The Northwest Regional Math Contest was held on Saturday, April 6 at Northwest Missouri State University.
Oakhill came home with several ribbons and medals. 

Sprint Test

4th grade: Serena Doumit - 7th Place
5th grade: Gion Moreno-Mangum - 5th Place

Target Test

4th grade: Andy Phung - 7th place
5th Grade: Brady Fox - 1st Place, Lucas Peterson - 10th Place
6th Grade: Lucy Rule - 4th place, Alexa Doumit - 8th Place, Drew Clawson - 11th Place
 

Number Sense

4th Grade: Andy Phung - 2nd Place, Serena Doumit - 7th Place, Sydney Culbertson - 9th Place
5th Grade: Gion Moreno-Mangum - 4th Place, Lucas Peterson - 5th Place
6th Grade: Lucy Rule - 4th Place, Alexa Doumit -10th Place, Drew Clawson - 11th Place

Team Test

4th Grade: 1st Place - Oakhill 
5th Grade: 1st Place - Oakhill
6th Grade: Tied For 1st - Oakhill

Overall Sweepstakes 

Oakhill - 3rd Place

Congratulations to the following students who have qualified for State in May:

Andy Phung - 4th Grade
Brady Fox - 5th Grade
Gion Moreno-Mangum - 5th Grade
Drew Clawson - 6th Grade
Alexa Doumit - 6th Grade
Lucy Rule - 6th Grade 

We are very proud of all our students who competed in this contest. Oakhill did a fabulous job. 

Stay Sharp this Summer

It's the fourth quarter and summer will be here before you know it! As your child works through the last days of the school year, this is a great time to touch base with your child's teacher to discuss ways to keep your child's skills sharp this summer. Each year, Oakhill offers Summer Skill Workbooks to keep its students academics fresh over the summer months. 

This year, we are offering the following Summer Skills workbooks:

Summer Math Skills Sharpeners:

• Review books for Pre-K - 7th Grade, Basic Math Review, Pre-algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry
• Each lesson gives students practice in a mix of skills
• Grade-appropriate auxiliary pages are included
• Answer key, solutions for each problem (4th grade and up), and tutorial "Help Pages" are included

Summer Language Arts Review:

• Review books for Pre-K - 7th grade and High School Prep*
• Lessons review mixed skills, including reading, writing, phonics, punctuation, grammar and more
• An answer key and a grade-appropriate reading list are included

*Helps students prepare for high school as well as entrance exams and the PSAT

Foreign Language Review:

• Spanish I (MS) and Spanish II (HS)
• Prepare students for their first year of High School Spanish
• An answer key is included

Touch the Future Computer Keyboarding:

• One book designed for grades 3 - 6
• A paper keyboard is included for students without access to a computer

Study Skills Sharpener:

• One book for grade 7 through high school
• The lessons help students study more efficiently

Please make sure that you select the grade level that your child just completed when ordering. Orders must be placed by May 13 and your books will be sent home via backpack once they arrive. The school does have sample copies of each book. Please let your child's teacher know if you are interested in seeing a sample workbook page for your child's grade level.

Each book is $25 and is not available in stores so we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to keep your child's skills sharp this summer.

Place Your Summer Skills Books Order

Download 2019-2020 School Supply Lists or Order Prepackaged Supplies

School supplies lists for the 2019-2020 school year are now available online! If you plan to order the prepackaged supplies, the order form for that is also online now. Save time by ordering Prepackaged School Supplies that will be here waiting in your classroom for you when you arrive for Back to School night.

This year's prepackaged supply orders must be received by June 14 to ensure their arrival in time for Back to School night.

Once the prepackaged supply order form closes, the lists will remain open on the web all summer, keeping them available as you begin your summer back to school shopping! 

Order School Supplies or Download Lists

If you have questions about ordering Summer Skills Workbooks or prepackaged school supplies, please contact Nurse Cathy.

Celebrate Spring at Oakhill!

As the weather starts to get a little warmer and the grass starts to get a little greener, we look around the campus and realize that it's time for Acorn Day, a day to celebrate the natural spaces that enhance our facilities. Because of the nature of what Acorn Day represents for Oakhill, we've chosen to hold the Acorn Day Celebration each year on Earth Day as an ending to our day of celebrating the earth, our neighborhood, and its inhabitants.

This year, with the help of Mr. Cole, our 2019 Acorn Day Celebration project was born. Not only out of necessity, but our science department had a desire to take an already existing program at the school to the next level. Composting at Oakhill began during the 2008-2009 school year with a couple of small compost tumblers into which the science teachers would deposit the days' lunch waste. After quickly outgrowing what we had, we built our current composting stations using pallets, which served us well, but after many years of growth, weather, and compost, it's time for a refresh.

