Tiger Tracks

It is that time of year again. Parent Teacher Conferences are just around the corner! Conferences will be held on Wednesday, October 9th, from 3:20 pm until 8:00 pm, and then on the following day, Thursday, October 10th, from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm.

We are trying a new scheduling program this year that allows parents to see all the times available for all the teachers their children have. This will allow you to book back to back conferences. The program is easy to use and is ranked as the number one conference scheduler for schools. Directions on how to sign up for conferences are outlined below. Be sure to sign up soon as the scheduler will close today, Friday, October 4th, at 10:00 pm!

Don't forget that we also have our Scholastic Book Fair going on at the same time as Parent Teacher Conferences. Stop by the library and celebrate a great conference with a new book!

~ Mr. Jagels

Click the Oakdale Parent Teacher Conference Scheduler link provided here: https://pickatime.com/oakdaletigers or click the button below the directions.

Sign In

• Enter your email address and push the "Next" button.

• If you have previously registered, you will be prompted to enter your password. Then click "Sign In". If you have forgotten your password, you can select the Forgot Password button, then enter the email address and click on the Send Reset Link button, then the link will be emailed to you.
• Once you sign in, you will see a list of available events. Select the Fall Parent Teacher Conferences.

• If you are a new user, you will see the message "Your email address is not registered. Please click here to sign up." Click and a Sign-Up Form will appear. Enter your First and Last Name and your password and then click the "Create your Free Account" button to create your account. You will be signed in automatically.

Select Appointment Type

• Select if you want your conference to be “In-person” or “Virtual.”

Select Teachers

• Check the box next to the names of the teacher(s) with whom you'd like to book appointments. You can select multiple teachers if you have multiple children. Once you have finished, select "Filter Slots" at the bottom of the teacher list.

Scheduling

• In the top right corner, you can toggle between the two Parent Teacher Conferences dates, October 9th or October 10th.
• Each square with a plus sign represents an available meeting time.

• Click on a square to book that time.
• Type your student’s first and last name.

• Click "Create Appointment." Appointment will be booked and you will see the confirm message at the top which will disappear automatically.

Repeat until you have a time with each teacher you'd like to visit with.

You can click on the "Printable Schedule" link located on the left-hand side to print a copy of your schedule.

If you want to make appointment changes or cancel your appointment, click on the "My Appointments" link on the left-hand side. On the right side of each appointment, you will see three dots. Hover your mouse to see available options.

You will receive an email confirmation of your appointment(s) shortly after scheduling. You will also receive a reminder email 48 hours before your scheduled conference.

If you have any questions or need assistance in scheduling, please call the school.

The Book Fair is coming and it's going to be epic! More books. More choices. More fun. Start exploring on our school's Book Fair homepage.

Come and visit us in person in the Oakdale library or shop online from our homepage!

• Tuesday, 10/8 3:30-5:30

• Wednesday, 10/9 3:00-8:00

• Thursday, 10/10 8:30-3:00

The Oakdale Book Fair has gone cashless! All purchases need to be made using eWallet or a credit/debit card. Don't forget to set up your student's eWallet account for cashless, stress-less shopping. Friends and family can even contribute funds! Set one up here: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/oakdalefall2024

Book Fair Volunteers

We are in need of volunteers to help work the Book Fair. If you and your student would like to help, please check out the sign up form to sign up! All student volunteers must have an adult present with them.

Dine at Don & Millie's on Thursday October 10th! Take a night off from cooking to raise money for Community Club. Be sure to let them know you are with Oakdale. Complete the form below and turn in to enter your student for a prize.

Congratulations to Henry B. in 1st Grade, William I. in 1st Grade, and Charlie W. in 5th Grade! Each of them were randomly drawn from a previous Don & Millie's Restaurant Night as our student winners. They each received a drawstring bag and a free kids meal!

As we are nearing the end of first quarter, this would be a good time to check your student's lunch account status. Letters, in envelopes (and/or emails), were sent home in student's backpacks yesterday with overdue lunch account statements (if you have one). If you need assistance adding money to your student's lunch account, please reach out to our front office. An easy way to do this is through myschoolbucks.com, where it will automatically pull from an account of your choice (please call/email Mrs Rhyner for your student's ID if you need it to set up the lunch account). We would never have to bother you again!

Studies have shown that social media and digital devices can significantly impact the mental health of our youth. That is why Westside Community Schools has expanded its partnership with Smart GEN Society to now include grades 4-12.

WCS has been partnering with Smart GEN Society with conversations happening at WHS and WMS, as well as community forums. We appreciate Smart GEN Society's approach, which is age-appropriate, non-judgemental, and relevant to each grade level. Their relatable content allows students to connect quickly and hear the heart of the message.

