OMS Family Focus

The MISSION of Oakdale Middle School is cultivating character and academic excellence through high expectations.

The VISION of Oakdale Middle School is working together with parents we provide an atmosphere of high expectations where learning is celebrated and our students are encouraged to be the best they can be. Our teachers, counselors and administrators are here to equip each and every student with the knowledge, skills and experiences so that he/she can become an engaged and empowered citizen. Staff and students respect the rights of others and enjoy the differences, as well as similarities, they find among their classmates. As our community grows, we revel in our rich and diverse culture and welcome all to OMS.

Greetings Oakdale Middle School Families,

I hope your student has gotten off to a great start of term 2 and has adjusted to the new school year. I feel that our students are thriving in many different areas and the positivity that is shown throughout the day makes me truly grateful. As we go through the month of November, I hope each one of you are able to reflect on the things that brings you joy and things you are thankful for. I am thankful for the many blessings I encounter and extremely thankful for this community as we continue to build this sense of community together. Our students at OMS are awesome and I enjoy seeing them work together and be good citizens towards one another. Please see below the exciting events happening this month. I am most excited about the 6th grade social event happening next Friday, November 8.

As always, we will communicate throughout the school year using School Messenger, Schoology, and School Smore newsletter. If you have any questions throughout the year, please feel free to reach out.

Kind regards,

Dr. Samuels

Principal

I am glad to inform you that the International Baccalaureate application process will begin soon! We hope that this rigorous academic program will appeal to some of your students. Please encourage any 8th grade student to apply for the International Baccalaureate program here at Urbana High school if you think that they would enjoy and benefit from a comprehensive academic program with emphasis on research, writing, and application of knowledge to the real world.

Students and families interested in the International Baccalaureate Program at Urbana High School are invited to attend an information session on Monday, September 23rd at 7:00 pm in the Urbana High Auditorium (3471 Campus Drive, Ijamsville). At this meeting, we will share information about the program- prerequisites, courses, and requirements for earning the IB Diploma- and the application process.

The application packet will be made available on the UHS website starting September 23rd. All application materials, including transcripts and teacher recommendations, must be received by the UHS IB Office no later than 2:30 pm on Dec 6th, 2024. Decision letters will be sent in early January.

Families with questions are welcome to reach out to the UHS IB Office, Jessica McBroom is the IB DP coordinator: uhsibprogram@fcps.org.

Nov. 4-19: FCPS Systemic Surveys

Nov. 5: School closed Election Day

Nov. 8: PTSA 6th grade Social Event

Nov. 11-15: Book Fair for students during the day

Nov. 12: Book Fair during the evening

Nov. 22: Picture Retakes

Nov. 26: Mid-Term and 2 hour early dismissal

Nov. 27-29: Thanksgiving Break No School

The OMS Library is hosting a Scholastic Book Fair the week of November 11 through 15. The fair will be open during school hours, with evening hours on Tuesday, November 12 from 5-8PM.

Visit the OMS Bookfair Page to view the Scholastic flier and to learn about setting up eWallet for your student. Accepted forms of payment: eWallet, cash, Apple Pay/Google Pay, check made out to Oakdale Middle School) and credit card.

All students will have an opportunity to visit the book fair with their ELA teachers throughout the week per the schedule below.

• MONDAY, 11/11: Cunningham & Widener
• TUESDAY, 11/12: Richards & Enix
• WEDNESDAY, 11/13: Nugent & Saris
• THURSDAY, 11/14: McCarty & Hearn
• FRIDAY, 11/15: Drop-in visits for last minute shoppers
• 
  

Interested in helping out at the Bookfair? Please check out the Sign-Up Genius! Feel free to reach out to Mrs. Flynn, OMS Library Media Specialist with any questions at kathryn.flynn@fcps.org.

Please look out for communication in regarding the family survey link next week. The survey will be open from November 4 - 19.

The OMS PTSA is excited to host the “Let’s Glow Crazy” 6th grade social! The OMS PTSA invites our current 6th grade students to come hang out with old friends and make new friends at the casual glowingly fun social event on Friday, November 8th from 3:30PM to 5:00PM!

Students will be dismissed at 3:30PM directly to the Oakdale Middle School gym for the event. Transportation is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. Students must be picked up at 5:00PM at the side parking lot near the cafeteria doors of Oakdale Middle School.

Please complete the permission slip which must be returned by November 7th if your 6th grader would like to participate in this event.

We need your help to make the event a success! If you would like to volunteer or donate to this event, please see the signup. Please note, if we do not get enough volunteers to chaperone, we will unfortunately have to cancel the event.

***This event is ONLY for current 6th grade students attending Oakdale Middle School.***

To ensure you are getting all the latest and greatest PTSA information, please join on mailing list using the following link https://oakdalemiddle.givebacks.com/join/f0ead1 and/or follow us on social media via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/oakdalemiddleptsa) and/or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/oakdalemiddleptsa).

Food and Nutrition Services Farm to School Program

The OMS SGA is hosting the Toys for Tots Program.

Help us Deliver Hope to a Child in Need…

MISSION: The basic mission of the Marine Toys for Tots Program is to collect new unwrapped toys and distribute those toys to less fortunate children at Christmas.

GOAL: The primary goal of Marine Toys for Tots is, through the gift of a new toy, help bring the joy of Christmas and send a message of hope to America's less fortunate children.

