PANTHER PRESS

Dear Ogden Avenue Families,

With temperatures expected to warm up slightly this week, we plan to have recess outdoors as much as possible. Many students arrived at school wearing only sweatshirts. Please encourage your child to dress appropriately for the colder weather. Since lunch recess lasts over 20 minutes, we want to ensure all students stay comfortable and warm while outside.

February is Black History Month, a time to honor and celebrate the contributions and achievements of Black individuals throughout history. We look forward to sharing the meaningful activities and events planned for this month.

Sincerely,

Regina Leeberg
Principal

1/30/25 - 6th Gr Band/Orchestra Assembly 10:15 a.m. Ogden

2/1/25 - Black History Month Begins

2/3/25 - Dress up as a teacher for Spirit Week!

2/4/25 - Dress up as what you'd like to be when you grow up!

2/5/25 - Wear two things that rhyme or wear a mismatched outfit!

2/5/25 - PTC Meeting 7:00 p.m.

2/6/25 - Dress up in your favorite sports gear!

2/6/25 - Marla's Lunch

2/7/25 - It's pajama day! Wear your coziest pajamas.

2/8/25 - Variety Show 1 p.m. at Park

2/13/25 - Valentines Day Parties

2/13/25 - Glow Party for 4th-6th Grade

2/14/25 - Virtual Parent/Teacher Conferences

2/17/25 - No School In Honor of Presidents' Day

2/18/25 - Black History Month Assembly for intermediate grades

2/20/25 - Marla's Lunch

2/20/25 - Kindergarten Information Night 6:30 p.m.

2/28/25 - No School due to Institute Day

VARIETY SHOW PRACTICE

Location: Ogden Avenue

Valentine’s Day parties will take place on Thursday, February 13th, 2025. The PTC will provide an allergy-approved snack for each class. Thank you to our wonderful PTC! If your child would like to bring Valentines to school, please ensure they include one for each classmate and do not include candy. For 6th-grade students, Valentine’s Day will be a more low-key day, though they are welcome to exchange Valentines.

Happy Heart Day to all!

If you have a child who will be entering kindergarten in the fall or know of a family with an incoming kindergartner, please note that our KINDERGARTEN INFORMATION NIGHT is scheduled for Thursday, February 20, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. at Ogden. Learn about what our half-day program has to offer and please spread the word!

Spring conferences will be held virtually on Friday, February 14, 2025, between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Unlike the fall conferences, spring conferences follow a two-step scheduling process, outlined below:

Step 1: Teacher-Requested Conferences

Teachers may request a conference with you to discuss your child’s opportunities for growth and ways you can support their learning at home. Families will be notified of teacher-requested conferences by Wednesday, February 5, 2025. These conferences will be prioritized during scheduling.

In some cases, a teacher may schedule a team conference instead of an individual parent-teacher conference. Relevant support staff, such as interventionists, speech-language pathologists (SLPs), social workers, or occupational/physical therapists, may be invited to join. Support staff may also schedule individual conferences with families as needed.

Step 2: Parent-Requested Conferences

Starting after Wednesday, February 5, families who have not been contacted for a teacher-requested conference may request a conference. Scheduling will be on a first-come, first-served basis and subject to teacher availability. Please note, not every family is expected to have or require a conference during this time. To request a conference, please email the teacher beginning Thursday, February 6, and include any specific requests, such as an in-person meeting. To ensure all requests are accommodated, please contact teachers no later than Tuesday, February 11, 2025.

Additional Notes

As always, families are welcome to reach out to their child’s teachers at any time with questions or concerns. A digital sign-up system will not be used for spring conferences, so all scheduling will be coordinated directly with the teachers.

Our teachers look forward to meeting with you and continuing our partnership in supporting your child’s education. Thank you for your ongoing collaboration.

Empowering families to navigate the digital world and protect their children - All D102 families are invited, and the discussion targets 5th - 8th grade families.

Presented by Liz Repking | Cyber Safety Consulting Founder & Presenter

WHEN: January 30, 2025
WHERE: Park Jr. High Auditorium
TIME: 7:00 P.M.

RSVP HERE:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjrwcfAZXnP3kCH7OL3MkqtW2vHdOVacH8XiLMit-NoFNUuA/viewform

Liz is the mother of three children and has spent the majority of her career working as a technology consultant, developing and delivering a variety of training courses for clients.

Liz founded Cyber Safety Consulting with the goal to educate parents, children, and school educators on both the dangers of the Internet as well as offering tangible solutions for these issues.

Topics Discussed:

• Dangers children are susceptible to online

• Teens and sexting

• Popular apps and how to use them safely

• Safety settings & restrictions for phones & computers

• Cell phone monitoring Gaming issues & concerns

• Building healthy technology in the home

On Saturday, March 1st, 2025, STEM EXPO will showcase the talents of District 102 students in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and creative Making. STEM EXPO provides an opportunity for students from kindergarten–8th grade to explore a science topic of their choice. We encourage you to use your creative and inventive skills to create a project at home and share what you learned with other students, families, and teachers at EXPO. Projects range in complexity from simple observations to full experiments, inventions or technology projects.

Who: All students grades K–6

When: Saturday, March 1, 2025 9:00 am–Noon

Set-up is Friday, February 28th 4:00–5:30 pm

Where: Forest Road School Gym

901 N Forest Road, LaGrange Park

For more information, link to our STEM EXPO website

Are you ready to start? Registration is OPEN, Register Here

All participants will receive a participation certificate and this year’s STEM EXPO t-shirt. Register on or before Feb 15th, 2025, to be guaranteed your t-shirt size. Exhibits will not be judged; students/teams will be assigned a 1/2 hour time period when they will be required to be at their table to answer questions and explain their project to an EXPO Official.

Do you have questions?

Email Mrs. Hohl, hohlvi@dist102.k12.il.us or Mrs. V, vaiciuliske@dist102.k12.il.us

Call the Science Center 708-215-6405

MARLA'S FUN LUNCH

Ogden Avenue PTC is partnering with "Marla's Lunch" to offer students the chance to enjoy lunch from a local restaurant delivered to Ogden on specified days. A small portion of each fee goes to the Ogden PTC.

NEW TO MARLA'S LUNCH?

1. Visit: marlaslunch.boonli.com (bookmark this page)
2. Click on Create an Account
3. Choose New to Boonli and enter the One-Time School Password: oas424 (case sensitive)
4. Enter your information for account registration and your student’s information for their profile.

DATES:

Ledo’s Pizza - February 6th

Milk Money - February 20th

Steak n Shake - March 6th

Pisa Pizza - March 20th

Jimmy John’s - April 10th

Culver’s - April 24th

Bacci Pizza & Pasta - May 8th

Noodles & Co - May 22nd

PTC MEMBERSHIP DUES

Ogden's PTC has been actively working to support our teachers and students this year, and we've got some exciting plans on the horizon, including art enrichment programming, author visits, field trips, and more. You might not know this, but the PTC also assists our teachers by fulfilling their wish lists and they have purchased a birthday book for each and every Ogden Avenue Panther.

Your contribution to the PTC dues, which you can conveniently pay HERE, goes a long way. We primarily collect these funds in August and September to cover essential expenses like communication platforms, family events, and curriculum enhancements for our children. While the payment calculator is there as a guide, any contribution, regardless of its size, is greatly appreciated. You have the option to make your total contribution all at once. Your support truly strengthens our school community!