Ellen Ochoa Newsletter

October

10/1 Fall Conference Night 3:30-6:30

10/2 Early Release Friday - 2:17

10/7 Leader of the Month Celebration 8:30

10/9 Early Release Friday - 2:17

10/14 Professional Development Day - No School for Students

10/15 - 10/16 Fall Break - No school for students

10/20 McTeacher Night 5:00-8:00 PM - Join us at McDonalds at 21st and Garnett!

10/23 Early Release Friday - 2:17

10/26-10/29 Ochoa Spirit Week - details to come!

10/30 Early Release Friday - 2:17

10/30 Books Alive Day

November Preview

11/4 Leader of the Month Celebration 8:30

11/5 Caring Van at Ochoa 9:00-12:00 - Free Flu Shots

11/6 Early Release Friday - 2:17

11/13 Early Release Friday - 2:17

11/20 Early Release Friday - 2:17

11/23-11/27 Thanksgiving Break - No School for Students

Dear Ochoa Families,

It is hard to believe we are already entering October! The first several weeks of school have been filled with learning, growth, and so many moments that remind us why Ochoa is such a special place. Our students are settling into routines, building relationships, and working hard each day. We are proud of the progress we are already seeing!

As we move further into the school year, every school day matters. Consistent attendance and arriving on time give students the best opportunity to learn, grow, and stay connected to their classroom community. Thank you for making school a priority and for partnering with us to help your child be successful.

October is also a great time to remind our students that learning isn’t always easy—and that’s okay! At Ochoa, we want students to challenge themselves, make mistakes, ask questions, and keep going when something is difficult. Growth happens when we don’t give up.

We also continue to emphasize kindness and collective responsibility throughout our school. With nearly 1,000 students in our building, it takes all of us—students, staff, and families—working together to make Ochoa a safe, positive, and joyful place to learn.

Thank you for trusting us with your children each day and for the continued support you show our school. We have had a wonderful start, and I am excited to see how much our students continue to grow throughout October.

Yes We Can! And We Will!

With gratitude,
Principal Harris

Dear Ochoa Families,

The Union Campus Parent Portal is an online hub for grades and personal contact information. There are directions attached on the link below on how to sign-up.

It’s almost time for our first report cards of the year! 🎉

First-quarter report cards will go home on Friday, October 23rd. To help you better understand your child’s report card and what they’ve been learning this quarter, we’ve linked our Parent Guides here. We encourage you to take a few minutes to review the guides before report cards come home!

Hello, Ochoa families!

These past two weeks we have been learning all about cyber safety in our counseling lessons. We’ve talked about the importance of staying safe using devices with screens & the internet. Ask your student how they plan to stay safe when using their devices! For more information on cyber safety, visit https://www.commonsensemedia.org/parents-ultimate-guides.

We have seen so many students and classes working hard to implement our S.P.A.C.E. values throughout Ochoa. These school-wide expectations can be found below. Take time to review these at home with your students.

As always, feel free to use our QR code if you’d like us to visit with your student!

Love,

Mrs. Jamison & Mrs. Marsh

This year, we are excited to introduce S.P.A.C.E., our schoolwide framework for creating a community where every student feels safe, supported, valued, and ready to learn. At Ochoa, there is S.P.A.C.E. for everyone!

S.P.A.C.E. represents the expectations we want our students to practice each day:

S — Safe
P — Positive Choices
A — Accepting
C — Calm Communication
E — Engaged Learner

Throughout the year, students will learn what S.P.A.C.E. looks and sounds like in different areas of our school. We’ll celebrate students who demonstrate these expectations and continue helping them build the skills they need to be successful at school and beyond.

When we all do our part, we create a S.P.A.C.E. where everyone belongs, everyone can learn, and everyone can grow! 💙🚀

Please complete student health forms through the parent portal, if you haven't already. Directions on how to access the Parent Portal are in the Parent Portal Section of this newsletter!

When a student has an injury outside of school and needs to be on any kind of restrictions, please contact me so I can help. You can reach me at 918-357-4330 or email mccormack.tracy@unionps.org.

Our Caring Van will be visiting Ochoa on November 5th from 9:00 AM–12:00 PM and will offer FREE flu shots for students! 💉

👀 Keep an eye on those backpacks! Flyers and permission slips will be sent home in October, shortly before the Caring Van’s visit.

Students must have a completed permission slip to participate. More information is coming soon!

