Tiger Tracks

We are now down to our final two months of this school year. As a staff, we have had discussions about our continued goal to keep the foot on the gas pedal and not to let off these last crucial days. I know excitement begins to bubble up and students are looking forward to entering middle school, moving upstairs for a new grade, moving to a new class with new friends, or even summer vacation! However, there is still A LOT of learning that will be taking place these last 49 days of school and we need students engaged and ready to learn now more than ever. Please help us communicate this message as you work with your children at home. I know we will have a FANTASTIC end to this school year!

It is usually around this time where I make announcements about staff leaving and new hires for next year. As I have learned working at Oakdale, we have a very stable staff, dedicated to our students and community. We only have one staff member moving on this year. Our school psychologist, Olivia Rosol, will be moving to help out the high school next year. We knew she was only here temporarily this year as she was not full time with us. We wish her well as she assists the high school next year. Starting new next year as our full time school psychologist is Krystal Bauman. Krystal is finishing her psychology practicums through UNO this year and will be completing her internship next year with Oakdale. She has worked at Paddock Road in their Club 66 program in the past and has done several practicums within Westside. We are excited to have her join the Oakdale team.

Next week, our 3rd through 6th grade students will begin their Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System tests (NSCAS). These tests will occur for both reading and math, as well as science for 5th grade. Please be on the lookout from your child's teacher as to when they will be taking the tests. Please schedule appointments around these tests as making them up can be cumbersome. Additionally, a good night's sleep and healthy breakfast also allow students to perform at their optimal level for these tests. Thank you for your support during this time.

~ Mr. Jagels

It is that time of year when parents begin thinking about making formal classroom requests for the next school year. During April and May, the teachers at each grade level, specialist teachers, and Mr. Jagels will begin building class lists for the next year using the following criteria:

• Male/female ratio
• Different academic levels of students including those in special education
• ELL, Academic Interventions, and the EY program
• Matching individual learning styles with teaching styles as best we can
• Keeping classroom dynamics in balance (behavior, social, emotional, and personality considerations among students)

As you can see, a great deal of thought and effort goes into making these class lists. Granting every request would undo the long process that has been carefully put together and jeopardize the integrity of that work. In addition, children need to work in and with a variety of circumstances now and in the future, both in terms of personnel and environment.

If you have some unusual circumstances that you feel you must address, please do the following:

• Make a formal request in writing to Mr. Jagels addressing your child’s learning style and the type, not the name, of the teacher that would benefit your child (email will suffice).
• If there has been a request made in a previous year that still applies, please make sure we are aware of the necessary details for placement in the 2025-2026 school year.
• Turn in the request by Friday, April 18, 2025.
• Turning in a request does not guarantee that it will be granted.

All teachers work as a professional learning community at Oakdale. In other words, all teachers come together to collaborate about all students in their grade level to discuss the best approaches to meet the needs of all students academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally. Each grade level at Oakdale also incorporates flexible grouping strategies that allow students to work with other teachers in that grade level. We appreciate your understanding of the process, and we look forward to a strong finish to this year and another terrific school year for 2025-2026.

Kindergarten enrollment for District residents for the 2025-2026 school year is OPEN! Please check our website at westside66.org to start your enrollment online.

Children entering kindergarten must be 5 years old on or before July 31, 2025. Parents may wait to enroll their child(ren) in kindergarten for an additional year. However, Nebraska law requires that child(ren) who reach the age of six prior to Jan 1st of the then current school year must be enrolled in school.

For questions about enrollment, please contact the Westside Welcome Center at 402-390-2100 or enrollment@westside66.net.

KINDERGARTEN OPTION ENROLLMENT

If you live outside of the Westside district and have a child eligible for kindergarten in 2025-2026 who has a sibling attending our schools through the Option Enrollment program, you must submit an option application for your kindergartener.

In addition to kindergarten, you can apply for any other grade level.

Option Enrollment forms can be completed using this link:

https://forms.gle/FvsmAEBqRpcePEKg9

Questions about Option Enrollment, please contact Student Services at 402-390-2107.

