OCIS Digital Backpack

Early Dismissal Day (12:10pm) - Wednesday, Nov 26
No School - Thursday, Nov 27 & Friday, Nov 28
OCIS Spirit Day - Monday, Dec 1
PTA Secret Santa Workshop - Monday Dec 1- Friday, Dec 5
OCIS Winter Concert - Tuesday, December 2nd - 6:30pm @ OCHS

This is a reminder that Wednesday, November 26th is an early dismissal day for OCIS students! All students will be dismissed at 12:10pm.

There is NO School on Thursday, November 27th & Friday, November 28th. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!!

We met the $10,000 mark for the PTA's Color Run Fundraiser that was held on Friday. That means OCIS earned a Pajama Day on Wednesday, November 28th.

All OCIS students are permitted to wear school appropriate PJ's to school on Wednesday.

Thank you to all of the students and families that attended the PTA Dodgeball Tournament on Thursday, November 20th. We hope that everyone had a great time as you dipped and dodged throughout the night!

A big shout-out to Ms. Halliday for organizing and running the event throughout the evening!

Monday and Tuesday are the FINAL Days to vote during lunch for our Turkey Takeover that will occur on Wednesday!

Student Council needs YOUR help! Turkey Takeover is a beloved OCIS tradition that we haven’t done in about eight years and we’re excited to bring it back this year! Students donate loose change or dollar bills into the jar of the teacher or staff member they want to see dressed up as our Turkey for a Day right before Thanksgiving. Whoever’s jar has the most money gets the honor of wearing the full turkey costume the entire school day on the day before Thanksgiving.

All funds raised go directly to support OCIS Student Council and the activities we provide for our school community.

Parents if you’d like to join in, feel free to send in any spare change or bills with your child to help a certain teacher or faculty member take the lead. Let’s see who becomes our comeback Turkey for a Day!

A list of all the Teachers/Faculty Members Participating:

Mr. Bloomstead

Mrs. Duffey

Mr. Verducci

Mrs. Kirey

Mr. Engle

Mrs. Rhoads

Mrs. Calise

Mrs. Kelley

Mrs. Porter

Mr. Nunan

Mrs. Weaver

Mrs. Uhrich

Mr. Lane

Mrs. Picketts

Mrs. Pontari

Mrs. Halliday

Please see the resources below provided by the state for food assistance:

New Jersey Basic Needs Information Hub: Get Food This Week
NJ211 Hotline Provides Local Resources to Help Residents with Food, Housing, Crisis, and Health
NJ211 Supplemental Food Resource Locations – Search a list of various supplemental food resources in your area
New Jersey SNAP homepage
Office of the Food Security Advocate: SNAP Benefits and Food Assistance
Community Food Banks of New Jersey

Looking for extra help or support with homework? Come to the NJHS homework help club. Any student attending must have a completed permission slip on file - click here to complete!

See flyer below for additional details!

FCA

Join FCA for their Friendsgiving Pizza Party Tuesday, November 25th after school. Information and sign up sheet outside of 402. See Mrs. Calise for any questions.

OCIS Band & Chorus Winter Concert

Mark your calendars! The OCIS Band & Chorus Winter Concert will be held on Tuesday, December 2nd at 6:30pm in the High School Auditorium.

Come out to support our talented musician and share in some music to start the Holiday Season!

Please visit this link below to order your 25-26 Yearbook!

Yearbook Order Link - Click Here

It's time for Winter OCIS Sports sign- ups - Please see the important information below outlining the process to register students in PowerSchool.

OCIS Winter Sports are as follows :

Basketball (boys)

Basketball (girls)

Cheer

Wrestling

Please note our sports registration process (instructions below):

Registration will be completed in your PowerSchool parent account, be sure to have your username and password set up. For PowerSchool account information, please contact IT at the high school .

Important :PowerSchool works best with Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, but you can try other browsers.

Instructions for Parents to sign your child up for Winter Sports :

Visit ocsdnj.powerschool.com (PowerSchool App is the preferred method)
Sign in with your parent username and password.
Select the student’s name for whom you are registering.
Click on Forms

If using a browser, find in menu options, on the left
If using PS App, find in …More, then Forms

Once in Forms find Athletics
Then fill out the following for EACH student participating in ANY sport:

Athletics 1: Registration Form

Download the blank Physical Evaluation Form to bring to doctor’s office.

