We are now sending out the school newsletters every other week. Our hope is to save paper and not have information repeated too often. If there is timely information during the off-week, I will send out a message via the Oxford email list and/or do a robo-call. School events are also listed on the Oxford Facebook page and the school website, oxfordelementary.org. Be sure to check out the website, it’s really amazing. Hillary Brooks, an Oxford parent, has been doing an outstanding job putting up-to-date information and links to different resources on the school website.
Speaking of communication, if you need to talk to your child’s teacher, please send them an email, a note, or leave a message in the office. Sometimes you can catch the teacher on the playground after school. The conversations on the playground or in the hallways before school keep students from entering the classrooms in a timely fashion. We want to support everyone getting started learning as soon as possible. Thank you for your cooperation.
There is no school on Monday, October 10th for students. The staff will be participating in district-wide professional development and we will not be at school. Be sure to mark your calendar so no one shows up at school that day!
Thanks for making September a fairly smooth month and helping us to get into the school groove!
~Beth Rhine
From the Oxford PTA
Dear Oxford Community,
Here’s a quick list of upcoming events and fundraisers that the PTA is organizing for the school.
NEW!
Tomorrow: Friday September 30, 6:00–8:30 pm, Movie & Pizza Night! For $25 a child (plus an optional contribution of $10 for each additional child), kids get to watch either The Incredibles or Zootopia with their friends. It’s a night infor kids and a night out for parents! Please RSVP by 12pm tomorrow if your child(dren) will come, so we can plan food according to numbers. Email pta@oxfordelementary.org.
October 12–19, Oxford is partnering with Tea’s School Days to get 15% off all the Tea Collection clothing, plus another 15% of our sales that Tea’s School Days will donate to Oxford. Our unique code is SDF16OXFORD; please feel free to pass this on to friends or relatives who may want to make the most of this special sale.
There are two ways to buy these great clothes: in person at Kid Dynamo(2108 Vine Street, Berkeley) or online. If you prefer to shop in person, tell the cashier at Kid Dynamo the name of our school and give them our code (SDF16OXFORD). For those shopping online, go to TeaSchoolDays.com (notTeaCollection.com) and enter SDF16OXFORD in the promo code box at checkout and click “apply code.” (TeaSchoolDays.com is a private site that mirrors TeaCollection.com.)
Once you arrive at TeaSchoolDays.com, you will need to log in or create an account with Tea. After you enter the site, you will see that all Tea Collection items (excluding non-Tea merchandise or Tea clothing sets) have been marked down 15%, special for School Days participants. Just add items to your cart and proceed to check out, and you will be prompted to enter Oxford’s promo code—SDF16OXFORD—and hit “apply my code.” Once the code is applied, Oxford will receive 15% back of the final order total before tax and shipping, for each purchase using this code. In addition, you will receive free 6–10 business day shipping (you must select that shipping option for the code to apply), which will appear on the last page of checkout. Orders placed without this code cannot be adjusted.
Sunday October 23, Harvest & Book Fair at Oxford! Save the date for this fun day at our school. Free games for all kids, plus food, baked goods and books for sale. All profits to go to Oxford. Check with your room parent to see how you can help.
ONGOING!
As the BUSD dedicates the 2016–17 to the Year of the Reader, let’s set examples for our kids and have our own Grownups’ Book Share Table at Oxford. Following last year’s initiative, we will continue saving some space on the table by the main entrance. Bring any old books you’ve read and are keen to pass on, and come and pick one in exchange: literary fiction, sci-fi, culinary, biographies, romance, thrillers, music… all books are welcome.
Flea Market (more or less). Did you know that Oxford has its very own sweater and jacket rack? Back by popular (non-)demand, we have plenty of sweatshirts, hoodies, jackets, long sleeved T-shirt of all sizes 5–11. Check the rack by the breezeway entrance, where all lost clothing is hanging neatly, ready to be found and collected by its rightful owner. If you’re not able to come, please ask your child to check the rack for their missing clothing.
Shop at Sports Basement and Support Oxford! Every time you shop at Sports Basement and mention Oxford Elementary at checkout, our school gets 10% of your purchase (and you get 10% off). Last year this program raised almost $500 for our school! Sports Basement is offering the same program this year—to participate you just have to sign up for their Basementeer program, which is free for BUSD families through the end of the year.
You can sign up in-store or online at shop.sportsbasement.com/ pages/basementeers-sign-up.
AND! Use the code 70006124 shopping at Office Depot/OfficeMax, and we will get 5% of those sales.
Got questions or suggestions?
Email Betsy & Aïda at pta@oxfordelementary.org (2015–17 PTA co-presidents)
Picture Day is Coming!
Mark your calendar (or subscribe to Oxford’s Google calendar), it’s Picture Day on Friday, October 21st.
An ordering envelope will be sent home closer to the actual date. We will need an adult or two to help with the Picture Day process (notifying classes, neatening up students’ hair, etc.). If you are willing to lend a hand, let us know. We begin in the morning and are hopefully done by lunchtime.
Our Young Digital Citizens (our Kids!)
We may think of our kids’ online, mobile, and technological activities as “digital life,” but to them it’s just life. In their world, being able to connect and communicate 24/7 from just about any location is normal – and expected! Between kindergarten and fifth grade, kids go through rapid growth in learning. From playing games on their mom or dad’s cell phone, to learning how to point and click a mouse, to navigating online by themselves, kids this age are participating in a connected culture.
Robin Hurley, our school’s technology teacher, is teaching our kids a lot about how to be a digital citizen. In each newsletter, we’ll be sharing info, tips, and links from Common Sense Education—here is the first family tip sheet: Common Sense on Digital Life.
Working Parents: Volunteer via Computer!
Know a little WordPress or have a smidge of experience editing websites? Or would you like to learn? You can help update OxfordElementary.org, Facebook and Twitter for the PTA!
Email web@oxfordelementary.org for more information.
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