IN-DISTRICT TRANSFERS FOR 2025-2026

Are you a District resident and would like your K-6 grade child(ren) to attend an elementary school in Westside other than the area where you live?

An In-District Transfer request form must also be completed for any child starting kindergarten next year who has a sibling attending an elementary school outside of their home attendance area. In district transfer forms can be completed using this link: https://forms.gle/yZw6581gWrtRBhgB9

Questions about In-District Transfers, please contact Student Services at 402-390-2107.

EARLY ADMISSION FOR KINDERGARTEN

Children of District residents who wish to be tested for early entrance to kindergarten must turn 5 years old between August 1 and October 15, 2025.

For further information regarding early entrance testing, please contact Early Admissions at 402-390-2142.

The Science Fair is April 10th from 6:00 to 7:00 PM in the gym at Oakdale Elementary School. There will be many awesome projects on display, so please come and support your fellow Tigers!

Students (K-6) can participate individually or in a team with up to four students. Project information needs to be provided when registering (the question and purpose of study and a brief description of procedure).

Registration is due today - April 4th. Online registration is easy! Under "Information Forms" simply fill in the project information and name(s) of additional student(s), if participating in a team. Register for science fair →

Please mark your calendars for our upcoming instrumental music extravaganzas!

Band-o-rama will take place this Monday, April 7 at Westside High School. This evening will feature our district wide fifth grade, sixth grade, and our seventh grade band students as well as our award winning Concert Jazz Band.

WestFest will take place on Tuesday, April 8 at Westside High School and will feature our elementary, middle school and high school string and orchestra performance groups!

Participating students will attend a rehearsal during the school day to prepare for this event. These evenings are an amazing celebration of music education and we hope to see you there!

Congratulations to Caelan L. in Mrs. Bintz's first grade class and Ethan W. in Mrs. Bruning's 3rd grade class for being randomly selected in March's High 5 Drawing! Each of them were able to pick three friends and play games in the gym with Mrs. Brady and Mrs. Buning. Save your High 5's for April's drawing, Chalk and Bubbles outside!

At the end of the 3rd quarter, we drew winners for the Golden High 5 Drawing. This drawing is for students who have gone above and beyond the 3 Be's of safe, respectful, and responsible behavior. They are entered into one of three drawings. If their name is drawn, their WHOLE class gets to participate in the reward. Congratulations to three fourth graders for their clean sweep of the drawings: Emily C. in Mrs. Clark's class, and Rudger K. and Khalil I. in Mrs. Di Lorenzo's class. Emily won a movie and lunch in the gym for her whole class, Rudger won gym time for his whole class, and Khalil won an extra recess for his whole class. Thank you to all the students who are going above and beyond!

Linked you will find our year long Oakdale Calendar. This is not an all-inclusive calendar and is subject to change throughout the year. However, it will provide a general outline of events to pencil in on your calendar.

In addition, we encourage you to access our Oakdale Calendar through our Website, the Westside Community Schools App, or to subscribe so that this information shows right up on your own calendar for iPhone, iPad, Mac, or any other Google Calendar subscribable platform.

April

7 Band-O-Rama, 7:00 WHS

8 Robotics Club, 3:30

8 WestFest Strings Festival, 7:00 WHS

10 Don & Millie's Night

10 Science Fair, 6:00

12 Robotics Expo, 8:30 a.m. Oakdale

15 Community Club Meeting, 6:30

17 Kindergarten Open House, 6:00

18 Early Dismissal, 1:00

21 Kdg, 1st, 2nd Grade Music Program, 7:00 WMS

23 La Casa Pizzaria West Night
28 NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

29 6th Grade Outdoor Ed

30 6th Grade Outdoor Ed

May

3 District Big Band Dance, 5:30 WHS

6 District Band & Strings Solo & Ensemble, 5:30 WHS

8 Don & Millie's Night

9 Spring Fling, 6:00

13 Afternoon of the Accomplished, 2:30

22 Triple Be Field Day

23 Last Day of School, 12:00 Dismissal

Click the image above for more information about Westside's Excellence in Youth Program

The Excellence In Youth Team is proud to announce Joslyn O. from Oakdale as the most recent recipient of the Digital Dozen award for this school year! This is the second award for Joslyn this school year! We hope she starts working on her third digital dozen! Congratulations, Joslyn!

