Special Christmas Project...

Once again the Xerox Corporation is sponsoring the "Lets Say Thank You" project where we can go to a special web address and leave a holiday thank you card for an American soldier stationed around the world. You can't leave one for a specific soldier, however, any thank you that you create will be sent to a soldier. Awesome idea! Xerox has been doing this since 2006 and has sent out millions of cards over the years. Please join the movement and send a card.

The web address is: www.LetsSayThanks.com


If I don't get a chance to type up another blog entry before we break for the next week or so, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! School will be out from December 24th and we will be back on Monday, January 3, 2011!

Till next time...

The Monday before Christmas...

will be here tomorrow, and I just finished reading some ideas about how to slowly build the excitement in the house as the holiday draws nearer. The number one item on the many lists I looked over was to try to ensure that the kids routine is the same as the days before Christmas go by. The same bed time, cut back on sugars, not too much television and keeping up with the school work will all assist in settling students into a routine in the crazy dash to Christmas. Good luck!

Till next time...

What an Extravaganza!

In my last entry I wrote about the hard work and effort that the students had been putting into their concert preparations. I guess I was not kidding! Wow, that was a great show and I am so thankful that almost 600 people saw the show! Thank you for coming out and supporting the arts!

Till next time...

The Big Holiday Extravaganza

is on tap for tomorrow evening! The students have been working very hard to make this the best show ever! Many of our older students are participating this year by playing the guitars and serving as readers and in the important role of stage crew! Another role the older students fill is by helping out with the "troop movements" during the show. Many students are needed to assist the younger students with getting up on stage and off stage quickly and quietly, operating the curtain, running back and forth from staging areas, etc... Thanks to thise volunteers!

Remember the show will start at 6:00 pm. I sent home a note to all parents hoping to drum up some more donations of non-perishable food items that the K-Kids could donate to the Oxford Rescue Squad's annual food drive. Please think about bring an item or two, or three, to the concert tomorrow night.

As we head into next week's activities, I want to remind everyone that we have an early dismissal next Thursday, December 23. Student will be dismissed at 12:30. Please be sure you have made arrangements for their arrival.

Till next time...

Holiday Charity

I know that this year we are all faced with especially tight budgets and that the economy is not making it any easier, however, I want to urge everyone to look around to see if they might be able to donate to help out others who are in more dire straits this year. Next Friday we will hosting a great opportunity for our students and community to come together to assist in helping others...

The Kids for Kids Holiday party!

This event was started by two of our students Noah and Jacob White (and their parents) when the boys wanted to turn a birthday party into a way to help others by collecting toys for the holidays. With the help of the PTA and the school we were able to provide space to expand this program even further. Children can come for the evening, participate in crafts, have fun in the gym and take part in this worthy event! All that is asked of those who come for the evening is that children bring an unwrapped toy that will be donated to a child in need here in our community.

What a great idea that Jacob and Noah came up with and I am proud to make donations to assist with their brainchild project.

The event starts at 7:00pm and ends at 9:00 next Friday, December 10th, here at OCS!

Till next time...

Back to the Swing...

of things!

An early Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate the annual Festival of Lights! I believe I am correct in saying that the holiday starts this afternoon at sundown.

There are many activities going on here at OCS over the next few weeks that will keep the building busy after school hours and even on the weekend.

The Student Council here at the school is sponsoring a dance for students in grades 6-8 this Friday, December 3. The students are going to charge a little more for admission so they can donate money to the charity they chose, Darfur Education. A worthy cause that helps students get an education in this war-ravaged part of Sudan. They talked me into letting them have an extra hour for the dance... I guess I am getting to be an old softy!

Sunday, December 5th, we are happy to host the annual OYA holiday festivities for our students and they community. The extravaganza starts at 12:00 pm and will be held in the school cafeteria until 3:00! Hope to see you there!

Next Tuesday, December 7th, is going to be the next Spirit Day. In honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day we are all going to be wearing Red, White and Blue.

