Knightly News
An Update from the Superintendent's Office - February 2022
It is hard to believe that January has come to a close. I'm hopeful that February will bring good health to our students, parents, staff, and community. We hit our highest number of Covid positives during the month of January (31 confirmed positive cases). Our hope is that we will soon see some relief on the Covid front. We will continue to monitor the situation and adjust plans as necessary.
This month is a relatively busy month as well. We have Parent-Teacher Conferences on February 7 and 10. Elementary conferences are from 4:00-7:00 p.m. and Jr./Sr. High conferences are from 5:30-8:30 p.m.. In addition to meeting with your child's teachers, you will also have the opportunity to sign your children up for summer baseball and softball. We hope to see you all at conferences! We also have several days off this month. There is no school on February 11, February 18, and February 23. Please mark your calendars and plan accordingly.
Oakland-Craig will be busy recruiting and hiring new staff as well. Unfortunately, Ms. April Lutz has decided to return to the Kansas education system next year and will be leaving us. We have posted the Elementary Principal position and will hope to hire somebody mid-February. In addition, we have posted an opening for an elementary teacher. We do not currently have any openings; however, with a teacher shortage, we felt it was important to start the process so that we can be prepared in the event that we do have a resignation or retirement. Please help us spread the word about these open positions as well as how great it is to be an OC Knight.
In addition to a busy month at school, the community of Oakland is also working toward growing and offering more. We would like to invite you to a community planning meeting on March 1 at the Oakland Golf Club. We will offer a meal followed by a listening session. During this time we will break into small groups and discuss ideas for growing our community. All ideas are on the table and will be considered. A flyer is included below. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Oaklandcommunityplanning@gmail.com.
Covid Update
As mentioned previously, we have seen an increase in Covid cases throughout the district; however, we are hopeful that we have hit a peak and will soon see some relief. I will continue to update the website with our percentages weekly.
Week 1: 3% ill, 0% Covid-Related Illness
Week 2: 3.7% ill, 0% Covid-Related Illness
Week 3: 1.6% ill, 0.4% Covid-Related Illness
Week 4: 1.4% ill, 0.2% Covid-Related Illness
Week 5: 1.9% ill, 0% Covid-Related Illness
Week 6: 1.2% ill; 0.2% Covid-Related Illness
Week 7: 3.4% ill; 0% Covid-Related Illness
Week 8: 2.7% ill; 0.2% Covid-Related Illness
Week 9: 1.9% ill; 0% Covid-Related Illness
Week 10: 2.1% ill; 0% Covid-Related Illness
Week 11: 2.6% ill; 0% Covid-Related Illness
Week 12: 2.1% ill; .26% Covid-Related Illness
Week 13: 2.4% ill; 0.8% Covid-Related Illness
Week 14: 3.5% ill; 0% Covid-Related Illness
Week 15: 1.6% ill; 0.5% Covid-Related Illness
Week 16: 1.3% ill, 1.6% Covid-Related Illness (Green)
Week 17: 8.2% ill, 2.5% Covid-Related Illness (Yellow) (Up to 4.5% Covid-Related Illness by End of Week - Orange)
Week 18: 1.4% ill; 2.9% Covid-Related Illness (Yellow)
Week 19: 2.1% ill; 1.06% Covid-Related Illness (Green)
Week 20: 2.9% ill; 3.6% Covid-Related Illness (Yellow)
Week 21: 2.1% ill; 6.1% Covid-Related Illness (Red)
Week 22: 3.4% ill; 6.0% Covid-Related Illness (Red)
Week 23: 1.7% ill; 3.6% Covid-Related Illness (Yellow)
Week 24: 3.2% ill; 0.8% Covid-Related Illness (Green)
Week 25: 6.6% ill; 0.5% Covid-Related Illness (Green)
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out via email, phone call, or schedule an in person meeting. Our goal is to keep students and staff safe and in school all year long.
Free/Reduced Paperwork
While everyone is receiving free meals right now, some of our district funding relies heavily on our free/reduced meal rates. Currently, 36% of our population receives free/reduced meals; however, some of our funding requires us to meet the minimum of 40%. The future of some of our programs (i.e. after school program) requires us to meet these needs so we are asking everyone to fill out an application. I have included a link to the application below. Even if you don't meet the income requirements, you can fill out the application. I realize there isn't a direct benefit to households since everyone is receiving free meals right now, but the district relies heavily on utilizing funding provided based on our free/reduced rate so we would greatly appreciate everyone completing the application. Applications can also be found in the high school and elementary offices or can be sent home with your child.
Inclement Weather
Job Openings at Oakland-Craig Public Schools
Elementary Teacher (Anticipated)
Elementary Paraprofessional
School Events
February 7 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (4:00-7:00 - Elementary; 5:30-8:30 - Secondary)
February 10 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (4:00-7:00 - Elementary; 5:30-8:30 - Secondary)
February 11 - No School
February 14 - Valentine's Day Parties (Elementary)
February 18 - No School
February 23 - No School for Students - OC Hosts District Speech
Community Events
February 6 - Swedish Heritage Center Brunch - Chicken & Biscuits (11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.)
March 1 - Community Planning Meeting (6:00 p.m. - Oakland Golf Club)
Contact Information
Superintendent
Email: jessbland@ocknights.org
Website: www.ocknights.org
Location: 309 N Davis Ave, Oakland, NE, USA
Phone: 402-685-5661