Athletics 2: Waivers and Acknowledgements (PLEASE NOTE: your student needs to login to their own PS account also and complete the student questions section ! You cannot complete it from the parent account!)
Athletics 3: Physical Upload and Verification for Participation

Upload your students completed physical.

All physical examinations must have taken place within 365 days of the start date.

Have your student check with Nurse Cantwell if you are unsure of your student's last Physical exam.

Nurse Cantwell email is : ccantwell@ocsdnj.org

GO RED RAIDERS ! 🏀 📣🏐

Please visit the OCSD athletics calendar for up-to-date information on games and events taking place throughout the upcoming weeks!

OCSD Athletics Calendar - Click Here

Boys basketball will have tryouts Monday, November 24 & Tuesday, November 25 after school. Please see nurse Cantwell to be cleared for tryouts.

PTA Website

Please remember to visit the Ocean City PTA website to view the many events / activities / and additional information from our amazing PTA!

OCPTA Website - Click Here

Upcoming Events

For a calendar containing all upcoming events at the library, please click the link below:

Upcoming Events - Click Here

Parents & guardians are asked to review the student dress code with their child.

At OCIS , we encourage students to express their individuality and personal style. At the same time, we ask that all clothing choices reflect the standards of a respectful and focused learning environment. Appropriate school attire helps us maintain a positive atmosphere where all students feel comfortable and ready to learn. Thank you for your continued support in upholding these expectations.

OCSD STUDENT DRESS CODE - Click Here to View

Students are also reminded that cell phones (including wireless headphones) must be turned off and placed in student lockers or bookbags throughout the day.

To report a student absence:

Email: OCISattendance@ocsdnj.org
Please state student's name, grade, homeroom teacher, and reason for the absence

Please note that an email or parent note does not excuse your child from school. For the absence to be coded as an absence not counting towards truancy (verified), a doctor's note or other proper documentation as outlined in the district attendance policy must be submitted to the main office when your child returns to school.

Please Review the School District Attendance Policy by clicking here for additional information on state requirements regarding absences and student attendance.

Tardy / Late To School

Students receive two free unexcused lates per marking period (arriving after 7:45am). Any additional unexcused late arrivals will result in a detention being issued as outlined in the OCIS student code of conduct. Students arriving with a doctors note will be marked as an excused late arrival.

Regular attendance and punctuality are essential for success in school. Students should be absent from school only when it is absolutely necessary. If your child is going to be absent, parents are required to notify the school to report the absence prior to the start of the school day.

OCIS Attendance Guidelines / Types of Absences

An Excused Absence per the state of New Jersey is a student’s absence from school for a full day or a portion of a day for the observance of a religious holiday pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:36-14 through 16, Take Your Child to Work Day, Veteran’s Day or any other absence determined to be excused by the New Jersey Department of Education

An Unexcused Absence per the Ocean City School District that does not count towards truancy (however, is still considered an official absence by the state of New Jersey) occurs under the following conditions:

Illness, supported by doctor's letter
Family illness or death, supported by parent / doctor letter
Student’s required attendance in court; supported by written documentation.
Necessary, unavoidable medical or dental appointments that cannot be scheduled at a time other than the school day; supported by written documentation.

All other absences are considered unexcused and will count towards truancy.

What happens if my child reaches a high number of absences that count towards truancy?

Letters are sent home to parents if their child reaches 4, 7, 10, 15, or 20 days of absences that count towards truancy.
Guidance, Administration, and School Nurses will be in communication to assist and develop the appropriate plan to assist your child and their attendance in school.
Please communicate with Mrs. Uhrich (Guidance) or Mr. Engle (Principal) if there are ongoing concerns regarding attendance so we can approach in a proactive manner.

Please continue to check your PowerSchool Parent Portal regularly to stay updated on your child's grades, attendance, and more.
If you do not already follow our OCIS Facebook page, we encourage you to follow for posts & news throughout the year.
To view the OCIS Morning Announcements, please visit our Morning Announcement Page
The Ocean City Intermediate School Website is a great resource for information as well!