Happy Friday O’Dea Core Knowledge Elementary Families! It was simply amazing to have our students racing back onto campus this week. The laughter…the smiles…the stories…and the artifacts that came back with them from their spring breaks…were hilarious. Everything from seashells from the seashore…sticks…shiny rocks and little owl gifts and the stories that accompanied them have filled our week. I love that the students love their time with their people…and they love coming back to us as well.
As with every spring, we are gearing up for our CMAS assessment window which will open in April. Please be sure to read the emails that are coming home from your child’s teacher carefully as they will be sharing dates and schedules with families. This will only impact our 3/4/5 grade students. We do encourage students to be here every day (unless they are ill) and that we avoid any appointments…early check outs…or late arrivals. Students typically prefer to take these assessments with their peers, and it is difficult for them to host a make up session at a later date. Thank you for your support with this. Please reach out if you have any questions along the way.
On a breakfast note…please recall that our doors open for breakfast at 8:40 and breakfast service typically ends at our first bell at 9:00. Students have until 9:05 to finish their breakfast and head to class. We will always accommodate students who arrive late due to busing issues…yet if a student arrives after the first bell for breakfast the kitchen will not be able to serve them. We appreciate your support with this as we strike the careful balance of serving children breakfast and also not having them miss instruction.
We would also love to give a giant shout out to our PTA who organized the most delicious breakfast a team could ask for. We are so thankful to all of our parents and families who support our teachers so well. It is a blessing to work for such a committed and supportive school community that celebrates its teachers. Thank you…thank you…thank you!
We are getting ready to throw a giant 60th Birthday Party and Core Knowledge Fair in May! It will be our biggest celebration yet and we hope that you can join us. I am attaching the Save the Date invitation and a letter that provides all the details about this event. I hope that you will add the date to your calendars. Our grade level teams will be creating Silent Auction Baskets again this year so please reach out to your child’s teacher about themes and items to donate. All proceeds earned will support the purchase of materials for our Core Knowledge Sequence. O'Dea 60th Birthday Party.pdf 60th anniversary info for families.pdf
Many of you received the communication about our new principal next year. Dr. Alex Martin will be joining our team as principal starting in July. He will be spending some time visiting our campus in April and May as we lay the runway for a successful transition.
Whew.
The spring air has blown in some beautiful butterflies into our front gardens…and it was so lovely to see the students run past them this afternoon and “ooooh….ahhhh” them as they headed home. It is the small things like that…that are so lovely to see…a child’s eyes light up at the sight of something like a butterfly. I hope that we all continue to have that childlike sense of delight over the simplest of things. It helps us, as adults, always stay connected to the child inside of each of us…so we can connect with the children who join us here every day as well. (It also helps when you are hearing the 100th knock knock joke of the day…you remember how hilarious those were when you were seven…so you can laugh extra hard at them again!)
Thank you, as always, for your love and support. It means the world to us…and is the positive energy that keeps the pep in our steps…and grows the love in our hearts.
Happy Weekending!
Much love and support,
Laurie