GOES Weekly Update 11.15.24

Have a wonderful weekend! We look forward to seeing everyone "on time & ready to shine" on Monday.

Sincerely,

Aimee Misset

Friday, 11/22 - November Town Meeting (2:00 pm)

Wednesday, 11/27 - Early Dismissal (Day before Thanksgiving)

Thur-Fri, 11/28-29 - No School (Thanksgiving Break)

Wed-Thur, 12/4-12/5 - Early Dismissal - Parent Conferences

Friday, 12/13 - Early Dismissal (Professional Learning)

Mon, 12/23 - Wed, 1/1 - Winter Break (No School)

Due to the roofing project occurring before Thanksgiving, Whitson's needs to make the following menu changes. See their message below:

Tuesday, November 19th - Popcorn Chicken

Wednesday November 20th - Tacos

Tuesday, November 26th - Chicken Nuggets

Wednesday, November 27th - Waffles

Also, we will not be offering ice cream or cookies on Tuesday November 26.

Thank you!

As I shared last week, GOES has earned the designation of a School of Distinction from the CSDE for our "high performance". This designation goes to the top ten percent of Connecticut schools each year based on our overall accountability index which is determined by many factors including our growth and achievement on Smarter Balanced and NGSS assessments and our rates of chronic absenteeism and physical fitness.

We will be celebrating next week! On Thursday afternoon, students and staff will enjoy a "Make Your Own Sundae Party" complete with party decorations and music. Alternative treats will be provided for any student who cannot have ice cream. On Friday, we will officially recognize our hard earned designation and our incredible staff that make the magic happen at our November Town Meeting. We hope you can join us!

We would like to invite all veterans and active service members to join us at November's Town Meeting on 11/22 so that we may honor you or a member of your family and show our appreciation. If you are interested in being recognized at the Town Meeting, please click on the button below to share some basic information about your service and a photo so that we can add it to our slideshow.

The roof over the gym and cafeteria will be replaced the week of Thanksgiving. Work is scheduled to begin on Monday, 11/25 and be completed on Saturday, 11/30. This is work that must be completed before any any HVAC work can be completed in that section of the building. While they will work quickly and efficiently, it will cause some changes that week, since we will not be able to use the cafeteria and gymnasium.

Lunch - Whitson's will be still be providing lunch (see menu changes above). Students will eat outside (weather/temperature permitting) or in the classroom.

Gym - Mr. Cranwell will hold PE classes outside or in the classroom.

SONNCA - Before and after care will be moved to QFS Monday - Wednesday. We will provide a bus to take students to and from QFS at 9:00 am and 3:30 pm/12:30 pm (Wed). Parent drop off and pick up for SONNCA will be at QFS. They will send out detailed information to their families.

Though we will be mildly inconvenienced for a few days, this is a necessary and important improvement to our building. If you have any questions or concerns about the project, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Our GOES reporters have been working hard on their first two editions. You can check out the first one below to meet all of our reporters!

Several of our classes visited the Oxford Public Library earlier this week. Our remaining classes will be going next week. Students will be walking across the street to the library and will be assisted by Miss Smith and Officer Lima. Your child will go on the field trip on the day/time that they have library. Please see the attached document from Ms. Robyn for more information. If you haven't completed the permission slip yet, please do so below.

Tues, November 19th - Sharkey, Marini, Bunce, Prefontaine, Gargano

Wed, November 20th - Franzman, McGill, Corrigan, Nolan

Thurs, November 21st - Angelovic, Barnum, Wandishion, Lubanda, Lester

Thank you Mrs. Brennan and Ms. Getner for planning this week's activities. Students enjoyed "discovering" gratitude and "sparking" their growth mindset.

Yesterday, Student Council presented a $500 check to Mary Deming from Seymour Pink. She was moved by their enthusiasm and desire to give back to the community. She spoke to them about how important their kindness and hard work is and how it affects more people than they will ever realize.

Great job, Student Council and GOES! We are proud of you!

During the month of November, Student Council will be collecting for the OPS Stuff the Bus Thanksgiving Food Drive. Check out the flyer below for more information.

I am very impressed with the thoughtfulness of our students this past week as they engage in the Look for Good Project. Our gratitude wall and hearts are growing and our gratitude spots are getting so much use they are already wearing out!

We will continue using those and the other activities next week...and hope these habits carry well into the future.

The 'gratitude spot'...

Student council will be installing orange gratitude spots throughout the halls. Build in some time for your classrooms to visit these spots during the campaign.

The 'gratitude wall' (and hearts outside your classrooms)...

Each morning, during morning announcements, students will be writing their gratitude on sticky notes to create a gratitude wall. (see the blank wall below and stay tuned for it all filled up)

The 'you matter letter'...

Towards the end of the campaign, students will write a letter to a person that has made a big difference in their life thanking them and explaining how their actions made their life better

'Kindness cards'...

To help us transform gratitude into kindness, teachers and students will be passing out orange kindness cards that can be shared whenever they see the good in someone.

The weekly challenge is not just for students. Check out a preview of next week's challenge. Have some math fun with your family. Students submit their answers in the box outside of Mr. Luchina's room. Parents can submit their answers to luchinaa@oxfordpublicschools.org or send in your work with your child. On Friday, Mr. Math randomly selects winners from the correct entries. And there are prizes!!!