Oak Farm Montessori School

ATHLETICS CALENDAR: All practices will be found at this link

Monday, November 11th:

• Happy Veterans Day
• Guitar Club: 7:15 - 8:15am @ EAC Music Room

• Primary Soccer Shots: 3:30 - 4:15pm @ VH Rec Room
• LE Fiber Friends: 3:45 - 4:45pm @ UE Club Room
• UE Boomwhackers Music: 3:45 - 4:45pm @ EAC Music Room

• HS Bowling vs. Angola AWAY: 4:15pm @ Garrett Bowl
  

Tuesday, November 12th:

• Pep Band: 7:15 - 8:15am @ EAC Music Room

• Primary Holiday Crafts: 3:30 - 4:30pm @ Woods Treehouse
• LE Soccer Shots: 3:45 - 4:30pm @ RBS Yard
• UE Fiber Friends: 3:45 - 4:45pm @ UE Library
• Secondary Play Rehearsal: 3:45 - 4:45pm @ EAC

Wednesday, November 13th:

• Secondary Play Rehearsal: 3:45 - 4:45pm @ EAC
• UE/MS Track & Field: 3:45 - 4:45pm @ WC

• 6th BBall vs Hamilton HOME: 5:00pm @ OFMS WC
• 7th/8th BBall vs Hamilton HOME : 6:00pm @ OFMS WC

• Positive Discipline Class: 6:00 - 7:30pm @ HS Great Hall

Thursday, November 14th:

• Ag Pathways Barn Sale: 8:30 - 9:30am @ HS Barn
• Community Coffee: 8:48 - 10:00am @ MS Dining Hall

• LE Boomwhacker Music: 3:45 - 4:45pm @ EAC Music Room
• UE Dungeons & Dragons: 3:45 - 4:45pm @ UE Club Room

• Secondary Play Rehearsal: 3:45 - 4:45pm @ EAC
• 6th BBall vs ACE Warriors AWAY: 5:30pm @ Grace Baptist Church

• 7th/8th BBall vs ACE Warriors AWAY: 6:30pm @ Grace Baptist Church
• HS BBall vs Ace Warriors AWAY: 7:30pm @ Grace Baptist Church

Friday, November 15th:

• Ag Pathways Barn Sale: 8:30 - 9:30am @ HS Barn

• Community Coffee with Candice: 8:45 - 10:00am @ MS Dining Hall

• Primary Cooking with Hannah: 3:30 - 4:30pm @ VH Kitchen
• LE & UE Arte en Espanol: 3:45 - 4:45pm @ UE Club Room

• HS Game Night: 4:00 - 7:00pm @ HS

For those who wish they could be a fly in the corner of the classroom...this video is for you. Follow along as Nikole sets the photos and words of our students into a montage as they acknowledge and thank our founder, Lorene Dekko Salsbery, for the gift of Oak Farm Montessori.

Thank you to everyone who supported the Day of Giving as we honored our founder, Lorene Dekko Salsbery. We raised over $75,000 to support our school, with our students contributing over $1,500 through the Acoin for Change drive. We want to thank our donor who provided the matches throughout the day, those who gave, and everyone who joined in the fun and celebration! As a reminder, please remember that all Acoin for Change holders should be returned to school.

Just the Facts...

The countdown is getting close! Grandparents Day is Tuesday, November 26th! Please remember that no RSVP is required and that we encourage you to invite a special friend/aunt/uncle to attend if a grandparent is unavailable.

Q: WHAT TIME SHOULD VISITORS ARRIVE?

A: Classrooms will be open at 9:00 (please remember this event is NOT for infant or toddler classrooms) – and will remain open until 11:30am. We are offering light refreshments at the Wellness Center from 8:15 - 9:00am for grandparents dropping children off at school that morning.

Q: DO VISITORS STAY THE WHOLE TIME?

A: Not necessarily. Depending on the number of grandchildren they have to visit, some may stay the whole time while others for only a bit. However, if a dismissal form is filled out for students to leave early with their special guest then they may leave when ready to do so.

Q: WHERE DO THEY GO?

