Oak Hill Nuts and Bolts | May 16, 2019
As I reflect back on this fast-paced and full school year, I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve as principal of Oak Hill. It's my nature and habit to be a reflective practitioner, so I welcome any pertinent insights that you may hold. Not all feedback is actionable or immediately actionable, but it does help to get a fuller view of our community and operations.
Blessings, Dr. Peter M. Schroeder
Ribbon winners Wynn O'Keefe, Margot Leary, Charlotte Brown, Grace Kraeger, and Gabriella DeLuca . ST. LOUIS SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS Congratulations to Wynn O'Keefe, Gabriella DeLuca, Margot Leary, Charlotte Brown, and Grace Kraeger! These phenomenal students were our winners from the Oak Hill fifth and sixth grade science fair and went on to represent Oak Hill at The Academy of Science Saint Louis Science Fair in Queeny Park.
Fifth graders earn their Missouri Stream Team t-shirts. FIFTH GRADE EXPLORES DEER CREEK Led by Oak Hill Science Specialist Kristin Stratman, fifth grade students recently explored Deer Creek and learned about its biodiversity. Some of their favorite tasks were testing the water's PH levels, oxygen levels, turbidity levels, and temperature to ensure that the creek is safe for all creatures and humans. Fifth graders also learned about riffles, the different organisms in the creek and the tributary, and were shocked to discover all of the different biodiversity and habitats near and in the creek. Finally, the students learned the importance of keeping our world and environment clean and litter free by picking up trash and making our Deer Creek a safer place for the organisms to live. Media Arts students at Villa Duchesne created a video that showcases Oak Hill students at Deer Creek.
INTRODUCING THE PARENTS' ASSOCIATION We are excited to announce that beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, the Mothers' Club and Fathers' Club will join forces to create the Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School Parents' Association. Come join in the life of our School—we need you and look forward to our work together! Please nominate yourself or another parent in our community to get involved in any of our Parents' Association committees for the 2019-2020 school year. E-mail Dominic Key, Manager of Community Engagement, with questions about the Parents' Association and how you can get involved at dkey@vdoh.org.
COR UNUM ANNUAL GIVING Have you made your gift to Cor Unum Annual Giving? Donate or pledge today to help your class be the first to achieve 100% parent participation. Gifts can be made online and pledges made today can be fulfilled through June 30th. Visit us online for all other ways to give. Below are our current parent participation numbers ranked by class. We rely on the support of our parents to help us reach our goal of $800,000, so please make your gift today! 2028 Grade 3 - 88% 2032 Grade JK4 - 80% 2030 Grade 1 - 77% 2031 Grade K - 75% 2029 Grade 2 - 71% 2026 Grade 5 - 71% 2027 Grade 4 - 64% 2022 Grade 9 - 58% 2024 Grade 7 - 54% 2025 Grade 6 - 53% 2023 Grade 8 - 47% 2021 Grade 10 - 43% 2033 Grade JK3 - 42% 2019 Grade 12 - 39% 2020 Grade 11 - 31%
OH END-OF-YEAR EVENTS
END-OF-YEAR CHECKLIST
SUMMER READING RECOMMENDATIONS
While no summer reading is assigned to Oak Hill students, summer is an important time for students to keep reading and improve their language skills. Numerous studies indicate that students who don't read or read infrequently during their summer vacation see their reading abilities stagnate or decline. Please consider encouraging your children to read at least 30 minutes per day from books of their choosing. They are more likely to meet that daily goal if they are reading books they've chosen themselves. To help guide you and your children with summer selections, Oak Hill faculty have put together a list of recommendations by grade level. The recommendations are available in the Resource Center of the Parent Portal and as a printable PDF below.
SCHOOL UNIFORM UPDATES FOR 2019-2020
For the 2019-2020 school year, Oak Hill is adding the following optional apparel choices, all of which are available from our exclusive uniform provider, Just Me Apparel.
In addition, students will be allowed to wear any all gray or all white athletic shoe. Velcro shoes are allowed for younger students still mastering shoe-tying. Suggested, but not mandated, brands/styles include:
Students are required to be in complete uniform from the first day of school until the final day of the school year. If you have not yet ordered your uniforms for next year, please consider shopping early to allow time for your items to be ready by Saints Start Up Sunday, August 18.
SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST FOR 2019-2020
The JK3-6 school supply list for the 2019-2020 school year is now available in the Resource Center of the Parent Portal and as a printable PDF below.
PASSPORT TO SUMMER | VIEW OF VILLA
Students entering grade 7 are strongly encouraged to sign up for the View of Villa from July 29-August 1 where they will meet new friends, tour their new school home, and prepare for the coming school year. They will get ready for the return to school with mornings of study skills and team-building exercises, followed by afternoons of their choice of robotics, media arts, or athletics. They will finish the week with Congé, a Sacred Heart traditional day of fun. For more information, visit our website or contact Dominic A. Key, Manager of Community Engagement, at dkey@vdoh.org.
STUDENT HEALTH RECORDS Parents are reminded that a current physical dated on or after February 1, 2019, is required for the 2019-2020 school year for all students entering grade 7 and grades 9-12 as well as all students new to Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School and those entering junior kindergarten 3, kindergarten, or grade 4. Each student's medical information must be entered or updated in Magnus. Contact School Nurse Sandy Conway at sconway@vdoh.org prior to the last day of school if you have any questions. For a list of all health care requirements, please view Health Care | Magnus Health in the Resource Center of the Parent Portal. You will receive emailed notifications from Magnus about incomplete 2019-2020 health record enrollment until you complete all required items. To get started, log in to Magnus Health using your vdoh.org website username and password. This is the same login information used to view grades, submit permission forms, check your billing status, etc.
2019-2020 RE-ENROLLMENT CONTRACTS Thank you to those families who have already submitted their 2019-2020 enrollment contracts. We ask that ALL families, even those not returning, submit their intent for the 2019-2020 year. Returning families are also required to send an enrollment deposit of $1,000 to the Business Office to complete the re-enrollment process. In addition, families who seek financial assistance must reapply each year. If you have any questions, please contact Financial Services Coordinator Alice Tuhro at atuhro@vdoh.org or 314.810.3531.
FAMILY RECORDS (CONTACT INFO) New for the 2019-20 school year, our printed school directory will include mobile phone numbers. Up to three unique phone numbers can be published for each family. Numbers will be pulled from the Residential Address Block of your My Backpack Profile. To prevent a phone number from being published, you must check the box to the left of it in your profile. We ask each family to ensure their contact information is complete and up-to-date. Under the Bulletin Board on your Parent Portal, expand the MyBackPack window and tap the 'Update Profile' link to get started. Your user name and password will be required to access your profile. Check for:
Each Thursday, the Nuts & Bolts newsletters will highlight important information including upcoming school events, student achievements in and outside of school, forms to be completed, and program deadlines. Send your information for students and parents to news@vdoh.org to be included in either the Oak Hill newsletter, the Villa Duchesne newsletter, or both. Please log in frequently to access personalized announcements and calendar items in your portal. Contact your Principal's Office with questions about your online account. For Villa Duchesne, email Judy Bertucci at jbertucci@vdoh.org. For Oak Hill, email Jaime Bergfeld at jbergfeld@vdoh.org. Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School 801 S.Spoede Road | St. Louis, MO 63131 314.432.2021 | www.vdoh.org |