Ocean Avenue Friday Notes

• 5/13-5/24: Grade 3-5 State Assessments (2 hours)
• 5/21: OAES Spring Strings and Band Concert, 1:20-2 PM (5th grade and their families only)
  
• 5/22: Kindergarten Open House, 3:30-4:30 PM
• 5/23: Community Meeting in Gym, 8 AM
• 5/23: Last Day of Learning Works!
• 5/23, 5/24 & 5/25: Kindergarten Screening Days at OAES, 8 AM-2 PM
• 5/27: Memorial Day (NO SCHOOL)
• 5/28: Fifth Grade Parent/Guardian Night at King Middle School, 5:30-6:30 PM
• 6/1: Ocean Avenue PTO Spring Fair at Ocean Avenue School, 2-4 PM
• 6/4: Fifth Grade Step Up Event to Middle Schools, 11 AM-1:30 PM
• 6/4: Fifth Grade Parent/Guardian Night at Lyman Moore Middle School, 6-7:30 PM
• 6/5: School's Out for Summer PTO Free Community Event at Bunker Brewing, 5-8 PM
• 6/6: Fun Run, 8-9:15 AM, with 6/7 Rain Date
• 6/7: Fifth Grade vs. Staff Basketball Game
• 6/7: Portland Sea Dogs Ocean Avenue Night, 6 PM game start, but arrive by 5 PM to join the pre-game parade around the field starting at 5:15 PM!
• 6/10: Step Up Event for Grades K-4
• 6/11: PTO Meeting in the Library, 5:30 PM
• 6/13: Fifth Grade Celebration, 1 PM
• 6/14: Last Day of School, 11:10 AM Dismissal (Egg Drop Begins at 9 AM!)

WHEN: June 6th ~ 8-9:15 AM (Rain Date: June 7th)

WHERE: OAES Campus

Please come and join us for this exciting event where all students will be participating in a fun run.

Students have been practicing running around the school loop during Gym class with Mr. Pedro and are excited to be running with their classmates!

Each grade level will be assigned a specific time to run starting with K and working our way up to 5th grade. We are inviting families and friends to come cheer them on and enjoy a great way to celebrate a wonderful school year. Parents/guardians are also welcome to run with their child(ren).

We hope to see you there!

Student placement for the next academic year is a thoughtful process that begins in May. It involves input from students, classroom teachers, specialists, support staff, and administrators. The placement team (which includes the child’s current teacher) considers a broad range of factors in order to create balanced classrooms at each grade level. We thought it would be helpful to share more about the specific steps in the process.

• Classroom teachers complete surveys for each student that include the following key areas: academic progress, behavioral needs, and developmental needs.
• Students compile a 'Buddy List'. Teachers encourage students to think about classmates with whom they work well and students with whom they have a connection across the grade level.
• We use the survey data and 'buddy' lists to organize groups of students. We ensure that each student has at least one student from their 'buddy' list.
• The draft classroom groupings are shared with the current grade-level team and other relevant staff. They provide input based on their knowledge of students and potential group dynamics.
• The receiving grade level team and staff then review the lists and are given the opportunity to provide further feedback and ask any clarifying questions.
• Class lists are finalized.
• Students and families are informed of their new teacher in August.
• Students and families get to meet their new teacher through our summer start up or at the Watermelon Welcome (a meet and greet event held each year immediately prior to the start of school).

Finally, please remember, as always, we are here to work in partnership with you. We do not accept specific teacher requests. However, if you would like to share any additional information about your child, we welcome you to do so.

Thank you to all of the families who came out to celebrate 5210 Math Night with us on May 9th. There were over 200 people in attendance enjoying the evening doing healthy activities and Math too!

We also want to thank all of the OAES volunteers who helped make this event a success, as well as our sponsors: Maine Health, Portland Public Health, Hannaford Supermarkets, and Whole Foods Markets.

All day on Wednesday, June 5th, the Locker Project will be the beneficiary of Scooping for Community at Gelato Fiasco in the Old Port. When customers tell the cashier they are there to support our child hunger programs, 75% of their purchases will be donated!