A: If they are arriving prior to 9:00am, they are welcome to park at the Wellness Center for entertainment and light refreshments. They may also report directly to the classroom building, but doors will not open until 9:00am. Rest assured there will be faculty members at each building to guide them to the appropriate classroom.

Getting Around...

If you have multiple children and/or multiple guests, please take a moment to think through a plan of action for your guests so they are able to use their time on campus most effectively. We will have greeters at each door with student lists to direct everyone to the correct classroom and bus/shuttle vehicles to eliminate the need for them to drive from one campus to another.

Going Home...

Dismissal forms went home last week. Please return them ASAP to your child's teacher as we will be preparing sign out sheets and bus plans based on this very important information. *A paper form must be returned for each primary through middle school student!

This Friday, November 15th, marks our first Community Coffee of the year. This is an opportunity to hear directly from Candice and also ask questions. She will be joined by Restoration Environmentalist and OFMS parent, Jon Brittenham, who will be sharing updates on our land management project. If time allows, she will also share a brief update on the accreditation team closing remarks as they will have just finished prior to the coffee.

Speaking of coffee, we will be offering Oak Leaf Cafe fresh brewed java as a special treat! We gather immediately following morning drop off at the middle school dining hall. We hope to see you there!

We are excited to announce that our school will host accreditation visiting teams from the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) and the American Montessori Society (AMS) from November 11–13, 2024. Every 7 years a team of education professionals comes to observe our progress, evaluate our work and support our school’s ongoing journey to being a premiere Montessori school.

During their time on campus, the ISACS and AMS teams will engage with a variety of members of our community to assess various aspects of our school based on the high standards set by these organizations. Their observations and feedback will help us continue to grow and improve, ensuring that our students receive the best possible education and experience.

We are grateful for the collective efforts of everyone in our community who contributed to the self-study process in preparation for this visit.

Please join us in warmly welcoming the ISACS and AMS teams to our campus. Together, we will make this visit a positive and productive experience!

The weather may be delightful now, but it can quickly make a turn! Are you prepared to be alerted in the event of a snow delay or closing? Please note, our school only does text alerts. Please make sure your mobile phone number is accurate in Facts, our student information system. We will still be sharing with local TV and radio stations including: WMEE, and WOWO.]

Delay and Closing Policy from our Parent Handbook (pg. 22)

Whenever possible, the decision to delay the start of school in the morning or to close school will be made the evening before or by 6:15am. If weather conditions warrant a second decision, the decision will be made by 8:00am. The times of the first and second decision is based upon the time Oak Farm Montessori initiates the notification to parents, not when parents will actually receive the notification.

Oak Farm Montessori has adopted two delay options: a 1-hour delay and a 2-hour delay.

• A 1-hour delay means that students may begin arriving in their classrooms at 9:30. School will be open on 1-hour delay days for half-day students and the school lunch program will be as planned.
• A 2-hour delay means that students may begin arriving in their classrooms at 10:30. School will be closed to half-day students and the lunch program may be modified to a lunch menu that can be prepared for the normal lunch time.

Please note that there will be no before care on school delay days.

READ THE FULL FALCON REPORT AT THIS LINK

The 2024-25 Falcon basketball season is here! We are excited to start the season as all the athletes and coaches worked hard all summer long spending time in the gym to master their skills.

Please check out the schedules on Eventlink and come support your student athletes as they work hard to compete.

Go Falcons!

The Falcon Sport Pass will get you into all home basketball games at a discounted admission price. Family passes are good for any member of your immediate family or we offer an individual price for just one person. IF you are interested in a Falcon Pass, click FALCON PASS and purchase yours before the first basketball game.

