 Call for Silent Auction Donations
We're looking for everything from useful everyday services to unique, one-of-a-kind opportunities. All proceeds benefit the Oak Grove Foundation the the mision of enriching our children's educational experience. Download a silent auction donation form here. |
Sponsorship Opportunities
Looking for a great way to support the community and receive great recognition for your business? Become a sponsor of our 2012 Party With a Purpose! Sponsorships begin at $250! Download a sponsorship form here. |
True Blue School Program
Oak Grove Elementary is receiving $100 every month just for having 20 families signed up for the True Blue Schools program. If you are an existing Georgia Natural Gas residential customer, be sure to register at www.trueblueschools.com and select Oak Grove Elementary in Step 1. (Be sure you select the OGE in ATLANTA) Ask your neighbors to to do the same! GNG will donate $5 per month to OGE for each customer signed up! Questions? Contact michelhudson@hotmail.com. |
Looking for Pictures! The Yearbook is looking for your pictures!! We are specifically looking for: Reflections winners, 1st grade choral performance, 5th grade Honor Chorus, last year's Field Day, Walking Wednesday, and Wonderful Wednesday. If you have any pictures for these events, please contact Sharmi Lawrence sharmilawrence@gmail.com to get a password to upload your photos to www.snapfish.com. If you want to drop off a CD in the school office that would be great too!
We will also be selling yearbooks again after the winter break. Look for an order form to come home after the holidays. |
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Advertising Opportunities
Advertise your small business in our newsletter!
E-mail Amy Busch by clicking here
for more information. |
Car Safety Reminder
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Avoid a ticket. Obey all parking signs and traffic laws when visiting Oak Grove Elementary.
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One Week Remaining in the Campaign We are heading home for an entire week to celebrate the holiday, Thanksgiving, and to reflect on those things in each of our lives for which we give thanks. When we return to school, there will be only 1 final week remaining to participate in this year's Capital Campaign.
You may wonder why the Oak Grove Foundation has devised this campaign to place such importance on participation from each of our families. The answer is quite simple. Our goal is for 100% of our student population, every family, to participate as they are able in this year's Capital Campaign. When we apply for grants or other types of corporate sponsorships, this staggering statistic screams loud and clear that the families at Oak Grove are invested in their child's educational experience at Oak Grove Elementary. This reassures others that Oak Grove is a good place for them to invest their time and money, and helps Oak Grove stand out from other applicants.
As we embark on our final week of this campaign, please take a moment to thoughtfully consider making a donation to the Oak Grove Foundation. You may do so by sending in a donation envelope through your child's courier, turning in a donation envelope in the front office, or online through the OGF's website www.OakGroveFoundation.org.
Thank you for the amazing support thus far- let's really knock it out of the park this final week. Remember, each class reaching 50% participation will earn $100 for the teacher to use in the classroom, and any class that reaches 100% participation earns their teacher $250. All donation amounts are kept confidential, and names will be recognized in the 2011 Annual Report in one of the following 3 tiers of giving, $1-$499, $500-$999, $1000+. Thank you for your consideration.
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Toy Drive to Benefit DeKalb County Students in Need  The School Social Work Department is pleased to annouce their annual holiday party and toy drive.
We need your help to make the winter holiday season joyous for students and their families who are in need. Last year we were able to provide toys for over 400 children in DeKalb County schools.
Please consider bringing a new unwrapped toy for boys and girls up to 13 years of age. Please place your donations in the box in the school office. Toys will be picked up every Friday from now until December 9th and will be distributed on December 17, 2011 at the holiday parties.
If you have any questions, please contact Mary Ann Howard, the school social worker, at 678 676-2009. Thank you so much for your assistance in this very special event.
Sincerely,
Mary Ann Howard |
Club Day is coming on December 2nd! The students at Oak Grove will participate in Club Day on December 2nd, February 16, and May 18. K-2 will have special activities going on that expose students to new learning that is not typically included in the regular curriculum... cooking, making movies, etc. Our young students will stay within their grade levels and have the opportunity to visit other teacher's classrooms to participate in a wide variety of enrichment activities. Look for an email soon from your child's homeroom teacher that describes what the children will be doing.
Grades 3-5 have been given a choice of activities to participate in. Clubs to choose from include Dance Club, Kickball, Mystery Club, Digital Storytelling, Babysitter's Club, and Murals... just to name a few. Our older students will be traveling all over the building on Club Day to attend their chosen clubs in a multi-age, small group (12-14 students) format. Children will get their individual Club Day schedules when they return from the Thanksgiving Break.
It's extremely difficult to describe Club Day in writing. However, I can guarantee that your child will be able to describe in detail the amazing day they had when they arrive home on Friday, December 2nd.
Sincerely,
Dr. Neely
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Session 3 for Math Superstars
Session 3 is now available. Please remember our next due date is December 8th. All papers should be turned into the class Math Superstars folder.
Congratulations again to Ms. Welch's homeroom with the greatest participation rate! She had 20 students participate in Session 2. WOW! They will hang on to the traveling trophy. Congratulations to Ms. Shafer's class with the greatest increase in participation from Session 1 to Session 2!
Remember to use the new easy direct links available by clicking here.
