Walk to School Day

Wednesday, October 3rd is International Walk to School Day.  The aim of this event is to encourage healthier habits, bring awareness to environmental concerns, and maintain safe routes to school.  We hope many OMS families will join us on this day, as well as consider this a preferred option for getting to and from school throughout the year.  Olive teachers and staff will walk with students on each of these routes.  Start time is indicated.

West side of Arlington Heights Road

Route 1

              Start at Euclid and Dunton 8:35 am

              Walk north up Dunton to Olive

              East on Olive to OMS

Route 2

              Start at Olive and Walnut at 8:40 am

              Walk east to OMS

East of Arlington Heights Road

Route 3

              Start at Maude and Belmont at 8:35 am

              Walk South on Belmont

              Walk west on Olive to OMS

Route 4

              Start at Wilshire and Oakton at 8:35 am

              Walk west on Oakton

                North on Belmont to OMS

Route 5

              Start at Douglas & Euclid at 8:35 am

              Head north on Douglas to Olive

              West to OMS

 

Be sure to scroll down to view past blog posts and 

click Here to view the 9-28-12 Twig!

Things are shaping up around here!

Thanks to the talents and efforts of some of our teachers, parents and students, we have some lovely new planters outside of our main entrance. Looks like we are ready for the fall season!

Celebrating Dot Day

Many of the Olive students enjoyed reading The Dot, by Peter Reynolds as a way to celebrate making their mark on the world.  This experience was also celebrated internationally, September 15th on International Dot Day.  Starting in 2009, a group of educators began celebrating this date as it marks the anniversary of the publication of The Dot.  The goal of  this celebration is to designate a day for classes to explore the story's powerful themes of bravery, creativity, and self expression.  Our students explored the act of passing kindness forward and spreading the word that "you matter" as you make a positive mark in the world.  This powerful message made such an impact on our students and teachers, so we wanted to share some photos of how inspired our students were to make their mark on the world!  If you would like to continue to explore this message at home, please visit the International Dot Day website at http://fablevisionlearning.com/dotday/. Other suggested readings include Ish and Sky Color, also by Peter Reynolds. 

Be sure to scroll down to view past blog posts and 

click Here to view the 9-21-12 Twig!

ISAT 2012 Individual Student Reports

Individual student reports for the 2012 Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) will be sent home with fourth and fifth grade students on Friday, September 28th, in a sealed envelope. If you do not want this information to go home with your student, please notify the main office by Tuesday, September 25th so that we have your child's report ready for you to pick up in the main office, beginning on 9/28.

Parking, Bells, and Cells Oh My!

What's new at OMS? You may have noticed some minor changes in and around the building this year. We are thrilled that the PTA was able to fund some improvements to the playground with the addition of four square, hopscotch, and basketball court stenciling. The students have learned many new games in PE class that they are enthusiastically using at recess, thanks to these improvements! 

We also have a new PA system that allows us clearer communication in and outside of the building.  With this system we have additional bells that ring at 8:55 a.m. to let students know that we will begin entering the building, and a bell at 9:05 a.m. to let students know that they should now be in class.  Supervision does not begin until 8:50 a.m., so to ensure proper supervision, please make sure that your student(s) arrive no earlier than 8:50 a.m. 

Our 5th grade patrols are working hard to ensure that your children arrive safely each and every day.  Please assist them by using the designated crosswalks and waiting for them to signal that is safe for you to cross. It is also important to remember that you may not leave your vehicle unattended in the drop-off lane, or parked along Olive Street.   If you would like to walk your child to his or her line, please make sure that you park in our parking lot. 

Please note that Olive-Mary Stitt Elementary School is a no cell phone zone. Please do not talk on your cell phone while driving on the streets surrounding OMS during the school day or in the driveways at arrival and dismissal. It is not safe and it is illegal. We really appreciate you following this very important safety law. 

In addition, Olive has a "NO Pooch" policy.  We wish to remind parents that dogs are not allowed on school property during the school day.  Because not all children are comfortable near dogs and some are allergic, we ask that you leave Fido at home. 

Last, but certainly not least, please make sure that you are respectful of our neighbors during arrival and dismissal. We are very fortunate to have such great neighbors and want to make sure that our process does not significantly impact their ability to enter or leave their driveways. Thank you for all of your support to make sure that our students arrive and depart school safely. 

Click HERE to view the 9-14-12 Twig

 

ABC-123 Meet the OMS Staff

For those of you who were unable to attend curriculum night, we wanted to share with you the introduction of our musically talented OMS staff!  Enjoy!

Click Here to meet the OMS staff!

Assessment Overview

September 7, 2012

District #25 Assessment Overview

It is that very important time of year when we begin assessing our students so that we can target our instruction to meet their very diverse and individual needs.  Attached you will find the District #25 assessment calendar along with a brief description of each assessment. 

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New this year, we will be aligning our MAP testing to the District #25 assessment protocol.  This will allow us to  target only those students who we feel will benefit from additional assessment data.  Spring data will be a very reliable data source for those students who are not scheduled to take the MAP test in the fall.  All second grade students, in addition to specific students in grades 3-5, will be administered the MAP test during the September 10^th - 28^th testing window.   If your child will be administered the fall MAP test, you will receive a specific notice from the school. 

Each of these assessments provides us with critical information that can assist your child in the classroom.   Please make every effort to have your child in attendance on testing days unless he/she is feeling ill.  If you have any specific questions regarding this change, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher or the building administration.  

LINKS: 
District #25 Assessment Calendar

Olive Standardized Testing 12-13

Click HERE to view the 9-7-12 Twig