VO News You Can Use
Dr. O's Weekly Parent Newsletter
NCSD Mission Statement
Developing each student's potential with a world class education.
March 30, 2020
Dear Village Oaks Families,
Thank you for partnering with our staff to make sure our students continue to be academically stimulated at home and engaged in worthwhile family activities outside of school during this trying time. Staff members truly enjoy connecting with our students and families virtually during our time apart. District leadership also appreciates the feedback provided through our community survey about the academic resources that have been provided for your children via Seesaw. As of this date, we will continue with our current plan to provide weekly resources and the earliest we could return to school is Tuesday, April 14. However, as many of you know things are changing frequently with directives from our Governor and our President. We will continue to monitor the news and plan for different scenarios. As always, we will update you if current plans change.
Student Report cards are now available for parents via our MISTAR Portal . Please click on the link, then select the illustrated 'MISTAR Parent Portal' box towards the bottom of the page to login. After reviewing your child's report card, I encourage you to spend some time together reflecting on all of their hard work and the progress they’ve made this school year.
I want to remind you that our scheduled Spring Break is from April 6-April 13. Teachers will not be available during our break as they need time to rest and be fully present with their families. Thank you for honoring this time for our staff so they can rejuvenate and be at their best for our students after our break.
I realize the difficulty that many community members are experiencing as we all balance the demands of our jobs, coordinate childcare, and navigate online learning. It can be stressful as we watch people throughout our country and within our own community be negatively impacted directly and indirectly by COVID-19. Please see the attached article on ways to manage Coronavirus Anxiety. 6 Ways to Manage Your Coronavirus Anxiety My thoughts and well wishes are with you all. This time will pass and we will be stronger as a learning community because of how we have united!
Important Reminders:
NCSD Spring Break April 6-April 13.
- For families in need of meals for their children, the district has arranged for curbside pickup of food items at Novi High School every Tuesday, from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM at the Atrium entrance off of Taft Rd. (24062 Taft Rd). Students may receive 7 days of breakfast and lunch at no cost.
- Each Wednesday you will receive your weekly update via Seesaw from your child's teacher about ways to support your child academically during our time away from school.
Sincerely,
Alex
Coronavirus Go Away Student Video
#NoviTogether
6 Ways to Manage Your Coronavirus Anxiety
Check out an informative article about ways to manage Coronavirus Anxiety: 6 Ways to Manage Your Coronavirus Anxiety
Contact Your Senator!
Representative Kathy Crawford
Contact
PHONE: 517-373-0827
EMAIL: KathyCrawford@house.mi.gov
Senator Jim Runestad
Contact
PHONE: 517- 373-1758
EMAIL: SenJRunestad@senate.michigan.gov
As mentioned by Dr. Matthews in a previous communication there is a rationale for forgiving the school days that are missed and there is a rationale for extending the school year. What we all need is clarity so we all can plan accordingly. That is why we need you to contact our State Legislators so that we can get clarity on what the calendar will look like.
I have also attached a link from AFT Michigan for parents to contact our senators regarding our time away from school--Senator Contact Link.
Sample Daily Schedule
The Winter Spirit Wear Sale has been extended!
Orders can be placed on the following website using this link: https://stitchandscribe.com/collections/village-oaks-spirit-wear/Village-Oaks-Spirit-Wear
20% of all spirit wear sales will go directly back to VO!
If you need additional info, please let me know.
Candice Kronsbein, CEO
Stitch & Scribe Inc.
March is Reading Month
A Greener VO
Environmental Topics, Games and Activities for Kids
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has this web resource with lots of great content from kids- everything from
VO Yearbook 2019-2020
VO School Day Conversations
How have you lead with HEART at home?
What is one thing that I did last week at home that I will share with my class when I return?
What is thing that I did to make a loved one smile last week?
Novi Mental Health Alliance--Parent Emporwing Parent Program
The Parent Emporwing Parent Program connects parents in need with parents who know. PEP pairs up a parent who has experienced challenges in his or her own parenting to providing support, encouragement, and knowledge, to another parent going through a similar situation. Below are the flyers for program.
Learn more about the Novi Mental Health Alliance by visiting the website at: https://www.novi.k12.mi.us/community/novi-mental-health-alliance
Volunteer and Donation Opportunities
VOICE 2019-2020
Hello Parents,
Our VOICE (PTO Organization) is seeking volunteers for chairpersons for several of our committees. If you have interest in volunteering with VOICE during this school year, please check out the Sign Up Genius link below. If you'd like more information, please contact Debbie Luke at debbielukehomes@gmail.com
Yearbook Committee Seeking Photos
Do you have some great photos you would love to see in the yearbook?
Please submit them to the Yearbook Committee e-mail: VOYearbookPTO@gmail.com
Be sure to include a description of the event/activity in the photo, as well as the class if appropriate.
