Dear OVE Families,
It is incredible to think that we are already at the midpoint of the school year! The holiday season is one of my favorite times of year, which made missing much of it due to illness especially difficult.I will take OVE’s own advice and fully commit to washing my hands, not following the five-second rule, and wearing a coat when going outdoors. 🙂
With that being said, I know that illnesses can happen even with our best preventative efforts. I sincerely thank all families who make a conscientious effort to ensure their student is in attendance daily. The state is rolling out a new system for school letter grades, and student attendance plays a significant role. More importantly, however, it is truly impossible to make up 100% of a day of learning once it is missed. Our teachers work hard to provide individualized instruction while following state and MCS pacing guides for literacy and math. We work hard to maximize every minute of the day while still having fun! Consistency and predictability are so important for young learners, and daily, on-time attendance helps ensure those needs are met.
Upon returning from break, Miss Davis will begin pushing into classrooms to introduce students to a new online reading incentive program called Beanstack. She will use this system in conjunction with what she already does during weekly library time to encourage reading, track progress, set goals, and provide incentives that help foster a strong culture of reading at OVE.
The following week, Mrs. Palmer will push into classrooms to teach students the first lesson of our new Behaviors that Support Learning initiative, SOAR. The acronym SOAR stands for Self-Control, On Task, Achievement, and Respect. Our goal is to create universal language and expectations that truly become the culture of our building. It ties in perfectly with us being the EAGLES!
During the week of January 12th, our Kindergarten–2nd grade students will take NWEA Reading and Math assessments. Our 3rd grade students will take the second ELA ILEARN Checkpoint during the week of January 20th, followed by the Math ILEARN Checkpoint during the week of January 26th. Please do your best to ensure your student is present and on time each day, as consistent attendance is key to their success.
Thank you for the continued opportunity to partner with you in your child’s education. We greatly value our OVE families, and your support is crucial to our students’ success. If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me by phone at (574) 825-5405 or email at martink@mcsin-k12.org.
We look forward to SOARing into the New Year together at OVE!
Mr. Martin, Principal
