On May 4, 2021, the district is asking the community to vote on a $54,445,000 bond proposal which provides significant funding for the district's critical infrastructure needs. If approved, the tax rate will remain the same as 2020. Included in the bond program are renovations and upgrades to the following areas:

- Infrastructure
- Mechanical & Plumbing
- Electrical
- Technology

A more detailed list of projects can be found on the district's website at www.oakparkschools.org.

In this election, every vote is important. Please make sure that you vote on May 4, 2021 at the polls or any time after March 19, 2021 by absentee ballot. For your convenience, a breakdown of the ballot language is included with this letter. If you have questions or need more information, please visit the district's website by clicking on //www.oakparkschools.org/bond or email us at 2021bond@oakparkschools.org.

Working together, we want to ensure that our schools provide the best opportunities for our students and continue to serve our children and our community. Our vision is that our schools and educational facilities provide the best educational experience possible for our children. Of course, this would not be possible with the assistance of the community. Providing critical renovations to our infrastructure and school facilities supports our goal to provide quality, effective learning environments and is critical for every resident's property value.

Thank you for your consideration and please remember to vote on or by May 4, 2021. Strong schools equal strong communities!

Oak Park Schools is excited to announce the release of a mobile app designed specifically to keep our families better informed and connected to what’s going on in our schools.

The new Oak Park Schools mobile app for both Apple and Android devices will keep you connected while you are on the go. The app is FREE and available for download today!

The app will deliver real time school news to your smart-device for fast, up-to-date access. With the app you can:

• Get the latest district and school news
• Select the schools you want to follow
• Get push notifications about breaking news, closures, weather, events, and more
• See the latest photos from school events
• Tap to see school locations, phone numbers, and staff information

Download the new app in 3 easy steps:

From a smart-device, go to the iTunes App Store® or Google Play®

Search Oak Park Schools

Then select the “Oak Park Schools” app for free download

School news in the palm of your hand, your new Oak Park Schools mobile app is just a few taps away. Download it today!

Attention Oak Park Schools Community:

The City of Oak Park is partnering with Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) to provide Michigan residents with the COVID-19 vaccine by appointment at the Oak Park Community Center.

Surgeons Choice Medical Center is holding a vaccine clinic for administering COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine on Saturday, May 8, 2021 from 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

We anticipate to vaccinate over 700 individuals in our Metro Detroit Community. On both vaccine dates, we will have food trucks, giveaways, special guests, and radio promotion on air as well as on-site for both days.

Appointments can be scheduled on the following website for ages 16 and up: http://surgeonschoice.com/Covid-19Vaccine.

For more information, please contact:

Meghann Keliher

mkeliher@surgeinschoice.com

248-423-5144

NOTE: This communication is for information only. Surgeons Choice Medical Center is not affiliated with the Oak Park School District.

Saturday, April 24, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak is providing free heart checks for children from 13 – 18 years of age. This type of heart screening is not typically included in the routine physical required for school sports. To register, please visit Beaumont.org/shc.

The Wayne County Health Department is adding two new COVID-19 vaccination clinics, one in Belleville and another in Flat Rock. The expansion will increase the County’s weekly capacity to as many as 20,000 administered doses between a total of four vaccine clinics.

Additionally, to make it easier for Wayne County residents and workers to get a vaccine, all County sites will accept residents and workers age 16 and older from all Wayne County communities; walk-up appointments are welcomed during regular clinic hours from 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Residents and workers may still schedule a vaccination appointment with the Wayne County Health Department by calling toll-free 1-866-610-3885. City of Detroit residents should call 313-230-0505 to schedule an appointment through the

Detroit Health Department. All County sites will offer the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, depending on current supplies and shipments.

The Belleville clinic will open Monday (April 19) at Wayne County Community College-Ted Scott Campus, 9555 Haggerty Road, Belleville, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The Flat Rock clinic will also open Monday and will be located at the Flat Rock Community Center, 1 Maguire Street, Flat Rock. The Flat Rock clinic will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

In addition to the two new clinics, the Wayne County Public Health Department welcomes walk-up appointments at its Taylor Clinic 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. This clinic is located at the Wayne County Community College – Downriver Campus, 21000 Northline Rd., Taylor. For more information on COVID-19 vaccination locations, visit www.waynecounty.com/covid19 or call 1-866-610-3885 to schedule an appointment.

Oak Park Schools & Gleaners Community Food Bank are continuing to serve our community this spring. We want to ensure all families wishing to receive meals can do so. Families and individuals in need of food are encouraged to attend an upcoming drive-up distribution provided by Gleaners Community Food Bank

The distribution will take place on Friday, April 30 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Oak Park High School (13701 Oak Park Blvd, Oak Park 48237). PLEASE ENTER OFF OF COOLIDGE HWY.

