Otter Splash for the Weeks October 20 - November 3
Hello, Oak Grove Family, Versión en español aquí, النسخة باللغة العربية هنا, Toleo la Kiswahili hapa, Версия на русском здесь
Wow! What an exciting and action-packed week at Oak Grove! A big thank you to everyone who joined us for our Fall Festival on Friday night. The creativity in our disguised pumpkins was truly amazing! Our students did a fantastic job—did you spot all the characters from some popular movies? Congratulations to our K-2 pumpkin decorating contest winner, Thomas Lewallen, from Ms. Yeckle’s 2nd-grade class, with his ice cream creation, and to Aubrey Laughlin, from Ms. Stoddard’s 5th-grade class, whose tootsie roll pumpkin won the 3-5 contest! Check out the additional winners from our Fall Festival below. 🎃🍂
On Friday, we also celebrated our academic growth, new learning, and hard work with a fun-filled day of activities. The Oak Grove STEM Club built two catapults, and every classroom used upcycled materials to craft pumpkins for our Punkin’ Chunkin’ Contest. Students learned about force and motion while designing their pumpkins to travel the farthest! The creativity was impressive, and Ms. Hayes’s 5th-grade class took home the win in the contest. 🎃
As if that wasn’t enough excitement, our staff took part in The Great Inflatable Race, with Ms. Yeckle dressed as a superhero pig, emerging victorious! We even had a special visit from Stormy of the Carolina Hurricanes, who cheered us on! Students enjoyed lunch together and capped off the day by participating in their clubs.🐕🤡🦆🦄🐷
As we conclude Bullying Prevention and Awareness Month, we invite all students to wear their favorite hats to school as we “Put A Lid on Bullying”! Over the past few weeks, our students have been learning about the importance of kindness, respect, and inclusion within our school community.
We’ve recently had a few close calls regarding student and staff safety during morning and afternoon carpool. We kindly ask parents, guardians, and family members to refrain from using cell phones while driving through the parking lot and carpool line. When cars are in motion, everyone’s full attention is crucial to ensuring safety for all. We appreciate your commitment to keeping our community safe!
A huge thank you to those who have submitted Staff Shout-Outs! 🎉 We are dedicated to recognizing the outstanding educators who positively impact our students. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to use this Google Form to submit your Otter Staff Shoutouts. Let’s continue to celebrate the great work happening at Oak Grove! You can also check our website regularly for updates and to see our staff members being recognized. 🦦🎉
Below is information about our next Staff Shout-outs, Fall Festival Winners, Student Services Team Information, Yearbook Cover Contest for Grades 3-5 students, Otters Helping Others, Cell Phone and Smart Watch Policy, Board Advisory Council Member, and PTA Updates.
As we start the second quarter of the school year, we are committed to maintaining open lines of communication and working closely with you to provide the best possible education for every child at Oak Grove. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership. We look forward to a fantastic school year filled with learning, growth, and success for all our students!
Staff, School, and Club Wishlists
Warm Regards,
Ms. Benton
Otter Happenings (English Calendar) - Updated 8/11/24
Acontecimientos de nutria (Spanish Calendar) -Updated 8/11/24
Updated 8/11/24 حداث قضاعة Arabic Calendar
Matukio ya Otter (Swahili Calendar) - Updated 8/11/24
Выдровые события (Russian Calendar) - Updated 8/11/24er
Staff Shout Out - Ms. Frazier
Thank you, Elam, Adib, and Ayanna Kozlow, for shouting out Ms. Frazier, an Otterly Amazing 4th Grade Teacher
Staff Shout Out - Ms. Kenward
Thank you, Meredith and Casey Haigh, for shouting out Ms. Kenward, an Otterly Amazing 1st Grade teacher!
Staff Shout Out - Ms. Cook
Thank you, Mr. Nathan Desjardins, for shouting out Ms. Cook, an Otterly Amazing 2nd Grade teacher!
