This Week @ OPS
Good News & Highlights from across the District!
February 29, 2020
Teacher of the Year
Supt. Haase made a surprise visit to Dix Street's reading month assembly to announce Kim Seger, DSE 3rd grade teacher, as the recipient of this year's Teacher of the Year for OPS! Congratulations!
STREAM Students Learn Survival
From cardboard sled races to outdoor survival, this winter is providing the perfect environment for our STREAM students to get the full effect of their science units. They are now learning winter survival techniques. Friday, students learned why you should NOT get wet when it's cold. They had the option of putting their bare feet into the creek to feel what it's like and the impact it has on the human body. They didn't have to, but most of the class chose to get in. They also started collecting items they would need to build their own tinder kit to build a fire.
OHS Speaker Stresses Making Good Choices
Mike Wilder, from Peace During War (out of Kalamazoo) spoke to a few classes Friday. The Read 180 Workshop classes are focusing on the constitution and the justice system, with a heavy focus on juvenile justice. Because of this, Mrs. Badiner arranged for Wilder to talk to the kids. His stressed the importance of staying in school, making good choices, and doing things the right way even when it is the hard way.
Wax Museum
In an extension of Alamo 3rd graders biography research projects, they put on a wax museum where visitors could learn all about their characters with a press of a button!
Kids Heart Challenge
Dix Street students have raised thousands of dollars for the annual Kids Heart Challenge benefitting the American Heart Association, and this week, took the challenge! The fundraiser teaches them about making heart healthy decisions and so the event is all about moving! Mrs. Bentley set up a course in the gym so students could take part in several activities. We'll keep you updated on the final total soon!
Musical Honors Continue for Caleb Piersma
Caleb Piersma recently competed in two musical competitions and won them both! He competed in the Kalamazoo Concert Band Youth Soloist Competition and the James J. Hewitt Memorial Soloist Scholarship Competition for the local River Cities Concert Band. Caleb will be performing a solo with the Kalamazoo Concert Band on April 18 and solos with the RCCB on May 17 and May 27. He was chosen from a group of musicians from all over Michigan! He also gets $1000 for college from each group. Congratulations, Caleb!
Reading Month Kick-off at Alamo & DSE!
Arrgg! Dix Street students climbed aboard the reading ship and are ready to set sail with reading! They kicked off reading month with a fun story from Pirate Pete, his parrot and buccaneers! At Alamo, students are hungry for reading! They kicked off their month with a fun game of hungry, hungry hippos!
What will you read for March is Reading Month?
Setting Sail for Reading Month at Dix Street
Shiver me timbers! A pirate tale to kick off reading month.
Students yell "Splash" as pirates "walk the plank"!
Hungry, hungry hippo game
Teachers dressed up and strolled in on skates
Mrs. Knight-Lucas rode in with a hippo reading on a bike!
March Madness
WSE is blending March is Reading Month and March Madness with a book bracket! We'll have to wait and see which book wins out in the end as the favorite!
Good luck Battle of the Books teams!
Be Nice Team-building morning
Another packed house at the Friendship Friday Be Nice meeting at 7am at OMS! This Friday, they focused on themselves as a group and took part in fun team-building activities including seeing which group could create the tallest free-standing structure out of spaghetti noodles, marshmallows and tape! With almost 70 students in the room, there were several groups and great, friendly competition.
WSE Staff Trained in Diabetes
WSE teachers and staff are the latest around the district to learn more about Type 1 Diabetes. During Wednesday's delayed start, they learned what signs to look out for, what reactions they might see, how to treat it and more.
"Mamma Mia" tickets on sale now!
Get your dancing feet ready for a high-energy, fun musical this year! OHS presents "Mamma Mia". Tickets are now on sale. Buy them online at www.otsegops.tix.com or call the Box Office.
Weekend Rewind! Check out the fun over Intersession Week!
Elementary Intersession Week
About 60 elementary students took part in four different enrichment activities over the break. The elementary enrichment included a LEGO Extravaganza Day, Robotics, Engineering Experiments and a field trip to Roller World! Students at intervention focused on reading!
MS/HS Intersession Week
Middle school students "sold out" the Master Chef class and several also joined in the fun at a Bittersweet Ski Resort field trip. They had great weather to enjoy a day of fun on the slopes! High school students visited KVCC and WMU for this session's college visits. For intervention, middle school students focused on math while high school students focused on all core subjects to get back on track in the middle of the second trimester.
Capturing Kids Hearts Training at OHS
Intersession Week provided an opportunity for 50 staff members to get trained in Capturing Kids Hearts. Trainees were food service, custodians, preschool teachers and other new employees across the district. We were thrilled to be able to host the training at our district to make it possible for many of these employees to attend.
#OtsegoPride
Have something to share for our new "Weekly Good News"letter?
Let me know! Email me!
Have a great weekend and #GoDawgs!
Holly McCaw, Director of Communications
Email: hmccaw@otsegops.org
Website: otsegops.org
Location: 400 Sherwood Street, Otsego, MI, United States
Phone: 269-694-7910
Facebook: facebook.com/otsegops
Twitter: @OtsegoSchools