SEVEN OAK MIDDLE SCHOOL 550 Cascade Drive Lebanon, OR 97355 541-451-8416 September Edition, Vol. 1 Welcome Back to School! The 2014-2015 school year is off to a great start! Our focus continues to be creating thinkers, leaders and learners. We welcome our new 6 th graders who are now pros at getting their lockers open and maneuvering through the west wing! We are happy to introduce our new staff members! Jeff Bennett (Science), Logan Grasseth (Special Education), Ashley Hartl (Instructional Assistant), Heather Hutchinson (Special Education), Kate Kissner (Math & Science), Aaron Mason (Wellness), Gabrielle Merritt (6 th Grade), Cassie Medina (Language Arts & ELL), Greta Pyle (Instructional Assistant), Amanda Sater (6 th Grade), Jon Stein (Band) and Lisa Stellbrink (Instructional Assistant) are joining us at Seven Oak this year. Our counselor, Mrs. Sickles, will be joining us full time this year as well. All students have received planners to help them stay organized. If they lose their planners they can buy a new one at the front office for $3. We are using Pinnacle again this year for tracking student grades. We will be mailing out new parent passwords at the end of October with progress reports. Please call the office if you would like your password sooner. We encourage parents/guardians to set up login information at home so you can check your student s progress. Principal Jennifer Meckley Associate Principal Wayne Reposa We will continue to have Spartan (homeroom) during 1 st period. First period will be twenty minutes longer for Spartan/Homeroom. Breakfast is free and will be served in the classrooms this year during this time. We are committed to providing our students with the best education they deserve and look forward to seeing you at Seven Oak and/or hearing from you. ~~~~~~~~ Our newsletter will be mailed out monthly on the first Friday of every month. Calendar of Events September 22 Snack Bar Opens October 7 Health Screening October 10 No School October 24 Picture Retakes October 29 Staff Preparation Day No School October 30 Parent Conferences No School October 31 Staff Development - No School November 10 No School November 11 Veteran s Day No School November 27 Thanksgiving Day No School November 28 Non-Contract Day No School
Attendance We are still using Autodialer this year. It makes automated phone calls home when your student has received an absence or tardy during the day. Please send a note or call the office to excuse your student s absences. The Autodialer will also be used to announce information about special events or emergencies. All excuses must be submitted within 24 hours from the day of the absence. Early Release Days Early Release will be EVERY Wednesday this year. Students will be dismissed at 1:30. Busses will run as usual. Tardy Policy Students are expected to report to school and to each class on time, prepared with the necessary materials. Students who arrive late to school must check in at the office and receive an admittance slip before going to class. When students are late to school or to a class, our tardy policy is as follows: 3 Tardies/month = Detention 5 Tardies/month = 2 nd Detention and ODR minor (Office Discipline Referral) 10+ Tardies/month = ½ day ISS and ODR major, Parent Contact and Student Success Plan Student Handbook The Seven Oak student handbook may be found at the beginning of your student s planner. Student Fees Student fees may be paid in the front office to Ruth Hopkins. We now take debit and credit, as well as cash or check. $25 Student Body Fee $10 T-shirt (8 th grade only) $15 Softcover Yearbook $20 Hardcover Yearbook MORNING ROUTINE: The cafeteria doors open at 8:00am for students. There is no supervision for students before this time. If you are dropping your student off in the morning, please do so by the oak tree near the playground. Please do not drop your student off in front of the main building. School starts at 8:30. Breakfast is free for all students and is served during first period this year. All students are encouraged to eat breakfast. An extra 20 minutes has been added to first period. ATTENTION PARENTS OF 7 th GRADERS Your 7 th grade student should have one additional vaccine by January (Tdap). Please see the attachment for more information. AFTERNOON ROUTINE: Students are dismissed at 3:30. If you are picking up your student after school, please do so by the oak tree near the playground. Students being picked up by an adult exit the building by the cafeteria and will be waiting by the oak tree. Walkers/bike riders exit through the main doors. Bus riders exit through the north hallway. It is very important that you do not park in front of the building to wait for your student. The safety of our Seven Oak students is very important to us.
Boys and Girls Club Bus Students who are members of the Boys and Girls club may ride bus 101 to the club after school. 8 th Grade Washington D.C. Trip Students interested in traveling to DC and NY on the 8th grade trip can contact Mrs. Gardner for more information. Meetings start sept 8th, but questions are always welcome!! SNACK BAR Our student snack bar is in need of more volunteers. If you would like to volunteer in the snack bar during lunch, please contact the school. Alibgardner@gmail.com School Garden Open House Parent Teacher Club Meetings will be held at 6:00pm in the Seven Oak library on the following days. Anyone interested in joining PTC may attend. October 6th December 1st February 9th April 6th June 1st Student Council Student Council elections are coming up soon! Student Council is a great opportunity for kids to get involved in the elections process, as well as be involved in student leadership and school activities. Student Council members meet before school every other Wednesday. For more information, email Mrs. Gardner at ali.gardner@lebanon.k12.or.us "Lebanon School Gardens Open House" Thursday, September 18 th We have two opportunities to visit Seven Oak Middle School Garden and greenhouses and Hamilton Creek Elementary School Gardens! This is an informal opportunity to observe teachers and students in action working in the gardens. There are 5 school gardens in Lebanon Community School District with 45 classes and 1200 students receiving garden education. Seven Oak Middle School: 10:00 am 12:30 pm Visit the greenhouses and gardens talk with the students Hamilton Elementary School: 1:00 pm 2:20 pm Tour the large school garden learn about the garden-based lessons K-8 th graders receive *Please check in at the front office of each school advising that you are there for the garden tours. BACKGROUND: Oregon currently has 515 school gardens. We are the only state that knows exactly how many school gardens there are - complete with a contact for each one. Last winter, Oregon held the first annual statewide school garden summit in West Salem, and a group of Linn County school gardens had the idea to form the first regional school garden hub in the State.
