Superintendent’s Perspective By: Art Conklin

Board Meeting

The November meeting of the Oakes School Board will be held on Tuesday, November 13 at 12:00 p.m. in the 2nd floor conference room of Oakes High School.

School Not in Session The Oakes Public Schools will not be in session November 9, 12, 22 and 23.

First Grade Field Trip

By: Alicia Bata and Ann Zetocha The First Graders visited Potter's Way on October

3rd. They went through Scarecrow Row, the corn maze and took a ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick out their very own

pumpkins. Afterward, the students had a snack (cookies and apple juice) and heard a story about how pumpkins grow. The students had a great time and learned a lot! Thank you Potter's Way for a great time!.

Missoula Children’s Theatre Auditions By: Maryellen Homan

The audition for the Missoula Children's Theatre production of the WIZARD OF OZ will be held on Monday, November 12 from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM at the OHS South Gym. There are roles for those students in grades 1-12. Approximately 50-60 local students will be cast to appear in the show with the MCT Tour Actor/Director. There is no guarantee that everyone who auditions will be cast in the play. Students wishing to audition must arrive by the scheduled starting time and stay for the entire two-hour session. The first rehearsal begins approximately 15-30 minutes after the audition. This is a group audition - no advance preparation is necessary, but a smile never hurts. Students should just be ready to come and have a good time! The performances will be held on Friday, November 16 at 7:00 PM and Saturday, November 17 at 3:00 PM and will be presented in the OHS South Gym. The Missoula Children's Theatre is a non-profit organization based in Missoula, Montana. The residency in Oakes is made possible by the Active Arts Club, Inc. and the Oakes Public Schools with help from the North Dakota council on the Arts. For any questions please contact Maryellen Homan at 742-3569.

School District Profile

By: Art Conklin Every year the Oakes Public School District, in

cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, publishes an annual progress report on student achievement called the School District Profile. This profile is now available for your review. I encourage you to access and study this important information. This report demonstrates the progress our students are making in terms of our challenging academic standards.

You may access the School District Profile for the Oakes School District on the Department of Public Instruction’s website at the following address http://www.dpi.state.nd.us/dpi/reports/profile/index.shtm. Simply select the Oakes School District and the most recent year to access the various reports available.

The annual School District Profile summarizes how

Mrs. Zetocha’s Class

“Educating Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s World” Newsletter Vol. 23 Issue 2

Phone: 701-742-3234 www.oakes.k12.nd.us

November 2012

Mrs. Bata’s Class

well our students performed this past year in reading/English language arts and mathematics on the North Dakota State Assessment and on other academic indicators. The annual School District Profile presents the percentage of students who have achieved proficiency in reading/language arts and mathematics. The Profile also provides our student attendance rates and graduation rates. The Profile reviews the achievement of all students and of specific subgroups of students. Additionally, the Profile compares our student results over two years to those of the State as a whole.

The School District Profile for the Oakes School District is an important summary of how well our students are progressing in their basic academic skills. I encourage all parents and patrons to familiarize themselves with this information. Providing a quality education for our students is everyone’s concern. In order for us to improve, we must begin with an understanding of how well our students are performing. We should all take pride in the support we collectively provide our students.

Together, I am confident that we will build on our successes to improve and further raise the quality of education within the Oakes School District. I thank you for your continued commitment to building a strong education system here in Oakes.

School Under-going a Self Study

By: Art Conklin The Oakes Public School is taking a look at itself.

We will be studying our-self to determine if changes need to be made to how we do business. We will be forming a number of committees of teachers and parents to study various segments of our school. These committees will develop written reports of what is going well, what is not going well and suggestions for change. All of the reports will be presented to a large committee made up of all the teachers and interested parents. In the end a school improvement roadmap will be developed outlining how we can improve.

We will be inviting outside experts to spend a couple of days with us in April. They will review all that was done and provide validity to the process. This is all part of AdvanceED, a regional accreditation agency, who we have been part of since 1916. AdvanceED has been researching what makes a quality school for the past 100+ years. They have developed extensive information on what makes a quality school. They developed a process that allows schools to take a look at them-selves and compare the finding to what is considered a quality school. People will be asked to complete surveys, be involved with committee work, and such. Please assist us with your support and help. The end result will be a school that better educates today’s students for tomorrow’s world

Choir Notes By: Kathie Hay

Greetings to all from the OHS Music Department! November presents us with a whole new slate of concerts/activities to begin preparations for. We are pleased to be hosting the 79th annual Choral ELOE Festival

on Tuesday, November 27th at 7:00 p.m. This year we are honored to have Dr. Charlette Moe (NDSU) as our guest director. Tickets will be available at the door for this concert (Adults $5 and students $3). The concert will be held in South Gym.

Congratulations to these 7-9 grade students who have just completed their ND Jr High All-State Honor Choir Auditions: Faith Osborn, Allison Cox, Sean Hermes, Michael Spiese, Aiden Ulmer, Sam Huffman, Hannah Zantow and Alyx Schmitz. We will be anxiously waiting for results in the next few weeks.

