March
2015
BOBCAT BEAT 
A PTA Publication 
Principal's Corner
Principal Jenny Thomas

Bobcat Book Bond:

 

Here at OFE we love to share, and for the next 6 weeks we want to share a reading experience with our entire school community!  What better way to support a love for reading, than to see the community reading together? The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech will be sent home to be read by each family, each teacher, and all staff members at Oak Forest. It will be a school-wide book club. This activity is inspired by the One School, One Book Program (www.readtothem.org).  As an added bonus, this story reinforces our core value for the month of April, empathy! This is also a great way to celebrate that March is National Read Aloud Month.


 

Suggested Reading Calendar

 

Mar. 8-14  pp.1-24; Mar. 15-21  pp. 25-47; Mar. 22-28  pp. 48-69; Mar. 29-Apr. 4  pp. 70-94; Apr. 5-11  pp. 95-114 and Apr. 12-18  pp. 115-151

 

This is an average of 6 pages a night if you read 4 nights a week.  Your family can read at any pace you like, but our school activities to enhance the shared reading experience will be related to the suggested reading for the week.  

 

We understand that depending on your child's age, you may or may not decide to read the book with your family.  To help you make an informed decision, I have added the information from Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org) on the back of this letter.  If you do not see the book come home with your child, it may be because an older family member is bringing it home (we are sending one book per family).  We sincerely hope you will join us in this experience in effort to connect with each other and make a statement to our children about the value of reading.  Watch for Book Club posts on LivingTree so you can comment on the book.

 

Thank you for your support of your child and Oak Forest Elementary!

 

Parent Math Club

 

You may have noticed that Math looks a little different than it did when most adults were in school. For those parents who want to learn more about Math instruction so they can better support their students, we will have 3 Parent Math Club Sessions (each session held twice one PM and one AM with the exception of session 2).  The math we explore together will be targeted at concepts and skills in Grades 2-5.  Our goal is to evolve this "club" next year into recruiting parents who learn math strategies and then support a couple of students at Oak Forest in being successful with those strategies.  Whether you are willing to eventually become a Math Mentor or just want to learn more for your own family, we welcome you to attend.

 

OAK FOREST PARENT MATH CLUB

AFTERNOON MEETINGS - MONDAYS

LOCATION: OFE LIBRARY

 

Dates: March 23, March 30, and April 6

Time: 3:15-4:00 PM:

Math Focus: March 23- Subtraction with Regrouping & Problem Solving with +/-, March 30 - Multiplication and Division& Problem Solving with x/�, April 7- Fractions and Decimals & Problem Solving with fractions. The meetings are targeted at 2nd-5th grade math concepts and students are welcome to attend with their parents to work on web-based programs on Library computers while parents meet. 

 

MORNING MEETINGS - TUESDAYS

Dates: March 24, and April 7

Time: 8:15-9:00 AM

Math Focus: March 24- Subtraction with Regrouping & Problem Solving with +/-, April 7- Multiplication and Division, Fractions, & Problem Solving with x/� and fractions.  The meetings are targeted at 2nd-5th grade math concepts.

 


Program Spotlight - Writers in the Schools

As Amber Caver mentioned in a earlier Living Tree post, the PTA Association voted to spend the proceeds from the 2015 Auction in three areas ranked by the results of the parents survey completed this past January. As part of the Academics & Curriculum component, auction funds will go towards the 2015-16 Writers In the Schools (WITS) program. The WITS program was previously offered in past years but was a casualty of budget cuts to public school education. This year, the second and third grade are enjoying WITS due to funding provided by OFE and the OFE PTA.

 

It's not every third grader who is familiar with the Chilean poet and Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda. But recently in Ms. Graeve's third grade class, Writers in the School's teacher B.J. Love brought Neruda's book, The Book of Questions, into the class.

 

"How do I ask the flea for its championship stats?"

 

"How do the oranges divide up sunlight in the orange tree?"

 

These were some of Neruda's unanswerable questions. After touching on Neruda's time in exile and about the political climate in Chile when he wrote these words, Love gave the students a chance to write their own unanswerable questions. Then they got to share their writing with the rest of the class.

 

"How old are you whenever you die?"

 

"How do you keep water in a cage?"

 

"What is the sound of music?"

