April 2, 2016
 
PFA Meeting this Thursday, April 7

Please join us for the last PFA meeting of the school year - this Thursday from 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. in the faculty lounge. In addition to our regularly discussed items, we will be voting to approve next year's PFA slate. We hope to see you. All our welcome.
 
Notes from the March 15th, School Board Meeting 
At the regular monthly meeting of the Oak Park USD Board of Education held on March 15th, the Board recognized Julie Ahdoot with the Partners in Education Award and Linda Sheridan on her retirement. Cathy Lory and Robin Midiri presented the Oak Park High School WASC report to the Board and Staff present. They also thanked Sharon Russell for all of her support. The Board received a report from Dr. Timothy McLarney of True North Research. He provided an overview of the results of the phone and online survey for a potential Prop. 39 bond that may be developed and presented to voters in November. The poll report showed strong community support for a potential bond measure. The Board took action and/or approved the following: Click here to read more...
 
Upcoming Events in the Community
International Festival - April 8th at Oak Park High School
4:30-6:00 pm
Journey through Interactive Country Booths & Enjoy Outdoor Cultural Performances such as Taiko drummers, Chinese lion, and Bollywood dancers! Free to the Public! Ethnic food will be available for Purchase!
 
6:00-8:00 pm
View a variety of Cultural Dance & Instrumental Performances, followed by an International Fashion Show in the Pavilion!
Admission tickets to Pavilion Performances will be sold at 4:30 pm at the event; $5 Adults, $3 Students, Free to Children 5 & Under

Nottingham Village - April 9th at Oak Canyon Community Park
The Nottingham Village and Marketplace is coming to Oak Park, on Saturday, April 9th from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm! Join us for a day of merriment and revelry brought to you by the Nottingham Festival and Renaissance Masters Pavilion! This pop-up event will feature entertainment, food and beverages, games, merchandise vendors and more! Admission and Parking are absolutely FREE to everyone in attendance!

Music Festival - April 10th at Medea Creek Middle School 
Buy Your Tickets Now to the first annual Oak Park Music Festival on Sunday, April 10th, 2016 from 12:00 pm-4:00 pm. Gates open at 11:30 am. Performances start at noon. The festival will feature all the student music programs (both instrumental and choral) from the middle school and high school levels including jazz and concert bands, drum line, strings, barbershop and many more.  This highly anticipated event will take place at Medea Creek Middle School, on rotating stages on the upper field and outdoor pavilion and is a community-wide event open to all families. Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair to spread out and enjoy the festivities. 
 
Visit http://oakparkmusic.org/musicfest2016 to purchase your tickets in advance and for more details.
 
California Assessment of Student Performance & Progress(CAASPP)
CAASPP and 8th Grade Star Science Test Schedule:
  • April 18-21 .... 7th/8th Grade Math & Science (4/18, 4/20 are "A" days  and 4/19,4/21 are "B" days) 
  • April 25-26 .... 8th Grade Language Arts
  • April 27-28 .... 7th Grade Language Arts
  • May    2-3  ....  6th Grade Math
  • May    4-5  ....  6th Grade Language Arts
It is essential that your child is not absent during their testing schedule.   We ask that parents do not schedule medical or dental appointments on the days of their student's testing. Please mark your calendars and plan ahead.
Students will be introduced to the tests and testing protocols before their testing day.

There is nothing parents need to do to prepare students for the tests other than ensure good nutrition and a good night's sleep. However, if parents would like to see examples of the assessments you can explore:
http://sbac.portal.airast.org/ca/practice-test-ca/   This link will allow you to take the practice test just like your students will at school. Select the student interface at the bottom of the page and sign in as "GUEST".

Pursuant to California Education Code 60615, parents may annually submit to the school a written request to excuse their child from taking the CAASPP.  If you would like your child to be excused from taking the CAASPP this spring, please submit your request, in writing, to the site administrator. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the MCMS Office. 
 
