The Husky Bulletin 2/26/2025

2/26/2025

We are excited to share an opportunity for students to support peers with special needs. Our Inclusive Team will foster an inclusive and supportive environment for all students. When students work together it strengthens our school community and promotes empathy, understanding, and collaboration.

Our vision is to create an Inclusive Team of students to assist peers in our special education programs, both academically and socially. We want to provide opportunities for all students to engage in meaningful peer support roles. Some opportunities will include: supporting schoolwork, practicing social skills, or being a friend.

These five pillars will guide our Inclusive Team:

• Peer Mentorship: We will identify students who are willing to serve as peer mentors. These mentors will receive guidance on how to provide support in the classroom: helping with tasks, fostering social interactions, or guiding students through structured activities.

• Inclusive Activities: Students will participate in group activities: cooperative learning projects, recess games, or social-emotional learning circles. Students will build relationships and develop a deeper understanding of each other's uniqueness's.

• Empathy and Leadership Development: This program will give the mentors a chance to develop leadership skills, empathy, and a sense of responsibility. Mentors will see firsthand how their actions positively impact others thus strengthening our overall school culture.

• Regular Communication and Support: Teachers and staff will provide ongoing support to the mentors to ensure that they have the resources and strategies needed to be effective role models. Also, parent communication and support will be a key piece in this collaboration.

• Celebrating Success: We will celebrate these students and share their experiences with the school community. Inclusion and collaboration will be celebrated by all!

We’ll be focusing on 4th and 5th grade scholars who are interested in becoming Inclusive Champions here at Oak View. Watch for permission slips that went home this week. If you’d like more information about the program, please reach out to Principal Gibbs or Mr. Nick at Gibbsr@district279.org or Pautzken@district279.org.

Thank you for supporting our inclusive programming at Oak View!

We have seen instances this year of students using smart devices (phones or watches) to call their parents when they are not feeling well and asking to be picked up.

Please note, per the student handbook (pg 18): Use of cell phones and other electronic devices is allowed during school hours, for educational purposes only, at the direction of a staff member… Students should not use their personal devices during the instructional day unless for academic purposes. In addition, the Oak View expectation matrix states that all personal electronics should be stored in backpacks/lockers.

For the safety of all students and staff at Oak View, students feeling ill must be evaluated by the building nurse prior to leaving during the school day. If the student does not meet illness exclusion criteria (for details, see www.district279.org/departments/health-services) they will be encouraged to stay at school.

• We currently have approximately 75+ scholars that are dropped off and picked up each morning and afternoon. Together, we can help make the process safe and efficient. Here are some tips to help the process run smoothly:

• Follow the flow of traffic and keep your vehicle moving forward until you get to the front sidewalk.

• Vehicles should never be parked and left unattended in the pick-up/drop off zone. This includes the side of the building by door #4 or the Kidstop entrance.

• If you want to come into the building, please park in the parking lot and enter through our main entrance.

Our last night of conferences is coming up on March 4th! Our PTO will once again be providing meals to our teachers during the upcoming conferences. Please take a look at the sign-up to see how you can help!

Conference Catering: Oak View PTO: 2025 Winter Conference Catering

You recently received email communication from Kemmetmueller Photography to announce that the 2024-2025 yearbook is on sale.

Kemmetmueller will, once again, be providing a grade level year-end review book for each student at no cost. This book will have photos of all students from your child’s grade along with a school-wide photo collage. You DO NOT need to order the year-end review. Each student will receive one!

The full yearbook, which contains photos of all students in the entire school as well as various collage pages, special groups, etc, is being created. Families that would like a yearbook can purchase one for $10 plus tax and a credit card fee. The yearbook order deadline is April 11, 2025, so please be sure to submit your order by then! Yearbooks can be purchased online here: PLIC Books Store

Purchased yearbooks and year-end review books will be handed out at the same time during the last week of school.

Camp ROCKS! is a 20-day academic program that focuses on reading, math, and science for current scholars in grades K-4. It runs Mon-Thu for 6.5 hours each day and includes: breakfast, lunch, phy-ed, media center time, math, reading, science, art and more. IMPORTANT TO NOTE: this is not part of the District 279 regular educational programming curriculum. Camp provides limited nurse support and general education buses only (no SPED buses). We do not have access to the same student support resources in the summer that many scholars have during the school year. Thus, if you have students with significant social, emotional, or behavioral needs that receive special or extended supports during the school year…this may not be the program fit for them. The district does provide other summer programs in addition to Camp ROCKS! to support student needs.

IMPORTANT DATES & INFORMATION

• Students must be currently enrolled in one of our District 279 elementary schools. Excludes private, charter, magnet, homeschool students.
• Enrollment Period: 10 weeks from Jan 21-Mar 21 (applications received after this date will go on a waitlist and are not likely to get into the program) Registration forms must be received by March 19 at Oak View.
• Program Locations: BG, WVR, ZW
• Program Times: BG = 8:15 am-2:45 pm, WVR = 8:15 am-2:45 pm, ZW = 9:15 am-3:45 pm
• Program Dates: Mon-Thu, June 23-26, July 7-10, July 14-17, July 21-24, July 28-31 (20 total days) – NO PROGRAM JUNE 30-JULY 4
• Transportation is based on the scholar’s home or daycare address. Must be within district boundaries.

Please contact Melody Hahn-Merges at hahn-mergesm@district279.org with any questions.

3/4- Parent/Teacher Conferences

3/7- NO School

3/11- PTO Meeting- 6:00pm

3/17- Green dress up day

3/18- Mismatch dress up day

3/19- Twin day- dress up with a friend or 2

3/20- Colorful dress up day

3/21- Flannel dress up day

Ryan Gibbs, Principal: GibbsR@district279.org

Jody Seppala, Assistant Principal: SeppalaJ@district279.org

Angie Passehl, Secretary: PassehlA@district279.org

Melody Hahn-Merges, Social Worker: hahn-mergesm@district279.org

Terri Simon, Counselor: simont@district279.org