Middle School Update

Today, Leadership is kicking off a donation drive for pet supplies and food for the Free to Live Animal Sanctuary. Starting on Monday, please bring dog or cat food, gently used or new animal bedding and blankets, enrichment toys or any other pet supplies you can think of. You can drop your donations off onto the cafeteria stage under the tallest Christmas tree. All donations are due by Monday, December 16th! Let’s help make this a fun and warm winter season for all our Oklahoma animals!

Semester Tests:

In middle school, we give semester tests in core classes (ELA, math, social studies, science and Spanish). In 6th grade the semester test counts for 10% of the overall semester grade for the class; in 7th grade, 15%, and in 8th grade, 20%. The tests (for the most part) are cumulative and have a study guide. Please see the schedule link below. If you student will be gone for any reason on a semester test day, please make arrangements to take the test BEFORE Dec. 20th. All grades are final after Dec. 20.

Chromebook charging:

This is a reminder to set an alarm to make sure you child is charging his/her chromebook each night. Teachers are seeing an increase of dead batteries which hinders a student's ability to access necessary items.

Hi Oakdale Supporter!

We know it seems early, but we are already gearing up for the Oakdale School Foundation Gala in March and we need your help! Each year, a huge part of our silent auction is made up of our Class Baskets. These are themed baskets put together by families from each grade with donations from parents and donations secured by parents. We are looking for 1-3 parents from each grade to assist as the lead coordinator(s) of their grade's auction basket. As the lead coordinator you will assist in picking a theme for the basket and securing donations from parents and others.

We will send some tips and directions to make this an easy process once we secure all the coordinators.

Thank you for considering serving as a Lead Coordinator this year. We appreciate your help and support to make this year's OSF gala the best yet! Sign up here: https://signup.com/go/ysRHQRF (https://signup.com/go/ysRHQRF)

Thank you,

OSF Board

Our awesome cafeteria manager, Malisa Raddatz, is collecting coins to benefit the City Center. Bring your coins to the front office starting Monday, December 16th, to donate on Malisa's behalf. We will collect coins through Wednesday afternoon and will have a special presentation that day from the Sports Animal's Spinozi with his Spinozi's 12 Days of Christmas! (The coin collection jar will be on the table in front of the front office beginning Monday.)

Did you know that on December 31st yearbook prices increase by $5.00? This will also be the last day to customize your yearbook with your child's name or icons.

Yearbooks are selling fast! Get yours today!!

Click Link or Scan Here to Purchase!

https://yearbookordercenter.com/job/21838

You can purchase tickets to all of our games three ways.

1. First, the link provided at the bottom will take you to the school website to purchase tickets (individual game tickets are loaded 24 to 48 hours before the game).

2. You can also download the Hometown Ticketing Fan app. The app will show all events when they are available for purchase.

3. Forget to purchase before the game? No problem, scan the QR code at the gate to purchase your tickets or use our NEW CARD READER!

Oakdale students get in free with school ID!

Reminder we are digital ticketing only and will not have a cash option at the gate.

Thank you and Go Rockets!

The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) is continuing the statewide virtual math tutoring initiative, the Oklahoma Math Tutoring Corps (OMTC). Tutoring is available for students in grades 7, 8, and 9 and will take place virtually outside of regular school hours beginning January 19, 2025. Students will participate in small groups of up to four students, attending 50-minute sessions three times per week. During each session, tutors will focus on providing grade-level mathematics support to reinforce key concepts and enhance students' understanding of current math topics. Please note that tutors will use provided instructional materials, and direct homework assistance will not be available.

This year, OSDE is accommodating approximately 600 students in grades 7, 8, and 9. The program will run from January 19 – April 19, 2025. Families that are interested in enrolling their student(s) in tutoring can complete this interest form and anticipate email communication received from the OSDE (@sde.ok.gov).

December

16-20: Semester tests

20: 6th grade field trip to bowling alley

On Friday, Dec. 20 all 6th graders will be going to lunch at the Quail Springs Food Court and bowling at Blvd. Bowl in Edmond. Finals will be over and we are looking forward to a day of fun. We will leave school about 10:30am and will return to Oakdale about 3:00 pm.

Students will need to bring money to purchase their own lunch, but will need to pay pay the cost of their bowling online - $10. (This will include shoes. )

To do this, please use the link below for school pay and select 6th grade bowling. We are unable to use coupons or passes. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Oakdale 6th Grade Team

http://oakdale-109503.square.site/

Hey everyone, Jennifer Booker is spearheading our concession again this year! She is needing help and asking our parents to signup for hours to help man the concession stand. Below is the link to the signup genius for home games. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to her or myself. Thank you.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044AAEAF23ABFB6-53852586-oakdale?useFullSite=true#/

Reminder: All medication at school needs to be kept in the office with a completed Authorization for the Administration of Medication Form (AAMF). The exceptions for medications: asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes, and pancreatic enzymes may be carried by the student with a completed Authorization for the Administration of Medication Form filed in the nurse's office.

From the Oakdale Student Handbook:

An Authorization for the Administration of Medication Form (AAMF) must be completed and returned to the school before medication can be administered by school personnel. The only medications students are allowed to carry and self-administer during school or school activities are asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes and replacement pancreatic enzymes, and a completed AAMF form is required.

If your student has a health condition that may affect their school day, please complete this form:

https://forms.gle/onZh2u6QH575BE9AA

For school enrollment, a parent or guardian shall provide one of the following:

1. Current, up-to-date immunization records; or

2. A completed and signed exemption form.

https://oklahoma.gov/health/services/personal-health/immunizations.html

We had another wonderful week in the library! Here is what students learned:

6th Grade began a digital citizenship unit. Over the next two months, students will be having lessons about online safety, digital etiquette, and cyberbullying. This week, students took a pretest to see what they already knew on this topic. We hope this unit helps our students learn how to be responsible, respectful, and kind digital citizens.