 

Pretty good, right?

 

Every third grade student, along with all the second graders, are getting the chance to participate in WITS at Oak Forest Elementary. Since 1983, WITS has sent professional writers to teach students the craft of writing. In Houston, 350 teachers like Love are engaging the minds and nurturing the creativity of students.

 

Love says he went to school for English literature, and "started writing as a way to help myself understand how it works." A graduate of the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop in 2011, he has been teaching ever since, mostly college composition courses.

 

"A few years ago, I kind of got tired of teaching boring things to bored students, so I began teaching creative writing at summer arts camps and totally fell in love with the kids...all of them," he said. "Their enthusiasm is contagious and it really reinvigorated my interest in teaching. I got involved with WITS just a few short months ago - my wife and I moved here in August - but the second I heard about the program, I knew it was perfect for me...and that I was perfect for it."

 

Ms. Graeve, a Language Arts and Social Studies teacher, said that her kids love WITS.

 

"I think that more than anything this program helps to motivate and inspire these students to write," she said. "When students are reluctant writers or don't feel confident with their writing abilities, it takes strategy to get them writing."

 

She said that Mr. Love is able to grab the students' attention at the beginning of class through songs and read alouds.

 

Love said that he thinks that hearing and seeing words being used as good as they can be is the best way to get those juices flowing in your own brain.

 

"Naturally, I bring in stuff that I am super fond of, Neruda being one of my favorites, but I've also brought in some Frank O'Hara poems, a few traditional kids' books, and even a kid-friendly re-telling of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis," he said. "These 3rd graders are really smart and I know that if I'm only half-interested in something, they'll know, so I try and show them things that tend to get me excited so that getting them excited about it too comes easy."

 

Once they are excited about it, Love gives them the opportunity to write, "He almost makes each class into a writing challenge," said Ms. Graeve. "All of the students - even the reluctant writers - feel the need to try and complete the writing assignment before the end of class."

 

Once each student has a good collection of rough drafts to work with, Love starts working with them on the revision process.

"He has been encouraging students to think about their favorite pieces to include in the anthology that will be put together towards the end of the program," said Ms. Graeve.

 

Love says that the anthology will be in print and every student will get one that includes their whole class.

 

"All I want is for the students to realize they have important things to say and to give them, hopefully, the patience and willingness to figure out their own best ways of saying it," he said. "At WITS, we try and do that by making language fun and removing some of those intimidating roadblocks we always seem to be putting up for ourselves."

 

 


OFE Lifetime Texas PTA Members

At the last PTA Association meeting, three attendees were surprised with the news that they had been selected as Texas Lifetime members: OFE music teacher Elliot Glickfield, and PTA Environment co-chairs Nancy Greig and Merin Noonan are the three new recipients.

Elliot Glickfield was described by those nominating him as a dedicated teacher who also went out of his way to support the school through serving as a teacher liaison on the PTA board, and also for his much needed audio-visual help at association meetings. 

Nancy and Merin's attendance at the meeting where their honor was announced was guaranteed by President Amber Caver telling them that the other person was getting the award. Nancy came to support Merin and vice-versa which is appropriate as the two have been the PTA Environment committee co-chairs for a number of years.

"She has brought her professional expertise, but more importantly, her love of the outdoors and children," someone wrote on their nomination form of Nancy.

On Merin: "She is responsible for the awesome veggie gardens from A to Z and fosters the love of growing/eating healthy options for our students."

Congratulations to all three!


Kudos to OFE kiddos


Name that Book

The 3-5th grade team of Landon Croker, Daniel Espinoza,

Jackie Hickman, Samantha Reid, Mattea Rodgers, Mallory Tauser and Aidan Clark advanced to the finals of the Name that Book competition, edging out West University Elementary 21-20. In the finals, the team placed 6th.Woo Hoo!





Odyssey of the Mind 

Congratulations to our Odyssey of the Mind teams who competed Saturday at the regional tournament!  Most of the teams have been working on their projects since late September. Besides having a lot of fun, one team learned how to improvise and another team learned to stand up for what was right when there are unwritten rules. Our fourth grade team made up of Alice Waters, Wesley Griffin, Marley Dwiggens, Liam Crochet, Christian Hinojosa, Carsten Ramelow, and QB Nguyen-Hoang came in first place for their silent movie! Way to go! They will move on to state.  


