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BOBCAT BEAT
A PTA Publication
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A Message from OFE Principal
By Dr. April Williams
Am I the only one who cannot believe it is November?! October was such a great month with lots of activities. I
t
w
as so nice seeing all the students participate in pumpkin investigations,
Red Ribbon Week and our Book Character Parade. We also in
troduced our new OFE PALS. These campus leaders have already taken the reign with so many activities, including Magnet Tours an
d Red Ribbon Week. I am excited to continue to work with them this year and build their leadership capacity.
Our teachers have been hard at work ensuring that all our students are engaged in learning every day. We are so lucky to have such a fantastic staff who continues to go above and beyond daily for our children. I appreciate them greatly. Please help them in making sure that your child is here every day, on time and ready for the day's learning. Remember that reading to your child every night is a great way to make them life-long readers and an awesome way to share some bonding time with them.
Accelerated Reader (AR), EMPOWER, I-station and Think through Math initiatives are in high gear. The students are excited about seeing their faces on the walls. Help them keep up the great work by motivating them at home! We have also started our structured PLC (extra recess for teacher meeting time) classes. Each class will rotate through a six-week cycle that will include basketball, soccer, jump-rope, movement/dance, capture the flag and running.
Please come to OFE to enjoy our upcoming PTA Fall Festival this Saturday as well as the week-long Book Fair in our school library; it runs through November 13, 2015. I look forward to seeing you all at our PTA meeting on November 12
th
and our Thanksgiving lunch on November 19
th
. I wish you all a very happy November and a Happy Thanksgiving.
Continue encouraging our students to show someone how much they appreciate them with #postitlove.
Take Care.
Important Dates in November (further details on times/locations can be found on Living Tree calendar):
November 7
- Fall Festival
November 7-13
- Book Fair
November 12
- PTA Meeting #2
November 13
- Muffin Man Mornin'
November 18
- Early dismissal
November 19
- Turkey Day Luncheon
November 20
- Reflections participant party
November 25-27
- Thanksgiving break
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2015 OFE Fall Festival
By
Jacquelyn Jacobs and Christina Amos - Fall Festival Chairs
Please join us this Saturday, November 7th from 11am - 3pm for our 'Once Upon a Time' Fall Festival. Tickets are available the day of the event for food from Papa Murphy's and Chick-fil-a, and attractions such as a rock wall, a swing ride, a mechanical bull, face painting, a petting zoo, laser tag, and a game truck.
Will-call ticket pickup will be held on
November 5-6
before school
7:30 - 8:15am,
and after school
2:45 - 3:30pm
. You can also purchase tickets at the festival if you haven't already reserved them.
We hope to see you there!
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Teachers of the Week for October 2015
Dr. Williams is naming a Teacher of the Week each week this year, and we will feature them here in the OFE PTA newsletter. What a great way to get to know your dedicated OFE teachers!
Ms. Sorensen,
a fourth grade
reading/ writing/ social studies
teacher at OFE, is also the lead Language
Arts
teacher. She attends monthly meetings and trainings in the district, and then shares what she learns with our campus.
This is Ms. Sorensen's fourth year at OFE, and her fifteenth year teaching. This year, her daughter started Kindergarten at OFE, and it has given Ms. Sorensen some new perspective on the school she already loved. "Since she was 4 years old, she talked about being a Bobcat," Ms. Sorensen said of her daughter. "Now that she is one, she couldn't be happier. She comes to school excited to learn each and every day and LOVES all of the teachers. It's so great to see, through her eyes, what goes on in all the ancillary classes that I don't ever get to be a part of. It just goes to show again, how awesome our faculty is!"
_________________________________________________________________________________
Mr. Malkowsky, a fifth grade math teacher,
has a long history with OFE. His two oldest sons, who are now a senior at Waltrip and an eighth grader at Frank Black, both attended OFE. Currently, his 11 year old is a Bobcat, and his four year old will be in Kindergarten next year. As if that weren't enough loyalty, Mr. Malkowsky grew up in Oak Forest, and his wife attended OFE! He has taught for a decade, but this is his first year teaching where he grew up and still resides now. Welcome home, Mr. Malkowsky!
