Oak Creek Coyote News

Oak Creek Families,

Thank you for taking the time to meet with your child's teacher this week! Having the opportunity to connect with families is very important to the work we do! We also hope that you and your family enjoyed the extra days off school.

If you have any questions, please see the FAQ section below, or feel free to reach out to myself or Carrie Beach at beachc@loswego.k12.or.us.

Thank you,

Barb Keeton

Principal

Oak Creek Elementary

Updated in Every Edition:

• Message from the Principal
• Dates to Remember
• Counselor Corner
• Message from Your PTO

In This Edition:

• iReady at Home
• Dyslexia Awareness Month: Part 4 - NEW!
  
• Thanksgiving Day Baskets Available!
• Scholastic Book Fair Now Live! - NEW!
• LOSD Equity Audit
• Oregon Battle of the Books!
• Lost and Found!
• Breakfast and Lunch Routines
• Student Illness Reminders: When to Keep Home from School
• Oak Creek FAQs

LOSD District News:

• How to Find LOSD Covid-19 Information
• Nutrition Services
• Back to School Clothes at Clothing Closet
• Hunger Fighters
• SafeOregon
• Subscribe to Lake Oswego Schools App

October 18: LO School Bond Town Hall: 5-6 p.m. Webinar

October 19: Pie Pick-up (undercover area, starts at 1:15PM)

October 22: Early Dismissal @ 11:00AM

Oct. 25-Nov. 7: Virtual Scholastic Book Fair! (link coming soon)

October 28/29: No School (Conferences)

October 31: Mod Pizza Dines Night for Oak Creek!

November 11: NO SCHOOL: Veteran's Day

December 1: Picture Day RETAKES

December 9: Square 1 Art Delivery to OC

Are you looking for ways to support your child at home in Reading or Math, or are you curious how they are doing? To learn more, watch this short video about i-Ready at home!

Oregon developed its first legislative guidelines for dyslexia in 2015 with the passing of Senate Bill 612 followed by 1003 in 2017. By law each school is required to complete a universal screening on all kindergarten and first grade students to identify those who are at risk for dyslexia. This law also mandates that each K-5 school have an extensively-trained educator who is able to recognize the warning signs of dyslexia and support students, teachers, parents, and the community. LOSD currently uses Dibels as our dyslexia screening tool. We have also selected LETRS Literacy training to support our educators in meeting the expectations of Senate Bill 612. If you have more questions please reach out to your school’s literacy specialist.

There also are three major federal laws that directly affect children with dyslexia. They are the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Oregon Department of Education Dyslexia Resources: Oregon Department of Education : Dyslexia : Regional Programs and Best Practices : State of Oregon

Gifted and Dyslexic?

Some kids with learning and attention difficulties have exceptional skills in certain areas. These kids are often called “twice-exceptional” (2E) learners.

LOSD Student Services and TAG (Talented & Gifted) Services are both responsible and should work in cooperation to meet the needs of twice-exceptional students. The student’s abilities will determine appropriate instruction.

To read about twice exceptional students, visit UNDERSTOOD.ORG:

Twice-Exceptional Students | 2E Learners | Gifted and Learning Disabilities

Each week this month, we featured a message about dyslexia in this newsletter. If you have questions or concerns regarding our child’s learning, please call the school principal, TAG coordinator, and/or literacy specialist. You can also contact your school’s representatives for TAG-AC (TAG Advisory Committee) or SSPAC (Student Services Parent Advisory Committee). Please see here to learn how to contact your school representative.

We are here to help you and your child succeed.

