I can accept failure; everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying!

-Michael Jordan

Did you know that May is National Mental Health Month? Mental health is an incredibly important component of our overall health. A growing number of Americans experience mental health symptoms and we need to join together to stop the stigma and provide support. One in four Americans will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any given year and sunshine is one easy way to reduce stress, increase self-esteem, and alleviate anxiety. Join Oberle's effort by aiming to get outside for at least 20 minutes every day during the month of May! Students and staff are encouraged to forego indoor Bulldog Block and get outdoors as a means of promoting self-help, offering support, and raising awareness!

Check out the two links below to learn more about mental health, available resources, and what you can do to help.

As a non-profit organization, Oberle greatly benefits from generous and kind donations like those you see below. Bulldog Store student "employees" say thank you for the donation of tasty treats and sweets which were offered to offset some of the costs associated with operating our in-house positive behavior incentive program. A special thank you to Mr. Pompilio who gifted us with these items!

If you would like to support Oberle by making a tangible or monetary donation, please contact Mrs. Hoagland at phoagland@eri-va.org. Your contributions help support our mission to Educate, Empower, and Employ our students!

Teacher and Support Staff Appreciation Week is May 1-5. Help us recognize and celebrate this phenomenal crew! Without their dedication, teamwork, and compassion, Oberle would not be half of what it is today. Each team member is a unique but integral piece of the Oberle puzzle and when put together, all of these individuals create a dynamic whole that stands far above the rest!

Check out our daily line-up of treats and surprises for this special and talented crew:

You’re Clearly Magnanimous

MONDAY, MAY 1

Tasty Breakfast

TUESDAY, MAY 2

Wellness

WEDNESDAY, MAY 3

Thankful for You

THURSDAY, MAY 4

Feelin’ Good

FRIDAY, MAY 5

We'd love to hear from you as well! Share your sentiments to let these folks know how great they are!

Meet Ms. Connie and Tally, Oberle's Alliance Therapy Dog team that joins us each Monday during Bulldog Block! We are so happy to have them as a part of our team!

Researchers and experts agree that pets excel as therapeutic agents and that dogs are an antidote to depression. Studies have shown a decrease in both blood pressure and stress levels during therapy dog visits. A visit from a therapy dog team can break the daily routine, increase overall emotional well-being, and stimulate the mind in dramatic ways. They offer so many wonderful benefits to people of all ages such as:

• Bringing joy and laughter, even if for a short time
• Taking a person’s mind off of personal problems, aches, pains and worries
• Getting people to share their emotions and stories
• Giving a chance for people to communicate with others
• Lowering stress levels and blood pressure
• Rekindling warm memories of their pets

Oberle has partnered with a local chapter and is fortunate to have a team that join us each week! Students must receive parental permission to participate.

Check out the website below to learn more about ATD!

Select students enjoyed Education Day and a Fred Nats game on April 19! Reward Day eligible students demonstrated strong school performance and attendance for six consecutive weeks!

James presents his beautiful (and tasty!) chocolate raspberry cake in preparation for an upcoming culinary competition!

In collaboration with the local Rotary, students and staff joined Tree Fredericksburg to pot trees for planting in honor of Earth Day on April 20th! Here, students prepare buckets of mulch for transplanting seedlings.

Mr. McMahon and Ms. Nuzum aren't afraid to get their hands dirty!

Students and staff waiting patiently to start digging in!

Mrs. Slusher joyfully prepares a space for her seedling!

Iyanna cheeses for the camera after a day's hard work!

Kaeley, Madison, Ms. Dunklin, and Ms. Ty take a break from playing cards to strike a pose!

Gavin, Gianna, Carmen, and Chris enjoy their "me time" by soaking up some sunshine!

Select students visited Germanna Community College to explore the Fredericksburg Center for Advanced Technology to learn about post-secondary options. Here, Joey cures his curiosity by troubleshooting a motor drive system.

Jordan and Chris demonstrate great focus while they explore hands-on simulator experience!

Ms. Scofield's biology class had fun creating "rainforest in a bottle" terrariums!

Our group counseling sessions partnered with Empowerhouse to discuss healthy relationships and much more. We learned that consent means there needs to be two yeses and only one no. We learned that consent can apply to multiple areas of our relationship and we were given this fun acronym to remember the importance of consent: FRIES.

Below is a video created to help highlight just how important our own choices and behavior can be in relationships. Please watch this clip with your child and review the conversation starters that follow.

Conversation starters:

What does FRIES stand for?

What are some signs of a healthy relationship?

What are some red flags in an unhealthy relationship?

Is physical abuse worse than emotional abuse?

Name one unhealthy behavior that you exhibit and a healthier choice you can replace it with.

For more information about Empowerhouse and all of their resources, please visit their website below:

The end of the year will be here before you know it! With that said, End of Course SOL testing will begin Tuesday, May 9 and conclude on Friday, May 19. May 9-15 will serve as primary testing dates while May 16-19 will act as make-up days. Remediation for students not currently enrolled in an SOL class will take place during the week of May 1-5 with both in-person and Google Classroom sessions.

To help prepare your child, ensure they:

• Receive an adequate amount of sleep. Teenagers, on average, require nine hours of sleep for optimal functioning.
• Eat a balanced, nutritious breakfast. A great start to their morning could be a bowl of oatmeal with nuts and berries.
• Utilize test-taking strategies like double-checking their work and making best educated decision when answers are unknown. Never leave an answer blank!
• Attend school regularly! Missing these tests may delay students' on-time graduation.

Parents or students who have any questions regarding SOL testing should contact Mrs. Hoagland or Ms. Tolosa.

Congratulations to Ms. Tolosa for earning the April Employee of the Month! Ms. Tolosa was nominated for ensuring our students' transition plans aren't overlooked! She goes above and beyond to expose students to various post-secondary resources and opportunities. Thank you Ms. Tolosa for everything you do to help Oberle shine!

Congratulations to Will for earning the April Student of the Month! Will was nominated for excelling in geometry with right triangles: a^2 + b^2 = c^2 ! Keep up the great work, Will and be sure to grab a free treat from the Bistro!

May 1-5: Teacher and Support Staff Appreciation Week/ SOL remediation

May 3: Clubs

May 9-19: SOL Testing

May 15: Interim Reports

May 22: Yoga

May 26: Early Dismissal

May 29: Holiday - No School

June 5: Yoga

June 8: Reward Day - State Climb

June 9: Last Day of School/Graduation/Early Dismissal

June 12: First Day of ESY

June 16: Report Cards

July 4: Holiday - No ESY

July 7: Last Day of ESY