Tiger Tracks
Oakdale Elementary School Newsletter
January 11, 2019
The mission of the Westside Community School District, as an innovative educational system, is to ensure academic excellence and to serve the unique needs of all of our learners.
Oakdale Elementary’s mission is to ensure academic excellence and to serve the unique needs of all learners.
A Message from the Principal
Welcome to the 2nd Semester! Progress reports should have come home with your child today. Parent teacher conferences are scheduled for the end of the 3rd quarter in March and will take place on a Thursday and Tuesday over a two week period. If you have any questions about your child's progress between now and then, do not hesitate to reach out to your teacher via email or phone. We are excited about our students' progress as Oakdale has once again scored above the state and district average for our Nebraska State Assessments!
Please keep checking my weekly emails, monthly newsletters, social media feeds, and calendars for 2nd semester events. Some exciting things that are coming up include: the Winter Snow Ball Dance, the Oakdale Talent Show, and the first ever Moms & Muffins. Be on the lookout for more Oakdale events to come!
Oakdale Promotional Video
Wednesday Dismissal
Students will be dismissed every Wednesday at 3:00.
Please be prompt as teachers are scheduled to leave the building each week to participate in professional learning communities.
Safety Patrol
Winter Weather conditions: Safety Patrol will be cancelled if the temperature or wind chill is below 10 degrees. Please check the KETV website (KETV.com) for weather information.
If you are unable to report to your post, please contact
Mrs. Kratky as soon as possible.
Alternates should also report at the same time(s).
Wednesday afternoon patrol reports from 2:55-3:10 p.m.
Click here to print a copy of the January 14 safety patrol schedule.
For the month of January the social skills
that we will be focusing on are: Getting the Teacher's Attention, Asking Permission, Listening and Working With Others.
Upcoming Events
Jan. 21 NO SCHOOL Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Jan. 21 Board of Ed. Mtg. 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 22 5th & 6th Grade Music Program 7:00 p.m. @ WMS
Jan. 25 Oakdale Winter Dance 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Jan. 29 Raising Cane's Night
Jan. 31 STEAM Night 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
High 5 Drawing
TeamMates Program
If you have 30 minutes each school week to give to a child, consider being a TeamMates mentor. TeamMates provides support and encouragement to students through one-to-one, school-based mentoring. The impact of a TeamMates mentor in the life of a young person is remarkable, with mentees being more hopeful and engaged and seeing improvements in their attendance, behavior, and course performance. Our Oakdale mentors have raved about how the program has given THEM so much in return. If you are interested, contact Mrs. McPadden 402-408-8880.
6th Grade Supports Make a Wish
Mrs. Kratky and Mrs. Schmitz ask 6th graders to “Live Above the Line”. This includes giving back to the community. Each year 6th graders choose a local cause to support. This year students chose Make a Wish as their community service project. The 6th graders are hosting Oakdale Spirit Week to raise funds for Make a Wish. Please help our 6th graders raise funds to donate to their service project. K-6 students may participate in the following spirit days for a $1.00 a day.
Monday, Jan. 14: Crazy Sock Day
Tuesday, Jan 15: Stuffed Animal Day
Wednesday, Jan 16: Read and Feed
Thursday, Jan 17: Sunglass Day
Friday, Jan 18: Hat Day
Also, 6th graders will be selling $1 raffle tickets after school Monday-Thursday in the library, from 3:30 to 3:40. Students purchasing a raffle ticket will be entered into a drawing to play a game with 6th graders during the school day on Friday.
Spring Student Council Try Outs Jan 17
Thank you to the Fall 2018 Oakdale Student Council Representatives
Elementary Unified Activities - Unified STEAM NIGHT
What Are Unified Activities?
The Special Olympics Unified Schools Program is a fast growing initiative that brings students with and without intellectual disabilities together. This year we are excited to bring a Unified STEAM Night opportunity to our schools.
Westside Community Schools is excited to offer our fourth Unified Activity this year.
Where: Oakdale Elementary School 9801 West Center Road, Omaha, NE 68124
When: Thursday, January 31st at 6:00
What: S.T.E.A.M. stands for Science Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. Join us for a fun evening of activities highlighting these key educational areas!