Next Friday, December 10th, will be the THIRD Kids for Kids Party here at OCS. This wonderful event is the brainchild of some of our students, Noah and Jacob White, and we are proud to offer the school for the second year in order to help continue to build this great event. All of the toys that are donated will benefit families here in our community!

That will keep us busy for a while!

Don't forget the Holiday Concert is December 15th!

Till next time...

Happy Thanksgiving

To All... and to all a good night!

Till next time...

bracelets

I wore one for a long time... Livestrong, after my father passed away from cancer ten years ago. I still have it. Now I wear his watch as a testament to his always wanting to be on time. The newest bracelets come in all colors and all causes. They are generally a great way to get a message across, raise some awareness and a few dollars to promote a cause. We are sponsoring an Autism Awareness event in April over at Meadow Breeze Park, might be a good idea to promote that cause with bracelets....

In this bracelet scenario, I just have a hard time thinking that the words on the bracelet represent the cause in the eyes of middle school and elementary students; to some it may. However, at this level of educational development, emotional maturity and social development, the words used in this instance, I feel, are not appropriate. They might cause a disruption to the school day and if so, should be dealt with appropriately. I enjoyed the Easton Express-Times editorial this morning that focused on the school's duty to promote order and to enforce policy and rules. Sometimes it is difficult on those who violate the policy, but the lesson is learned.

In this case involving the ACLU, the message is clear. If life becomes difficult because you have to follow a rule or a policy.... sue those in power! Take away valuable $ that could go to instructional support and throw it away to defend your right to violate school policy. Life is full of rules and many of us have faced the frustration of having to follow them. In this case the remedy is go to legal proceedings so that we can say "it is ok! you won't have to deal with frustration. We will make it go away" Not a good message for our students to learn.

Waste of taxpayer dollars!

Time to throw my two cents into the crazy decision by the ACLU to fight a ban of the "I (heart) Boobies" bracelets worn by students in the Easton, Pa. school district. What a waste of the taxpayers' dollars! If they lose the fight, the ACLU should be made to reimburse the school district for their legal fees and time lost!

I have friends who have weathered the storm and ravages of breast cancer. I have supported numerous fund-raising activities here at school to promote the awareness in our young students about this important fight. My feeling on bringing in NORWESCAP speakers to talk to our young people about the importance of early detection and self-examination in both boys and girls is based on the possibility that we may save a life down the road and that we need to promote good health practices. But the bracelet message gets me a little riled. The term "boobies" in our setting, primary grades and middle school, is one we have come across over the past four years as an incorrect term used by students in a derogatory fashion. I feel this message demeans the message AT THIS LEVEL of education and can pose a disruption to the educational process.
To sue a district because they ask a student to remove a bracelet deemed as an inappropriate message for middle school (or younger) students is a huge waste of taxpayer's money.

This issue has the potential to be a minefield of opinion... Right now here at OCS, we do not have a problem. Students or staff have not reported feeling insulted or uncomfortable concerning this message (as of this post). If that changes so will my actions in promoting a proper response to any complaints I might receive...

Till next time.

November is here?

Holy smokes... November got here quick. It seemed like I just blinked a few times and it was November already! Although as the leaves keep cluttering up my lawn at home, I think I would have noticed soon!

Conferences will start today and of course we have dismissal at 12:30 this week and school will be closed on Thursday and Friday--11/4 and 11/5.

Don't forget to gather up all the old and unused prescriptions that you have. You can drop them off here at the school on Saturday, November 13th from 10 am - 2pm. This is the best and safest method of disposal. The Washington Twp. Police are overseeing the entire project.

Keep an eye and and ear out for upcoming announcements about the Wall of Fame committee and a future presentation that Ms. Dachisen and I planning to give concerning our policies and thoughts about bullying.

Mark your spring calendar... APRIL 9th --- Autism Awareness 5k and fun walk!!

Till next time....