Smart GEN Society will be at Oakdale presenting to our 4th through 6th grade students on Thursday, October 17th. Be on the lookout for more information from the district about community forums from Smart GEN Society that are open to the public.

Oakdale Elementary will hold our Halloween Parade and Party on Thursday, October 31st. The parade will occur after the parties. As in previous years, for the safety and security of our students, we are asking that only Room Parents enter the building to hold the parties. If you are not signed up to be one of the room parents in a classroom, you will not be able to enter the building. We apologize for this inconvenience, but want to ensure the safety of all our students and staff. You are more than welcome to watch the costume parade on the playground around the back of the school.

Halloween Party and Parade

• 2:30-3:15 pm - Classroom Parties (room parents only)
• 3:15 pm - Outdoor Parade around the playground (all invited)

Parade

The parade will begin at 3:15 p.m. and start near the cafeteria doors. The students will walk around the outdoor classroom sidewalk and then re-enter the building through the preschool doors. We ask that you not take your child from the parade for dismissal in order to ensure the safety of all students. After students come back inside, we will proceed with our regular school dismissal. After the parade, please return to your cars so traffic can flow smoothly. The back parking lot (basketball hoops) will be open and the church has graciously agreed to allow parking at that time as well.

Costumes

Please remember we ask that costumes be on the fun and friendly side, free of scary or frightening masks or clothing with blood, gore, or weapons. Please reserve make-up for evening activities. If students bring a costume that includes any of these items, they will be asked to remove them or change. Students should bring their costumes at the beginning of the school day and should be able to get dressed in their costume without assistance. Thank you for honoring these requests.

Food Safety

Please remember to follow the District Approved Snack List. Linked is the lists of what to bring for parties or birthdays. Thanks for helping to make Oakdale a caring community for all of our students. We hope you have a fun and safe Halloween!

Please join us in honoring our Oakdale Community Veterans this Veterans Day with a special school assembly on Monday, November 11th at 9:30 AM. Please talk with your Tiger about the veterans who may be in your family or circle of friends to invite them to our special event! On this day all members of the Oakdale Community of Learners will be wearing red, white, and blue. Due to seating limitations, our assembly will include only our students, staff, and our special veterans and their families/guests.

In order to thank our service men and women, Oakdale students would like to send personalized thank you notes to Veterans. Please help us by clicking on the button below to fill out a form providing the name and address of a Veteran by Friday, November 1st. We will then send a thank you note via U.S. Post to the identified current or former service member. This activity has turned out to be one of our students' favorite activities as we frequently receive letters back from our veterans. The information, stories, dedication, honor, and perseverance they have shown is tremendous and inspiring to our students! Thank you for your assistance in honoring, celebrating, and thanking Oakdale's veterans.

The Excellence In Youth Team is excited to showcase Joslyn O. from Oakdale as the very first recipient of the Digital Dozen award for the 24-25 school year! The Digital Dozen award is presented to WCS students who earn 12 of the digital badges from the EY Website (ey.westside66.org), which is available to students district-wide. It takes self-motivation, grit, and determination to earn these badges, and this star student should be proud of her accomplishment!

Congratulations to Esme C. in Mrs. Pedersen's 1st grade class and Damian E. in Mrs. Di Lorenzo's 4th grade class for being randomly drawn for the August High 5 Drawing. They showed Safe, Respectful, Responsible, and Kind behavior throughout the month and entered their High 5's into a drawing to participate in Yogurt and Yoga with our 1st Grade Teachers, Mrs. Bintz and Mrs. Pedersen. They were each able to select three friends to participate with them. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Jake R. in Mrs. Bintz's 1st grade class and Norah J. in Mrs. Schmitz's 6th grade class for being randomly drawn for the September High 5 Drawing. They were able to pick three friends and will be playing Knockout with our resident basketball guru, 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Schmitz! Congratulations! Be on the lookout for October's High 5 Drawing of a Glow Stick Dance Party!

For your child’s safety and for the safety of others, all medication, including cough drops/throat lozenges, must be kept locked in the health office and must be in the original package. All medication needs to be accompanied by a medication form signed by the parent or guardian. All prescription medication forms must be signed by the doctor (or the doctor's office can fax it to us at 402.390.2164). Whenever possible, the medication should be administered at home.

Linked you will find our year long Oakdale Calendar. This is not an all-inclusive calendar and is subject to change throughout the year. However, it will provide a general outline of events to pencil in on your calendar.

In addition, we encourage you to access our Oakdale Calendar through our Website, the Westside Community Schools App, or to subscribe so that this information shows right up on your own calendar for iPhone, iPad, Mac, or any other Google Calendar subscribable platform.

