Wolf News September 23

Parent Town Hall Recording

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We had a great Parent Town Hall Meeting earlier this afternoon.  In case you missed it, please click this link
https://us.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/playback

to view the recording. 


AAP Parent Information Meeting

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Mrs. Wheeler, Oak Hill’s Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, will hold a parent information meeting tonight at 5:00 pm.  At this meeting, she will review the levels of service in FCPS and the updated information about screening for this year.  We invite you to view the AAP Overview and AAP Screening and Identification videos about the levels of service and the screening process.  Additionally, the latest AAP newsletter is located here.  **Please note there is updated information as to what parents may submit for Level IV referral files this year.  No awards, certificates, or letters of commendation will be accepted this year.  The updated information can be found on the Advanced Academic website

The guest link to join the meeting is here https://us.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/guest/377773f3168f4a35a0c3ed93f3063703

If you have questions, please email Mrs. Wheeler at jgwheeler@fcps.edu.


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Oak Hill's newest Office Staff members Michelle Coyne and Katherine Dillard.


Meet our New Office Staff

Over the summer Oak Hill hired two Office Staff members.  Michelle Coyne is our new Office Assistant and Katherine Dillard is our new Student Information Assistant (SIA).  Please read about each of them below.   

My name is Michelle Coyne.  I grew up in Fairfax and went to James Madison University. This is my third year working for Fairfax County.  I am coming from Fairfax Villa, where was I was both an office assistant and the library assistant.  I am also currently pursuing my Masters degree at GMU in school counseling.  I am so excited to be a part of the Oak Hill Community and am looking forward to meeting everybody soon!

My name is Katherine Dillard.  I come to Oak Hill from Great Falls ES where I was an Office Assistant for two years. Prior to that, I worked in the clinic at Armstrong ES for over eight years. In my free time I enjoy spending time with family, friends, and my quarantine pooch, Charlie. I am looking forward to meeting you all!


Attendance

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In Virginia, public school students ages 5-18 are required to attend school regularly.  FCPS must take attendance Monday – Friday.  Attendance is expected during all synchronous instruction. 

If your child is absent and not able to attend synchronous learning, please email your teacher and copy the Oak Hill Attendance office (OakHillElem.Attendance@fcps.edu).  You can  also use the attendance line at 703-467-3535 or the attendance reporting form on Oak Hill's website.


Jewish Holidays

This month, Jewish people throughout the world will be observing what is known as the High Holy Days or High Holidays.  Most Jewish families celebrated Rosh Hashanah (September 18) and will celebrate Yom Kippur.  Yom Kippur begins on Sunday night, September 27, through Monday night September 28.  It includes fasting and prayer.  Many people will refrain from eating for the full 25 hours of the holiday.  Feel free to greet your Jewish friends and colleagues with, “Have a meaningful and easy fast.”


National Hispanic Heritage Month

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National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 15, honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries. At Oak Hill, we plan to share Hispanic and Latino contributions to the Arts and Sciences through books, music and the arts.  Visit this website for more information about National Hispanic Heritage Month.


Library Curbside Pickup

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The Oak Hill Library is pleased to announce Curbside Service for students to check out books from our school library!  This will begin on September 28th and be held every Monday and Tuesday from 3:00-4:30pm.  Click here for all of the details including how-to videos for searching the library catalog to request books, and to check your child’s account for the books they need to return.  For our younger students in grades K-2 there is a Google Form to request a “Mystery Bag” of library books. Contact our librarian, Jenny Henry, during school hours at 703-467-3511 or anytime at jlhenry@fcps.edu if you have questions.  More information is available at Ms. Henry’s website when logged into the fcpsschools.net account.


FCPS Laptops Available

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This is just a friendly reminder that if you have not picked up a laptop from Oak Hill for your child, there is still time.  There are several benefits that come with using an FCPS device.  These include, bookmarks to frequently used sites, shortcuts to applications on the desktop, tech support from the county and school and every student is working with the same type of computer.  Please reach out to Jaime Bousman-Stanczak if you would like to set up an appointment to pick up a school computer.


Fall 2020 iReady Assessment

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The online iReady assessment (also known as the universal screener) provides an initial view of all students’ foundational skills to help teachers identify students who may have challenges in reading or mathematics.  Students in grades K-6 will take the iReady reading assessment. Students in grades 1-6 will take the iReady mathematics assessment. More information about the assessment can be found on the FCPS Universal Screener Parent Notification webpage.

This fall, students will take iReady at home instead of at school. Teachers will discuss the assessment with students in advance, including how to log in and what to expect. Resources to help families administer the assessment at home can be found on the FCPS Universal Screener webpage.  Below are the testing windows.

