A Note from the Principal

 

   The cold weather has set in and while our school has been generally warm, we do have some issues that have created many cold areas in the building this past week. 

   On Tuesday, we returned to school starting out the day with both boilers down.  This happens from time to time due to flame failure.  We try to mitigate this by doing building checks on weekends.  During our Monday night building check, we found a steam leak, which our maintenance staff was able to patch.  Both boilers were on and working as of 9:30 PM Monday night.  However, as our custodians arrived early Tuesday morning, they were greeted with both boilers not working.  The building was warming up by 8:30 a.m. as our maintenance staff worked on the boilers, but, as you can imagine, it takes a while to heat the entire junior high and high school.  I know it was a challenging and uncomfortable day for our teachers and students, especially in the morning, and we apologize for the inconvenience. 

   We will continue to do all we can to keep our building warm and comfortable for students and staff alike.  However, with out of date controls and galvanized pipes, this old building can sometimes throw a wrench into the works.  Pun intended!

 

   Go Jacks!

 

Paul Waller
Principal
Oakwood High School

 

 

Other Items in This Edition

 

Sports Shorts with Mrs. Connor

OHS Athletics in the Week Ahead

What's Happening in the Guidance Department

News from the nurse

OHS Curriculum Night

From the Prevention/Intervention Counselor

Class of 2019 Information

Outstanding Fees on Grade Cards

Gifted Identification Referrals Now Being Accepted

Next Week at OHS
 

Sports Shorts with Mrs. Connor

 

 Upcoming Tournament Dates:

 

 SWBL Swimming and Diving Meet will be held on Friday, February 2 at Trotwood-Madison.  Diving will begin at 5:30; swimming follows.

 

Division II Diving Sectionals will be held at Miami University on February 4.

 

Division II Boy's Swimming Sectionals will be held at the Washington Twp. Rec Center on February 8.

 

Division II Girls' Swimming Sectionals will be held at Mason HS on February 9.

 

Division II HS Girls' Basketball Sectional Tournament will begin the week of February 14 or 16 at Lebanon HS.  Exact date/time will be determined at the tournament drawing.

 

Division II HS Boys' Basketball Sectional Tournament will begin on February 22 or 23 at Trent Arena in Kettering.  Exact date/time will be determined at the tournament drawing.

 

SWBL HS Wrestling Tournament will be held at Monroe HS on February 15 and 16.

 

Division II Sectional Wrestling will be held at Graham HS on February 22 and 23.

 

The Winter Sports Banquet will take place on Tuesday, March 5 at 6:30pm in the west gym.  Girls' basketball, boys' basketball, cheerleading, wrestling, and swimming & diving teams will be recognized.

 

There will be a Spring Parent/Athlete Mandatory Meeting on Wednesday, March 6, at 7:00pm in the cafeteria for all Jr. and Sr. High baseball, softball, track & field, boys' tennis and lacrosse student-athletes and their parents.

 

Try-outs for the high school spring sports teams begin soon.  Baseball, boys' & girls' lacrosse try-outs start February 18, softball on February 25, track & field and boys' tennis begin on March 4. 

 

Please check out the athletic webpage for details or call (937) 297-5342.

 

 

Your source for information regarding our athletic teams and their schedules is http://oakwoodschools.net; select Athletics.  Here you are able to access contact information for coaches, directions to events, schedules and necessary forms for participation. 

OHS Athletics in the Week Ahead 

 

• Friday, January 25, Boys' Fr/JV/Varsity Basketball vs. Brookville, 4:30 p.m., HOME (the "Pit")
  
• Friday, January 25, Varsity Wrestling vs. Eaton, Time TBA, AWAY
  
• Saturday, January 26, Varsity Wrestling vs. Eaton, Time TBA, AWAY
  
• Saturday, January 26, Girls' JV/Varsity Basketball vs. Bellbrook, 12:00 p.m. AWAY
  
• Saturday, January 26, Boys' Fr/JV/Varsity Basketball vs. Bethel, 4:30 p.m. AWAY
• Saturday, January 26, Varsity Swim & Dive vs. Bellbrook, 6:30 p.m. AWAY

 

 

You can find more information at the OJH/OHS Athletics Page.