The Athletic Department is looking for the “Voice of the Falcons.” Here is your chance to show us your “Harry Carey” voice at a basketball game. The Falcons are looking for volunteers to help do pregame team introductions at our home basketball games. No tryouts needed! If you are interested or know of someone who has the passion to do this, please contact Donna Wolfe at dwolfe@oakfarmschool.com

High School Track & Field - Head Coach

High School Track & Field - Assistant Coach

High School Track & Field - Field Coach

Middle School Tennis - Assistant Coach

If you are interested, or know of anyone that might be, please contact Donna Wolfe @ dwolfe@oakfarmschool.com

With basketball season in progress and home games starting soon we have a few guidelines for our student athletes and families. Doors for home games will be unlocked 30 minutes prior to game time. For safety reasons the only students who will be allowed in the Wellness Center prior to that time will be current players. Siblings will not be permitted until doors are unlocked to the public due to potential supervision restrictions. If your child needs to stay after school for game days they may be able to attend After Care if there is space available. If you are interested in this option, please reach out to Sarah Shanton-Cox for after care availability. Athletes signed up for aftercare may be dismissed directly from After Care to the Wellness Center if they are required to be there before 5:00 pm. Siblings will need to be signed out from After Care by an approved pick up person.

Thank you for your help in keeping our students safe. If you have any questions regarding this policy or our After Care guidelines, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our main office. Your child’s coach will be the person determining the pre-game arrival time for all players.

Shop at Walmart? Then download the Walmart and Box Tops apps and get them connected this month. If OFMS gets 20 newly connected accounts this month, we get a $100 school bonus! It's easy, and you can earn free money for the school every time you shop at Walmart and purchase a participating product. Check out the instructions for connecting here.

Does your Kindergartener through 3rd grader like to color? The Community Learning Center (CLC) in Kendallville is sponsoring a 12 Days of Christmas Coloring contest and offering two tickets to The Nutcracker Ballet on Thursday, December 12th to two students from Oak Farm Montessori School! Please find the four coloring pages in this file. Simply print, color, and fill in your information on the pages you complete. If you do not have access to a printer, we will have printed copies available at the Vic House and Lower buildings. Winners will be announced by the CLC on Sunday, November 29th.
Colored pages are due back at the school: Wednesday, November 25th

The middle school will be hosting a holiday sale during Grandparents Day! They will have fresh baked goods, crafts, and home decorations for the holiday. Be sure to stop in on Tuesday, November 26th to shop for those special people on your holiday list.

Upper1 is very excited about their gala project this year! It will involve a lot of student application of fine motor skills, visual spatial awareness, following directions, and mathematical applications. It will also be beautiful, or at least our plan for it is lovely! We are looking for beads in fall colors, in all shapes, sizes, and material. We especially welcome glass, clay and wood beads. If you have beads you would like to get rid of or donate, please send them with your child or drop them off at the UE1 classroom. Color suggestions include: reds, yellows, oranges, browns, and gold.

You may drop them off at the Vic House or Upper Elementary building.

The Oak Farm Falcon High School cheerleaders are hosting a winter cheer clinic on Monday, December 16th. Participants will learn a dance, cheer, chant, and jumps. It will be an evening full of winter cheer and excitement.

Clinic participants will perform at halftime during the Oak Farm Falcons Varsity basketball game on Tuesday, December 17th.

For any questions regarding our athletic programs, please contact Oakleigh Butler at obutler@oakfarmschool.com.

This Friday is your last chance to order your OFMS themed spiritwear. Use this link or head to the website under My Oak Farm to place your order today. The store will close on November 15th to ensure delivery before the holiday break.

You will notice one of the designs in our spiritwear store looks different from our normal selection. This beautiful design called, Maria's Garden, was created by Oak Farm Montessori School alumni Violet Landrum, to represent the seeds of creativity and knowledge sown by the Montessori philosophy each day at our school. It was part of her senior capstone project and can be found prominently displayed, in mural form, at the Upper Elementary building on campus. You may read Violet's full senior story at this link that highlights her other work on campus and in the local community. This design also has a Montessori quote on the back, chosen by Violet.

Each year OFMHS students go on a field trip to visit Saint Francis University to see the high school exhibition and to tour the facility (date TBD). We can submit up to 10 works of art from our highschoolers! We are looking for submissions now through January 6th.

Please reach out with any questions to Leigha Vandezande lvandezande@oakfarmschool.com

"To provide a Montessori environment that inspires students to reach their potential through meaningful work."

Email: nalbright@oakfarmschool.com
Website: www.oakfarm.org
Location: 502 Lemper Road, Avilla, IN, United States
Phone: 260.897.4270

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakFarmMontessori/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oakfarmmontessori/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR3mGPicpeNcMAF8kOoXhyQ