Dear OVE Families, 

Thank you to all of our parents and guardians for encouraging your students to reach their classroom reading goals during the four weeks of the SB Cubs Reading Challenge and our school-wide Beanstack Challenge! I’m looking forward to celebrating their hard work at the South Bend Cubs game on May 3rd, and I hope to see many of our students and families there! Please be on the lookout for a flyer from your child’s teacher with details about the free voucher ticket, as well as information on how to purchase additional tickets.

Important Dates:

For Kindergarten Round-Up, we will offer two sessions again this year: 3:00–4:00 PM and 5:00–6:00 PM. If you have a child who will turn 5 years old by August 1st, please register them online or contact the school office for assistance. We are excited to welcome our newest Eagles and the future Class of 2039 Northridge Raiders!

ILEARN Testing (3rd Grade):

Third-grade students will begin ILEARN testing the week of April 20th. We plan to complete the ELA assessment April 21st–23rd, followed by the Math assessment on April 28th and 29th. These assessments give students the opportunity to demonstrate what they’ve learned throughout the year. To help your child do their best, please ensure they get plenty of rest and arrive at school on time each day to avoid make-up testing.

It’s hard to believe we are just two months away from the end of the school year! We still have many important learning opportunities and fun events ahead.

As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions, suggestions, or concerns. You can contact me at (574) 825-5405 or via email at martink@mcsin-k12.org.

Fly Eagles Fly,

Mr. Martin, Principal 

When families go through seasons of grief, there are often many emotions to navigate, which can feel overwhelming for both adults and children. We are fortunate to have local resources available to help support families during these difficult times. As this topic has come up more frequently, I wanted to share some helpful information for those who may be walking through grief.

First, Ryan's Place is a non-profit organization that offers hope and healing to those who are grieving. They provide peer support groups led by trained facilitators, as well as outreach grief services for children, teens, and their families. All services are free. You can learn more by visiting their website: https://ryansplace.org/

Another valuable resource is the Center for Hospice Care, which offers Camp Evergreen, a grief camp for youth and teens. Camp Evergreen will take place on May 30th at Camp Alexander Mack and is open to youth ages 10–17. In addition, the Camp Evergreen Family Workshop will be held on October 3rd at the Center for Hospice Care in Mishawaka and is designed for children ages 6–12. More information can be found here: https://cfhcare.org/campevergreen/

As always, please know that I am available to assist here at OVE in any way. I can be reached at palmerl@mcsin-k12.org or directly at 574-822-5289

Mrs. Palmer

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.

(Must be signed up prior)

The club will meet at OVE gym after school from 2:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Club pick up will be using the car rider pick up line at OVE. Please be there promptly at 3:00 p.m. If the weather is nice the running club will run on Tia’s Trail outside. Students will earn prizes from Goshen Health for attendance and mileage. Students that go to the Boys and Girls club will need to check with them to see if BGC can walk students from OVE to the BGC after the club.

Dates for Running Club:

Tuesday April 14

Wednesday April 15

Tuesday April 21

Wednesday April 22

Tuesday April 28- Last day and parents can come to watch/run

3-12 Spring Break

13-17 Book Fair (Parents can shop on the 13th from 2:30pm-4:30pm)

16 Kindergarten round-up

21 School board meeting

23 Kindergarten music program

20-29 ILEARN (3rd grade)

29 PTO meeting TBD

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

Our Spring BOGO Book Fair will take place when students return from spring break. Students will be able to preview on Monday and parents will be able to shop that evening from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Classes will visit the fair to purchase on Tuesday and Wednesday.

We still need volunteers to help. Please SIGN UP HERE to help!

Our annual Spring Carnival and Silent Auction is coming up on Friday May 1st from 5:30 - 8 p.m.!  This year, we will have food trucks and inflatables in addition to the games our students love. 

This is our biggest fundraising event of the year! We need your help to make it a successful and fun evening for our students and their families! Please use the link to sign up and help make this event our best yet! SIGN UP HERE

We are also in need of trinkets for our carnival games prizes!