Oak Crest Family Tiger Topics

*The Great Kindness Challenge Continues! Kids continue to find ways to be kind, recognize kindness, and flip the script on unkindness. Our students are being given ideas on what kindness can look like, but given their own freedom to spread kindness in ways they find meaningful and impactful. It has been fun to see how interactions change when kindness is at the front of everyone's minds.

*Half Way Point. This Wednesday the 15th was the last day of Semester 1. Between Monday the 20th and Friday the 25th, final grades from semester 1 will be published in Infinite Campus.

*Be RED Breakfast. Last week we sent home invitations to the Be RED breakfast for students who have received a Tiger Pride Student of the Month Award in September, October, November or December. Students with an invitation are encouraged to bring 1 or 2 family members to share in the celebration that will include donuts, juice, and coffee. We still have 5 more months for kids to earn this recognition and invitation for our spring Be RED breakfast in early May.

Have a great weekend. Be you, be Kind!

Ben Tressel

Principal, Oak Crest Elementary

• All January - The Great Kindness Challenge
• Jan 20 - No School - Teacher Professional Development Day
• Jan 22 - 5th & 6th Spelling Bee
• Jan 22 - 3rd & 4th Tiger Strong
• Jan 24 - Report Cards Published and accessible online
• Jan 24 - Be RED Breakfast (By invitation)
• Jan 27-31 - The Great Kindness Challenge Food Drive
• Jan 31 - PTC Fast Link in Tiger Topics to sign up for conferences
• Feb 5 - All School Meeting #6
• Feb 7 - Student Council Field Trip
• Feb 18 & 20 - Winter Conferences

• Mondays - Engineering Club with Mr. Kehr
• Tuesdays - Sports with Mr. Smith & Mr. Tressel
• Wednesdays - Art Club with Mary O & Falynn H
• Thursdays and Fridays - Pokemon Club with Mr. Mattison & Ms. Deb/Ms. Malinda
• Clubs begin at 7:35am and are open to all students who are registered in advance. Parent drop off kids who are going to clubs will be welcomed into school at 7:35am. No materials are needed for club participation, but after the first day, instructors may ask kids to bring some items if they wish.

• YWAC - Each year, we offer students the opportunity to attend the Young Writers and Artists Conference in Mankato. This year the optional event Mrs. Schroers and Mrs. Endres will coordinate the event for OC kids on March 4th. Below is an attachment with more information and how to register.

I want to pass along what happened in 5th and 6th grade Tiger Strong this Wednesday. It was a very good meeting based on how the kids reacted to our conversation and demonstration.

First, we talked about how "Unkindness" presents itself in many small ways from eye-rolls, to exclusion, to joking, to interrupting. Then we talked about each act of unkindness as a weight that another person may carry and impact their day. We listed some of those acts again and for each one, we added a heavy textbook to a 6th grader's strong arms. After adding 10 or 12, he was struggling to keep them up. We demonstrated how kindness can ease that burden, but only in a 1 to 5 ratio. (Research says 5 acts of kindness to each act of unkindness.) We also discussed how people carrying "heavy books" want to pass that unkindness burden on to others and sometimes they try to unload a lot of books at once. (When somebody hurts us, we respond by being more hurtful.)

The second activity was a problem solving circle or fish bowl, pictured below. I was in the middle with the problem. "We have many kids being unkind in small ways at OC, and the small acts of unkindness are weighing down our classmates, and at times causing them to crumble." The students asked questions, gave solution suggestions, and listened intently to each other. Kid suggestions included:

• "We need to check in on each other more often."
• "We need to be aware that other people might be carrying a lot of books."
• "All kids need to try and be kind all of the time."
• "We need to be more careful about how we treat others, even our close friends."
• "Teachers are probably carrying a lot of books."
• "Some people carry books that they can never get rid of (...and those are the kids that get made fun of the most)."

Next week, we will do the book demonstration with 3rd & 4th grade.

Ask your Oak Crest Tiger:

*What small acts of kindness are you trying do everyday?

*Tell me about the Fish Bowl Activity? (5th /6th grade)

*What have you checked off on the Kindness Challenge Checklist?

*Is your class doing any special kindness activities?

*Who are 3 people that are kind to you at Oak Crest? How do they show you kindness?

*What book are you reading?

It is getting colder everyday of 2025. When we are above 0 as a "feels-like" temperature, we will get kids out as they need to move! To make this possible, we need to have kids ready for the extreme colds. Covered ears, covered hands, and zipped winter coats are required everyday. Please send them prepared!

We have snow again! When there is snow on the ground, students must have boots and snow pants to play in those areas. If they do not, their options for fun at recess greatly decrease. Please send boots and snow pants to school.

If we have indoor recess, we are trying to limit iPad time. Our students are really good at interacting with screens, but learning to interact with each other is very important. We are trying to find creative ways to make indoor recess fun and engaging. If you have donations of cards, board games, or legos in good shape, please consider sending them to Oak Crest for our kids to use when stuck inside!

Snow Day #2

Reminder that if we have another school closure due to bad weather, it will be an e-learning day. Kids will be expected to log in from home to do school work and even have live interactions with teachers. Teachers will send home specific schedules, instructions and resources if this happens!

Ben Tressel

Principal

Oak Crest Elementary

1101 W. Commerce Dr. Belle Plaine, MN 56011

952-873-2402

btressel@belleplaine.k12.mn.us