Mr. Malkowsky had difficulty naming a favorite superhero, but did say that Nolan Ryan has earned his admiration. "
He was able to stay in the game so long and compete because of his dedication and commitment to his craft," he explained. Thank you, Mr. Malkowsky, for your dedication to your craft- teaching!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Our school librarian,
Ms. Campbell
, has been at OFE since 1990. She spent her first 14 years here
teaching third
and fourth
grade Vanguard reading, language arts and social studies. She became the
librarian in 2004, when the
school moved to its new building. Ms. Campbell's talents are even more varied
than her impressive career in
education suggests.
She graduated from the High School for the Performing and Visual
Arts, and then went on to
obtain a degree in architecture from Rice University. With all of her talent and dedication, it's no wonder she was
librarian of the year in 2010-2011, and certainly no surprise that she was an OFE teacher of the week!
__________________________________________________________________
Ms. Rodriguez has been a teacher at OFE for thirteen years for PreK and now in Kindergarten. Much of that time was spent as a bilingual teacher. She loves her job and calls the educators at OFE her extended family.
Ms. Rodriguez was born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and was raised in Houston. She has two daughters and her oldest is a fifth grader at OFE.
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Safety and Courtesy
Dr. Williams - School Principal 
How can we make sure 820 children get in and out of school safely? With your help!
Please remember that
SAFETY IS OUR #1 PRIORITY. Traffic moves slowly in the morning and in the afternoons for a reason -- to ensure the safety of all students and adults. Please be courteous of our traffic policy and keep in mind the following reminders...
- The crossing guards are here to help and keep our children safe. Please do not disrespect them in any way. Children model what they see.
- Drive the speed limit in our school zones - 20 miles per hour until 8:00am.
- NO CELL PHONE USE in the school zones and/or when picking up students in the driveways.
- Do not make U-turns and cut in front of cars or pedestrians in the drop off/pick-up lines.
- Teachers will assist in getting children out of the car in the morning. Please do not get out of your car while in line. If you want to get your child out of the car, please park and do so.
- Do not drop your child off on 43rd Street.
- Beat the rush! The building opens at 7:00am every morning.
- NO LEFT TURNS out of our front driveway nor on Lamonte (to go north on Oak Forest Drive) during school hours.
- http://apps.saferoutesinfo.org/lawenforcement/resources/driving_tips.cfm
Thank for all you do in ensuring the safety of our school.
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PALS: Peer Assistance and Leadership Students
By Jennifer Brown - OFE School Counselor
We are so proud to announce the following group of students as our 2015-2016 OFE PALS (Peer Assistance and Leadership Students). We look forward to watching them grow as leaders in our school and in the community. Their first roles as leaders have been assisting Ms. Shepherd with the Magnet tours in our building and helping with Red Ribbon Week the last week of October.
- Carson Amos
- Mya Anzaldua
- Sarah Baldovino
- Tony Botello
- Austin Brown
- Akira Bunge
- Keegan Cook
- Liam Crochet
- Jack Davis
- Sophia Guzman
- Menton Lewis
- Edward Lo
- Margo Matula
- Austin Malkowsky
- Sophia Malone
- Abby O'Guynn
- Evan Neff
- Tyerra Osborne
- Sarah Paule
- Andrea Rodriguez
- Adonai Ross
- Esperanza Salceda
- Hannah Salinas
- Mia Santiago
- Deja Scott
- Daniel Sudduth
- Sharon Vera
- Connor Walker
- Alice Waters
- Morgan Yaege
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Treasurer's Corner
By Theresa Velasquez - PTA Treasurer
The PTA took a chance this year and changed the way we raise funds in the fall ... and what a surprise to all! We collected 100% of what was pledged and OFE profited
$59,000
. Thank you so much for supporting this year's Bobcat Fun Run! Because of you we exceeded our goal and had a blast at the same time. This event couldn't have happened without the energetic Boosterthon team, our fabulous teachers, administrative staff and of course our amazing Bobcats! A huge thank you to the Fall Fundraiser committee chairs Stella Stevens and Kara D'Agostino! The PTA board will work closely with school administrators to decide how these funds can be put to the best overall use for our students and our school community.