New Green Recycling Zones that are not only safe for the students to use but will help the efficiency of our school's composting is this year's Acorn Day Celebration project. As part of the initiative, we will clean up our existing composting areas, and add additional features to enhance our classroom gardening program, like a new rain barrel and storage sheds for gardening equipment. With not a lot of funds, we can get a lot of things done!

Green Recycling Zone Project

Oakhill currently has 3.5 cubic yards capacity for composting in bins. We want to upgrade our compost bin systems to 10 cubic yards. Importantly, this upgrade will also create attractive, kid-safe compost bins that allow students to participate regularly in the composting experience.

Although we have two places for compost now, one space does not have any bins and results in a low-efficiency pile that is very difficult to mix or move. The other composting station has two compost bins, but they are over a decade old, made from pallets and fill up quickly without any overflow space. 

The bin systems we will build are based on the 3-bin models recommended by the NYC Compost Project, University of Missouri Extension, and other compost leaders. We will construct two three-bin systems and two two-bin systems. Each of our two spaces will then have a three-bin system and a two-bin system. 

Estimated Materials

• Lumber
• Hardware cloth and hardware
• Outdoor storage sheds
• Tools (garden edges for chopping food scraps, tamper, kid-sized garden forks)
• Additional rain barrel

Thanks to Mrs. Newhouse, there are already a few funds set aside from a grant awarded early this school year from the Missouri Department of Conservation that will help us purchase some additional items needed for an outdoor classroom project.

How can you help?

There are two essential components of this year's project. 

1) We need to raise funds to purchase all of the materials necessary to complete the project. All donor names will go on plaques that will hang in the new composting spaces.

2) We need volunteers to help construct the bins. *If you work for a company that reimburses employee volunteer hours, let's chat!

2019 Acorn Day Celebration Ceremony

This year's celebration is on Friday, April 19 at 2:45 p.m. at the Main Campus Building. Our Oakhill Eighth Grade and Kindergarten students, both preparing for the next phase of their educational journey, will leave their mark on the school by helping dedicate the new space. For those who cannot attend the celebration in person, we will live stream the event on our school Facebook page. This event is a cherished Oakhill tradition, and we invite all current and previous Oakhill families to attend and help us celebrate.

When we reach our goal, our entire community can say that they had their hands in the project that helped make Oakhill a little greener. For inclusion in the Acorn Day Celebration Event program, all donations must be received by April 15. However, we welcome any contributions that come after the celebration is over.

2019 Acorn Day Vision & Goals

Help Make ODS Green Today

Fourth Quarter and Beyond

I hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing Spring Break. I really wasn't thinking straight, and I spent a couple of days skiing in Colorado...MORE SNOW!!!!!! Each day, the grass gets a little bit greener...the temperatures get a little bit warmer...and, the birds chirp a little bit louder! Spring is definitely on its way, and I (for one) cannot wait! 

We are in the final quarter of school, and I don't know where the 18/19 school year has gone. I truly enjoy these final weeks of school; we have so many fun activities and so much teaching time (no more snow days!). Although we will have to deal with some spring fever, I know we will have a great time together these last few weeks!

I had emailed earlier about exciting changes for next year.

I want to update you regarding a few more exciting changes and hires since the last communication. 

Maria Cook has been with us since 2014 teaching Spanish to our youngest students. She has done a phenomenal job laying a foundation for Spanish. She has loved her time here, and she is grateful for being able to learn and grow in this environment. Maria will be stepping away to focus on family (but, you may see her around as a substitute teacher)! Heidi Hule will be moving from Prekindergarten to Spanish. Heidi started her teaching career in languages teaching both French and Spanish at Pembroke Hill to 2nd-5th grade. Heidi is passionate about foreign languages, and she and Cody WalkerHolmes will be teaming up to bring even more cultural opportunities to our entire community. I can't wait to see where the department goes!

With Laura Pearce moving to Kindergarten in the fall, Summer Parker will fill the second-grade opening. Summer graduated from Park University with a degree in Elementary Education, and she has been a part of the Oakhill community since 2013 with her hands in Kids Club, coaching, and teaching technology. Summer is confident and poised; she is well prepared for the role as a second-grade teacher. Summer loves the small class sizes, the collaboration between teachers and the desire every teacher has to improve and be the best he/she can be. She and Kristin Forsen will make a fabulous team.