As we approach the holiday seasons, Oak Creek wants to connect with families that could benefit from additional resource support. The district has a wonderful partnership with Hope Church and Lake Grove Presbyterian Church to offer Thanksgiving baskets for any LOSD families who may benefit! Please reach out before November 5th to your School Counselor (Jodi Pope popej@loswego.k12.or.us and Roxanne Davidson davidsor@loswego.k12.or.us) or School Social Worker (Tara Roland rolandt@losweego.k12.or.us) if you would like more information or to sign up. The Hope Church will be hosting pick-up days that are still to be determined. Delivery of the food boxes may be available. Listed below are what the boxes contain;

A meat selection voucher for Safeway or Albertsons

2 cans of green beans

2 cans of corn

6 potatoes

A gravy mix

1 box of stuffing

1 can of cranberry sauce

1 pie or assorted Gelatin/Pudding mixes

*Special Items that can accommodate families with Dietary Needs/Restrictions.

The Oak Creek Scholastic Book Fair is Now Available!

You get to enjoy the magic of a Book Fair from the comfort of your home with our Virtual Fair experience. Kids can shop thousands of books online to discover new favorites and stock their shelves with this season’s most popular reads!

Plus, check out these special virtual shopping perks:

• Access to over 5,000 products

• Direct shipping to your home and FREE shipping on book-only orders over $25*

• eWallet digital payment system that friends and family can contribute to

• 25% in rewards earned for our school with all purchases!

Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with virtual shopping:

https://www.scholastic.com/bf/oce

Thank you for helping us build lifelong readers in our school community!

Happy reading!

The Lake Oswego School District has engaged the Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC) from the Metropolitan State University of Denver for a review of our practices, policies, and protocols in relation to instruction and educational equity. Between November 15-18, the WEEAC staff will be conducting virtual interviews and surveys with administrators, staff, teachers, students, and parents. Each interview will take 45-60 minutes with a WEEAC interviewer.

We are looking for parents to participate in a focus group. If you are interested, please complete this survey form: https://forms.gle/Z6ApYuhe1siXkVUB6

This information collected by the WEEAC Team is anonymous. Questions about the process can be directed to Colleen Toomey, Analyst at WEEAC (ctoomey1@msudenver.edu).

For more information, follow this link!

For questions, contact Megan Lovelace, at lovelac@k12.or.us

Dear Oak Creek Community,

We still have two positions available this year. Contact OakCreekElementaryPTO@gmail.com if you have questions or would like to join.

Poinsettias and *New* Christmas Cactus – Orders due October 29th
Our poinsettias are coming back to Oak Creek. This year we have a new plant, the “Christmas Cactus”. We have a wider variety of colors and sizes of the poinsettias. Check out the catalog HERE. Order HERE.

Wreaths and Centerpieces – Orders due October 29th
Last year it was so nice to send a gift to family and friends during the holiday season that we decided to continue it. Plus, these smell amazing and last the whole holiday season.

Please send an email to OakCreekElementaryPTO@gmail.com with the gift address and 150 character message, if you would like to send it as a gift. Otherwise, your order will be sent to you in the mail by default. The catalog is HERE with pictures. Order HERE. (Examples are in the office.)

Mod Pizza – Halloween
Order your pizza on Sunday, October 31st using the code “GR199072Z”. 20% of your meal payment will go to the Oak Creek PTO. We need 20 families to sign up here to make it a go. Sign Up Here

Square 1 Art – Coming Soon
Sorry for the delay. The company is still working on the processing.

This should be available soon. Artwork is being uploaded by the company.

Oak Creek’s students have been working on creating artwork for our Square 1 Art fundraiser. Families may search for their child’s artwork and shop for personalized products. Orders due by November 16th. Shop Here

Holiday Cards – Minted

Check out Minted.com before you order your holiday cards. Use the code ”FUNDRAISEOAKCREEK” to save 20% and 15% goes to our Oak Creek PTO.

Donations

To make a donation, please click here: OC Donation

Your employer may match your donation. Don’t forget your spouse’s company too!

