Principal’s Otter Splash 1/15/2021

Hello, Oak Grove family and Happy New Year! I hope everyone has had a safe and restful track-out. On Tuesday, January 19, teachers will return to work to begin to prepare for Quarter 3. Then, on Monday, January 25, we will welcome back our students.

 

As I’m sure you know, the Wake County Board of Education voted on Thursday, January 14, for all K-12 students to remain in remote instruction until mid-February. I’m sure this was a difficult decision, and the Board had to consider the increasing percentage of positive cases, the level of community spread in our county, and staffing concerns. As best as I can tell, they are planning to meet on February 9 with a decision to be implemented the week of February 15. Of course, those dates are subject to change. We have been so happy to have students back in the building during the second quarter, and we hope to see our Otters in person again soon.

 

As my administrative team made plans for our Spring semester and finalizing our in-person and Virtual Academy plans, we see very few changes that need to be made. We will communicate those changes by the end of the day on January 20. We have tried to maintain consistency to the extent possible. Any changes will go into effect on January 25, even though we are not in-person. We have to make adjustments at the change of a quarter due to the management systems (Powerschool) that we use for grades and attendance. Making a change mid-quarter creates too many problems for the system.

 

Welcome Back Google Meet:

On Friday, January 22, teachers will be making arrangements to have a brief Google Meet with their class to say, “Welcome Back”. This has been a really long track-out, and we have missed you all so much! We want everyone to be ready to go and back in their school community.

 

Quarter 3 Item Distribution:

We will have 2 dates for Item Distribution for Quarter 3: January 26 (Track 1 and 2) and January 27 (Track 3 and 4). Please see this Second Semester Material Information Document for specifics about what is included with this distribution. Additionally, if you ordered your child’s picture, it will be included in the item distribution packet. Items will be arranaged by teacher and located at the front of the school. Please make sure you wear a mask at all times while on campus.

 

Make-up Picture Days:

If you were unable to have your child’s picture taken during our first opportunity, teachers will be sending a Sign-up Genius for you to sign up for one of the upcoming dates, January 27 and 28. January 27 will be for Tracks 1 and 2. January 28 will be for Tracks 3 and 4. Also, if you are not happy with the original picture, you can have a retake on one of these dates.

 

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Ms. Rhodes or me with any questions you may have. We are happy to help.

 

All my best,

 

Stephanie Bias, Principal

 

Reminders:

• Join the PTA: https://oakgrove.memberhub.store/
• ​​​​​​​January 18: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday: No School
• January 22: Google Meet “Welcome Back” with your child’s teacher
• January 25, 2021: Beginning of Quarter 3
• January 26: Q3 Item Distribution (7:30-5:30), Track 1 and 2
• January 27: Q3 Item Distribution (7:30-5:30), Track 3 and 4
• January 27: Make-up Pictures (Track 1 and 2)
• January 28: Make-up Pictures (Track 3 and 4)
• January 29: Q2 Report Cards go home
• February 1-5: National School Counselor Week (Thank you, Ms. Michot!!)
• February 3: Asynchronous Day (no live instruction)