Please contact Vicky Zoldos at 313-530-8736 with any further questions.

Office of Teaching and Learning

District Wide Updates

w/o April 26, 2021

• Fall 2020 NWEA Results for all K-12 students are now uploaded to MISTAR Parent Portal!

• Parent Letter (including MISTAR Parent Portal Help Guide)

• Winter 2021 NWEA Results for all K-12 students are now uploaded to MISTAR Parent Portal!

• Parent Letter (including MISTAR Parent Portal Help Guide)

• All Conference PD videos from August, October, and November have been compiled and uploaded for your learning pleasure! We also have uploaded the (6-12) Nepris Professional Learning session from December 7. If you are interested in additional learning from our Return To Schools Conference, our October PD Conference, or November 5D+ PD, or Nepris please click the links below! The uploads can also be found under “Staff Links” on our district website!

• PD Video Links for August Return To Schools PD

• PD Video Links for October PD Conference

• PD Video Links for the November PD

• PD Video Links for Nepris (6-12), December 7

• The City of Oak Park's Juneteenth Ad Hoc Committee is planning a celebration around Juneteenth and one of the important pieces of the event is an essay contest available to all Oak Park residents and Oak Park School students in K-12. Please click HERE for essay guidelines and award information! The submission deadline is May 10, 2021!
  
  

• Summer School!

• Oak Park Schools is proud to offer Summer Enrichment Learning for our K-12 students. Our summer program will run Monday - Thursday from June 28th - August 5, 9:00am - 4:00pm. Any parents or students interested in registration, please see the linked flyer. Any teachers interested in applying, please email teachingandlearning2@oakparkschools.org for more information.

• Young people are passionate, courageous, creative, and resilient. They are full of hope and have the potential to generate positive change in the world. Oakland Youth Innovation Lab will build on these strengths to ignite a joy of learning for all. This unique learning experience will be grounded in a strong sense of community and will engage students in deep learning that is meaningful and authentic. OYIL is seeking teachers who are interested in being part of a unique design process for a new way of facilitating learning. Interested in learning more? Click HERE.

• Additional Summer Learning Opportunities

• The Michigan Learning Channel launched in January 2021 with the goal of making high-quality educational programming accessible at home to every student and family in Michigan—with or without home internet access. The channel is available statewide on broadcast television through a partnership between Michigan’s six PBS stations as well as on-demand and streaming to any device at www.michiganlearning.org. In Summer 2021, the Michigan Learning Channel is offering an 8-week program for grades Pre-K-6. The program includes standards-aligned ELA and Math lessons for each grade, plus physical fitness activities, hands-on STEM programs, and fun enrichment activities that bring in partners from across the state around a weekly theme.

• Article of the Week:

• Reading for fun? Reading for school? How do we keep students engaged in both? Check out the article “The Benefits of Reading For Fun” from Edutopia.

• Professional Learning

• Oakland Schools is sponsoring a National Speaker Series focused on equity and inclusion in the classroom. Speakers include Dr. Bettina Love, Dr. April Baker-Bell, and Dr. Amy McCart. Please click HERE for more information and registration opportunities!

• Interested in a FREE Virtual Engineering Boot Camp for Teachers? Engage with science and engineering practices of NGSS through real-world applications of engineering and hands-on activities you can incorporate into your classroom.

We are thrilled to share that Oak Park Schools will be offering Summer Enrichment Programs to our students to provide opportunities for acceleration, enrichment, credit recovery, or original credit during the summer. We take pride in providing our students and their families with greater access to instruction, excellent teachers, and engaging learning experiences.

In Summer 2021, programs will be offered either in person or virtually, and there is no cost to enroll. For more details, please visit www.oakparkschools.org or contact the Teaching & Learning Department by email at teachingandlearning2@oakparkschools.org.

• Bridge programs prepare students with the academic skills to successfully transition from middle to high school.
  
  

• Enrichment programs provide students with an extended learning experience.
  
  

• Credit Recovery allows high school students the opportunity to earn previously attempted credits to meet promotion or graduation requirements.​

Thinking about summer plans?

Apply to the Michigan State University GATE Summer Program!

The GATE summer program offers a challenging and fun experience for gifted and talented students. Programs will be 100% online this summer.

To apply visit gifted.msu.edu to start application

Gifted and Talented Education or GATE is a division of University Outreach and Engagement at Michigan State University. The GATE office is dedicated to promoting differentiated educational programs for students in middle school and high school. The mission of the Gifted and Talented Education office is to provide educational experiences that allow gifted students to develop intellectually, to cultivate social relationships, and to expand their understanding of the world.​

Celebrate Juneteenth with the City of Oak Park! We will be hosting an essay competition for students K-12. The contest is open to all Oak Park residents in that category and all Oak Park schools students. The topic will be " What does Juneteenth mean to you?" Those interested must submit their essays by May 10, 2021. Essays can be submitted at our drop-box in front of City Hall or by email at cvanvleck@oakparkmi.gov.

