This year begins my 26th year of saying “Welcome Back” in the educational world. Throughout those years, one thing still holds true – the excitement of a new school year never gets old! It’s that magical time of the year when students come in with the biggest smiles on their faces, dressed in their best, ready to see their friends and teachers. And likewise, the teachers are excited as well, having carefully prepared their classrooms and anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new students.

It has been a wonderful start so far! Our new third graders are quickly adapting to their new life upstairs as “big kids.” The fourth graders are just glad they are not the new kids anymore. And the fifth graders are adapting well to switching classes more than what they ever have.

We are excited about the new school year and hope you are too!

It’s always a good time to be a White Oak Roughneck!

Below you will find information for the Super 7 Summer Tech Camp sponsored by Region 7 ESC that is being hosted at Spring Hill Jr High from June 10th-13th. This camp will be an experience which allows students to explore and use various tech tools to expand their thinking and understanding about how technology can and does impact our world.

The camp is open for students who have just completed grades 4 through 7 and will take place on Monday-Thursday from 8:00-12:00. The cost of the camp is $100 per student. Registration is online and information is provided in the accompanying picture. If you have any questions please contact Region 7 for further information. The digital learning department contact info: (903) 988-6950; Andy Adams ([email protected]) or Liz Walker ([email protected]).

In the student handbook, we encourage parents not to drop off students before 7:30 for safety reasons. We do not have personnel on duty until 7:30 am, therefore students dropped off are left unsupervised. I was just made aware that several students are horse playing near the steps leading down to the Primary parking lot. I feel compelled to inform parents of the steep drop-off on the other side of the wall. As you can see from the pictures below, should a student fall down the steps or off the edge of the wall, we could have a serious medical situation.

Your children are important to us and we want them arriving through our front doors at 7:30 safely. Please speak to your children about the dangers of this area and ways they can be safe.

Today I visited with all staff and students concerning the Intermediate dress code. My hope is that everyone is aware of our current dress code and that we do not have to address any violations. Any student violating dress code will have to leave the learning environment in order to address the issue. Since our focus is on learning, we want them in class. The dress code can be viewed in its entirety on our district and campus website, but here are a few common violations we want to avoid:

• No tank tops, muscle shirts, racer-back tops/dresses, spaghetti strap tops/dresses, or strapless tops/dresses
• Shorts, skirts, and dresses will not be shorter than the fingertips in a normal standing position – Bike shorts may be worn underneath in order to meet dress code as long as the outside garment in question is at a reasonable length
• Girls may wear leggings as long as the shirt worn extends to at least fingertip length or below
• Torn or ripped clothing is prohibited
• Boys’ hair will not extend below the eyebrows, below the earlobes or below the top of a tee shirt
• Unnatural color or color variation in hair is prohibited
• Avoid geometric or unusual patterns shaved or cut in the hair
• Spiked hair, Mohawks, and Faux hawks are prohibited
• Male students cannot wear earrings or ear studs

The dress code is a guideline to acceptable attire and cannot be considered completely exclusive. Therefore, when other forms of dress are deemed inappropriate for reasons not listed, the administration will address the violation. In matters of opinion, the judgement of the administration will prevail.

Several students still have variations of color in their hair from the summer months. Please make sure that by Monday, August 28th, all color has been removed from the student’s hair.

Thank you in advance for your help in ensuring that our focus is on learning,

Jennifer Rock, Principal

School is in full-swing now and we’ve had a fabulous start! If I have not had the opportunity to personally tell you “hello,” “welcome back,” “good morning,” or “have a great day,” then please allow me to do so at this time.

It is my privilege to serve as the Intermediate principal and work with such amazing staff and students. Let me assure you that our faculty/staff are committed to providing a this-century education and believe in ALL kids, ALL the time. This is commitment we do not take lightly. We strive to build learning experiences that equip students not only for the challenges of the classroom, but for the service of our community and the betterment our world.

I’m beginning my fourth year at White Oak and my twenty-fourth year in education. The excitement of a brand new year is a feeling that never grows old! We are excited about the learning opportunities that lay ahead and hope you enjoy and take the journey with us as we watch your children learn and grow.

Our once a year fundraiser kicked off last Thursday, September 29th, and will extend through Thursday, October 13th. This has always been a successful fundraiser for our campus, as the funds raised help provide much needed items that extend beyond the campus budget. I am truly grateful for the support we have received in the past, and look forward to what this year brings!

I would like to take this opportunity to let you know what big ticket items I was able to purchase with last year’s fundraising efforts:

• Hokki stools for every classroom (3-5 per room)
• Chromebooks
• iPads and Osmos kits for the math teachers
• Motorized screen in the cafeteria for presentations (projector donated for free)
• Whiteboards for classrooms
• New whiteboard tables for one classroom
• New materials for our literacy library
• Bouncy houses for student incentives

If this year’s fundraising efforts prove fruitful, my main focus is looking to continue to buy more alternative seating and update learning spaces for our students in their classrooms and the library.

Your support is imperative to making this a success, so thank you for all you are willing to do to help our campus!

Ms. Rock

Welcome to a brand new school year at White Oak Intermediate! This past summer we have had many people working diligently to make our school look clean and bright for your children to learn in a safe, welcoming environment. I am looking forward to the day when the doors open and I can personally welcome back all students to an exciting new year.

I am pleased to announce that we have some new faces on our campus this year. They are:

Kelly Buck – 3rd grade

Shawna Casey – 3rd grade

Mylissa Clift – 4th grade

Chelsea Headley – Instructional Aide for Healthy Bodies/Ready Bodies

Tina Scalia – Instructional Aide

Marcus Camp – Assistant Principal for PK-5th grades

Mark your calendars for Thursday, August 18th for Meet the Teacher at 4:30-5:30 for the Intermediate campus. You will not want to miss the opportunity to see your new teachers and classmates.

In closing, I would like to say that I’m more excited about this year than most. I truly appreciate having such a supportive community, a passionate faculty, and last but not least, creative and energetic students. We are going to do great things together this year.

See you soon!

Jennifer Rock

It is that time of the year when summertime is beginning to wind down, most of student registration is behind us, and excitement is filling the air with the thought of the new school year approaching.  I hope everyone had an amazing summer filled with enjoyable times, incredible memories, and some much needed relaxation.  It is hard to believe that in just a few short weeks our building will be filled with students and staff that are ready to embark upon the 2014-2015 school year.

Our exceptional staff has been enthusiastically preparing for opening day to ensure that our children have an unbelievable year.  The custodial staff has been working day and night to clean and beautify our school; our maintenance staff has been working on remodeling projects and installing new security measures; our office staff has been organizing and preparing materials that keep the school running smoothly; and our teachers and teacher aides have been in all summer setting up their classrooms for the first day!  The entire staff shares the goal to create a safe, clean, nurturing and empowering environment for our children and they have definitely been successful in achieving that goal!

On a personal note, I want to express how excited I am to begin this year as principal of White Oak Intermediate.  I’m looking forward to getting to know many new names and faces along the way.  By working together, we can make this an exceptional year!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Rock