The Owl Newsletter
OTTO PETERSEN ELEMENTARY
Happy New Year, Otto Petersen Community!
I hope all of you had a restful and peaceful Winter Break. We are, however, so excited to be back in the swing of things.
We held our January Recognition Assembly this Wednesday. These assemblies are a way for all of us to come together as a school community and honor students and classrooms who have been making Otto Petersen a better place to learn! Our Students vs. Staff game was "Musical Clothing". Each group passed around a bag of winter clothes, and when the music stopped that person had to put on as many items as they could. The first group to wear all their clothing won…teachers took the trophy this month!
We also had a visit from our Mayor, Joe Backus. He spoke to Otto Petersen students about the "If I Were Mayor Contest". Please click on the flyer below for more information on how to get your student involved in this wonderful opportunity.
MLK Day - Monday, Jan 15th - No School
Teachers Grade Day - Friday, Feb 2nd - No School
OPPO Meeting - Tuesday, Feb, 13th
Valentines Class Parties - Wednesday, Feb, 14th
President's Day - Monday, Feb 19th
Sixth Grade Outdoor School - The week of April 2nd - 5th
Star Students
One of our local bakers, Lightening Cupcakes, wants to recognize our excellent learners! Suppose your student receives one of our recognition awards. In that case, you may present the certificate at their pop-up bakery, 2254 Columbia Blvd. in St. Helens, for a free cupcake on Thursday or Friday afternoons! They are open until 4:00 pm. If you know you would like to visit and want to have them hold a cupcake ahead of time, please feel free to text your order at 323-497-8038.
Our recognition awards are given out throughout the year. Each month, teachers look for students demonstrating the character trait being covered through our morning announcements. For January, it is the trait of empathy.
We look forward to hearing about the delicious cupcakes our students receive!
Parking Lot Safety
It pains me to have to keep writing about safety in our school parking lot. On my end, I am going to work with our staff to have a bigger adult presence in the parking lot itself to direct the flow of traffic. An ask that I have of the community is for any parent volunteers who would be willing to volunteer on a Drop-Off/Pick-Up Safety Team. I am looking for volunteers who would be willing to don crossing guard vests and help to direct car and pedestrian traffic.
I would need parents/guardians who are interested in sitting with me and developing a plan for safety in our parking lot during these times. Please email me if you are interested.
Happy New Year!
We are getting ready to kick off our Hoop-a-Thon fundraiser! This is our biggest fundraiser of the year! To keep costs down, we’re looking for families with Trailblazer tickets that they’d be willing to donate as the top-earning prize!
Our next meeting will be Tuesday, February 13th, at 4:00!
Please contact Chelsea Murphy ottopetersenpresident@gmailat .com
Cold Weather Reminder
We are starting to see very cold temperatures during the day. Please remember to send your students to school with appropriate outdoor wear so that they can stay warm outside. We recommend that students wear jackets, hats, and gloves when they are outside. I know that kiddos also love to still wear shorts to school (how do they stand it??). If your student has this preference, please make sure they also have a warm jacket. It is cold and flu season, so it is important that students wear clothing that will keep them warm and healthy. At Otto Petersen, this is often a challenging expense for families. Please get in touch with either myself or Ms. McKedy if your family needs support in this way.
Toys at School
This is a friendly reminder that all toys, including stuffed animals and blankets, must stay home. We supply students with fidgets to use during instruction time if required. However, those fun little toys starting to pop up this time of year must wait patiently at home to be played with.
Welcome Back & Happy New Year!
THIS WEEK IN THE LIBRARY!: Welcome back–I hope you had a wonderful break with your family and friends! I extended my break to enjoy some much needed time with my hubby in our favorite little village in Mexico, but we had the amazing Megan Greisen serving our library on Tuesday and Wednesday so we had a great week learning about Martin Luther King Jr. and his inspiration to kids regarding civil rights during his time and getting new books for home! We read the story Let the Children March, it is an inspirational story that shares how even children can make a positive difference in the world! I am excited for the months ahead full of new books for the shelves, great stories to share and lots of fun in the library! Welcome Back!