Bullying

In the Express-Times today (October 26, 2010) there are two references to the problem of bullying. One is an editorial by Joseph Owens, who is the editor of the paper. His message is clear... as parents we all need to take inventory of our children and ask them about school and about bullying. This conversation might be very enlightening! The other item from the newspaper is the story about NJ Assembly Bill A3466 and the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights. The bill is designed to provide state-wide improvements to school districts ability to handle cases of bullying.
Over the past five years, our Character Education Committee has been a major force in our county in promoting positive character with the goal of decreasing incidents of bullying behavior. Their efforts have been so successful, they have won a county Human Relations Commission Award and been recognized nationally as a Character Education School To Watch!

WE WILL NOT stop promoting and working to build this program. Our latest layer of support for positive student interaction, the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support initiative, is being met here at school with positive results and words form staff and students.

Good things continue to happen here at OCS, and they will continue for many, many years!

Till next time...

Red Ribbon Week

This week marks another important week's worth of activities here at OCS! Once again our Red Ribbon Committee has put together a schedule of events that will help remind our students about the importance of avoiding drugs and alcohol and making healthy choices as they get older. As we all know there are too many incidents of students who get involved in unhealthy lifestyle choices and we read the stories about how substance abuse ruins the lives of our young people. We hope that this week, coupled with our on-going year-long efforts to educate kids, will result in the development of a healthy community!

Please check out our Red Ribbon letter that went home recently:

http://www.oxfordcentral.org/letters/RRW%20home%20letter.pdf

Till next time...

Oh, I almost forgot...

We are promoting cancer awareness month here at OCS and the K-Kids and the Student Council sponsored a hat day today, Friday, October 15th! Thanks for all parents and students who supported the students efforts to raise money and awareness! I will post the results of the donations asap.

till next time....

Absent Blogger...

Why didn't someone tell me it has been two weeks since my last post? Anyhow...

There are many things happening here at OCS and we continue to move along enjoying success in all areas of the school.

Congratulations to staff members, Mrs. DiRenzo, Mrs. Esposito, Ms. Dachisen, Mr. Causton and Mrs. Hart who were all awarded mini-grants from the OCS PTA! These mini-grants are graciously provided by our PTA to as sit teachers with projects and materials they might need to bring new ideas to the school.

Congratulations also to Mrs. Kantz who was awarded a grant from the Eagleton Institute of Political Studies! This grant will allow us to continue to take students to the State house in Trenton! This is the fifth year in a row our school has been awarded this grant!

We enjoyed a successful Walk to School Day back On October 6th. I won't lie and say I was happy with the number of students who joined me in the walk to school... because I was hoping for more students and parents. Maybe next time?!

Red Ribbon Week is coming up during the last week in October. The RR Committee has been working hard all year to develop activities that will promote healthy choices for our students. This is the 25th year that Red Ribbon Week has been promoted in NJ. Consult our website and the letter that will go home about the week's activities.

Well got to run, duty calls.

Till next time...

Senseless Tragedy at Rutgers

Senseless Death at Rutgers…
Cyber-bullying continues to be a problem- seems like we read a tragic story every week! I wanted to reiterate to everyone why the law is so clear and definitive… when we hear about cyber-bullying, affecting one of our students, (even if it occurs off school grounds) we must report it to the police. A serious subject that must be treated with the same serous response!

In the few incidents that have been reported to school administration over the past four years, we have consistently referred the matter to the police, yet it is always astonishing when parents look to me and wonder why I took this drastic step. "The Police! It's just kids being kids. Making bad choices."

It might be. But that bad choice is bullying! It is wrong and hopefully tragedies like the ones I have read in the papers over the past few weeks can be averted. This issue is serious and we will continue to treat it as such!

Till next time...

Tulips! Tulips! Tulips!

Many of you probably remember a few years ago our award wining Red Ribbon Committee designed a project that saw students plant more than 300 red tulip bulbs out in the front of the school. You may also remember how beautiful the school looks when those tulips spring to life in late-April or early-May.

What many people might not realize is that the tulips were planted by our students as part of our positive life decisions campaign, "Planting the Promise." Well it has been a few years now and it is time to get a new crop of promises planted into the ground to grow and remind our students about the pledges they make to stay away from the dangers of drug use and to make positive decisions about how they will live their lives.

