Oshki Ogimaag Community School
January 21, 2025
Boozhoo Oshki Ogimaag Community School Families and Community Partners,
Thank you for your understanding of our newsletter hiatus due to staff illness! We hope you are staying safe and warm today!
Wishing everyone good health and wellness, especially as there has been so much illness going around. Sleep is restorative to our minds and bodies, good rest can help support and strengthen the immune system, wishing everyone good rest and self-care, especially during these extra chilly winter months.
Looking back to how we ended 2024, we wanted to express our deep gratitude for the Community support of our school and to everyone in attendance of our Annual Holiday Program. Holding our program at the Log School Building was meaningful for us and we felt the history of the space as we gathered together there. Elders communicated to us that they were reminiscing about their own school experiences in the Log School Building, while watching our young leaders act out a traditional story and sing songs in Ojibwemowin. We are proud of our students for the wonderful job they did and loved seeing their joy in participating!
We are looking forward to continued growth and aim our focus on bringing our school’s mission to life each day, and the support that we feel from the Community strengthens our school! May in our journey through 2025, we all have strength, wellness, health and positive thoughts.
Boozhoo Ms. Clara! Welcome to Our Team!
We are thrilled to announce that Clara Lewis has joined our team as a Teacher! Ms. Clara and Ms. Tina will Co-Teach 2nd grade for the remainder of the school year and Ms. Kat will stay in the classroom as our Lead Paraprofessional. Oshki Ogimaag Community School now has a full staff for the first time in many, many years!!!!!!!! Ms. James set a goal to be fully staffed and achieved it within her first year as Director!!! This is no small feat, given widespread teacher and school staff shortages throughout the state (and country), and the unique challenges of staffing in a remote, rural area, partnered with very limited access to and availability of affordable housing throughout Cook County.
Ms. Clara completed her Student Teaching at Sawtooth Elementary School and came to Oshki Ogimaag highly recommended by educators we know personally. During her interview with Ms. James and Ms. Tina, Ms. Clara expressed enthusiasm and interest for learning about all aspects of the mission of our school. Ms. Clara even attended the first Ojibwe Language Table before she was hired on at Oshki Ogimaag, and is now attending weekly (along with many other Oshki Ogimaag Staff and Community members!). Ms. Clara is licensed in K-6 Elementary Education and 5-8 Mathematics. Ms. Clara is welcoming, friendly, emanates positive energy and has a calming presence. We are so excited to have her join our team of educators! Please join us in welcoming Ms. Clara to Oshki Ogimaag Community School!
Please see Ms. Clara’s bio below:
I’ve spent the past eight years living around southeastern Minnesota. I recently graduated college from Winona State University with my Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Middle School Math. I spent my student teaching experience at Sawtooth Mountain Elementary School in a 1st grade classroom and loved my time there. I am so excited to start my teaching career at Oshki Ogimaag!
A Peek Into Our Week
Waagoshag - In Reading, Kindergartners are working on sounding out and writing CVC sight words, and continue reading poems, identifying rhyming words, and working on identifying beginning and ending sounds of rhyming words, and reading simple sentences that include current sight words. In Reading, 1st graders are working on reading short stories and answering comprehension questions. 1st graders are also reading poems and identifying sight words and counting syllables in words. In Writing, Kindergarteners continue to work on Letter and Sound recognition and writing sight words. In Writing, 1st graders are working on writing complete sentences using sight words and identifying the differences between a question and a statement.
In Math, Kindergarteners are learning about shapes and 1st graders are learning how to add and subtract within 20. In science, the class is woking on learning about winter and what animals do in January. In Social Studies, the class is learning about snaring.
Makwag -In Foundational Reading Skills, students are learning to identify and spell R-controlled syllable words, mapping out syllables of high frequency R-controlled syllable words and reading poems and short stories that include 2nd grade sight words,. To build phonemic awareness skills, students have been working on deleting the last part of three-syllable words. Students are practicing reading fluently (reading articulately, at just the right speed, with expression), reading poems and short stories. In Language Arts Module, the class has completed writing and illustrating their books comparing our school to other schools around the world, highlighting similarities and differences and reflecting on what is important about school and this week will present their books to the Kindergartners and 1st graders!
