Ocean Avenue Friday Notes

• 12/10: PTO Meeting at 6:30 PM, OAES Library
  
• 12/12: Community Meeting in the Gym, 8 AM
• 12/14: Designing Women Craft Show at Ocean Avenue School ~ PTO Sponsored Event, 9 AM-4 PM
• 12/23-01/01 - Winter Break - NO SCHOOL
• 01/02: School Back in Session ~ Welcome Back!
• 01/25: OAES Hockey Night at the Maine Mariners ~ PTO Sponsored Event, 6 PM
  
  

✅ Here is the link to BREAKFAST/LUNCH MENU.

✅ Here is the link to the DISTRICT CALENDAR for the 2024/2025 school year.

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

Storm-Related School Schedule Decisions:

1. Regular Schedule:

   • No changes; schools operate as usual.
   • No communication will be sent in this case.

2. School Cancellation:

   • Entire day is canceled.
   • Details on snow days and make-up days are available on the district website here.

3. Delayed Start (2 hours):

   • Schools start two hours later than usual.
   • Buses/vans will pick students up two hours later than regular times.
   • Expect potential delays due to slower driving conditions.

4. Early Release (1 hour):

   • Schools close one hour early, following a Wednesday schedule.
   • This helps ensure everyone gets home safely before worsening conditions.

Communication Channels:

• Notification Timing: By 5:00 a.m. for cancellations, delays, or early releases.
• Methods:
  • ReachMyTeach messaging system
  • District website: portlandschools.org
  • TV stations: Channels 6 (WCSH), 8 (WMTW), 13 (WGME)
  • Radio stations
    
    

Commitment to Safety:

The district prioritizes community safety while minimizing disruptions to learning and services. Your support helps ensure a safe and successful winter season for everyone.

Every December, we are reminded that "Old Man Winter" is alive and well! As we all know, there will be many cold and snowy days ahead.

We urge you to do your best to send your children appropriately dressed for school during the winter months. Students need jackets, hats and gloves/mittens in order to be safely protected from the cold when they are outside at recess. We have recess outside every day, unless the temperature is below 13 degrees (or wind chill is below 13 degrees). This is a Portland Public Schools policy for every school in the district.

During snowy weather, children are expected to wear boots and snow pants, if they wish to be out in the field area to play in the snow. If you need help getting these items to your child, please contact the Main Office. We have a clothing closet well supplied with winter gear!

Ocean Avenue School is proud to be a part of the international Hour of Code in 2024. Students in Grades 2-5 have been working on block coding through code.org. A special shout out goes to our resilient 2nd graders who were the first in their grade in Portland Schools to get logged into the Chromebooks and start coding!

Meanwhile, in kindergarten, we did some unplugged coding and became robots! Learning how basic coding commands work and programming our classmates to do silly dances.

And finally, our amazing 1st graders had a fun-packed visit with our BeeBot friends. We expanded our coding challenges, adding obstacles and new destinations as we practiced more complex coding patterns.

Want to learn more about Hour of Code or start learning from home? Check out hourofcode.com for lots of plugged AND unplugged activities!

As the temperatures continue to drop and the snowflakes start to fall, we have many cold hands needing a warm cover. We are currently very low on are mitten and glove supply and would love any donations - new or "gently used" to help us keep our student(s) hands warm this winter. Thank you for your help and donations! 🧤

Board of Public Education Chair Sarah Lentz will present the annual State of the Schools address to the City Council at its 5 p.m. meeting on Monday, Dec. 16, .in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The City Charter requires that the Board chair deliver an annual address to the Council on the state of Portland’s public education system. Lentz will speak of the district’s many successes over the past year, as well as the challenges it faces. Go to the City’s Meetings & Agendas portal to view the agenda and access the Zoom link to attend this meeting, which will be in person and via Zoom.

Join us for a virtual Pre-K Information Night to learn more about how the Portland Public Schools Pre-K lottery works! We select applicants from those who apply during the three-week application window, and the order of your application doesn't impact your chances as long as it's submitted by the deadline. After the initial lottery, we keep a waitlist open and continue to add families until October 1st of the new school year. Visit the Pre-K Lottery Process page to learn more about the Pre-K process.

Please join us back in the school library on Tuesday, December 10th at 6:30pm. Superintendent Dr. Ryan Scallon will be attending and plans to speak about the ‘high school of the future.’ We’d love to see you there!

The Designing Women Craft Fair will be at Ocean Avenue School on Saturday, December 14th! This is an annual PTO fundraiser that is successful each year thanks to our amazing OAES Community! Have you been wanting to get involved but not sure how? This is the perfect low commitment opportunity!

We will need several volunteers for shifts at the welcome table and food table. If you have just two hours to give, it will make a big difference! Grab a friend and do it together.

Can't make it on December 14th but still want to help? We also need food donations (baked goods, soups, sandwiches, etc.) to sell at the event. Proceeds benefit the school.

All opportunities (onsite volunteers, food donations) can be found here: Designing Women Craft Fair Volunteers

A Little Background: Ocean Avenue has been hosting Designing Women for many years. We give Designing Women use of the gym and cafeteria in exchange for the PTO collecting a "suggested donation" at the door and selling food and drinks. For many PTO members, the Designing Women event was our first volunteer experience at Ocean Avenue. It's a great way to get to know other parents while supporting Ocean Avenue Elementary School.

Questions? Feel free to reach out board@oapto.org.

We will be hosting a PTO Fundraiser at the Maine Mariners game on Saturday, January 25th at 6 PM. The OAES Community had a blast at this event last school year so we are heading back to cheer on the Mariners and enjoy a fun night with family and friends!

$1 from every ticket sold from our link will benefit students and staff of Ocean Ave School. Additionally, we will need 12 volunteers (must be 18+) to work a concession stand for the duration of the game. Please note that volunteers will need to be there at 4 PM and will work through approximately the end of the 3rd period. More details and a link to signup will be coming soon! This is a really fun event and a great way to get involved!

Get your tickets here: Hockey Night with OAES

Concession stand signup: Concession Stand Volunteers

Each year the PTO hosts a benefit and auction in the Spring with proceeds going right back into our school! Thanks to our tireless volunteers, we always have a lot of great items & experiences up for silent or live auction! That’s where you come in - we need your help to make 2025’s auction better than ever!

If you’d like to participate on the auction committee or have questions, please contact volunteer@oapto.org.

We won’t spam your texts but we will send reminders about events! Signing up for texts or emails from the PTO is the best way for direct communication.

If you’d like to join our email list, please contact communications@oapto.org.

FOR TEXTS:

Email: westme@portlandschools.org
Website: https://oceanavenue.portlandschools.org/
Location: 150 Ocean Avenue, Portland, ME, USA
Phone: 207-874-8180
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oaesportland