7th Grade learned about the necessary elements needed to create a source citation on a works cited page. This lesson along with the previous week's lesson about quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing will be helpful as students move into a research unit next semester in their ELA class.

8th Grade students have been working on a letter to their favorite author telling why that author's book impacted their life. This writing assignment came from a contest hosted by Oklahoma Department of Libraries and The Center for the Book. All 8th graders were required to write the letter for a grade in their ELA class. If students want to enter the contest, they will receive extra credit. See the link below for more information about the contest: https://oklahoma.gov/libraries/ocb/my-favorite-book.html.

December brings a lot of excitement but also big feelings for some of our students. This month we are discussing feelings and empathy.

Our students are kind and have done an excellent job,"putting themselves in someone else's shoes."

This time of year it is especially important to recognize all that we have as a school and community! We are so fortunate!

Speaking of empathy and generosity, a reminder that Builders Club is sponsoring a food drive for the Oakdale Pantry. We are running low on several items so please take a minute to grab a few extra items at the store. Have your student drop them in one of the boxes by the door entrance. We want to assure that our students who are needing food over the long break will have what they need. Remember, many students rely on the breakfast and lunch that we serve, holiday breaks can be challenging!

As always, thanks for all you do for our school and for raising awesome kids!

Gina McCarty/School Counselor

Bre Sizemore/School Counselor

Did you know TeacherEase has an app?

Android TeacherEase App Link

Apple TeacherEase App Link

Texting OPT-IN:

Parents can opt in and out of Text Messages in their parent portal by doing the following:

1. Go to Parent Main > Miscellaneous > Communication Preferences
2. Choose On or Off for SMS Text Messaging
3. Save

OR, you can text "Start" to (877) 647-6041.

What is PTC? Oakdale's PTC (Parent Teacher Club) is made up of a team of parent volunteers who want to see Oakdale be the best school it can be. If you are a parent looking for an opportunity to get involved, please consider joining PTC this year! We help plan and coordinate activities that benefit the teachers, staff, students, and families of Oakdale. Follow us on Instagram to get information on upcoming school events.

Pals is an excellent way to get involved in Oakdale! Pals volunteers help teachers make copies and general workroom needs. Please sign up using the links.If you would like more information please contact Allie at allieagarrison@gmail.com or (580) 504-2219.

Pre K https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805094CAAA929AAFD0-53679548-prekpals

Kindergarten https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805094CAAA929AAFD0-53678803-kindergarten

1st Grade https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805094CAAA929AAFD0-53676670-1stgrade

2nd Grade https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805094CAAA929AAFD0-53677390-2ndgrade

3rd Grade https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805094CAAA929AAFD0-53678051-3rdgrade

4th and 5th Grade https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805094CAAA929AAFD0-53679184-4thand

6th, 7th, and 8th Grade https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805094CAAA929AAFD0-53679819-6th8th

Exciting News! We've moved to a PUBLIC Facebook page! To all our wonderful supporters, please search for "Oakdale School Foundation" on Facebook and join our new public page to stay updated on all the latest news regarding funding grants in our schools. Don’t worry; our Instagram will stay the same! Thank you for your continued support!

Dear 8th-grade families,

It's still early days, but we wanted to get these dates on your calendar. As you know, Oakdale is an elementary district [we don't have a high school]; therefore, our students can go to any public high school in the state, by law. Most of our students choose to go to Edmond Memorial High School, and Edmond has a great relationship with us. They send a bus to our area to pick up our high school students and make an effort to ease our transition. Here are the dates that Edmond has for us:

Edmond Memorial High School

Enrollment Dates for 25-26

January – February 2024

Jan. 16 @ EMHS –

• 5:30 – 6:00 – Special Ed in Choir Room with Evann Guthrie (for special education families)
• 6:00-7:15 pm – Future Freshman in the Auditorium at EMHS for parents and students
• 7:15 – 8:00 pm – Showcase in the Lower Commons for parents and students

Jan 23 – Feb. 9 – Enrollment [online registration] window open for Oakdale District allows only Oakdale and 2 weeks ONLY

Jan. 23 – Oakdale Pep Rally – 2:30 – 3:15 @ Oakdale Fine Arts (for students, but parents are welcome)

Jan. 31 – Enrollment forms due to Mrs. Willhoite

Feb. 19 - Counselors from EMHS @ Oakdale all day to enroll students (there will be a sign-up genius)

Here are is the link and access code to all of the photos!

https://grandlifephotography.gotphoto.com/login

Code: 8OAKDALE

Rocket Run 2024 – Event Photos Now Available!

We had an incredible time at the Rocket Run, and now you can relive those memories! All event photos are ready for FREE digital download!

Click the link below, enter the access code, and download your favorite photos for free. When you select "Buy Photo," you’ll see the FREE direct download option right next to it.

Access Code: rocketrun24

Tag us in your photos with #RocketRun2024 so we can see all the smiles, colors, and fun from this amazing day!

Photo Link:
https://grandlifephotography.gotphoto.com/login

Dear Oakdale Community Members,

I’m pleased to announce that the December gym reservations are now available for booking.

We encourage you to make your reservations early to secure your preferred dates.

Here is the SignUp Genius link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A084EAEAA2F4-53466142-december

For any inquiries or assistance with booking, please feel free to contact me.

Thanks!

Marcus Dyer

mdyer@oakdale.org

The Oakdale Board of Education does not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, veteran status, or gender.

Email: jwillhoite@oakdale.org
Website: www.oakdale.org
Location: 10901 North Sooner Road, Edmond, OK, USA
Phone: 405-771-3373