The Middle Matters
September 20-24, 2021 OMS Parent Newsletter
Inspiring Excellence. Every Learner. Every Day.
Adjusting to School
LET'S CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER: For many of our students, this is the first five-day week of school they have had since March of 2020. The adjustment, as we anticipated, has been challenging for many. Building up stamina for full school days and five-day weeks will take time.
One of the challenges we are facing is student behaviors. If we could, we would ask that you have conversations with your child(ren) about appropriate school behavior. The world of Tik-Tok and other social media platforms continue to influence behaviors in school. A recent Tik-Tok trend to steal items from school hit Owatonna Middle School this week. While students may find these acts funny, they cause damage and take considerable time to investigate.
Social media continues to be one of our biggest challenges. We encourage you to check your child's phone on a regular basis. Snapchat, in particular, is used widely by our students even though students are supposed to be 13 years old to have an account according to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. While this is hard for us to police, all too often we deal with situations that are rooted in social media interchanges.
We will continue to work on things from our end by promoting all of the positives we see, and there are many, while addressing behaviors as they arise.
Calendar
September 20
A Day
Early Bird Choir - 7:00 am - Sopranos/Part 3
Directors Meeting for One-Act Play - 100B
September 21
B Day
No Tech Tuesday
Directors Meeting for One-Act Play 2:45 pm - Rm 100B
September 22
A Day
College Wear Wednesday
SOAR INTERVENTION SCHEDULE (See below)
September 23
B Day
Actors Meeting for One-Act Play -2:45-4:00- Rm 100B
September 24
A Day
Wear your Gray OMS Shirt
SOAR: An Intervention Block
Those who are not pulled by a teacher for classroom needs will have the option to sign up for enrichment activities that cover a wide variety of options. We are excited for this oppotunity for our students as they work to show proficiency in their learning.
COVID-19: PLEASE READ
*If your child is quarantined, they will need to regularly check their Google Classrooms for schoolwork. We will NOT be livestreaming classes. Your child can also reach out to teachers via email.
We are doing our best to stay on top of communication with COVID information. We feel the more information you have, the better informed you are about how cases might affect your child or family. You can follow our COVID-19 positive cases on the district website. We have averaged 1.5% of our student body out at one time with positive cases.
No Visitors
During this unique time, we are not allowing visitors into the building unless it is under special circumstances or by appointment only. If you do have a scheduled appointment, you will need to present a valid ID in order to enter.
Lifetouch Retakes - September 30th - Online Ordering
Let's Smile Dental Clinic
Let’s Smile, Inc. is a non-profit organization that has provided an Oral Health Education Program and Clinical Preventive Dental Services Program in non-traditional settings through mobile dentistry since 2013. Your child’s smile is our top priority. Our entire team is dedicated to providing them with the personalized, gentle care that they deserve.
Clinical preventive dental services provided are for children and adolescents under 20 years old, who are covered by State Insurance: Minnesota Health Care Plans (MHCP) such as MA, South Country Health Alliance, Blue Plus, UCare, or uninsured.
Let's Smile Dental Clinic will be here at OMS on October 5th and 7th. Any ques6tions please contact Sue Schroeder at 444-8737.
A/B Day Calendar
Bell Schedule
Classroom Interruptions
Learning is taken very seriously at OMS; therefore, we try to keep classroom interruptions to a minimum:
-Please do not bring or arrange deliveries of bouquets, balloons, stuffed animals and the like to students. They will not be accepted.
-Encourage students to remember their Chromebooks, lunches, gym clothes, musical instruments, etc. We do not have staff to deliver these items, nor do we call the classrooms to have the students come down and pick up the items.
-Make afterschool arrangements with your student before school, if possible. We do not interrupt classrooms for these types of messages.
We believe that taking these simple steps will reduce interruptions to the classroom and will help our students stay more focused on their learning.