Grade(s)

  Test

    Window

1-6

  Reading

    September 21-25

1-6

  Math

    September 28-October 2

Kindergarten

  Reading

    October 19-23

For questions, please contact your child’s teacher or Cliff Credle, Oak Hill's School Test Coordinator at cmcredle@fcps.edu.


FCPS Parent Technology Help Desk

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Fairfax County Public Schools has a Parent Technology Help Desk. The number is 1-833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS). It will be answered by staff 7 a.m.to 11 p.m., seven days a week.

Parents or guardians who need help in a language other than English should let help desk staff know, and an interpreter will join them on the line. (FCPS also has existing parent information phone lines, available in eight different languages, that can assist with general questions about FCPS.)

FCPS has also set up an online portal to allow older students and parents and guardians to request technology help directly. 

Get more information about the new Parent Technology Help Desk


Substitutes

FCPS has made some changes to the substitute policies during distance learning.  If your child's teacher has to be out for less than two days, there will not be a substitute assigned.  The teacher will email families to let them know and provide asynchronous work during the live teaching times. 


Important Forms

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There are several forms parents are required to update, fill out and/or sign or review.  Below are a list of them and they can all be found on Oak Hill's website here

Emergency Care Card (via WeCare): Emergency Care Form-WeCare      

Health Information Form: Health Information Form Please email this form to Michelle Coyne at mkcoyne@fcps.edu.   

Student Rights and Responsibilities: Parents and guardians, please review the Student Rights and Responsibilities and related resources at www.fcps.edu/srr.  After reviewing the information, fill out the SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form using this linkThe form must be filled out one time per student.

Parent Permission Needed for Digital Tools: Some of the digital resources your child may use this year will require your consent before they can be used. You can find our school’s list of the resources that require parental consent here.  Included on this page is also a link to a form where the enrolling parent or guardian will need to indicate whether or not their student is allowed to use the list of digital resources this year. 

Please review the Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights located here.  If you chose to opt-out of any of the topics, please fill out the opt-out form and email Katherine Dillard at kjdillard1@fcps.edu

The following forms are optional and should be completed and returned if needed.

     ∙ Homeless Student Referral: Homeless Student Referral
     ∙ Military Connected Students Form: Military Connected Students Form 
     ∙ OPT out forms: Opt-out Forms


Family Choice: Week Four Plan

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The Oak Hill Specialists have another fun week of Family Choice activities planned.  Click here to access them.  Students will access these activities by logging onto Blackboard and finding the Oak Hill Specialists course. From there they will click on the BBCU sessions tab, and find our classroom. 


Healthy Minds Podcast:

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In this week’s Healthy Minds podcast, Langley High School psychologist Anna Davis talks about executive functioning. Executive functioning is a set of skills and mental processes that help us to plan, focus our attention, manage tasks, and control our impulses.


PTA News


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Oak Hill Elementary School PTA membership and dues support your child by funding essential educational and curriculum needs and advocating on behalf of children and educators at the local, state, and national levels. They also build an inclusive school community for all families.  We invite you to join the PTA for your child because increasing our membership, even by one, makes it possible to provide important educational resources, speak up on important issues, and create a stronger school community.  There is no wrong or right way to be involved - anything you can give, whether it is time or money, will support your child's potential.  

To get information and join our school PTA, go to www.oakhillpta.org and use the code 8HSEEV.  The pledge membership is $30 per family. 

As schools teach students virtually this semester, we will not have any after school activities. Parents looking to engage their kids after school, here is a list of our vendors we have worked with in the past, some of them offering discounts for Oak Hill students.

  1. SciGenius: SciGeniusThe discount Code will be OAK2020.
  2. Overtime Athletics: OtathleticsOffering 10% discount for Oak Hill Students
  3. Abrakadoodle: Abrakadoodle
  4. Kids in Motion: Kids in motion
  5. Silver knights: Skenrichment
  6. Fairfax Collegiate: Fairfax collegiate
  7. Girls on the Run: Girls on the run

Math Olympiad Coordinator Needed

Math Olympiad is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to stimulating enthusiasm, fostering creativity, and strengthening intuition in mathematical problem solving. Each month from November through March, a 30-minute contest will be administered. Teams explore mathematical concepts while developing flexibility in solving non-routine problems with multiple solution paths.  For more information, visit this website.  If you are interested in coordinating, please reach out to firstvp@oakhillpta.org.


Key Calendar Dates

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September 15 - October 15: National Hispanic Heritage Month

September 21-25: iReady (Universal Screener) Reading testing window for grades 1-6

September 28 - October 2: iReady (Universal Screener) Math testing window for grades 1-6

October 19-23: iReady (Universal Screener) Reading testing window for Kindergarten


Ways to Stay Informed

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Visit the Oak Hill website and FCPS website for updates.

Follow Oak Hill on Twitter @OakHillES.

Access Oak Hill's News You Choose.