Hello Ogden Families!

It was wonderful to see so many of you at Red Sled last weekend! What a great community event.

We loved seeing so many Ogden families in the school, having fun and celebrating the holiday season. A huge thank you to all of the volunteers who put so much time and work into making Red Sled happen, especially the Red Sled chairs, Nichole Veihman and Holly Sokolowski.

An added bonus was bringing the book fair back into the school. Thank you so much to Erin Klunk and the book fair committee for all of their hard work to make that happen.

It was great to see so many of our older students volunteering to help out at Red Sled, from selling popcorn to wearing character costumes to helping with the book fair. It truly was a community effort! Thank you student volunteers!

There are several charitable collections going on this month. Red Sled will continue collecting restaurant and grocery gift cards for Beds Plus through December 8th, donations can be dropped off at the Ogden office. And please see below for more information about a toy collection and coat drive.

The list of thank yous is so long, we couldn't fit it in the newsletter, so be sure to check it out here! You'll also find the names of all raffle winners in this link. Congratulations to the lucky winners and thank you again for ringing in the holiday season with Ogden families at Red Sled.



Leah Burkiewicz & Sarah Barus 

Ogden PTC Presidents

Banned Book Discussion

Join OPEN for the first of a series of book discussions around equity, diversity and belonging this year. Our first meeting will focus on a book for young readers that was banned in the U.S. – the #1 New York Times bestseller The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. The program will be moderated by a local librarian who is affiliated with the Freedom to Read Foundation. We hope you will join us for what promises to be an engaging and thought-provoking discussion. This program is intended for parents/caregivers of Ogden students and adult members of our community at large.

• What: OPEN Banned Book Discussion

• When: Wednesday, December 13, 7:00pm

• Where: Bloom3, 104 W Burlington Ave, La Grange

• RSVP HERE

Note: We have arranged for additional copies of the book to be available at the La Grange Park library over the course of the next month. Reference “Ogden PTC Book Club” when you request a copy of the book.

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact Rebecca Ramana.

Bacci Pizza's Fun Lunch will be on Thurs, Dec 21.

Deadline to order is Thursday, Dec. 14, at noon!

To order, click HERE.

If you still need to create an account to order, click HERE - School password: oas424.



If you believe you ordered lunch already, double check your Marla's account so you can confirm an order shown in the account!

Order a Teacher Lunch! Say thank you to your favorite Ogden staff member by sending a credit for a Marla's Lunch of their choosing! See the website for more details!

See all Fun Lunch dates HERE.

If your child has fun lunch ordered and is absent on the day of fun lunch, the office staff will hold the lunch in the front office for pick up until the end of the lunch period. After that time, any lunches not picked up will be donated!

Questions? Contact Kelly Marco.

Sign Up for the Variety Show!

The 2024 Variety Show will be held at Park Junior High on Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 1 pm !

Registration is now open through Friday, December 15.

You can register by visiting the PTC website here.

One parent from each act will need to fill out the act registration, but every child participating will need a parent to fill out the permission form. Can't wait to see all the unique talents! Volunteer info to follow.

If you missed the parent meeting, you can view the slides here or you can listen to the 15 minute recording of the meeting by clicking here and entering the password: O5PpE!0D.

If you still have questions after viewing the slides, please reach out to Erin McPartlin or Nichole Veihman.

Rainbows Program Registration

To all Ogden School Families:

I am pleased to announce the continuation of the “Rainbows Program” again this year at Ogden School. Rainbows is a weekly support group, led by trained facilitators for children who have experienced a loss as a result of their parents’ separation or divorce, or the death of a close loved one. The Rainbows program consists of 12 sessions that meet during the school lunch/recess hour. This year we will begin our weekly sessions in January and they will wrap up in April. If you are interested in having your child participate in the Rainbows Program, please complete this Google Form by Tuesday, December 19. 

Sincerely,

Mrs. Katie Oplawski-Sedlacek

Rainbows Coordinator

Ogden Specials Teachers & Support Staff Gift Collection

Holiday gifts are being organized by Ogden families from all Ogden students for the specials teachers and support staff to thank them for all their wonderful efforts!

The gifts will be from all Ogden students regardless of contribution towards the group gift. Specials teachers include PE, Art, Music, Spanish, and Library.

Support staff will include custodians, health office staff, IT specialist, instructional coach, social worker, administrative assistants, resource teachers, and other school specialists.

If you are interested in contributing, please Venmo Jennifer Maresso @Jennifer-Maresso or drop off donations at 434 N. Waiola Ave by Monday December 18th.

Thank you for your support and have a great winter break!

Question? Contact Jennifer Maresso.

Holiday Cards!

Did you know that all orders on the Minted website are 20% off and will generate a 15% donation to the Ogden PTC? Perfect for holiday cards and gifts! Please use the PROMO CODE: FUNDRAISEOGDEN at checkout to receive the discount and school donation! We appreciate your support!

