Oak Valley Owl Flyer

We encourage you to visit our website https://oakvalley.ops.org/ to stay up to date on important dates, lunch menus, find school related links, and the cycle day calendar.

Thanks to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Oak Valley students can have a breakfast and lunch at no cost. A full meal must be served. If your child would like only a milk, the a la carte price is $.50.

Please welcome our new staff members to Oak Valley:

• Patty Gallardo Garcia, School Secretary
• Kaitlyn Dick, 2nd Grade Paraprofessional
• Kelly Brennfoerder, Special Instruction
• Lucy Kuehl, ACP Paraprofessional
• Audrey Haist, ACP Paraprofessional
• Caley Nielsen, Pre-K Paraprofessional
• Rossana Salomon Fuentes, Bilingual Liaison

During September, your students will be part of district level assessments in reading and math. K-6 students will participate in DIBELS Reading Screening and MAP Growth assessments in reading and math.

Our Early Childhood, Kindergarten, and Grades 1-4 students will participate in health and vision screenings in September. If your family wants to opt out of it of the school screener and instead have your health care provider complete this, please email our School Nurse, Jacqueline.Vrooman@ops.org.

Be sure we have your most current contact information and all health related forms are given to the Health Office.

Please do not bring pets during dismissal.

School attendance is very important. Students should attend school regularly, on time, and all day. Your child needs to attend school regularly to make academic growth. If your child is sick, please call the office, 531-299-1880, to report the absence.

School Hours:

8:35 am Breakfast doors open - Grab-n-Go breakfast in the classroom

8:45 am Arrival for students not eating breakfast

8:50 am School Instruction Begins

4:05 pm Dismissal

Please do not leave your child at the school before 8:30 am. There is not proper supervision. If you need before school care, please contact Kids Club to register:

https://opsfkidsclub.org/program-details/

Please call or email if you have any questions, 531-299-1880. Please let us know if we can connect you to resources to support your family. We are here to help.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Hagen

Principal

suzanne.prenger-hagen@ops.org

September

• 7 - No School - Labor Day
• 15 - No Pre-K Students
• 17 - Cane's Night, 4-8 pm
• 29 - Late Start, 2 hours

• 1 - OV Family Night, 5:00 - 6:15 pm
• 2 - No School - Curriculum Day
• 9 - Picture Day (Individual)
• 15 - Qdoba Night, 4 - 8 pm
• 16 - No Pre-K Students
• 19- Quarter 2 Begins
• 21 &22 - Conferences, 4:30 - 7:30
• 22 & 23 - No School
• 27 - Late Start, 2 hours
• 30 - Halloween Parade & Trunk or Treat, 3:15 pm

Please help us create a safe dismissal. Only park and load on the Oak Valley side of the street. Only cross the street at the crosswalks. Safety patrol will be on duty after school. Crosswalks are circled in green on the map below. Thank you for helping keep everyone at Oak Valley safe.

Students enrolled in Omaha Public Schools are provided free health screening in accordance with Nebraska State Statute. Screenings are conducted throughout the school year and may begin as early as August.

Students in early childhood, kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth, seventh, and tenth grades are screened for hearing, vision, dental, height, and weight per the rules and regulations set forth by the state of Nebraska. The screening is conducted to help identify health concerns in as early a stage as possible, in an effort to enhance learning. Screening is not intended to be diagnostic, but to identify students with potential problems. Findings that need further evaluation by a health care provider will be sent home.

Per Nebraska State Regulations, a parent/guardian may supersede the mandated school health screening by submitting a statement signed by an authorized health care provider attesting that the required screening has been completed in the previous six months. An updated healthcare provider statement must be submitted each school year.

Contact your school nurse for any questions regarding screening.

Jacqueline.Vrooman@ops.org

Safety is a top priority at Oak Valley. Our district uses the terms and actions outlined in the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) as we manage events outside of our regular routine such as a fire, evacuation, severe weather or other disruption.

We regularly practice Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate and Shelter procedures so students and staff can easily understand what to do and expect in each situation.

To ensure open communication, families will receive a message when we have an SRP response at Oak Valley.

School will begin two hours late for all students on Sept. 29 and Oct. 27, Jan. 26, and Feb.23. Staff will use the time for data-driven work to improve teaching and learning across Omaha Public Schools. Because of the shortened schedule, breakfast will not be served on those days. Staff will take attendance as they do on a regularly scheduled school day. Schedule conflicts will not be considered an excused absence.

“Attendance makes a difference! The single most important factor contributing to student achievement is school attendance. Students must be in school to be successful.” (Journal of Educational Research, Vol.89 No. 3)

Did you know that students who attend school regularly:

• have higher test scores
• are more involved in school activities
• are more likely to graduate
• are less inclined to participate in at-risk behaviors

What you, the parent, can do:

• start the night before by assisting with/review homework assignments and plan for the next day
• establish an age appropriate bedtime routine
• role model a positive attitude about work, being on time, and being prepared
• should attendance problems occur, contact the school counselor to develop a plan to resolve the issue

Did you know it takes an average of three days for students to catch up for every one day they’re absent? Omaha Public Schools is committed to working with our families to support student attendance every day, because we know every minute counts.

Our district has updated our action plan to follow state guidelines on assisting students who miss a significant amount of class time. Our student attendance team will meet with families of students who have 20 total absences, whether or not those absences are excused. The team will work with the family to create a collaborative plan to improve attendance.

You can make an impact on your student’s attendance now, and we’re here to help. If anything is getting in the way of getting your student to school, please contact your school’s principal, school support liaison, school counselor or bilingual liaison for help.

Set a Bedtime Routine. According to the National Sleep Foundation, children the ages of 3-5 require 10 – 13 hours of sleep daily. Children the ages of 6-13 require 9-11 hours of sleep daily. If your children are waking up at 8:00 am then they should be falling asleep between 8 pm and 9 pm for maximum rest and between 9pm and 10pm for the minimum amount of rest. Well rested children learn better and are more successful at regulating their emotions.

Principal Email: suzanne.prenger-hagen@ops.org
Website: www.ops.org/oakvalley
Location: 3109 Pedersen Drive
Phone: 531-299-1880
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OPSOakValleyElementary

Omaha Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), marital status, sexual orientation, disability, age, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation or economic status in its programs, activities and employment and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following individual has been designated to accept allegations regarding non-discrimination policies: Superintendent of Schools, 3215 Cuming Street, Omaha, NE 68131 (531-299-9822). The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of Equity and Diversity (equityanddiversity@ops.org), 3215 Cuming St, Omaha, NE 68131 (531-299-0307).