 

Two Bobcats rewarded at State Reflections competition

Two of our Oak Forest Reflections competitors won awards at the State level competition! First-grader Kinley Marshall and fourth-grader Tyerra Osborne both won Awards of Merit. Kinley won in the Visual Arts category while Tyerra'a award was for Literature. They both had so much fun with their projects and thoroughly deserved their awards. They will be invited with their families to the Student Recognition and Awards ceremony in Austin. Congratulations to our arty Bobcats!



PTA Member Spotlight

The Sanders family

 

Carol and Robert Sanders have a daughter in Ms. Rogers 5th grade class. Their older daughter is an OFE graduate who is now in 8th grade at Pin Oak Middle School.

 

 

Carol said that her favorite thing about the school is hands down the teachers.  

 

"The OFE teachers have a passion for teaching and care about their students," she said. Carol also said that the strong presence of parents that support the school is important.

 

She wanted to be a part of that support.

 

"As a working mother I don't have the flexibility to be as involved but the PTA keeps me connected and advised of opportunities where I can participate," she said. "Staying connected to the school also means showing my children that school is important and that I care about them and their education." Carol recalls a very active PTA at her own elementary school.

 

"My mother was very involved," she said.

 

Carol sees that the PTA not only helps financially but also provides the manpower to get the 'nice to have's' accomplished at the school. 

 


Triathlon Registration Closes this week

There are 160 plus kids registered on Team OFE for the Kids Triathlon. 

For more information, please contact Robin Day at secondvp@oakforestpta.com

 

 

 

 

 



Book Fair
OFE Book Fair

Heads up, Bobcats 
Spring book fair is right around the corner -  April 13 -17.  See you there!  





Mix it up lunch

Thanks to OFE Guidance Counselor Jennifer Brown, 3rd through 5th grade students got the opportunity to visit with someone new at lunch. At the Mix-it-up Lunch, students were paired with other students they don't normally sit with. There were table topics for them to discuss while eating lunch and a follow up activity was completed in ancillary.
  

"It has been a part of the NPFH (No Place for Hate) education initiative as well as Teaching Tolerance for years," said Ms. Brown. "There are many resources on the Teaching Tolerance website that I used for planning purposes and ideas. It is a big event that takes lots of planning so we decided to only implement in the upper grades our first go around."

 

Fourth grader Margo Matula said that "it was fun getting to meet new kids."

 

Ms. Brown said that it was a great success and that next year they will implement in all grade levels. 



Light the Night 
By Melissa Santiago and Mandie Eicheniaub
2014-2015 Auction Committee Chairs 
auction@oakforestpta.com

Thank you for your support of the OFE auction. More details on the amount raised for our school will be in next month's newsletter but initial numbers are very exciting.

There are still spots available for some of the socials, or parties, offered. Please see www.oakforestpta.com this week for sign up information.

Special thanks to our sponsors:

Lighthouse Donors
  • Hartman & Associates
  • Croker, Derryberry, Hansen, Kennedy and Lightfoot Families
  • Fieldhouse and Leffler Families
  • Caver and Sudduth Families
Band Sponsor
  • Resource One
Lighting Sponsors
  • Oak Forest Dental Group
  • Heights Autohaus
Program Sponsor
  • Rob Ryan Construction
Photo Booth Sponsor
  • Logistics Group International Inc.
Luminary Donors
  • IndyQuest Properties
  • Ted's of Beverly Hills Steakhouse
  • Justin Gordon Homes
  • Your Beautiful Face
  • Houston Police Officers Union
  • Leann Salmons - Realtor
  • Perry Homes
  • AAA Blast-Cote
  • Eichenlaub, Lisewsky, Osterman and Reed Families
  • Comeaux, Dahlmeier, Dudley, Tilley and Velasquez Families
  • Benesh, Cockrum, Guerra, Norris and Persyn Families
  • Buss and Day Families
  • Brewer, Kirklin, Marsh and Schoene Families
  • Botello, Brown, Massiatte, Murphy and Romeo Families
  • Jacobs, Majewski, Rodgers and Solomon Families
  • Santiago and Davis Families
  • Carter, Gorman, Nguyen, Ordonez and Clark Families
Glow Donors
  • Quintessa Homes
  • Facundo Home Builders
Twinkle Donors
  • The Mendez Family
  • Sagebrush Taxidermy

We are on FACEBOOK!
By Carolina Chavez and Jennifer Hess 
2014-2015 OFE Social Media Committee
communications@oakforestpta.com

Parents,

This is a reminder that you can also get daily updates via the OFE PTA Facebook Page. Check your Smart phones or internet browsers and log in to join our group. 