RSVP Needed for Participation
If you and your child(ren) are interested in participating, please download the following linked informational flyer to learn more and to let us know if you are planning to attend.
The Golden Plunger
Enrollment Information
Student In-District Transfer Requests for the 2019-20 School Year
If you are a District resident who would like your K-5 child(ren) to attend an elementary school other than the school that serves your attendance area for next school year, you must submit a completed In-District Transfer (IDT) Request form to the Office of Student Services for review.
The District gives priority to families living within the District prior to placing Option Enrollment applicants who reside outside the District. We must receive a Student In-District Transfer Request form no later than 4:00 p.m. on March 15, 2019, for your request to be considered prior to our placement of Option Enrollment students.
IDT forms are available at the ABC Building and on the District website. An IDT request form must be completed for any child starting kindergarten next year who has one or more siblings currently attending a school outside their home attendance area. Transfers are approved or denied based on available space and other resources. If you have questions about the in-district transfer process, please call 402-343-2603.
Kindergarten Enrollment for District Residents: January 10th - February 15th
Do you live in the District and have a child who will be ready for Kindergarten this fall? Do you know of other Westside residents with children who will be ready to start school in August?
Kindergarten enrollment for 2019-20 begins January 10, 2019. Parents of eligible students should go to westside66.org to begin the enrollment process as early as possible.
Students entering kindergarten for 2019-20 must be five years old by July 31, 2019. Parents may opt to hold their children out of kindergarten for an additional year. However, Nebraska state law mandates that a child who reaches six years of age prior to January 1 of the then-current school year must be enrolled in school.
If you have questions, you may call the Westside Welcome Center at 402-343-2603.
Requirements for Early Admission to Kindergarten
In accordance with Nebraska Statute 79-214, the Westside Community Schools allows for admission of children residing in the District as early entrance kindergarteners through a locally designed testing program. Children of District residents who wish to be tested for early entrance must turn five between August 1 and October 15, 2019. For further information regarding early entrance to kindergarten, please call 402-390-3303.
Kindergarten Enrollment for Non-District Residents
If you live outside the District and have a child eligible for kindergarten who has a sibling currently attending a Westside elementary school through the Option Enrollment program, you must submit an Option Enrollment Application. Option Enrollment Applications must be received by Westside’s Office of Student Services no later than 4:00 p.m. on March 15, 2019. The application form is available at the ABC Building (909 S. 76th Street) and at westside66.org.
Under Option Enrollment statutes, first priority for admission is given to siblings who seek to attend in the District where an older sibling is already enrolled, provided an Option Enrollment form is submitted by March 15 and provided that there is space available in a requested building and grade level.
Community Club
This past week, the Oakdale Community Club welcomed our Tiger staff back from the holiday break with a jolt of energy by bringing in Jo-on-the-Go! We also hosted our monthly Staff Appreciation lunch with generous contributions from Jasonea Shockey, Molly Sciscoe, Julie Wees, Mads Suri, Suzanne Pocras, Jessica Cogswell, Stacey Benson, Adrianne Marinkovich, Jennifer Day, Melissa Tibbits, Melissa Betts, Traci Focht, Rebecca Allen, Susie Prucha, Jill Novotny, Connie & Skip Rice, Vanessa Spader, Amy Brown and Sarah Rider.
Upstream Brewing Company helped us recognize Mrs. Valerie Fisher as staff of the month. We are so thankful for such generous support from our community partners and Oakdale parents in showing our teachers how much they mean to our Tiger family. If you would like to volunteer to join in the fun or have ideas of how we can continue to let our staff know that they are simply the BEST, please emailoakdalehospitality@gmail.com.
Here is a little information to get to know Mrs. Fuller better. Her favorite movie is Wonder. If she could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, it would be Johannes Brahms. And her favorite vacation spot is the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Panda Express Night is coming soon!
Click here to print out your Panda Express flier.
It's time to dance!
Literacy Drive
Join us again this year in donating books to support literacy in our community. Bring your books to drop off at school from now through the end of January.