Ocean Avenue Friday Notes

• 9/23-9/30: Grade 3-5 State Assessments (2 Hours)
  
• 9/30: First Day of Learning Works (TENTATIVE)
• 10/7: Grade 4 Field Trip to Mackworth Island, 11 AM-1:55 PM
  
• 10/8: PTO Meeting at 6:30 PM, OAES Library
  
• 10/9: NEW DATE ~ School Picture Day! 📸 (See more info below)
• 10/11-10/14: Indigenous Peoples' Day (NO SCHOOL)
• 10/17: Learn About Our Learning at Ocean Avenue School, 5-6 PM
• 10/25: Flu Shot Clinic at OAES (More info to come)
• LOOKING AHEAD - 12/3 & 12/4 and 03/24 & 3/25 - 11:10 AM Dismissal for Conferences
• LOOKING AHEAD - 12/14 - Designing Women Craft Show at Ocean Avenue School

✅ To look ahead to future meetings, school events, etc, please click on the link below ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

Ocean Avenue School Picture Day is Wednesday, October 9th with Strawbridge Studios! Order forms will be sent home with your students soon! Every student will receive a School ID Card and Class Composite Picture, even if a picture package is not ordered for your student(s).

To order a picture package and pay online, go to www.strawbridge.net. Click Order Pictures and enter the following code: FM452508.

The upcoming Learn About Your Child's Learning ~ Parent Information Night is coming up on Thursday, October 17th! Find out what we do at school each day:

• Learn about our approach to teaching and learning.
• Hear from your own child's teacher.
• Meet other parents/guardians.
• Discuss ways to support your child at home.
  

SAVE THE DATE ~ We hope to see you there!

Dismissal at the end of the school day is a very busy time. For safety reasons, and to make dismissal an orderly process, we ask that you cooperate with the following procedures:

• Please meet your child at the designated pick-up areas. Please understand that we do not allow you to go to your child’s classroom to dismiss your child. Allowing your child to arrive and leave their classrooms independently will help your child develop important social skills. Staff can help, if needed.

• Parents/guardians are asked to wait for their child at the parent loop (entrance on Ocean Avenue). This area is quite congested; we recommend parking on neighboring streets, not Ocean Avenue, and walking in to meet your child.

• If your child normally walks or takes the bus, but you are planning to pick your child up at the end of the day, please send a note or call the office early in the day. Calls to the office requesting changes in dismissal arrangements MUST BE MADE BEFORE 1:00 PM (12:00 PM on Wednesdays). If we do not have the information by this time we may not be able to accommodate your request.

• If plans are made for your child to go to a different location after school, you need to send a note to the school with your child or call the office directly. If we do not have a note or verbal confirmation from a parent, we will insist your child follow the daily routine.

• All early dismissals must go through the Main Office. It is required that you sign out your child. The administrative assistant will notify the teacher to dismiss your child. You may not go directly to the classrooms to dismiss your child. This is designed as a protection for all children, and to limit classroom disruptions.

• If you need to dismiss your child during the school day and he/she is on the playground, do not take your child from the playground. You must report to the office first and we will bring your child to you.

Thank you for your help in making our dismissal time a smooth and easy end to the school day for both you and our school staff. We appreciate your support!

Please remember to not park in a spot near the crossing guard and school crosswalk in the morning/afternoon. Our crossing guards need full visibility of the area for the safety of our students and themselves. Please park in a designated parking spot and walk your child(ren) up to the crosswalk each day, if you would like to see them cross into the schoolyard. Thank you for your cooperation!

Please help us by making sure all toys are left at home each day and not brought to school. We have plenty of toys and activities for students to play with at recess each day and outside toys are often a distraction to learning, they can get lost or broken, and they may cause power struggles among students.

Thank you for your help in this matter! Our staff appreciates it!

Students learned about the butterfly's life cycle in Ms. Weeks' class this week! Check out the pictures below! What a fun lesson!

Please help your student remember to bring their library book back every week - there are bright library bookmarks to remind students which day of the week to return books. They are so excited to start borrowing!

