Knightly News

An Update from the Superintendent's Office - December 2022

It is hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us. We have several exciting activities planned to celebrate in the coming weeks. We will kick off the season with the high school band and choir concert on Friday, December 2 at 7:00 p.m. in the new gym. The elementary concert will follow on Monday, December 5 also at 7:00 p.m. in the new gym.

There are also several community activities coming up. On Friday, December 2 many of our local businesses will be open late for those wanting to get some Christmas shopping done. Memories and Tilted Table are offering great dinner options as well. In addition, Eden will be hosting an open house following the high school music concert.

The Chamber of Commerce is hosting "Kids Christmas" at the Harvest Moon Pumpkin Patch on Saturday, December 3 from 10:00 a.m. until noon. The Oakland Women's Club is continuing the fun during their Tour of Lights Saturday evening beginning at 7:00 p.m.. Pick up your maps in the elementary parking lot. Free will donation will be accepted. Businesses will continue to be open for your holiday shopping with open houses at Nelson's Food Pride and Simple Blossoms by Lena on Thursday, December 8.

The Chamber of Commerce is also excited to host the Pathfinders Chorus on Saturday, December 10. Tickets can be purchased at First Northeast Bank, Corner Drug, or at the link below. The fun will continue on Sunday, December 11 with the Swedish Heritage Center's Sankta Lucia Program. All students are encouraged to perform in the program. Rehearsals will be at the Swedish Heritage Center on Saturdays from 10:30-11:15 a.m. This is another great way to support our community so we hope to see you all there!

School will dismiss for winter break on December 20 with no school from December 21 until January 3. Students will return for a full day of school on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.

From all of us at Oakland-Craig Public Schools, we wish you the happiest of holiday seasons!

Purchase tickets for the Pathfinders Chorus Concert here.

Staff Gifts

Are you looking for the perfect gift for your child's teacher? If so, we have ideas for you! There is a "giving tree" in the Elementary Commons. Each teacher has listed an item or two that they would like for their classroom. The process is simple. If you'd like to purchase something you can take the ornament for the teacher you are buying for with you. Purchase the item and deliver it to the teacher. If you can't make it into the elementary to pick up an ornament, you can simply check the list linked below. All the teachers that provided me with ideas of what they would like are on the list. You don't have to let me know what you purchased as most are items that they can receive more than one of.

Our teachers spend so much of their own time and money to care and educate our children so we thought this would be one way we could give back to them and show them how much we appreciate them. If you have any questions, please contact Jess Bland at jessbland@ocknights.org.

OC Teacher Giving Tree List

School Resource Officer

We are sad to announce that Officer Dunn has resigned from the Oakland Police Department and will begin with the Lyons Police Department in January 2023. Officer Dunn did a great job serving as our School Resource Officer and the relationships he built with students and staff exceeded our expectations. Due to Officer Dunn's resignation, the future of our School Resource Officer program is uncertain. We are looking into a variety of options and will update the community as decisions are made.

Inclement Weather

Winter will soon be upon us and with that we likely will see some inclement weather, but hopefully not a lot. All weather delays and closures will be announced via our OneCall system, local news stations (KTIC, The Bull, KETV, etc.), and our school social media pages. If you are not on the OneCall system and you would like to be, please contact the school office. Community members are welcome to receive calls as well! You do not have to be a parent to receive our OneCalls. If you want to stay up to date with what is happening at the school, we are happy to add you to our list!

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Jr. High Entrance

The Jr. High Entrance got a facelift! Thank you to Mr. Rexroad and his students for creating a design and bringing it to life!

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Jr. High Entrance

Here is another look at the interior of the Jr. High entrance. Thanks to a Friends of Oakland Foundation grant, the exterior of this entrance will be getting a portico as well. Both projects are lead by Mr. Rexroad.

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Sprayer Simulator

Thank you to CVA for providing an opportunity for OC and other area students to practice driving a sprayer using their simulator equipment.

Free/Reduced Paperwork

While you may not be aware, our free/reduced percentage is a vital piece of our funding. We receive grants based on our free/reduced percentage so it is important that we have accurate numbers. Currently, 35% 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. If we do not meet the 40% minimum, we will not be able to offer the after school program. Applications can be found in the high school and elementary offices or can be sent home with your child.

Free/Reduced Application