There is a link on our web page that highlights this years campaign! Please support this worthy endeavor. Besides....

How cool would it be to drive by in the spring and have your son or daughter tell you they planted one or more of those bulbs..... That's what I thought!

Till next time...

How cool is this playgorund?!!!

Special thanks to Girl Scout Troop #845 for the awesome job they did painting a giant map of the United States on our playground! This project is part of their Silver Award work and it is SWEEEEET! The girls also repainted the "four square" boxes on the playground and they look great also. Every morning and afternoon I see students and their parents out there looking at the map and talking about the states. This project will really be a part of OCS for many years to come! Thank you to their troop leader, Mrs. Beth Miller, for asking me what we might want to have here at school and turning my thoughts into an awesome map of the U.S. Great job Troop 845!

Till next time....

Two BIG Events...

are being held here at OCS next week--coincidentally both on Monday, September 27th!

1. First we will be holding our annual School Picture Day on Monday. Students will move to have their pictures taken with their homeroom.

2. We will also be holding our 2nd Blood Drive! The Student Council here at OCS is encouraging everyone who is old enough to come the school between the hours of 3:00-8:00 in the school gym. We are hoping we can get more donations that we did last year.

Congratulations to our newest club officers who were recently elected for both the K-Kids and the Student Council. I look forward to working with both groups again his year.

Don't forget, another Friday Bulletin comes out tomorrow.

Till next time...

AAAHH the middle of September!

The middle of September is upon us. AS you sit there pondering, "Why would Mr. Magnuson feel a sense of relaxation in the middle of September?" Well, ponder no more!

The middle of September brings about a peace in administrators because students are settling in, teachers are settling in and we are all building a solid foundation for a great school year. The start of the year always begins with it some sense of apprehension. Will my child like their teacher? Will they eat lunch? Will the teacher keep me informed? What happens when they leave and go to school? But those fears start to diminish as the days move along and we share experiences with the students that will assist them on the long journey to June.

I like September anyway... the weather is typically great, the kids come back to school and the hard work of the summer has a purpose. I heard someone say the other day, I can't believe October is going to be here so soon.... WHOA! Hold off! I am not done with September yet!

Back To School Nights are coming up. Tonight, Tuesday, September 14--- Pre-School through Grade 4. 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

Grades 5-8 Back To School Night will be next week, September 21. Same time.

Till next time...

Day One and off to a good start

Things got off to a good start today. Kindergarten students are great, all bugged eyed and smiling! Lunch went well and will get better as the students in all three lunch periods adjust to new procedures and the routine.

Good news for our school... we were informed by the NJ Department of Education today that the results of our Spring 2010 NJASK testing in grades 3-8 went very well. So well, that we met all of our NCLB and Adequate yearly progress targets for the fifth year in a row.

Here's to 181 more days!!

Till next time...

Just a few more days

until the students come back and breath some much needed life into the hallways and classrooms! The building is really taking shape and we are in the last few stages of preparing for the onslaught of kids and getting back to what we do best! Try to squeeze as much as you can from the last few days before we all get started!

Till next time...

September and the rest of August...

The summer is coming to a close... as if I had to remind parents when summer ends! I wanted to jump into the blog again to remind everyone that we are updating the website on a regular basis and there will be new things added to keep parents informed throughout the year.

The school calendar should be completely updated for the entire school year very soon. The parent resources link will include notice and letters that get sent home to the parents for the school. We will not put all teacher notes here, just letters from the administration for all to see. Individual notes can be arranged by contacting the teacher through the email, phone or their teacher page blog. I will also try to keep summaries of any SchoolReach broadcast call we use available here as well.

There is also a transportation link that will show you bus stops for your children--provided you live at a busing address.

Till next time...

Summer Updates...

The work continues around here to get the old girl up and running before the return of our students! The kitchen remodel moves along on schedule and the result will be an increased efficiency in the way we serve lunches. We will also see energy savings by utilizing equipment that operates more efficiently and cost-effectively then the 30 year old equipment we were using. Much of the old equipment will be going to some local non-profits for them to use in their kitchens.

