We have just under 7 weeks of school remaining and a lot of events to close out our 4th quarter. The Elementary Music Concert will be this Tuesday, April 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the new gym. We will be streaming the concert on Striv. There is no school on April 7 and 10 for spring break. When we return students in grades 3rd-8th will start their NSCAS state testing. We would encourage students to get a good night of sleep and eat a healthy breakfast prior to testing. There is also no school for students on April 21 as Oakland-Craig will be hosting district music. I have included additional dates to mark on your calendars below.

Oakland-Craig Public Schools would like to welcome Mr. Eric Mlinar to our secondary teaching staff. Mr. Mlinar will teach business and technology classes, with specific classes to be determined as schedules for the 2023-2024 school year are finalized.

Mr. Mlinar received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He later returned to UNK to complete the “Transition to Teach” program. He started his teaching career at Elgin Public Schools where he was responsible for teaching Introduction to Business, Personal Finance, Economics, Accounting, Keyboarding, and Information Technology. He spent some time coaching basketball and tackled the role of technology director during his time at Elgin. Following his 8 years at Elgin, Mr. Mlinar took a year off to spend time with his four children but realized his desire to teach and decided to return to the classroom at Hartington Central Catholic where he is currently the 7th-12th grade business teacher.

Mr. Mlinar comes highly recommended. I’ve included some of the comments that his past co-workers and supervisors have shared:

• Mr. Mlinar is a man of outstanding integrity and has high expectations for himself and for the students he teaches and coaches. He understands the value of strong and fair discipline and is respected by both his colleagues and the students.

• As a business teacher, Mr. Mlinar worked to provide high-quality lessons to his classes in a myriad of different courses. Eric created our Personal Finance course from the ground up while also refining the curriculum in our other business offerings including Accounting I, Business Finance, Introduction to Business, and Marketing.

• Mr. Mlinar is the kind of educator that is willing to put in the extra time and effort. He is a man of highest character and will no doubt be a great addition to any staff and school district.

Please help me in welcoming Mr. Eric Mlinar, his wife Ashley, and his four children Laney (9); Callie (7), Brinley (5), and Cody (3) to the Oakland-Craig school district!

Our district takes pride in supporting the needs of the whole child, to ensure that all children are safe, supported, engaged, and challenged each day as they walk into our building.

Research indicates that initiatives focused on improving aspects of students’ well-being in schools—such as addressing childhood obesity, preventing bullying, supporting students mental health, and restricting schools’ use of exclusionary discipline—have been found to be successful in improving student success, and academic excellence.

To advance the common goal of improving social, health, and academic outcomes for all students, coordinated efforts that integrate multiple components of a healthy school environments are being harnessed to supporting the wellbeing needs of staff and students. We hope that the results of the triennial assessment help to outline the efforts underway in our district and the emphasis we put on whole child supports.

If you have any questions, please contact Superintendent Bland at jessbland@ocknights.org.

April 4 - Elementary Music Concert (7:00 p.m.)

April 7 - No School

April 10 - No School

April 14 - Oakland-Craig Trivia Night

April 17 - Board of Education Meeting

April 20 - Elementary Family BINGO Night (6:00 p.m.)

April 21 - No School for Students (OC Hosts District Music)

April 22 - Prom

May 3 - Baccalaureate (Oakland Methodist Church)

May 8 - Teacher Appreciation Week

Board of Education Meeting

May 9 - Academic Awards Night

May 13 - Graduation

May 15 - Elementary Track and Field Day

Athletic Awards Night

May 16 - Preschool Graduation

May 17 - Last Day of School for Students

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

VBS is May 22-26 (Register Here)

Superintendent

Email: jessbland@ocknights.org
Website: www.ocknights.org
Location: 309 N Davis Ave, Oakland, NE, USA
Phone: 402-685-5661