VO News You Can Use
Dr. O's Weekly Parent Newsletter
NCSD Mission Statement
Developing each student's potential with a world class education.
August 27, 2018
Dear Village Oaks Families,
The countdown until the first day of school continues and our entire staff is so excited to kick off the new year! For the past few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of watching many staff members come into our building eagerly to set up their classrooms, create lessons, and meet with their colleagues as they prepare for another dynamic school year. Our staff can't wait to meet you and your children during Open House on Wednesday, August 29th from 6:30pm-7:30pm.
This week all of our teachers will officially return to work and we will all take part in district-wide professional development in-services starting with a two-day learning event known as IMPACT. During IMPACT Novi staff and students will present and participate in a wide range of interactive educational sessions. I’m happy to share with you that some of our VO faculty will lead different sessions during IMPACT highlighting some of the great work we are doing in our building! For those of you with Twitter accounts I encourage you to visit #NCSDimpact18 on Twitter on 8/27 and 8/28 to witness some of the experiences from the event.
Below are a few bits of important information for you to review as you enjoy the last few days of summer with your children:
- Please return the Student Emergency Information Record form that you received in the mail last week to your child's teacher during Open House.
- Open House will take place on Wednesday, August, 29 from 6:30pm-7:30pm.
- Transportation schedules will be available on the Parent Portal in MISTAR on Thursday, August 30.
- First day of school is Tuesday, September 4th.
Questions about our CARE program (after/before school daycare) can be directed to Holly Bengle. Holly can be reached at holly.bengle@novik12.org or (248) 449-1307.
- The NEF All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast is Saturday, September 8 from 7:30am-10:30am. (See flyer below.)
Sincerely,
Alex
VO Playworks 2018-2019
Dear Village Oaks Parents,
I’m excited to share some big news. This year, we are bringing a “program of play” to our school through the Playworks TeamUp program!
We are proud to partner with Playworks to make recess a fun, inclusive time for every student in our community. Playworks is the leading national nonprofit 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. You can learn more at www.playworks.org.
Get Excited!
A Playworks site coordinator will be working with us to create a safe, inclusive, and fun recess for all students at our school. The site coordinator will spend one week out of every month at our school to train, build and sustain a high-functioning recess. Our recess team staff will implement these new strategies to help all students at our school experience safe and healthy play every day.
Learn more at https://www.playworks.org/services/welcome/teamup/
Here’s some Playworks videos:
Thank you for your support. We look forward to building and sustaining a community of safe and healthy play!
Sincerely,
Alex and Coach P
Summer Math Packets
Please remind your first, second, third, and fourth grade child to complete and turn in their Math Summer Packet by Friday, September 7th. We provide a treat for all students who complete and turn in their packets!
Building Hours
Due to the Labor Day holiday and professional development for our staff district-wide our building will be closed from 11:30 am on Thursday, August 30 - Monday, September 3th. Our building will reopen at 8:15am on Tuesday, September 4th.
2018-2019 Supply Lists
2018-2019 Curriculum Nights
Please mark the following dates on your calendars:
Kindergarten--September 13 at 6:30pm
1st grade -- September 27 at 6:30pm
2nd grade--September 20 at 6:30pm
3rd grade--September 26 at 6:30pm
4th grade--September 12 at 6:30pm
Specials Curriculum Night --October 4 at 6:30pm
VO School Day Conversations
- At VO it is important to be kind. Can you think about a time when you were kind to someone else during summer break?
- What are you most excited about for the upcoming school year?
- What is one thing you learned how to do over summer break?
At VO, we have HEART!
In Novi Community School District we believe in promoting high expectations for academics, meeting the emotional well being of our students and celebrating positive behavior for all of our learners.
At Village Oaks Elementary, we are building a culture of collaboration, leadership, and citizenship. As a school community, we strive to:
- Have a growth mindset
- Empathize and show kindness
- Act responsibly
- Respect everyone
- Team up and collaborate with others
As a Leader in Me school each Friday we are committed to developing leaders with HEART through a series of different activities, lessons, and assemblies known as Leaderific Fridays! Check out our promo below...
Novi Food Service
Information regarding our lunch program and monthly menus can also be found on the district web-page. Go to the section District and choose Food Service. Applications for free and reduced lunch are also located on this web-site. Please remember you must apply each year in order for your child to receive free or reduced lunch prices. Lunch prices will be 2.50 for lunch. Milk comes with lunch but students can purchase just milk for .50 cents. Village Oaks also offers a breakfast program. Students can purchase breakfast for 1.50. Fees will be deducted from your child’s lunch account.
Safe Routes To School
Last year NCSD partnered with the City of Novi to participate in the Safe Routes to School program. In order to secure grant funds for any and all sidewalks that might be in need of repair throughout the city of Novi we need as many parents as possible to complete the VO Parent Survey SRTS below. For more information on the Safe Routes to School initiative please see the attached link below.
2018-2019 VOICE Board Members
We are in need of new parents to join our VOICE Board this year! Attached is a flyer explaining all of the great things VOICE does for VO and the process to become a member. Thank you!
VOICE
Volunteer and Donation Opportunities
PTO is CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!
Your support to our school in the volunteering of your time is extremely valuable to all of us! We cannot help our students and staff in the planned activities without YOU! Please consider signing up for one of our committees at the link below: VOICE Link
Your time is so greatly valued and appreciated!
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 our retirees from last year we were given ten flags of the following countries: Israel, India, England, 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, and Armenia. 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.
Playworks
Village Oaks & Orchard Hills Elementary were the first two elementary schools in NCSD to become part of the Play movement and make play a priority with Playworks in the 2017-2018 school year! This year all 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!
During our Open House, please visit our gymnasium to meet Coach Patrice and other Playworks representatives to discover the great work that will take place at VO during 2018-2019 school year!
Looking Ahead
8/29/18--Open House: 6:30pm-7:30pm
8/30/18--Transportation Schedules are viewable on the MISTAR Parent Portal
9/4/18--First day of school: 9:08am-4:00pm
9/8/18--NEF All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast: 7:30am-10:30am
Parent Pick-up/Parking & Bus Stop Expectations
As you pick up your children before/after school please be mindful of our neighbors and do not park in front of their driveways or mailboxes. We also ask that parents please park in our parking lot and keep your pets in your cars. Thank you for your understanding.
Please remind our students that VO expectations/rules apply at our bus stops. We ask that all students are on their best behavior as they wait for their bus.
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. Thank you.
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.
Keep Connected on Twitter
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.
Village Oaks Elementary
VO school hours: 9:08 am-4:00 pm
Office hours: 8:15 am-4:15 pm
Attendance line: 248.449.1301
Office phone number: 248.449.1300
Email: Alexander.ofili@novik12.org
Website: www.novi.k12.mi.us/vo/
Location: Village Oaks Elementary School, Willowbrook Drive, Novi, MI, United States
Phone: 248.449.1300
Twitter: @NoviVillageOaks