October

8-10 Scholastic Book Fair

9 Unified Soccer, 3:00 WMS Field

9 Unified Flag Football, 6:00 WMS Field

9 Parent Teacher Communication

10 NO SCHOOL - Parent Teacher Communication

10 Don & Millie's Night

11 NO SCHOOL

14 NO SCHOOL - Teacher Professional Learning Day

16 Unified Flag Football, 6:00 WMS Field

17 Student Council Meeting, 3:30

18 Fundraiser Celebration, 6:00-8:00 pm

24 STEAM Night, 5:30

31 Halloween Parties, 2:30 pm

November

7 Fall Photo Retakes

7 Student Council Meeting, 3:30

11 Veteran's Day Program, 9:30

12 Grades 3 & 4 Music Program, 6:30 WMS

14 Don & Millie's Night

19 Community Club Meeting, 6:30

21 Student Council Meeting, 3:30

22 Turkey Trot

27 - 29 NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break

Happy Homecoming!
In past years, Westside High School had many Homecoming parade participants and float entries from various Westside schools and clubs, which proved to be a fun way to generate Westside community spirit. We plan on continuing this tradition this year by inviting all elementary, middle, and high school clubs, organizations, and teams to participate in the Homecoming parade which will be held on Wednesday October 23rd.

School groups and community clubs may participate by organizing a group of students and adults to walk the route or have a float in the parade. Many organizations choose to have a float to represent their school. Two or more groups may also partner to make a float.

After the parade, there will be a pep rally at Phelps Field at the high school. All Westside Community Schools’ residents, students and parents are invited to join us!

The parade begins at 6:30 and the pep rally will immediately follow.

Clubs/organizations that wish to participate should fill out this entry form by Wednesday October 16th. If you miss this deadline, please contact the sponsor directly.

The theme for this year's homecoming is Mamma Mia!!

Homecoming can be a wonderful way to bring a large community like Westside together, so we encourage your club to join us in the homecoming activities for 2024!

Sincerely,

Sara Kleinsasser
Westside High School Student Council Sponsor

We know it is important to consider both the physical and social-emotional wellbeing of our students, families, and staff. We continue to be committed to providing regular instruction and support for studying in managing thoughts and feelings.

If your child is experiencing particular difficulties and you would like to explore options for additional support we encourage you to contact our School Counselor, Mrs. Mary McPadden (mcpadden.mary@westside66.net) or our School Psychologist, Mrs. Olivia Rosol (rosol.olivia@westside66.net), who can help in coordinating additional support and resources.

It's never been easier to keep up to date on events in Westside and at Oakdale. The Westside Community Schools App is available for both iPhone and Android in the App Store. Using this app allows you to follow important information for our school and district, access calendars, and links to important resources. Be sure to download it and check it out!

The Oakdale School Community Club offers a FREE online family directory each fall containing the names of students and their parents, with their home addresses, phone numbers, and email information. Only families who submit information to the Community Club or give permission through the Returning Student Registration Process will be included in the directory. If you have not already logged in to the website, please log in and update your information OR new parents can create a new login.

Westside Community Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, age, marital/parental status, military/veteran status or any other category protected by law in its programs and activities or in admission or access to, or treatment in, hiring and employment, and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

The following District personnel have been designated to coordinate compliance and can address inquiries about the District’s nondiscrimination policies and procedures:

For questions or concerns by students, parents or others:

• Coordinator of Student Services/Title IX Coordinator – ABC Bldg. 909 So. 76th St. Omaha (402) 390-2100 E-mail: titleixcoordinator@westside66.net
• Director of Special Services/ADA & 504 Coordinator (disability/accommodation) ABC Bldg. 909 So. 76th St. E-mail: ADAcoordinator@westside66.net

For questions by District employees or applicants:

• Ass’t Supt. for Human Resources/Lead Title IX Coordinator - 909 So. 76th St. Omaha, NE (402) 390-2100 E-mail: titleixcoordinatorHR@westside66.net

For further information about anti-discrimination laws or to file a complaint of discrimination you may also contact the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), U.S. Dept. of Education, One Petticoat Lane, 1010 Walnut Street, 3rd Floor, Suite 320, Kansas City, MO 64106,
Tele. (816) 268-0550, Fax (816) 268-0599, (TDD) (800) 877-8339, or ocr.kansascity@ed.gov.

Oakdale Elementary's mission is to ensure academic excellence and to serve the unique needs of all learners.

Oakdale's Expectations:

• Be Safe
• Be Respectful
• Be Responsible
• (Be Kind)

Email: jagels.glen@westside66.net
Website: https://www.westside66.org/Domain/13
Location: 9801 W Center Rd, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Phone: 402-390-6460
Facebook: facebook.com/OakdaleTigers66
Twitter: @oakdaletigers66