Friday, September 2 Family Update

Happy Friday O’Dea Core Knowledge Elementary families!  It has been a tremendous week of learning and getting into the groove of things at school.  We hosted our first fire drill of the school year this week and we vacated our building…over 500 staff and students…in one minute and twenty-seven seconds.  I pretty much called it a world record!

We have already mapped out our safety drills for the school year and will be practicing both our fire drill and our lockdown drill in September.  Our teachers do an amazing job walking the students through the routine for each drill and they also explain the best that we can (elementary appropriate) the importance of school safety and the value of these drills to keep each other safe.  I want you to know that we take our drills very seriously…and our team operates like the Navy Seals of elementary school safety.  We are very good at what we do and how we respond…because it is of critical importance.  

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Back to School Night event last night.  It was lovely to see so many families back in the building…learning about  O’Dea Core Knowledge…the systems and routines for their child's classroom…and a little bit about why our teachers do what they do…why we teach.  We have found that it is important for our families to know why we became teachers.  When we know each other’s stories…it creates connections and bonds that are deeper and more meaningful.  We share our “Why I Teach” stories over the course of the year with each other…and I thought that it would be important for our families to get a look inside that window as well.  I have attached mine here as I think it is good to know how I view our work with children as well.Why I teach.pdf   If you were unable to join us for this event…please reach out to your child’s teacher to catch up on what you missed. 

One of our focus points for this school year is digging deeper into our Core Knowledge Sequence and integrating that content into their reading and writing.  What they are learning about in Science and Social Studies…they are also reading and writing about during their literacy block. The units that the students are digging into will help build a deeper understanding of the world around them…and the longer they are with us…the deeper that understanding will be.

On “Get Excited” note…our Fun Run season is launching at the end of this month!  It is always an exciting time of year as we build the energy around our primary fundraiser for the school year.  Keep an eye out for materials coming home later this month!

I hope that you all enjoy our three-day Labor Day Weekend with your families.  The weather looks amazing…and we live in the right state for us to enjoy time in the forests…on the water…in our backyards…and with our people.  I think that I may just do all of those things!

Happy three-day weekending!

Much love and support,

Laurie 

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