Frequently Asked Questions
My child has an unplanned absence. What should I do? Call the attendance line at 444-8705. Leave your child’s name, grade and a reason for absence. To ensure the health and safety of all students and staff, please list specific symptoms of illness for Public Health Tracking. Please leave parent's name and a phone number where we can reach you at in case we have further questions.
My child is going to be absent in the future. How should I handle this? You may call the attendance line in advance at 444-8705. Leave your child’s name, reason for absence and the date(s) they will be gone.
If I have questions about my child’s attendance, who should I call? You may call Mrs. Denton at 444-8711.
My child will be late coming to school due to an appointment or leaving early due to an appointment? What should I do? For late arrivals: Please call the attendance line at 444-8705 before 9:00 am. State your child’s name and reason they will be arriving late. When they arrive, they may enter through the 15th St NE doors and go directly to the office to check in with Mrs. Denton to get a pass to class.
For early dismissals: Call the attendance line before 9:00 am. Leave your son/daughter’s name, reason for dismissal and the time you want them dismissed. They will receive a pass before their departure time. They may keep this pass to show their teacher. The student then proceeds to the 15th St NE doors and shows the Security Guard their pass. When they see you pull up, they may head out to your vehicle. It is not necessary to come in to the building.
The 15th St NE entrance are the only doors students may enter and exit through between 8:10-2:40 pm.
Can my child get homework if they are absent? Homework can be requested if the student has been gone more than two days. You may call or email the teachers to gather the homework. Typically we require one full school day to gather the homework for students. If possible, the teachers may email you the homework; otherwise, it may be picked up in the office at the end of the school day.
How is my child doing in school? Parent Portal is a very useful tool to follow your child’s progress in school with grades and attendance. If you have not yet requested a username and password, please contact your child’s counselor.
Lindsey Hugstad-Vaa: Students A through K 444-8724
Olivia Gullickson: Students L through Z 444-8548
If you have any questions about grades or assignments, please contact your child’s teacher. If you are concerned about a pattern that you are seeing with academics, please contact your child’s counselor. Their contact information can be found on the website.
Conferences are also held two times per year. You are encouraged to attend with your child. The dates are October 25 and 28 and again on March 10. All conferences are held in the gyms and run from 3:30-7:00 pm. (These dates may be subject to change.)
Who do I contact if I am concerned about my child’s mental health and personal well being. Please contact the school social worker that corresponds to your last initial.
Sue Schroeder: Students A through K 444-8727
Chely Flores: Students L through Z 444-8719
How do I pay on my child’s lunch account? There is a payment box outside the office where your son/daughter can drop off payments. Please put it in an envelope and write your child’s full name and grade. You may also pay online on the My Payments Plus site. It can be found on the OMS Homepage.
We are at home and having problems with our Chromebook, who do I call? Please call the Chromebook Technology Hotline at 444-8630 or fill out this form.
I have to work late and want to pick up my child late. Can they just hang out at the school? Can I drop them off early? All students must be dropped off after 7:55 a.m. and picked up by 2:50 p.m.
Chromebooks
Every student must bring their Chromebook to school every day, fully charged.
Teachers will be using these on a daily basis; it is crucial your child brings his/her computer to school every day!
Drop-Off and Pick-up
We just wanted to remind everyone that there is no student drop-off before or after school hours on 15th St NE. The cones will be out as a reminder. Please do not drive around the cones.
When dropping off in the morning, please drop off on St. Paul Rd. If you use the parking lot, pull all the way around the lot to the outdoor basketball court to drop off at Door 13. You may do the same in the afternoon for pick up. We do not want students dropped off at the athletic entrance. When you are leaving the parking lot, as the signs indicate, it is right turn only.
We are concerned with the safety of our students and continue to look for the best way to handle student drop-off and pick-up. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Another reminder that students do not enter the building until 7:55. Likewise, we'd like all students to be out of the building by 2:50. Teachers and staff may have meetings, etc. Please keep this in mind when determining your child's drop-off and pick-up times.