AND THE WINNER IS…: Our families have been working hard and we are getting books found and returned–it is SO awesome! Thank you for returning your books on time and settling up fines so we can replace books and get them back on the shelves for others to enjoy. Here are the results for our December “Return Your Books On Time Challenge!”:
WINNING CLASSES - Mr. Emerson with only 2 students with overdue books
4th Grade - 20 students with Overdue Books/5 with Lost or Damaged Books
5th Grade - 27 students with Overdue Books/13 with Lost or Damaged Books
6th Grade - 20 students with Overdue Books/2 with Lost or Damaged Books
Thank you for all your help getting books back on the shelves and into the hands of our students!
Happy Reading ~ Mrs. Nudo
Softball Tryouts: For all girls interested in playing TRAVEL Softball between the ages of 9 and 14, we will be having open tryouts in the Scappoose HS Gym / Hitting Facility / Turf Field on Sunday, February 4. 10u tryouts will begin at 1:30 PM, 12u tryouts will begin at 2:45 PM, and 14u tryouts will begin at 4:00 PM. To determine age eligibility, please see the chart below. When you arrive, please go to the high school gym to check in.
We will be playing as part of the St. Helens Youth Softball league as Scappoose teams. Players need to be registered prior to tryouts. This will come with higher costs than playing recreational softball in St. Helens. Anyone who is not selected for a travel team will be allowed the opportunity to participate in St. Helens Youth Softball's rec program. If you want to participate in travel softball and this date doesn't work for you, please let Ryan Murphy know ASAP via email at murphy.rckni@gmail.com. Please bring pants, long sleeves, a helmet with a facemask, a bat, a glove, and cleats / Gym Shoes. We look forward to seeing you all there.
OPE Famlies,
Thank you again for your support in lowering our total building tardy rate over the past two weeks. We know that mornings can be tricky! We hope your students feel a sense of routine and connection by being here each morning for our announcements and Character Strong lessons.
If you have difficulty getting your students out the door in the morning, please feel free to reach out. Classroom teachers, our counselor, Ms. McKedy, and our Dean of Students, Ms. Kinsman, are happy to work with you and your learner to build strategies to make mornings go more smoothly. You can click the flyer below to read about the suggested guidelines.
Attendance Reminders & After School Change of Plans
Also, if you have to change your students' after-school plans, please try to do this one hour before students are released so that we have enough time to communicate with teachers and staff.
- Sue MacLachlan: smaclachlan@scappoose.k12.or.us
- Mary McNabb: mmcnabb@scappoose.k12.or.us
- Your child's teacher
We appreciate your support in making sure we know where your students are during the school day. Thank you!
Hello, my reading friends!
I will contact coaches with helpful tips for your team and schedule a Zoom “Introduction to OBOB” for coaches and families to attend in December.
If your child has turned in their form without a coach, I will also contact you to figure out a team for your students. If you can coach, please make sure that you fill out the district’s background check form by clicking here.
Please get in touch with me if you have any questions about OBOB or if your student submitted their paperwork or the books!
Your friend in reading,
Allyson Richard
4th Grade Teacher
Otto Petersen Elementary
Scappoose, OR
971-200-8003
arichard@scappoose.k12.or.us
Personal Electronic Device Policy
(Cell phones, Smart watches, Earbuds)
As an upper elementary school, O.P.E. will align with the Middle School policy concerning electronic devices. A personal electronic device is defined by the district as any “device capable of electronically communicating, sending, receiving, storing, recording, reproducing and/or displaying information and data.” The new policy will ask that students have their devices “off and away” while on campus. A private warning will be given if a student uses the device while at school. A second infraction will lead to the device being turned into the office for pick-up at the end of the day. Parents will be asked to pick up the device after a third infraction. The school is asking for parent support with this policy as we focus on building a positive learning environment.Here is the testing schedule for the rest of May.