What's Happening in the Guidance Department
 

One of our most popular need-based scholarships, the Dayton-Montgomery County Scholarship (DMCS), requires a completed FAFSA as part of the application.  The DMCS application site will open in December, and the deadline is March 8, 2019, 4pm.  It is imperative that you submit your FAFSA in order to be eligible for the DMCS.  More information about the DMCS and the Oakwood Foundation Scholarships will be shared with all seniors prior to Holiday Break.

 

Attention Sophomores: OHS will be administering the Pre-ACT during the school day March 12, 2019.  This is a practice test in preparation for junior year's ACT.  The Pre-ACT will be optional, and will cost $22.  This was an optional fee to be paid at the beginning of the year.  Joni Sherk will post a list of students who have paid in February.  Please have your student look for their name on the bookroom door at that time.  You may also email Joni Sherk directly at sherk.joni@oakwoodschools.org.  Payment should be made by Thursday, February 14, 2019.

 

11th Grade Students and Parents:  The school counselors will be calling juniors to the guidance office for an individual conference this month. 

 

Parents, if you would like to schedule a junior parent conference, please call 297-5326 starting in February.  We will discuss your student's plans for life after their high school graduation.

 

10th Grade Students and Parents:  All sophomore students heard a Career Education presentation by representatives of Kettering Fairmont and Centerville High Schools and had the opportunity to tour each school program.  If, after touring the program, your student is interested enough to apply to a program, they must do so by January 26.

 

Please contact the high school office at 297-5325 if you have any other questions.

 

News from the nurse

 

Tips for starting the New Year on a Positive Note

 

·   Make a list of goals for the year along with the steps you need to take to achieve them. Resetting your focus is important to making it a successful year.

·   Place a priority on maintaining health by scheduling routine checkups with your physician.

·   Commit to being more physically fit even if it is to start walking every day. Focus on healthy nutrition for energy to stay active.

·   Make quality sleep a priority. The body needs the proper amount of rest to remain healthy.

·   Develop an attitude of gratitude. Commit to writing down something you are thankful for every day as you look at your daily planner. It will change your outlook from negative to positive.

·   Make lifelong learning a habit. The brain will start to deteriorate if it is not stimulated on a regular basis. This is essential as we age.

·   Strengthen social relationships. The power of support from family and friends is essential for maintaining good emotional health.

·   Stay POSITIVE! The power of positive thinking cannot be stressed enough. With faith and a positive attitude all things are truly possible! Have a wonderful New Year! 

 

 OHS Curriculum Night

 

 February 7, 2019 - 5:00 - 8:00 - WEST GYM

 

Parents and students are invited to our Curriculum Night held in the west gym on Thursday, February 7. 

 

Booths will be set up and our teachers will be available to answer your questions about our course offerings for the 2019-2020 school year. 

 

For our students, the weeks following Curriculum Night will include class meetings with the guidance department, acquiring teacher recommendations for classes and the selection of courses for next school year. 

 

If you are the parent of a current 8th grade student, please plan to meet in the auditorium at 5:30 to learn more details about scheduling high school classes.  If your child is considering College Credit Plus (formerly PSEO and/or Dual Enrollment), plan to meet for a mandatory meeting for both the student and one parent. 

The College Credit Plus meeting will be from 7:00 to 8:00 in the auditorium.        

 

During the evening, the Special Education Department will be housed in Room 102.  There you will be able to receive information on all junior and senior high resource classes taught to students receiving services.  In addition, we will have information on applying for your student (on an IEP or 504 Plan) to receive SAT/ACT accommodations, and on transitioning from high school to post-secondary options.

 

PTO will provide refreshments throughout the evening.  We hope to see you there!

From the Prevention/Intervention Counselor

 

The U.S. Surgeon General reported that e-cigarette use among high school students increased 900% in 2017.

 

                                               Drugfreeworld.org

 

                                                                           

For more information and other events, check out the BOLD page on our website.

  

Class of 2019 Information

 

For planning purposes, the location of the Class of 2019 commencement will be the Dayton Convention Center.  This ceremony takes places on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, at 7:00 p.m.

