OCS Board Bytes

In this edition, you will find information about:

* Board News

* Awards & Recognition

* Events

*Status of School Projects

Please feel free to reach out to any of the Board members with your comments and questions at ocs-board@odyssey.k112.de.us

We look forward to our journey together as members of our charter school community.

It has been a busy semester for Odyssey Charter School. New schedules with updated programming are underway that include new courses, professional development for teachers and leadership, new cultural immersion activities for students, an upgraded MTSS process.

Facilities renovations include the high school entrance ramp, still underway, and a new athletic multiplex field just contracted. Plans are also underway for Building 27, read below! In terms of Safety and Security, now that buses are sufficiently staffed, we are working to ensure better communication of logistics, timing and notifications to parents.

We welcomed a number of new teachers, and staff this year and all have gone through our revised OCS Internal Welcome/Training process. To cover our needs, we have more counselors, diagnosticians, special education classes and better teacher support distribution than ever before.Teachers will be held up to higher standards this year that include the existence of daily lesson plans, daily student academic writing, and evidence that coursework aligns with the State of Delaware SPAC evaluation requirements. All academic areas will incorporate Higher Order Thinking Questions necessary to achieve high scores on the state's standardized tests, not just ELA and Maths. We want all students to have access to our Honors Programs and Odyssey is very proud to be one of the few schools in Delaware that offer AP credits to 9th graders.

Our first annual academic fair was successfully held in November, showcasing impressive project work across all grade levels. Two vaccination clinics were also scheduled to keep up with Covid protocols and keep our students, teachers, and families safe. These clinics were sponsored by Albertsons (ACME). Odyssey also had a 200-strong turnout at the 76ers Celtics game in Philadelphia on November 15th, Greek Heritage Night, where our school was showcased. The buses transported our Odyssey team and families safely and without a hitch. Finally, the school had its hot turkey Gobble Fest Thanksgiving Week and a Turkey trot . The PTO is also grateful for a great turnout at the bag bingo.

In December, our holiday community support projects are underway: the Giving Tree and Gift Cards for the food bank, the PTO Holiday Shop and the PTO Santa Breakfast.

The administrative team's refined MTSS process, SEL programming, Positive Behavior Support (PBS) program and Tier 2 Behavior Targeted Intervention are underway, as well as the "Character Strong" and IREADY program that is aligned to the state's evaluation program. A new addition this year is our after-school Walking and Running Club! The Green Team is here again, as well as an after school Coding Club. The OWL award was on December 8th, and a PDIS magic show was held to incentivize positive behavior, and the addition of two counselors has really helped already.

This semester we also held an assembly with police on BE SMART recommendations. on safety with strangers. The lower school has also incorporated a safety patrol and hall monitors. A lower school concert is scheduled for mid-December.

A new Intermediate School Counselor, and new staff is in place for the fall. The schedule has been revised to maximize learning time, incorporate a morning meeting, and additional time for social-emotional learning through the new "Character Strong" program. Character Strong learning is an educational method that fosters social and emotional skills within school curricula. It is based on three outcomes:

* Be Strong (Respect, Empathy, Cooperation)

* Be Kind (Responsibility, Perseverance, Courage)

* Be Well (Gratitude, Honesty, Creativity)

Reviews of academic and operational procedures were conducted and completed. A math innovation lab is also being organized by Chrissy Slobodinsky, using video education.

Middle School teachers have been using the new RTI system/curriculum, and elective course material that fosters choice in learning. The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) believes all students benefit most when educators operate under a system focused on continuous improvement. This new evaluation system is called the Delaware Teacher Growth and Support System (DTGSS). DTGSS replaces the state’s previous DPAS-II system for evaluating classroom teachers.

For students, I-READY, a curriculum that better aligns with the state's evaluation program has been implemented. A new intervention/enrichment class time has replaced study hall.

WIth more classrooms now available, our team of teachers has also expanded. The high school lobby entrance ramp is still under completion as well as the new elevator. The high school has been busy this semester calibrating internet access to the common app for university-bound seniors. We are looking into allowing YouTube access only for use as a supplement to education. Currently unfiltered use of OCS internet is blocked after hours for students.

Athletes of the month were Mr. Deskanis and Anastasia Thomas. Odyssey Lifers annual breakfast was held November 1st, and 8th grade step up day was scheduled on November 21st. The High School Winter concert was held on December 7th. The OCS Science Olympiad team will be competing in different events from various fields of science throughout November and December. Conestoga High School in Berwyn, PA will be hosting a C-Division Science Olympiad Invitational on Saturday, December 16th, 2023. Finally, a reminder that mid-term exams are scheduled for December 18th.

To honor educational providers who delivered the best-in-class experiences, The YASS Prize STOP award stands for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless education. In 2023, 64 outstanding quarterfinalists from across the country were selected, including Odyssey Charter School, to go through a robust evaluation, business accelerator and pitch process, for the million dollar first prize. In establishing the prize, Janine and Jeff Yass wanted to reward, celebrate and expand best-in-class education organizations to create unprecedented partnerships that accelerate impact with the speed and urgency students deserve. We are proud to announce that after making the final 9, Odyssey Charter School won $500,000. The YASS Foundation awarded 13 million in prizes in 2023. The prize was awarded at Forbes offices in New York City where Head of School Elias Pappas accepted the award, and was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal. Congratulations Odyssey Family for an outstanding accomplishment in transformational education!

In addition to the new Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Curriculum for grades K-5 called Character Strong: Purposeful People launched this year, the students have also been given the Odyssey Schools Standards of Conduct material (presented by K-5's Edward Cohen) that covers acceptable behavior, safety, bullying, school bus conduct, and of course, the consequences of not adhering to this policy. The 5 principles the OCS Standards of Conduct are based on the five R's that are relationships, respect, responsibility, repair and reintegration.

After an analysis of test scores of students of all grades enrolled in Greek immersion vs. those not enrolled in Greek immersion, Dr. Ioanna Lekkakou shared with us the results. It was found that scores of students enrolled in the Greek immersion program are significantly higher in literacy and math that those students not enrolled. A proposal has been submitted to make Greek an official immersion program in the state of Delaware.

OCS immersion program students participated in an OXI day celebration at the end of October at the Blue Box theater where 130 students performed at six shows. A Greek Program meeting with parents was held on November 1st and is held on the first Wednesday of every month at 5:30 pm. Finally, OCS looks forward to the first Greek as a Second Language school book for first graders written by teachers, and expected to be published soon and shared with other Greek charter schools in the USA.

Teacher status has a significant impact on recruitment, retention, job satisfaction and performance. The Global Teacher Prize of $1 million is presented by the Varkey Foundation annually to one teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. WIth over 10,000 applicants for the 2023 prize, it has drawn attention to the importance of teachers. Supporters of the Global Teacher Prize include Pope Francis, Prince William, Prince Harry, Stephen Hawking, and Bill Gates. Our very own Melissa Tracy made the worldwide semi-finals as the only semi-finalist from the United States.

Building 27 has been selected as the site for Odyssey's new learning center that will include 24 classrooms and design labs. The school is in the RFP process of selecting an architectural firm and renderings will be provided for community outreach and feedback. Stay tuned for a state-of-the-art educational facility with free open spaces, collaboration centers, and project-based learning labs.

There are many more news updates and departmental insights from Odyssey Charter School, its wonderful teachers and busy administrative staff. These Board Bytes are just that, we share with you all the good stuff that has been discussed at Board meetings. The rest of the good stuff will be communicated to you through the school's many channels. You can also find Board Bytes on our website. Have a wonderful academic year!