Yearbooks
Yearbooks are up for pre-order and are $20 until February. Pre-orders will be unavailable, and you will need to purchase them in person for $25 each after they arrive. Pre-Order Here

Oregon Battle of the Books

We have added the option to donate $25 for a bundle of OBOB books to the school library. All students may use these books, not just those participating in OBOB. Order HERE. We are looking for helpers to record themselves reading the first book chapters. Book Titles Sign up in the volunteer sign up, below.

Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers. Please sign up HERE for events and activities you would like to participate in this year. No commitments required. Sign up and we will reach out to you. No volunteers are allowed in the school yet but we are planning ahead!

PTO Website

Check out our new website. It is still under construction so check back for updates on this page. PTO Website You will find the link to the ordering site here also.

Thank you for your support and doing your part in our wonderful community.

Sincerely,

Oak Creek Elementary PTO Executive Committee

Kirstin Martin / President

Samantha McCaskey / Treasurer

Jesse Nguyen / Assistant Treasurer

Juli Webster / Membership

Rachel Wilde / Secretary

Wendy Jenkins / Parental Involvement

Iris Tilley / Sustainability

Grayce Moody / Communications

OakCreekElementaryPTO@gmail.com

Parents or students may come into the vestibule and search lost and found between 8:10 am and 3 pm on school days. We will keep these items through conferences to give families who come to the school an opportunity to look through. Thank you!

Oak Creek is very fortunate to offer services for students or families experiencing need, thanks to the federally funded Title IA program, the Lake Oswego School District, generous donations from our community, PTO, Lake Grove Presbyterian Church, BeeLine Foundation, Love Inc., Kiwianas, and the Lake Oswego Rotary Club.

This form: OC Resources and Programs can be returned to your student’s teacher, the school counselor, or the front office. It will be kept confidential.

*****

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us. Your privacy will be respected.

Jodi Pope, School Counselor 503-534-2323 popej@loswego.k12.or.us

Dearest Oak Creek Families,

For the month of November through our Social Emotional Learning (SEL), we will be exploring the character trait of GRATITUDE. Gratitude has been shown to be one of the best ways to reduce anxiety, increase happiness, & improve relationships. The practice of gratitude is a tool that both grounds us and also inspires hope, peace, and joy. For when we are grateful, we are stronger to “be the good” to our world.

The definition students will be learning this month is Gratitude: choosing to notice and appreciate things in our life, things in others, and things in the world.

We want to make sure we share with students that Gratitude is 1) a choice that we get to make over and over again on where we put our focus and 2) does not always have to be about something positive. We can feel grateful even for tough or challenging things in our life! There is plenty of research that shows a strong connection between Gratitude and reduced anxiety, increased happiness, and better relationships. Over the course of the month, we will talk about amazing people who demonstrate Gratitude in various ways. We will talk about what we are grateful for in ourselves and in others. Lastly, we will even find Gratitude in some things we would not expect to be thankful for!

We believe involving families in our Social Emotional Learning is important. The letters linked below include activities, conversation starters, reading lists, and more for you to explore GRATITUDE further as a family:

K-2 Gratitude Family Letter (English) 3-5 Gratitude Family Letter (English)

K-2 Gratitud para Familias (En Español) 3-5 Gratitud para Familias (En Español)

Thank you for teaming with us to empower our students socially and emotionally. Please reach out if you or your student would like more support.

During the week of November 1st, the 4th and 5th grade classrooms will be engaging in an experiential learning event promoting empathy and disability awareness called Welcome to My World. Welcome to My World is a school-board approved program developed by the Special Services Parent Advisory Committee as an opportunity for students to experience what life might be like for an individual with a disability. The students will learn together with three stations: Speech and Language, Dyslexia, and Sensory Processing Disorder. At the end of the session, each class will reflect on their personal reactions to the experience, their thoughts about what it is like for students with a disability, and a plan for how to be a supportive community member to a peer who may be experiencing this disability. Ask your 4th or 5th grader:

• What new perspectives do you have after that experience?

• How did you feel during each station? (ie. frustrated, confused, successful)

• How will you show empathy to fellow community members, especially those who may be experiencing a disability?

