Weekly Family Update # 12
November 1, 2020
Principal's Message
Hello Falcon Families,
I hope you had a fun Halloween weekend. Don’t forget about daylight savings time, "Spring Forward and Fall Back", clocks moved back one hour last night.
Last week I presented a live forum on Reopening Information. I hope it was informative for families. If you missed it, the video is linked below as well as the presentation slide deck and a document of Frequently Asked Questions about our reopening. I will continue to keep the community updated via this newsletter each week and on our website. We thank you for your partnership as we navigate this difficult school year.
Families, we need your help!! With each passing week and more and more students are turning off their Zoom cameras during instruction. It is very difficult for our teachers to make connections with students as well as create a safe learning environment conducive to student mastery of content when we cannot see those smiling faces. We are asking for your support to help encourage your student to keep their Zoom cameras on during class. We really appreciate it!!
School pictures are coming, brush that hair and smile! See below for information on school pictures and make sure to sign up for time to come get your picture taken. These pictures will be included in the yearbook this year. We will also generate school ID cards that we will pass back to students later in the school year. We have time slots available in the afternoon and into the evening to make this as convenient as possible for families. Cheese!
Many of you may have attended the first of a series of “Racial Equity Community Conversations” hosted by PUSD to support our ongoing work to ensure we are providing a safe and positive school culture and learning experience for ALL of our students and their families. The purpose of the “Racial Equity Community Conversations” is to foster trust with our families of color and build partnerships towards improving the experiences of our students of color on all campuses in PUSD. These conversations are organized by feeder pattern, elementary through high school, to ensure we are addressing any issues and concerns systemically as a team, partnering with parents, staff, students, and community members in our surrounding neighborhoods. Although we have completed an initial meeting for all five feeder patterns, we recognize many families/guardians were unable to attend. Accordingly, PUSD is hosting an additional session, via Zoom, on Monday, November 2, 2020 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm open to all PUSD families who were unable to attend their school’s feeder pattern session.
Our goal at this first meeting is to listen to our diverse community and learn from your experiences, so we can strengthen our efforts to improve racial equity in accordance with our recent PUSD Board Resolution Against Racism. Please RSVP here: http://bit.ly/PUSD-RECC,
you must RSVP in order to receive the Zoom link to attend, which will be sent out prior to Monday night’s meeting.
We look forward to you joining us in this important work!
Happy Warm November Falcons!!
Thanks for all you do for our Oak Valley Community! Go Falcons!
Beaming with Falcon Pride,
Mr. Young
Principal
Oak Valley Middle School
School Picture Information
Lifetouch will photograph Oak Valley students on November 9th, 10th, 12th and 13th, from 2:00 - 6:00pm in the gym. To minimize the number of students on campus, you must reserve a time to have your student photographed. Click HERE or the image below to access the SignUpGenuis form.
Please also adhere to the following protocols:
- Only students will be allowed to exit vehicles and enter campus, parents must remain in vehicles. Masks must be worn at all times by all students, as well as follow social distancing guidelines. All students will have their temperature taken before entering the gym.
- Please see the attached map (below banner) to get a better understanding of the route and process.
- One designated entrance and one designated exit will be used to help maintain social distancing and lessen the instances of students closely passing each other.
- Students will be directed to the covered area near the main gate, next to the gym, to begin.
- We will have markers to ensure safe distancing while waiting in line.
- Once students are photographed, we ask that they exit the gym, to their vehicles, as quickly as possible.
- Students will not receive their ID cards at this time.
Please adhere to the time you signed up so that the process is smooth for all of our OVMS families
Ordering information can be found at: mylifetouch.com, the OVMS Picture Day ID is: EVTQT3QQN
The Book Fair Is Coming!
Our Scholastic Book Fair is going ONLINE November 2nd to November 15th! All purchases benefit Oak Valley and connect kids with new books, favorite characters, complete series, and more.
Enjoy these special online shopping features:
Over 6,000 items, including new releases, best sellers, value packs AND the NEW Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book #15!!
All orders ship direct to home
FREE shipping on book-only orders over $25*
All purchases support our school!
Visit our Book Fair Homepage and click “Shop Now” to get started: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/oakvalleymiddleschool5
Does your student like adventure & fantasy books, graphic novels, or books about how they can make a difference? Would your student like historical fiction, realistic fiction, or mystery books? Mrs. Chambers has these recommendations and more that she made for our OVMS students! Check out her suggestions here!
Feel free to contact Katie Burns at katie.n.burns@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Happy reading!
*Free standard shipping is available on book-only orders of $25 or more, after all discounts are applied. Free standard shipping (books) must be selected during checkout. Orders containing products other than books are not eligible for this shipping promotion.
Black Mountain Ranch Southern Site Community FAQ
PUSD has scheduled a Live Community FAQ Meeting regarding the Black Mountain Ranch Southern Site for Wednesday, November 4, from 5:30pm to 7pm. Please see the flyer for more information. It will be a Zoom meeting, and attendees can register here.
This meeting will also be livestreamed on the #PowayUnified YouTube Channel for community members who are unable to attend.
OVMS PTSA
Wear your OVMS "Together We Are Stronger" shirt and get the following deals:
Choice Juicery in Del Sur
Every Sunday in October & November you will receive a free Super Boost with the purchase of any smoothie or bowl.
Chick-fil-A in Del Sur
Every TUESDAY in November stop by from 3pm-5pm and receive a complimentary ice cream! *No other purchase necessary.
Check Out Library Books
Falcons, the Oak Valley Library is available for you to check out books! You can request books from our in-house library collection to pick up from school on Thursdays and keep at home to read for two weeks before returning them. We will accept requests up until 2:00pm on Wednesdays for the following day.
Click HERE for more information and to submit your request.
PUSD Parenting Academy
The Poway Unified Parent Academy is the one-stop shop where parents can come to see and learn about the different types of educational technology tools that teachers are using with students in the district. These resources will make it simpler and easier for parents to understand what teachers use to engage students in meaningful ways in a virtual environment that highlights student collaboration. Click on the link HERE to check it out!
Oak Valley Middle School
Email: coyoung@powayusd.com
Website: https://www.powayusd.com/en-US/Schools/MS/OVMS/Home
Location: 16055 Winecreek Road, San Diego, CA, USA
Phone: (858) 487-2939
The Poway Unified School District (PUSD) is an equal opportunity employer/program and is committed to an active Nondiscrimination Program. PUSD prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, nationality, immigration status, ethnicity, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental ability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. For more information, please contact: Title IX/Equity Compliance Officer, James Jimenez, Associate Superintendent of Personnel Support Services, Poway Unified School District, 15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128, 1-858-521-2800, extension 2761, jjimenez@powayusd.com