Tiger Tracks

Happy October, Oakdale Families!

It’s hard to believe we are already heading into October! The first several weeks of school have flown by, and it has been great to see our students settled into their routines, working hard, and enjoying being together. October is always a busy and exciting month at Oakdale, so be sure to check out the information and upcoming dates below.

As always, thank you for your continued support of our students, staff, and school. We appreciate our Oakdale families!

~ Mr. Jagels

Congratulations to Luke B. in Mrs. Bintz's 1st grade class and Alexia D. in Mrs. Clark's 4th grade class. They were randomly drawn in September's monthly High 5 Drawing. They were able to select three of their friends and go on a scavenger hunt with our resident 6th grade scavenger teacher, Mrs. Kratky. They all also received a fall treat afterward.

Be on the lookout for October's High Five Drawing for two students to be randomly drawn to video record the first snow day announcement.

If you signed up to be a room parent, would like to be considered as a field trip volunteer when opportunities are available, or plan to help with the Triple Be Field Day, you will need to complete a background screen.

The link to begin the process is below. After submitting your name and email address, you will receive a separate email with instructions to complete the background check online. Once the process is complete, you will be notified when you have been approved to volunteer.

Our Fall Book Fair is right around the corner! Come visit us in person in the Oakdale Library or shop online from our homepage!

Stop in after school on October 6th and during conferences on the 7th and 8th. Thanks to the incredible support from our community, we've been able to give more than 150 books to teachers and students in the last year.

In-Person Dates (Oakdale Library):

Tuesday, October 6th -- 3:30-5:30 PM

Wednesday, October 7th -- 3:00-8:00 PM

Thursday, October 8th -- 8:30 AM-3:00 PM

Our Book Fair wouldn’t be possible without our amazing volunteers. Please consider giving your time to help make this event a success for our students. (All student volunteers will need to be chaperoned by an adult.)

Book Fair Volunteer Sign Up

Thank you for supporting our school, our students, and their love of reading!

Oakdale Elementary will hold our Halloween Parade and Party on Friday, October 30th. The parade will occur after the parties. As in previous years, for the safety and security of our students, we are asking that only Room Parents enter the building to hold the parties. If you are not signed up to be one of the room parents in a classroom, you will not be able to enter the building. We apologize for this inconvenience, but want to ensure the safety of all our students and staff. You are more than welcome to watch the costume parade on the playground around the back of the school.

Halloween Party and Parade

• 2:30-3:15 pm - Classroom Parties (room parents only)
• 3:15 pm - Outdoor Parade around the playground (all invited)

Parade

The parade will begin at 3:15 p.m. and start near the cafeteria doors. The students will walk around the outdoor classroom sidewalk and then re-enter the building through the preschool doors. We ask that you not take your child from the parade for dismissal in order to ensure the safety of all students. After students come back inside, we will proceed with our regular school dismissal. After the parade, please return to your cars so traffic can flow smoothly. The back parking lot (basketball hoops) will be open and the church has graciously agreed to allow parking at that time as well.

Costumes

Please remember we ask that costumes be on the fun and friendly side, free of scary or frightening masks or clothing with blood, gore, or weapons. Please reserve make-up for evening activities. If students bring a costume that includes any of these items, they will be asked to remove them or change. Students should bring their costumes at the beginning of the school day and should be able to get dressed in their costume without assistance. Thank you for honoring these requests.

Food Safety

Please remember to follow the District Approved Snack List (linked below). Thanks for helping to make Oakdale a caring community for all of our students. We hope you have a fun and safe Halloween!

We ask that you use the District Approved Snack List linked below and send items to school in the original, sealed packaging bearing the ingredient label. Double-check ingredient labels at the time of purchase to verify that there are no peanuts or tree nuts (e.g. almonds and walnuts) or cross-contamination statements. Manufacturers’ ingredients can change without warning. As always, please coordinate with teachers and administrators before bringing snacks into PK-6 classrooms. This list does not cover all food allergens.

Oakdale is fortunate to have a great relationship with our neighbor, Rockbrook United Methodist Church. Earlier this year, the church generously provided tons of snacks for our students and staff. They also serve as our evacuation site in the event of an emergency and allow us to use additional parking during large school events. We truly appreciate their continued support of Oakdale!

In return, we want to make sure we are being good neighbors. As outlined in our parking and traffic procedures since the new building opened, please do not park in the church parking lot when picking up your student at dismissal. We have plenty of space on school property in our drive-thru lane, and the lane typically clears within ten minutes of dismissal—we have a dismissal procedure that rocks!

If you prefer not to wait in the pick-up line, you may park in the surrounding neighborhood (please be sure to follow all posted traffic signs) or arrange to pick up along Frontage Road. Please remember, however, that school supervision is provided only in the Oakdale pick-up lane.

We have also recently received reports of students—and some adults—jumping off the retaining wall in the church parking lot. The church has put up signs reminding everyone not to do this. If you are walking in that direction, please use the sidewalk or walk around the retaining wall rather than jumping down from it.

Thank you for helping us keep dismissal safe and for helping Oakdale continue to be a good neighbor to Rockbrook United Methodist Church. We appreciate everyone's cooperation!

A copy of the Oakdale Traffic Procedures is attached again for your reference.

Get ready to build, code, and compete! The Oakdale Robotics Club is an incredible opportunity for Kindergarten through 6th grade students to think critically, solve problems creatively, and collaborate in teams all while learning to drive, program, and strategize with VEX robots. Each week, students will work with their robotics team to prepare for the exciting Oakdale/Rockbrook Elementary Robotics Expo, where they'll showcase their skills in a fun, hands-on competition. Space is limited, so be sure to register by October 30, 2026. Please only sign up if your child can attend all weekly sessions and the Expo on March 13, as consistent teamwork is key to a successful season!

