A joyous week of holiday festivities!
Happy Friday!
Can you believe this is my last email of 2025? The beginning of the school year has gone by so quickly!
*Last week, Mrs. Benjamin and her PE classes tried out some Dance, Dance Revolution in the cafeteria- so fun!
*Did you know that Amanda Spear-Purchase, Event and Venue Director for Springfield Symphony Hall, is a White Oak Alumni? I caught her on WWLP's In Focus TV show showing off her OE skills!
*If you follow the Hampden County DA on social media, you'll see our senior Ainsley as part of the Youth Advisory Board leading her group focused on Disabilities Awareness.
*Congratulations to Lucia who made All Western Mass, Class A, Team 2 for soccer! Way to go!
*On Wednesday, Ms. Daley treated us to a fun holiday video skit written and produced by her ELA and OE classes. Santa Vs The Grinch made us giggle and cheer as the students played out an epic battle on screen!
*We had 2 special visitors this week- Mark and Paulina - Class of 2025- stopped by to bring us a holiday card and fill us in on how well they are doing in the Westfield transition program! Everyone was so happy to see them back on campus!
*This week, Senior Domenic attended a very special Westfield School Committee meeting to honor his mother who stepped down after many, many years of service. Domenic spoke in front of the crowd and was quoted on MassLive. We are so proud of him and thankful to his mom who has been an important voice for students and teachers across the community!
*A festive spirit was rampant yesterday for Ugly Sweater day! Who were the contest winners? Lochlin won Ugliest (but who could really think Elf is ugly?!?), Mark won funniest with his Sonic the Hedgehog sweater, Charlie won Most Festive for his reindeer and lights ensemble and Jo won most creative with her homemade tree dress, complete with lights and jingling ornaments!
*Our chorus made their debut with a concert at Armbrook Village yesterday afternoon. They performed 5 holiday songs, including We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Hanukkah, O Hanukkah. In between songs, the students told jokes and read a short history of each tune. At the end of the concert, Alena passed out Origami creations she had prepared for the residents. It was a wonderful event and we look forward to collaborating with Armbrook Village more in the new year! Great job Chorus Director Mrs. Williams and members!
*The Junior class sold and delivered Candy Grams this week. It was a great way to wrap up the week - with deliveries of kindness and smiles!
*We celebrated with a little holiday karaoke today!
*The vocabulary word of the week was ecstatic, as in "We are ecstatic to have 16 days off for break!"
*The Senior Class is having a Gift Card Tree Fundraiser. There are 2 chances to win a collection of gift cards valued at over $200! Tickets are 1 for $5.00 or 5 for $20. Use this link to order your tickets today! The drawing will be at the end of January.
*Don't forget to order your Springfield Thunderbirds tickets for the Monday, January 19th matchup! Bring family and friends to watch our chorus take the ice to sing God Bless America. 10 lucky students will get to ride on the Fanboni too! The link to order tickets is attached to this email.
Reminder: School Reopens on Monday, January 5th, 2026!
Finally, to wrap up, I think the new bulletin board created by Mrs. Mercier and helpers says it all - "It's Snow Secret- We're A Great School." Wishing you all a happy, healthy holiday season and a joyous New Year! We will see you in 2026!
Very Best,
Jody
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A semi-formal success, community involvement, fundraisers & class activities!
Happy Friday!
*The semi-formal Winter Wonderland dance hosted by the Student Council last Friday was a fun success! Pizza and cookies, pictures and dancing were the highlights of the night!
*The White Oak School team was 21 strong for the Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage in Northampton last Sunday. It was a cold day but the camaraderie was warm! Student team leader Jo C. completed the fun run - go Jo!! Together the team raised $620 for this important organization that provides safety and support for domestic violence survivors. So proud of this team! A big thank you to Berkshire Blanket for the awesome warm scarves!
*Our White Oak Wolfpack basketball team had their 1st game of the season away at BART yesterday. They started off strong but came up short in the end with a tough loss. Coach Gumina reported that the team looks great and predicts a strong season ahead! The team is on the road again on Monday against Charlemont, playing in Shelburne Falls. Their 1st home game is slated for Wednesday, January 14th!
*The sign up sheet to join the Wolfpack Pep Squad is posted in the school cafeteria! Members will learn basic cheers and decorate posters for our players. We will have a meeting during milk break on Wednesday for those interested!
*Monday is the last chance to make donations to our Common Goods Pantry and Safe Passage collections. Bring in non-perishable food items for Common Goods or personal care items for Safe Passage and make a difference this holiday season!
* Next week, Dec 15, 2025 - Dec 18, 2025, the Junior class will be selling candy grams during Milk break and Lunch break. Each Candy gram will be $1 and students will be able to write a little message to send to friends, classmates or staff. Candy grams will be distributed on Friday, Dec 19th. All candy gram proceeds will go towards Junior class field trips this year. We thank you for your support and dedication to supporting the Class of 2027! Sincerely, Mr. Girard,and Mr. Fisk, class advisors.