We are replacing the floors in four classrooms and that demo work begins on Friday, July 23rd! These classroom floors were cut from the remodel and we had to put off doing them last summer to be sure we had the funds to get the kitchen and roof finished.

The solar project continues to be developed. We are investigating the costs and the systems we could support.

Hope the summer continues to be nice....

Till next time.

I think that I shall never see...

...my apologies to Joyce Kilmer, but the trees were not as lovely as they once were and they needed to come down. I hate to see the trees go, since they certainly were part of OCS, but they were becoming a threat to safety.

Now that they are gone in front, it is amazing how much brighter the front of the building is! The building is actually visible from the street! You can see the old girl majestically sitting on her hillside, overlooking the township! She looks almost Ike she did in 1923.

I think we have eliminated the "I was driving around and didn't see the school" comments.

Warren County Special Services School District...

is looking for a resident of Oxford who might be willing to serve as a member of their school district Board of Education. They meet the final Tuesday of each month. If interested, please give me a call here at the school. R. Magnuson

Till next time...

Luau Lunch-- Awesome

Weather--Not so much! Special thanks to all the volunteers who came out to make the PTA Luau Lunch a huge success. Head Chefs, Mr. Pieero adn Mrs. Cupo; Mrs. Frasca, Mrs. Pierro, Mrs. Kelly,Mrs. Codispoti, Mrs. Dawood, Mrs. Hale, Mrs. McHale, Mrs. Hill, Mr. Neves, and I hope I am not missing anyone.

There was plenty of food and the kids really enjoyed the special lunch!

Thanks to the entire PTA for continuing this great tradition.

Till next time....

Luau Lunch and...

oh, Yeah! the phones....

Tomorrow, Wednesday June 9th the PTA will once again be hosting the annual Luau Lunch for all students in grades K-8. This special lunch is free to all students! Bring your towel to sit on during lunch outside!

Till next time...

Not another post about the phones....

TEACHER VOICE EXTENSIONS ARE STILL NOT RUNNING. If you need to speak to a teacher, please call the Main Office, 453-4101, and we will relay the message.

Phone Mess

Just an update about our phones here at school....

Last Thursday night our phone lines were zapped and we have been without our normal phone capabilities since then. We do currently have one line that works coming into the building and we have a temporary voice message service up and running from XTel. The technicians will be in school today to make the final corrections necessary to get the phones up and running. Unfortunately for us the phones are no longer supported by most companies in our area, so we will look to replacement in the future.

Till next time...

The archery trip is exhausting!

here is proof...

Field Day is coming....

and I wanted to take as many opportunities as I could to let all parents and students know that we will no longer be allowing students to ride their bikes, scooters, etc... to the Oxford Furnace Lake. This has been a tradition that has been in jeopardy for the past few years due to the increased liability the district faces by allowing this practice to continue. The insurance risks aside, we have had a number of students get hurt while riding their bikes the last few years, so we will no longer allow this to occur.

Till next time...

Bike Safety

Today we are hosting Sergeant Kaufman of the Washington Township Police Department and his presentation on bicycle safety. The intent of this program is to remind the students about the key things they can do to keep themselves safe while riding their bikes around town or anywhere they might find themselves. We will also be giving away three bicycle helmets to students who were selected at random from those who created posters promoting bike safety.
This morning I pulled names from the 33 posters we received and the winners of new bike helmets are:
Emily Michniewicz from Mrs. DeMarco's Kindergarten;
Nia Henry from Mrs. Dowd's 4th Grade class; and
Megan Brennan, also from Mrs. Dowd's 4th grade class.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a poster!

Till next time...

Back from Kentucky!

OCS Archery finished 18th in the nation at the national championships! As a team the students participated in the Middle School division against 106 other teams from across America. Kylie Hibbett finished fourth among 6th grade girls--7th among all elementary girls. Ryan Winter finished 15th--competing against more than 1,000 boys.