Show Your Support
Support Oak Forest Elementary when you use your Kroger Plus card. 

 

Kroger Community Rewards Program

Every time you use your Kroger Plus card, Kroger will donate money to Oak Forest Elementary. All you need to do is go to the following website and enroll in their Community Rewards Program. Choose Oak Forest Elementary PTA / Organization No. 90142 as your reward choice!

          

www.kroger.com/communityrewards

 

Either create an account or enroll in the rewards program if you already have an account set up. You must re-enroll every year so sign-up now.  Oak Forest Elementary is depending on you! You must sign-up online; you can't sign up in the store.  If you need assistance with signing-up, instructions on how to enroll can be found on the Oak Forest Elementary PTA website: www.oakforestpta.com.

 

Sign-up grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, friends, etc.  Let's start earning money for our school! 

 


Box Tops for Education 
By Maureen Marcon and Cara Ramelow 
2014-2015 Box Tops Committee Chairs
boxtops@oakforestpta.com


 

Good work Bobcats! In February you collected 1,718 box tops - that makes 16,729 for the school year so far! With each box top worth 10 cents, you've earned $1,673 for OFE. If you already collect box tops, keep collecting! Please consider collecting them if you don't - they really do add up quickly.

 

At the end of February, Ms. Ficke's class is in the lead for the end of year ice cream party with Mr. Church's and Ms. Valdez's classes right on their heels. But, don't worry! There is still plenty of the school year left to collect for your class.

 

Congratulations to Kalyan Munoz and Coleton Kriegel. They were the winners of the monthly drawing for a free ice cream cone. For every 10 box tops you submit, you are entered into the drawing once.

 

The following Bobcats collected Box Tops during February and received a prize just for submitting! Names in bold submitted 100+ Box Tops.

 

Isabella Aceves 

Matthew McWilliams

Hailey Arena 

Reggie Mendez

Olivia Barron 

Lauren Miranda-Abghary

Liliana Bertrand 

Isabelle Mueller

Grace Branum 

Kalyan Munoz

Ruby Breazeale 

George Ordonez

Sofia Buss 

Rachel Osterman

Daniela Bustamante 

Campbell Otto

Charles Cook 

Dylan Parman

Kara Craig 

Catherine Pennington

Caroline Croker 

Dylan Powis-Case

Landon Croker 

Aydin Ramelow

AnaCorynn David 

Carsten Ramelow

Cecilia D'Souza 

Conlan Ramirez

Daniel Espinosa 

Brynn Reina

Gage Falcon 

Alexandria Robledo

Cole Griffin 

Alexis Saha

Nicole Guzman 

Alexandra Sanders

Inarah Hardin 

Isabella Shepherd

Bianca Herrera 

Marlowe Shields

Thomas Hickman 

Kailyn Siarski

Tyler Horvath 

Joseph Siarski

Katie Huff 

Anaiah Siros

Titus Jackson 

Ella Solomon

Tatum Kelley 

Zachary Taylor

Bailee King 

Bailee Taylor

Coleton Kriegel 

Carol Trejo Cruz

Christian Lentz 

Amelia Turner

Daniela Magdaleno 

Gia Velasquez

Jacob Matula 

Megan Waters

Christopher McCrory Thompson 

Alice Waters

 

Also, don't forget to sign up for Kroger Rewards if you haven't already. Every time you use your Kroger Plus card, Kroger will donate money to Oak Forest Elementary. All you need to do is go to the following website and enroll in their Community Rewards Program. Choose Oak Forest Elementary PTA / Organization No. 90142 as your reward choice!

www.kroger.com/communityrewards 

 

OFE

Box Tops for 
Education 
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:__________________

 Available for OFE Box Tops Raffle