THE LION'S ROAR NEWSLETTER

OAK MIDDLE SCHOOL

September 23, 2018

In this Issue: LAUSD WEBSITE Oak Middle School Website  Oak PTA E-mail FOLLOW US: ‌

HEAR US ROAR! OAK MIDDLE SCHOOL WEEKLY UPDATE  Academics, Athletics, Activities and the Arts Extraordinary Experiences for Everyone Every Day SPOTLIGHT ON ACADEMICS AT OAK: English instruction at Oak includes both literature and writing. Students spend 90 minutes each day reading the classics, learning the conventions of grammar and practicing their writing skills. Check out some of these very cool activities that keep our students engaged. Students in Mrs. Olmscheid's class played a subject/predicate Jeopardy game to review for an upcoming quiz.

In Mr. Hill's class, students used old fashioned hand made fortune tellers to practice their subject/predicates. Do you remember those from your own childhood?

In Mrs. Conroy's 8th grade English class, students used the lyrics from Toby Keith's I Wanna Talk About Me song to learn possessive pronouns. The task was to circle as many possessive pronouns as possible while the song played in the background.

Seventh grade students are reading their first Epic Novel Beowulf, written in the 8th century.

History is alive and well at Oak Middle School. Student's in Mrs. Siegmann's classes did an investigative study on why the Roman Empire Fell. Using Primary and Secondary sources, students had to come to their own conclusions.

Can you Dig it? Students in Mrs. Spatharos' class analyzed artifacts from an ancient civilization (they were actually objects from Mrs. Spatharos' childhood!) It was so much fun to watch students try to figure out what a cassette tape was. This lesson makes you think what we value and leave behind.

Students in Mrs. Shearer's class investigated Wegener's Theory of Continental Drift.

Modeling Monday in Math classes focused on a problem solving lesson that looked at sharing carpooling costs equitably. Is there a difference between equal and equitable?

In Mr. Berger's math class, students solved problems by using what they know about numbers and variables. They also used a visual representation to show their thinking.

Students in Mrs. Gardner's robotics class learned to program Olies using their iPads.

This summer, the Oak staff learned about Growth Mindset through a "breakout box" exercise. We had so much fun, we ordered a set for our students at Oak. Mr. Miko's class had their first "breakout" clues this week. Many groups were successful in breaking the codes.

DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW... Oak has its own surf and sport club? They had their first meet up this Saturday. Experienced and beginner surfers gathered and had blast. Under the direction of Mr. Smith, this club will meet up in the next 2-3 weeks. There was even a special guest appearance from a secret shredder who also happens to be a favorite teacher at Oak. Any guesses?

DID YOU KNOW... The end of the first reporting period is on September 21st? What does this mean? Students will be getting progress reports to take home at the end of NEXT week. Progress reports show parents and students grades at the end of the six weeks. These grades are NOT recorded on a report card or transcript but are used to let YOU know how you are doing. CHECK YOUR AERIES AND MAKE SURE ALL YOUR ASSIGNMENTS ARE TURNED IN!! Our intervention team will be reviewing ALL student grades and inviting students to attend morning intervention classes to bring up grades.

DID YOU KNOW... We have GREAT opportunities for parents to volunteer at Oak. HELP OAK DRAMATIC ARTS BUILD THEIR SETS AND COSTUME THEIR FALL PLAY CALLING ALL CONSTRUCTION WORKERS AND SEAMSTRESSES  Oak Dramatic Arts is preparing for our fall mainstage production,  Antigone Now , a modern take on the Greek tragedy by Sophocles. We are currently looking for parents and friends of Oak to support Drama by donating time and expertise building sets, enhancing costumes, and supporting the hospitality venue the two evenings of the performance. There will be two dress rehearsals after school, and two performances October 9 & 10 at 7pm in the MPR. The set design is simple using wood pallets hammered together and placed on rollers, the construction of a small stage bed, and a few other smaller pieces. If anyone has access to 3-4 old window frames that would also be useful for our design. Regarding costumes, we can use some sewing folks to help enhance garments being used for the production. The sooner the sets are built and costumes are created, students can delve deeper into the characters they will portray on stage. Thank you in advance for supporting Oak Dramatic Arts by offering your services. If you can help please email Dr. Arias at  earias@losal.org  or notify Mrs. Tomi in the front office with your email and phone information.

DID YOU KNOW.. Antigone Now is coming to the Oak stage?