In case you were wondering how the spring auction funds have been allocated...
We may want to scream it from the rooftop but we won't need to due to the new audio visual equipment that has been installed in the multi purpose room and cafeteria ($34K)! Writers in the Schools (WITS) has returned to Oak Forest with 12 full-year classes and 6 newly added spring semester classes for our first graders. This is the first year the PTA has fully-funded this program and the excitement is through the roof ($30K)! WITS encourages children in the pleasure and power of reading and writing. The OFE Band will be able to fix, clean and repair all current non-working/broken band equipment ($2K) as well as offset band competition cost for the year ($500).
Without funds from fund raisers, none of this would be possible. Thank you for your support!
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."
-- Helen Keller
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Red Ribbon Week
The last week in October was National Red Ribbon Week, and OFE students and staff spent the week learning about self-respect, which was this year's theme. Do you know the history of Red Ribbon Week?
In 1985, in response to the murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena, parents and youth in communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction caused by drugs in America.
These parents, tired of the destruction of alcohol and other drugs, formed coalitions. Some of these coalitions took Camarena as their model. He once told his mother, who was worried about him joining the US Drug Enforcement Administration,
"I'm only one person, but I want to make a difference."
You, as a parent, can make a difference by taking their official pledge:
- As parents and citizens, we will talk to our children and the children in our lives about the dangers of drug abuse.
- We will set clear rules for our children about not using drugs.
- We will set a good example for our children by not using illegal drugs or medicine without a prescription.
- We will monitor our children's behavior and enforce appropriate consequences, so that our rules are respected.
- We will encourage family and friends to follow the same guidelines to keep children safe from substance abuse.
http://redribbon.org/about/
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A Cool, Calming Idea
By Retina-Marie Paccasassi - OFE Health & Wellness Instructor
In Health & Wellness, we have been discussing different ways we can practice
mindfulness
. These Mindful Jars help us learn to calm ourselves. Each sparkle represents a thought, feeling, or piece of information. By shaking the jar, we have a visual representation of what can happen in our mind when our thoughts and feelings get "mixed up" or overwhelming. After shaking the jar, we practice Mindful Breathing while we watch the thoughts and feelings settle down. This helps us train our brains to respond when our mind is calm and clear, as opposed to reacting, or acting out of habit when our feelings are clouding our ability to make a choice. I hope you find this useful in your home; it has been a big hit here at school!
Materials Needed:
* jars - great time to recycle! (I used an old salsa jar. Any jar that still seals tightly will do.)
* glitter - any kind! (I used the super-fine glitter, but feel free to be creative!)
* hot water
* whisk
* bowl
* light corn syrup, glycerin, or CLEAR glue (I used Elmer's Clear Glue)
* dish soap
Assemble:
Depending on the size of the jar that you use, you may need to experiment with the amounts of each item. In a large bowl, use the whisk to dissolve the corn syrup, glue or glycerin in hot water. Start with a couple of teaspoons of whatever thickener you have chosen, and increase as you like. The more viscous the water, the longer it will take the glitter to settle. I used about 2 tablespoons of clear glue in approximately 10 oz of water, and the glitter settles in about 30 seconds. Feel free to experiment! Add the glitter (again, as much or as little as you like; I used about 2 tablespoons) and pour into the jar. Add a drop or two of the dish soap - this helps to keep the glitter from clinging or clumping on the top of the water, and provides a great opportunity to discuss surface tension.
Make sure to seal the jar tightly. Some people recommend gluing the lid onto the jar, but I did not have success with this.
Enjoy!
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2015-2016 OFE Yearbook
By Pam Huwar and Jennifer Scogin - Yearbook Chairs
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Reflections Art Competition
By Hien Reynoso, Christina Rapazzo and Allison Marshall - PTA Reflections Committee
Reflections will have an Award Ceremony and Art Exhibit on
November 20. All students who entered are invited to celebrate and enjoy the exhibit (invitations will be sent out via hard copy to your child's classroom). All winners that will be moving on to Regional will be announced that evening.