SNACKS DONATION REQUEST

As in past years we're reaching out to families for snack donations for kiddos who are in need. If you're able, we're looking for store bought individually wrapped snacks. Thank you in advance!

Sincerely,

Roxanne Davidson (2-5th Grade Counselor)

Jodi Pope (K and 1st Grade Counselor)

In order to keep our students safe we will be eating lunch outside as often as possible. When we do have to eat inside, due to rain or other weather related conditions, classes will spread out into the hallways to ensure 6 feet of distance is maintained between unmasked individuals.

Breakfast will not be served at school in the morning. Instead students can order a Grab-N-Go breakfast to take home at dismissal to eat the following morning before coming to school.

Please see the current lunch/breakfast menu here: LOSD Lunch/Bfast Menu

If your child will be absent, please email your student's teacher and copy the office. Please list the date your child will be absent and any illness symptoms. See the guide below for information on when to keep your child home from school.

What is the daily schedule?

First Bell - 8:10 am: Students are welcome to enter the building.

Tardy Bell - 8:20 am: Students who arrive later must check in with the office and receive a Tardy slip before going to their classroom.

Dismissal - 2:40 pm: Students taking a bus home will exit the building through lower doors, students being picked up by parents will exit the building through the top floor doors, students staying for after care will go to the assigned classroom.

Early Release on Thursdays - 2:00 pm

Will students and staff be wearing masks?

Yes, currently all students, staff and anyone who enters the building are required to wear masks. Additional information about mask requirements can be found here.

If you are still looking for an answer, please let us know by clicking here to submit your question.

We have made all of our COVID-19 information easier to find on our district and school websites. Look for the new LOSD COVID-19 Information graphic (above) and find information about guidance, protocols, notifications and more.

Included is a new COVID-19 Dashboard, which notes all active cases in each school currently. Active cases are people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and are currently in their 10-day isolation period. Once the isolation period is complete, the case is removed from the dashboard. The dashboard is updated with exposure notices.

Also new is the recording of last night's Information Session about exposures and quarantining. We anticipate making these Information Sessions regular events to make sure we address all of your questions and concerns. Look forward to notices about upcoming sessions.

This school year the Lake Oswego School District will be offering breakfast and lunch meals (one breakfast and one lunch per student per day) at no charge to all students. Breakfast meals will be served in Grab-n-go style as students arrive to school. Lunch meals will offer healthy tasty entrees, fresh fruits and vegetables with a seasonal rotation of local farm produce and organic products when available.

For information about Food Services, please click here to visit our web page.

For information about part-time job opportunities in Food Services, please click here to visit the employment web page.

I Love Lake Oswego Clothing Closet is a donation-based closet that provides clothing items and hygiene products for residents, students, and employees that work or live within Lake Oswego.

Open Saturdays

9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Visit https://www.ilovelakeoswego.com for more information.

The pantry will be open all summer for contactless curbside pickup every Saturday from 1-2:30 p.m. Visit the website for more info. www.hungerfightersoregon.org

Parents-guardians who have concerns about a student’s well-being are encouraged to reach out to their principal, and to maintain strong lines of communication and partnership between students, families, staff, and other resources.

SafeOregon is also an effective way to report a tip regarding safety threats or potential acts of violence to our students or schools.

https://www.safeoregon.com/

(Students should also be aware that intentionally providing a false report is a serious offense.)

Stay connected to the district and your school(s) and receive urgent notifications by subscribing to the Lake Oswego Schools App.

Reach out to us if you have any questions or need anything!

• Principal Barb Keeton: keetonb@loswego.k12.or.us
• Secretary Carrie Beach: beachc@loswego.k12.or.us
• Secretary Tanya Goodwin: goodwint@loswego.k12.or.us

Address: 55 Kingsgate Rd., Lake Oswego, OR 97035

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakCreekPTA/