OES Family Update

Families,

I first want to say thank you to the outpouring of support our staff and kids received the past few weeks as we navigated the tragic loss of one of our staff members. We appreciated the kind words, acts of service, gifts, and positive thoughts as worked to support our students while attempting to maintain a sense of normalcy during an uncertain time. Times like these are yet another reminder of why I feel fortunate to serve in the community that I do- whether in good times or in bad, our community always rallies around each other.

As we approach we embark on Spring Break and return in April, Spring Testing season will officially be upon us. Our 3rd-6th Graders will start the Illinois Assessment of Readiness on Monday April 7th, following by our 5th Graders taking the Illinois Science Assessment, and ending with all of our K-6 students taking the 3rd and final NWEA MAP assessment during the first week of May. While we relish the opportunity for our students to demonstrate their learning, we understand that this can be a stressful time for our students. We will do our best to continue to have positive experiences throughout the day and encourage our students to find joy in the day to day.

Lastly, as part of the state accountability system, each school district is required to survey families, students, and staff. We have replaced the 5Essentials survey and chosen to partner with Panorama. This will provide our school and leadership team with more detailed information as to how to best serve our students and community. Please take 5-10 minutes to take the parent/guardian survey if you haven't already: https://surveys.panoramaed.com/ocusdil/8558704056/surveys

GO HAWKS!!!

Ryan Huels

OES Principal

Please RSVP to our Kindergarten Kickoff if you have a student who will be aged 5 by September 1st and plan to attend OES in the Fall: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYnygQkHcGDAaCoxXv-U1AK1HuH7oQtA_v3qFzW0p8qrV7lw/viewform?usp=header

We have seen an influx of visitors to the office, requesting to meet with administration. We are more than happy to accommodate pop in visits , but would like to ask all of our families to do the following:

1) Proactively reaching out to the OES office to schedule a meeting in advance while providing information regarding the concern. If administration is not available, they will reach out when they are available to set up a meeting.

2) Information/meetings can only be held with a child's legal guardian. We are not able to discuss specifics about a child with a relative/family friend/etc. that is not a child's legal guardian.

3) Maintain a polite and respectful tone when speaking with the secretarial staff. We will not tolerate disrespect, swearing, intimidation, etc. from visitors.

4) We are more than willing to discuss any concerns that we are made aware of. I encourage all to reach out to us directly before seeking advice from social media or local Facebook groups on issues pertaining to the school, our staff, or your child's experience. It is of the utmost importance to us to ensure all kids have a positive experience- we will address any concerns we are made aware of.

I can be reached at 815-732-5300 ext 2228, rhuels@ocusd.net or I am happy to provide my cell phone of 815-751-1458.

If further clarification is needed in this regard, I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.