Oakhurst Weekly
August 11, 2022
From the Principal
Greetings Oakhurst Family,
Our second week of school has been as fantastic as the first week! I have honestly never had a school opening that ran this smoothly. Everyone from district personnel, Oakhurst staff and parents have worked together to make certain everything is in order. To ensure all of our students are in a safe environment and performing at their best, please remember the following:
Valuable instructional time is lost when students arrive late or depart early.
Fully enclosed shoes prevent injuries.
A light jacket or sweater will keep your child warm in some of our cold areas.
An item that can be laid on the ground would be ideal to sit on when dining outside.
Thank you so much everyone for contributing to our great school opening, and I hope to see you next Tuesday, August 16 at our first PTA meeting!
Yours in service,
Sharon Gay
Interim Principal
From the AP
Greetings Families,
I cannot be more excited about the year to come after such an amazing start! We have enjoyed many moments of laughter, fun, and learning so far and I look forward to more of the same.
Our Crew lessons over the past two weeks have been devoted to getting to know each other and sharing ways to be kind and responsible. Next week Crew lessons will focus on ways that we can be safe and help others be safe as well. We will discuss ways to be safe with our bodies, our words, and our feelings.
The Fall administration of MAP testing will be conducted during the next two weeks on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with make-up sessions scheduled as needed. 1st and 2nd grade will test August 16th-18th and Kindergarten will test August 23rd-25th. There is no preparation needed but please make sure that if your student is in Kindergarten or 1st grade they come to school with headphones for the test.
Thank you all for everything that you are doing at home to support the wonderful work we are doing here at Oakhurst!
Yours in Learning and Love,
Ms. Young
Coach's Corner
Hello Oakhurst Families,
When you think back to your school experience, there are probably certain memories that stick out - some positive, and maybe some less so. The memories in our building everyday help to show me that Oakhurst teachers work to nurture the love of learning everyday. One part of this love of learning is cultivating and nurturing a love of reading and math and this is in full swing in every classroom across our building. All classes kicked off their Lit Lab within the ARC reading framework. ARC opens their frameworks with a quote from William Butler Yeats, “Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.”
- Cindy Aldridge
Nurse Notes
Weekly COVID-19 Surveillance Testing
Oakhurst Elementary will begin COVID-19 surveillance testing on Thursday mornings, beginning 8/18, and will continue testing weekly for the foreseeable future. If you would like your child to participate in surveillance testing at Oakhurst Elementary, please complete this consent form for the 2022-23 school year. Last year’s consent will not be accepted. If you have had previous COVID-19 testing at the Wilson Center, you will still need to complete this consent for testing at Oakhurst, as they are location-specific. Please read the answers to the Frequently Asked Questions here. If you have any additional questions, please contact Nurse Durham at ddurham@csdecatur.net.
CSD Health Card
Parents & Families, thank you to all who have returned their child’s CSD Health Card. If you haven’t yet, please complete and send in the cards as soon as possible. If you did not receive a CSD Health Card in your child’s folder, please contact your teacher and we can make sure one goes home in your child’s backpack. As always, if you would like to discuss your child’s health condition/concerns with me, please reach out to ddurham@csdecatur.net or by phoning the main office number and asking to speak with Nurse Durham.
For any health-related questions or concerns, please contact Nurse Durham at 404-371-4470 or ddurham@csdecatur.net.
School Notes/Announcements
Reminder for after school car riders:
If you need another tag for an additional vehicle or approved additional pick-up contact, please email your child's name and teacher's name to eguerrieri@gmail.com and we will send one home with your student.
If you do not bring your card, please allow extra time for this process. Thank you for helping us make sure our procedures for keeping children safe are followed with integrity.
K-5 Google Workspace Password Reset (Student passwords have changed!)
Student login information has changed to include the word "student" before the student's ID number in the password. For example, if Willy Wonka is a student with the ID 12345, his username is the last two digits of his ID + the first four letters of both first name and last name. So, Willy Wonka's username and password are:
45WillWonk
student12345
Oakhurst SLT Elections This Fall
The most important requirement of an SLT member is to have an honest desire to contribute to the educational experience and learning of all children at Oakhurst Elementary. We hope you will consider being a part of this very important work! Those interested should contact Jennifer Young, our Assistant Principal (jeyoung@csdecatur.net) and Cindy Aldridge, our Instructional Coach (caldridge@csdecatur.net) to share their interest, along with a short bio to add to our voting form. Thank you for your support!
The deadline for bios is 8/26. Elections will be held electronically on 8/31.
Feel free to contact any of our current parent representatives with questions or for further information including Erica Bacher (Parent)-ebacher@csdecatur.net and Jeff Carter (Parent) - jcarter@csdecatur.net.
