Ms. Anna, Oxford’s art teacher, told me that in today’s art class in Room 26 that she and Ms. Foster “asked the class to make symbols that could show a way forward and give an outlet for all their worries.”
I want to share the pictures with you here. And acknowledge the talented teachers and staff we have at Oxford. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
~ Annie Burke, newsletter editor, Oxford Facebook photo post maker, and mom to Alex and Benny
From the Principal
We had a great Halloween last week, with lots of exciting costumes and a fun parade. It was great to see so many families at the parade, too. I think it’s one of my favorite school events because so many parents/guardians come to Oxford to help with the celebration!
Speaking of visiting the school, the purpose of the shortened school days was to provide time for teachers to meet with parents/guardians. If you weren’t able to schedule a conference with your child’s teacher, I encourage you to set up that appointment. The home-school connection is critical for your child’s academic growth.
And finally, at this time of year, flu and sickness begin to impact our community. If your child is sick, please keep them home until they are feeling better. The general guidelines are 24 hours of no vomiting and no fever for 24 hours before returning to school. Please keep in mind that we have medically-fragile students at Oxford and a flu or cold can hit them hard. Encourage your child to wash their hands regularly, as well as to not touch their face (eyes, nose, mouth). If your child is absent, it’s best if you call and leave a message the day of the absence, as early as possible.
Thank you for all you do to make Oxford great!
~ Principal Beth Rhine
From the Oxford PTA
Fall at Oxford is a busy time of the year, PTA-wise. Once the Harvest Fair is over, the Spellathon kicks in, and the Shop-and-Give events across Berkeley spread like wildfire till winter break. Here’s a recap of what we’ve managed to raise these last 4 weeks:
Harvest Fair: $1,600
Book Fair: $800 (plus $1,000 specifically to buy books for school)
Tea School Days: $200
Sports Basement: $400
Farm Burger: $191
Thank you all who contributed. We’re approaching our annual goal nicely!
But we still need someone to give a hand with the Chinook Books. Can you sell five or six or ten at your office, amongst your friends? Email us, and we’ll get you the materials.
And here’s what’s happening next:
The Spellathon: Help your kids learn those words correctly and raise money for each one correctly spelt. Family, friends, neighbors—all can contribute with pledges.
November 10–12: Mrs Dalloway’s: come to buy books for the family, for friends, for your teachers, for yourselves. Keep your receipt and put it in the Mrs. Dalloway’s-marked envelope on the board by the office. 20% of your sales will be donated to Oxford. Easy!
November 11 & 12: Menchie’s: Frozen Yogurt galore! A percentage of all Oxford sales this weekend will be donated to our school. Come and bring your friends!
November 17: Pizza Moda is donating a percentage of all Oxford dine-ins between 5:30 and 9:30 pm. Bring family and friends. The more the merrier.
Join the PTA on Friday November 18 at 8:00 am in the cafeteria for guest speaker Josh Reed, District Teacher on Special Assignment from BUSD’s Berkeley Research, Evaluation & Assessment (BREA) department, who’ll kindly come and talk to us about how to interpret Oxford test results from the last two years. This is an important meeting that, regardless of our kids’ grades, helps us see what issues need addressing at Oxford, both academically and financially.
Here’s to an exciting couple of weeks!
~ Betsy & Aïda (2015–17 PTA co-presidents), pta@oxfordelementary.org
Volunteer from Home via Computer!
Got 15 minutes at home here and there to help keep Oxford families informed? You could create Oxford events on Facebook—it’s easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. Or, if you know just a little WordPress, you could help update OxfordElementary.org. Email web@oxfordelementary.org to get started.
Share Your Feedback + Ideas: Harvest Fair Survey
Whether you attended this year or not, please take a few minutes to let our dedicated volunteer event planners know what’s working for your family vs. what could be improved upon at future Harvest Fairs.
Tell us what you think: surveymonkey.com/r/oxfordharvestfair2016
Thanks!
What’s New In Instructional Technology?
If you have been in the classroom of a 3rd, 4th or 5th grade student recently, you may have seen a cart of Chromebooks (laptops) living there. Last summer, the majority of 3rd to 5th grade teachers at all schools did the training to become Google Certified Educators and now have a larger toolbox of lessons with which to integrate our curriculum with technology.
Every 3rd grade classroom now has a class set of Chromebooks which is shared between two neighboring teachers and nearly every 4th and 5th grade classroom has its own class set of Chromebooks. Integrating computers into students’ learning is akin to using a calculator in math class: while it’s a powerful tool, it isn’t the only way students are learning. Technology and screen time are not replacing other types of learning, Chromebooks are simply a tool which can make learning deeper or more personal and engaging. For unique and creative types of screen time to do at home which support what your child is learning at school, please visit this online BUSD flyer, Family Math and Technology Ideas for Home with Links, as well as the STEM Resources page from our school website’s Resources section.
Photos by Ms. Anna.
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