VO Flags
One of the things that makes our building so special is our diverse student population--we have families in our community who come from all over the world! To celebrate our global diversity we have hung flags in our cafeteria that represent many of the countries of our VO families. As a gift from VO retirees we were given flags of the following countries: Israel, India, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, South Korea, China, and USA. Thank you to our parents who have also donated the following flags: Poland, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Nepal, Greece, Pakistan, Uruguay, Ecuador, Portugal, Spain, Central African Republic, South Africa, Wales, Iceland, Australia, Armenia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Russia, Scotland and Yemen. If you would like to purchase a flag of your country of origin or to represent one of the many nationalities of our school please visit Amazon and search for an ANLEY 3x5 flag: VO Flags
Before purchasing and donating the flag to our school’s collection please contact me or one of our secretaries with the flag information so we can make sure that another family has not already ordered the same flag.
Lighthouse Leaders Virtual Meeting
4th grade lighthouse leaders met online with Mrs. Pohlonski to select the VOICE scholarship.
Playworks
This year NCSD elementary schools will partner with Playworks to enhance the learning experiences for students throughout the district. Playworks is the leading nonprofit in Michigan and nationally using play to transform schools. A Playworks recess creates a place for every kid on the playground to feel included, be active, and build valuable social and emotional skills. Please click on the link below and read the attached Playworks article to learn more about our partnership and Patrice our Playworks Coach!
Despite the current challenges Playworks is still committed to providing safe and healthy play for every child everyday. We see the work that you are doing to continue to educate our students and we are committed to providing the same SEL learning opportunities we have delivered in your classrooms all year. #PlayworksAtHome is a resource to help families and educators in a variety of formats so students can continue to #PlayAtHome.
Please see the resources below:
Daily online live stream recess on Playworks Facebook (@MakeRecessCount). Starting March 20, a Playworks Coach will provide a virtual recess at 12:00 p.m., 2:00p.m., and 4:00p.m. every school day Monday - Friday
eLearning: Videos of adults leading Playworks games, minute movers, and stretches for kids that can be embedded into eLearning systems, shared on social media, embedded on websites, and more. Check out this example. These resources and more can be found on Playworks.org/PlayAtHome
Play At Home Playbook: This includes instructions for games that are adaptable and can be played with little to no equipment and with the CDC recommended guidelines for social distancing. These can be printed and distributed with homework and/or placed on school websites.
More resources - we also suggest sharing our traditional online Game Library allowing your community access to explore hundreds of games by group size, available space and equipment, appropriate ages, and developmental skills.
We thank you for continuing to be a supporter of play and sharing these resources on your social platforms and networks. We look forward to seeing you on our virtual playground!
Looking Ahead
DATE TBD--Book Fair
4/3/20---*CANCELLED*Celebration of Thinking Grades K, 1 & 2 9:15am-10:15am
4/3/20---*CANCELLED*Celebration of Thinking Grades 3 & 4 2:30pm-3:30pm
4/6/20--NCSD Spring Break Begins
4/13/20--NCSD Spring Break Ends
Parent Pick-up/Parking & Bus Stop Expectations
As you pick-up and drop off your children please be mindful of the following:
- Do not park in front of our neighbors' driveways or mailboxes.
- Park in our parking lot and keep your pet in your car during dismissal.
- For the safety of our students do not walk your children through our bus loop as students are loading/exiting our busses.
- Stay in your car as you drive through our car loop.
- Please do not drop off children before 8:55am. We do not have any supervision outside prior to this time.
- If you arrive late, please walk your child into the office and sign them in.
We ask that you remind your children that VO expectations/rules apply at our bus stops. We expect all of our students to be on their best behavior as they wait for their bus and we appreciate your help.
Thank you for your support!
CARE
Please remember if there is a change in your child's CARE schedule you need to notify Holly Bengle no later than 3:15. She will then contact the teachers. Holly Bengle can be reached at
holly.bengle@novik12.org or (248) 449-1307.
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VILLAGE OAKS MISSION
The mission of Village Oaks Elementary is to create and maintain an educational environment that supports academic achievement, consistent with district, state and national standards to meet all students' learning needs.
VO 2018 National Blue Ribbon Exemplary School
Village Oaks Elementary
VO school hours: 9:08 am-4:00 pm
Office hours: 8:30 am-4:30 pm
Attendance line: 248.449.1301
Office phone number: 248.449.1300
Email: Alexander.ofili@novik12.org
Website: https://vo.novi.k12.mi.us/
Location: Village Oaks Elementary School, Willowbrook Drive, Novi, MI, United States
Phone: 248.449.1300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NoviVillageOaks
Twitter: @NoviVillageOaks