Notes from the Head of School

Happy 1st Friday of the school year!

What a busy week we had! I will send a weekly update reviewing the happenings on campus and previewing what is to come.

On Monday, we had welcome back meetings, reviewing the school policies and rules, our technology policies, and reminders about behavior, kindness and how we work together as a community.

Clubs: There are 2 types of clubs at White Oak; those that happen during the school day on Fridays a few times a month on a rotating basis and clubs that happen after school or have meetings at morning and lunch break.

Friday Meeting Options:

*Helping Hands Club- our community service club open to all students, students will decide on fundraisers and collections for area organizations, participate in charity walks, and do acts of kindness for various groups

*Knitting Club- whether you know how to knit or crochet or want to learn, this club provides the opportunity to work on projects with staff who can help!

*Board Games Club- come participate in a new game each time - from chess to dominoes to other classic games, students work on following the rules and learning strategies.

*Quiet Club - some students just need a place to work on their craft - whether it is drawing, writing, or reading, this is the club for you!

*Super Mario Smash Brothers - Mr. Consolatti, our video game guru, says this game is difficult and will require patience while learning something familiar but different. This club will be limited to 9 students willing to listen and learn.

*Drama Club: Students may join the drama club in 2 ways (see the attached flyers) - the cast will run lines and prepare for their performances and the crew will plan and build the set and props. This will become after school as well as the production dates get closer. The Production you ask? A version of Alice in Wonderland! How FUN!!!

Students will rank their Friday club choices on Tuesday and the 1st club meetings will be next Friday.

After School Options:

*Chorus - see the attached information - open to all students

*Dungeons and Dragons - will be on Wednesdays beginning in October - open to high school students - Mr. Girard is the club advisor - students should listen for announcements about signing up

Sports:

*Cross Country is a go - permission slips will go out on Tuesday, with the first practice being next Thursday from 330-5PM.

*Soccer is not confirmed yet - we may not have enough students interested to field a team this fall. If you have not contacted me about your child being interested, please do so right away. This is open to grades 8-12.

Other opportunities:

*Student Council - Student Council elections will be in 2 weeks - Mr. Rodak is the advisor and more information will go out next week to students interested in running for president, vice president, secretary or treasurer.

*Gardening Club: Meets periodically throughout the school year to keep up our amazing garden boxes and greenhouse! Watering, weeding, harvesting and planting are all part of the action. Ms. Ramsden is the advisor. See the amazing pictures below of the bounty this summer has yielded!

*Farm Club/Acts of Hesed Leadership Training - more information coming soon!

*Yearbook Committee - see attached flyer

*We are really excited to have customized homework assignment pages this year to assist all of our students with time management and organization. Mrs. Armstrong will be kicking off our Parent Advisory Group meetings with information regarding these, but look for these to come home daily and contact your child's tutorial teacher with questions.

*All students had the opportunity to get their school-issued Chromebooks this week. Along with these, a user agreement went home that needs to be signed and returned.

*Also, this week, we kicked off our year-long Wolf Pack Project! Students were assigned to 1 of 4 packs. This week, packs were asked to work together to come up with a name, a motto, a logo and complete a photo project. As the year progresses, there will be a number of different challenges for the packs - each playing on different strengths to highlight each pack member's ability to contribute to the group. Pack Points can be awarded in 3 ways: Whole Group Activities-When the pack completes a whole group activity successfully, the pack earns 10 Pack Points.; Whole Pack Participation: When the whole pack participates in other school activities, For example: participates in Spirit Day, attends a basketball game, completes a PE activity, the pack earns 5 Pack Points. The pack leader shows proof of participation; Individual Wolf Rewards: When a member of the pack does something great for the school community. For example: is extra kind, helps someone out, betters the school environment, volunteers extra time, an individual Wolf earns 1 Point.  A nomination form is completed by ANY staff member. At the end of the year, we will see which pack wins!

*Another big focus this year at White Oak will be developing students' writing skills. Both academic and creative writing will be addressed, and students will be encouraged to showcase their writing. Watch for invitations to "coffee house"-type sharing nights, work published in the monthly school newsletter, The Acorn, and more!

*Coming Soon:

-Annual School Picnic on October 8th - watch your email for more information

-Kick off of fundraisers

-The 1st Parent Advisory Group meeting

*Pictures attached to this week's email include: scenes from the garden, Mr. Consolatti's Biology class taking notes from his awesome lecture, and Mr. Rodak's LA class acting out the scene involving the 3 witches in MacBeth. There are also pictures from the 1st Pack meetings and faculty talking about clubs!

I will have so much more to share next week!

Have a wonderful long weekend. We are happy you are here with us in this amazing community!

Jody

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