Rehearsals have already begun for our annual December concerts; the elementary program is scheduled for Monday, December 10th at 7:00 p.m. This will feature grades K-6. More information will be available soon. The 7-12 December Concert is set for Monday, December 17th at 7:00 p.m. Groups featured that evening will include the JH Choirs, Concert Choir, JH Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band and Show Choir. Please mark your calendars for these two big nights of musical fun!

Elementary Happenings

By: Gary Fitzgerald The North Dakota State Assessments for grades 3-8

and 11 will start on Monday, October 22. The elementary started on Tuesday and hope to be completed by Friday. If not, we will continue into next week. If students were unable to be in attendance on any of the test days, they will need to make up the tests starting October 29.

Tuesday, October 23 Parent-Teacher Conferences were held.

The first grade class went to Potter’s Way in search of a pumpkin that they were able to carry to the bus. Mrs. Steiner, Mrs. Delahoyde, Mrs. Kunrath, and Mr. Fitzgerald attended the annual training for Title 1 and Special Education staff.

Kindergarten students went on two field trips this past month. They went to the Oakes Fire Hall, where firemen explained and showed what their job entails. The other trip was to the Lincoln Oakes Nursery.

Gearing Up for Kindergarten starts Tuesday, October 30th and will run five weeks. The Kindergarten classes will be going to the SRCTC to participate with Mrs. Homan’s Child Care Class in a fall festival of fun. Mrs. Gebhardt’s class will go on Oct. 29, Mrs. Mayer’s class on Oct. 30, and Mrs. Kraemer’s class on Oct. 31. The annual Kindergarten Feast will be held on November 21.

Missoula Children’s Theater production of “The Wizard of Oz” will be from November 12-16.

Home Connect

All students that are a part of Renaissance Place and use Accelerated Reading, Accelerated Math, and/or Math Facts in a Flash may have internet access from their home computer. This will allow you and your child to share information about your child’s progress. Before connecting to the web site, you need to contact your child’s classroom teacher or reading teacher to

find out the user name and password. To log into the Home Renaissance Connect, you will need to go to this web site: https://Hosted1.renlearn.com/741138/HomeConnect. If you would like to receive e-mails showing your child’s quiz or test results, click the email setup link in Renaissance Home Connect and follow the directions. If you have a question about the program, please contact your child’s teacher or Mr. Fitzgerald. *************************************************

Oakes Public School Activity CalendarNovember 2012

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat1 2 3

Regional One-Act play @ @ Edgeley

Ends: ND State Assessment

FB 1/2 finals

4 5 6 7 8 9 10Starts: ND State AssessmentStarts: Region 1 VB @ Oakes-SG3:30pm 1st Wr. Practice

GUFKEnds: Region 1 VB @ Oakes-SG

10am Center for Puppetry

Starts: Craft and Merchants FairRegion 1 VB @ Oakes-SG

No SchoolEnds: ND State AssessmentStarts: FB- Finals

Ends: Craft and Merchants FairEnds: FB- Finals

11 12 13 14 15 16 17Veterans' Day No School

Starts: Missoulia Childrens Theater- The Wizard of Oz

GUFKState Lib Training @ OPS12pm Oakes Bd Mtg @ OHS Conference Room7pm Ag. FFA Mtg.

Starts: Cari @ Powerschool Training

Ends: Cari @ Powerschool TrainingStarts: State class B VB Tourney @ Minot4:30pm JHGBB (H) LLM4:30pm JHGBB (H) LLM

Ends: Missoulia Childrens Theater- The Wizard of Oz1st Wr Contest Date7pm Play

Ends: State class B VB Tourney @ Minot3pm Play

18 19 20 21 22 23 24Starts: Drama-State B @ Jamestown3:30pm 1st VBBB Practice -SG5pm JHGB @ Valley City5pm JHGB @ Valley City

GUFKEnds: Drama-State B @ Jamestown10:30am SVSE Bd Mtg4:30pm JHGBB(H) N.Sargen-SG4:30pm JHGBB(H) N.Sargen-SG6pm VWR Carrington-(BEK) @ NG

9am Kindergarten Feast @ MPR

Starts: No SchoolThanksgiving Day

Ends: No School

25 26 27 28 29 30Music/Sp. Online Rules Ends4:30pm JHGBB @ Ellendale4:30pm JHGBB @ Ellendale

GUFK5pm JHGBB vs Hankinson-NG5pm JHGBB vs Hankinson-NG5pm Bd Retreat @ Beaver7pm ELOE-Vocal@OHS-SG

6:30pm VWR @ Lisbon

4:30pm JHGBB (H) Milnor-SG4:30pm JHGBB (H) Milnor-SG7pm OSD Preschool dance @ SG

Oakes Public School Lunch MenuNovember 2012

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat1 2 3

BREAKFAST: Breakfast PizzaLUNCH: Alphabet Soup, Meat Sandwich

BREAKFAST: CerealLUNCH: Fiesta Pizza

4 5 6 7 8 9 10BREAKFAST: EggsLUNCH: Meatballs, Mashed Potato/Gravy

BREAKFAST: CerealLUNCH: Potato Ole Supreme

BREAKFAST: Pancake on a StickLUNCH: Beef Stroganoff, Cheesie Broccoli

BREAKFAST: CerealLUNCH: Hot Ham&Cheese Sandwich, Corn

NO SCHOOL!!!

