UPCOMING EVENTS
Virtual Parent/Teacher Conferences:
Thursday, December 2, 4:00-7:30 pm
OCHS Theatre Musical:
Friday and Saturday, December 10 & 11
7:00pm
Sunday December 12, 12:00pm
Holiday Jazz Knight:
Thursday, December 16, 7:00pm
OCPAEC, Free Admission
OCHS Choirs Solo Showcase:
Friday, December 17, 7:00pm
OCHS Choirs Caroling for Cans:
Tuesday, December 21, 5:00pm
Winter Break - No School:
Thursday, December 23 through Friday, December 31
School Resumes:
Monday, January 3
Coffee with the Principals:
Wednesday, January 5, 9:00am
Check out upcoming sporting events at OCHS here.
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A Message from the Administrative Team
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Dear Parents and Guardians,
It’s that time of year – winter break is right around the corner. As you begin to prepare for the season, continue to encourage and require your students to attend classes regularly and complete homework thoroughly and in a timely manner. Final exams take place two weeks after we return from winter break. It will be important for students to be up-to-date with all coursework and assignments.
We want to thank you for your continued support and wish you a happy and safe holiday season.
Sincerely,
The Administrative Team
CONTACT US
Website
Attendance Line:
414-768-6210, Press 1
Main Office:
414-768-6210
Ninth Grade Center:
414-570-3840
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ACT Prep Class: The State ACT exam is scheduled for March 8, 2022. Juniors take the State ACT during the school day on March 8th. If you are interested in taking a course that prepares students for the State ACT, please visit the website: wisconsintestprep.com for more information about a course that is being offered at Oak Creek High School. The Winter ACT prep session starts January 11, 2022 and ends February 26, 2022. The class is held in room 109 of the 10-12 Building. It is a 7-week course that is offered Tuesdays from 7-9 pm, except one Saturday. The cost is $165. The course schedule and registration form are on the website. If you have questions, please email Denise Moen: wisconsintestprep@gmail.com or contact your school counselor. | | | |
Freshman Orientation and Career Expo
On Thursday, January 6, 2022, Oak Creek High School will host orientation for incoming freshmen, block scheduling information meetings for current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, as well as a career exposition.
Incoming freshmen and their families are invited to attend an information meeting regarding course selection in the NGC gym. There will be one presentation at 5:30 p.m. and one at 6:15 p.m. Families can choose which presentation to attend, but we recommend last names beginning A-L attend the first presentation, and last names beginning M-Z attend the second presentation, if possible. Families of incoming freshmen are invited to tour the Ninth Grade Center (NGC), talk with content teachers, and sign up for sports, clubs, and extracurricular activities during the timeframe of 5:30 to 7:30 as well.
Block scheduling information meetings for current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, will also be held in the OCHS cafeteria during the times listed below. Families are encouraged to attend. School counselors will share pertinent information related to course scheduling for the 2022-2023 school year.
Also taking place that evening is our annual Career Expo. This forum will provide all students the opportunity to interact with local business contacts, explore careers and educational pathways. This event will be held from 5:30-7:30 pm in the main gym.
Block Scheduling Information Meetings
- Current Sophomores and Juniors:
- 5:30 pm OR 6:00 pm
- OCHS 10-12 cafeteria
- Families can choose either session
- Current Freshmen
- 6:45 pm
- OCHS 10-12 cafeteria
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Semester 1 Exams:
January 20 and 21, 2022
These are full days of school for all students, please review the exam schedule. Students in 9th grade are not allowed to leave the building during study halls, however students in grades 10-12 can be pre-excused for study hall periods. Parents will be emailed a link in January to pre-excuse students for study halls on exam days.
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The month of November was focused on mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of being in the present moment and not worrying about what was or what could be.
- There are three ways to practice mindfulness
- Observe your thoughts, feelings, sensations, surroundings.
- Describe your thoughts, feelings, sensations, surroundings.
- Participate as fully as possible in whatever activity you’re engaged in and not worrying about what others may think of you, what you might be missing out by doing this activity and not that activity, etc.
- In mindfulness it is important to remember to be nonjudgmental. We may not like certain things but that doesn’t make them good or bad, valuable or not valuable. Labels like that are subjective.
- It is also important to be “one-mindfully.” The best example of this is when we are in a disagreement with someone. If, when they are talking, we are fully present and listening to what they are saying, we are being mindful and present in that conversation. If, however, when they are talking, we are thinking about what we want to say or how they are wrong, or whatever, then we are not being mindful.
- Being effective is also about being mindful. This is about focusing on personal goals (what we can control) versus what “should” be or what is the “right” way. An example of this is if a referee makes a questionable call. The athlete could choose to be angry about that call and get mad at the referee, but to be effective, the athlete needs to focus on doing what they can to win the game regardless of the referee. That is being effective.