PIMA Poinsettia Ready for Pick Up

The D102 Parents Instrumental Music Association poinsettia orders are in! Pick up your poinsettias December 8, 9 and 10. Thank you for supporting our young musicians! Phillips Flowers, 515 N. LaGrange Road, LaGrange Park.

Cub Scouts - Pack 39 is excited to share in collecting new, UN-wrapped toys for a Toy Drive benefiting our neighbors at the Children's Center of Cicero-Berwyn.

Age Group in most need: 1-5 years old.

Toy Drive will run through Tuesday, 12/12 with collections in the marked box in the lobby of the school entrance.

Thank you in advance for sharing kindness this season!!!!

Please visit their website by clicking here.

Questions? Contact Cub Master Renee Clarke at 718-219-8036.

Cheri's Caring Closet Donations and Volunteer Opportunity

Cheri's Caring Closet is prepping for the winter season and is in need of donations. With every donation, you are helping a student or family in need within District 102. The donation bin is located at Congress Park, 9311 Shields Ave., Brookfield.

Cheri's Caring Closet is also looking for volunteers, ages 5 and up, to assist with sorting donated clothes.

This is a great way to give back to the community during the season of giving. More information and sign-up can be found by clicking here.

Adopt a D102 Family for Christmas

Help out D102 families! There are 22 families still in need of support. Adopt a family or student through the Family Giving Tree by purchasing gifts on their wishlist. If you are interested, please contact Vanessa Deaton.  

Playground Committee Survey

The Ogden PTC has assembled a playground committee to plan and implement play space improvements, and we need your input! Both short and long-term projects are being considered for the next 2-3 years. To learn more, see our flyer.

Please take a moment to fill out the survey here.

"My family lived in the Netherlands when I was in Second Grade. Sinterklaas (the Dutch Santa) came to my house and talked to me and my older brother. I was excited and terrified."

--Mrs. LeGare, music teacher

Hi everyone, 

I would like to give a big shout-out to the team that made the Nathan Hale author visit possible. I want to thank Mrs. Klunk and Mrs. Sordyl for their many hours of work helping make this happen, handling the book orders and figuring out all the hard stuff. There was a lot. What does Nathan want for lunch was the easiest thing to figure out. He has no allergies and pretty much likes everything. Whew. 

Thank you to everyone at Park Junior High who got the auditorium ready. 

I also want to thank 6th Grader Anne Sloan for introducing Nathan Hale. What an amazing job you did, Anne! 

Thank you Anderson's Bookshop for making this happen. 

Thank you teachers for talking up the author with your classes.

And thank you Nathan Hale for coming and sparking an interest in reading and history.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful time listening to his stories and watching him illustrate at the same time. 

P.S. Everyone ...Fun fact: I got to drive Nathan Hale to his next destination after our visit, and I learned a lot. You can ask me details when you see me.

Have a great day Ogden!!!

Mrs. Pitelka

Boogie and Brushes Ball

The annual Boogie and Brushes Ball is scheduled for Friday, January 19th from 6-9pm in the MPR and gym of Ogden Ave School.

Enjoy a night of painting, dancing, prizes and more! Link for tickets coming soon.

**This event has has been historically identified as Ogden's Father/Daughter event. It is our goal to create an inclusive environment for our children and welcome all caregivers to participate with their children.**

If you would like to be part of this special event or have any questions, please contact Jen Kairuz to join the committee. The vendors are already booked so the fun part of planning is all that's left to do!

Boys' Night Out

Please save the date for January 26th for a fun night out. Mom/special person and their sons will be invited to join in some fun at Ogden Elementary school gym. More details to come.

Questions? Contact Jenna Tassoni.

Chicago Wolves Game

SUNDAY, JANUARY 28 at 3PM

WOLVES VS. MANITOBA MOOSE

Join Ogden Avenue families and friends for an afternoon of fun at a Chicago Wolves hockey game. Everyone will receive a free Chicago Wolves hat and will be seated together. Learn more by clicking on the flyer here.

Please order your tickets by using the QR code or clicking here by Jan. 17.

Questions? Contact Kelly Walker.

December Book Recommendations

This year, the OPEN Committee is selecting five books per month from notable book awards to donate to our school’s Library Resource Center (LRC) in collaboration with our school librarians. Below are this month’s selections, which you can also read about clicking here. Be sure to tell your children to check them out in the library this month!

Keep Your Head Warm with an Ogden Beanie

The next shipment of orders placed through 12/3 will be delivered prior to winter break. You'll get an email when items are ready for pick up at Ogden. We continue to have Ogden Beanies at the ready and a few sample sizes in Cheddar Up. Shop now, all items in Cheddar Up are available immediately by clicking HERE.

Questions? Contact Annie Davidson or Danielle Lombardo.

To register or learn more, click here.

To register or learn more, click here.