PTA
School Supplies for 22 - 23 School Year
The Oakhurst PTA ensures that every student has a full school supply kit with everything they need at the beginning of the school year! If you are able to pay for your child’s supplies, please contribute $35 per student to the PTA via the information below.
If you are unable to do so, please know that all children will receive the needed supplies regardless of reimbursement. If you'd like to donate above the requested amount to help cover these costs, we invite you to do so!
Thank you for your support of the Oakhurst PTA!
How to Pay - $35 per Oakhurst student:
-Cash/Check (made out to Oakhurst PTA): leave at the front desk
-PayPal: Pay to oakhurstelementaryschoolpta@gmail.com or go to paypal.me/OakhurstPTA.
ROOM PARENTS WANTED & PTA COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS!
Room parents help to support and celebrate our teachers and staff, keep classmates updated on PTA events, and help create community within the classroom! If you’re interested in volunteering, please let your child’s teacher know!
Interested in serving on a PTA Committee for 2022-23, or learning about other ways to volunteer? Learn more and SIGN UP HERE - volunteers for the Grounds Committee are a specific need!
5 MINUTES TO FUNDRAISE: YOUR GROCERY SHOPPING & AMAZON SHOPPING HELPS US!
Did you know that when you do your everyday shopping, our partners give a percentage of sales back to our school? Take five minutes to link your shopper loyalty cards/accounts - it’s the easiest fundraising ever!
Our partners include AmazonSmile, Kroger, Publix, Mabel's Labels, BoxTops for Education & Minted. Learn how here!
JOIN THE PTA FACEBOOK GROUP
Get the scoop and connect with the PTA on Facebook - join now!
SAVE THE DATE FOR FAMILY FUN NIGHT - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15th
Save the date for the PTA’s fall family fun night on Thursday, September 15th! More details to come!
Join us at our next meeting!
Dates to Note
August 16: SLT Meeting @ 4:30 in the media center
August 16: PTA Meeting @ 6:30pm in the media center
September 5: Labor Day - NO SCHOOL
September 13, 6:30pm: Board of Education Meeting
September 14: School Picture Day
September 15: PTA Family Fall Fun Night (more details soon)
September 16: Picture Day make ups
September 19 - 23: CSD Fall Break - NO SCHOOL
September 27: PTA Meeting @ 6:30pm in the media center
City Schools of Decatur
School Nutrition - Point of Sale Issues
The School Nutrition Department recently updated the point of sale system and is experiencing some hiccups. We are working diligently to correct any errors on student meal accounts. Please use the attached form to identify any charges that you would like us to review. We will investigate your request as quickly as we are able. No child will be refused meal service as we go through the correction process. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
CSD Partners
Decatur Education Foundation
Mark Your Calendars! Did you know that Decatur Education Foundation has been supporting Decatur’s kids for 20 years? That’s a milestone worth celebrating, so we’re hosting a FREE Community Concert at Legacy Park! Come Together Decatur, presented by Bark Technologies in partnership with Amplify, will be held on Saturday, September 10th from 4-8pm and will feature local favorites The Sundogs and John Boy and Surround Sound, as well as some of our talented DHS students. Everyone is invited to pack a picnic and gather with blankets or camping chairs to spend the afternoon enjoying some great live music and reconnecting with friends and neighbors. See you there!
Volunteer Opportunities
If you anticipate your student needing a little extra help, DEF’s Virtual PALS program might be the answer. We pair a 2nd-8th grade student with an upper high school student or adult volunteer to help with homework, time management, and motivation. I
If you would like to sign your student up for the program, you can go here: https://forms.gle/SjYinSLJkZ363pi57
We also need tutor volunteers! If you can donate 1 hour per week to help a Decatur student virtually, you can apply here: https://forms.gle/YTbDUk8H4iS4qfD57 (High school students can earn volunteer hours!)
We also need adult volunteers for our AIM mentoring program, and our brand new FOCUS Prep Program that is specifically for high schoolers in preparation for post-high school. You can also find all forms and information at our website, www.decatureducationfoundation.org/mentoring.
Together we make a difference for our kids!
Driver Registration Now Open: Madison Avenue Derby on Oct. 15th
Don't miss your chance to be a part of one of Decatur's most iconic neighborhood events! Driver registration is now open for the 11th Annual Madison Avenue Derby, the non-motorized racing event where amateur racers of all ages design and build human-powered soapbox cars to compete against the clock in a downhill race!
Join the excitement as a racer or spectator on October 15, 2022, for a day of family-friendly fun - proceeds from the event this year go to support the Friends of Refugees! REGISTER TO RACE NOW
Oakhurst Family Help Box: Who Do I Contact?
Oakhurst Elementary
Email: eguerrieri@csdecatur.net
Website: https://www.csdecatur.net/oakhurst
Location: 175 Mead Rd. Decatur, GA 30030
Phone: 404-370-4470