Fall Festival Winners
K-2 Pumpkin:
1st Place: Thomas Lewallen, Ms. Yeckel’s 2nd grade class, Ice Cream Pumpkin
2nd Place: Elijah Yeckel, Ms. Ranous’ Kindergarten class, Dino Pumpkin
3rd Place: Anderson Laughlin, Ms. Moore’s 1st grade class, Star Wars Pumpkin
3-5 Pumpkin:
1st Place: Aubrey Laughlin, Ms. Stoddard’s 5th grade class, Tootsie Roll Pumpkin
2nd Place: Brendan Maley, Ms. Wade’s 5th grade class, Minion Pumpkins
3rd Place: Claire Deese, Ms. Stoddard’s 5th grade class, Cat Pumpkin
Costume Contest:
Cutest: Kiera Maley, Ms. Whelan’s 3rd grade class, dressed as Taylor Swift
Most Unique: Harper Kalkhof, Ms. Embler’s Kindergarten class, dressed as Regina George
Funniest: Axel Hendricks, Ms. Goldsmith’s 3rd grade class, dressed as an Alien
Best DIY: Lydia Bernard, Ms. Hayes’ 5th grade class, dressed as a Dragon Queen
Scariest: Jasper Hargrove, Ms. Frazier’s 4th grade class, dressed as a Soul Catcher
Overall Favorite: Ben Tanios, Ms. Prevette’s 2nd grade class, dressed as Steph Curry
From the Student Services Team
Oak Grove Student Support Services would like to inform families about the programs and services offered. Please click the link below to indicate if you need support or are interested in helping. Thank you! Ms. Schira, Ms. Michot & Mr. Moore
https://forms.gle/hNTg5ReSj21YX1TJ9
Yearbook Cover Contest - Students in Grades 3-5 - Mr. Carter
Attention All Oak Grove Elementary Artists from Grades 3, 4 & 5!
It is time for our annual YEARBOOK COVER DESIGN CONTEST! This is a unique opportunity to showcase your creativity in designing the cover for the 2024 - 2025 yearbook and leave your lasting mark on this year’s memories. The theme this year is ALL TOGETHER, WORK TOGETHER. By involving students in this process, we are not just creating a memento but nurturing future designers, artists, and creative thinkers. We look forward to seeing our young artists' captivating creativeness this year. Your child may come to the office and get a contest page, or you may download them using the links below. The deadline for submissions is December 18th.
2024-2025 Yearbook Cover Contest English
2024-2025 Yearbook Cover Contest Spanish
Otters Helping Otters
We thank our PTA and all who donated supplies for our Fellow North Carolinians in Western NC. Many of our staff members and families have ties to Western Carolina, and witnessing the devastation there is heartbreaking. Oak Grove will organize a relief drive over the next few months to support those affected in Western North Carolina. During October, we will collect essential supplies. In November, we will collect clothing and food for holiday meals. And in December, we will hold a toy drive. This week, Ms. Embler, an OGES kindergarten teacher, her husband Brett, and a dedicated team traveled to Ashe County and delivered over $7,500.00 of critical supplies to local churches. Please see below for more information on the supplies needed. This is a powerful opportunity to teach our students the values of kindness, compassion, and generosity in times of crisis.
Cell Phone and Smart Watch Policy
Cell phones can only be used on school grounds if they are turned completely off and kept in students' backpacks. Students are prohibited from using cell phones during school hours or on school buses.
If a student has a smartwatch, that device must be turned on in Airplane mode to disable text messages and phone calls from being received by the watch/device. The watch is considered a cell phone UNLESS airplane mode is activated. Otherwise, all smartwatches must be powered off and placed in backpacks.
Board Advisory Council Committee Member
We seek a dedicated parent to serve as our next Board Advisory Council (BAC) Member for Oak Grove. This individual will have the important role of attending meetings with our district’s Board member, Lynn Edmonds, sharing valuable insights on how we can continue to improve our school and serve as a voice for our school community. The BAC member plays a key part in representing Oak Grove, ensuring that our students' needs and interests are well-represented in district discussions. If you are interested in serving in this role and positively impacting our school, please contact Beverly Benton at bbenton@wxpss.net
⭐ PTA UPDATES⭐
SPIRIT NIGHT at 🍦Two Roosters Ice Cream🍦 in Waverly Place
Join us this Thursday, October 24th, at Two Roosters from 2 to 9 p.m. for Ice Cream and fun!
Enjoy delicious ice cream and support Oak Grove! What could be better?!
Be sure to mention Oak Grove when you place your order, as 20% of your purchase will be returned to OGES PTA!
Our School Spirit Store is OPEN!!
We have TONS of NEW designs, shirts, mugs, water bottles, tumblers, notebooks and MORE!! You can order at any time and your merchandise will be shipped to your home.
Did you know the OGES PTA has a website? We encourage you to bookmark the site and check it often for up-to-date announcements and information!
