Principal’s Otter Splash 8/20/2021 Versión en español aquí

Hello, Oak Grove family! We hope you are having a wonderful weekend. We said “Goodbye” to Track 2 on Friday. Track 2, please enjoy your track-out. On Monday, August 23, we welcome back our Track 3 families & students. We have missed you! Our PTA Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 26, at 7:00 PM. It will be held virtually, and you can learn more about the PTA by reading here: Meet the PTA

 

Bus Transportation Week of August 23

You may have seen information from WCPSS about a current bus driver shortage. With Traditional Calendar schools beginning on Monday, August 23, we can expect to see some impact to our normal bus routes. Please see updated bus times here: Oak Grove Bus Routes We encourage you to download the Here Comes the Bus tracker app. More information can be found here: www.wcpss.net/herecomesthebus.

 

Track 2 Summer Camp (August 23-27 and August 30-September 3):

Ms. Tysor (jtysor@wcpss.net) sent home information earlier in July with our Track 2 students that were notified of participation in the Spring. We will see you the first two weeks of this track-out in August and the few days in September.

 

WCPSS Health Update:

To continue to maintain safe learning environments, we are making the following updates to our COVID-19 safety practices. These changes took effect on 8/16 for schools currently in session but are already being practiced in many areas.  Safe Return to School Plan

• For everyone over the age of 4, face coverings are required indoors in schools, all district buildings and on school-provided transportation, including school buses, activity buses, and vendor transportation. For Pre-K students, face coverings are strongly recommended for ages 3-4 and required for age 5. Face coverings are optional outdoors. 
• If your student experiences an illness that does not include COVID-19 symptoms, it’s now easier for them to return to school quicker. For these illnesses, we’re returning to pre-pandemic health practices: Students can return to school when they are fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medication for 24 hours. Learn more about returning to school after an illness.
• Safety practices for eating on campus are being strengthened. Most schools will group students when moving from the classroom to the lunchroom and use assigned seating during meals. This practice of grouping students will help reduce the number of students required to quarantine if a student in their class becomes infected. This also allows students to talk with others in their group during mealtimes. Face coverings will be required except for the time when students are specifically eating.

All families received an email early last week with a full overview of all COVID-19 safety practices including lunch routines, playground time, visitors and more.

 

Yearbook Cover Contest:

Hello Otter Families!

I am excited to announce the beginning of our annual Yearbook Cover Contest! Our theme this year is based on a quote from Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Entries are due by October 8.  Finalists will be announced by October 21. There will be more than one opportunity for students work to be featured. We will select six pictures for the inside pages, nine for the back cover, and one for the front. Artwork is chosen from all grade levels.

Additional details are included on the entry form. 

Over the next two months, I will be working with all classes on the role of an artist as illustrator. We will begin our pictures in art class, but students may also take their entries home to work on. All students will create work based on the yearbook theme as an assignment. However, they are not required to enter the contest. 

I can’t wait to see the ideas our students come up with this year!

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions.  

Mrs. Huovinen

ahuovinen@wcpss.net

 

A Note from Ms. Rhodes:

“To the families of Oak Grove Elementary, 

It is with mixed emotions that I share with you that my family and I are moving to Wilmington. My last day will be August 27th. While I am excited about this new adventure, it has been difficult to come to terms with the fact that I’ll be leaving such a fabulous place. 

 

The past year has been one I'll never forget!  I hope you know how much I appreciate you all and how grateful I am for the time spent at The Grove. It's been wonderful getting to know all of you. I wish you all the best!”~Ms. Rhodes

 

I know you will join me in wishing Ms. Rhodes all the best. We will miss her so much! She has made a big impact on our school family during the time she was here.

If you have any thoughts about qualities you would like to see in our next Assistant Principal, please email Ms. Bias (sbias@wcpss.net)

 

COVID cases at school:

Please help us continue to keep our Otters safe by carefully monitoring any symptoms at home. Please do not send your Otter to school unless they are free of symptoms.

If we have a presumptive positive case at school, the school’s first step is to notify the COVID nurse/health department. We work with that agency to conduct contact tracing. Individuals that are determined to have been in contact with the presumptive positive case are notified.

CDC considers someone exposed to COVID-19 if they were within 6 feet of an infected person, without a face covering, for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period starting from 2 days before illness onset or, for infected people without symptoms, 2 days before they had a sample collected to submit for COVID-19 testing.

WCPSS no longer sends out an email to the entire school when there is a presumptive positive case. Instead, the School District will update the WCPSS COVID Metrics website daily to list schools where someone reported to have COVID-19 was in the school. Information for employees is shared via WakeConnect.

All reporting and notifications must maintain confidentiality in accordance with FERPA, NCGS 130A-143, and all other state and federal laws.

If you have questions about COVID in the school, Ms. Rhodes, our Assistant Principal, is our COVID coordinator. Her email is lrhodes@wcpss.net.

 

Reminders for Carpoolers for a smooth arrival & dismissal

• Morning carpool begins at 8:45 and ends by 9:10. Please try to arrive on campus between 8:45-9:00. As a reminder, students need to be inside the building by 9:15 or they will be considered tardy.
• Afternoon carpool begins at 3:40 and ends by 4:00. During the first few days of a track change, the carpool line may take a little longer than 4:00. If our families arrive on time and ready, we should be able to complete the carpool around 4:00.

• Adults stay in car at all times with car running
• Please have your carpool number displayed during dismissal
• Please practice carpool numbers with your student
• Students should be ready to get out of the car quickly. If they are able, they can open the car door on their own. Our staff is there to help if needed.
• Students should be seated in the back passenger seat (right side of the car) upon arrival; and will be placed in the back passenger seat at dismissal
• Students should have backpack/personal items ready
• Say goodbye or hello quickly
• You can pull off by the Oak Grove track to the right as you exit if your Otter need help buckling up before leaving our campus

 

 

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/
• Purchase Spirit Wear: https://oakgrove.memberhub.com/store 
• August 23-27: Track 2 Summer Camp Week 1
• August 26: PTA Meeting, Virtual Meeting at 7:00 PM
• August 27: Track 3 & 4 Letterland Parade
• August 30-September 3: Track 2 Summer Camp Week 2
• September 3: Quarter 1 Interim reports go home (Track 3 & 4)
• September 6: Labor Day Holiday (No school)