OPUSD Community Outreach Announcements
Oak Park 50th Anniversary Game Board Pre-Sale Opportunity:
Celebrate the last 50 Years of Oak Park by purchasing your very own Oak Park-Opoly Game Board.  Pre-sale orders are now available on our district website at: http://www.oakparkusd.org/Page/7278.  Pre-sale price is only available through May 1st (Big Sunday). Price goes up on May 2nd.
Big Sunday Registrations are Open:
If you haven't signed up to volunteer, now is the time!  All pre-registered volunteers will receive a T-shirt and have first choice of project location.  Walk-up registrations will be placed as needed and will NOT receive a t-shirt.  
 
8th Grade Information 
Not Going to Oak Park High School?
  • If you know that your 8th grade student will not be attending Oak Park HighSchool, please make sure you email Loretta Brown at lbrown@opusd.org in the MCMS office as soon as possible.
OPHS Registration Volunteers Needed
  • Freshmen Registration is August 4th from 8:00 am - noon. Plenty of parent volunteers are needed to run the registration process in a smooth and efficient manner. You may help on the same day or a different day from your students'registration day. Registration volunteers are needed on August 1,2,3 & 4 and shifts run from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. Please sign up here.
Upcoming Events and Information
  • All important information for Culmination and other 8th grade related events is posted on the Medea Creek Website under the Information Tab. Or click here.
Help Needed 
The Spring Teacher Appreciation Luncheon is Thursday, April 14th. We are still trying to get donations of gift cards for each teacher, and we are only about half way there. Gift cards of any denominations are welcome, please drop them off at the student window or in the office ASAP!! Any questions, please contact Jillian Greenberg at jadensma@hotmail.com.

We also still need some salads and lots of desserts. Please go to the following link to sign up: https://www.volunteersignup.org/FPC4K?classic. If you have any questions, or would like to bring something other than what is listed, please contact Kelly Schraeder at kelly.schraeder@gmail.com.

Lastly, please let your kids know to look for the PFA representative who has been showing up during lunch periods to have students write personalized notes to staff members. This is an important way to thank the staff, and we would like each staff members to have notes. If there are any parents who would like to contribute, please email Sandra Jenko at sjenko@gmx.de.
 
MCMS Open House is on Thursday,  April 28th 
Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m.  D' Amore's Pizza and Uncle Chris' Italian Ice will be selling delicious food and dessert! There will also be a RAFFLE with great prizes!
From 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. everyone will view and celebrate student accomplishments from the year.  Classrooms will be open and teachers on hand throughout campus to view student work. 
 
* Please note: we are looking for individuals and/or local businesses to support the MCMS PFA by donating to the Open House raffle.If you or anyone you know would like to make a monetary or in-kind donation, please contact: Ginger at theperinis@msn.com or Denise at denisehelfstein@me.com.
Save the Dates
  • 4/7                 -   PFA Meeting at 8:30 am in the Staff Lounge
  • 4/7                 -   Intramural Volleyball vs Lindero at Medea 3-5 pm
  • 4/8                 -   International Festival 4:30 pm at OPHS 
  • 4/9                 -   Nottingham Village at Oak Canyon Park 10 am-5 pm. 
  • 4/10               -   Oak Park's Music Festival at Medea 12 pm - 4 pm
  • 4/18-4/21       -   7 & 8th Grade CAASPP Testing - Math,Science and 8th Grade Science STAR Testing 
  • 4/25-4/26       -   8th Grade CAASPP Testing - Language Arts
  • 4/27-4/28       -   7th Grade CAASPP Testing - Language Arts
  • 4/28               -   Open House 5:30 pm - 8 pm. Flyer with details
  • 5/1                 -   Big Sunday Day of Service. 
  • 5/2-5/5           -   6th Grade CAASPP Testing
Quick Links
This eNews is Sponsored by

Note: The Oak Park Unified School District or Medea Creek Middle School does not endorse any advertised products or services.