*The Student Council says Wear Your Ugliest Sweater on Thursday! There will be prizes for the ugliest, the most festive, the most creative, and the funniest sweaters! Let's have some fun on the last full day of school for 2025!
*This week, the Culinary Arts classes tried their hand at cookie decorating! Yummy!
*We had an early morning visitor in the field this week - a beautiful coyote seeking a breakfast of field mice.
*Spotlight on the great work done by Callie F. on her diorama and book review of Because of Winn Dixie. It's a White Oak favorite - have you read it? Callie highly recommends you do!
* The RaiseRight gift card fundraiser is in full swing!! Download the app or go to the website -it's easy to register and easy to share with family & friends!
Don't forget : The student with the most gift card sales through the RaiseRight gift card fundraising site from December 1 - December 15 will win a $25.00 gift card of their choosing!
How can students participate? Share, send, distribute the information on the attached flyer. Where? Social media, email, work spaces, family & friends gatherings, local groups/businesses. When people use their name while purchasing, they will get credit! People are purchasing gift cards as holiday gifts - now they can support White Oak School with no extra cost to them!
*Don't miss out on White Oak afternoon at the Springfield Thunderbirds game on Monday, January 19th! The flyer is attached to this email - scan the QR code and join us!
*Nurse Sousa sent an email this week regarding the symptoms and protocols around the spread of respiratory viruses. We also know that the norovirus is present in some school districts. Thank you for helping to keep our students and staff healthy by keeping your child home if they aren't feeling well. We will do our part by reminding everyone to wash their hands and by wiping down common surfaces! Please contact Nurse Sousa with any questions.
*Reminder - Friday, December 19th there is a 1 PM dismissal and Winter break begins! School reopens on Monday, January 5th!
Have a great weekend - stay warm!
Jody
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Basketball season has started, join the Pep Squad, purchase your White Oak merch and contribute to our community collections this season!
Happy Friday!
* Wolfpack basketball season started this week with practices under Coaches Gumina and Rida. With a full bench of 14 players, the team is already looking strong! They are building teamwork and communication as well as their basketball skills. The team's schedule is on the White Oak website on the Sports Calendar.
*With the help of 7th Grader Lucie G.,we will be starting a Pep Squad to support our basketball team! Open to all grades, students will learn a few cheers to perform on the sidelines at home games, create signs for our team members, and be the spirit that will propel the Wolfpack to their wins! Practices will be mostly in school, with the possibility of an after school session to practice and complete posters before the 1st home game after the holiday break. Sign ups start on Monday- listen to announcements to hear where to add your name to the list!
*Last chance to order White Oak clothing and hats! Please complete this Google form and send in a check for payment by next Friday the 12th! Use this Google Form to order:
https://forms.gle/e3GWiDyahhVKtNKW7
*Join us on Monday, January 19th at the Springfield Thunderbirds game! Our school chorus will perform "God Bless America" on the ice and 10 lucky students will ride the Fanboni between periods! There is no school that day - students should attend with families or arrange for drop off and pick up to attend with friends. Scan the QR code on the attached flyer to buy your tickets now!
* Around the school today in Club meetings: there was an intense Connect Four tournament in Board Games Club, the American Sign Language Club was practicing sentences using color words, the Helping Hands Club made holiday cards for our local First Responders, and the Knitting/Crocheting Club were hard at work on their projects. These are just some of the exciting things happening in our clubs!
Ways to contribute this holiday season:
- The Helping Hands Club is still collecting non-perishable food items and personal care items for the Common Goods Pantry on Westfield State's campus. Donations can be put near the orange bin in the cafeteria. Items needed include: canned goods, dry boxed items (cereal, pasta, rice), peanut butter, shampoo, soap, deodorant.
-White Oak is also doing a donation drive for Safe Passage, a local shelter for domestic violence victims. Items that would be helpful include full-size toiletries such as: toothbrushes, toothpaste, body wash, shampoo, and deodorant. Also, size 2 diapers or larger. All items must be unopened. Thank you for giving back to the community! Gift cards or passes would also be
appreciated:Gift Cards:● Visa/Mastercard gift cards● Grocery store gift cards● General store gift cards(Walmart, Target, CVS, etc)● Gas Cards● Local Salon/Spa gift cardsPasses:● PVTA bus passes● Look Park passes (includingactivity passes)● Museum passesWe will collect donations up until December 5th.
*FUNDRAISER COMPETITION ALERT: The student with the most gift card sales through the RaiseRight gift card fundraising site from December 1 - December 15 will win a $25.00 gift card of their choosing!
How can students participate? Share, send, distribute the information on the attached flyer. Where? Social media, email, work spaces, family & friends gatherings, local groups/businesses. When people use their name while purchasing, they will get credit! Thanksgiving is a great time to get the word out about our fundraiser - people are purchasing gift cards anyway - now they can support White Oak School with no extra cost to them!
Here's our link:
***If you have difficulty with our link, let me know! ****
This weekend will be busy with the Winter Wonderland semi-formal dance tonight and a big team participating in the Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage on Sunday. Watch for highlights from these 2 events!
Stay warm!
Jody
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