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BOBCAT BEAT
A Monthly PTA Publication
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A Message from the Principal
By Dr. April Williams
Principal of Oak Forest Elementary School
 U.S. Secretary of Education, John B. King, Jr., announced on Wednesday, September 28, that Oak Forest Elementary has been named a 2016 National Blue Ribbon School. Oak Forest is one among 279 public and 50 private schools receiving this honor.
Schools are nominated for the award by the state department of education, and then complete a comprehensive application about school practices. Schools may apply for status as Exemplary High Performing, among the top schools in a state; or Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing, schools making the fastest progress in the their state in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.
Along with a few teachers and staff, I will represent Oak Forest at a two-day awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., to celebrate our school's hard-won achievements. For more information about the National Blue Ribbon Schools program, please visit: nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov.
I am also excited to tell you about the new Genius Hour initiative we have started at OFE! We are a few weeks in and the teachers and students could not be more enthusiastic about it. During my first year here, I did a lot of observing and I noticed that our kiddos did not have a lot of time for unstructured, student-centered, project-based learning. Genius Hour gives them just that. Students are able to explore their own passions and be encouraged by creativity. It provides our students a choice in what they learn, which I think is hugely important in producing lifelong learners and well-rounded students.
Each week, every grade level will dedicate one hour of classroom time to creative, inquiry-based learning. This will look very different for each grade level. Be sure to ask your child and their teacher what Genius Hour looks like in their classroom and enjoy the pictures below.
I am confident that this one hour a week will allow our students to learn about something they are passionate about and become innovators who will one day change the world!
*Attendance counts! Year-to-date estimated funding lost due to student absences (as of 10/4/16):
$10,301.91.
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Important October Dates to Remember
October 6 - OFE Spirit Night at Berryhill (43rd and Ella - bring flyer!)
October 6 - Free Dress Day for OFE Directory Submission
October 11 - Early Dismissal (12:45 p.m.)
October 12 - Fall Holiday
October 13 - OFE Artwork on Display at Houston Museum of
Natural Science
October 14 - Coffee with the Principal: "OFE Discipline Policy" (7 a.m.)
October 24 - Deadline for Reflections Entries
October 24-28 - Red Ribbon Week
October 28 - Kona Ice Spirit Afternoon
October 29 - Festival of Abilities at Oak Forest Park
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OFE Student Artwork on Display at HMNS
The caterpillar-themed artwork of 30 students from Oak Forest Elementary will be presented on October 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The exhibit will be on display on the second floor of the
Cockrell Butterfly Center. Come out and support our budding artists!
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Legislative Events Kick Off this Month
By Rachelle Park, Latrice Ferguson and Candice Croker - Legislative Committee Chairs
[email protected]
Hopefully, everyone has finally settled into the new school year. This school year is developing into an active legislative year.
We will be hosting three Coffee with the Principal events during the 2016-17 school year. Please save the following dates:
October 14
Topic: OFE Discipline Policy
February 10
April 7
Each meeting will have a focused agenda and is a great way to interact with Dr. Williams and gather more information about important topics at Oak Forest.
The Texas PTA has also compiled its Legislative Priorities for the year and would like us to campaign for a strong attendance at Rally Day Under the Dome, which is February 27, 2017. At every legislative session it is continuously verbalized that we need to do more to improve public education. There is a historical trend that each legislative session often ends with parent dissatisfaction and hopes of accomplishing more. By attending Rally Under the Dome, we can actively participate and take action toward the changes that are being discussed and voted upon. Attending Rally Day in Austin is a positive investment of your time and resources. Please plan to attend!
Click here
f
or more information and a tentative schedule for Rally Day
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Reflections 2016: What Is Your Story?
 By Hien Reynoso, Christina Rapazzo and Allison Marshall - PTA Reflections Committee Chairs
Hey, Bobcats! Get your entries ready for this year's Reflection Contest. We are so excited to see this year's creativity from our amazing students.
Submit your entries in any or all of these categories: Dance Choreography, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Film Production and Visual Arts. The entry should relate to this year's theme: "
What Is Your Story?"
Please enter as many times AND in as many categories as you would like.
We will start collecting entries on October 12. The deadline for entries is October 24.
All participants will be invited to a Pizza & Ice Cream Party and Award Ceremony on November 18.
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Red Ribbon Week 2016
By Jennifer Brown, OFE Counselor
The theme for Red Ribbon Week, October 24-28, is You Only Live Once! #YOLO
See below for our themed dress days this year. Living Tree reminders will go out as well.
Monday -
You Only Live Once - respect yourself! #YOLO (wear anything red)
Tuesday -
My future's so bright - good choices in sight! #YOLO
(wear NEON - hats, visors, shades, shirts, shorts, socks, etc.)
Wednesday -
Turn your back on bad choices - respect yourself! #YOLO
(wear backwards shirt and ball cap)
Thursday -
Kick up your boots to taking care of your body - You Only Live Once! #YOLO (wear boots)
Friday -
I'm FREE to be ME at OFE - I Respect Myself! #YOLO (wear free dress)
Additionally, the PALS are organizing a sock collection for a local shelter:
Sock It to Bad Choices - You Only Live Once! #YOLO. Please drop off any size new socks in the sock box located in the front atrium or give them to your classroom teacher and the PALS will collect.
It should be a fun week! #YOLO
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Festival of Abilities
Benefitting a Playground for All Abilities at Oak Forest Park 
Hosted by Friends of Oak Forest Park, Leather Apron Foundation, and Houston Parks Board
Saturday, Oct 29, 2016, from 3-7 pm
Oak Forest Park
2100 Judiway, Houston, TX 77018
Start off Halloween weekend with friends and neighbors at the Festival of Abilities! This event will be the first of its kind in the area, inclusive of all ages and abilities.
Event Details:
- The focus of the Halloween-themed event is inclusivity, with activities for both typically-able guests and those with special needs. Activities are for all ages and abilities
- Stroll & Roll costume parade, Arts Alive! "Halloween Happening" expressive arts program, petting zoo, pumpkin patch with scarecrow, face painting and balloon twisting, Disney-trained caricature artist Tom Rye, games, DJ, trick or treating, spooky kooky fitness for all, sports demos, children's performances and much more!
- The Mad Potter painted art tile project fundraiser - $100 donation - buy one, get one free art tiles prior to or at the festival
- Craft beer garden and wine tastings, festival food, and Mac's Munchies bake sale and concession stand
- Bayou City Play "loose parts" adventure play area
- Performance by Fly Dance Company, "the gentlemen of hip-hop" with opening act by The River Performance Troupe
- Houston Parks & Recreation Dept. Adaptive Sports & Recreation will host wheelchair basketball and rugby, and an obstacle course. Scrimmages with the TIRR Memorial Hermann Hotwheels, defending national champion wheelchair basketball team, 2015 junior national champs, and Texans wheelchair rugby. Cheer on the Fireballs power soccer team
- Donor recognition opportunities - all donations to Houston Parks Board are tax deductible (designate Oak Forest Park)
- 100% of all net proceeds benefit the Oak Forest Park Revitalization - More Than1Way 2Play accessible playground fund
Mayor Pro-Tem Ellen Cohen, Council Member District C, will make a brief presentation at 5 p.m., and Michelle Colvard, the park project's ADA advisor, will also be a guest of honor. A former Ms. Wheelchair America and Texas, as well as the former Executive Director for the Mayor's Office of People with Disabilities, Colvard was a driving force in building the Vale-Asche Foundation Playground Without Limits at Memorial Park and has been a lifelong advocate for people with disabilities.
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WATCH
Video courtesy of Anna Grove Photography
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For park campaign and Festival of Abilities questions, or to host a vendor booth on 10/29, contact:
Elyssa Horvath, CPSM
Event Coordinator/Friends of Oak Forest Park
832-771-8030
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Feeding Our Teachers at Open House
By Jessica Kirklin and Laura Tilley - Teacher Appreciation Committee Chairs
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he Teacher Appreciation Committee made sure our teachers were appreciated for staying into the evening hours for September's Open House. OFE parent Mark Reynoso, with Chicken Express, catered a delicious baked chicken dinner with salad, roasted veggies and potatoes. We love our OFE teachers and staff, and hope to serve them well the rest of the fall semester!
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Treasurer's Corner
By Theresa Velasquez - PTA Treasurer
Did you know that the PTA allocates $6,000 per year for Teacher Appreciation
? Our spectacular teachers and support staff received a tasty breakfast on their first day back at OFE and then a delicious dinner prior to Open House, all compliments of the PTA's Teacher Appreciation Committee, led by volunteers Jessica Kirklin and Laura Tilley.
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Make Room on Your Shelves
By Selena Crochet and Cara Ramelow - PTA Book Fair Committee Chairs
Oak Forest
Elementary Library Fall Book Fair
November 12-18
Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (open during Fall Festival!)
Monday-Wednesday 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday 7:45 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. (open late for PTA meeting!)
Friday 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (open early for Muffin Man Mornin'!)
**All proceeds will be used to buy new books for the OFE library!**
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Save the Date: Oak Forest Fall Festival
By Jacquie Jacobs and Jade Brooker - Fall Festival Committee Chairs
We are getting very excited about this year's upcoming Fall Festival on November 12, and have been in full swing to gear up for our event this year! You should have received a Fall Festival form in your student's Wednesday folder, which includes the awesome T-shirt we have designed for this year's festival, including a dry-fit option (new!) and sponsorship levels.
The Bobby Bracelets and ticket form will be going out soon. Bobby Bracelets will be $20 p
resale
, $25 at the door. There will be one FREE Bobby Bracelet per enrolled student (presale only), so be sure to get your forms turned in early!
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PALS Corner
By Jennifer Brown -
OFE Counselor
The Oak Forest PALS have been doing an outstanding job helping the teachers and students get off to a great start this year!
During the first few weeks of school, the PALS stepped up their leadership skills by walking the younger Bobcats to their classrooms. The PALS also gracefully delivered the morning announcements and sent a special shout out to all the students who had a birthday in August and September. At their first official meeting, the PALS introduced themselves to each other and signed up for their fall volunteer opportunities.
Food for thought: If you are not willing to put in the effort, you cannot expect anything in return.
PALS submission by Trinity Turner
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Author Empowers Kids to Combat Bullying
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Trudy Ludwig with OFE Counselor Jennifer Brown |
It's not every speaker who feels comfortable inviting children to insult her but that's just what award-winning author Trudy Ludwig did when she met with children at Oak Forest Elementary. The exercise, in which she used a series of conversational prompts to either shut down or deflect mean comments, was just one of the things she did to engage children and help them navigate their social world.
Ludwig, who has been featured on ABC's Good Morning America and the Huffington Post, is the author of
Gifts from the Enemy and
Confessions of a Former Bully among other books. She was invited to speak at Oak Forest Elementary by the school and the PTA who extended the invite for the parent session to parents from other local elementary schools.
The information presented was both sobering and counter intuitive to what people might believe from the media. While one in four students report being excluded or emotionally hurt by another student on a regular basis, a smaller number - one in 10 - report being physically victimized. And it's this relational aggression, in which harm is caused by damaging someone's relationships or social status, that kids say they fear more than physical harm.
Ludwig told parents that she was inspired to write her first book
My Secret Bully, when her daughter, now a college graduate, was in second grade and was targeted by her friends. When that daughter was a middle schooler, Ludwig overheard her telling another friend - "Don't make my mom mad about something unfair or she'll write a book about it."
The experience of the first book inspired Ludwig to learn all she could about bullying and combat the problem through bibliotherapy because it's a way to get through to kids. She prefers not to use the word "bully" as a noun because labels of any kind can stick. "Bullying is a conscious choice to be cruel," she says. "I want kids to consciously choose kind."
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Fun Run Earns $73,000 in Pledges!
By Stella Stevens and Christina Amos - Fall Fundraiser Committee Chairs
Thank you, moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, friends, neighbors and everyone else in our wonderful community who made the OFE Fun Run a success - not only from a monetary standpoint, but a wonderful experience for our kids. They will always remember the lessons they learned and their wonderful fitness accomplishment. Thank you so much!
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September Teachers of the Week
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Nallely De La Rosa is Teacher of the Week for displaying effort and perseverance in acclimating 22 four-year olds to a full day of school. She has done this by ensuring that her students feel welcomed to school each day and that their class is full of fun learning activities. Mrs. De La Rosa's students are excited and proud to come to school each day because of the time and effort she has put into their education.
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Denise Rangel is Teacher of the Week because she emanates empathy and perseverance. She has taken on multiple tasks this school year that have been very pedagogically challenging and accomplished them with grace and simplicity. Ms. Rangel consistently puts her students first and ensures that they know she is there to support not only their academic but also their social needs.
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Congratulations are in order for our Teacher of the Week, Nancy Llamo. Mrs. Llamo has worked hard in increasing student engagement. She has dedicated time to projects that increase students understanding of Science and Technology with STEM Fridays. Her students love the opportunities they have to be creative and innovative. Mrs. Llamo has also led her 1st grade team toward a successful implementation of Genius Hour -where more student creativity blossoms.
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Membership Committee Salutes High-level Members
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The Reed Family |
By Courtney Gaydocik and Catlin Harlow - Membership Committee Chairs
The PTA Membership Committee would like to thank our first EXEMPLARY member of the new school year, the Reed family, whose triplets Cayden, Finley and Jack are third graders at OFE this year.
We would also like to express our appreciation to this years HONORS level member families. Thank you to the Turners, parents of Raegan who started Kindergarten this year, and the Valovs, parents of second grader Mikhail.
We truly appreciate the support of our OFE families. We could not do what we do without you!
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Pre-order Your 2016-2017 OFE Yearbook Now!
By Jennifer Scogin and Pam Huwar - Yearbook Chairs
Yearbooks are already available to purchase for the 2016-2017 school year! We had several sad students who did not get a yearbook last year when we sold out. We only order a few extra yearbooks over what is pre-ordered, so order now to ensure your student will receive one! Early-bird pricing is available now, and any purchases will count toward the class competition later in the year.
You may also get your dedication pages designed and ordered now. There is limited space available, so the sooner the better!
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OFE PTA Member Spotlight: The Marcon Family
This month's PTA Member Spotlight is on Maureen and Sophia Marcon.
Sophia is a 4th grader in Ms. Herold's homeroom, and is enjoying instruction from both Ms. Herold and Mr. Church. Maureen works as the Assistant Treasurer at Merichem Company, a finance firm in Houston, and has
been active with the PTA since Sophia was in Kindergarten. She says that she has loved being a part of and volunteering with the PTA: "It's a great way to actively participate in Sophia's school life and also be part of the OFE family." Outside of OFE, the Marcon ladies can be found spending time with family and friends, or just hanging out at home watching a good movie.
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| Maureen, Sophia and Muffin Marcon |
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Box Tops for Education
By Joan Dwyer and Beth Caldwell - Box Tops Committee Chairs
Wow, we are off to a great start with box tops this year! More than 60 students have
submitted over 2,800 box tops. That amounts to $280 for our school. Thank you!
Everyone can help raise money for Oak Forest Elementary by collecting box tops. You can find box tops on cans of cinnamon rolls, crackers, juice bottles, Ziploc bags and even packages of socks. Last year we collected 22,780 box tops, earning over $2,200 for Oak Forest Elementary. Let's keep up the good work.
Check out the students who are clipping and submitting! The top five students are all in a separate grade:
Ana Trevino (3rd - 200 box tops),
Sasha Baughn (K - 120),
Wyatt Dudley (2nd - 120),
Norah Ramirez (1st - 110) and
Alisah Ramirez (4th - 100).
For every 10 unexpired box tops that you submit, you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a free ice cream cone. August winners were
Hudson Gum (Janish) and
Jared Garcia (Warren), and September winners were
Zaundra Sosa (Herald) and
Luke Orr (Chadick). Congrats!
The class that collects the most box tops by the end of April wins a free ice cream party at the end of the year. Here are the current top five classes:
Campbell (3rd grade - 360 box tops),
Valdez (1st - 258),
Soria (2nd - 235),
Brantford (1st - 218) and
Janish (K - 178).
Thank you to the following students for sending in box tops. We appreciate your help!
| Aaron T Doan |
Gia B Velasquez |
Micah E. Atkins
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Alexander J Rathke
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Grace A Lurix
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Noah A Hunt Cantu
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Alisah I Ramirez
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Hailey F Marrow
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Norah E Ramirez
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Ava S Trevino
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Hudson R Gum
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Olivia R Tipton
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Blakely C Maddox
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Isaac I Keske
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Presley J Crabbe
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Caroline C Croker
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Isabella C Aceves
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Renata X Juarez
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Carolyn A D'Souza
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Isabella M Sterr
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Sasha Z Baughn
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Carson J Dahlmeier
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Jackson V Martini
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Savannah B Horvath
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Chase A Culpepper
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Jaxon S Cheshire
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Shaun T Benesch
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Christian T Lentz
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Judson B Quiros
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Sophia M Marcon
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Christopher McCrory Thompson
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Julia C Mear
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Sophia R Braun
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Claire J Waters
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Kalyan D Munoz
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Stella S Romeo
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Connor J Oldham
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Kelly I Vasquez
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Stephen A Dwiggins
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Conor J McCue
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Kendall A David
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Travis L Tilley
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Cooper S Allen
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Kole J D'Agostino
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Tyler B Horvath
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Daniela Bustamante
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Lev A Turrin
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Wyatt C Dudley
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Dylan J Powis-Cas
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Logan P Dwyer |
Zabastian E Sosa
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Elijah J Malveaux
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Lucas V Romeo
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Aiden Powis-Case
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Emma J Dazey
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Luke C Orr
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Julia A Braun
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Evelyn R Zamora
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Makayla A Barajas
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Katelin G Nasseri
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Fiona G McCue
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Marcus H Woodfin
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Parker K McIntosh
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Garrett S Solak
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Megan G Waters
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Zamantha E Sosa
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George A Velasquez
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Mia X Strom
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Use the "10 to Win" raffle ticket below to submit your box tops. Additional copies can be found on the PTA website:
www.oakforestpta.com
. Your box tops submissions can be turned into your teacher, or you can drop them in the blue basket located by the bench in the school office foyer. It is helpful to submit your box tops in groups of 10 in a Ziplock bag or envelope for easy counting by our volunteers. And don't forget to put your full name and classroom on your bag or envelope so your student can be entered into the drawing.
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OFE
Box Tops for
Education
"Ten to Win"
Raffle Ticket
Just attach 10 to be added to our monthly drawings Hint: Box tops can be placed in a ziplock bag or envelope and stapled to the form. |
Student's name: ___________________
Home Room Teacher Name:__________________________
Pod:____________
Grade:_____
Entry Date:__________________
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Available for OFE Box Tops Raffle
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