Twig 3/8/13

Social Networking University
Please join us Thursday, March 14th at 6:00 PM in the Olive-Mary Stitt LMC for Social Networking University, presented by Officer Aiello.  Whether you are new to social networking or a seasoned veteran, this is a great evening  for parents to learn about and interact with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube in a  relaxed setting.

Please RSVP if you plan to attend by clicking HERE

Click HERE to access the Social Networking University Flyer

Click HERE to view the 3/8/13 Twig

Community Helpers at OMS

Some of our favorite community helpers, Officer Jeff Aiello of the Arlington Heights Police Department and Lieutenant Rick Manthy of the Arlington Heights Fire Department, joined us this week to read to our kindergarten friends and talk about being safe.

Lost & Found March Edition

Here is the latest selection from our spring 2013 lost & found collection. We have everything a trendy elementary school student could ever want, from umbrellas, to wigs, to plastic containers. Please stop by soon to see if any of these items might be missing from your collection.

Art at SummerU

Olive's very own art teacher, Mr. DeMarco, will be offering some very exciting classes again at the School District #25 SummerU Program.  

Art Buffet

Grades: 3-5

Session : 9:00- 10:25

Is one of your favorite parts of the school week art class? If so, Art Buffet is the perfect experience for you! Art Buffet is a general art class that explores a wide variety of materials and techniques. In previous years we wove pouches, used printmaking to create fantasy animals, painted with acrylic paint on canvas, and made paper mache masks.

Sculpture Spectacular

Grades: 4-6

Session 2: 10:30-11:55
$5 material fee

Let’s face it: sculpture is awesome!  This class focuses on producing high quality sculptural work.
We’ll make a ton of objects out of a variety of materials like earthenware clay, air dry clay, paper mache, wood, and more. Wear clothing you don’t mind getting dirty or a smock! 


We hope you find some time this summer to explore your artistic talents with Mr. DeMarco!

Click HERE for a Link to the District 25 Summer U Brochure!

ISAT Schedule Revised

Due to the snow day,  we have made the following revisions to the OMS ISAT schedule: 

Third Grade

Wednesday, March 6 - 10:45-12:00

Thursday, March 7- 10:45-12:15
Friday, March 8 - 10:45-12:15

Monday, March 11 - 1:30-2:45

Tuesday, March 12 - 1:30-2:45

Wednesday, March 13 - 1:30-2:45

Fourth Grade

Monday, March 4 - 10:45-12:00

Wednesday, March 6 - 10:45-12:00

Thursday, March 7 - 9:15 - 10:30
Friday, March 8 - 9:15 - 10:30 

Monday, March 11 - 9:15 - 10:30

Tuesday, March 12 - 9:15 - 10:30 & 1:30 - 2:45

Wednesday, March 13 - 10:45-12:00

Fifth Grade

Monday, March 4 - 1:30 - 2:45

Wednesday, March 6 - 1:30 - 2:45
Thursday, March 7 - 1:30 - 2:45 
Friday, March 8 - 9:15 - 10:30

Monday, March 11 - 9:15 - 10:30

Wednesday, March 13 - 9:15-10:30

Twig 3/1/13

Click HERE to view the 3/1/13 Twig

ISAT 2013

The 2013 Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) will be administered to all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students beginning Monday, March 4, 2013 through Friday, March 15, 2013. The ISAT measures individual student achievement relative to the Illinois Learning Standards. The following are a few actions you can take as a parent to ensure a positive testing situation for your child:

• Make sure your child attends school on the days of testing, unless he/she is ill. This minimizes the need for make-up exams or disruption to the regular school day. Your child is most comfortable testing with his/her class. The State requires all students to complete all sections of the assessment.  

• Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep the night before testing.

• Make sure your child eats a good breakfast on the morning of each test day.

• Make an effort to help your child feel relaxed. Adhering to a schedule that allows plenty of time for daily routines helps your child not to feel rushed.

• Remind students to read the test directions carefully and ask questions of teachers if the directions are unclear. 

• Encourage your child to double-check and triple-check his/her work; use paper and pencil to show the work in mathematics.

• Give your child words of encouragement to let him/her know that you have confidence in his/her ability to do his/her best!

The following is the OMS ISAT testing schedule:

Third Grade

Tuesday, March 5 - 10:45-12:00

Wednesday, March 6 - 10:45-12:00

Thursday, March 7- 10:45-12:15

Monday, March 11 - 1:30-2:45

Tuesday, March 12 - 1:30-2:45

Wednesday, March 13 - 1:30-2:45

Fourth Grade

Monday, March 4th - 10:45-12:00

Tuesday, March 5 - 10:45-12:00

Wednesday, March 6 - 10:45-12:00

Thursday, March 7 - 9:15 - 10:30

Monday, March 11 - 9:15 - 10:30

Tuesday, March 12 - 9:15 - 10:30 & 1:30 - 2:45

Wednesday, March 13 - 10:45-12:00

Fifth Grade

Monday, March 4th - 1:30 - 2:45

Tuesday, March 5 - 9:15 - 10:30 & 1:30 - 2:45

Wednesday, March 6 - 1:30 - 2:45

Monday, March 11 - 9:15 - 10:30

Wednesday, March 13 - 9:15-10:30

5th Grade Sledding Adventures

Hip, hip, hooray for a snowy February 10th Inning Celebration Day! Fifth graders who made positive behavioral choices and showed consistent responsibility were given the one-time opportunity to bring in sleds from home and treated to an hour of sledding fun with classmates and teachers. All staff and parents present were impressed with the calm and inclusive manner in which the children took turns and watched out for others. This reward is an example of the surprise 10th Inning celebrations fifth grade students have the opportunity to earn monthly.  Our 10th Inning program is an opportunity to reward children for positive choices on a regular basis. We are proud of our fifth grade students!

Coffee & Conversation with the Principals Topic

At this morning's coffee, our social worker, Mary Moore, presented some great information regarding anxiety in children. She shared a few resources that we would like to share with the rest of our community:

Anxiety, Fears, and Phobias article from kidshealth.org
http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/anxiety.html

Children's books
David and the Worry Beast: Helping Children Cope with Anxiety 
by Anne Marie Guanci
When My Worries Get Too Big! A Relaxation Book for Children who Live with Anxiety 
by Kari Dunn Buron
Wilma Jean the Worry Machine 
by Julia Cook

Books for Parents
The Anxiety Cure for Kids: A Guide for Parents
by Spence, DuPont and Spence
Anxiety-Free Kids: An Interactive Guide for Parents and Children
by Bonnie Zucker
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook for Kids: Help for Children to Cope with Stress, Anxiety, and Transitions
by Lawrence Shapiro

Twig 2/22/13, 5 Essentials Survey & 5th Grade MAP Testing

Teachers, parents and middle school students in District 25 and across Illinois will have an opportunity to participate in the Illinois 5Essentials Survey: Organizing Schools for Improvement. This survey was designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school.

As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school.  Please take a moment to read the following letter from Dr. Jerome about the 5Essentials Survey.  The survey can be accessed using the following link  https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/ , or by going to the Arlington Heights School District Webpage.

Click HERE for the 5Essentials Survey letter in English

Click HERE for the 5Essentials Survey letter in Spanish

The survey must be completed by March 31, 2013, but we encourage you to complete the survey as soon as possible.

5th Grade Parents: The following is a link to a letter from our Department of Student Learning regarding winter MAP testing. The letter is also an e-flyer on the district website.

Click HERE to view the MAP Parent Letter

Click HERE to view the 2/22/13 Twig

Clay Night

A huge thank you to Mr. DeMarco for hosting a wonderful clay night this past Wednesday for all of our third grade students.  We had a wonderful turnout and fantastic creativity was shown by all of our students and parents!  We look forward to seeing the final products once they are fired in the kiln!

photos by Blake V.

Twig 2/15/13 & Coffee with the Principals RSVP

Coffee & Conversation with the Principals
Mrs. FitzPatrick and Mrs. Perri will be hosting the third in a series of informal coffee meetings for parents, next Friday, February 22nd, from 9:15 am to 10:15 am.   The topic of this meeting will be Anxiety in Children with Mary Moore, School Social Worker.  The purpose of these meetings is to give parents a chance to informally ask questions and discuss topics with Mrs. FitzPatrick & Mrs. Perri, as well as others in the school community.  Each meeting will start with an open Q & A period, followed by the presentation. Come join us for a cup of coffee and some insightful discussion! To help us plan for the event, please let us know if you think you might attend.

Please RSVP if you plan to attend the 2/22/13 coffee by clicking HERE! 

Click HERE to view the 2/15/13 Twig

Buddy Foundation Fundraiser

The Service Learning Club just had a fundraiser that took place on February 13, 2013.  We were collecting donations for the Buddy Foundation (A non-kill animal shelter.)  All members put effort towards creating crafts such as finger-knitting creations, bookmarks, bracelets, balloon animals, and plant rulers.  During both lunch hours, we were continuously selling all of the items that we created.  Most of the participating Service Learning Club students made a difference for all of those anxious dogs and cats looking for a home.  We successfully raised $252.00 to donate.  We are proud of our work and hope to do it again soon.  Thank you for all of your donations!

(Written by Claire F. and Ashley Z.)

How sweet it is to be at OMS!

Check out all of the fun that we had at our Valentine's Day celebrations. We kicked things off with a wonderful 1st grade concert on Thursday. Bravo to all of our our 1st grade friends. We are so proud of them! Thanks to many parent volunteers, our parties were full of fun activities, crafts and treats.

Wall of Kindness

Check out our ever-growing Wall of Kindness! Thanks to our Character Counts committee, our students created some wonderfully positive messages. If your child has not created a heart yet, he/she may still send it in through this Friday.