 

Seniors who have not ordered their cap and gown should call Jostens at 1-800-JOSTENS (567-8367) to order or go to their website at www.jostens.com.  Jostens has designed a custom rental gown for Oakwood.  The cost to rent this gown is $40 plus 7.25% sales tax ($42.90).  The rental gown will be returned after the commencement ceremony; however, the cap and tassel are yours to keep.  Please make sure to order the cap/gown/tassel unit through Jostens. 

 

Seniors are reminded to schedule a sitting appointment with Easterling Studios for their senior portraits.  

 

If pictures are taken at Easterling, the senior will automatically be included in the class composite and yearbook.  If photos are taken by another studio, seniors MUST schedule a sitting with Easterling to be included in the composite photo.  Pictures from a studio other than Easterling will not be included in the composite picture as this is a gift to the school from Easterling Studios.  Easterling's phone number is 222-8410.  You may also visit their website at www.easterlingstudios.com.

 

The Senior Slide Show Committee is collecting high-quality pictures for the commencement slide show, and we need your help!  We need elementary, junior high, and underclass pictures AND pictures of seniors in action from Oakwood Schools events.  If you take pictures, you can submit them to seniorslideshow@oakwoodschools.org, or bring them to the collection box outside the senior high office. Please indicate whether they are from senior year or earlier years.  If you are leaving hard copies, please make sure to put your name on the back so that they can be returned to you.  Names of those pictured would also be much appreciated.

 

Seniors:  Please send in a baby/toddler picture to Mrs. Baker in the high school office.  You may bring in a picture or scan and email a picture to Mrs. Baker at baker.beth@oakwoodschools.org.

 

Outstanding Fees on Grade Cards

 

Grade cards were mailed on Thursday, January 10.  If your student owes school fees, a notation is on the grade card and a detailed attachment was included with our mailing.  Please not that these fees can be paid in the bookroom by cash or check (payable to Oakwood High School) or by mailing a check to the school.  School fees can also be paid online by going to ohs.oakwoodschools.org and clicking on the EZPay icon on the front page.

 

Reminder:  The deadline to pay for an AP Exam is Thursday,

February 14. 

 

The last day to order a 2018-2019 yearbook is March 21.  The optional $65 yearbook fee will be removed from each student's account after this date.

 

Gifted Identification Referrals Now Being Accepted

 

According to Ohio House Bill 282, all public school districts in Ohio are required to identify students for giftedness. This law, however, does not mandate any services for identified gifted and talented students. Areas of gifted identification include:  superior cognitive ability and achievement, specific academic (math, reading, science, and social studies), creative thinking, and visual/performing arts (visual art, dance, drama, music).
Assessment procedures vary for each area of identification Visual/performing arts assessments are offered throughout the school year on an annual basis. All teachers, counselors, and administrators receive notification of students who have been identified as gifted in any of the domains. If you would like your child to be assessed for gifted identification, referral forms are
available in the school offices and through the building gifted intervention specialist (GIS).
The referral form can be completed by parents/guardians, teachers, or peers of children who perform, or show the potential for performing, at remarkably high levelsof accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment (state definition). If your child has been identified as gifted in one or more of the above domains, additional referral/assessment for that domain is not necessary. Once a student has been identified as gifted in a domain, the student maintains the gifted identification throughout his/her schooling in Ohio. To maintain the eligibility for services, scores attained within the previous 24 months are used.  Matrices for gifted services are available online on the Gifted Intervention Specialists' websites or at your child's school. Whole-grade gifted assessment is regularly completed throughout a child's school career. In grades, 2, 4, and 6, students take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Cognitive Abilities Test. These tests can be used to help identify students as gifted in the domains of Superior Cognitive Ability and Specific Academic Ability. The SAT and ACT can also be used to identify giftedness. Additionally, our Gifted Intervention Specialists coordinate assessments based on parent/teacher referrals.

 

 

 

Next Week at OHS - Special Events

 

• Tuesday, February 5 - Class meetings for students re:  scheduling for 2019-2020
  

• Thursday, February 7 - OHS Curriculum Showcase, west gym, auditorium, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
  

 

Looking ahead:

 

 

Friday, February 15 - NO SCHOOL, Full PD Day

Monday, February 18 - NO SCHOOL - Presidents' Day

Tuesday-Friday (Feb. 19-22) - NO SCHOOL - Winter Break

 

For a full calendar of OHS activities, go to the OHS Webpage and view the calendar.

 

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