The Otter Overview
September 2024
October 2025 Newsletter
We love being at school!
It has been so wonderful to be back at Osage Creek! Our students, families, and teachers are the BEST! The academic and emotional support that our little Otters recieve is exceptional. I have loved getting to rejoin our school family!
Thank you for ensuring your student is on time each day for learning. Every minute matters and we work hard to maximize our time together. Our doors open at 7:25, students begin their day with teachers at 7:45, and the tardy bell rings at 7:50. We begin our learning promptly at 7:50 each day.
Our current daily attendance rates for the first quarter are:
Kindergarten: 94.98%
1st Grade: 95.24%
2nd Grade: 95.59%
3rd Grade: 96.11%
4th Grade: 95.81%
Great job THIRD GRADE leading the way on daily attendance!
Daily attendance is vital in helping students stay on track academically, building strong relationships, practicing social and communication skills, and increasing connection and a sense of belonging. Studies show that increased absenteeism, even one day per month, can lead to lower achievement and increased emotional concerns.
If your student is struggling with a situation and hesitant to come to school, please reach out to their homeroom teacher, one of our counselors, or one of our administrators. We are all here to help!
If your student will be absent, please let our attendance clerk know by emailing ocesattendanceclerk@bentonvillek12.org or calling 479-286-9500.
Sincerely,
Jessie Lisenbee, OCE Principal
Translation Feature!
Remember to check out our translation and accessibility features. We hope this helps our newsletter reach all of our families!
Otterly Awesome Happenings!
Our 3rd graders, led by Mrs. Calderon, put on an awesome musical performance! Thank you to everyone who attended - it was a packed house!
Bike to School Week 2025 was fantastic!
Counselor Corner with Ms. Nulty and Ms. Niebruegge!
The October core value is knowledge. Here is information from our counselors Ms. Nulty and Ms. Niebruegge. Remember, if you need anything at all, please reach out and we'll do our best to help!
Ms. Nulty - cnulty@bentonvillek12.org
Ms. Niebruegge - mniebruegge@bentonvillek12.org
Yearbook Sales
It's yearbook pre-sale time! If you would like to purchase your 2025-2026 OCE yearbook for 10% off, purchase it before October 31st! Go to https://web.treering.com/create-account/1016310287542965 and either log into your account from last year or create a new account. Let Mrs. DeRossitt know if you have any questions: ederossitt@bentonvillek12.org.
Upstander Pledge!
October is Bullying Prevention Month and our OCE Otters are making a pledge to be an Upstander at OCE!
Parent Night Series!
Otters Make Strong Choices Week
Otters Make Strong Choices Week is October 27-31. We get to dress up and celebrate our strong choices. The week also ends with fall parties on October 31st!
Fall Parties
Fall parties are coming up on October 31st! Homeroom parents will be communicating more information soon. Costumes are allowed on campus on October 31st as long as OCES guidelines are followed. They are also shown below for easy reference.
Fall party times:
Kindergarten: 11:20-11:50
1st Grade: 11:50-12:20
2nd Grade: 12:20-12:50
3rd Grade: 12:50-1:20
4th Grade: 1:20-1:50
Please remember that all adults must check in through the front office before attending a party. Non school age siblings may attend as long as they do not cause a disruption and do not partake of the snacks and crafts since supplies are purchased for the designated number of Osage Creek students. Thanks for your help!
Homework
Bentonville Schools is committed to partnering with families. Our homework policy is here (BSD Policy 5.9) and our new expectations are listed below. You can support your student's learning by checking for weekly homework on Tuesdays and discussing the content with your student. Please return any required pages to your teacher the following Monday. Homework completion will show on student report cards in the Work Habits section using the scoring below.
Parent Teacher Conferences - October 21-27
Parent Teacher conferences are coming up October 21-27. Homeroom teachers will send our their signup link on October 10th. We can't wait to see you and talk about your otter's progress!
Sharing and Caring Holiday Assistance
Starting October 1, 2025, you can fill out your application online. You will also upload pictures of the documents (ID and proof of income). If you anticipate needing Christmas assistance please go to https://sharingandcaringkids.com/christmasassistance/ and fill out the application and upload the required documentation.
Reach out to Colleen Nulty at cnulty@bentonvillek12.org if you have questions.
Volunteer Training
We love parent volunteers and are so appreciative of all you do! If you'd like to help chaperone a field trip, volunteer during a class party, or any other student event at Osage Creek, volunteer training is required.
If you joined us earlier this fall for volunteer training and completed the online forms, you're good to go! 🙂 If not, here are your next steps:
1. Review the volunteer training information HERE.
2. Review and digitally sign the training forms HERE.
3. Serve at Osage Creek and have an amazing time with our Otters!
Academic Calendar & October Dates
Osage Creek follows the Bentonville Schools academic calendar. You can find the calendar HERE.
10/10 - End of 1st Quarter
10/14 - Parent Night Series at Old High Middle School 5:30-7:30 pm
10/16 - No School for Students
10/17 - No School for Students
10/20 - Kindergarten Field Trip
10/21-27 - Parent Teacher Conferences
10/21 - Bentonville Board of Education Meeting at 5:30 pm
10/22 - 1st Grade Field Trip
10/27-31 - Strong Choices Week
10/27-31 - ATLAS Interim Testing
10/31 - Fall Parties
11/6 - 2nd Grade Musical Performance at 6:00 pm
11/7 - Otter Romp
Breakfast and Lunch Menus
All students are welcome to bring their lunch from home or eat in our fantastic cafeteria.
To add money to your child's account, visit bentonville.familyportal.cloud and log into your account. Need help? Feel free to call us at 479-286-9500.
Breakfast and lunch menus for the district can be found here:
https://www.bentonvillek12.org/documents/departments/food-and-nutrition/menus/339863
PTO Information
We are fortunate to have an amazing PTO that does so much for our students and staff at Osage Creek! Please consider joining the Osage Creek PTO!!
We are still enjoying our shade structure so much! THANK YOU to everyone who made this possible!!!!
Our PTO website (and newsletter) are: https://osage-creek-elementary-pto.square.site/
PTO contact email is: OsageCreekElementaryPTO@gmail.com
Stay in Touch!
We're happy to help! Please call us at 479-286-9500.
You can also follow us on social media or using our linktree:

