Notes from the Head of School

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:

https://raiseright.onelink.me/Gei8?af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.raiseright.com%2Fenroll%3FenrollCode%3DRR-YRQDYHHQ2N&af_xp=custom&pid=web_invite&c=P2P&deep_link_value=EnrollmentCode%3Fcode%3DRR-YRQDYHHQ2N&af_dp=swsapp%3A%2F%2FEnrollmentCode%3Fcode%3DRR-YRQDYHHQ2N

***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

‍

Happy Friday!

*On Wednesday, a crew cheered the Springfield Thunderbirds hockey team to victory! It was fun to be at a school day game and the students had a great time! Big thanks to the parents who helped out!

*Also on Wednesday, MAAPS (Massachusetts Association For Approved Private Schools) held a wonderful event at the Edward Kennedy Institute in Boston to celebrate the 50th anniversary of IDEA - the federal Special Education law. The venue was turned into a living history of Special Education development in Massachusetts, including the foundation of schools like White Oak. We were thrilled to have 2 students join us. Ainsley, a senior and an aspiring lawyer, learned about the longstanding fight for rights for all students and sat on the replica senate floor in awe. Jo, a Junior, had the privilege of introducing 2 of the speakers at the event. A portion of her journey was shared on a floor-to-ceiling video screen. It was so awesome to watch her be part of such a special day- she shined! Kevin C. had entered a piece of his artwork into the "I put the 'I' in IDEA" project which was displayed. It was an important event and I am so proud that White Oak School was well represented there. Please consider joining the MAAPS Action Network to continue advocating for Special Education rights at the state and federal level by visiting the MAAPS website.

*On Thursday, our wonderful reps from the Hampden County DA's Community task force came to talk about social media safety and rules. The focus for Grades 4-7 was what information should not be shared online (name, address, school name), keeping passwords safe, and why you should only talk to people you know online. Ainsley presented this information as part of her responsibility with the Youth Advisory Board. For grades 8-12, the conversation included social media safety, the consequences of sending and receiving inappropriate content, and the laws concerning cyberbullying. This is an important conversation that we revisit with the DA's office every year in addition to the work we do in Oral Expression classes.

*Thursday night a large group (almost 40!) attended a performance of Hamilton at The Bushnell in Hartford. It was a late night, but everyone agreed that it was worth it to see the epic show!

*School pictures are ready! Visit mylifetouch.com to log in or create an account, find your student and order pictures. Retakes will be on December 3rd!

*Reminder - our lockdown drill will take place next week in cooperation with the Westfield Police Department.

*Please share the PAC's RaiseRight gift card fundraiser information! The flyer is attached. Next week we will announce a December fundraising challenge!

*Mrs. Fuda's science class has an exciting project in the works! Stay tuned to see what's coming...

*Seniors: don't forget to gather and bring in gift cards for the upcoming calendar raffle fundraiser. Bring them to Mrs. Williams or Ms. C.

*The Helping Hands Club is still collecting non-perishable and personal care items to donate to the Common Goods food pantry on the Westfield State campus. There is an orange bin in the cafeteria for donations. Items needed include: canned goods, dry boxed items (cereal, pasta, rice), peanut butter, shampoo, soap, deodorant.

That was a busy short week! One more full week before Thanksgiving break- it will be a productive one!

Have a great weekend!

Jody

‍

Happy Friday!

*Picture day was a success today - we will announce makeups as soon as they are scheduled.

*Sophomore Evan D. was a guest on the YouTube feature In The Zone this week! Check out some scenes from his experience below and tune in using the link on our Facebook page to hear Evan's contribution!

*We had a beautiful visitor in the field today!

*Ms. Crowe and Mrs. Kelly got a small group of students to Landmark College in Vermont today. They enjoyed exploring this Vermont campus and learning about the programs and the support services they have to offer.

*Our vocabulary word of the week was rigamarole!

*At club meetings today, our knitters knitted, our writers composed, the board game club learned a new card game, our actors and actresses started practicing their lines for Wonka Jr., our stage crew started gathering props and scene information, and our innovators explored the insides of computers. Club meetings are always an awesome experience!

*Next Week:

*NO SCHOOL on Tuesday in honor of Veteran's Day

*Wednesday: Lower School field trip to the daytime Thunderbirds game

    -MAAPS Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of IDEA - The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children. The event will be livestreamed at 11AM here: MAAPS YouTube Channel. Our very own Jo C. will introduce one of the main speakers!

*Thursday: the District Attorney's Office will be here to present about Internet and Social Media Safety.

For Grades 3-7, the topics will highlight important safety rules when connecting on social media and playing games online.

For Grades 8-12, the presentation includes a discussion regarding:

• The permanence of online actions – what you post, message, or even delete.
• The serious (and often legal) consequences of inappropriate photo exchanges, online threats, and harassment, to include bullying.
• The knowledge to navigate an online presence responsibly, highlighting how actions can affect future opportunities.

Upcoming:

*Our lockdown drill was postponed this week, and will take place the week of November 17th.

*We have a 1 PM dismissal on Tuesday, November 25th and no school November 26-28th for Thanksgiving break.

*Thank you for participating and sharing the PAC's RaiseRight gift card fundraiser! Please share the information!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jody

‍