Cool Event

yesterday we were able to host the NASP Team from Harmony Township in the first of what we all hope will become an annual event, Shoot Out Drugs Archery Meet! The students from both schools got to know each other and there was a great deal of camaraderie demonstrated by both teams. Thanks to everyone who attended. There are some good pictures in the local section of the April 30th Express-Times.

Till next time....

How Proud are We?!

This year has been a great year both in the classroom and out of the classroom for our students! Most recently we found out from the Tri-County Reading Council that five of our students were recognized for their submissions in to the annual competition held across three counties: Warren, Hunterdon and Sussex!

That's right.. you read that correctly... FIVE students!! First grade student Avery Nixon was awarded a Third Place award. Two fourth grade students, Giulia Kean and Bridgit Gallagher were recognized. Giulia was awarded First Place and Bridgit was awarded Third Place. Finally two of our seventh graders, Michelle Cupo and Brooke Ross were also recognized. Michelle won First Place and Brooke won Second Place!

Excelent job. Thanks to the teachers who submitted the work as well!

Election? What election?

As I talk to people about the upcoming vote for the proposed 2010-2011 school budget, it never ceases to amaze me that people do not know It is coming up!

OK folks.... there is a very important election coming up this Tuesday, April 20th! Voters in Oxford are asked to go to the polls to cast their vote (yea or nay) for next year's school budget AND vote this year for two candidates for school board membership. This year there are two vacant seats and two candidates.. Mr. Al Pierro and Mr. Matt Hibbett.

Every election in this country and this state is important. However, i am going to get personal and say this one is close to my heart. It reflects voting for good people who wish to make a difference in the lives of our young people and for the budget that will dictate what we can provide for their education next year.

The budget we proposed has many cuts and does ask for an additional $77,000 in tax revenue. But it does not cut programs, teachers, textbooks and the items we need to keep running efficiently. It does include salary concessions from administrators, secretaries, custodians, and teachers. It reflects the $337,000 we lost in state funding, but the students won't notice! If the budget does not pass the election process, then it would go to the Township Committee for further review.

Please come out and vote. The U.S. Constitution gives us all that right. Please use it!

Till next time...

School Elections--April 20, 2010

Student council members will be at the voting booths on Tuesday, April 20th from 4-6pm for students to vote for which pair you want to see perform in the talent show:
Mr. Magnuson and Ms. Dachisen or Mrs. Lurz and Mrs. Fallen

Teacher of the Year

Let's hear it for Mrs. Debra Esposito!!!

Great Minds and Bodies!!!

Congratulations to our 5th/ 6th Grade Battle of the Minds teams as they performed well at the recent Warren County Competition. Well? Who am I kidding we were awesome!!!

Our 5th grade team finished 5th in the county and our sixth grade team---wait for it-- ARE THE CHAMPIONS--AGAIN!!

AND....

Well, it is official! The OCS Archery team was officially announced as the National Archery in the Schools NJ State Champions! Four years in a row. Kayla Gallo and Danny Farkas were both number one archers in the state!

Budget Questions! Who has budget questions?!

We are starting a new email feature to answer questions about the proposed budget for next year. All questions will be posted on the website (anonymously) along with answers as part of a Frequently Asked Questions link.

The email link is:budget@oxfordcentral.org

This week at OCS

This week we have some important meetings:

Wednesday night (3/24) there is an orientation meeting for parents who are enrolling their child in Kindergarten for the next school year. The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm.

Thursday Night is out next school board meeting.. always good to see people in the audience! The BOE meeting starts at 6:00 pm.

This Friday Night is another installment of the PTA sponsored Family Fun Night. This week will be open gym time from 7:00 -- 8:30 pm. There will be volleyball, basketball and other games for the kids to play. As always, please do not drop off the kids and leave them unattended.. all students must be accompanied with an adult.

Till next time...

Budget... Again.. and other things

We are in the process of setting up a separate email here at OCS that everyone could use to send in questions about the proposed 2010-2011 budget. The email address and link to the OCS home page should go up soon.

