Ocean Avenue Friday Notes

• Starting 1/15 (and every Wednesday): 4th & 5th Grade Board and Card Game Club, 11:45-12:45 PM, Mr. Rounds' Classroom
• 01/25: OAES Hockey Night at the Maine Mariners ~ PTO Sponsored Event, 6 PM
• 01/27: Access Testing Begins and Continues the Week of 2/3 and 2/10
• 01/28: Community Meeting in the Gym, 8-8:20 AM
• 01/29: Dental Clinic at Ocean Avenue School
  
• 02/03: PTO Fundraiser Night at Portland House of Pizza, 4-8 PM
• 02/07: Teacher In-Service PD Day - NO SCHOOL
• 02/11: 5th Grade Field Trip to Gulf of Maine Research Institute
• 02/11: OAES PTO Meeting in the Library, 6:30-8 PM
• 02/17-02/21: February Break - NO SCHOOL (School Resumes Monday, February 24th)
  
  

✅ Here is the link to BREAKFAST/LUNCH MENU.

✅ Here is the link to the DISTRICT CALENDAR for the 2024/2025 school year.

✅ To look ahead to future meetings, school events, etc, please click on the link below ⬇️

Portland families who want your children to attend our high-quality pre-kindergarten program this fall: The application for the 2025-2026 Pre-K Lottery opened on January 10th! Children are eligible for Pre-K in the 2025-26 school year if they turn 4 years old on or before October 15, 2025.

The application is open through Sunday, January 26th. Get all the details on our lottery process here: tinyurl.com/PPSprek

>>>Read More

Dear Students and Families,

Each year, the State of Maine mandates that schools administer the ACCESS (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners) and Alternate ACCESS assessment to our Multilingual Learners (MLs) in order to measure English language proficiency. Close to 2,000 ML students in Kindergarten through grade 12 who are learning English will take the test in January and/or February. Your child’s school will announce the exact dates of the testing.

The results of this test help to determine if students are eligible for English Language Development (ELD) Services during the following school year and help the district to evaluate and improve our ELD programming. We know that the ACCESS test is only one data point and that students are more than just the results of a single test score. Parents have the right to request, and the district will provide, in a timely manner, information regarding student participation in any assessments mandated by the state or district.

In the Portland Public Schools, we believe that multilingualism is an asset, both to our individual students and to our community. We encourage participating students to do their best on the ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS tests, develop/maintain literacy in their home language and study a new language as early as possible. All of these steps can lead to the Seal of Biliteracy upon graduation with its many professional, cultural and academic advantages including eight credits in the University of Maine system and a competitive edge in career or work opportunities.

Sincerely,

Ryan Scallon, Superintendent

Carlos Gómez, Elementary ESOL Director

Don Bishop, Secondary ESOL Director

During a restorative circle, participants collaboratively address the harm caused and take accountability. This may involve the development of a restoration plan, which outlines specific actions or commitments aimed at repairing the harm and preventing future incidents.

Guiding Questions. See this article for deep detail:

• What happened?
• Who was involved?
• Who was harmed by this?
• Why?
• What solutions can we come up with to repair the harm?
• In the follow-up conversation, participants again convene to discuss their progress toward the agreements they made in the first circle. Participants are also asked to check in about how their emotions have changed in the intervening time and are encouraged to share how the healing process has gone. If new requests and agreements are needed to create healing, they can be made in this follow-up conversation.

A huge thank you to our volunteer readers from UNE this week! Some of our OAES classes hosted students from University of New England who came in to celebrate and honor Dr. Martin Luther King. Their work highlights the importance of advocacy work and connects our community together through literacy and reading.

And extra special thank you from the library for the book donations from our library wish list!

For the 10th consecutive year, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) is partnering with schools and community organizations across the state to promote the Read to ME Challenge. This month-long public awareness campaign, held every February, encourages reading and literacy development among Maine children.

• Learn More

Once again, we have exhausted our supply of extra tissue boxes in the office and are hoping for a few donations! With the cold weather and more time indoors, there are a lot of sniffles at school and we go through an abundance each day. If you are able and willing to donate a box or two, we would greatly appreciate it! Thank you for your support and generosity!

With winter now in full swing, we are running low on our snow gloves and snowpants in our clothing closet. If you have any outgrown and "gently used" kids snow gloves and/or snowpants, we would happily take them here.

We so appreciate your generous donations that help to supply our clothing closet with the needs of our families. THANK YOU!

Ocean Avenue Learning Works afterschool students have been working on anti-bullying posters that are now posted throughout the school. The students are very proud of themselves and their hard work. Their school community is proud of them too! Thank you Learning Works!

Let’s Go! and the Portland Sea Dogs Want You to Get Moving with the Move More Challenge!

The goal is for children and youth to move 1 hour or more every day to earn one free ticket to see the

Portland Sea Dogs play at Delta Dental Park. Parents/Caregivers, we encourage you to join the movement!

How Does It Work?

1. Children 18 years old and younger can participate.

2. Move 1 hour or more a day (visit letsgo.org/movemore for ideas!)

3. Complete as many weeks as possible using the form below to track progress.

4. Submit your completed form at least 2 days before the game you choose to go to. The game

options are listed at the bottom of the form.

Submit Your Form!

When you have completed your weeks, go to https://fevo-enterprise.com/group/Letsgoseadogs to claim your ticket. Choose your game and purchase additional tickets directly from the above link. You need to submit the form at least 2 days before the game you choose to go to.

No internet access? Send the below form to:

Let’s Go! Move More Challenge

c/o MaineHealth

110 Free St.

Portland, ME 04102

We will be hosting a PTO Fundraiser at the Maine Mariners game this Saturday, January 25th at 6 PM. The OAES Community had a blast at this event last school year so we are heading back to cheer on the Mariners and enjoy a fun night with family and friends!

A portion of every ticket sold from *our link* will benefit students and staff of Ocean Ave School. Additionally, we will still need volunteers (must be 18+) to work a concession stand with a portion of the proceeds coming right back to our school. Please note that volunteers will need to be there at 4 PM and will work through approximately the end of the 3rd period. This is a really fun event and a great way to get involved!

Get your tickets here: Hockey Night with OAES *Expires Saturday, 1/25/25 at 4pm!

Concession stand signup: Concession Stand Volunteers *1-2 more volunteers would be great!!

The PTO has your dinner planned for Monday, February 3rd!
Dine in or carry out dinner at Portland House of Pizza and support a great cause!

*Flyer must be presented*

Each year the PTO hosts a benefit and auction in the Spring with proceeds going right back into our school! Thanks to our tireless volunteers, we always have a lot of great items & experiences up for silent or live auction! That’s where you come in - we need your help to make 2025’s auction better than ever!

Stay tuned for details about the next meeting. Be sure to follow our Facebook & Instagram account for updates (links below)!

If you’d like to participate on the auction committee or have items to donate, please contact volunteer@oapto.org.

• OAES PTO Facebook Page
• OAES PTO Instagram Page

Email: westme@portlandschools.org
Website: https://oceanavenue.portlandschools.org/
Location: 150 Ocean Avenue, Portland, ME, USA
Phone: 207-874-8180
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oaesportland