Please join me in welcoming Staci Sonntag to the new third-grade position. With Rachel Panko moving to two-day Preschool in the fall, Staci will partner with Elaine Scheidecker to complete a fabulous third-grade team! Staci has been teaching at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School in Joplin, MO, and she understands the independent school world very well. The Head of School couldn't say enough great things about Staci - she was even nominated for the "golden apple" excellence in teaching award at her current school. She received her degree from Missouri Southern State University. Staci recognizes the positive energy that radiates from every teacher, faculty member, and student she has encountered at Oakhill, and she can't wait to be a part of it. 

I currently have (or will soon have) an opening posted for Bookstore Manager, Prekindergarten Teacher, Media Center "techbrarian", Director of Advancement, and Alumni Relations/Volunteer Coordinator. 

As always, if you have questions, please let me know. We will make sure the right people are placed in the right positions to let their gifts and talents shine for our students and school!

Best,
Suzanne

ODS TechXperts - Coming to a Think Tank Near You!

Growing up as digital natives, our students only know a connected world filled with devices, images, and digital media. In mere seconds, they can virtually travel from our classrooms at Oakhill to anywhere in the world. At any given time, they may be climbing to the top of Mt. Everest, swimming underwater at the Great Barrier Reef or walking through German concentration camps. We can instantly connect with text, classrooms, and experts from around the world. Our resources are no longer limited to the contents or people within the brick building where we are physically located.  

As students continually explore our digital world, they build vital skills that enable them to weed out irrelevant and non-essential information. We are giving them the tools they need to fully understand the power they hold in their hands as well as the responsibility that comes with this power of being a technology native. With this in mind, next year will be an exciting year for our middle school students. Starting in the fall of 2019, the Oakhill Middle School is giving its students the opportunity to become certified ODS TechXperts; students will transform from explorers and consumers of digital media to certified navigators and creators!  

As a resident TechXpert, students will share their expertise with younger classmates, peers, staff, families, and community. This group of industrious students will also play a vital role as our new South Campus Building Think Tank space evolves and develops... stay tuned for more information! 

Mark your calendars!

We are excited to announce our lineup of tech nights coming in the 2019-2020 school year.
 

First Quarter (October 9-10):

#ODSKidsTeach - Commonly Used Apps/Teach the Grandparents

During Grandparent's Day, our student TechXperts are showcasing their expertise as they help grandparents and special friends with their phones and devices. Students will be on-site and ready to help their special guests personalize their settings, use the camera, send photos, as well as install (and use) common apps. Parents are welcome to pop in for a little tech help during this time as well!

Second Quarter (November 12):

Family Code Night

Join us for a fun evening of all things coding! We'll have puzzles and games, online and off to help parents and kids crack the "code" to computer science! Let your student show off their tech-savvy skills as they lead you through activities that highlight coding basics that will help them eventually become the tech leaders of tomorrow! This event is open to students in grades kindergarten through middle school. (Free and Open to the public!) 

Not interested in coding? That's okay, our Think Tank will also be available to Oakhill Students during this night. So if your student has a book report or homework assignment to work on and needs access to the broadcast booth, audio recording help, 3D printer access, and more, someone will be on-site to help!

Third Quarter (February 25 - During Science and Art Expo):

Open Tank Time

Let our TechXperts take you on an interactive tour of our Think Tank. Take a few minutes to learn how our 3D printer works, virtually stroll through a place you've always wanted to visit in the VR Room, become an ONN broadcaster, star in your own podcast, and more. The possibilities are endless and limited only by your imagination! 

Fourth Quarter (April 2):

Social Security (How Secure are You?)

Join us for an informational evening as our TechXperts host an open and honest panel discussion on social media. Why are they compelled to be on their devices ALL of the time? Who exactly are they chatting with? How are they expressing themselves online? Facilitated by our TechXperts, this evening will include an opening discussion, individual break-out sessions and close with a Q/A session.  This event is open to students as young as fourth grade and open to students up to high school. (Free and Open to the public!) 

Be sure to save the date for one of these upcoming events. Think your child would be interested in becoming a TechXpert? The process will begin next fall but have your child start thinking about it now!

Contact Sara Verwers for more information or if you have other tech night ideas! 

We love our Fun Fridays in the Oakhill lunchroom but have found that parents don’t always know what it is! Those who have been a part of the Oakhill community know that our “Fun Fridays” has evolved over the years from sampling new fruits and vegetables, to what it is today, a day explore new foods and have old favorites again! On a typical lunch day, a Kindergarten through Third-grade student would go to the serving window to receive their tray of food. This tray would consist of an entree, three sides, and milk or water to drink.

