Oakhurst Elementary
August 27, 2020
From the Principal
Good afternoon Oakhurst families,
I hope this week of learning has been enjoyable for your child. I enjoyed popping in to some live lessons this week. It brought joy to see high levels of student engagement as they are now interacting more with academic standards. It's amazing how they have already learned how to navigate the virtual classroom setting by using some of the tech tools teachers introduced just last week. I'm so proud of how our teachers have worked hard to build community and explicitly teach procedures to help all students experience success in this setting. Time spent on procedures will definitely help students thrive in the virtual classroom. Thanks so much parents/community partners for the support you are offering to students while they are learning at home. We appreciate the partnership we have with you.
This week we held our first PTA and SLT meetings for the 2020-21 school year. During our PTA meeting we approved our PTA budget and discussed topics such as room parents, virtual fundraising, and our new diversity/equity PTA sub-committee. At Tuesday's SLT meeting we welcomed two new members: Cristina Hambrick and Deanna Sutandi. We are excited to have them join our team. In the coming weeks our COVID Readiness Team will meet to begin collaborating on processes for returning to face-to-face learning. We are excited to work with this team of parents.
Virtual Learning Pacing Guide
CSD has created content guides to inform families of the standards each grade level will be covering by week across the district. This document will provide guidance as you partner with us to support your child's learning at home. In addition, Oakhurst teachers will continue to preview the learning targets in their Friday newsletters.
Kindergarten Virtual Learning Pacing Guide
Flybrary: Contact-Free Media Center Check-Out
Oakhurst Elementary will be offering contact-free media center check-out (Flybrary) to ensure access to books for all students. Students may reserve books online and books will be delivered by bus to designated stops in their neighborhood or parents may opt for curbside pickup. Flybrary will begin the week of August 31st. To sign up for this service, how-to videos and for more information, please go here: Oakhurst Flybrary Parent Information
If you have any questions, please email Suzanne Hawkins at suhawkins@csdecatur.net.
Nurse Notes
Medication Form Update:
In anticipation of in-person learning, the CSD School Health Program would like to make parents & guardians aware of a change in the procedure for medication administration. For any student who requires medication to be administered during school hours, the Authorization for Medication Administration form must be completed in its entirety. This authorization form has been updated and now requires an authorized prescriber to complete and sign the designated area before prescription medication can be administered at the school. Please note, a physician’s signature will be required for any over the counter medication that is to be administered outside of the manufacturers guidelines. The schools will no longer accept the old Authorization for Medication Administration form. The new form may be found on your school’s website. The complete medication guidelines can be found in the District Handbook. We encourage parents to be prepared by having the required documents and signatures in place prior to the start of in-person instruction.
Ask Ms. Sanders
New Formative Assessment Platform: Keenville
Hello Families,
Beginning the week of September 7, students and teachers in grades 1 and 2 across CSD will begin using a new formative assessment platform created by the Georgia Department of Education called Keenville. Keenville is a game-based assessment platform designed to capture real-time data that will enable teachers to identify necessary supports and extensions for learning. CSD will communicate more about Keenville in a district -wide update on Friday, August 28.
Since these games are considered a regular part of formative assessments of students' learning related to the Georgia Standards of Excellence, it's important for parents to know that students' engagement should represent the child's current performance and mastery level and that these are not tests.
First and second grade teachers will introduce the Keenville tool to students during a live session on September 4, so that students can learn how to log on and become familiar with the platform and purpose.
Please feel free to email Heidi Whatley, Research and Analytics Director, at hwhatley@csdecatur.net with any questions or concerns.
From the Counselor
Hello, Oakhurst Families! I wanted to let you know that The Wellness Wednesday portion of the CSD website is online and has information about the weekly offerings. Here is the link: https://www.csdecatur.net/wellnesswednesday. We will be adding more district and school based offerings as we progress through the first part of the school year.
