October 2015
Buy High School Yearbooks Online
You may now purchase your High School yearbook online, either through Jostens or through Infinite Campus parent portal.
Global Read Aloud (#GRA15): Making Connections Around the World
I don’t like to think of myself as being old, but when I look at how education has changed since I attended school, it certainly makes me feel old! Times certainly have changed, especially with technology.  Technology allows us to connect in ways that before, where not possible.  As a middle school, our Literature teachers decided to participate in the Global Read Aloud (GRA) 2015 that is connecting us with students across the globe.
The premise of the Global Read Aloud is simple.  Teachers read aloud to their students for a set 6-week period the same book  (Fish by L.S. Matthews). During this time, classes make as many global connections as possible. GRA originated in our very own Wisconsin! Pernille Ripp, a 7th grade teacher teaching in Oregon, Wisconsin started this project in the summer of 2010 because she wanted to expand her global collaboration and make the world a little smaller.  She had a desire to open students’ eyes to the rest of the world and look at shared experiences. Since this time, the GRA has expanded.  The map below includes only one marker per state or country participating in the 2015 GRA.  If all participants were included, the map would contain over 9000 different markers!
[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=zfq7xf-XR45I.koxn5ftEsOQU&w=640&h=480]>
So far, our very own middle school students have made connections with Ontario, Canada, New Zealand, and Texas.  Being able to connect with others around the world about a shared book that is being read has been an exciting experience for students and staff alike. Being able to share perspectives, ask each other questions, and “see” each other via Skype or other media has been a new adventure. As a result, the world is a little smaller.
Making a Connection with Texas
I’m grateful that the literature teachers have taken the time to connect their students to people and places unbeknownst before this experience. Watching teachers step outside of their comfort zone, expand their repertoire of instructional strategies, and give students a multidimensional insight into the book Fish has been fun to witness.
Sherri Stengel
Is your student progressing toward “career readiness?”
Good morning, Parents. Â
I hope everyone has had ample opportunity to enjoy what has been a strikingly good fall season in Wisconsin. Similarly, our school year is off to a really good start. We had a nice Homecoming week, our new teachers and new students are proving to be very nice additions to our school, and we continue to work toward our goals instructionally. Â
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I was focused in my message about a month ago on the exciting projections about the job market that will be waiting for our students as they graduate. It is a job market that will stay pretty consistent in terms of its demands for professional jobs that require college degrees, but it is also a job market that is dramatically shifting in terms of huge growth for skilled jobs that require post-high school training.  We also need to recognize that due to technical advances, the pool of unskilled jobs is quickly dwindling. It is hard to ignore the projections that suggest that about 90% of the job opportunities our children will have will require either technical training or a college education after high school. The great news is that it appears their will be lots of opportunities for those with education and skills beyond high school, but it appears equally clear that non-skilled jobs will be scarce.
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I think it is critical that teachers and parents work together to communicate to students that to be prepared for most technical training programs they must focus on building academic skills in high school that will allow them to score 18 on the ACT math, reading and English tests.  (Or 79 math, 74 reading, 86 sentence skills on the Accuplacer)  Those are the LTC and general tech. school requirements for most of their post high school training programs. If a student does not score at those levels, they need to take remedial coursework before entering the program which adds time, cost and makes it statistically less likely they will complete those programs. Scoring 18 on the ACT is a pretty solid minimal high school goal for any student who wants to be “career ready” so that they can enter a technical training program. Â
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In my next message, I will share what OHS has done recently to better prepare our students for the job market of the future. These efforts include a strong focus on college and career readiness skills, the ability of students, parents and teachers to track that readiness with the Aspire and ACT results, the addition of Project Lead the Way classes that focus on engineering and preparing students for technical careers, and building individual Academic Career Plans in a meaningful way. Â
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Josh Cole also asked me to include the note below to the parents of juniors.
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Have a great week,
Scott
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Attention parents of a junior student(s)!
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Good morning.Â
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I wanted to send out a quick follow up message regarding the letter you hopefully received form me last week. The letter highlights a one-on-one individualized student/parent guidance conference that I am hoping you will be able to attend. The letter also outlines the main topics that will be discussed. If you are unable to make the meeting date and time that is displayed on your letter, please reach out to Mrs. Dekker and we will work hard to arrange a time that works for you.
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Thank you for your time, and as always please do not hesitate to contact me with any of your questions or concerns.
Josh
Red Ribbon Week
Red Ribbon Week 2015 Oct 26 kicks off Red Ribbon Week! We are celebrating all we’ve learned about healthy choices! Students may participate in COLORFUL dress up days that fit with our OES superhero theme! Click the link to find out more.
Goal-Setting
Dear Parents,
Last week I attended the state Principal’s Convention, where I had the opportunity to further my own learning about how to improve teaching and learning (both teacher learning and student learning). One of the sessions that resonated with me dealt with the importance of planning and goal-setting conferences.
We believe goal-setting is an important part of learning. Goal-setting has been found to be an effective instructional strategy (effect size 0.56). It also develops confidence in our students. Our teachers meet with students regularly to set goals not only for academic progress but also social and behavioral progress.  This year, our school academic goal focuses on reading (85% of students will meet grade level reading benchmarks by the end of the 2015-16 school year.) Our social and behavioral goals focus on being respectful, responsible, and safe in all school settings. This year, we are extending these goals to include bus behavior to and from school.
Within the classroom setting, teachers meet with students to set individual goals within each academic area. When I walk through classrooms, I see very specific goals on desks which may include stretching sounds in words, looking for inferences, or mastering specific math targets. Teachers often have the goals on the boards and review them with students to make sure they have a deep understanding of their expectations. Goal-setting keeps students involved in their learning and provides an opportunity for students and teachers to have rich discourse about their thinking and where they are going next.  When goals are accomplished, we celebrate, and the success encourages future efforts toward accomplishing goals.
As parents, you can be involved in your child’s goal-setting by talking to them about their goals in school. If you have trouble getting specific answers (which is often the case in my home), please contact the teacher. When we work together to show students that their goals matter to us, they will engage more deeply and hopefully develop more confidence. Students love to show us the great things they are learning.
Have a great weekend!
Ann
Next week is RED RIBBON WEEK!
- Monday: Â Follow Your Dreams, Don’t Do Drugs! — PJ Day
- Tuesday: Show Your Character, Say No To Drugs! —Â Favorite TV/Movie/Book Character
- Wednesday:  Stay Drug Free Every Decade! — 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, or 80’s wear
- Thursday: I have the Power to say “NO” to Drugs! —Â Superhero Day
- Friday: Red Ribbon Day — WEAR RED!
- Students who participate will receive a raffle ticket and a chance to win prizes!