Parents - Answer keys are available on this site as well. Please note that "Strategy of the Month" problems will count for credit so students should complete these problems starting in Session 3. Remind your child that any written evidence on regular Math Stars worksheets counts toward partial credit so they should not leave questions blank. Thanks for a great start to our Superstar year and all your support.. |
Notes From The ELPC Meeting State Mandates Pave the Road for Classroom Curriculum.
What Causes the Potholes on the Path to Local Implementation?
At this week's Emory LaVista Parent Council (ELPC) meeting, administrators from DeKalb County Schools and Decatur City Schools spoke about the ways they implement state mandates. They also discussed the process behind choosing textbooks and other classroom and online materials. DeKalb's new Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, Kathy Howe, pointed out that DeKalb County will have a hard time implementing the Common Core Standards that will be rolled out in August, 2012. The standards are much more rigorous than our current curriculum. She is working to have supports in place for teachers and students so that the transition will be successful. She also stressed the importance of algebra readiness and algebra completion, as well as the correlation between success in algebra and success in post-secondary education. DeKalb's math textbooks are due for a new adoption in June, 2012. The process may be delayed due to the August implementation of the Common Core Standards.
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Kiss the Blarney Stone and Save the Date! The Oak Grove Foundation's Party With a Purpose
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Miller-Ward Alumni House
Mark your calendars for this year's St. Patty's Day-themed Party with a Purpose, the Oak Grove Foundation's largest fundraiser of the year. This adults-only evening will include food, beverages, entertainment, silent and live auctions. Watch for more information soon! Get involved! We're looking for volunteers to help with auction solicitation, event set up and sponsorships. Our next meeting will be help on Monday, December 19 at 7:30pm. Email Stacey Lucas at stacey@elucas.net for information. |
Thank You Letter to Georgia's Parents By DR. JOHN BARGE, State School Superintendent
November is Parent Engagement Month in Georgia and schools all across the state are working to bring awareness to the role parents play in their
children's education. It is a time for all parents to consider how they
can get more involved in the education of their children regardless of the grade level. Today, though, is a special day within the month that I
believe most educators are eager to recognize. It's National Parent
Involvement Day.
When it comes to parent engagement, the research is clear, when schools, families, and communities support each other, students of all backgrounds and ability levels achieve at higher levels.
As the father of a teenage daughter in high school, I know how challenging it can be to stay engaged in the lives of your children. Life is demanding and there is almost never enough time to get everything done, but being involved in your child's education is arguably the most
important role a parent plays.
On National Parent Involvement Day, it is important that parents play
their part in this partnership by reflecting on whether they are doing all
they can to support their child. Anyone can be an involved parent by just showing up, but I challenge each parent to become more engaged in the process by asking the right questions, getting the facts, and getting more connected with their child's education. To assist parent's in the process, the Georgia Department of Education provides resources for parents and schools to encourage and maintain parent engagement.
One of the resources developed this year is a new parent engagement month calendar that provides specific ways parents can Get the facts...get connected...GET INVOLVED! While it was designed to be used in the month of November, parents will also find useful ways to engage in meaningful conversations and positive interactions with their child throughout the year.
On behalf of our schools and school systems, I want to thank all of the
parents and families who have taken on the full-time job of being engaged in their child's education. Throughout this month, I hope you have taken time to become more engaged in your child's education, but please do not stop there. When November is over, continue with those engaging activities. With actively engaged parents and families, my vision of Making Education Work for All Georgians will become a reality!
Dr. John Barge, a parent and former school administrator,
is Georgia's State School Superintendent. |
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Come see Vista Grove Dance Center's annual Hans Christian Andersen performance at St. Pius Theater THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, Nov 19 and Nov 20. Tickets available at the door. Adults: $15.00 Seniors: $12.00
Students: $10.00 Children 4 & under: $8.00
Experience the stories of the famous story-teller, Hans Christian Andersen. See a full-length production of "The Princess and the Pea" as well as see the Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, the Little Mermaid, to name a few, come to life onstage. A great adventure in theater for the young and young at heart! Two performances:
Saturday evening, Nov. 19 @ 7:30pm
Sunday matinee, Nov. 20 @ 3:00pm |
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REGISTER TODAY FOR THE WINTER/SPRING SESSION OF THE OAK GROVE DRAMA CLUB AND THE OAK GROVE KEYBOARD/PIANO CLUB...
We have 4 drama classes per week that meet at Oak Grove where young actors think creatively, make and perform plays, stimulate their imaginations, build confidence, presentation, speaking and listening skills and have fun exploring the land of make believe. Characters, costumes, improvisation, theater games, mythology, fairy tales, puppetry and story telling round out the program. A brand new class for 2nd-5th graders will be offered on Wednesdays at 3:45 beginning in January. We still have room in the Thursday 2:40 class for 2nd-5th and the Thursday 3:45 class for K-2nd graders as well as the Wednesday 2:40 class for K-2nd. or contact Doris Seiden, Director, at (678)557-1456.
KEYBOARD/PIANO CLUB is accepting a few 2nd-4th grade students for the Tuesday 3:45 class. Learn how to play the piano by ear as well as with musical notation. Program includes singing, percussion, keyboard improvisation, composition and an end-of-session recital.
For details and to register, visit www.dramachildren.com or contact Doris Seiden, Director, at (678) 557-1456. |
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Sincerely,
Amy Busch
Oak Grove Elementary PTA |
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