VO News You Can Use
Dr. O's Weekly Parent Newsletter
NCSD Mission Statement
Developing each student's potential with a world class education.
September 3, 2018
Dear Village Oaks Families,
It was a pleasure meeting so many of you during our Open House--I truly enjoyed the experience! For those of you who I did not have the privilege of meeting last week I encourage you to introduce yourself to me as you drop off or pick up your child during the first weeks of school. This year I will continue to connect with as many parents as possible and discover how I can be of service to you as your principal. Through partnering with parents and receiving your feedback about our school I will become more informed about ways to improve our building which I will share with our staff as we work towards making VO an even more dynamic place for all students to learn!
This year we have some new additions to our VO family. To help parents learn more about the wonderful professionals in our building I will provide information on our new staff members throughout the year in my weekly newsletter.
Please see the flyer below for our Pancake Breakfast:
- The NEF All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast is Saturday, September 8 from 7:30am-10:30am.
Sincerely,
Alex
Dr. Matthews, our superintendent, has encouraged all personnel to capture the great work that’s going on throughout the district on Twitter--visit #NoviFirstDay and #Novipride on Twitter to see all of the learning and fun from building to building. Please visit our VO homepage and scroll down to our Twitter feed to view some of the activities that are occurring in our building from day-to-day.
VO Staff Getting Ready for the First Day!
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!
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
- Before exiting the cafeteria at VO what do students do?
- What was your favorite thing about the first day of school?
- What's an important classroom rule that you learned on the first day of school?
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
At Village Oaks, lunch and recess are great times of the day for our students to socialize with their peers and learn valuable lessons to help them develop as students. This year Melissa Kruger will be our Lead Lunch Supervisor and Playworks Liaison. In this role she will work with other lunch supervisors and Coach P from Playworks to make sure our students are leading with HEART during their lunch period. Feel free to reach out to Mrs. Kruger at Melissa.kruger@novik12.org if you have any questions regarding lunch or recess at VO. Below is a picture of Mrs. Kruger.
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!
Learn more at https://www.playworks.org/services/welcome/teamup/
Here are some additional Playworks videos:
Looking Ahead
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
9/12/18--4th Grade Curriculum Night: 6:30pm-7:30pm
9/13/18--Kindergarten Curriculum Night: 6:30pm-7:30pm
9/14/18--Fire Drill #1
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