Thank you to all
81 Bobcats (up from ~40 last year!)
who participated and "Let Their Imagination Fly."
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PTA Membership
By Gaby Rodrigues and Courtney Gaydosik - PTA Membership Chairs
Use your PTA Membership to:
*
Get Connected.
PTA provides opportunities to meet and network in person, and through social media, with other parents, teachers, and school administrators. You will be invited to join the OFE PTA Living Tree group.
*
Speak Up.
PTA can be a way for you to more effectively be a voice for change at your child's school.
*
Watch Yourself Grow
.
As a PTA volunteer, you can use your skills and hobbies to create the learning environment you want for your child.
*
Give Back.
By becoming part of PTA, you can help decide how funds are spent to better our school.
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PTA Member Spotlight:
Ferguson family
Two of the Ferguson's three children are at OFE this year. Nicholas is in first grade, and Christian in Kindergarten. Mom, Latrice is a physical therapist at the Memorial Hermann Ironman Institute, and Dad, Lamarr, works as a computer engineer. Even with their busy work schedules, the Fergusons joined the OFE PTA. When asked why, Latrice said, "I have always believed that your children's education is governed by the role that their parents play at their school, mainly their involvement. I want and need to be an integral part of my child's education and the PTA is a great avenue to support my child and his school."
On a personal note, Latrice shared that "We have a continuous family battle between music and sports. I was a track athlete at Rice (A LONG TIME AGO) and my husband is also a musician and can play multiple instruments. We have created intelligent children who can't help themselves but dance, air drum, play piano and sing when they hear any Bruno Mars song, and also run faster than the speed of light, especially at bedtime. Our stage name is the Ferguson Five." The Fergusons definitely belong in this family spotlight!
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Thank You Corner
By
Stella Stevens and Kara
D'Agostino
- Fall Fundraiser Chairs
The Oak Forest PTA and Oak Forest Community would like to thank all of those who organized, participated in, and contributed to the 2015 FUN RUN!!!!
Thanks to our Awesome Yearbook Committee, please check out these photos from our fantastic event! Please be sure to complete a survey to give us feedback on this fundraiser; it was offered for the first time at OFE this year and we would love your input (BEFORE TUESDAY, NOV, 10) on whether we should do it again next year:
 
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Box Tops for Education
By Cara Ramelow and Maureen Marcon - Box Tops Committee Chairs
There are two easy ways that you can earn money for Oak Forest Elementary. You can register your Kroger Plus Card with Kroger's Community Rewards Program & collect Box Tops for Education. Last year we earned $6,600 between these two programs! Let's strive to beat last year's earnings!
Please send in your Box Tops each month by dropping them in the blue mesh basket next to the bench in the front atrium or turn them into your teacher. Submit your box tops in groups of 10 in a sealed envelope or Ziploc bag. For every 10 unexpired box tops submitted, your child will be entered into a monthly raffle for a gift card for a free ice cream cone (please fill out and include a box tops raffle sheet for every ten box tops submitted). There will be 2 winners each month. Also, the class that collects the most box tops by the end of April, will win a class ice cream party.
Raffle drawing slips can be found at:
http://whub34.webhostinghub.com/~oakfor5/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Box-Tops-Raffle-Sheet.pdf
In October, Bobcats collected 3,598 box tops - that makes 7,091 so far for the year! With each box top worth 10 cents, you've earned $709.10 for our school so far this school year! Ms. Randle's class is in the lead for the end of year ice cream party with Ms. Graeve & Ms. Austin's classes right on their heels! But, don't worry! There is plenty of the school year left to collect for your class! Congratulations to Carsten Ramelow and Penny Peden. They were the winners of the monthly drawing for a free ice cream cone.
The following Bobcats collected Box Tops during October and received a prize just for submitting! Names in bold submitted 100 Box Tops. Good work Bobcats!
