Welcome To Oakview
2021-2022
Dear Oakview Families,
I hope you are having a wonderful summer and are eager to start the new school year.
The staff and I look forward to welcoming all of our students into our amazing learning community. I welcome and value your positive energy and dedication to excellence in education, and I look forward to working with you and your children.
Ms. Gilman our Assistant Principal and I would like to take this time to formally introduce ourselves to families that are new to our school. My name is Mrs. Laura Sandy and I will proudly be entering my sixteenth year happily serving the field of education with fifteen of those years being in the West Deptford School District. I began my career as a teacher in the district before becoming the WDMS Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction and now the honored principal of Oakview Elementary School. This will be my second year as the principal at Oakview Elementary School. Ms. Jennifer Gilman will be entering her twenty-fifth year in NJ public schools. She truly loves what she does, and she has had many diverse roles in preschool and elementary education prior to becoming an Assistant Principal in West Deptford. Both Ms. Gilman and I are reflective and collaborative practitioners. We are always trying to improve and make things better for our students. At Oakview Elementary School, we look forward to building strong relationships with all families and providing ongoing communication regarding your child.
This newsletter is filled with a tremendous amount of information to provide families with details pertaining to the structure of our school day. Our skilled and devoted staff is already planning and preparing for your child(ren). Our enthusiastic office team is updating student files, connecting with families, and preparing for our first day of school. Our hard-working and conscientious custodians have spent the entire summer thoroughly cleaning the facility and arranging classrooms. And, our much-appreciated PTO is gearing up to welcome families, provide volunteer opportunities, and support the three elementary schools. We are indeed a caring community with the common goals of nurturing responsible, caring students and promoting high-level learning.
Please enjoy the remaining summer days with your family and friends. We look forward to seeing your child on the first day of school Wednesday, September 8th.
Warmest Regards,
Laura Sandy
Principal
New Arrival and Dismissal Times
Class Placements
Special Area Classes
- Music on day 1
- Art on day 2
- Spanish on day 3
- Physical Education on day 4
Your child's teacher will provide further communication during the first week of school to indicate their rotation of specials. Please refer to our school activity calendar where we also outline the special cycle days.
Arrival
During the week of August 16th, you will receive transportation information in the mail outlining your child's bus number and bus stop location. In this mailing, you will also receive a sticker with your child's school information. Please have your child wear the sticker to school on the first day. This information will support our arrival and dismissal procedures. On the first day of school, your child will receive a lanyard with their name, their teacher's name, and their dismissal information (ie bus number or parent/walker information). It is important that your child brings/wears this lanyard to school for the month of September to support our arrival and dismissal process. You can attach the lanyard to their bookbag or they can wear it to school.
For the first week or two of school, students arriving on the bus and by parent drop-off will be escorted by a staff member to the playground blacktop to stand in line in front of their teacher. When the entire class is present, the students will be escorted by their teacher to the front entrance of the school. There, the teacher will show the students how to find their class with the goal that after two weeks, students will be able to directly report to their classroom upon arrival.
Dismissal
There are 4 ways students are dismissed at the end of the day at Oakview Elementary School:
bus riders
walkers (determined by the school district)
parent/guardian pickups
Young Eagles Program (YEP)
If you occasionally plan to pick up your child at dismissal, it is imperative that you inform your child's teacher and the main office by 12:00 pm of the day you plan to pick-up your child(ren). If you plan to pick up your child daily and your child is not considered a "walker" please contact the main office as soon as possible at 856-845-1856 so we can update our dismissal records.
Parents/guardians who are picking up their child(ren) may do so as early as 3:10 pm at the side entrance of the building near the playground. In addition, please do not park your vehicle in the front loop as it prevents the buses from getting in to pick up the other students. You are welcome to park in the side lot if spaces are available or on the side streets leading up to Oakview. When picking up your child, please be sure to bring your photo ID.
Please note that students participating in the Young Eagles Program (YEP) must sign out with the YEP staff.
Breakfast, Lunch & Snack
Breakfast & Lunch
Good news! A breakfast and lunch will be available FREE to all students. Students will be offered breakfast in their classroom at the start of every school day. If a student would like a second lunch, the cost of that lunch is $1.50. If your child is eligible to receive Free or Reduced Lunch, please be sure to submit a form for your child/children. (Link to Form)
All students need to bring in a peanut-free/nut-free working snack that they will eat in the classroom during the designated time the teacher provides.
Oakview is also excited to use the newly purchased water filling stations that are located around the school. Students are encouraged to bring a water bottle to school. The water bottle can be refilled in school at the filling stations. Juice, soda, Gatorade, or other liquids are prohibited as they become sticky if they spill and can damage electronics in the classroom. Please be sure to label your child's water bottle with his/her first and last names.