We are running a friendly grade competition and have 3 boxes in the school lobby for each grade. The grade that brings in the most unwrapped toys for ages 0-12 will have a prize. Turkey Bowl.

Administration and Counseling Team

6th Grade Assistant Principal - Ms. Brown

6th Grade School Counselor - Ms. Gibson

7th Grade Assistant Principal - Mrs. Zeoli

7th Grade School Counselor - Mrs. Eck

8th Grade Assistant Principal - Mr. Heusser

8th Grade School Counselor - Mrs. McCracken

All Grades Behavior Support Specialist - Mr. Cunningham

Attendance: Ms. Sanders, Please email absence notes to OMS.attendance@fcps.org the morning of your student's absence.

LOST and FOUND: Please have your child check the lost and found in the cafeteria for any lost items. We have accumulated a plethora of coats. jackets and sweaters. Because there are so many, these items need to be claimed by Nov. 15.

Cell Phone Use

In an effort to work together to ensure appropriate use of cell phones for students, we encourage parents/guardians to review safe cell phone usage frequently, maintain open communication, and utilize appropriate parental controls. Also, students are reminded of the school’s rules for having a cell phone at school, which is linked in case you wish to periodically review them with your child. Regulation 400-18 Electronic Devices – Student Use.

Finally, please reiterate with your child to not use their cell phone for unsanctioned purposes such as: cheating, harassing or bullying others, taking photos or videos of others without permission, checking personal social media accounts, or sexting. Some violations may have consequences not only related to student discipline, but victims have also pursued legal action against both the student and the parent/guardian. Those outcomes are best avoided when schools and parents partner together. We thank you for all that you do to help us reinforce good digital citizenship.

Oakdale Middle School has implemented the "Off, Away, and Out of Sight" cell phone policy for the last several years. While students are in the school building during the instructional day, they are to keep their cell phones, "Off, Away, and Out of Sight" and that time is 7:45am - 3:12 pm. Please see FAQ for consequences of misuse.

• Parents/Guardians - if you need to contact your child please call the front office at 227-203-2450 and we will get the message to your child as soon as possible.

Bus riders

Please use the FCPS Transportation website to ensure you know your child’s bus stop location as well as the pick-up and drop-off time.

As a reminder, A quick and easy resource to check if your child's bus is delayed is to visit https://apps.fcps.org/transdelay/ This site is updated in real-time to reflect any bus delays.

Car rider Arrival and dismissal Traffic Patterns and Procedures

All car rider drop-off and pick-ups will occur in the side parking lot off of Oakdale School Road. OMS staff will be in the side parking lot to assist with traffic flow, student crossings, and vehicles safely exiting from the parking lot. Please pay close attention to their guidance. OMS staff will be highly visible over the next few weeks helping with the flow of traffic. During these first few weeks, I ask for your patience and understanding as everyone becomes familiar with our arrival and dismissal procedures.

OMS Arrival Traffic Procedures MAP

• All traffic should follow Oakdale School Road past the middle school and turn left into the OMS side parking lot at the bottom entrance.

• Upon entering the parking lot, all car traffic should stay to the left of the cones and follow staff guidance as you proceed towards the student drop off location near the front of the parking lot.

• Once you reach the drop-off spot, students should exit the car and follow the guidance of the OMS staff member(s) at that location.

• After the students have safely crossed and are on the sidewalk, the car should follow staff guidance, yield to any exiting busses, and proceed to exit the parking lot onto Oakdale School Road. Cars SHOULD NOT make U-turns in the parking lot.

OMS Dismissal Traffic Procedures MAP

• All traffic should follow Oakdale School Road past the middle school and turn left into the OMS side parking lot at the bottom entrance.

• Upon entering the parking lot, all car traffic should stay to the left to begin forming lanes of parked cars (OMS staff will be present to help with this process).

• All bus riders and walkers will be dismissed first beginning at 3:12. Once all of the busses have cleared, we will begin dismissal for our car riders (at roughly 3:25).

• As students exit the building, OMS staff will help students cross to their cars and begin releasing one row of cars when it is safe.

• Please do not move your car until a staff member has released the row you are parked in.

Start and End Time

School doors will open at 7:45 with all students arriving through the side cafeteria entrance. Upon arrival, students will report to their designated areas until they are dismissed by OMS staff members.

• 6th Grade - Gym

• 7th Grade - Gym

• 8th Grade - Cafeteria

All students should be in the building before 8:05 so that they are in their class and ready to learn by the start of class at 8:12.

We will begin dismissal at 3:12 with our walkers and bus riders. Once all walkers and bus riders have been dismissed, we will dismiss our car riders (usually around 3:20/3:25).

The Frederick County Library has an online tutoring platform called Brainfuse HelpNow. This service can be used with a Frederick County Public Library Card Number. HelpNow is a resource designed for K-12 students and beyond. Live tutoring is available in English and Spanish from 2:00-11:00 p.m. to provide homework help for core subjects, including mathematics, science, and English language arts. Practice long division, improve reading comprehension, and learn other key skills. Practice for standardized tests. Students may submit papers to HelpNow’s Writing Lab for expert assistance and feedback, or collaborate with peers in virtual study spaces. More information is available at the FCPL website, https://www.fcpl.org/learn/brainfuse-helpnow.