On Saturday, June 15th, at 11 am, Back Cove Books at 651 Forest Avenue in Portland, will be hosting a book launch with local art teacher Dorson Plourde, author of Garbage Gulls. A portion of sales from the event will support the Locker Project summer programs.

Saturday, June 1 from 2 PM to 4 PM

FREE FOR ALL! Bring family and friends! Lots of fun activities including Bouncy House - Glitter Tattoo Artists - Martial Arts Demo - Hot Dogs - Shave Ice + MORE!

Wednesday, June 5 @ Bunker Brewing, 5 PM to 8 PM

You're invited to celebrate the end of the 2023-2024 school year! This event is open to all OAES families. Have you ever played Musingo? Where bingo meets all your favorite music? It's music, it's a game, it's FUN!

Amato's Pizza - Music Bingo Games - Prizes!

Experience an evening of excitement with the Ocean Avenue Elementary School on Friday, June 7th at Hadlock Field! Cheer on the home team as the Portland Sea Dogs transform into the Maine Whoopie Pies and battle against the Akron RubberDucks. The game kicks off at 6:00 PM, but make sure to arrive by 5:00 PM to join the special pre-game parade around the field starting at 5:15 PM. It's the perfect outing for families, friends, and baseball enthusiasts alike. Don't miss out on this thrilling community event. Get your tickets today!

Buy tickets here by May 31: https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Oceanave7

You're invited to join other parents, guardians, teachers and staff for the next monthly meeting of Ocean Avenue's Parent Teacher Organization! Each meeting takes place in the school library on the second Tuesday of the month at 5:30 PM. Come for an update from our principal and stay for as long as you'd like.

We are looking for parents who are interested in filling a vacant role on our PTO board for the next school year so please attend or email board@oapto.org if you are interested!

The PTO is trying to reach a goal of 100 monthly donors who are willing to give $1 - $10 each month. Can you help?

Now that we have all settled into the 2023-2024 school year, we are more eager than ever to support our students and teachers. If a teacher wants to do a special project with their class, we want to be able to say YES! If the library wants to add to their collection, we want to be able to write the check. If a grade level wants to go on a field trip, we want to fund it. If there is an opportunity to bring a visiting artist to the school, we want to make it happen.

Thanks to our Dolphin's Cove donors last year, we:

• Provided funds to replace all lost library books throughout the school year.

• Supplied funds for school garden upgrades and maintenance including 200 new plants.

• Sent third graders to the Desert of Maine for an ecological learning experience.

• Covered the membership cost for our school nurse with the National Association of School Nurses. One benefit of membership is the VSP Eyes of Hope® gift certificate program which covers a comprehensive eye exam and, if prescribed, new glasses at a VSP network doctor's office for students in need.

• Brought a Portland Symphony Orchestra Kinderkonzert ensemble to perform for the K-2 students. The brass quintet performed The Circus Ship, the beloved children's book story by Chris Van Dusen, while introducing students to this family of instruments.

• Sent second and third graders to a vibrant production of Wabanaki Stories at Merrill Auditorium featuring five Wabanaki artists coming from several different nations and traditions.

• Organized monthly teacher appreciation events for OAES staff including an ice cream truck, treats for teachers in the staff room, a gift card raffle, and an espresso cart service.

• Paid membership fees for Ruth’s Reusable Resources, a free store for teachers connecting them with surplus furniture, paper, books, office supplies and computers.

• Funded a visit from award-winning children’s book author and poet, Samara Cole Doyon, who is both a second-generation Haitian American and a deeply rooted Mainer.

• Covered the cost of math team t-shirts for fifth graders.

• Organized and funded our school spring fair with an inflatable obstacles course, snow cones, face painting, photo booth, martial arts demos, and lawn games.

• Covered costs for books from Maine Student Book Awards and Chickadee Book Awards to be added to our library.

Currently, we have 25 monthly donors and we thank each of you for the consistent support.

We need 75 additional monthly donors to reach our goal. Please consider if you can!

• https://donorbox.org/dolphinscove-2-3

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