The first two weeks of school have gone very well. Routines are in place, we’ve been reviewing school expectations, classrooms are busy, and we have already practiced using our “tools” from the Toolbox program. We are off to a great start! I want to thank those who were able to make it out for Back-to-School Night last week. We had a pretty good turnout, and hopefully it was informative for everyone. If you weren’t able to be there, reach out to your child’s teacher (if you haven’t already heard from them) and check in. The home-school connection is critical for student success at school.
After this week, the Oxford News school bulletin will be sent out every other week. If there is timely information to share, we will use the Oxford email list, a robo-call, or send out a special edition of the newsletter. Be sure to check out the Oxford website for information, and if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up to get this newsletter via email and for the email list! (Links are on the website’s sidebar.)
If you haven’t already, please turn in the forms that were sent home in the Thursday folder. They have information that is important for us to have on file at school. And in case you missed my many messages about the school lunch form, please make sure to turn that one in, too, or you can do it on-line at ezmealapp.com. If you do it online, no need to submit the paper form too.
Thanks for all your support! ~ Beth Rhine
From the PTA Co-Presidents
Dear Oxfordians,
We hope you enjoyed Back-to-School Night last week and meeting your child’s teacher and all the other parents in your group. It’s important for one (or more—the responsibility can be shared, of course!) person(s) to volunteer as this year’s room parent(s), to be a bridge between your class and your teacher, the PTA and the rest of the community. The room parent’s tasks are simple and straightforward and do not involve much time. Feel free to ask us or any returning parents questions about this job.
We have heard of lice cases at other BUSD elementary schools, and we would like to ask you to check your kid’s hair regularly in the hope we can avoid an infestation at Oxford. Last year we also used Lice Control on Shattuck Avenue to have all the pupils checked after a successful lice invasion at school (successful for the lice’s part—for the parents it was a nightmare, and for the PTA, an unexpected expense). Yes, it is hard to find the little creatures hiding in the hair; one has to sit down, make the child cooperate (easier said than done) and spend time going through their hair. No, it is not a joyful task, but by checking regularly we can identify the invaders at an early stage and save our budget for the things that matter. Local pharmacies and drugstores have preventive shampoos and lice-treatment kits. And if in dire need, Lice Control also offers lice removal services. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns about this.
Feeling itchy yet?
~ Betsy & Aïda (PTA co-presidents 2015–17) pta@oxfordelementary.org
PS. Can you help us reach our goal? Yes, I will help Oxford reach it’s goal
Q&A about the PTA
Other than giving money at the beginning of the school year, are there any other ways in which I can help raise funds for the school?
Yes, many!
At Oxford we have fundraising events like the Campaign for Oxford, the One-More-Month campaign and the Auction amongst others. We also have specific programs that help us raise money such as the Chinook Book, Box Tops for Education and Shop & Dine.
Chinook Book & App of local coupons sells for $20 and Oxford gets 50%.
BoxTops for Education, a nation-wide program that helps schools raise money, gives us 10 cents per code we send them. These pink codes can be found in a large variety of products (eg. Cheerios, Ziploc bags, Annie’s Mac & Cheese…) and we collect them in an envelope outside the main office at school. Last year we got over $200 for them.
Shop & Dine is a fun (and delicious) way to raise money! Our Shop & Dine Ambassador gets in touch with local businesses to set up specific dates when Oxfordians can shop in their establishments. A percentage of those sales is given to our school. Last year we ate at Pizza Moda, Farm Burger, Benchmark Pizzeria and Da Lian, and we bought books from Mrs. Dalloway’s on College and Pegasus on Solano. Check the newsletter and the online school calendar regularly for any upcoming Shop & Dine events.
Nuts and gum and candy
If your child eats school lunch and has special dietary restrictions, please send a note to Cindy in the cafeteria with the information, or stop in and see her in the morning. Cindy does not need a note for students who are vegetarians or if a child is not able to eat pork. (Once they say they are vegetarian, she will only serve them vegetarian lunch. Sometimes students say they are vegetarians until pizza day and then they want pepperoni pizza.) If you have any questions, stop by and talk to Cindy. She’s at school early in the morning, preparing breakfast, and leaves by 1:00 pm.
Speaking of eating, please have your child leave gum and candy at home. It’s icky when we find gum on the ground. Also, having spent a lot of time in the cafeteria at lunchtime as Ms. Rhine has, if your child has candy, they usually eat it first and sometimes eat nothing else. We try to have kids take home what they don’t eat, so that you know what they are eating at lunchtime.
Does your child take medicine or use an inhaler at school?
If yes, we must have a doctor’s note on file in the office, and the medicine also needs to be kept in the office. Some students like to carry their inhalers, but they aren’t always ready to use the inhaler unsupervised. District guidelines require the note and administration of medicine in the school office. We are very lucky to have a nurse on site, Ms. Judy, and she’s great about helping students take their medicine appropriately and handling other medical issues that arise.
You can have a direct impact on your child’s education!
Join the dynamic group of parents, teachers and staff on the School Governance Council, working to meet the learning needs of ALL students, improve school climate, and forge a strong school-home connection. The SGC writes our annual School Site Plan and determines funding priorities for Oxford.
Nomination forms are available in the school office and were sent home last week—and on the website. Please consider nominating yourself for the SGC election. It’s a two-year term and four parent/guardian positions are open on the council. The deadline for nominations is Friday, Sept. 16. Contact Beth Rhine or email SGC Chair Nina Cohen if you have questions. The first official meeting with the 2016–17 Committee will be on October 25.
Win an Urban Sitter Gift Certificate via Campaign for Oxford
Thanks to all in our community who have contributed to the Campaign for Oxford!
RAFFLE: a $75 GIFT CERTIFICATE from URBAN SITTER will go to one person who donates this weekend! Win-Win: Give to Oxford and Give to Yourself—date night, coverage for the kids during the work week, a movie or a hike in Tilden with friends—whatever your fancy, give to Oxford and you could win that great gift of TIME with Urban Sitter.
ONE MORE MONTH of preschool tuition is suggested for new Kinder families or just give what you can $5, $25, $50 +++ Returning families who are able, consider the equivalent of a month of camp.
REMEMBER: the PTA must raise $500 per student to bridge the gap in education funding – help Oxford continue to educate and inspire our kids every day.
GIVE NOW and let’s END this CAMPAIGN, we need this essential funding and we know you need to stop receiving emails from us ;/)
RAISED: $15,000, with $10,000 to go to reach our goal and continue funding all the programs our kids rely on: Art, PE, Instructional Aides, Technology and more.
If you haven’t found time to give please do so now and we can wrap this up and focus on fun this fall with the upcoming Harvest & Book Fair!
GIVE by check payable to Oxford PTA
SHARE the Campaign on Facebook
Many, many thanks from,
~ Kimberley Gregg & Kirsten Seanz Tobey Your Friendly Oxford Fundraising Team
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