Dear Oakville Families,
What an incredible week at Oakville! Our Otter Fun Run on Friday, September 11th, was a tremendous success, thanks to the enthusiasm of our students and the generosity of our families and community. Together, we exceeded our $19,000 goal and raised an amazing $22,001!
These funds will help us continue to provide:
PAWS rewards and celebrations for students
Free or reduced-cost field trips for every grade level
A visit from the Maryland Agricultural Mobile Lab in March
A mobile planetarium experience in February, in partnership with the PTA
Continued support for schoolwide and classroom resources
A special shoutout goes to our outstanding Oakville teachers and staff. In addition to preparing and encouraging students for the Fun Run, staff members completed behind-the-scenes tasks that helped make the entire fundraiser a success. Their enthusiasm, flexibility, teamwork, and commitment to our Otters made a tremendous difference.
Thank you to everyone who donated, shared our fundraiser, attended the event, cheered for our students, or supported the Fun Run in any way. This achievement truly reflects the strength of our entire Oakville community!
Of course, reaching our goal also means that I have a promise to keep! At our next Community Gathering, I will wear a completely mismatched outfit and allow staff members to style and color my hair in the craziest way they can imagine. I'll keep my new look for the entire school day! I know our Otters will be excited to see what the staff creates, although I may be just a little nervous.
Keep Asking, “What Are You Learning?”
Thank you for continuing to ask your child, “What are you learning?” rather than only, “What are you doing?” An activity might be completing a worksheet, creating a project, or participating in a game. The learning target identifies the specific knowledge or skill students are developing, such as writing the letter t, blending sounds, calculating volume, or explaining why an answer makes sense.
I have been checking in with students throughout the week, and I am pleased to share that our conversations show they understand what they are learning! You can help deepen that understanding by asking follow-up questions such as:
Why is this learning important?
How will you know when you have learned it?
What was challenging about today’s learning?
What helped you make progress?
These conversations encourage students to understand the purpose of their work, reflect on their progress, and take greater ownership of their learning.
PAWS at School and on the Bus
This week, keeping hands to self has been an important topic of conversation across all grade levels, both at school and on the bus. Most incidents have involved roughhousing or playing around without the intent to cause harm. However, this behavior is still not expected because someone can be hurt even when harm was not intended.
Please continue this conversation at home by reminding your child to keep hands, feet, and objects to themselves, respect others’ personal space, and follow adult directions at school and on the bus. These choices are important ways our Otters can Act Responsibly and put Safety First.
Connect with the Oakville PTA
Our first PTA event and meeting will take place this Friday after school. We hope you will join us to connect with other families, meet members of the PTA, and learn more about opportunities to support our school community. Additional information is included in the flyer below.
Thank you for your continued partnership and for helping our Otters learn, grow, and shine. I look forward to another successful week together!
With Otter pride,
Laurel Anderson
