Fill the Nest

A few of our service learning club members met with Mrs. FitzPatrick & Mrs. Perri last week to put together the following video to highlight this important OMS event.

OMS Fill the Nest from Becky FitzPatrick on Vimeo.

Art updates at OMS

Mr. DeMarco's latest blog post provides a summary of what Olive's Owls have been creating these first few months of school. Click HERE to find out more!" 

TWIG 11.21.14

Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!!

ABC/25 Front Row Seating & Parking and Monthly Parking raffle:  The 3rd grade performance is December 10th at 7pm.  Enter the raffle to qualify for front row seats and priority parking.  Click here to find and print out tickets and for pricing information.  

Author Visit:  Author Brad Herzog spoke to the 1st and 2nd graders on Thursday morning about how he came up with ideas for his stories. If you or your child would like a personalized, autographed copy of one of Mr. Herzog's books.  Please use this link to order your copy. . Orders are due Tuesday December 2nd.

Michael Talk:  Parents of 5th grade boys: The Robert Crown Michael program will be presented Tuesday December 9 at 7:00 pm.  Please click here for more information.  

Science Club:  Science Club returns in January and February with new activities for Olive first through fifth grade students to enjoy. Please follow the link to topic descriptions and permission form, which must be returned to the OMS office no later than Friday, December 19.

Manna Gift Card Fundraiser: An easy way to shop for all those people on your list or yourself. Attached is the form where you will be able to choose from over 300 vendors. Print out the form, choose your options, make your check payable to OMS-PTA and send it into school. OMS-PTA will receive a % of sales. All orders need to be in the office by Friday, December 5. Pick up will be December 11.

Ecology Club Updates:  There is a lot of fun things happening with the Ecology Club.  Please click here to learn about their Tree of Life project, the Carton Recycling Challenge and see photos of the beautiful winter planter boxes.  

Exciting Volunteer Opportunities:  

- Parent Patrol - is looking for a new co-chair to head up the committee next year. Please consider this wonderful opportunity and email Jan Maher at janmaher1010@gmail.com with questions.

Citizen Observer Program and Metra Safety Poster Contest:  Officer Veenstra, our school school resource officer, has shared information with us regarding a Citizen Observation program.  Click here to learn more.  Also, the Metra is sponsoring a safety poster design contest, click here for more information and entry form.

District 25 E-Flyer:  Here you will find information published weekly about community educational and recreational opportunities for children and families in our district.  Click here for the E-Flyer
Click on the appropriate date to view this week's events.

Twig Submissions:  If you would like to submit something for the Twig or website please use this form.  All submissions must be filled out and sent by Thursday morning in order to appear in that week's Twig.  The form also gives an option for an email blast and attaching a form.  If you have an accompanying email blast please email olivepta@gmail.com.  Email blasts must be a follow up to a post in a prior Twig.  Any questions please contact olivepta@gmail.com

Fun with Author Brad Herzog!

First and second graders welcomed author, Brad Herzog, to Olive-Mary Stitt on Thursday, November 20.  He is the author of more than 40 fiction and  nonfiction books for both children and adults.  Mr. Herzog involved the student audience in collaborating with him on creating a story to demonstrate how to creatively use imagination.  Later, he made a special trip to Mrs. Netzel's second grade class to finish brainstorming the group story.  One highlight of the visit was when Mr. Herzog shared the story of how his eleven-year-old son became an author. Luke Herzog has already published two fantasy novels! To see more photos and videos please visit the LMC website: http://olivemarystittlmc.weebly.com/author-visits.html

Thanks again ABC 25!!!!

Once again we are so appreciative of the many wonderful ways the ABC 25 Foundation supports Olive.  Students were thrilled to receive these new indoor recess games!  (& a special thank you to the OMS Student Council for the speedy delivery!)

Hour of Coding at OMS

December 15th - 18th OMS will welcome third, fourth and fifth grade students into the LMC during their lunch recess to introduce them to the Hour of Code. This is optional, students will sign up if they are interested during their LMC time the week of December 1st - 5th. Depending on the amount of interest, students will be assigned to one or two sessions.  The activities the students participate in on code.org are "teaching them to write simple code to solve puzzles to get to the next level" (Hadi code.orgfounder).  Students do not need a username and password to participate in these activities, and they can explore code.org at home. We are hoping to get students excited about computer programming. We will continue to integrate this into lessons to build persistence, collaboration, problem solving, striving for accuracy, and more. 

