Important Dates

PTA Meeting:
There are two important events coming up in the next few weeks here at Olive. A general PTA meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 15 at 9:30 a.m. If your schedule does not normally allow you to attend the evening meetings, please consider joining us. The meeting will be held in the Olive-Mary Stitt teacher's lounge.

Open House:
Our Open House is scheduled for Thursday, October 25 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. With your child as your guide, you and your family are invited to our classrooms to learn about the dynamic learning experiences that abound at OMS. The format of the evening is truly an open house—so feel free to join us anytime between 6:30-8:00 p.m. This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to showcase his or her outstanding efforts so far this year. On a first-come, first-served basis, you will also have an opportunity to sign up for parent/teacher conferences. As has been the case in the past, we ask that families only sign up for one evening conference to allow more individuals to access these times. Schedules for the fall and spring conferences will be posted in the gym. (Per the 10.19.12 "What's Happening at Olive?" blog, the location of the conference sign up sheets has been moved to just outside of classroom doors). An exciting addition to our Open House this year will be a musical performance by our fourth grade students.  Please stop by the Commons at 7:00 pm (Mrs. Muhr and Mrs. DeMille) and 7:30 (Mr. Edstrom and Mrs. Grimm) to share in this musical celebration!  As always, anytime the entire OMS community is together it is always a great occasion. We look forward to sharing your child’s educational journey with you at this event!

Halloween:
The  Halloween celebrations at Olive will be on Wednesday, October 31. Students that will be going home for lunch on this day may do so at 12:15 p.m. and then return at 1:10 p.m. to their morning line-up locations. Students that stay at school for lunch will have an opportunity to change into his/her costumes at 12:55 p.m. A lunch permission slip will be coming home with your child today.  Please indicate on this permission slip if your child will be going home or staying at school for lunch.  Permission slips are due back to school no later than Monday, October 29th.  If the weather cooperates, we will have our annual parade through the neighborhood beginning at 1:30 p.m. The parade route is as follows: OMS to Greens Park, south on Douglas, west on Oakton, north on Belmont, and back to OMS through our playground area. Our kindergarten classes will be proudly leading the parade, followed by 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades.  Class parties will begin at the conclusion of the parade. If the weather decides to rain on our parade, we will move the fun indoors to the Commons. Students in our first lunch session (1st, 4th and ½ of 3rd grade) will parade around the commons beginning at 1:30 p.m. Students in our second lunch session (2nd, 5th, and ½ of 3rd grade) will be a part of a costume parade beginning at 2:00 p.m. Parents are welcome to congregate in the Commons to view these indoor parades beginning at 1:30 p.m. We are looking forward to a spooktacular afternoon…let’s hope for sun!

Be sure to scroll down to view past blog posts and 

click Here to view the 10-12-12 Twig!

Parking Reminders

·       If our parking lot is full, you may park in the church parking lot across Olive Street.

·       If you do park in the parking lot, please accompany your child to the school sidewalk. There are a lot of cars pulling in and out, so we want to ensure that your child arrives safely to the school building. The parking lot may not be used to bypass the drop off line, as students are not allowed to exit cars that are not in a designated spot.

·       Parents dropping their students off on the Belmont Avenue cul-de-sac must stay in their car and travel through an organized line to approach school on the east side of Belmont, turn  to drop-off, and then exit along the west side of Belmont. If you would like to park your car and walk with your student(s), please use one of the parking lots.

·       If you are picking up your am kindergarten student or dropping off your pm kindergarten student midday, you may temporarily leave your car unattended in the parkway to walk your child to the kindergarten doors.

·       We appreciate that the line for dropping students off in the parkway can become long, particularly on inclement weather days. To ensure that the line continues to move smoothly, we ask that you continue to pull forward so that your child(ren) may exit your car on the driver’s side. To prevent traffic from backing up, we also ask that students not exit cars until you are parked along the sidewalk where the playground fence ends. Cars must not be left unattended in this area.

·       As indicated by signs, a portion of Olive Street is designated as a drop-off/pick-up area. Please make sure that you do not leave your car unattended between these signs during the designated times.

·       Our crossing guard continues to be a great enhancement to our arrival/dismissal process. Please make sure that you and your child(ren) cross with the crossing guard in the designated crosswalk. When people cross outside of these areas and without the guard, the cars pulling out of our parking lot often do not see them.

Historical Reenactment at OMS

A time-honored tradition in District 25 will take place at Olive this Friday, 10/12. Fifth grade students from Olive and across the district will convene on our school grounds to experience a reenactment of life in colonial America. We look forward to posting pictures of this event later this week. The following is information about the reenactment from our Department of Student Learning.

Dear Olive-Mary Stitt Families and Neighbors,

On Friday, October 12, our school will be hosting the historical reenactment on our school grounds. This event is sponsored by the ABC/25 Foundation and will involve an authentic encampment, which will replicate colonial life in our country. A small group of reenactors will set up tents on the school field from Thursday afternoon, October 11 through Friday evening, October 12. 5th grade students from all elementary schools will visit our school site as a field trip in the morning and in the afternoon. It is also important to know that this experience is directly connected to a history unit that our students are currently studying. My purpose of writing to you is to make you aware of this event so that you can anticipate the increased activity we will have at our school and surrounding areas on this day. A planning committee composed of district administration, AH Police Department, AH Fire Department, and members from the Park District have been planning since the beginning of the school year. Part of the activities will involve controlled open fires on the grounds as well as musket firings a few times during the course of the day. These firings will be conducted by trained personnel at predetermined times. Arlington Heights police will be on site at all times during the event. We want you to be aware of this so you won't be alarmed by he noise. We look forward to the extensive learning opportunities that this experience will afford our students. Please feel free to contact the school directly if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely yours,

Duane R. Meighan, Ed.D.
Director of Teaching and Learning

Arlington Heights School District 25

WIRED for Success and Understanding

No School Friday and Monday

 

Today our teachers are participating in a School Improvement activity that we call “Data Day.” Teachers use this time to review assessment information to help guide their teaching and to develop plans for Tier II instructional groups which both enrich and support specific student needs. Throughout the school year, the teachers will continue to refine the plans for these groups based on current authentic and standardized assessment information. Differentiating for the various academic needs of our students is a high priority at OMS. In addition to data analysis, many professional development opportunities are also presented on this day to help support our teachers as they address our increasingly diverse student population.   We will be exploring an Everyday Math pilot program in our intermediate grades, as well as learning more about targeted math interventions in our primary grades.  We will also learn more about the MAP (Measure of Academic Progress)  DesCartes skills and concepts and progress monitoring tools which will also help guide instruction.  Please note that we also have no school Monday due to the Columbus Day holiday weekend.  We hope that you and your families enjoy this extended weekend and enjoy the beautiful colors mother nature has decorated our community with!

 

Be sure to scroll down to view past blog posts and 

click Here to view the 10-5-12 Twig!

Community Conversation

Join us for a COMMUNITY CONVERSATION

October 17, 2012
10:00 AM or 7:00 PM Dunton Administration Center 
(Multipurpose Room)

Please join us as we explore ways to support student learning outside of the classroom. Parents and staff will work together to better under- stand the changing landscape in education, how technology and access alters the student experience, and how parents can help support these types of 21st century learning activities at home.

Fire Drill

Students participated in a fire drill today and did an amazing job.  Not only did they exit the building quickly, but they closely followed directions and remained calm and quiet at all times.  The Fire Department and I thanked them for following directions and making safe choices!

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