pm
*1/2 Day dismissal time is 12:25 pm
Wednesday, September 23rd was previously posted as a 1/2 day. It will be a full day.
Friday, September 25th will be a 1/2 day. This change is reflected on the calendar linked here.
Contact Information
Karen Clark, Principal Secretary
Kim Waling, Building Secretary
Main Office: 248-956-4100
Attendance Line: 248-956-4190
Email: kristinfroning@wlcsd.org
Website: http://wlcsd.org/schools/elementary/oakley-park/
Location: 2015 Oakley Park Road, Commerce Charter Township, MI, United States
Phone: 248-956-4100
Twitter: @OakleyPark1