Middle School Update

Honor rolls:

Please see the attachments below for the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Superintendent's and Principal's honor roll members. We are so proud of the academic acheivements of our students!

Food Drive: See the flyer below for our very important (and prize-winning - for the students!) food drive that is continuing next week!

YONDR Reminder: At Oakdale, our policy regarding YONDR pouches is designed to maintain a focused and distraction-free learning environment. If a student brings a phone, smartwatch, or other device to school, it must remain secured in a YONDR pouch for the entire school day.

We rely on an honor system to ensure compliance; however, violations of this trust may result in disciplinary action. If a student or parent prefers not to use the YONDR pouches, the device should be left at home during school hours.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in fostering a productive educational setting.

Thanks,

Jill Willhoite

7-8th Grade Dance (Sponsored by Builders Club)

There will be a dance for all 7th-8th graders on Tuesday, Jan. 28 from 6:00-7:30 pm in the cafeteria. This dance is only for current Oakdale 7th and 8th graders. Students can wear semi-formal or Sunday best (or whatever your child feels comfortable in).

Please bring $5 and a snack/drink based on what your grade-level was assigned. All drinks should be canned sodas or bottled waters. The money raised goes towards Fostering Sweet Dreams in Edmond, which is the charity Builders Club is sponsoring this year.

Pick-up and drop-off is at the gym doors. Students will NOT be allowed to walk home after the dance; they must have a ride.

Heroes In Waiting is an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting the

mental wellness of children and youth. Their mission is to empower students with the

tools they need to build resilience, foster peace, and prevent bullying in their schools

and communities. In addition to offering free anti-bullying and peace-building curriculum

through their website, heroesinwaiting.org, they also bring high-energy, impactful

assemblies to schools.

On Friday, January 31st from 8:30-9:20 A.M., we are excited to bring this transformative assembly to our

school. The assembly will be led by Les Thomas, a role model for kids and a passionate

advocate for youth. Les is a U.S. Air Force veteran, author, recording artist, motivational

speaker, mentor, and community engagement director at Urban Bridge OKC. He is also

known as the “hype-bringer” and voice of the game-day experience for Oklahoma State

University football and basketball.

This engaging assembly will teach students the importance of being themselves,

respecting others, standing up for their friends, and fostering a culture of support and

acceptance. It’s a powerful experience designed to inspire students to make positive

choices and build stronger connections with their peers.

We are thrilled to bring this opportunity to your children and look forward to the impact it

will have on our school community.

Thank you for your support in creating a safe and uplifting environment for all

students!

Winter heating help is here!

Apply online for LIHEAP at OKDHSLive.org to get assistance with your heating bills.

Income eligibility applies.

Apply today!

More info: https://oklahoma.gov/.../2024/december/comm12172024.html

Oakdale Residents,

January gym reservations are live on our Signup Genius. Secure your spot early:

- Sign Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A084EAEAA2F4-54104673-january
- Need Help? Contact Nic Pica at npica@oakdale.org or Bella Pica at bpica@oakdale.org.

Save the Date! You're invited to the Oakdale School Foundation Spring Gala on Saturday, March 1st, at the stunning Civic Center Hall of Mirrors. An unforgettable evening of elegance, celebration, and support for our school awaits! Mark your calendars—formal invitations coming soon!

We can’t wait to share this special night with you.

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

Hi Fellow 7th Grade Parents!

It's that time of the year again where we prepare for the annual Oakdale School Foundation Spring Gala and we need your help! Its coming up quick on March 1, so mark your calendars! Every year, a large part of our silent auction is our class specific "baskets" that bring in thousands of dollars to the gala each year. Each basket has a theme and donations are procured from that class' parents and supporters.

This year our 7th grade basket theme is Art and Goodies. It will include hundreds of dollars worth of home goods and hopefully a large hand-painted piece of artwork by Sara Kay, a local artist. We are so excited to partner with Sara Kay Ball on our basket/silent auction items this year. Sara is generously donating her time on a piece of artwork and also donating items for the basket, but we still need your help! We thought it was easiest to ask for your help with a monetary donation towards the artwork, so you can Venmo monetary donations of any amount to @Alicia-Rowntree (phone number ending 3391). This money will go towards the supplies *only* for the artwork itself. Thankfully Sara has agreed to paint something spectacular for us at her cost. Any amount helps!

That's it! A reminder that the OSF does amazing work each year in granting hundreds of thousands of dollars to our students and their wonderful teachers and their many project requests to make Oakdale the best school around town!

Thanks, in advance, for helping us make the 7th grade basket our best yet!

Alicia, Rowntree, Mychelle Silva, and Terra Myers

6th Grade OSF Gala Basket

The 6th grade basket for the OSF gala will be themed “Museum Madness”. If you have any connections to get tickets/passes to any metro area museums, art studio type places (think Paint Your HEART), the Zoo, Science Museum, OKC Museum of Art, Museum of Osteology, etc., please email me at oujessie@sbcglobal.net with your specific place and I keep a list going! Also, swag like mugs, stickers, shirts, etc., that could go in our basket would be appreciated.

Thank you!

We will also take monetary donations that can be Venomed to @oujessie (last four of cell 5819) to go towards items/passes we may need to purchase.

We would like to collect and finish up the basket by February 14th.

Our deadline to submit our basket contents to OSF is February 21st.

Thank you!

Jessica Hill 405-401-5819

and

Christi McGahan 405-777-3889

alrt! is a comprehensive, evidence-informed prevention education program for students in grades 4th-8th. There are three different curriculums based on grade level. The program educates and empowers students and all relevant adults with information and strategies to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to all types of abuse, sex trafficking, online exploitation and other digital dangers. We are having a parent seminar before we have our presentation to students. Please be on the lookout for information (and opt-out information) for the student presentations.

