September 2022 Newsletter

A Message from Principal Thompson

Dear East Middle School Families,

Welcome back to all of our returning families, and welcome to East Middle School to all of our new families. We are excited to let you know the 2022-2023 school year is off to wonderful start!

We encourage all of you and your student(s) to make the most of your time at East Middle School. First, by paying close attention to your student’s academic growth, academic achievement and their social emotional well-being. Second, by encouraging your student(s) to get involved in clubs, co-curricular activities and athletics at East Middle School.

During the first few days of the school year our East staff worked with all students in establishing common expectations in all environments at school. Our focus is for all students and staff to be safe, engaged, respectful and responsible. This is known throughout East as the Cougar Code. Click HERE to view the 22-23 Cougar Code for all common or shared spaces. Our teachers also worked with students on creating common expectations within their classrooms to ensure everyone follows the Cougar Code in class so all students are able to focus and learn in a safe environment.

Communication between families and East Middle School is key to our students' success. Throughout this school year we will utilize various channels to communicate with our families.

Daily announcements: you will receive via email. Daily announcements are also posted to our school website located under the parent tab. These announcements contain timely information about all school activities, clubs, athletics and schedule changes, etc.
House Communication: each week (Friday) you will receive a House Update that contains timely information on what your student is learning, upcoming project, tests, homework as well as any deadlines and/or House specific activities.
EMS Family Newsletter: at the beginning of each month, you will receive our EMS Family Newsletter via email or you can locate it on our school website under the parent tab.
Coffee with the Principal: You are all invited to attend our quarterly Coffee with the Principal in which we share quarterly celebrations at EMS, School Improvement Plan, survey data, preview upcoming activities/events and answer questions.
Facebook: we will also utilize our OCF East Middle School Facebook to post reminders to events, provide updates, share quick stories, and share general success of our students and staff. Please join our EMS Facebook page.

We believe in the value of developing strong supportive relationships between our East administration, student services, teachers and families as we work together over the course of your student’s time with us. Each associate principal is teamed with a school counselor to be your primary point of contact when you have questions regarding your student’s middle school experience.

Jodi Newell, Associate Principal and Emily Splan, School Counselor will support students with last names beginning A-L
Casey Milroy, Associate Principal and Christine Ruz, School Counselor will support students with last names beginning M-Z

As we begin the journey of this school year together, we are extremely proud to say that all our efforts are aligned to ensure all students and staff are growing, learning and working towards getting better at getting better each and every day.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

Sincerely,

Sue Thompson, Principal

Jodi Newell Associate Principal (A-L)

Casey Milroy, Associate Principal (M-Z)

Meet our Dean of Students - Paul Bastian

Hello Oak Creek Middle School families! As many of you know, my name is Mr. Paul Bastian and I am currently one of the Physical Education teachers here at East and have been for many years.

I am excited to expand my role at East and become the part time Dean of Students. I look forward to teaming up with Administration to help with student behaviors and concerns. My focus will be on restorative practices and developing positive student, staff, and family relationships. Looking forward to a great 2022-2023 school year!

Upcoming Events

Click HERE to see a full list of upcoming events!

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 5 - No School - Labor Day

Sept. 12 - School Board Meeting - 5:15pm @ OCHS Little Theater

Sept. 23 - Student Council Activity Night - 4 - 5:30pm

OCTOBER

Oct. 7, Friday - No School

Oct. 13, Thursday - Parent Conferences 4:30-8:00 p.m.

Oct. 20, Thursday - Parent Conferences 4:30-8:00 p.m.

Oct. 21, Friday - No School

Oct. 27, Thursday - Photo Make-Up Day

We are so happy to have our students back!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher Conferences provide an excellent opportunity for parents/guardians to gain insight into your student’s recent academic performance and study skills/habits. Parents/guardians, you are a crucial component in your student’s academic achievement and social/emotional well-being at school. We encourage you to bring your student along with you so that all parties are on the same page, preparing for a successful academic first semester of the 2022-2023 school year.

Conferences will be held on Thursday, October 13th & Thursday, October 20 from 4 - 8:30pm.

You will receive communication from your student’s House/Advisory Teacher with a link to sign up for an in-person or virtual meeting. You can also schedule a brief meeting with your student's Encore teachers and/or Special Education and EL teacher on both days as needed.

We look forward to meeting with you during our fall Parent/Teacher Conferences.

PM Parent Pick Up Information

To ensure everyone's safety, all parents must park in the green parent pick up zone for PM student pick-up. Thank you for taking the appropriate steps to ensure everyone is safe as we release students at the end of the school day.

Onsite Counseling Clinic for Students

This is a friendly reminder that we continue to have a strong partnership with Clinical Psychology Associates (CPA) and continue to have therapists located in both of our middle schools and high school (specifically at the NGC). As the number of students requesting this service has expanded, Clinical Psychology Associates has hired an additional therapist who is ready and able to provide mental health services to Oak Creek students/families.

All students within our district will have access to these clinics. Our district recognizes that unless emotional well-being is present, a student’s educational experience can be compromised, and we want to bring that resource directly into the school.

If you feel your student is struggling with managing his/her emotions, anxiety, stress, or is often in a depressed mood, consider taking advantage of this professional counseling opportunity.

Therapy can provide tools to help your student better deal with the complications and challenges that can occur during adolescence.

Clinical Psychology Associates’ therapists will be on-site and available to schedule appointments with your student during his/her school day. Appointments will be scheduled at times that will provide the least amount of interference to his/her school day. Payment for services will be via your family’s health insurance or an out of pocket rate.

To ask any questions or begin the process of starting therapy, contact

Clinical Psychology Associates by calling or texting (262) 975-0012

For additional information, click HERE.

Here Comes the Bus Mobile App

Here Comes the Bus allows you to view the real-time location of your child’s school bus on your smartphone, tablet or computer. With it, you will have the information you need to send your children to the bus stop at just the right time, helping to protect them from inclement weather and other roadside dangers. What’s more, you’ll have peace of mind knowing your children haven’t missed the bus.

Follow the steps below to download the app today!

Should you have any questions, please contact GO Riteway via email at oakcreekbus@goriteway.com or by phone at (414) 571-9001.

Students with Disabilities & Food Allergies

Parents/guardians of any students with a food allergy or need for a special diet, which requires dietary modification, should complete the Special Dietary Requests/Restrictions form with a medical practitioner's signature. Completed forms should be returned to the school office.

Click HERE to access the form.

Reminders

Click HERE to view our cell phone and headphones procedure

If you allow your student to bring a phone to school, it will need to be locked in the locker from 8:30 am until 3:45 pm.

As in the “olden days,” you can contact the office if you need to speak to or get a message to your child.

Absence Reporting

Please call the attendance line at (414) 768-6260 option “1” to report student absences and tardies. When leaving a message, please include the date, first and last name of your student, the spelling and grade.

Additionally you may email attendance information to our general office email address at office.eastmiddle@ocfsd.org.

Virtual Backpack

Don’t forget to check your student’s Virtual Backpack! The Virtual Backpack is our "eco-friendly" approach to distributing information supporting our district's educational goals and mission.

Virtual Backpack Link: ocfsd.org/parents/virtual-backpack

Background Checks

The District Volunteer Background Check Application is online. We will no longer be accepting paper applications. Every volunteer must complete an online volunteer application form even if you were previously approved and are on the Volunteer Database. You will still need to submit an online volunteer application every five years after the initial online application. This new process will have results within 1-2 days!

The link can be found under the Parents tab on the district website.