The Annual Pasta Dinner is coming up one week from tomorrow, March 30th! Please stop over to eat or pickup some pasta to take home... If you do your kids will nominate you for Parent of the Year! How's that for an unexpected dividend.

I should know what the calendar is going to look like for the end of this school year pretty soon. Just have to make sure the snow is a distant memory. Speaking of calendars.. we might have to look to make an adjustment to the 2010-2011 calendar because of some changes that have recently been mandated by the NJ Department of Education.

Till next time...

budget news and education...

I have been in education here in NJ for 25 years and I can not remember a time when I was more discouraged than I was last night concerning the state of educational funding. The fiscal news the nation faces, and certainly New Jersey as well, is not good. I know we will do our best to make this work without hurting or impacting the students. As we look over the numbers and plug away at calculators we will always keep in mind, as our number one concern, that students are not impacted! They should know that the adults who are entrusted to do what is right for them and what is best for them will never lose sight of the fact that they do come first.

I am not going to kid you. This situation places us in dire straits. But over the next few days, as we once again dissect the financial situation of our school district, we will figure it out! We will do so with the students of Oxford township in mind, always.

Till next time....

Budget Questions?

Who doesn't have them, right? I mean we are looking to spend millions of dollars again next year to effectively educate the students of Oxford, Pre-K through 12th grade and efficiently operate the school and that should generate questions.

We will be presenting the new proposed budget on Thursday April 1, 2010, however now is the time to ask questions...

If you have any questions, please give me a call. 908-453-4101, x2101. Of course you can email me here at the school as well, bmagnuson@oxfordcentral.org.


Come on, send me a question!!!
Till next time...

OYA Basketball...

has enjoyed a great season! The boys and girls teams were very successful with our younger teams learning the game and the rules and managing to win a game or two along the way! Our older boys had a successful season, building some positive life skills and team work! Our older girls--7th and 8th grade-- played each other for the league championship. The 7th graders fought hard the entire game but they fell a little short in their attempts to knock off the powerful 8th grade team.
Tonight the 5th/ 6th Grade girls are playing against Franklin for their championship! Go Oxford!

Till next time...

The School Calendar...

for the 2010-2011 school year has been approved for NEXT year. It will be up on the website soon. Next year, if we are in school for a built-in snow day, that day will be a half day for students and a full professional development day for staff.....


The snow days certainly have piled up and we will be addressing the calendar issues as soon as I am sure we are out of the snow cycle. As soon as we can figure that out we will let everyone know. We will have school on Monday March 15th and Thursday April 1st!!

Till next time...

AH! February!

Man, if I wasn't born in this month, I would hate it!! Snow one day, then 40 degrees the next right before the next snow storm... What a month. It has been quite a month here at OCS. Fortunately we put the new roof on and that is not leaking, although we do have some minor issues where the addition roof meets the new roof, but we are taking care of that. Now it could just stop raining and snowing... I would be fine with that! I guess I am done ranting...

Till next time...

Cool stuff going on...

The fifth grade traveled this past Tuesday to Rutgers University where they took part in the Rutgers University Coastal Ocean Observatory Lab (RU COOL). This is the second year we have been invited to attend this wonderful project. Thanks to Mr. C for helping organize and to the chaperons--Mrs. Payne, Mrs. Kimball, and Mrs. Ficarra. The students tell me they had a great time.

The fifth grade also presented their colonial America projects, which were awesome. This old history teacher had a tear in his eye! Nice job to Mrs. Payne for helping to bring the colonial period to life for our students and for the classes who came to hear and see the projects.

Till next time...

Spring Sports at Warren Hills Middle School

are available for our 7/8 grade students... for further information please call Mrs Joan Duryea in the Warren Hills Athletic Office. Her number is 908-689-3050, ext. 3047.

Enjoy the snow!

Till next time....

Day 100!!!

is on its way... Monday February 8th will be the 100th day of school. The kindergarten and first grade are keeping me up to date!

Till next time...

delayed openings...

Just an FYI to our bus students and their parents...

