Community SOAR Report

Greetings Eagle Families,

We have officially made it through the first term of the 2023-2024 school year! I am so incredibly proud of our students for all of their hard work over the past several weeks. They have done a tremendous job transitioning back to school following summer break and have been working so hard. If the first term is any indication of how the rest of the year will go, I can't wait to see everything that our students will be able to accomplish!

I would be remise if I didn't take time to thank our parents/guardians and staff for all of their hard work through the first term. The success of our students is directly connected back to the work and support they receive from each of you. The progress we have made through the first term is proof in the power of being #OMSBetterTogether!

Throughout the first term, you have received several messages and a video regarding our feeder focus on building and fostering a sense of belonging. Directly connected to that is one of our School Improvement Goals to increase our daily attendance and reduce the number of chronically absent students. As of the end of term one, I am happy to report that OMS has an overall student attendance rate of 96.1%! This is a huge accomplishment and our students, parents/guardians, and staff should be proud! The overall breakdown of grade level attendance for term one is:

• 6th Grade: 96.5%
• 7th Grade: 96.3%
• 8th Grade: 95.4%

As we progress into a new term, I'm asking for your continued support in our focus area of daily attendance. Maintaining a high attendance rate will have a dramatic impact on our students overall academic success. While our overall attendance rate is something to celebrate, we have been noticing an increase in the number of students who are arriving late. Please review the OMS tardy policy (similar to last year) that is outlined below. Arriving to school on-time (on or before 8:06) will help ensure that our students and staff can maximize the instructional time that they have together.

Thanks again for all that you have done to support our students and staff through the first term. I can't wait to see what our students and entire school community will be able to achieve through the rest of the year!

Sincerely,

Daniel L. Enck

Principal

OMS is seeing a steady increase in the number of students who are arriving late. All students should be in the building by 8:06 to ensure they are in their first period class prior to the start of first period at 8:12. Similar to last school year, beginning on Monday, October 30th (first day of the second term), all students who are tardy for the start of school will need to sign-in at the front office. We will track tardiness and use the following steps for students who accumulate multiple tardies in each term:

• 3 Tardies Per Term - Warning and phone call home
• 5 Tardies Per Term - Lunch Detention and phone call home
• 10 Tardies Per Term - After School Detention and phone call home
• 11+ Tardies Per Term - Parent/Guardian, Student, Administrator, and PPW Conference at OMS

Attendance - If your child is unable to attend school due to an illness or doctor's appointment, or any other reason, please email a note to our attendance secretary, Ms. Nancy Sanders at oms.attendance@fcps.org. Please include your child's first and last name, grade, date of absence, and reason for absence. If Ms. Sanders has any questions she will reach out for clarification.

• If Ms. Sanders does not hear from you before 9:00AM on the day of the absence, you will receive a One Call Now Attendance Notification for your child.
• If your child has an appointment, please send them to school with a note which can be turned in to the front office in the morning. Your child will be given a pass and will be ready to go at the desired dismissal time without having to disrupt the classroom.

Book Fair - OMS will be hosting the Book Fair during the week of October 30th. Students will have an opportunity to visit the Book Fair during the day in their ELA classes.

• October 30th - Ferraro, Enix, Ladd, and Brooks
• October 31st - Bey and Grackin
• November 1st - Williams and Richards
• November 2nd - McCarty and Hearn
• November 3rd - Last Minute Shoppers

The Book Fair will be open for families on Monday, October 30th from 5:00-7:00. Parents/Guardians can create an "eWallet" for their children to make purchase using the following link: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/oakdalemiddleschool4. The "eWallet" is not required as all major forms of payment will be accepted.

Bus Information - A quick and easy resource to check if your child's bus is delayed is to visit https://apps.fcps.org/transdelay/ This site is updated in real-time to reflect any bus delays.

OMS Student Spirit Week - The OMS Student Government Association is hosting a spirit week. All OMS students are invited to participate:

• October 30th - Crazy Hat/Hair Day
• October 31st - Costume Day (no inflatable costumes, no masks or excessive make-up, and no weapons or look-like weapons)
• November 1st - Sports Day (wear your favorite sports team shirt or jersey)
• November 2nd - Character Day (dress up as your favorite cartoon character)
• November 3rd - Swap Styles Day (swap styles with your friends)

Student Cell Phone Use: In an effort to work together to ensure appropriate use of cell phones for students, we encourage parents/guardians to review safe cell phone usage frequently, maintain open communication, and utilize appropriate parental controls. You may also want to create a cell phone contract with your child outlining the privileges and responsibilities associated with cell phone use. For your convenience, a sample contract is provided here. Also, students are reminded of the school’s rules for having a cell phone at school, which is linked in case you wish to periodically review them with your child. Regulation 400-18 Electronic Devices – Student Use.

Finally, please reiterate with your child to not use their cell phone for unsanctioned purposes such as: cheating, harassing or bullying others, taking photos or videos of others without permission, checking personal social media accounts, or sexting. Some violations may have consequences not only related to student discipline, but victims have also pursued legal action against both the student and the parent/guardian. Those outcomes are best avoided when schools and parents partner together. We thank you for all that you do to help us reinforce good digital citizenship.

Oakdale Middle School has implemented the "Off, Away, and Out of Sight" cell phone policy for the last several years. While students are in the school building during the instructional day, they are to keep their cell phones, "Off, Away, and Out of Sight".

• Parents/Guardians - if you need to contact your child please call the front office at 240-236-5500 and we will get the message to your child as soon as possible.

Tutor Me - All Frederick County Public Schools middle and high school students have 24/7 access to virtual tutoring services for help on any subject. Students can receive assistance through audio/video chats or through a messaging system. Assistance/Support is available on virtually any subject matter. This includes getting feedback on written assignments and essays. Support is also available through Tutoring Me for students preparing for Advanced Placement exams. Students can access Tutor Me using the Clever portal. Details of how to do so can be accessed by clicking HERE.

Monday, October 30th - First day of Term Two

Monday, October 30th - Book Fair Opens: Family Night from 5:00 - 7:00

Friday, November 3rd - 6th Grade Dance sponsored by the PTSA 3:30-5:00

Wednesday, November 8th - Report Cards Issued

Wednesday, November 22nd - Schools and Offices Closed: Thanksgiving Break

Thursday, November 23rd - Schools and Offices Closed: Thanksgiving Break

Friday, November 24th - Schools and Offices Closed: Thanksgiving Break

Friday, December 1st - Med-Term

Tuesday, December 12th - Interims Issued

Monday, December 25th - Schools and Offices Closed: Winter Break

Tuesday, December 26th - Schools and Offices Closed: Winter Break

Wednesday, December 27th - Schools Closed - Winter Break

Thursday, December 28th - Schools Closed - Winter Break

Friday, December 29th - Schools Closed - Winter Break

Monday, January 1st - Schools and Offices Closed: New Year's Day

Friday, January 12th - End of Term Two

PTSA Social Media Links and Website:

Facebook - @OakdaleMSPTSA

Instagram - @schoolOakdalemiddle

Twitter - @MiddleOakdale

Website - https://oakdalemsptsa.wixsite.com/mysite

Contact Us:

oakdalemsptsa@gmail.com

Email: daniel.enck@fcps.org
Website: https://edu.fcps.org/oms/
Location: 5810 Oakdale School Rd, Ijamsville, MD, USA
Phone: 240-236-5500
Twitter: @FCPS_OakdaleMS