With colder weather approaching, we’re seeing an increase in seasonal illnesses. This is a reminder to please follow our school’s sick policy. If your child is sick the night before or wakes up sick, they should not attend school the next day. Thank you for helping keep our school safe and healthy.

When students become ill during the school day, our nurse will call for them to be picked up. We understand that unexpected illness can be difficult for families, and we appreciate the challenges it can create. To help prepare, please make sure you have a back-up plan and updated emergency contacts who can pick up your child if you are unavailable. Students must be picked up within 30 minutes of the nurse’s call, as our health office is not equipped or staffed to care for sick students for extended periods.

Hi Ochoa families!

We are so excited for library classes to start and for all of your students to start bringing their books home to read! 📚📖📚

We encourage you to read library books with your students as bedtime stories, let them read in the car, or anytime that works for your family! Students will practice “reading the pictures“ and telling the story based on what they see, even if they are not ready to read all of the words. They will even be able to tell you how to take care of our books so that they do not get ruined and we can all continue to enjoy them.

The biggest rule is to keep them away from food 🍝and drinks 💦 and to keep an eye on pets and baby siblings. 🐢👶🏽

Students will be able to swap out their library books as long as they bring them back each week on their library day. Students will have a bookmark in their book that says their library day after their first checkout.

If you would like to check out additional books, I encourage you to get a membership to the Tulsa Library where students can check out more books completely free. Martin Regional library is very close to our school at 2601 S Garnett Rd. We also have a “little free library” in the foyer of the front office that you are welcome to borrow from!

Lost/Damaged Book Policy

We never make families pay for lost or damaged library books. Families can choose to donate any amount of money up to the cost of the book (usually $5-$20) to help us buy a new one, but it is never a requirement. We want students to be able to take books and read at home without that worry! With that being said, please be mindful that when a book is lost or destroyed it affects our whole school community- we don't always have the funding to replace the book right away and even when we do, it can take months for the new copy to arrive. We appreciate you helping us keep everyone reading all of the best books 🙂

Save the Dates!!

Book Bus Family Night - Wednesday, October 28th

Fall Book Fair - Tuesday, September 29th - Friday, October 2nd (open during both conference nights)

Books Alive (book character day) - Friday, Oct. 30

Enjoy reading with your students!

Mrs. Mac

Mrs. Rojas will serve as your Community & Family Liaison again this year! Connect with her via e-mail, phone, or TalkingPoints.

Luisa Rojas

E-mail: Rojas.Luisa@unionps.org

Office: 918-357-8400

Ochoa now has its very own Care Closet, and it is available to all Ochoa families!

If your family is experiencing a need, please complete the questionnaire below. We are here to support our families and connect you with resources when you need them.

Care Closet – Fill out form

Click to download the PDF, or scan the QR code below to complete the Family Needs Survey!

• President - Paola Marquez
• Vice President - Aylin Reyes
• Secretary - Sthefany Villalobos
• Treasurer - Claudia Garcia

• Trunk-or-Treat - Friday, October 30th 5:00pm-6:30pm
• Volunteer Check-In and Set Up 4:30pm
• Parent Volunteers Needed for Trunk-or-Treat!! Please reach out to our PTA Vice President Aylin Reyes if you are interested!
• E-mail: Aylinp.reyes@gmail.com
• Phone: 918-357-8406
• TalkingPoints: Ochoa Elementary PTA Group
• Keep an eye out for more details on a Candy Drive coming soon!

• Join us on Facebook @PTA Ellen Ochoa Elementary to stay connected!
• Visit the Membership Hub Here to purchase memberships and spirit wear! Ellen Ochoa PTA Membership Hub

Ellen Ochoa Elementary has developed a written a Title I parent and school compact with input from families. This policy was created by a team of staff members, community partners, and families. The school has distributed the compact to families in the back to school packet as well as in the Annual Title 1 Parent Meeting . The policy describes the means for carrying out the following parent and school compact: If you would like to make any suggestions, please email Principal Harris at harris.shana@unionps.org.

Ellen Ochoa Elementary has developed a written Title I parental involvement policy with input from families. This policy was created by a team of staff members, community partners, and families. The school has distributed the policy to families of Title I students at the annual Title I Parent Meeting. The policy describes the means for carrying out the following Title I parental involvement requirements: If you would like to make any suggestions, please email Principal Harris at harris.shana@unionps.org.