Dear OVE Families,

This past month, we participated in a school-wide lockdown drill. The drill was conducted in coordination with the Middlebury School Police Department and was scheduled to take place during a grade-level lunch period. Please take a moment to compliment your child, as all students did a fantastic job following our Standard Response Protocol procedures. While this is not always an easy topic to discuss, school safety remains a top priority at OVE and one that we will continue to practice and strengthen together.

K–2 students have recently completed the Winter NWEA MAP Growth assessment. Please be on the lookout for printed reports that will be sent this first week in February. Our third-grade students have also completed the ILEARN ELA and Math checkpoints. Families can access student results by visiting the ILEARN Family Portal at the link below:

To log in, you will need the following information:

School Counselor Appreciation Week is celebrated the first week of February. We are fortunate to have Mrs. Palmer as a valued member of our OVE team. School Resource Officer Appreciation Day takes place on February 15th, and School Bus Driver Appreciation Day is scheduled for February 22nd. Collectively, these individuals play an important role in the smooth operation of our school and in ensuring the safety and security of our students. If you have an opportunity to share a message of thanks or a note of appreciation, it would be greatly appreciated.

Upcoming Events to Note:

Thank you for all that you continue to do to support your students and our school!

Fly Eagles Fly,

Mr. Martin, Principal

A new initiative began after the New Year at OVE. SOAR is a system for identifying and focusing on behaviors that can either enhance or deter student progress, specifically those that support learning. Each letter in the acronym SOAR stands for a behavior focus that we will concentrate on throughout the remainder of the year and into the 2026/2027 school year. S stands for Self-Control, O is for On Task, A - Achievement, and finally, R - Respect. As we strive to create the best learning environment for our students, we know behaviors can have a significant impact. Just like academic goals, behavior goals will create the potential for both individual and school-wide growth!

We are in need of all sizes of winter boots! If you have some gently used boots that you can no longer use, please send them our way!

Thank you!

LINQ Connect

Student Meal Accounts

OVE parents, did you know that you can easily deposit money into your student’s meal account? When you register with the Linq Connect website, you can make deposits, set up recurring deposits, OR just use the website to monitor what your child is purchasing in the OVE cafeteria. You can also set up notifications to let you know when your child’s balance is low. In addition, you can apply for free or reduced meals on the same website at any time during the school year. Go to linqconnect.com from any computer, tablet or mobile device and create a free account. There is also a mobile app available in the Google Play Store and Apple Store. Payment can be sent to school with your student in the form of cash or check payable to OVE. Please make sure the payment is clearly marked with your student's first and last name, and that your student turns their payment into their teacher first thing in the morning.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call Gini Bennett, Bookkeeper, at 574-825-5094.

Session 2   

January 29, February 3, February 5, February 10, February 12- (parents can attend-please arrive after dismissal at 2:15pm)

3 School Board Meeting

9-13 PE Heart Challenge

11 PTO meeting 9:15am @ OVE

16 No School

17 School Board Meeting

27 Favorite Book Character Day (More info to come)

***May 1st: PTO Carnival***

If you have a child who will be 5 on or before August 1, 2026, please complete this form!

Middlebury Community Schools has now used all three of the asynchronous e-learning days that are allowed by the State for the 2025–2026 school year. As a result, any additional weather-related school closures will become traditional snow days, not e-learning days, and will be made up with in-person instruction.

 

To provide clarity and allow families and staff time to plan, we want to share how potential future weather-related closures would affect the school calendar: 

We will continue to communicate clearly and promptly if weather conditions require adjustments to the school calendar. 

Middlebury Community Schools has already used all State-allowed asynchronous (not live) e-learning days for the school year. MCS does not currently offer live (synchronous) e-learning during weather-related closures. Once asynchronous e-learning days are exhausted, any additional closures must be traditional snow days made up with in-person instruction. 

No. February 16 and/or March 27 will only become regular in-person school days if weather-related closures occur that require those dates to be used as make-up days. 

Middlebury Community Schools strongly encourages students to attend school on all scheduled instructional days, including any designated make-up days. However, we recognize that some families may have pre-planned travel on dates that were originally scheduled as recess days. Families in this situation should communicate directly with their child’s school. School administrators will work with families on a case-by-case basis in accordance with attendance guidelines. 

MCS will continue to share school closure decisions and any resulting calendar adjustments as early as possible through our normal communication channels. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make decisions that prioritize the safety of our students, staff, and families. 

Did you know you can keep track of what your student is buying in the cafeteria every day? If you have made a Linq Connect account to deposit money, you can also see your student's daily transactions. To find their daily transactions on the website, simply click purchase history under Quick Links. On the app, recent purchases can be seen right on the main screen upon opening the app. You can also set up daily spending limits or block your student from purchasing certain ala cart items from both the app and website. 

If you haven't created a student account yet on Linq, here are step by step instructions: https://45716216.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/45716216/Website/LINQ%20Connect%20Toolkit/How%20to%20Register%20for%20Your%20LINQ%20Connect%20Account.pdf

Breakfast is served daily in the cafeteria every morning. We serve a variety of warm and cold options daily along with fruit, low-fat or fat free milk, and 100% fruit juice. Breakfast is $1.70 and if you are eligible for free or reduced lunches, you are also eligibie for free or reduced breakfasts. Let us take something off your plate in the morning by feeding your student a balance and nutritious breakfast. 

Thank you!