On Friday, instead of serving through the window, we set up a lunch buffet with hot entree selections and a full salad bar. This gives students an opportunity to walk through the serving line and make choices for themselves. Our salad bar is loaded with lettuces, proteins, veggies, fruits, and cheeses. In addition to that our buffet has hot soup, multiple hot entrees, and sides. Included with the students' meal is the option for milk, chocolate milk, juice, or water. Maybe the most exciting part of Friday is our homemade dessert. Whether it be brownies, banana bread, cookies, or cinnamon rolls, the kids are always excited for the treat at the end of their meal!

Our toddler through prekindergarten students receive the same delicious Fun Friday food options but their meal is still plated and brought to their table.

Please join us for lunch on a Fun Friday with your student so that you can see for yourself how awesome this day can be!

Check out our lunch program!

Winter Sports (Basketball) Wrap-up

Lower School Basketball

The Kindergarten thru 4th-grade basketball teams did a great job this winter. They had successful seasons full of fun and excitement. Throughout the season each student worked hard at practice and saw their skills develop and improve as basketball players. For our 2nd – 4th-grade teams it was great to be welcomed into the Pius League over at St. Pius. We are already looking forward to the 2019 – 2020 season with this great group of kids we have.

Middle School Basketball

For the second consecutive year, it was exciting to have enough 5th and 6th-grade boys participating that we were able to have two teams, an "A" and "B" team.

Our 5th/6th "A" Boys team ended the season with a tremendous effort against one of the top teams in the league all season. Unfortunately, they were not able to walk away with a "W", but the effort they played with was fun to see! The 5th/6th "B" Boys made great strides over the course of the season as well, they worked hard at practice and continued to improve throughout the season. Keep up the hard work boys! Looking forward to next season!

The 7th/8th Girls Basketball team had a great season that ended with a tough loss in the semi-finals of the MPSL League Championship Tournament. This team has a great group of girls returning next year, looking forward to a fun season in 2019 – 2020.

The 5th/6th girls had a very successful season. They won their first game of the MPSL League Championship Tournament and ended the season with a loss in the semi-finals to a tough Pembroke Hill team. This group of girls has a bright future ahead of them. Hope to see you all back on the court next season!

The 7th/8th Boys Basketball team had a great season that ended with a tough loss in the MPSL League Championship Tournament. The boys competed hard that night and left it all on the court. We could not be more proud of the effort they displayed that last game of the season, and all season long!

MS Track & Field Underway

The Track and Field team (4th – 8th grades) began practicing prior to spring break. They were able to get a couple of nice workouts in before break began The track and field team is open to all students in the 4th thru 8th grades. This season we have 27 students out participating; Coach Smith along with Coach Kleyh and Coach Kimmerle are very excited about this! The team will participate in 5 – 6 meets this spring. Hope you can make it out to a meet to cheer them on! The first meet is set for Saturday, April 6th.

Early Childhood/Lower School "Panthers on the Prowl" Spring Offerings

Registration is underway for our spring "Panthers on the Prowl" program offerings! We had a great turnout in the fall, and are looking forward to the spring session. Don't miss out on having some fun learning the game of soccer and baseball with Coach Ziggy and Coach Smith this spring.

Register for Panthers on the Prowl!

Spring 2019 Soccer Programs

• Toddler/Early Learner soccer begins on April 8 @ 3:45pm
• Preschool/Pre K soccer begins on April 8 @ 3:45pm
• Kindergarten/1st Grade soccer begins on April 8 @ 3:45pm
• 2nd – 4th Grade soccer begins on April 8 @ 3:45pm

Spring 2019 Baseball/Softball Programs

• Preschool/Pre K baseball/softball begins on April 30 @ 3:45pm
• Kindergarten/1st Grade baseball/softball begins on April 29 @ 3:45pm
• 2nd – 4th Grade baseball/softball begins on April 29 @ 3:45pm

Getting Ready for Field Day

Field Day is right around the corner, this year Field Day is on Friday, May 17. Field Day 2019 information will be coming out soon! If you are interested in volunteering and would like to help out with this fun and exciting day, please email Coach Smith. Let's all hope for another nice warm day like we had last year!! It is always a great time when the kids can play in the water and get wet without getting cold. Hope you are as excited as we are for this exciting event!

