Monthly Newsletter

The Smile Program is coming December 4!! We will be sending out a paper application Thursday, November 5, 2026 and that can be turned back in to us at OCLC. There is a link below to complete your application online if that is more convenient.

This program provides licensed dentists and dental hygienists to the school where they can complete full cleanings, x-rays as necessary, fluoride treatments, and apply sealants or fillings as needed. Everything would be taken care of during the school day on our campus with no inconvenience to the parent. Siblings under the age of 18 are also invited to take part in the program, once we have enough applications and confirm a visit date, those siblings will need to be accompanied by a guardian to our campus for their appointment. A separate application will need to be filled out for each child.

When coming up with topics for the Mental Health Corner, I generally take a look at an awareness day calendar I have in my office. When looking at November, the 21st, Family Volunteer Day, stood out to me. Personally, I think it is because I have been struggling with my own kids about helping out even when they have not been asked. To step in and be kind to someone just because you have the means or the time. They see our family give donations or shop for other families, but when have they been there to do the work themselves? To see the smiles and people from their own town working together for a good cause? But the same can go for the adults. When are we taking our own time to better our community instead of complaining about it on social media? How are we helping others by giving our time or lending a hand to a neighbor?

The month of gratefulness and thanksgiving is the perfect time to work on those things, there are so many opportunities during the holiday season. It can be as simple as bringing in the elder neighbor's trash bin. Or getting a group together to clean up a park. Or you can go big and serve at the local shelter, pack boxes of food for families in needs, or even helping out at the animal shelter.

I am going to leave some links for volunteer opportunites below, but start small. Help on your street or neighborhood. Bring your community some love and I promise it will be returned.

Our first annual Career Fair day at OCLC was a huge success! Our high school students spent the morning learning about different career fields from community professionals, with subjects ranging from real estate to law enforcement. Each 20-30 minuute session featured brief presentations and Q&A time with each of our guest speakers and it was a great way to introduce our stdents to the kinds of professional opportunities that await them once they graduate and enter the workforce. Students asked thought provoking questions and took notes on what was interesting to them.

Jeana Hayes is a representatve from Coastal Carolina COmmunity College (CCCC) that visits our campus a few times a semester. Students who have shown interest in finding out about programs at CCCC or what to know more about the appluicaton process are called in to sit with her and go over information. If you would like more information for your child or if your child would like to meet with our liaison and hasn't had the opportunity, please reach out to the School Counselor, Lea Williams, at susannah.williams@onslow.k12.nc.us.

• November 3 - WorkKeys (CTE test for specific high school students)
• November 3 - Middle School Report Cards Out
• November 4 - PD Day - Early Release for Students
• November 6 - OCLC Ruck
• November 11 - Veteran's Day Holiday - No School for Staff & Students
• November 25 - Teacher Workday; No School for Students
• November 26-27 - Thanksgiving Holiday - No School for Staff & Students
• December 4 - SMILE Program Mobile Dentist visit
• December 21-January 1 - Holiday Break - No School for Students & Some Staff
• January 4 - Teacher Workday - No School for Students
• January 11-15 - High School Exams
• January 15 - Grading Period Ends for Middle & High School Students
• January 18 - MLK Holiday - No School for Students & Staff
• January 19-20 - Teacher Workdays - No School for Students
• January 21 - First Day of New Semester
• January 27 - Report Cards Out for Middle & High School Students

Additional information will be sent out for each test, but please go ahead and mark your calendars for the dates that apply to your student. Students will need to be at OCLC on time and ready to work.

Individual Score Reports (ISR) for End of Course (EOC) and End of Grade (EOG) tests will be made available in the Infinite Campus portal for students and parents after testing has been completed each semester or at the end of the year.

Students this year are engaging in not one but two school-wide initiatives. Both are born from standards of study and the want for our students to keep pushing when things are hard. To go through the yellow light of thinking and not settling on being stumped and using the tools they have learned to come to an answer without giving up.

The first one is Word Of The Day. Each morning, all students work in their workbook on one word. They learn the word, the definition and how it is used. Then students create their own definition, write a sentence using the word, and then illustrate what the word means to them. So far, we have seen success in this program in the little things. Students are quietly expanding their vocabulary in their classroom discussions and understanding in ways they didn't before. We look forward to continuing the Word of the Day all year and see how it helps bring subtle learning to our students.

The second initiative is Hallway Hideouts presented by the mysterious Mr. X. Each week, students in 3rd period, during lunch, work through the codes and ciphers that Mr. X gives in form of letters to the teachers. Students then explore the campus searching for the elusive Golden Eagle that Mr. X has hidden using the clues that they think they have figured out. Using logic, deductive reasoning, and many other skills the students are able to figure out some pretty tough and involved clues.

If you still need to apply for free and reduced lunches please follow the link and fill out your application online. You can also submit a paper copy via the directions on the website if you received a paper version of the application.

If you are looking to get fees waived, please download the form attached and send it back in with your student. If you do not have a way to print the form, please let Mrs. Garber or Mrs. Williams know and they can send one home with your student.

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