LINX 8-29-14 - Oakwood City Schools

OJH LINX (Lumberjack Information Network eXchange)
Hello Oakwood Junior High School Parents:
8/29/14
Welcome to the first edition of my Friday connection with parents for the 2014-2015 school year. We hope to
give you some quick information each week about what is going on at OJH, plus a calendar for the upcoming
week. Please feel free to communicate back your thoughts or recommendations. You will not be able to reply
to this e-mail, but you may e-mail me at [email protected] or Dawne Roeckner (OJH
administrative assistant) at [email protected]. If you have OJH friends that are not
receiving the e-mail, please ask them to contact Dawne Roeckner to get on the list.
I continue to be very pleased with how our school year has started! At OJH, we are so fortunate to have such
great kids and staff members.
As the school year moves forward, please continue to stay involved with us to assist your student at school. I
do believe that middle school age students truly need their parents to be very involved in all phases of their
lives. At these ages, the student’s self-esteem is at a critical stage of development. We all need to be close by
to give positive support!
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At OJH today, we have 370 students, 181 Seventh Graders (88 Girls, 93 Boys) and 189 Eighth
Graders (88 Girls, 101 Boys).
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Our OJH/OHS PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) is an integral part of our school community.
All parents are certainly welcome to attend the PTO meetings. The PTO President this year is
Meredith Quigley. If you have not already joined the PTO this year, I strongly encourage you to
do so at whatever level you feel comfortable. Please remember that the Membership Drive is the
only PTO fundraiser for the entire year. For assistance, please contact us in the OJH office.
From the PTO:
For those of you who have already joined - Thank You! For those of you who have not yet
joined, please consider doing so. The Oakwood JH/SH PTO makes many projects a reality that
fall outside the scope of the annual budget. Our students and teachers are very appreciative of
these efforts.
The PTO would also appreciate a donation of your time. Our schools have numerous programs
all year long that are not possible without parent volunteers, which the PTO coordinates for us.
Please consider volunteering - It's also a great way for parents to connect with other parents and
teachers.
Attention parents: Support Oakwood Junior High's first school-wide philanthropic event; the ALS Ice Bucket
Challenge! In an effort to help fund research and education for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (often referred to
as "Lou Gehrig's Disease”), OJH staff members are not only making personal donations to the cause, but also
getting "iced". You can join our staff in being a positive role model for our students by making a donation to the
ALS Association, taking the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge as a family, or talking to your son or daughter about
how we can each make a positive contribution to our global community. If you would like to contribute, cash or
checks (made out to the ALS Association) may be delivered to the Oakwood Junior High Office and additional
information about the ALS Association may be found at www.alsa.org. If you’re interested in watching the
OJH staff get “iced” stop by the OJH front lawn after school today!
Do you want to see how the “challenge” got started at OJH? Click on this link for the video:
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.mov
You have all already received access into Progress Book. Parent access to Progress Book is the same as last
year, with the same password that you selected last year. If you forgot that password, click on that appropriate
link so that you are able to reset your password. I encourage all parents to monitor Progress Book weekly with
their child. If you have any questions about grades, please contact the specific teacher regarding the grades.
Important notice for all parents regarding social networking: I encourage all of our parents to revisit the topic
of proper and safe texting and chatting on sites like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, kik, and ask.fm. We can
never cover this topic enough as parents and educators. I also encourage all parents to very closely monitor
their children if they are permitted to use social networking sites. We want all of our students to remain
appropriate and safe, and we certainly want all of our students to be good to each other.
Attention all parents: In an effort to keep the entire school area a safe place for our students, we ask the
following of our parents driving in the area before and after school: Please avoid driving on Schantz between
Dellwood and Spirea. If you are dropping off your students, please drop them off on Dellwood or Spirea,
then continue driving on without turning on Schantz between the stadium and school. If you are picking your
students up from school, please designate a meeting place that is on Spirea or Dellwood so that you will not
have to drive on Schantz between the stadium and the school. For the sake of all of our students’ safety, thank
you very much for making these adjustments.