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!

We are excited to kick off the Oakdale Rowing Team spring season on February 11th! No prior experience is required. We would love to have any and all interested middle school students join us for T/Th/F practices (flexible attendance) beginning on February 11th. We have had many Oakdale students continue rowing through high school as well as earn college scholarships at the NAIA and NCAA levels. Thank you for your continued support of this unique and exciting Oakdale sport - Go Rockets Rowing!

25: Science Olympiad competition @ OU (Saturday)

27: Basketball v. ICMS @ home 4pm

28: Builder's Club Winter Dance (7th & 8th graders only) - 6pm in cafeteria

30:

• Basketball @ CCS 4pm
• Dr. Chris Culver presentation on "The Anxious Generation" @ 6pm in Fine Arts

31:

• Cimarron Valley Band competition (all day)
• EMHS enrollment forms due for 8th graders
• Heroes in Waiting Assembly (4th-8th grades) **A.M. assembly schedule**
• Book Buddies (8th & 1st grades) @ 11:25am

Join us on January 30th at 6:00 pm in the Kim Lanier Fine Arts Center for a community-wide presentation by Dr. Chris Culver on the book, "The Anxious Generation," and more! Admission is free, but space is limited to 400 seats for this great event. Click here to reserve your spot:

https://www.osfoakdale.org/theanxiousgenerationevent. (make sure to pick the amount of free tickets you need).

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

Research is in full swing in our middle school! Each grade is working on a research paper in their ELA classes. I am excited to support the ELA teachers with lessons pertaining to finding reliable sources, citing sources, and plagiarism.

6th grade has begun their country research project in ELA class. Students will come to the library throughout this project to access library resources and for lessons on research topics.This week, students accessed Britannica Encyclopedia subscription to find updated information about their country. Next week, students will learn how to evaluate websites to find reliable sources for information.

7th graders are working on their career research project. In the library, students learned how to choose online sources for research by looking at the author, purpose, and content of the site. Students were then given a website to evaluate using a checklist. It was fun to see the students figure out which websites were fake and which were legitimate.

8th grade is in the midst of their argumentative research paper in ELA. To support this assignment, students were introduced to using the database EBSCO to find scholarly articles, encyclopedias, and periodicals. Students found articles, took notes on them, and recorded source information for their work cited page. Next time students come to the library, they will work to find one print source to use for their research.

--

Jenny Jones

Oakdale School

Middle School Teacher Librarian

Oakdale Guidance Classes have been filled with wonderful discussion as it relates to growth mindset & fixed mindset. Students in all grades have addressed the importance of a growth mindset! They provided examples of how they can develop a growth mindset, when they have utilized a growth mindset, and times where they may have struggled with a fixed mindset! The students did exercises on changing negative self talk to positive self talk! They realize how practicing positive self-talk trains your brain to become stronger in every way!

As always, we love your kids and they amaze us with their wisdom!

If you need anything do not hesitate to reach out!

Gina McCarty & Bre Sizemore

Dear Parents & Guardians,

Starting next month, Oakdale will again facilitate student support groups through Calm Waters Center for Children and Families. I am a trained facilitator and will be offering the groups at school during the school day.

Calm Waters Student Support Groups are open to any Kindergarten to 8th grade student who has experienced a loss due to death, divorce, incarceration, foster/adoptive care, deployments, deportation, and other major life changes. The curriculum covers emotions, coping techniques, and other topics the students may have experienced. These free student support groups take place over an 8-week period. The curriculum and groups are divided by similar ages/grades. Groups last between 30-45 minutes and will take place during lunch and recess to keep students from missing curriculum instruction.

In order for your student(s) to participate, parents/guardians must register through this link by Friday, February 7th. Once the registration ends, I will be able to set up groups and meeting times. All sign-ups go directly to Calm Waters. They then send a list of names to me and no other information about the students is shared. Per Calm Waters requirements, there must be at least 5 students to form a group. I will communicate with both the students and parents/guardians when their group meets.

If you have any questions about these groups, please feel free to contact me by emailing her at bsizemore@oakdale.org or calling the school at 405-771-3373.

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,

Here are the dates that Edmond has for us:

Edmond Memorial High School

Enrollment Dates for 25-26

January – February 2024

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

Jan. 31 – Enrollment forms due to Mrs. Willhoite

Feb. 19 - Counselors from EMHS @ Oakdale all day to enroll students. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A49A4AD2BA2FC1-54370069-edmond

Oakdale EMHS INFO SHEET (including digital enrollment packets)

Pep Rally Presentation

Reminders:

Completed packets are due to Mrs. Willhoite by next Friday, Jan. 31st. Students were given a paper packet today at the assembly.

**In order for the counselors to enroll you on the 19th, you must complete Edmond's online new student registration by Sunday, Feb. 9th. You can get to the Online Enrollment through Edmondschools.net and click on the general enrollment K-12.**

Q: Where is the registration link?

A: 25-26 Registration

Q: The Edmond registration says to choose 2025-26, but there is only a 2026 option. What do I choose?

A: 2026

Q: Do I have to submit a transcript to EMHS?

A: Oakdale will submit all transcripts after the semester is over to the registrar.

Q: Why do we have to turn in the packets so long before the counselor meetings?

A: That gives me a chance to track down stragglers and make sure that all packets are correctly completed. This is EMHS policy as well.

We will have StuCo Elections for our Edmond Memorial High School freshman representative on Thursday, Feb. 13th. Please fill out this form by Friday, Feb. 7th if you would like to run. The rules are listed in the form. StuCo is an elective year-long class at EMHS, so make sure you are willing to use one of your electives for this class.

Thanks,

Mrs. Willhoite

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

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