Parent Newsletter

January 3, 2019

Principal's Note

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a wonderful winter break and were able to spend special time with family and friends. The start of a new year, gives us a chance for resolutions and to recommit to activities beneficial for our and our children's well being, like getting involved in student activities. We have many student events coming up, that need volunteers to make them happen.

Health Screening, January 4, two volunteers needed from 9:00 - 10:15 a.m.

Culture Club, January 17, only has one volunteer at this time

Carnival, February 22, many volunteers needed to make it a success

Please check the Volunteer Needs section below. We need your help!

Kindergarten registration is quickly approaching. If you have a child who will be turning five (5) on or before September 1, 2019, online registration is now open. You will be receiving registration information this week. Registering early is very important to the district so we can plan for staffing and class size. Register today, https://www.wayzataschools.org/welcome.

There will be a Kindergarten Information night for parents on Thursday, January 24, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Did You Know?

Culture Quest Logo Winner

We have a winner for our 2019 Culture Quest logo contest! Nawal Osman, grade 4 in Mrs. Peterson's class, has won a $15 gift card to Honey and Mackie's.

Fifth Grade Kindness Retreat

On Friday, January, 11, Oakwood's Fifth Grade Kindness Retreat will be held in partnership with Youth Frontiers. This program empowers kids to be "everyday heroes" by using kindness to include others, to be respectful and to make our school a better place. If you have a Fifth Grader, you will be hearing more about this from the classroom teacher.

Author Visit

Author/Illustrator Drew Brockington is coming to Oakwood on February 8! Students may order copies of his books (CatStronauts) which will be signed and distributed on the day of his visit. To learn more about CatStronauts click here. Please print the order form or your student may pick up a hard copy in the Media Center. All orders must be turned in by Friday, January 11.

Reminder!

School Supplies

With the start of the New Year, it is a great time to resupply some of your student's supplies. Our classrooms are always in need of tissues!

The Sheridan Story has an exciting new partnership to expand access to food for our community over winter break. December 27 through January 6, all YMCA Twin Cities Branch locations will have free bags of food available for anyone who requests it (while supplies last). Bags of food will contain shelf-stable, substantive and nutritious food. You do not need to be a member of the YMCA or provide any contact information to receive food – simply go to the front desk and ask for a bag of food. If you have questions, please contact Amy Lien, our school social worker, at Amy.Lien@wayzataschools.org.

PTA News

Join or Volunteer

A Scholastic Book Fair Thank You!

Thank you to all students, families, and staff for supporting the Oakwood Book Fair. Together we sold over $12,000 in books. In turn, the PTA is able to provide over $6,000 in books and supplies for the media center and classroom libraries. Special thanks to our awesome book fair volunteers, to Trish Hill, and to Principal deNeui. A few of the most popular titles this year were: Resistance, by Jennifer A. Nielsen; The Collector, by KR Alexander; and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown, by Jeff Kinney.

Oakwood Reflections Ceremony - Thursday, January 10

The awards ceremony will be held in the gym, 6:30-7:15 p.m. We have many wonderful Visual Art pieces, Film and Music submissions this year and look forward to sharing them with you.

We will gather at 6:30 to view the artwork and find out how our students answered this year's theme, Heroes Around Me. A short awards ceremony will take place during that time. Students who have submitted an entry will be recognized, receive a certificate and award. Those moving on to the state competition this Spring will be announced. See you there!

Family Directory

Sign up to be included in the Oakwood Family Directory for the best way to connect with other families. MySchoolAnywhere is a secure iPhone and Android app and online portal. To add your family to the directory today , go to join.myschoolanywhere.com and use the join code OakwoodPTA. If you have questions, contact Michelle Ugurlu at vicepresident@oakwoodpta.org.

Box Tops for Education

Oakwood participates in Box Tops for Education. Save your Box Tops and send them to school with your student to put into the bucket in the office.

Volunteer Needs

Culture Quest is Coming Up on Thursday, January 17

Please help us to build community and celebrate the diversity of our school community by volunteering to help with set up, assisting with a planned activity or tear down after the event.

Culture Quest

Health Rescreening - January 4

Carnival – February 22

The carnival is right around the corner. We need volunteers to shadow current leads for the following activities. These volunteers would help this year and take over the role next year.

Carnival Chairs
Prizes
Games
Wacky Hair
Raffle/Auction
Food

The carnival is not only a valuable fundraising event for Oakwood, it provides funds for important needs, such as new books for our library. It is also a really great family event for our Oakwood community. Please consider donating your time to help carry on this much loved event! Contact amysmoore2003@yahoo.com to learn more about this event and how you can help.

Around the District

When to keep your child home from school
If your child has a fever, is vomiting, or shows signs of other illness, Wayzata Public Schools follows the Hennepin County Infectious Diseases in Childcare settings and Schools Manual to determine if your child is well enough to attend school. The intent of exclusion is to promote a healthy school environment by preventing exposure and spread of illness. Please report all illnesses or health conditions to the school's health office. Please keep your child home for 24 hours after the last episode of vomiting/diarrhea and until your child does not have a fever without using fever reducing medications.

Influenza Symptoms
Our school health offices are asked to report the number (not names) of students and staff who are experiencing Influenza-like Illness to the Minnesota Department of Health. When contacting the school to report that your child is sick, please be specific including if the fever is 100° or greater and if your child has a cough or a sore throat. If you have questions about these guidelines, please call your school health office.

Ask Ali the tough questions you might be too scared to ask in person. Alison Wobschall, M.A., director of Partners in Prevention, is a psychologist with 14 years of experience in prevention. She has a special passion for healthy brain development. Submit any questions you have regarding topics surrounding substances, mental health, and parenting strategies.