Preschool and Kindergarten Open House
Kindergarten Open House will take place on Wednesday, September 1st at Oakview Elementary School. Families will attend one of two time slots that they signed up for on the SignUp Genius (Link).
Preschool Open House
- Mrs. Lex & Mrs. Casey's class: 10:00-11:00 am
- Mrs. Costino's class: an email was sent by Mrs. Costino to arrange a specific time
Kindergarten Open House
- 9:30-10:15 am
OR - 10:45-11:30 am
Required Kindergarten Immunizations
The State of New Jersey requires the following booster vaccine immunizations for kindergarten enrollment (per N.J.A.C. 8:57-4):
- DTaP: a total of 4 doses with one of these doses given on or after the 4th birthday, or any 5 doses
- Polio (IPV): a total of 3 doses with one of these doses given on or after the 4th birthday, or any 4 doses
- MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella): 2 doses
- Varicella (Chickenpox): 1 dose
- Hepatitis B: 3 doses
You may send the documents via mail to Oakview Elementary School:
Oakview Elementary School
ATTN: School Nurse, Cindy Cobb
350 DuBois Avenue
West Deptford, NJ 08096
If the doctor’s office wishes to fax the documents, here’s the school fax number:
(856) 845-3241
If you have any questions, you can reach Mrs. Cobb via email: ccobb@wdeptford.k12.nj.us.
Required Preschool Immunizations
The State of New Jersey requires the following booster vaccine immunizations for enrollment (per N.J.A.C. 8:57-4):
- DTap (4 doses)
- Polio (3 doses)
- Hib (1-4 doses; one must be administered after the 1st birthday)
- Pneumococcal (1-4 doses; one must be administered after the 1st birthday)
- MMR (1 dose after 1st birthday)
- Varicella (1 dose after 1st birthday)
- ANNUAL Flu shot (1 dose each year between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31st, if under age 5)
*NOTE: Flu shots administered before September 1st will not be accepted for the current school year.
Also, please submit a PHYSICAL EXAM [must have been conducted within the last 365 days prior to the first day of school].
You may send the documents via mail to Oakview Elementary School:
Oakview Elementary School
ATTN: School Nurse, Cindy Cobb
350 DuBois Avenue
West Deptford, NJ 08096
If the doctor’s office wishes to fax the documents, here’s the school fax number:
(856) 845-3241
If you have any questions, you can reach Mrs. Cobb via email: ccobb@wdeptford.k12.nj.us.
Bus Safety
Mrs. Thomas-Hasko, our district transportation coordinator, has provided the following information regarding bus safety and FAQ transportation questions. Although the video suggests being at the bus stop 5 minutes prior to your pick-up time, the district recommends being at your bus stop 10 minutes in advance. Please reach out to Mrs. Thomas-Hasko at sthomashasko@wdeptford.k12.nj.us if you have any questions.
Communication
We keep our school community well-informed regarding important dates, events, and activities through a multitude of channels. In addition to maintaining a calendar on the school website, upcoming events and important information are also outlined in our Oakview Monthly newsletter emailed by Mrs. Sandy. In addition, social media is also a wonderful way to stay connected with our school. Oakview is on both Facebook (Oakview Elementary) and Twitter (@OVELEM). Please follow us on both accounts for up-to-date photos, news, and events.
Please refer to our 2021-2022 Student and Family Handbook for more details regarding our Oakview school day. Please keep in mind that some of the information in this document is specific to a typical school year. This information can be found on our school website or by clicking this link.
Oakview Apparel Sale
The WDES PTO
Important Links and Dates
- 2021-2022 District Calendar
- Oakview Elementary School Calendar (updated frequently)
- Young Eagles Program
- Free/Reduced Lunch Applications
- Breakfast & Lunch Menus
- PaySchools Central (online student lunch account balance)
- Oakview School Supply List
- WD Transportation FAQ
- Student & Family Handbook
- Code of Conduct
- Fall Picture Day: September 30 (more information to come)
- Oakview Back-to-School Night: September 23, 2021
(Session I: 5:30-6:30 pm Pre-K & K Families)
(Session II: 7:00-8:00 pm 1st grade Families)
About Us
Email: lsandy@wdeptford.k12.nj.us
Website: https://oes.wdeptford.k12.nj.us/
Location: 350 Dubois Avenue, West Deptford, NJ, USA
Phone: 856-845-1856
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Oakview-1551556508493655/
Twitter: @ovelem