In case you did not notice the pattern, when we have a delayed opening our buses arrive here at OCS later. The reason is that Warren Hills keeps the students ten minutes longer, therefore the buses do not get here at their usual time.
Obviously that places them home a few minutes later than they usually get home.

Till next time...

Operation Smile

is a wonderful worldwide program that provides cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries for deserving children all over the world. As part of our character education program last month we asked parents and children to bring in used books that they had at home for a book sale. I am proud to say the total amount raised.... DRUM ROLL PLEASE....

$600.00!!!!!

We also had more than 50 books donated to our school library and to other charities as well.

What a wonderful project for our OCS community to be a part of and what an excellent result!!

Till next time...

Made in China...

Not always a good thing. I have recently read a few articles and seen some news stories about product recalls again from products that are made in China! They may contain lead, cadmium and who knows what else. Some are toys, jewelry, books and many, many other products. I thought I could list the most recent recalls, but NO WAY!! Too many of them....

www.cspc.gov

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. This site lists them all. You can even enter complaints!!

Till next time...

Spelling Bee...

This past Friday we had our annual spelling bee and it was exciting!! We started off with 15 5th-8th grade finalists who were up on stage and took turns spelling words that go increasingly more difficult. After more than 40 minutes we we down to two students, Rachel Opdyke and returning OCS Bee champion, Ryan Witner. Both students battled well and finally the word supplement proved to be Rachel's undoing. Ryan will represent our school at the regional spelling bee in March.
Thanks to our Queen Bee, Mrs. Lurz, for putting everything together!

Till next time...

Great Success

sometimes comes in small steps...

We had a very successful fundraiser today to benefit the American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti. We were able to raise more than $300 for this worthy charity! Kudos to the students and the Student Council for this awesome endeavor!

Till next time...

Martin Luther King Jr. Day and HAT DAY!!

What do these two ideas have in common? The holiday to celebrate the great deeds of Martin Luther King. Jr. has come and gone and as part of our schools character education, a legacy that we got from great men and women like the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we are celebrating empathy as our "theme" for the month of January. This Wednesday, the Student Council and the K-Kids are sponsoring a student activity to raise money that will go directly to emergency relief in Haiti. The money will be directly donated to the American Red Cross relief efforts! Any student who donates $1.00, or even .50$ will be allowed to wear a hat for the entire school day.

Wednesday--January 20, 2010--Haiti Relief Fund-Raiser--HAT DAY!!!

School Board meeting CANCELLED

Due to the passing of Mr. Alfred Martucci, there will be NO school board meeting tomorrow night, Thursday January 14th.

Mr. Martucci is the father of our Business Administrator, Ms. Patricia Decibus.

Cold enough for you?

It has certainly been cold enough for me!
But in the cold of winter I like to look for things that will warm me up inside and make these days go by as quickly as possible...
Reading a good book always helps. I am in the midst of Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol-- it is a lot of fun.
Playing outside in the snow... I have to do more of that.
Picking up my Market Day products this Thursday night!
Attending an OCS School Board meeting on Thursday at 6:00 pm in the library!!
Coming to watch the OYA-sponsored Night at the Museum 2 in the OCS Cafeteria this Friday night!!
Watching an OYA Basketball game!

OK, so the last four are shameless plugs for things going on in school...

Come on over and enjoy the fun...

Till next time...

How many times...

can you see Night at the Museum 2?? NOT ENOUGH!! Very enjoyable movie and I highly recommend it for everyone. You might ask, "Why do I mention this film?" I mention this film because it will be shown on the big screen here at OCS on Friday January 15th. This event is a free admission event sponsored once again by Oxford youth Association.

Till next time....

Ah, The New year...

welcome to the first blog of the new year. It has been a few days since my last post, apparently I have been trying to think of something profound. Well here goes:

Some upcoming events that you might not be aware of:

Thanks to sponsorship from Oxford Township we will be hosting an environmental awareness program this Thursday, January 7 in the morning.

Students are going to start gearing up for the 2010 Spelling Bee very soon. Last year's winner, Ryan Witner, looks to retain his title and move on to the regional championship! The school finals will bee held January 22nd!