Have questions about borrowing books or need to know what day your student's library day is? Contact Ms. Eva! She's always happy to hear from you. platte@portlandschools.org

SAVE THE DATE for the Flu Clinic on Friday, October 25th in the morning. We are partnering with Northern Light to give annual flu shots to any students and staff that would like to participate. More information about how to sign up coming soon!

For OAES families that have not filled out the Household Income Data Form, we ask that you please complete it! The information from the form helps us maximize the state revenue our school district receives.

The information you provide enables the Portland Public Schools to have a correct count of the number of our families that qualify as economically disadvantaged. That data helps us receive accurate state education aid for our community.

We ask that all families complete the Household Income Data Form by downloading the print-version of the form located at this LINK. You may also complete the form in your Campus Parent Portal.

Your information is confidential and will be used solely to determine the Portland Public Schools’ eligibility for state funding programs. Your participation is essential to ensure our district receives the correct amount of state education dollars!

Please complete your form as soon as possible before the September 27 deadline!

Each Fall and Spring the PTO runs once-a-week enrichment classes after school. We are looking for interested teachers/instructors. In the past, we have offered yoga, dance, theater, Minecraft, art, running — to name a few. If you have ideas or know a possible instructor please contact board@oapto.org. Instructors are paid a stipend for their time.

The PTO is hosting a pizza night fundraiser at Flatbread Company on Tuesday, October 15th. A portion of every pizza sold (dine in, take out, or delivery) from 5-9pm that night will raise money for our students to participate in Side x Side this year!

Learn more about this wonderful non-profit here: https://sidexsideme.com

*Stay tuned for details of a raffle!

The PTO is trying to reach a goal of 100 monthly donors who are willing to give $1 - $10 each month. Can you help?

Now that the 2024-2025 school year has begun, we are more eager than ever to support our students and teachers. If a teacher wants to do a special project with their class, we want to be able to say YES! If the library wants to add to their collection, we want to be able to write the check. If a grade level wants to go on a field trip, we want to fund it. If there is an opportunity to bring a visiting artist to the school, we want to make it happen.

Here are some enriching projects, field trips, and important items previously funded thanks to our Dolphin's Cove donors:

• Provided funds to replace all lost library books throughout the school year.

• Supplied funds for school garden upgrades and maintenance including 200 new plants.

• Sent third graders to the Desert of Maine for an ecological learning experience.

• Covered the membership cost for our school nurse with the National Association of School Nurses. One benefit of membership is the VSP Eyes of Hope® gift certificate program which covers a comprehensive eye exam and, if prescribed, new glasses at a VSP network doctor's office for students in need.

• Brought a Portland Symphony Orchestra Kinderkonzert ensemble to perform for the K-2 students. The brass quintet performed The Circus Ship, the beloved children's book story by Chris Van Dusen, while introducing students to this family of instruments.

• Sent second and third graders to a vibrant production of Wabanaki Stories at Merrill Auditorium featuring five Wabanaki artists coming from several different nations and traditions.

• Organized monthly teacher appreciation events for OAES staff including an ice cream truck, treats for teachers in the staff room, a gift card raffle, and an espresso cart service.

• Paid membership fees for Ruth’s Reusable Resources, a free store for teachers connecting them with surplus furniture, paper, books, office supplies and computers.

• Funded a visit from award-winning children’s book author and poet, Samara Cole Doyon, who is both a second-generation Haitian American and a deeply rooted Mainer.

• Covered the cost of math team t-shirts for fifth graders.

• Organized and funded our school spring fair with an inflatable obstacles course, snow cones, face painting, photo booth, martial arts demos, and lawn games.

• Covered costs for books from Maine Student Book Awards and Chickadee Book Awards to be added to our library.
  
  

Thank you to each of our current donors for the consistent support.

Please consider joining Dolphin’s Cove if you can!

• https://donorbox.org/dolphinscove-2-3

Have you been wanting to get involved but not sure how? OAES PTO is looking for volunteers to help coordinate upcoming events and fundraisers. We welcome all to help in any way they can! Please contact us if interested: board@oapto.org. Attendance at meetings is not required.

Opt-in to text updates to stay up to date on community events, news, reminders, and more! Just text the phrase OAPTO to 844-795-0248. Text STOP to opt-out at any time.