News in a Nutshell #4

The Oak Ridge Home & School would like to wish all Oak Ridge families a very Happy Thanksgiving! We are grateful to have such a supportive and engaged community. There is so much to be thankful for at this time of year, and we look forward to the holiday season and all that it brings. Please keep on reading to learn more about the many happenings coming up in December!

Our next Home & School meeting is on Tuesday, December 3 at 7 PM in the Oak Ridge library! As always, all parents/guardians are welcome to attend.

To keep all families informed about what is happening with Home & School, we will share our meeting minutes each month here in our smore. Find the November meeting minutes at this link.

Stay up to date on all things Oak Ridge Home & School - bookmark our new Google site!

Our annual clothing drive will be held on Monday 11/25/2024 from 9am to 12pm at school. This is a drive-thru event, where you'll be able to pull up, drop your items, and go! If you are able, we need volunteers for collection day. Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/ORClothingDrive2024

Here's a list of what we can accept this year:

• Gently used clothing for men, women and children

• Shoes of all sizes (BAG SEPARATELY)

• Accessories: belts, hats, scarves, handbags, gloves etc.

• Towels & bed sheets

• Stuffed toys & other small toys 2ft or less

• Bikes & strollers

Please note the changes from last year’s collection: we cannot accept blankets, quilts, comforters or curtains. We cannot accept household items not listed above. Scooters also cannot be accepted this year. No electronics.

Anything you bring that cannot go on the truck will be sent home with you - please, no dumping.

As in previous years, there will be a collection bin in the office lobby of school during the week of November 18 if you prefer to drop off ahead of time. This will be accessible only during school hours - please don’t dump bags outside.

If you need to drop off prior to 9am on Monday 11/25 on your way to work, please feel free to leave your plastic-bagged donations on the sidewalk outside the Kindergarten entrance, taking care not to block the door. We will grab them when we arrive!

As always, thank you for your help!

The Holiday Shoppe is almost here! This year the Shoppe will run from Monday, December 2nd - Thursday, December 5th. Please refer to the letter that will be sent home with your child for all of the important details, including the class schedule.

We are in need of both volunteers and donations to help make the Shoppe a success. Please check out the signup genius at this link and help out if you are able. We are also still accepting donations of reusable tote bags or sturdy paper or plastic bags with handles for the kids to carry home their purchases in. Bags and other donations can be brought to the school lobby beginning the week of November 18th. We ask all donations be dropped off by Wednesday, November 27th. As always, thank you for your support!

See the flyer below for all of the information about this exciting event. The link to register for the Container Workshop is below as well - use the link to the Google Form or the QR Code!

Thank you to all who filled one or more of the 40 bags that will be distributed to Oak Ridge and local families in time for the upcoming holidays. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Thank you to the Bean Bag Food Program for leading the distribution, Henning's Market for donating the brown bags, and to our school counselor Mrs. Beebe for coordinating!

We received great feedback that will help us expand our efforts to reach more families next year.

Happy Thanksgiving, Oak Ridge Families!!

After the Thanksgiving break, Oakies Caring Hearts will be posting the Sign Ups for the Mittens and Stockings Drive. Each year we seek donations of Gift Cards, money for Utilities, and stockings filled with small gifts for children of various ages.

If you would like to participate, check back in December on all the Home & School communications - Facebook, website, Newsletter, and emails - for the link to sign up. Thank you for keeping the holiday spirit of giving alive in our community!

Home and School will once again be selling bouquets of flowers that you can pre-purchase for your singer/musician. All bouquets need to be pre-ordered and paid for in advance. They will be available for pick up the night of the concert. Two different options are available: a small or large bouquet. Both bouquets will include baby’s breath, greens, cello wrap and a bow. The small bouquet will include a minimum of 4 stems of flowers, while the large will include a minimum of 8 stems. The cost for the small bouquet is $8 and the large is $15. The QR code can be used to pay via Venmo. Please note your child's name and that this is for the concert flowers when paying for the bouquet. All orders are due by Sunday, December 8th. The night of the concert, we will also have wooden roses available for purchase. If you have any problems, please reach out via email oakridgehomeandschool@gmail.com.

The Winter Social is on December 20th from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. in the classroom. Volunteers who signed up through Dashboard will help contribute and/or attend the party. If you're interested in learning more or would like to volunteer, please reach out to us at orhomeroomparent@gmail.com.

As a reminder, we are a 501(c)3 non-profit. We accept donations and company matches. Your donation to Run of Champions is eligible for company match and may be tax deductible (where eligible). Please use the H&S email when submitting your company match oakridgehomeandschool@gmail.com Feel free to email us with any questions!

Thank you all who attended Painting with a Twist in person and virtually. This event earned a commission of $1,060. Those funds directly support the Oakies Caring Hearts program!

Home & School is happy to gift $693 towards 5th grade class t-shirts! Shirts have been purchased and 5th graders will not have to wait until the end of school year picnic for their t-shirts and can wear them to events and field trips throughout the year!

25 years ago, a 4th grade teacher entered a teacher raffle at Walmart and won! The winnings were to be used for the school. Since Oak Ridge was a fairly new school, teachers did not have a lot of Spirit wear, so the winnings were used to purchase staff shirts. At that time, Oak Ridge assemblies were called countdowns, so the shirts were designed to match the theme. Enough shirts were ordered to give out for years to come, but eventually ran out. Then during the 25th anniversary of Oak Ridge, Home & School designed an anniversary edition shirt and there has not been one since. Most teachers now only wear spirit wear that they personally purchased. In the past few years, Mr. Ferlick has redone the school logo and Mrs. Mazurek had a goal to have shirts for all staff that represented the new face of Oak Ridge. Mrs. Mazurek designed new shirts herself which will be unveiled shortly! Home & School is excited to gift $2,000 to purchase all Oak Ridge staff new shirts!

Jump rope club has started!! Please sign up to turn the ropes while the kids jump during their lunch recesses. Kindergarten through second grade is from 10:30 to 11:30. Third graders through fifth graders jump from 11:30 to 12:30. We need at two volunteers per hour to have it! Thank you!!!

Our Yearbook coordinator, Ashley Bilotti, is always looking for your photos to enhance the yearbook. Please send in your photos from the Fun Run, Halloween parties, and other events to orelemyearbook@gmail.com. Your photos help make our yearbook amazing!

To stay engaged between newsletters, join our Oak Ridge Elementary Home & School Association group on Facebook! This is a great place to learn about what's coming up next and to ask questions between meetings. There will also be a fun Oakie's Holiday Baking Event that will be posted there soon! Join and follow us now!

Monday, November 25 - Clothing Drive (drop-off from 9 AM - 12 PM)

Monday, December 2 through Thursday, December 5 - Holiday Shoppe

Tuesday, December 3 - Home and School Meeting at 7 PM in the Oak Ridge library

Wednesday, December 11 - Winter Container Workshop & Holiday Shopping Event at Floral and Hardy, 6-7:30 PM

Friday, December 20 - Holiday Socials

Tuesday, January 7 - Home and School Meeting at 7 PM in the Oak Ridge library