It’s hard to believe that we are almost finished with another school year

It’s hard to believe that we are almost finished with another school year! There has been s= o much that has taken place this year, that it is a great time to celebrate. We could not have had a great year without the help of all of our volunteers this year. I sure hope that you will be able = to attend our last PTA Meeting on May 8^th in which the 4^{th
and 5^th Grade Chorus will perform for our volunteers as a way to=
say
thanks! The meeting will begi=
n at
6:00 and the performance should start soon after.}

The End-of-Grade Tests are right around the corner. Students in grades 3 and 4 will be taking the EOG’s on May 22^nd &= #8211; 24^th. 5^{th
Grade students will be taking the EOG’s M=
ay 22^nd
– 25^th. Atte=
ndance
during these days is critical!
There is only a small window of time available for make-up tests,
remediation, and retests (if students do not score at least a Level 3) befo=
re
the school year ends. Please =
make
sure that your child is prepared during these days. Some simple suggestions include:}getting a good night’s sleep= on each of the nights prior to testing, eating a good breakfast on the morning= s of the tests, encouraging your child to do their best, and making sure backpac= ks are packed the night before so that they are not rushing to get to school on time. Do not forget to use <= span style=3D'font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;color:#00= 66FF'>www.studyisland.com. This is a great resource for stude= nts to practice before testing begins.

Selecting one volunteer is always a tough decision for the Staff as we have many volunteers at our school and we appreciate them all. However, Oakwood Elementary would = like to congratulate Maria Register as Oakwood’s Volunteer of the Year. Maria has been very active with ou= r PTA this year. She coordinated the Lowe’s Gift Cards, Box Tops, and Campbell’s Soup Labels fundraisers. She = took pictures and decorated our PTA bulletin board. She was responsible for getting the classroom pottery ready for the Silent Auction. She edited and submitted our yearbook. The list can contin= ue with many other things that Maria did to help the school. Thanks again to you, Maria, and al= so to all our volunteers for helping us throughout the year.

We have many talented teachers, teacher assista= nts, custodians, office staff and cafeteria staff at Oakwood and every year the staff nominates teachers and other staff members to represent the school. I want to take this time to share = with you the names of our staff members who are representing Oakwood for differe= nt awards. Please congratulate t= hese individuals when you see them.

Carrie T= hede – Wells Fargo Award for Outstanding Educators

Jill Fra= njione – Wilmer Jenkins Teacher of the Year Award

Kris Hol= brook – HPS Teacher of the Year Award

Charles Surratt – Hickory Public Schools Golden Apple Award

= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = <= o:p>

We will have a school picnic on Monday, June 4^th. The plan is that all students will= meet out on the field to enjoy a picnic lunch.&= nbsp; Students could bring their lunch or purchase one from the cafeteria. We plan on being o= n the field at 12:00. After eating,= we will have our yearbook/journal signing out on the field. Students will be able to interact = with each other to get signatures to remember this year. We will have a strong emphasis wit= h the students that this is not a play/run around the field time. They will need to focus on the tas= k and purpose of this day. If they = do not wish to have a yearbook/journal signing, they can just use the time to rela= x.

I want to take this time to remind everyone about the dress code at Oakwood.&= nbsp; As days start to get warmer, this is sometimes overlooked. Remember that sandals, flip flops,= and shoes without a back are not safe at school. There could be many an injury in P= E or recess if proper shoes are not worn. Also shirts that do not cover the stomach or tank tops should not be worn. Please make sure studen= ts are dressed appropriately for school.

Again I want to extend a big thank y= ou to everyone for making this a successful year. I hope that you are able to attend= some of the functions listed below.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Sincerely,

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Jeff Hodakowski

Important Dates

May 8^th – PTA Meeting/Volunteer Appreciation/4^=
th-5^th Grade Chorus Performance

May 15^th – Extend 2 Reading Test

May 16^th – Extend 2 Math Test

May 17^th – Extend 2 Science Test<= /p>

May 18^th – Progress Reports Sent Home

May 22^nd – Reading EOG’s= (3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade)

May 23^rd – Math EOG’s (3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade)

May 24^th – Math EOG’s (3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade)

May 25^th – Science EOG’s= (5^th grade)

May 28^th – Memorial Day – No school for stude= nts and staff

May 31^st – June 5^th – EOG Retests =

June 4^th – School Picnic at 12:00=

June 7^th – K-2 Awards Day at 9:00=

June 8^th – 3^rd – 5^th gr= ade Awards Day at 9:00

June 8^th – Report Cards Sent Home=

June 8^th – Last Day of School