Hello Dragon Families,

I hope you are all enjoying the preview of spring with this lovely warmer weather! February is a fun month full of learning about culture and history as well as celebrating the Love of Reading and Valentines Day!

Students are working hard and it is showing in their test scores and growth. We want our dragons to keep up the hard work so that we can blow state in April out of the park!

Make sure to read through the newsletter to check out what's happening at Oyama this month, and for other important info/updates.

-Principal Brady

Please remember to practice safety when picking your child up and dropping them off on campus. We have had some concerns raised by parents and staff regarding safety in the parking lot so I am asking that we remember to adhere to the following to keep students, staff, and families safe...

• Please do not park on or close to the crosswalk. We have had several instances of cars parked on the actual crosswalk blocking it.
• Please do not move the traffic cones. They are there to direct traffic and prevent people from passing through and colliding with other cars.
• All community members are asked to use the crosswalk. We want everyone including our families to model proper street safety for the students even in our parking lots.

We appreciate you following these friendly reminders and helping keep our community safe!

February 20th-21st- Rodeo Break

February 24th- Benchmark Testing Begins (details below)

March 1st- TUSD Job Fair 9:00am - 1:00pm

March 7th- Grading Day - No Classes for Students

March 10th-14th- Spring Break

Track starts February 11th! Students can join through the next two weeks. Cut off for joining is the end of next week so make sure to get your packets turned in!

Practices will be Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3pm-4pm. Students will meet with Ms. Cada in Pod C and will be picked up at 4pm at parent pick up.

There unfortunately is no transportation provided for afterschool sports so please make the proper arrangements for your child to be picked up if they plan to participate.

The benchmark testing schedule is below. Student's will take their benchmark in either the library or Ms. Cada's room which will be set up as our testing rooms to help support students and let them do their best work.

Please make sure your students are at school on their classes designated testing day. This test gives us a very good idea of where students are doing well and where they need support. Attendance is critical to our students success!

Oyama has been lucky to have some pretty amazing guests come and share the love of reading with our students. We had Pima County Supervisor and former TUSD Board President Adelita Grijalva read to our 3rd graders and we even had the UofA Bookstore and their bestie Bluey come by!

This month, we’re focusing on the character trait of Honesty. We’ll be emphasizing how important it is to show honesty. Throughout February, students will be recognized for demonstrating honesty in and out of the classroom. Encourage your child to share what they’ve learned about honesty with you at home!

Students who exhibit traits of honesty and show it towards others have the chance to earn dragon tickets for their classes. The classes with the most dragon tickets can win awesome prizes!

Join the Oyama PTSA and help support the school. All parents/guardians are welcome. If you are interested, email Marianna Denogean or Michelle Lomeli.

Next Meeting is March 5th via zoom from 6:00pm-7:00pm, link will be posted in dojo.

The PTSA puts on a variety of events each year and they need parent support as much as possible. We are currently planning out the spring festival so if you have any ideas, want to help volunteer and support the event, please attend the next meeting and help us out!

Oyama does not allow the use of cell phones during the school day. If your child has a cell phone, they MUST keep it in their backpack until they leave campus. If you should need to contact your child during the school day for any reason, please call our front office at 520-225-5700. The below TUSD Governing Board Policy will be enforced at Oyama.

Volunteers are always welcome at Oyama. All people interested in volunteering during the school day must complete the volunteer application with TUSD. The application is linked below. Please also schedule a time to meet with the principal in order to discuss what support is needed from volunteers and the ways you can help prior to filling out the application.

We have partnered with our local big frog to create Oyama merchandise. There are T-shirts, Polo's, and Hoodies available for purchase in the store as well. Additionally, the PTSA has approved the store as a fundraiser and $5 from each garment goes back to our Oyama PTSA.

Help support Oyama while sporting some awesome school spirit! Orders are delivered to Oyama and will be distributed upon arrival. Click the link below!

Oyama could use your help! Tax credit donations are essential to supporting our students here at Oyama. Please utilize and share the link below to donate tax credit to Oyama. You can donate any amount up to $200 (if filing single) and up to $400 (if filing married, jointly). You can also donate small amounts at a time and do not need to donate all at once.

Some things that Tax Credit helps Oyama with...

Educational Field Trip Support

Extracurricular Activities

OMA

Tutors for various needs

Share with anyone you may know who might be willing to help support our school!

Breakfast: 7:30am-8:00am

Outside Supervision Begins: 7:45am

First Bell: 8:15am

Dismissal Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays: 2:30pm

Dismissal Wednesdays: 1:30pm

Please do not drop students off prior to 7:30am as there is no available supervision for them until that time.