The Olive Branch 2.13.26

IN THIS BRANCH

Principal Message

OMS Office Open During Conferences

Lost and Found

5 Essentials Reminder

Author Visit Update

ABC 25 FORE Education Event

D25 Calendar Sync Update

American Heart Association Fundraiser - Coming Soon

D25 Pre-Registration for Kindergarten and New Families

Important Dates

Dear Families,

The snow is melting, and spring weather is on the horizon!

As a friendly reminder: instruction begins at 9:05 am. If your child is not in the building, unpacked and in their classroom by 9:05 am, please come to the front door and use the QR code to sign them in. This will support consistency between teachers submitting attendance and the office keeping track of who is present and accounted for after tardies are marked.

Sincerely,

Erin, Julia, and the OMS Staff

The OMS office will be open on Monday during parent-teacher conferences. If you would like to drop off an incoming kindergarten registration packet or bring an original birth certificate, Mrs. Crimmins and Mrs. Estevez will be able to make copies and accept paperwork.

Our lost and found is OVERFLOWING. All items will be on display in the commons during Parent/Teacher Conferences on Monday. We will send out photos early in the week to claim any of the remaining items. All items will be donated after school on Friday, February 20th.

🚨NEED 20% Parent Participation by March 13! Olive-Mary Stitt is currently at 7%

We are asking our parents to please participate in the 5Essentials Survey:

CLICK HERE TO PARTICIPATE

🚨 Please note: A parent supplement report will only be generated if at least 20 percent of a school’s parents complete the survey. Our response rate is below. The survey closes on March 13.

Participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at our school and help to guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.

Author Rekha Rajan Inspires Young Readers and Writers in Her Visit to OMS

Author Rekha Rajan visited OMS for a special presentation that combined storytelling, creativity, and even a little music. Ms. Rajan began her presentation by sharing the very first poem she wrote as a fifth grader. It was a great reminder that every writer starts somewhere.

Ms. Rajan introduced her popular Disaster Squad series, which follows a courageous family that travels to places affected by natural disasters such as tornadoes, forest fires, and hurricanes. Instead of turning away from danger, this family steps in to help with rescue and recovery efforts. The two children in the stories play an especially important role—they focus on saving animals that have become trapped during these disasters. Students were interested in the idea of kids their own age making a difference in big, brave ways.

To give everyone a closer look at her work, Ms. Rajan read a chapter from her book Tornado Rescue. As she read, she invited students to actively participate. At key moments in the story, she paused and offered several possible events that could happen next. Students used their hands to vote for their favorite choice.

After the reading, Ms. Rajan opened the floor for questions. Students were curious about everything from how she comes up with her ideas to how long it takes to write a book. She answered thoughtfully, encouraging young writers to keep reading, observing the world around them, and believing in their own stories. Some students left with plans to write their own stories modeled after Ms. Rajan's.

Join the ABC/25 Foundation for our annual family-friendly event ABC/25 Fore Education Fundraiser at Topgolf Schaumburg on Sunday, March 15, 2026, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM!

What You Can Expect:
Your Bay ticket includes 3 hours of golf, appetizers, non-alcoholic drinks (cash bar available), access to an in-person-only raffle giveaway, a DJ, and freebies from local businesses!
Spectator tickets include all of the same perks minus the golf.
Our silent auction and raffle will be online! Winners do not have to be present to win.

The ABC/25 Foundation is 100% volunteer-run, so 100% of your purchase goes back into AHSD25 classrooms! Register HERE

Due to our recent website platform change, the process for syncing school and district calendars with your personal calendar is now different. The previous calendar sync from our former website will no longer show the most up-to-date information.

To continue receiving accurate event updates, please disconnect or delete the old calendar link and add the new one…it takes just a minute! A short how-to video is linked below to walk you through the steps.

CALENDAR SYNC VIDEO

On February 23rd our students will attend the AHA kickoff assembly. The fundraiser will be on online from Feb. 23rd through Feb. 30th. We encourage families to sign up early and learn hands only CPR.

Do you like helping others? With Kids Heart Challenge, you’ll learn Hands-Only CPR, how to save lives, and you'll have the opportunity for the experience of a lifetime!

Click Here to sign up today!

Kindergarten and New families joining D25

Please continue to help us spread the word to new OMS families registering for kindergarten. Knowing our enrollment numbers early helps us plan for the 26-27 school year!

Please begin the registration process by visiting www.sd25.org/Registration and clicking on the 2026-2027 Pre-Registration Link.