The OHS Football Team takes on Mariemont tonight at home at 7:30! We hope to see all of our students and
parents at the game to support our Lumberjacks.
Continue reading on the next pages for more valuable information.
Have a very enjoyable Labor Day weekend!
Go Jacks!
Dan Weckstein
WELCOME NEW OJH STAFF MEMBERS
Krista Furst will be our new junior high art teacher. After graduating from the University of Dayton in 2011, she subbed
at Oakwood City Schools for a year. The past two years Krista taught junior high and high school art at Preble Shawnee
Local Schools. She was also the JV softball coach there. This year will be her third full year of teaching and she will be
in Room 216.
Rebecca (Becky) Wierwille will be our new High School Multiple Disabilities teacher. She will be based in Room 108.
She has taught for 10 years with the most recent being with the Montgomery County ESC. Becky completed her
undergraduate degree at the University of Rio Grande, where she also played volleyball. She received her Master’s degree
in Educational Administration from Ashland University. Becky loves to read, garden, work out, and spend time with her
family and friends.
Tracey Henry will be one of our new paraprofessionals based in Room 108. She has been working with students with
multiple disabilities for 16 years. Tracey is married and has three children. She enjoys gardening and Zumba.
Terronica Irving will be one of our new paraprofessionals. Terronica is originally from Dayton. She has a BS in
Chemical Dependency/Counseling and plans on earning her Intervention Specialist License. Terronica has a 2-year-old
son and is getting married next year. She enjoys reading, cooking and spending time with her family.
Frank Eaton will be our Special Education Supervisor/Lange School Principal. Mr. Eaton comes to us from his former
position as Principal at South Vienna Elementary School. He earned his Bachelor of Art Degree in Education from
Anderson University and his Master of Education in Special Education from Wright State University.
SAM ANDREWS EDUCATIONAL HALL OF HONOR
Oakwood City School District to Induct Educators into the Sam Andrews Educational Hall of Honor
on September 19, 2014
The Sam Andrews Educational Hall of Honor reception and induction ceremony will be held on Friday,
September 19, 2014 at 4 p.m. at Dayton Country Club. The following persons will be inducted:
P. Thomas Griffith
Elaine G. Long
Oakwood Junior High School Art Teacher, 1970-2010
Oakwood High School Spanish Teacher, 1990-2010
The public is invited to attend the late afternoon hors d’oeuvres reception and induction ceremony (cost is
$25.00). To make reservations, email or call Sandy Maresh at the Board Office at
[email protected] or (937) 297-5332 or by Friday, September 5.
7TH GRADE SCIENCE UPDATE FROM MR. FISHER
The links for REMIND have been posted for each of the four classes. Please take a few moments to visit Mr.
Fisher's Science page and select the appropriate class link to sign up for Remind. I am requiring all students to
sign up for this and would encourage parents to sign up also.
WASHINGTON, D.C. TRIP UPDATE
With 30 students already registered, the 2015 trip is off to a great start. However, there is room for more
students to attend the trip in February. If your child is interested in attending the 2015 trip, please go to
http://mytrip.worldstrides.org/registration.xml?fromLogin=1 and enter trip number 106625 to register for the
trip.
If you have questions regarding the trip, please do not hesitate to email Mr. Fisher at
[email protected]
Additionally, to help with the finances of the trip, we will be holding an optional fundraiser that starts on
August 25, 2014 and runs through September 12, 2014. If your child is still interested in participating in the
fundraiser for the D.C. trip, have them see Mr. Fisher for information.
FOLLOW OJH ON TWITTER
OJH is on Twitter. Please follow OJH by clicking here: https://twitter.com/oakwoodjuniorhs
You will receive occasional tweets highlighting different OJH and district events throughout the year. It is
intended to be a fun way to be in the know about OJH happenings.
OJH PARENT/PRINCIPAL GATHERING
The Parent/Principal Gathering is a forum for parents, teachers, and administrators to discuss historic, current
and future issues affecting Oakwood Junior High School. Items involving specific individuals will not be
discussed in this forum. All parents are invited and welcome to attend these gatherings. Please join us when
you can.