11 12 13 14 15 16 17NO SCHOOL!!!!!

BREAKFAST: PoptartsLUNCH: Spaghetti

BREAKFAST: CerealLUNCH: Corndogs, Baked Beans

BREAKFAST: PancakeLUNCH: Knephla Soup, Egg Salad Sandwich

BREAKFAST: CerealLUNCH: Super Nachos

18 19 20 21 22 23 24BREAKFAST: French ToastLUNCH: Sub Sandwiches, Chips

BREAKFAST: CerealLUNCH: Lasagna

BREAKFAST: MuffinsLUNCH: Turkey/Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Corn

NO SCHOOL!!!!

NO SCHOOL!!!!

25 26 27 28 29 30BREAKFAST: CerealLUNCH: BBQ, Fries

BREAKFAST: BagelsLUNCH: Pizza Bosco Sticks, Veggies

BREAKFAST: CerealLUNCH: Ham Sandwiches, Baby Bakers

BREAKFAST: EggsLUNCH: Chicken Tortilla Soup, Bread Stick

BREAKFAST: CerealLUNCH: Tacos

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Financial AidBND College Planning Center

• Paying for school• FAFSA questions for seniors• Responsible borrowing

Job OpportunitiesJob Service NDND Department of Commerce

• Local jobs• State jobs• Careers by education

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• Career exploration• Course planning• Test preparation

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• Explanation of different degrees• College budgeting• Questions about college

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• ND Academic Scholarship• ND Career and Technical Scholarship

Kindergarten Visits Lincoln Oakes Nursery

By: Kelli Gebhardt Oakes Kindergarten students enjoyed the beautiful

October 16th afternoon at Lincoln Oakes Nursery. Tokina McHarry works for the Soil Conservation, and she invited the

classes out to learn about trees and Fall.

Everyone had a great time collecting

leaves and pinecones

as they walked

around the nursery

grounds. The students enjoyed going down to see where they keep the baby trees. It was a quick trip, because it sure was wet and cool down under the ground. Do you know how to determine the age of a tree? Well the Kindergartners now do – count the rings! After checking out various tree seeds, the students got to create leaf pictures using the leaves they collected. Thank you to Lincoln-Oakes Nursery and Al Vogel, nursery manager, for letting us use the nursery grounds. Thank you Tokina McHarry, Keith Donaldson, and Renee Schlosser for a very fun Fall afternoon!

Donation

By: Janell Mayer A huge thank you goes out to Jessica Sundby for

donating two Versadisks to the Oakes Public School. Versadisks are a rubbery cushion that can be placed on a student's chair. It is used as a tool that may enhance a child's ability to stay focused, which in turn may increase their level of learning.

Elementary Counselor’s Corner

By: Nikki Anderson The month of October was a good month in the elementary. We completed the annual standardized testing in grades 3-6. The kids seem to enjoy the lack of homework

they have during that week, even though it is a stressful week for everyone! The kids also had some celebrating at the end of the month in order to celebrate the completion of State Testing and they deserved it. The 3-6th graders have selected their student council for the year by voting for each person. Whoever wanted to be on student council had to prepare a very short speech as to why they feel they are the right ones the class could vote on to represent them on the student council. The following are the student council members for the year: Shelby Baasch, David Schmitz, Cody Harris, Samantha Hermes, Hunter German, Lynsey Schmitz, Taylor Schall, Megan Cook, Logan Sell, Claire Wagner, Jaden Jenkins, Nacho Sonora, Chloe Schaefer, Garret Meehl, Ryan Sorum and Kayla Torres.

We have been discussing character traits in elementary and the two we have focused on so far are responsibility and respect. The kids should be reminded of these things at home as well and show these traits to parents, siblings, friends and the community. Please help in reminding them why it’s good to show responsibility and respect to others and themselves. The month of November seems to go fast. Even though it does, we have picked a week to once again celebrate Red Ribbon Week in the elementary. The elementary student council has put together an exciting week for the kids, with prizes being handed out and fun dress-up days to take part in. There will be a detailed letter going out to each student when the time comes. Please help your kids remember the specific “theme” for each day of the week so they can join in on the fun. The theme for the year of 2012 is “The Best Me Is Drug Free”. Although, like in the past, there will be mini-themes for each day. Thank you in advance for your help!

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