Please join us in honoring our Oakdale Community Veterans this Veterans Day with a special school assembly on Wednesday, November 11th at 9:30 AM. Please talk with your Tiger about the veterans who may be in your family or circle of friends to invite them to our special event! On this day all members of the Oakdale Community of Learners will be wearing red, white, and blue. Due to seating limitations, our assembly will include only our students, staff, and our special veterans and their families/guests.

In order to thank our service men and women, Oakdale students would like to send personalized thank you notes to Veterans. Please help us by clicking on the button below to fill out a form providing the name and address of a Veteran by Friday, October 30th. We will then send a thank you note via U.S. Post to the identified current or former service member. This activity has turned out to be one of our students' favorite activities as we frequently receive letters back from our veterans. The information, stories, dedication, honor, and perseverance they have shown is tremendous and inspiring to our students! Thank you for your assistance in honoring, celebrating, and thanking Oakdale's veterans.

Congratulations to our 6th grade class, Mrs. Schmitz, and our kindergarten class, Mrs. Carruthers! During this week’s Spirit Week for our annual fundraiser, these two classes had the highest participation in our School Spirit Showdown Grade Color Day!

Mrs. Schmitz’s class had 88% participation, while Mrs. Carruthers’ class had 84% participation. As a reward for showing their school spirit, both classes will receive an extra recess!

Way to show your Oakdale spirit!

Linked you will find our year long Oakdale Calendar. This is not an all-inclusive calendar and is subject to change throughout the year. However, it will provide a general outline of events to pencil in on your calendar.

In addition, we encourage you to access our Oakdale Calendar through our Website, the Westside Community Schools App, or to subscribe so that this information shows right up on your own calendar for iPhone, iPad, Mac, or any other Google Calendar subscribable platform.

October

2 Last Day of Oakdale Fundraiser

6-8 Book Fair

7-8 Parent Teacher Communication

8 Don & Millie's Night

8-9 NO SCHOOL

12 NO SCHOOL - Teacher Professional Learning Day

16 Fundraiser Celebration, 6:00

17 VIVI Fundraiser

30 Halloween Parties, 2:30

November

1 Daylight Saving Time Ends

5 Vocal Music Festival @ WHS, 7:00 pm

10 Community Club Meeting, 6:30 pm

11 Veterans Day Program, 9:30 am

12 3-4 Music Program @ WMS, 7:00 pm

12 Don & Millie's Night

14 Unified Sensory Make and Take Event @ Oakdale, 10:00 am

20 Turkey Trot, 10:00 am-K-2, 1:15 pm-5-6, 1:45 pm-3-4

25-27 NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break

We know it is important to consider both the physical and social-emotional wellbeing of our students, families, and staff. We continue to be committed to providing regular instruction and support for studying in managing thoughts and feelings.

If your child is experiencing particular difficulties and you would like to explore options for additional support we encourage you to contact our School Counselor, Ms. Rosemary Sodoro (mailto:sodoro.rosemary@westside66.net) or our School Psychologist, Mrs. Krystal Bauman (mailto:baumanfebus.krystal@westside66.net), who can help in coordinating additional support and resources.

The Oakdale School Community Club offers a FREE online family directory each fall containing the names of students and their parents, with their home addresses, phone numbers, and email information. Only families who submit information to the Community Club or give permission through the Returning Student Registration Process will be included in the directory. If you have not already logged in to the website, please log in and update your information OR new parents can create a new login.

Westside Community Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, age, marital/parental status, military/veteran status or any other category protected by law in its programs and activities or in admission or access to, or treatment in, hiring and employment, and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

The following District personnel have been designated to coordinate compliance and can address inquiries about the District’s nondiscrimination policies and procedures:

For questions or concerns by students, parents or others:

• Coordinator of Student Services/Title IX Coordinator – ABC Bldg. 909 So. 76th St. Omaha (402) 390-2100 E-mail: titleixcoordinator@westside66.net
• Director of Special Services/ADA & 504 Coordinator (disability/accommodation) ABC Bldg. 909 So. 76th St. E-mail: ADAcoordinator@westside66.net

For questions by District employees or applicants:

• Ass’t Supt. for Human Resources/Lead Title IX Coordinator - 909 So. 76th St. Omaha, NE (402) 390-2100 E-mail: titleixcoordinatorHR@westside66.net

For further information about anti-discrimination laws or to file a complaint of discrimination you may also contact the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), U.S. Dept. of Education, One Petticoat Lane, 1010 Walnut Street, 3rd Floor, Suite 320, Kansas City, MO 64106,
Tele. (816) 268-0550, Fax (816) 268-0599, (TDD) (800) 877-8339, or ocr.kansascity@ed.gov.

Mission Statement

At Oakdale Elementary, we foster an inclusive environment with high-expectations that promotes academic excellence, social-emotional well-being, and lifelong success, while celebrating the unique strengths of each student and preparing them to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Vision Statement

At Oakdale Elementary, our vision is to cultivate a community where every student becomes a confident, independent learner, equipped with the skills, values, and global perspective needed to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Our vision includes inspiring critical thinking, fostering lifelong learning, and empowering students to contribute positively to society as compassionate, well-rounded citizens ready to make a difference.

• Be Safe
• Be Respectful
• Be Responsible
• (Be Kind)

Email: jagels.glen@westside66.net
Website: westside66.org/domain/13
Location: 9801 W Center Rd, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Phone: 402-390-6460
Facebook: facebook.com/OakdaleTigers66
Twitter: @oakdaletigers66