This year we will have four gatherings. Two will be “coffees” at 9:00 a.m. and two will begin at noon.
Please mark your calendars for the following dates:
• Tuesday, 9/30/14, 9:00 a.m. in the Teacher Workroom
• Tuesday, 12/2/14, 12:00 p.m. in Room 131
• Tuesday, 2/3/15, 12:00 p.m. in Room 131
• Tuesday, 4/7/15, 9:00 a.m. in the Teacher Workroom
OJHS CONTINUES THE NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY
What is the National Junior Honor Society?
The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) ranks as one of the oldest and most prestigious national
organizations for middle school students. Membership in the National Junior Honor society is both an honor
and a responsibility. Eighth grade students that meet the application criteria will be invited to apply for
membership into the Oakwood Junior High School National Junior Honor Society.
How is eligibility determined?
Eighth grade students that meet the following criteria from all six terms of their 7th grade year are eligible to
apply for membership:
Scholarship
3.5 or higher cumulative grade point average for all six terms
Citizenship/Conduct
2 or fewer school detentions
1 or fewer Saturday school assignments
No removal from school for any reason
Students who meet these scholarship and citizenship/conduct requirements have been invited to apply.
What about the application process?
Service, extracurricular activities, leadership positions, as well as work experience, recognition, and awards will
be considered as part of the application process for eligible students.
Service is defined as contributions a student has made to his/her school and community. Any activities a
student has been or is involved in which demonstrates how he/she has volunteered time without any personal
gain in return should be listed here. Some activities might include service projects with church groups, Scouts,
clubs, volunteer groups, community art endeavors, etc. These activities SHOULD NOT be paid activities.
Extracurricular Activities are all activities in which a student has participated in during junior high school. It
can include clubs, teams, musical groups, etc., and any major accomplishments achieved in each. These can be
school sponsored and/or non-school sponsored activities.
Leadership Positions are all elected or appointed leadership positions held in school, community, or work
activities. Only those positions in which a student is or was directly responsible for leading or motivating
others should be included. For example: elected student body positions, class or club officer, committee
chairperson, team captain, editor of a school publication, or community leader.
Work Experience, Recognition, and Awards are any job experiences, honors, or recognition that a student has
received. Due to the fact that eligibility for application is partially based on high academic standing, honor roll
should not be included. Work experience may be paid.
Please be aware that applications are due this coming Tuesday, 9/2/14 no later than 3:20 p.m.
We encourage all of our eligible 8th graders to rise to the standards to become members of the Oakwood Junior
High School National Junior Honor Society. We also want to remind 7th graders to keep working towards the
goal of meeting the application criteria as 8th graders!
SPORTS UPDATE
Our Junior High Sports teams have been practicing most of August and are now starting their games and meets.
Schedules are available online and the students would appreciate your support.
Cross Country - The boys’ and girls’ cross country team opened their seasons participating in the Bob Schul
Invitational at West-Milton on Saturday. The girls finished in 2nd place, while the boys finished in 4th place.
There were more than 20 teams participating. The teams run at Miamisburg on Saturday.
Volleyball -The 7th grade volleyball team opened up their season with losses to Franklin and Carlisle. The 8th
grade team opened up their season with a loss to Franklin, but collected their first win of the season with a
victory at Carlise.
Football –The 7th grade football team opened its season with a 26-22 victory against Milton-Union, but the 8th
grade team lost to Milton-Union 6-0.
Field Hockey - The field hockey team opens its season on Wednesday with a home game against Kettering
Middle School.
OJH WEEK IN ADVANCE – SPECIAL EVENTS
For a full calendar of OJH activities, go to the OJH web page (www.oakwood.k12.oh.us) and click on the
appropriate link.
Planning way ahead . . .
SEPTEMBER 1 – SEPTEMBER 5
MONDAY – 9/1
Labor Day – No School
TUESDAY – 9/2
NJHS Applications Due
3:20 p.m.
OJH Office
REMINDER
When calling in an ill child or an appointment for your child, please call the
Attendance Line at 297-5330.

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