We know it is important to consider both the physical and social-emotional wellbeing of our students, families, and staff. We continue to be committed to providing regular instruction and support for studying in managing thoughts and feelings.

If your child is experiencing particular difficulties and you would like to explore options for additional support we encourage you to contact our School Counselor, Mrs. Mary McPadden (mcpadden.mary@westside66.net) or our School Psychologist, Mrs. Olivia Rosol (rosol.olivia@westside66.net), who can help in coordinating additional support and resources.

Don't forget to stop by Don & Millie's Family Restaurant Night on April 10th! Fill out the form below and drop it off at the restaurant for your student(s) chance to win a prize and a free kids meal! We hope to see you there!

Congratulations to our most recent Don & Millie's winners! If you attend a Don & Millie's night, be sure to put your name in the drawing for a free kids meal. They randomly draw a name (or 3) each night for our winners. Winners this time include: Sam F. in Mrs. Brady's 3rd grade, and Kai L. and Alexia D. in Mrs. Pontious's 2nd grade.

Join us at our next Community Club meeting on Tuesday, April 15th at 6:30 p.m. Come learn about what we have planned for the next couple of months and maybe make some new connections. If you can’t make it, no worries, we distribute the minutes following the event.

The Oakdale School Community Club offers a FREE online family directory each fall containing the names of students as well as names of parents, with their home addresses, phone numbers, and email information. Only families who submit information to the Community Club or give permission through the Returning Student Registration Process will be included in the directory. If you have not already logged in to the website, please log in and update your information OR new parents can create a new login.

Westside Football will be hosting their Youth Football Camp in the spring this year. The camp will be at the Omaha Sports Complex on Saturday, April 13th from 1:00 - 3:00 PM. The purpose of this camp is to introduce the techniques, fundamentals, and skills needed to play football for Westside High School. All current 3rd-7th graders are invited to Sign Up Here.

Westside Community Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, age, marital/parental status, military/veteran status or any other category protected by law in its programs and activities or in admission or access to, or treatment in, hiring and employment, and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

The following District personnel have been designated to coordinate compliance and can address inquiries about the District’s nondiscrimination policies and procedures:

For questions or concerns by students, parents or others:

• Coordinator of Student Services/Title IX Coordinator – ABC Bldg. 909 So. 76th St. Omaha (402) 390-2100 E-mail: titleixcoordinator@westside66.net
• Director of Special Services/ADA & 504 Coordinator (disability/accommodation) ABC Bldg. 909 So. 76th St. E-mail: ADAcoordinator@westside66.net

For questions by District employees or applicants:

• Ass’t Supt. for Human Resources/Lead Title IX Coordinator - 909 So. 76th St. Omaha, NE (402) 390-2100 E-mail: titleixcoordinatorHR@westside66.net

For further information about anti-discrimination laws or to file a complaint of discrimination you may also contact the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), U.S. Dept. of Education, One Petticoat Lane, 1010 Walnut Street, 3rd Floor, Suite 320, Kansas City, MO 64106,
Tele. (816) 268-0550, Fax (816) 268-0599, (TDD) (800) 877-8339, or ocr.kansascity@ed.gov.

Oakdale Elementary's mission is to ensure academic excellence and to serve the unique needs of all learners.

Oakdale's Expectations:

• Be Safe
• Be Respectful
• Be Responsible
• (Be Kind)

Email: jagels.glen@westside66.net
Website: westside66.org/domain/13
Location: 9801 W Center Rd, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Phone: 402-390-6460
Facebook: facebook.com/OakdaleTigers66
Twitter: @oakdaletigers66