Oak Crest Family Tiger Topics

Monday:

Teacher Professional Development ✅

Student Data Analyzed & Personalized Learning Groups formed ✅

Tuesday:

eLearning Success ✅

Wednesday:

Spelling Bee Champion Crowned ✅

Before School Clubs Start ✅

Kindness Challenge Continues ✅

Tiger Strong for grades 3 & 4 ✅

Thursday:

Normal Day of School??? ✅

Friday:

Celebrate Be RED Winners @ Be RED Breakfast ✅

Semester 1 Grades Posted on Infinite Campus ✅

Students back into the swing of learning at OC ✅

Have a great weekend. Be you, be Kind!

Ben Tressel

Principal, Oak Crest Elementary

• All January - The Great Kindness Challenge
• Jan 24 - Report Cards Published and accessible online
• Jan 24 - Be RED Breakfast
• Jan 27-31 - The Great Kindness Challenge Final Week & Food Drive
• Jan 30 - PTC Fast Link in Tiger Topics to sign up for conferences sent by email.
• All February - I Love to Read Month
• Feb 5 - All School Meeting #6
• Feb 7 - Student Council Field Trip
• Feb 17 - No School - Teacher Professional Development
• Feb 18 & 20 - Winter Conferences (3:30-7:30pm)
• Feb 18-21 - Book Fair
• Mar 5-18 - Candy Bar Fundraiser

• Grades are official and posted as of now on Infinite Campus. If you need help accessing that information, please call the school during regular hours.
• Tuesday, Feb 18th and Thursday Feb 20th from 3:30-7:30pm we have conferences to discuss grades and progress.
• A link to sign up for conferences gets sent out next week
• Look for an opportunity to donate to our teacher pot luck as well. This time we will have a soup night! We would love for you to share a put of your family favorite!

• 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. Reminder: Anything kids bring from home are their responsibility. Do not send students with valuable items.

A big thank you to parents for assisting in making eLearning successful. For most kids they were able to stay home (safe and warm) and continue to learn at various degrees of success. I know the eLearning format is most successful when kids have parents around ensuring their engagement and completion of tasks. With that being said, any assignments during eLearning are required to be completed and submitted. There were quite a few people marked absent because they did not attend a google meeting or turn in work. Please check with your child that they have all work in from that day (including specialist assignments). THANK YOU!

*Winter is far from over. Any more school closings this year will be eLearning days. Be warned! 😂

Below: Golden Ticket winner Eli demonstrates how unkindness is a heavy load to burden. Even little acts of unkindness slow us down. Kindness needs to occur 5 times more than unkindness to be at a balance in a relationship.

• 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.

Ask your Oak Crest Tiger:

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

*How does unkindness stack up on us?

*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!

Ben Tressel

Principal

Oak Crest Elementary

1101 W. Commerce Dr. Belle Plaine, MN 56011

952-873-2402

btressel@belleplaine.k12.mn.us