Weekly ORES PTO Newsletter

January 2, 2019

Happy 2019!

Please read all about the various changes to the GCS District Calendar starting tomorrow, January 3!

Upcoming Events

January 3, 2019

First day of school after winter break

School will start 5 minutes early for the rest of the school year. Tardy bell will ring at 7:40 AM.

January 3, 2019

Rio Grande PTO Restaurant Night

Oak Ridge Commons, 5:00 - 8:00 PM

Please mention you are with ORES!

January 4, 2019

School Store is Open

Media Center Hallway, 7:20 - 7:45 AM

January 9, 2019

Rescheduled: School Spelling Bee

Rm. 500, 8:00 AM

January 22, 2019

Regular School Day

Has been CHANGED from original schedule as Teacher Workday with No school

January 28, 2019

New Teacher Workday/Parent-Teacher Conferences

No school.

A Message from ORES Principal Denise Francisco

Welcome back to school following what we hope was a wonderful winter break! We look forward to seeing everyone back in school on Thursday, January 3rd.

Please remember that the start time is being adjusted to assist with making up lost instructional days and the tardy bell will now ring at 7:40 each day (5 minutes earlier than it rang the first part of the school year). Students need to be in their classroom by the time the tardy bell rings at 7:40 (not just in the front doors of the school). We will open the school’s hallway/safety doors at 7:15. Please be aware that bus routes should be 5 minutes earlier as well so it will be a good idea to be out at the bus stop earlier than you were prior to winter break.

Before we left for break, GCS announced the make-up days for the missed instructional days. Changes have been made to the GCS calendar and we encourage you to review this calendar on the GCS Website. The end of 2nd quarter has now been moved to Jan. 25th and the mandatory Parent/Teacher Conference Day to receive 2nd quarter report cards has been moved from Jan. 22nd to Jan. 28th. Your child’s teacher should be sending home a sign-up for conferences so please sign up for a conference on this day to meet with your child’s teacher and pick up your child’s report card. Just as we did for 1st quarter – all report cards will be hand delivered to parents during a face-to-face conference. We appreciate your support and participation with these very important conferences.

When we return to school over the next couple of weeks our students will be engaged with a variety of assessments to help us gauge their progress with grade level standards. Students in Grades K-3 will be given their Middle of the Year Reading 3D DIBELS/TRC Assessments and students in Grades 3-5 will be taking their Interim Benchmark Assessments in Reading and Math (and Science for Grade 5). We look forward to sharing the results of these assessments with parents at your child’s 2nd Quarter Conference.

On behalf of the entire Oak Ridge Staff, we would like to thank you for your thoughtful acts of kindness prior to the Christmas holiday. You showered the staff with so many gifts and kind gestures and we are so very appreciative of your ongoing support and partnership. We look forward to the rest of this amazing school year!

Mrs. Francisco

Starting tomorrow, January 3, 2019, school starts 5 minutes earlier!

GCS has decided to start the school day 5 minutes earlier to address the inclement weather days we had earlier this year. Buses will also pick up your student 5 minutes earlier than the previous 2018 schedule.

The school will open its doors for students at 7:15 AM. The cones from the Car Rider line will be moved at 7:12 AM and buses will begin unloading students at 7:15 AM.

The tardy bell will ring at 7:40 AM and students need to be in their classrooms by that time.

PTO Restaurant Night at Rio Grande tomorrow! Thursday, January 3, 2019

With all the new schedule changes, make dinner tomorrow evening easy and delicious!

Join us at Rio Grande at Oak Ridge Commons for the first PTO Restaurant Night of 2019 tomorrow evening, Thursday, January 3, 2019 from 5:00 - 8:00 PM. Just mention "Oak Ridge Elementary" when you place your order.

Thank you very much for your support!

School Spelling Bee re-scheduled to Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Due to the snow-related school cancellations last December, the School Spelling Bee has been re-scheduled to Wednesday, January 9, 2019 at 8:00 AM at Rm. 500. Class representatives and their families should have already received notice of this schedule change.

Please contact Ms. Tuggle with any questions.

Important Changes to January 2019 Teacher Workdays

The following changes have been made to the Teacher Workdays (no school) for January 2019:

January 22 (Tuesday) is now a Regular School Day. This is a change from the original Teacher Workday/Parent-Teacher conference schedule.

January 28 (Monday) is now a Teacher Workday/Parent-Teacher Conference Day with No School.

Please click here for a link to more information about the updated GCS plans for Make-Up Days.

New Year's Resolution: Be more active with the PTO!

Looking forward to next school year, we are need some very important volunteers. On a regular basis, we will highlight positions of need throughout the PTO. We encourage parents of our younger students to consider stepping-up as our current volunteers have children who are getting to move on from Oak Ridge Elementary.

Sponsorship: we are looking for a committed volunteer who will work with current sponsors (and seek new ones) for commitments for the banners, newsletter and website advertising that support the PTO. The position's schedule is very flexible and most of the work is done at the beginning and end of the school year.

Chess Club Coordinator: we are in need of a volunteer to head up our weekly Wednesday morning Chess Club. Many students attend this great activity and a Coordinator is essential to keep this Club going. There is some work at the beginning of the school year with student sign-up and around tournament time. Parents of current chess club members are especially encouraged to volunteer!

These are jobs that are so integral to our PTO. We would love for at least 2 people to come on board now and shadow the volunteers currently doing these jobs. It will make it so much easier next year. Please email orespto@gmail.com if interested!!!

GCS Announces Snow Make-up Days

GCS has announced that the following days will be used as Inclement Weather make-up days:

Monday, February 18, 2019
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Monday, June 10, 2019

Please click here for an updated GCS traditional school calendar.

Sponsorship Opportunities

All of our sponsors, no matter how big or small, make a difference. Sponsoring our weekly newsletter, gymnasium banners, website and school planners helps us provide the school staff, our students and our families resources that the school's budget does not provide. If you are interested in a sponsorship, please contact us.

Email the PTO about Sponsorships!