Getting the Most Out of Parent-Teacher Conferences

We look forward to meeting with you during Parent-Teacher Conferences! To help you make the most of our time together, the following publication from Harvard Family Research Project offers some great tips:

Parent-Teacher Conference Tips for Parents

BINGO!

Another great night of OMS families gathering together for an evening of fun!

TWIG 11.14.14

Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough Fundraiser! The sale started on Friday, November 7th and  will run through Monday, November 17th. For every tub of cookie dough sold, the PTA will make $6.40!  Please check backpack mail for a brochure and order form. Checks can be made payable to OMS PTA. Any questions, please email bkrafton@gmail.com or klancnik@comcast.net. Thank you for participating!

Family Bingo Night: FAMILY BINGO NIGHT is tonight, November 14th. Admission if FREE! Please have each child bring a non-perishable food item as a donation to share with those in need in our community.The fun begins at 7:00 and ends at 8:30pm. Any questions? Please contact Marni Hanson at marnihanson5@yahoo.com or Jeanne Cosgrove at jeanne.coz@me.com

Manna Gift Card Fundraiser: An easy way to shop for all those people on your list or yourself. Attached is the form where you will be able to choose from over 300 vendors. Print out the form, choose your options, make your check payable to OMS-PTA and send it into school. OMS-PTA will receive a % of sales. All orders need to be in the office by Friday, December 5. Pick up will be December 11.

Recycling Day:  Please join the Ecology Club at the America Recycles Expo this Saturday November 15 at Oakton Community College from 10 am - 3 pm.  Wear your Olive spirit wear!  Click here for more information on the event and Ecology Club.  

ABC 25 Yankee Candle:  Order pick ups will be Tuesday November 18, from 3:30- 4:30 pm at Olive.  

Exciting Volunteer Opportunities:  

- Parent Patrol - is looking for a new co-chair to head up the committee next year. Please consider this wonderful opportunity and email Jan Maher at janmaher1010@gmail.com with questions.

Citizen Observer Program and Metra Safety Poster Contest:  Officer Veenstra, our school school resource officer, has shared information with us regarding a Citizen Observation program.  Click here to learn more.  Also, the Metra is sponsoring a safety poster design contest, click here for more information and entry form.

Senate Bill 16:  Please visit IL Senator Matt Murphy's website www.senatormattmurphy.com for information regarding the impact of SB16.  Also, the Illinois State Board of Education would like to gather the public's opinions and ideas about school funding. People are encouraged to email any opinions or feedback to isbefy16@isbe.net.

District 25 E-Flyer:  Here you will find information published weekly about community educational and recreational opportunities for children and families in our district.  Click here for the E-Flyer
Click on the appropriate date to view this week's events.

Twig Submissions:  If you would like to submit something for the Twig or website please use this form.  All submissions must be filled out and sent by Thursday morning in order to appear in that week's Twig.  The form also gives an option for an email blast and attaching a form.  If you have an accompanying email blast please email olivepta@gmail.com.  Email blasts must be a follow up to a post in a prior Twig.  Any questions please contact olivepta@gmail.com

Spirit Day - Next Friday!

The OMS Student Council would like to announce their three Spirit Days for this school year!  

11/21 Mismatch Day- silly combinations of clothing

1/30 Neon Day- wear your most brightly colored clothing to brighten up a winter day

5/8 Dress for the Decades Day- wear 50s, 60-70s, or 80s themed items

We have spirit yes we do- and we hope that you do too!!!!!

Author Visit - Order your book now!

Author Brad Herzog will make a presentation to first and second graders on Thursday, November 20 in the morning.  Mr. Herzog has written many nonfiction books for both children and adults.  He will share various facets of the writing life such as how he became a writer, how he gets his ideas, and how he does research to prepare to write his nonfiction books.  He’ll also get the student audience to collaborate with him on creating a story to demonstrate how to creatively use imagination.  If students would like to order an autographed copy of one of Mr. Herzog’s books, they can print the order form linked here.  Mr. Herzog will sign the books for students who turn in order forms before his visit.  If anyone would like to order a book after his visit, those forms must be turned in by Tuesday, December 2.  Mr. Herzog will autograph those as well and mail them to Olive-Mary Stitt School.  Since many of Mr. Herzog’s books focus on sports, first and second graders are invited to wear sports shirts or sweatshirts from their favorite sports teams on Thursday for the presentation as an optional activity.

Click HERE for a book order form

Patriots vs. Loyalists

As 5th grade students delved deeper into their study of the Revolutionary War, they became Patriots and Loyalists, debating whether the colonists should be independent from Britain.

