Ocean Avenue School News
September 2019 ~ Volume 38, Issue 38
Principal's Message
We are pleased to share this information with our parents and community and welcome your support and involvement in helping to improve the performance of our students and our schools.
All ESEA report cards are now housed within the ESEA Dashboard. The ESEA Dashboard is available here: https://www.maine.gov/doe/dashboard.
IN OCTOBER, IB STANDS FOR “Be an Inquirer!”
We know that IB stands for “International Baccalaureate” and that Ocean Ave School celebrates being part of the international coalition of IB schools offering the Primary Years Program (PYP) around the world.
In October, our Ocean Ave community thinks about IB in a different way. We’re thinking about how we can Be Inquirers by showing our CURIOSITY--how we observe the world around us, wonder how it works and how it interconnects with us and others; how we ask deep questions, look for answers, explore to understand more, consider what we learn to make better sense of the world, and put our new learning to work through the actions we take and the new questions we uncover. This natural cycle of learning is often called THE INQUIRY CYCLE, where we consciously notice how powerfully we learn when we are curious and pursue our own understanding of the world and ourselves.
Becoming a curious inquirer is a lifelong journey for everyone, and at Ocean Ave, we continue to build and reflect on our learning and teaching through the Inquiry process. We think about this continuous process as:
TUNE IN ----> FIND OUT ----> MAKE MEANING ----> TAKE ACTION
AT HOME: Talk with your student, and your family members, about how YOU learn something new. What motivates you to look into something new? How do you form your questions? Where do you go for answers? How do you make sense of what you learn? What do you do with your new understanding? What new questions seem to come out of this process?
Classroom News and Happenings
Kindergarten News
Kindergarten students are off to a great start!
The emphasis during the first weeks of school is on encouraging the children to increase their self-confidence as they accomplish an increasing number of tasks independently. The children are now able to walk into the classroom on their own every morning, hang up their jackets and backpacks, and begin their day.
Classroom discussions and role-playing activities are designed to teach students to be Respectful, Responsible, and Safe. Together, students are learning new routines and establishing the foundations for a comfortable learning environment.
Students have begun their first IB trans-disciplinary unit of inquiry. The central idea is: Learning about each other helps us understand and connect to others in the world.
This is a perfect unit for the beginning of the year, as students learn about each other and explore:
- How humans are alike and different from each other,
- What humans need to grow and learn, and
- How we learn at school.
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SAVE THE DATE! Wednesday, September 25, 5-6 PM
Kindergarten Curriculum Night
Parents will meet in their child’s classroom while teachers present key points of the Kindergarten curriculum. This will be a great opportunity to meet other Kindergarten parents and ask questions about our program.
Third Grade News
Portraits of Portland's Present
WHO WE ARE...as Third Graders!
We are kicking off the goal setting this year with our very own Wishtree. This tradition can be found in many cultures throughout the world. We are adapting our wishtree to celebrate our hopes and dreams for Third Grade 2019.
Check out this link if you want to learn more about Wishtrees.
We are reading Wishtree, by Katherine Applegate and here is a review on the book from the NY Times: https://nyti.ms/2x7jYC8
THIRD GRADE READING AND WRITING
BUILDING A READING LIFE
Look for your student to be talking about they are going to set themselves up to be the best readers they can be this year!
THIRD GRADE MATH
We've been diving into the pilot math program with intensity! We are building our foundational knowledge with visual representations of multiplication before we even say it!
Fourth Grade News
In order to motivate, improve problem solving skills, communication and collaboration, the fourth graders spent some of Friday afternoon participating in team building activities. Passing a hula hoop around a classroom circle, then an entire 4th grade circle was a favorite. We also tried to squeeze an entire classroom into a hula hoop that was placed on the ground! Lots of laughter and cooperation was the result!
Art Room News
Below is a picture of some of the pledges students are working on in Art, showing that they will be responsible, respectful, and safe in the art room, and school.
Library News
We also are excited to welcome our new kindergarten classes to the library. We've been reading and singing and learning all about book care and how to be responsible in the library and with library books. Students have shared what they like to read about and are starting to explore and talk about different stories with each other. Welcome Kindergarteners!
Music Notes
Welcome to the OAES music classroom! It has been wonderful getting to know our musicians
this fall. September has already been a very active month in the music room.
K, 1st and 2nd grade students have been hard at work exploring our singing voice, practicing high and low sounds, learning the difference between our chanting and singing voice and echoing new silly songs. We have been listening to different styles of music, practicing steady beat and demonstrating active listening skills, and of course moving to music-one of our favorite activities!
3rd grade students have been working on singing canons (or rounds) and playing music games that develop cooperation, teamwork and listening skills.
4th and 5th grade students have been focusing on learning about the instruments of the orchestra and their qualities. Students in 4th grade can sign up to be in strings and students in 5th grade can sign up to be in band this year.
Strings: Your child can learn a string instrument in the 4th grade: violin, viola, cello or double bass. Students receive once-weekly instruction at school.