For more information, please visit: https://cms5.revize.com/revize/oakpark/

It’s an 8-week program at no cost to participating families. The program will be offered online with sessions also on television. Learn more: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zbxgMmRC5s6z6R1OFGQXOPRqUELU8KAM/view?fbclid=IwAR0L0juQR0qEdfUAdX3xMNcpemoiVj1A2O4llu0xL_ICur1SsBUL9ejIiCI

The Midnight Golf Program (MGP) is a 30-week empowerment and mentoring experience that teaches life skills including college preparation, community activism, financial literacy, as well as, learning to play golf. It is a program that makes a positive impact in the lives of the participants and helps them realize their dreams. Since the program began in 2001, 2,800+ young people have been positively impacted by the Midnight Golf Program's transformational and industry-leading program.

Learn more how we make graduation possible for Detroit's youth! Click here for more information or visit: https://midnightgolf.org/apply/.

“Pear Deck’s award-winning tools seamlessly support effective teaching and learning methodologies. With solutions that work across all grade levels and subjects, Pear Deck helps teachers use active learning techniques to maximize student engagement. Districts that implement Pear Deck report improved outcomes and equity, improved student engagement and achievement, and a more positive school climate and culture.

Here you can learn more about Pear Deck’s efficacy and pedagogy, find webinars designed just for educators, and get implementation resources. “

You should be able to access the premium version of Pear Deck by logging in with your Oak Park Gmail.

If you have any questions, would like help getting started, or are having issues accessing your account, please feel free to email Lauren Marchelletta at

Lauren Marchelletta

TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION SPECIALIST

Technology Field Services

Oakland Schools & Oak Park

Call or Text: 248.410.2202

Resources for Oakland Schools/Oak Park Schools

CLICK HERE for Oakland Schools Tech Tidbits (February)

CLICK HERE to access my Oak Park Virtual Office

lauren.marchelletta@oakland.k12.mi.us

Our mission is to provide a quality education that promotes respect for the individual and cultural differences of students and provides college and career readiness skills to become lifelong learners and productive citizens.

The Oak Park School District’s nearly 4,500 students are served at Einstein, Key and Pepper elementary schools (grades PreK-5), the Oak Park Preparatory Academy (grades 6-8), , Oak Park High School (grades 9 -12), NOVA (grades 3-12) the Oak Park Alternative Education Center (ages 16-19 years old) and My Virtual Academy of Oak Park (grades 5-12) in Oak Park, MI in Oakland County located in a suburban community near Detroit with approximately 30,000 residents. Our district consists of over 450 staff members, including 250 teachers and 11 building administrators.

Our school district boasts an abundance of educational and co/extra-curricular programs to meet the needs of a vast array of learners from Pre-K through twelfth grade. We encourage students to challenge themselves academically, explore comprehensive course offerings, and take risks to discover their individual gifts. We are dedicated to providing an intellectually challenging educational experience in safe, nurturing school environments that thrive on cultivating and empowering students to be their authentic selves. In addition, our academic and co/extra-curricular opportunities provide agency and shape self-identity, which are critical components to the adolescent development process.

Oak Park Advantage

The Oak Park Advantage is a holistic approach to education that not only prepares students academically, fosters a sense of belonging but creates long-lasting connections to the Oak Park community. While attending Oak Park Schools, students develop a confidence that is woven throughout their post-secondary, professional and social-emotional well-being years after they graduate.

Contact an Oak Park School District principal and take a tour! Get the Oak Park Advantage!

Our 2020 Goals

Maintain dynamic, healthy, and safe learning environments that inspire unlimited equitable opportunities for optimal classroom instruction to increase student achievement.

Implement ongoing transparent best practices to reduce operating costs to create opportunities to invest in human capital and professional learning, sustain quality facilities, establish a healthier organizational culture, and ensure fiscal stability.

Strategically design and implement organizational systems to increase efficiency, boost productivity to allow staff and students to focus entirely on student learning and social-emotional well-being.

Review and refresh curricular needs and resources employing planned adoption schedules based on current research with technology integration for classroom instruction.

Operate collaboratively district-wide and abandon ineffective silos.

Website: www.oakparkschools.org
Location: 13900 Granzon Street, Oak Park, MI, USA
Phone: (248)336-7700
Facebook: facebook.com/oakparkschools
Twitter: @oakparkschools