Veterans Day

OMS students thank and support our Veterans!

Bingo Night This Friday!

This Friday, November 14th from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm is our annual PTA sponsored Olive Bingo Night!  We hope that we will see all of you at this fun family event.  

OMS Filling the Nest!

We had another successful year of teaching our students about giving back to their community by filling the Olive Nest!  We are very proud of the Olive community and the amazing amount of non-perishable items collected during our Fill The Nest Food Drive.  Thank you to each and every family who donated and to the PTA Character Counts Committee in partnership with the Service Learning Club for organizing such a successful event!

Character Counts at OMS!

At OMS we celebrate our students and teach the importance of good character using the 

Six Pillars of Character!

Trustworthiness

Respect 

Responsibility

Fairness 

Caring

Citizenship

Thanks to our outstanding PTA Character Counts Committee, our students engaged in some very thoughtful discussions about how to continue to make OMS a great place to learn and grow during this Character Counts Week!

TWIG 11.7.14

TWIG 11.7.14

Next PTA Meeting - Wednesday, November 12th at 7pm in the LMC. All are invited to attend! We will also be taking nominations for nominating committee members (this committee will nominate Executive Board members for the open positions for 2015-2016).

Character Counts "Fill the Nest": Thank you for all of the canned food drive donations!  We need volunteers to help load the food into cars today (Friday 11/7) for transport after school. It is a fun task and kids can help too. 

Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough Fundraiser! The sale will begin on Friday, November 7th and run through Monday, November 17th. For every tub of cookie dough sold, the PTA will make $6.40!  Please check backpack mail for a brochure and order form. Checks can be made payable to OMS PTA. Any questions, please email bkrafton@gmail.com or klancnik@comcast.net. Thank you for participating!

Family Bingo Night: FAMILY BINGO NIGHT is one week away, November 14th. Admission if FREE! Please have each child bring a non-perishable food item as a donation to share with those in need in our community.The fun begins at 7:00 and ends at 8:30pm. Any questions? Please contact Marni Hanson at marnihanson5@yahoo.com or Jeanne Cosgrove at jeanne.coz@me.com

Volunteer Opportunities:  
- LMC Author Liaison - The PTA is currently looking for a volunteer to work with Mrs. Brown, the LMC director, on organizing author visits for the kids.  Please contact Rebecca Linscott or Angie Frye  to volunteer or for more information.
- Parent Patrol - is looking for a new co-chair to head up the committee next year. Please consider this wonderful opportunity and email Jan Maher at janmaher1010@gmail.com with questions.

Junior Great Books: Junior Great Books is an extracurricular reading program for all reading abilities. It is open to 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. The students read a short story or folktale each week at home and discuss the story during the recess portion of lunch. The groups meet for 9 weeks from January to just before Spring Break and the 10th week is a pizza party. Groups are small, typically broken out by grade and the discussion is led by parent volunteers. Please let Julie Siegel or Christa Svienty know if your child and/or you are interested in participating.  Click here for enrollment sheet.

October PTA Meeting Minutes - Click here to read the minutes from last month's meeting.

Citizen Observer Program and Metra Safety Poster Contest:  Officer Veenstra, our school school resource officer, has shared information with us regarding a Citizen Observation program.  Click here to learn more.  Also, the Metra is sponsoring a safety poster design contest, click here for more information and entry form.

District 25 E-Flyer:  Here you will find information published weekly about community educational and recreational opportunities for children and families in our district.  Click here for the E-Flyer
Click on the appropriate date to view this week's events.

Twig Submissions:  If you would like to submit something for the Twig or website please use this form.  All submissions must be filled out and sent by Thursday morning in order to appear in that week's Twig.  The form also gives an option for an email blast and attaching a form.  If you have an accompanying email blast please email olivepta@gmail.com.  Email blasts must be a follow up to a post in a prior Twig.  Any questions please contact olivepta@gmail.com

Halloween Fun

Thanks to our very hard-working and creative parent volunteers, we had a great deal of fun at our Halloween parties!

OMS School Report Card

Illinois will again offer a consumer-friendly 2014 school, district and state Report Card (http://www.illinoisreportcard.com/), which offers facts about school progress, advanced courses and extracurricular offerings to showcase the unique qualities of our schools. The Education Commission of the States recently identified Illinois as having the best report card out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia..

The Report Card also features results of our statewide survey of school climate and learning conditions, called the Illinois 5Essentials. The survey responses from students and teachers can be used as another tool for school improvement.

Click HERE to view the Olive-Mary Stitt School Report Card