Thursday, May 2, 2013

I can see clearly now...



I can see it finally…. Spring is here!  The tulips out front have begun to blossom… much to the joy of our local deer population who have made quite a meal of our flowers as they have come up… leaving us with lovely green stumps.  Certainly not as beautiful as our Red Ribbon Tulips!  But Spring is here!  We all need the rejuvenation that spring brings with it!  The field trips, the state testing, the end of the year activities all require an extra boost of energy! 
Since the last Friday Bulletin we have had a Warren County Clean Communities Grant environmental awareness assembly for our KG-5 grade students.  The program, The Grand Falloons, is always enjoyable.  Full of music, science, some mayhem, a great message about the environment and the importance of working to keep the planet healthy!
We hosted our second annual Poetry Slam in the evening of April 17th!  Parents and students came out to promote poetry and to hear student poems!  Thanks to Mrs. Housel, Mrs. Lurz , Ms. Dean, Mrs. Dechert and Mr. Bloom for creating and assisting with the evening!
The PTA-sponsored after school activity, Eyes of the Wild, has proven to be a success.  We have to close the KG-2 program since we are already over the number we had hoped for.  The 3-5 grade program is still open.  Parents can send in their 3-5 grade registration forms for the May 23 and May 30 programs.
The PTA is in need of parents who wish to fill vacancies on the Executive Board.  I know we are all very busy in this crazy world, but this group does need your support at the organizational level.  If you have an hour a month to spare for the PTA meetings, please consider running for one of the officer positions!  The benefits and rewards are great!  Please access the PTA website, www.ocspta.org for more information. 
We had a spectacular culminating assembly for our CORRECT “Talk It, Walk It, Pass It On!” campaign on Wednesday, April 24th!  The program celebrated the positive character traits of our students and the wonderful activities we have been working on over the past few months.  We recognized students who were nominated by their peers and their teachers as “Character Kids” and we heard many positive messages from our own character superheroes, the Correct Crusaders, who led the student body and staff in many activities to wrap-up our 2012-2013 program!  Thanks to Mrs. Carr, Mr. Kenney, Mrs. Saraiva and Mrs. Housel for carrying the yeoman’s load and to all our staff and students for making this year’s program such a success.  Thanks to Mrs. Firling for working on the school song with the students over the past few months!  Of course a special thank you to our “Crusaders:” Brian Quigley, Morgan DeMayo, Megan Bodmer and Anthony Lilly! 
This past Wednesday we celebrated the fabulous work of our secretaries, Mrs. Diaz, Mrs. Doyle, Mrs. Halloran and Mrs. Ramkelawan.  They all do such a great job here at OCS and their efforts do not go unnoticed.   Thank you ladies!
We are going through another round of the Study Island Benchmark testing and we will have one last round prior to the end of the school year.  The results of these two rounds will be put together and reported at the end of the school year. 
Speaking of assessments.. we begin the 2013 administration of the NJASK next week.  The testing schedule is as follows:
Seventh Grade:  April 29-May 2                                                 Eighth Grade:  April 29-May 3
Fifth Grade and Sixth Grade:  May 6-May 9
Third Grade:  May 13-May 16                                      Fourth Grade:  May 13-May 17
Please make sure that your student(s) gets plenty of rest the week of their testing and eat as healthy as they can! 
The Warren Hills Cluster of Schools held the Third Autism Awareness 5-K and Family Fun walk last Saturday at Meadow Breeze Park.  Thanks to all of our participants for making this event a success.  Thank you also to the OCS staff who came out to volunteer!  OCS was represented by 33% of the staff, who all took time from their lives to do something nice for others.  Special shout-out to Mrs. Diaz and Ms. Dachisen for their efforts! 
The Student Council Duck Race was held this afternoon!  Great weather, a great deal of fun and all for two very good charities!  Thanks to the Student Council for hosting another successful event. 
Tonight there will be a Warren County Student Art Show held in Independence Township at the Municipal Building on Route 46.  The county-wide show will include many pieces of artwork from more than two dozen OCS students.  Thanks to Mrs. Nemeth for putting the show together!
Finally, I will be hosting a special meeting on Tuesday, May 14th to discuss the latest reports from the Department of Education: the School Performance Report and the Taxpayer’s Spending Guide.  This meeting will be held in the OCS Library and will begin at 7:00 pm. 
Phew… I am exhausted!
Till next time…

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