Twig 2/8/13

Parent/Teacher Conferences

We look forward to meeting with all of you during our parent/teacher conferences, which are scheduled for March 21st, from 8:30 am - 8:00 pm, and March 22nd, from 8:30 am - noon. Conferences are scheduled for 20 minutes to provide you with a summary of your child's strengths, needs and areas of growth. Most families signed up for a spring conference during our fall Open House. Teachers will be sending out reminders later this month. Where we have set aside this time specifically to conference with you, we hope that you will be able to attend at your designated time. We understand that some families may be heading out of town during the conference days. If this is the case, an option that may allow you to keep your scheduled conference time, is to conduct a phone conference with your child's teacher. Otherwise, our teachers will do their best to reschedule a time during regular school office hours (8:30 am - 4 pm). If you are new to our school and do not have a spring conference time, your child's teacher will be contacting you to arrange a conference. Our students have worked very hard this trimester and we look forward to celebrating this with you!

A word about ISAT's from the Illinois State board of Education

Illinois schools, have begun implementing the Common Core State Standards, which outline the skills and content our students must master at each grade level to continue on the path to college and career readiness. These higher, deeper and clearer standards for Math and English Language Arts will ensure that our students leave high school equipped with the proper tools for success.

 As we focus on preparing students for college and careers, the performance levels of the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) must be changed accordingly.  The state has determined that the current expectations for our students in grades 3-8 are too low and do not give an accurate picture of a student’s ability to succeed in college and the workforce. Therefore, the Illinois State Board of Education is raising the bar on the ISAT performance expectations in Math and English Language Arts for elementary and middle school students to bring them into line with the Common Core’s more rigorous standards. 

These higher expectations will cause the number of students who meet and exceed standards to drop significantly. Some students who previously met or exceeded standards will be classified as needing improvement. However, these new expectations do not mean that our students know less than they did before or are less capable than they were in previous years. Instead, ISBE is simply expecting more of students going forward to show their progress toward college and career-readiness benchmarks.  

The new performance expectations for the ISAT will provide a more accurate reflection of whether a student is on track for college and the workforce. Our staff will be able to provide the appropriate support and interventions for your student based on the new learning standards at an earlier point in their academic career and thus boost their chances for success beyond high school.

The new expectations also pave the way for the state to replace the ISAT tests in Math and English Language Arts with the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments. The PARCC exams will align to the Common Core State Standards and provide better information about students’ abilities to master the appropriate skills and content benchmarks for college and careers. Unlike the ISAT, which is given once a year, the PARCC tests will be given more than once during the school year. The PARCC exams will provide teachers, parents and students a clearer, more detailed picture of student’s strengths and areas that need improvement. The transition to the PARCC tests is scheduled for the 2014-2015 school year.

Later this year, the state will provide us with information regarding how our students’ 2012 performance levels compare to what is expected under the new performance levels. The ISAT data collected this spring will then be analyzed using the new expectations and released in the fall.

Though more difficult, these higher standards will better position students to tackle the challenges of college and careers. And we are confident that our students will rise to the occasion.  

For more information please click HERE to view the ISAT parent FAQ's provided by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Click HERE to view the 2/8/13 Twig!

Can you guess why today was so special at Olive?

This year is flying by! Today was the 100th day of school at Olive, so our kindergarten friends celebrated by sharing their collections and wearing their pajamas to school.

1st Grade Scavenger Hunt

Studying can be so much fun when you are on a scavenger hunt! Students in Mrs. Raistrick's class reviewed information about living and non-living things while collecting clues and QR codes from around the school.

Twig 2/1/13

Parking Lot Reminders
We would like to send out a gentle reminder to parents regarding arrival and dismissal procedures. To ensure proper supervision, please make sure that your student(s) arrive no earlier than 8:50 a.m. Thank you for your adherence to the new No Left Turn sign.  The drop-off lane is moving well, however it is important to remember that you may not leave your vehicle unattended in this lane. Once your child has exited your car on the driver's side, please pull into the right lane so that other parents can move forward to drop off their child.  

When picking up your child in the pick-up / drop-off lane, students should only enter cars from our sidewalk.  If the line is backed up, and you are waiting on Olive Street to pull into our driveway, please do not encourage your child to enter your car on Olive Street.  Instead please wait to pull into the driveway, pull forward in the line, and have your child enter your car from the school's sidewalk.   

 If you would like to walk your child to his or her line, please make sure that you park in our parking lot.  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 the parking lot.  

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 precious students arrive and depart school safely.

FAQ on Head Lice

The following link will direct you to an annual letter from our nurses regarding head lice. The letter was originally sent out in October of this school year. The letter does not pertain to a particular situation at school, but rather it is an informational piece of literature. If you have any questions about the information contained in the letter, please feel free to contact one of our nurses.

Click HERE to read the FAQ on head lice 

 

Please Click HERE to view the 2/1/13 Twig!

Fiction/Nonfiction Pairing

At last week's Coffee with the Principals, The Olive-Mary Stitt LMC Director, Nancy Brown,  shared some great ideas for helping our children pair fiction with nonfiction texts.  She has added that list below for your reference.  We hope that you can join us at our next Coffee with the Principal's on February 22nd!

Click HERE to view the fiction/nonfiction pairings!