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Students were also introduced to the topic of distress tolerance which are strategies to help them cope with distress and pain. These skills are important because pain is a part of life and if students cannot cope with their pain, they may act impulsively and make life difficult for themselves. There are two types of distress tolerance skills, Crisis Survival Skills and Reality Acceptance Skills, as shown in the graphic.
Students were taught the acronym ACCEPTS to help them identify coping strategies; Activities: these are activities (e.g., running, biking, talking to a friend, etc.); Contributing: doing something nice for someone (e.g., saying hi, helping with homework, etc.); Comparisons: reminding self that they have been through worse or, in comparison that there are worse things they could be dealing with; Emotions: creating different emotions by laughing, crying, etc; Pushing away: putting the painful thoughts out of the way for a bit (e.g., being fully present in a class by participating, answering questions, etc.); Thoughts: replacing thoughts with other things (e.g., solving riddles, number puzzles, etc.); Sensations: intensifying other sensations (e.g., taking a shower, squeezing a stress ball, exercising, etc.).
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Another coping strategies are the TIP skills for Managing Extreme Emotions: (T) Temperature: apply an ice pack to the back of the neck or face, put your face in a bowl of cold water. (I) Intense Exercise: run, bike, swim, dance - the goal here is to increase heart rate to decrease the intensity of emotions being experienced. (P) Paced Breathing: slow the pace of breathing down - breath in for four seconds but break out for 6 seconds and do this for one to two minutes.
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Volunteers Needed!
On Saturday, February 5, 2022, Oak Creek High School is hosting the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Regional Leadership Conference for 600+ students from Southeast Wisconsin and we are in need of judges and timekeepers. If you are willing and able to give us a Saturday of your time, it would be greatly appreciated. The time commitment is 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Each event has a team of 2-3 judges plus a timer and an event administrator. We will go over exactly how to perform each duty as well as the event topics and rubrics first thing that Saturday. Breakfast and lunch will be provided to all volunteers.
If you are willing and able to assist us, please contact Ms. Danielle Stiebs at d.stiebs@ocfsd.org.
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21-22 High School Testing | |
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Yearbooks capture memories. Flip through the pages and you can reminisce about dressing up for homecoming week, winning State with the band, triumphing at the Robotics competition, and celebrating other milestones throughout the year. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to relive the best of 2021-2022. Order a yearbook by bringing $60 to the main office (credit card, cash, or a check made out to Oak Creek High School) or by purchasing it through Infinite Campus (go to the “Fees” tab).
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Outstanding Knights - Quarter 1
Oak Creek High School students are recognized quarterly for their success in academics, attendance and behavior. Students who earn Outstanding Knights awards in ALL quarters of their high school career will receive the blue and white graduation cord. OC Virtual and OCHS students are included in this list.
Quarter 1 Outstanding Knights
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The next ASVAB test will be offered on Feb, 2, 2022 @ 7:30 a.m. Students interested in taking the test should sign up in the Student Services office
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Peer Tutoring in the 10-12 building is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school from 3pm-3:45pm. There are tutors available for English, science, math, social studies, and foreign languages. New tutors are always welcome! Tutoring is a fulfilling and fun way to earn service hours. Please contact Mr. Raynor with questions (d.raynor@ocfsd.org). | | |
Alyssa Hellrung at Lowe's Creek Race in Eau Claire, WI | Sam Marsteller at Trek Trails Championship Race in Waterloo, WI | |
Did you know Oak Creek has a Mountain Bike Team?
This past year, Oak Creek middle and high school students were officially able to race under the Oak Creek name at NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association) races as a part of the Wisconsin Cycling League. Racers from Oak Creek competed in five races this fall across Wisconsin and worked diligently from July through November to improve their skills and stamina, and most importantly - to have fun! The team trains with the Root River Composite Mountain Bike Team, which encompasses student athletes from Franklin, Greendale, Greenfield, and Whitnall School Districts. NICA and the Oak Creek MTB team encourage athletes to try at least one race to see if it is something they enjoy, but Adventure (working towards challenges such as longer or more difficult rides, along with orienteering) and Teen Trail Corp (giving back to communities through trail maintenance) are also large components of the team, along with emphasizing bike maintenance and mechanical skills. For the inaugural season as an official Oak Creek team, Oak Creek had 15 registered athletes, six of whom chose to race. Sophomore Andrew Schuerman and Freshman Sam Marsteller competed in all five races, Sophomore Joey Rocheleau competed in three races, Senior Alyssa Hellrung competed in two races, and Junior Captain Adam Erickson competed in one race. At the middle school level, 7th grader Trevor Murphy represented Oak Creek by competing in two races. All athletes improved tremendously throughout the year, and Freshman Sam Marsteller had the most success as he won four out of the five races and clinched his title as Freshman D1 State Champion! If you are interested in learning more about the team, or know someone who might like to join for next season, please have them contact head coach Steffanie Wallin at s.wallin@ocfsd.org.
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Oak Creek High School | ocfsd.org/oak-creek-high-school
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