In Math, students have been working on adding and subtracting within 100 and began working on how to solve story problems adding and subtracting within 100. In Social Studies, the class started a geography unit, beginning with identifying the continents. In Science, the class began a unit on Ecosystems. In Social Emotional Learning (SEL) the class has been working on strategies for self-regulation when feeling big emotions and strategies for when we don’t feel our best (i.e. when we are tired, anxious, overwhelmed, not feeling 100%).
Migiziwag - The class is working on a writing project which will result in a published hardcover book! Once completed, the class will receive a free copy. For families wanting a keepsake for home, Ms. Jeana will be sending purchase forms home. The class has been diving into research about unique ocean creatures. This research project teaches valuable skills in reading and summarizing. 3rd grade students are mastering addition and subtraction in numbers up to 1,000 and learning how to decompose numbers for better understanding. 4th and 5th graders are tackling multiplication and division of fractions, expanding their mathematical abilities. The class began Typing Club during Computer Science and Technology. This initiative will help them develop speed and accuracy for their future assignments.
Hands-On, Community-Based Projects Happening at Oshki Ogimaag
We have Yoga with Ms. Carly each week on Thursdays. Yoga sessions are 20 minutes long and work to support students with focus, attention, mindfulness, emotional regulation, and bodily awareness. We are excited to welcome Elders to Yoga Sessions as an opportunity for intergenerational connection! Please see flyer below for info!
Mr. Gene joins us each week for drumming with the boys, and when he’s working with students provides valuable cultural lessons. Our students love their time with Mr. Gene and look forward to it each week! While the boys are drumming, our Cultural Liaison, Ms. Char, along with Ms. Kat and Ms. LeeAnna, engage the girls in culturally-focused activities. Recently, they’ve been working on beading with Ms. LeeAnna, making beautiful daisy chains!
Before Winter Break, students went over to the ENP to sing Ojibwe songs to the Elders and visited the Grand Portage National Monument to sing and decorate the tree with decorations of trees and local animals (fox, deer, moose, bear, deer) painted by students.
Miigwech to Ms. Carly, Mr. Gene, Ms. Char, Ms. Kat, and Ms. LeeAnna for their important work with our students! Miigwech to our Community Collaborators at the ENP and Grand Portage National Monument for supporting our students!
Students will begin easyCBM Testing with Ms. Tina in Mathematics and Reading the week of January 22-24th.
Students will complete FastBridge Assessments in Mathematics and Reading with their classroom teachers the week of January 27th-31st.
Reminder: Good rest at night and getting to school on-time will support your student in being successful at school and help to support them completing their assessments successfully and access the information they’ve learned!
Students should not be dropped-off before 8:00am to ensure proper supervision.
We are required to mark students tardy if they arrive after 8:20am. If you drop-off or pick-up your student, please remember to sign-in/out on the clipboard at the Front Desk. Please make every effort to have your student to school on-time. When students arrive late they miss valuable instruction time and it can be challenging for them to catch-up. Please let us know if you need support in having your student get to school and/or attend school daily.
If your student’s after school drop-off location or plans are going to change please email nanda-gikendam@oshkiogimaag.org to notify us of the changes. Miigwech!
In accordance with our bylaws, the first order of business at the January 15, 2025 Oshki Ogimaag Community School Board meeting was Officer Elections. Below are the results of the Officer Elections:
- Chairperson - Tesha Dickenson
- Vice-Chairperson - Jeana Van Dyne
- Treasurer - John Morrin
- Secretary - Tina Gatzke
Chi-miigwech to all Officers and all other members of the Board past and present, for your service and support to the Oshki Ogimaag Community School Board. Your time and efforts support our school’s growth, performance and sustainability!
Chilly Temps Call for Cold Weather Gear
Please make sure your student comes to school in weather-appropriate clothes and outdoor gear every day. We are committed to outdoor learning and experiences throughout the entire school year, including the many months of chilly, snowy, weather we experience in Minnesota. Now is a good time to switch to long sleeves each day so your student can be comfortable. Each day your student should have the "Big 5": Boots they can hike in, a jacket warm enough for the weather, snow pants, hat, and mittens or gloves.
If your family faces barriers preventing you from providing these items for your students, please reach out, we often have donations of winter gear and/or can help you connect with Human Services to ensure all students have warm winter gear. Please include sizes and color preferences, when reaching out.