DID YOU KNOW.... Reflections is now here! PTA Reflections would like to know who are your "heroes Around Me". Our Oak pride is full of creative students and this is an opportunity for them to share with our community and beyond. Reflections is a national art recognition and achievement program for K-12 students which allows students to find outlets in dance choreography, film production, literature, music competition, photography, and visual arts. There will be an art showcase in the Spring displaying all the entries for Los Alamitos. The deadline for submissions is October 19th in the main office. Entry forms must be completed and turned in with the student's project. If you have questions or your student would like to borrow art supplies, please contact our Reflections Chairperson, Michelle Williams, click here To access the application find application here by clicking

DID YOU KNOW... The Los Alamitos Recreation & Community Services Department invites you, your friends, and family to join in on the Race on the Base - Los Alamitos Unified School District Race Challenge. Get a $5 discount by using your own school code and earn credit towards your school. The code can be used by any student, faculty, friend or family member. PLEASE JOIN US FOR TEAM OAK RACE ON THE BASE!   The school with the most race entries by their school code receives: 1)       The winning school name on a traveling championship belt 2)       A popsicle party for the whole school 3)       $500 towards your school! Register at  www.raceonthebase.com . Early bird registration deadline is September 30, 2018. Register before the price increase! See attached flyer for details and school code.

DID YOU KNOW... You can celebrate a birthday while helping our Oak Middle School Scholarship Club raise money for the McKenna Claire foundation that supports research for Pediatric Cancer?If you would like to post a birthday on our marquee, please click the link and fill out the paperwork. Celebrate Birthdays at Oak click here to print the birthday form

DID YOU KNOW.... Every Friday is Spirit Day at Oak? Please wear your favorite Oak Tee or show your school pride by dressing in our school colors: Blue and Yellow.

DID YOU KNOW.. Los Al Song and Cheer has a clinic open for anyone interested in cheering on our Griffins.

HEAR US ROAR! Erin Kominsky Principal, Oak Middle School ekominsky@losal.org

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT OAK THIS WEEK?

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: SEPTEMBER 28 THIS FRIDAY , NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS. Teachers will be participating in a staff development day. MONDAY (9/24) LAEF Dance class at zero period begins today! TUESDAY   ( 9/25):   Teaching and learning at Oak WEDNESDAY ( 9/26): Modified Wednesday 2:00 dismissal for period 7 THURSDAY (9/27): Progress reports home today! Lion Pride Lunch awards for selected 8th graders FRIDAY (9/28): NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS TODAY

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Parents we need YOU to join PTA. Our goal is 100% membership for Oak Middle School. Please JOIN TODAY! Did You Know...? Oak Families helped Oak PTA raise over $1500 last year by doing these 4 things!!   BoxTops  - Save, clip & turn in your BoxTops to the Main Office before the end of September!    Office Depot  – When you shop for supplies at Office Depot on Katella, tell them you are from Oak Middle School and they will donate 5% of your total to our school!   Ameci's Pizza  - Our local Los Al shop gives Oak $$ back if you to cut out the  AMECI CARES ABOUT OUR SCHOOLS  icon on the pizza boxes and turn them in to the Office!   Ralph's Grocer  - Follow these instructions to get your Ralph's card linked up to save for Oak! 1.    Go to www.ralphs.com. 2.    Click on Community > Community Rewards (Top center menu). 3.    Scroll down the page to Participant >Enroll now 4.    If you already have an account, click Sign In. 5.    If you are new to Ralphs.com and need to create an account, click on Register (Top right Corner) 6.    Do you use your phone number at the register? Call 800-660-9003 to get your REWARDS card number. 7.    Once you are logged in, go to My Account (Top right Corner) scroll down to Community Rewards to Find Your Organization and search for  OAK MIDDLE SCHOOL PTA (or our number 81838) 8.    Under Select Your Organization, select the button next to OAK MIDDLE SCHOOL PTA  9.    Click the Save Changes button to save your selection. 10. The City School will appear at the bottom of your Ralphs receipts. Double check the next time you go to the store.     Thank you families for supporting Oak and our PTA!

Oak Middle School PTA Board 2018-2019  President- Marita Frank- marita.frank@gmail.com Executive Vice President- Monica Graham- cmograham@hotmail.com Treasurer- Krista Jameson- mskristaj@yahoo.com VP Ways & Means- Marci Ferguson- baenam@msn.com VP Parent Ed- Viki Bragg- vlw24@aol.com VP Legislation- Allison Mohanna- Alison.mohanna@gmail.com VP Membership- Cindy Welch- jcjwelch@gmail.com Financial Secretary- Kahmissa Steenhousen- ksteenhausen@gmail.com Recording Secretary- Christy Croce- croce@mail.com Historian- Rebecca Brazier- rebeccabrazier@yahoo.com Parliamentarian- Jodee Flint flintfuller@

Purchase Oak Spirit click here On-line  Gear up to show your school spirit on Fridays!  Oak spirit wear is availbable for purchase or go to casswimshop.com search Oak.

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