Concert dates for band Box Tops October 23 - Fall Band Concert 7pm - Old Gym December 16 - Winter Band Concert t 7pm - Old Gym March 17 - ExtravaBANDza joint concert with HS Band at LHS May 21 - Band and Choir Concert 7pm - Old Gym Seven Oak will be collecting Box Tops this year. Please drop them by the front office or send to school with your child. Our school earns 10 cents for every box top. Box Top money that our school earns will go toward technology, PE and playground equipment and library books. Go to www.boxtops4education.com to see a list of participating products. Seven Oak Closet We are collecting new or gently loved clothing items -tops, jeans, shoes, sweatshirts and coats. Contact the Seven Oak front office to make an appointment if you would like to make a contribution or assist with the closet (541) 451-8416. Keys to success You can set your middle grader up for success this year with some basic pointers. Suggest that he/she try to follow this checklist, and you ll help him/her get off on the right foot: I attend school every day unless I m sick, and I get there on time. I get 8-10 hours of sleep of sleep each night. I eat a healthy breakfast in the morning. I pay attention in class. I write down my assignments for each subject. I start my projects when I get them. I complete my homework on time. I read for pleasure each day. Labels for Education Seven Oak will be collecting Labels for Education. Please save UPC barcodes and beverage/sauce caps from participating products and drop them by the front office. Our school can then purchase FREE educational merchandise such as computers, software, sports equipment, musical instruments, library books, etc. Go to www.labelsforeducation.com for a list of participating products. ABSENCES/ATTENDANCE It is critical that you call our office at (541) 451-8416 Ext. 1800 when your child is absent from school. You may call 24 hours a day, as our phones have voicemail. You may do this for emergencies, appointments, as well as illnesses. If you are unable to call, then a written note must be submitted to the office stating the reason for the absence. All excuses must be submitted within 24 hours from the day of the absence. Without a phone call or written note, the absence will be considered unexcused. Attendance is vital to the success of your child. The truancy officer will be notified if your child accumulates too many absences. Doctor notes will be required for absences due to illness when: Extending beyond 3 consecutive school days Totaling 10 days in a school year
CELL PHONES Students may use cell phones at Seven Oak before and after school. Cell phones are to be off and away during the school day. The first time a cell phone is taken away from a student for violating our policy, the student may pick up the cell phone at the end of the school day. The second time and any time thereafter, parents are required to come in and pick up the cell phone. CLOSED CAMPUS Because we care about your child s safety, Seven Oak has a closed campus policy. Students are not allowed to walk to Crowfoot store or to the Wal- Mart area during the school day. EMERGENCY CARDS Any time you have changes of address, phone number, or other pertinent information, please notify us of these changes. Make sure and include the names of any family members that may transport your child. EMERGENCY HEALTH SITUATIONS If a major health emergency occurs which requires immediate action, we will notify the district health nurse and parents or guardians. If we are unable to reach parents, we will attempt to notify the emergency contacts on the white emergency card. When necessary, an emergency rescue unit will be called. Also, if your student becomes ill during the school day and it is determined he/she needs to go home, parents/guardians or other authorized persons on the emergency card will be notified. It is very important that we have current, accurate and complete information on the emergency cards. FOOD ITEMS Please do not send energy drinks to school with your child. Energy drinks are not allowed at Seven Oak. Coffee drinks included. GRADES Progress reports are mailed at the end of quarters 1 and 3. Report cards are mailed at the end of semesters 1 and 2. Parents/guardians have access to their son/daughter s grades through our student information system, Pinnacle. Pinnacle is not active for parents/guardians to access yet, but it will be soon. We will notify parents/guardians as soon as it is ready. HOMEWORK REQUESTS In the case of extended illness and/or absence, parents/guardians may call the school and request homework for your student. Teachers need one full day to complete homework requests, so making a phone call as early as possible will generally assure the request can be fulfilled. We would also encourage you to visit your student s teachers webpages to see what was missed. MEDICATIONS When medications must be given at school, it must be given according to school district policy. For prescription and non-prescription medication a form must be signed by the parent/guardian or doctor with complete directions and information. The medication must be brought to school by the parent/guardian in the original container labeled with exact direction for administration. School personnel cannot take verbal orders by the parent/guardian or doctor. VISITORS POLICY For the safety and security of our students, we ask that all visitors check in at the main office and receive a Visitor or Volunteer badge. Parents/guardians are welcome to visit Seven Oak at any time, but we ask that you contact the teacher(s) in advance to planning a visit to the classroom(s). VOLUNTEERS Please contact the Seven Oak office staff for volunteer information. There is a background check that needs to be done on our district website and approval from the district office prior to helping at Seven Oak. WE LOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS! The Lebanon School District website: http://www.lebanon.k12.or.us