Isabella Aceves Matthew Gaydosik Penny Peden Amelia Turner
Cooper Allen Benjamin Gaydosik Carolina Perez Karleigh Vallejos
Conner Amos Cole Griffin Aidan Pitzer Sophie Van Wallegham
Carson Amos Emerson Griswold Joseph Poliak Andre Van Wallegham
Ean Anzaldua Nicole Guzman Dylan Powis -Case Gia Velasquez
Mariam Bell Taylor Jacobs Blaise Rabo Matthew Villanova
SophiaBraun Clair Jacobs
Aydin Ramelow Noah Villegas
Tatum
Brown Robert Kelley Carsten Ramelow Alina Villegas
Sofia Buss Elijah Kruppa Kaelyn Ramirez Megan Waters
Daniela Bustamante Sophia Marcon Austin Reiff Alice Waters
Kelley Cassin-Skulte Preston Marsh Stella Romeo Madison Williams
Jaxon Cheshire Matthew Marsh Connor romero
Itzak Contreras Carys McCraken Alexis Saha
Caroline Croker Chris McCroy Thompson
Alijah Salinas
Kole D'Agostino Lucas Mendez
Adrian Salinas
Emma
Dazey Lauren Miranda-Abghary Lauren Shields
Riley Deats Makayla Mullins Garrett Solak
Wyatt Dudley Claire Nguyen Zabastian Sosa
Lillie Eichenlaub Audrey Niederlitz Kimberly Standley
Gage Falcon
Luke Orr Bailee Taylor
Kinley Faulk Emma Osterman Travis Tilley
Daniel
Fitzpatrick Rachel Osterman Angelina Torres
Wyatt Ford Campbell Otto Ava Trevino
Mariela Garcia
Rahi Patel Isabella Trevino
Matias Garza Alyssa Payan Ricardo Tristan
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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:__________________
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Available for OFE Box Tops Raffle
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Support OFE: Link your Kroger Plus card
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!
Either create an account or enroll (or Re-Enroll if you have already participated in previous years!) 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.
Sign-up grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, friends, etc. Let's start earning money for our kids and our school.
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FaceBook and Twitter at OFE
By Carolina Chavez and Cathy Turner - Social Media Committee
Parents,
This is a reminder that you can get periodic updates via the OFE PTA Facebook Page. Search "Oak Forest Elementary PTA" - once confirmed as a parent at OFE, you will be added to this private/secure group.
AND
OFE now has a Twitter handle managed by the school administration (Twitter handle is @OakForestES - feed can be found on school website's front page:
http://www.houstonisd.org/oakforestes
)
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Lunch Visitors
Did you know you can have a lunch date with your child at OFE? Parents, grandparents, and family friends who love your OFE student can eat lunch with them any time, and younger siblings are welcome as well. There are separate tables in the back of the cafeteria designated for lunch visitors to eat with students. When you come to visit, arrive a few minutes ahead of your child's lunch time and provide your ID at the front office in order to receive a visitor's sticker/badge. You may either bring lunch or purchase lunch with them in the cafeteria (please follow allergy guidelines defined by your child's teacher).
Guzman 10:30-11:00 Remigio 10:35-11:05
Paule 10:40-11:10 Fisher 10:45-11:15
Janish 10:50-11:20 McWilliams 10:55-11:25
Robinson 11:00-11:30 Rodriguez 11:05-11:35
Lacefield 11:15-11:45 Valdez 11:15-11:45
Llamo 11:20-11:50 Meaux 11:20-11:50
Brantford 11:25-11:55 Libby 11:25-11:55
Church 11:30-12:00 Herold 11:30-12:00
Sorensen 11:35-12:05 Soria 11:40-12:10
Cones 11:45-12:15 Colville 11:45-12:15
Austin 12:00-12:30 Lemoine 12:00-12:30
McLaughlin 12:05-12:35 Ware 12:05-12:35
Campbell 12:10-12:40 Randle 12:10-12:40
Chadick 12:15-12:45 Graeve 12:15-12:45
Bagby 12:25-12:55 Ficke 12:25-12:55
Gildersleeve 12:30-1:00 Wilkerson 12:35-1:05
Warren 12:35-1:05 Noble 12:40-1:10
Rogers 12:40-1:10 Malkowsky 12:45-1:15
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