Meanwhile, I have really enjoyed meeting with students in the SEE (Social, Emotional & Ethical) Learning lessons on Wednesday mornings. It’s been great to connect with them and to see the excitement many of them are showing about the content and activities that make up the program. I’ve also been impressed by how well they are navigating all of the new technology! Lastly, if you’d like to reach out to me for school counseling support, please let me know by sending me an email to ldeming@csdecatur.net. I will respond to you promptly and do what I can to support our Oakhurst Owls!
Take care & stay safe, Ms. Deming
From the Oakhurst PTA
OAKHURST PTA DEI COMMITTEE NEWS
Mission Statement
To promote a school community where students from diverse backgrounds are valued, celebrated, and successful.
Meet Your DEI Committee Chairs
Briana Pigford
I am a mother of twin boys who are 2nd graders at Oakhurst Elementary. We have enjoyed our experience thus far at Oakhurst and want to ensure that all children are able to share in that same experience. As an African American family we know the importance of embracing and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion strategies to help create an environment where all children are seen, heard and valued. Schools have a unique opportunity to help prepare students to thrive in an exponentially diverse world. I look forward to helping Oakhurst create a community where children and families are supported and accepted.
Anne Shin
I am a mother of three in CSD schools (FAVE, Oakhurst, College Heights) and have found Oakhurst Elementary to be such a wonderful community for our family. However, as a Korean American family, we have also experienced cultural discomfort at times. I joined this committee hoping to raise awareness and represent those who may feel unseen. Although we will miss the physical community this year, I am excited to see how we can make Oakhurst Elementary a more aware, welcoming school that embraces all identities.
Virtual Learning Volunteers
Able to help with virtual learning? Whether it's ongoing weekly help with students, assisting parents with virtual learning questions, or with special projects, DEF would love your assistance! Click here for additional information.
Contact Oakhurst PTA DEI Committee
Have a question or concern regarding diversity, equity, or inclusion at Oakhurst Elementary? Need support or resources? Email us at OakhurstPTADEI@gmail.com or complete a form with an option to remain anonymous. You can also click here for our website.
Next Meeting
Join us in our meeting! Our next (virtual) meeting date will be September 15 at 7PM. Virtual login information to be announced.
A Message from the PTA:
Hi Parents/Caregivers,
Please consider registering on the PTA website to help us contact you about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities. Due to privacy concerns, the district will not give out parent emails and contact information. We need each parent to opt into the directory on our website:
Simply click the New User Register Here link on the My Info/Sign In screen
https://oakhurstelementarypta.org/login-account/
Password is OakhurstOwls (no spaces, case sensitive)
At Home Student/Parent Technology Help
If you are having technology issues at home, please visit the Tech Help page on the Virtual Learning Help & Knowledge website to view answers to common issues.
After viewing the common issues section of the page, if you're still having difficulty, we strongly advise you to notify a teacher and ask them to send a support request to IT. This way, the teacher is also aware you're having a technology problem. If you're unable to reach a teacher, you may submit a support request directly by clicking on the "Students and Families: Submit a tech support or equipment request" link.
Important CSD Contacts
Here are few other webpages that might be helpful to parents are:
Important CSD Contacts: https://www.csdecatur.net/domain/1658
www.csdecatur.net/opening - a repository for all documents, announcements, and communications about how CSD is handling the 2020-2021 school year.
www.csdecatur.net/nutrition - How to order meals
www.csdecatur.net/transportation
www.csdecatur.net/bustracker - How to sign up for the new Predictable Ryde Bus tracking app used for meal delivery, soon for the Fly-brary, mobile book delivery and when in-person learning resumes to track students on their buses
https://virtual.csdecatur.net/tech-help (how parents and staff can put in a tech support request)
https://virtual.csdecatur.net/students - classroom login information
https://virtual.csdecatur.net/parents - Virtual Learning Handbooks
About us
Email: suhawkins@csdecatur.net
Website: https://www.oakhurst.csdecatur.net
Location: 175 Mead Road, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: 404 -370-4470
Twitter: @OakhurstOwls