Band: Your child can learn a band instrument in the 5th grade: flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, horn, trombone, baritone, or percussion. Students receive twice-weekly instruction at school.
Join the Chorus: The Ocean Avenue chorus is an additional music ensemble which meets on Thursday from 3-3:45 PM this year. Chorus is open to all students in grades 4 and 5, no audition is required. Students rehearse after school in the music room. If your child would like to join the chorus, we will have our first rehearsal on Thursday, October 10th at 3 PM. Permission slips will be going home with your child. Chorus provides students with more opportunity to involve their mind, bodies and voices in music making and performing. Students will be learning how to sing and move as a group, develop healthy vocal techniques and musical expression. Participating in chorus also helps develop friendships, social skills, a sense of accomplishment, commitment and pride. The purpose of the group is to sing and perform a variety of musical styles, and to prepare for special performances both in and outside the school.
Strings Opportunity for Kindergarten Students
A community group known as Palaver Strings is offering a beginner strings class for kindergarten students. For info, visit https://www.palaverstrings.org/afterschoolstrings.
Palaver strings is a musician-led strings ensemble that is dedicated to strengthening and inspiring community through music. It offers affordable private lessons, group classes and an instrument (violin, viola, cello) to all students enrolled in the program.
Physical Education News
Ocean Avenue's Family Handbook 2019-2020
At OAES, we are a community of learners who support each other and work together. Parents and guardians of our students know our Ocean Avenue School Family Handbook is an excellent resource to find answers to just about any question you might have about the policies, practices, and facilities at Ocean Ave School.
Please CLICK HERE to access The OAES Family Handbook for 2019-20. The handbook is in alphabetical order by topic, so check the table of contents to easily find the answer you are looking for!
If you have further questions, principal Dr. Stevens, assistant principal Ms. Girsch or any of our office staff will be glad to help you.
Morning Drop-Off Reminder!
Students should NOT be dropped off at school before 8:15 AM, unless it is pre-planned or they are attending before school clubs or morning Rec.
Walk (or Bike) to School Day is October 2!
Enjoy the sounds of the neighborhood, see friends and neighbors and feel connected with your community on the walk to school. Parents, children and friends can enjoy each other’s company without the usual distractions. And walking (or biking) is a healthy choice for you and for the environment! All good reasons to join in on Walk to School Day!
All of October is Walk to School Month and International Walk to School Day is October 2. Join the movement that inspires entire communities to come together and promote health and safer routes for students to walk and bike to school. While October 2 is the official focus day in 2019, we encourage you to participate and to celebrate any day in October that best fits your schedules. Enjoy the walking (or biking)!
Volunteering at OAES
Ocean Avenue welcomes parent and community volunteers every year who help support our school in numerous ways. All volunteers must fill out a Volunteer Application online, and that application needs to be updated every 3 years.
If you are a returning volunteer, please be aware that you might need to update your application. If you are not sure, please feel free to contact Sylvie Montello, Ocean Avenue's Community Coordinator,
montes@portlandschools.org to see if your application needs to be updated.
Nurse Notes ~ Vision & Hearing Screening
If you receive a referral, please schedule your child for an evaluation with an eye doctor as soon as possible and let me know the results of their evaluation. If your child needs glasses, and you are having difficulty getting them, please let me know so that we can talk about options. I may be able to help.
Many thanks!
~ Nurse Laurie
Navigating Traffic and Parking ~ REMINDERS!
Here are some tips some experienced parents have shared with us at school:
- Be sure to obey all the speed limits on and surrounding the school grounds. This will help avoid a $300+ ticket.
- During drop-off times, use the parent loop (off Ocean Avenue) in order to avoid being stuck by the buses.
- Drop off in the circle should be a kiss-and-go. If parents need to park, please pull into a parking space to allow for a smoother traffic pattern for others.
- During pick-up time, park on the streets (Walton, Macworth and Austin) and walk up to the parent pick-up area. This avoids the jam, with a bonus of a little time to walk with your child while the day is still fresh in their mind. PLEASE NOTE: If parking on Walton, please do NOT park right near the school entrance, as this can make it difficult for our buses to turn into the school parking lot at dismissal time.
Rules your child's teacher wants you to follow:
- Please meet your child at the designated parent pick-up areas.
- Leaving early is lost learning time.
- Meeting your child outside of the pick-up area leads to confusion, and your child's teacher is managing 20+ students at dismissal time. If your dismissal plan changes, please notify school as early as possible, but NO LATER THAN 2 PM. After this time, the message might not make it to the teacher and child. Managing many changes leads to confusion. Any changes require a parent/guardian to contact the school through note, email or phone call.
A couple of other thoughts:
- Just a reminder - it is illegal to pass a bus with flashing red lights, whether on or off the school grounds.
- If you need to enter the school for a meeting, search lost and found, etc., please enter the Walton Street side to park in our visitor parking area (by the front door).
- When parking, please be mindful of the handicap parking spaces. We do have several parents requiring the use of these spaces. We also have vans picking up students with special needs using these spaces.
Thank you for helping us work this out for all parents!