Flapjack Fest

We hope you will join us again this year for the annual Field Day Flapjack Fest in the gymnasium. Chris Cakes will be serving up pancakes, sausage, and Tang to provide our students/families the energy they will need to have a great Field Day. The Flapjack Fest is held the morning of Field Day from 6:30am – 8:30am. Information will be out soon informing you how to purchase tickets for this fun event that gets Field Day started each year!!

Thanks for all your support and participation in the Oakhill Athletics programs throughout the 2018 – 2019 school year! It has been a wonderful year filled with many memories! We are all looking forward to closing out the year with a great spring.
 

On Saturday, March 2nd, we filled our school with 290 guests at our Sock Hop Annual Auction! Thank you to our amazing committee and all of you, our supporters, we were able to reach our goal! We raised just a little over $209,000. The money raised will go to our operational account to support curriculum, professional development for our amazing staff, and all the other things that make Oakhill the best place for your students. This amount includes the pre-events leading up to the big event like the Vacation Raffle that raised over $16,000 and a Children's Auction that raised over $4,000! Congratulations to The Calvert Family who won the vacation raffle...they are super excited for their trip to New Orleans!! 

Tanna Guthrie, our auctioneer for the evening, kicked off Live Auction with our Fund-A-Need for new bleachers in our gymnasium. The Clawson Family started us off with a generous matching gift of $10,000. We raised the additional $10,000 and more, reaching $46,000. We are so close to reaching our goal of $50,000, leaving us with only $4,000 left to go. 

Why do we need new bleachers?

Join our list of generous donors by helping raise $4,000 to accomplish our goal! To donate, email the Development Office.

Pete and Elizabeth Anderson

Stephen and Sarah Anderson 

Brian and Amanda Baldwin 

Chris and Dorothy Beckham

Dennis and Jan Carter

Paul and Kelley Catterson

Darrin Clawson and Robin Morris

Kendall and Leecil Culbertson

Chris and Elizabeth Cuzner

Richard and Melissa Davis

Richard and Kathryn Dodson

Charlie and Mary Dooling

Jhony and Laura Doumit

Sean and Haley Eisler

Steve and Kerry Estes

Todd and Shari Fox

Garrett and Sarah Gerleman 

Ryan and Kay Gerstner 

Ron Gregg and Michelle Dew

Ryan and Dina Hamilton

Jeff and Janessa Hurst

John and Johnson

 Zach and Lori Kramer 

Marc and Catherine Middleton

Scott and Joy Miller 

Michael and Karen Morris

Tan Nguyen and An Le

Kent and Heeok Peterson

Nick and Michaella Richmond

Brenton and Kristen Reavley

Ed and Kathi Rule

Jason and Julie Rule

Bill and Robin Spooner

Matthew and Jennifer Waldman

Jacques and Melissa Wenenn

Jordan and Kirstie Van Ry 

Frank and Michele Yager

With spring comes new friends to Oakhill!

I am excited about the opportunity to be your Oakhill Admissions Director full time! I am in my 5th year on staff at Oakhill, working in the Development and Admissions Offices. As an Oakhill parent of two Middle School boys, I, like you, look forward to spring. I love watching the growth that my boys have made since the beginning of the school year, the excitement of those final school concerts, last field trips and experiences they have coming up, the Oakhill events including Parents Tea, Acorn Day, Field Day, and so much more! With spring, it also brings lots of visitors to your Oakhill Admissions Office as we plan for the upcoming school year.

Enrollment season at Oakhill is in full swing, and we are thrilled with the number of students returning for the 19-20 school year! Current families deciding to return to Oakhill in January provides administration and teachers time to plan for each of your children and help us make your next school year THE best year ever!

Through the winter months, your Oakhill Admissions Office has also been working not only with current families but with prospective families and students. Some of these students are family members and friends of current students while others are new to Oakhill and our community. From visits and events to testing and meetings, we are getting to know these wonderful families and discovering what they will add to that which makes Oakhill such an amazing place for education and community!

Each family has a different reason for coming and staying at Oakhill, but these reasons really stand out when reviewing a prospective student's application. This is some of what families have shared when looking at programs and what they find at Oakhill. These desires are also what keep amazing families like you here each year!

• A positive, loving and nurturing environment
• Challenging academics
• Supportive and encouraging teachers
• Exposure to specials like Science, Spanish, PE, Music and extra-curricular programs
• Like-minded community - education is important to everyone
• Student to teacher ratio
• Involvement and community
• Safe place
• And last but not least... happy students!

Many exciting things are happening this fall! We are adding our PreToddler program for students who are 18-months, adding a 2-day preschool classroom and having a 3rd Kindergarten classroom. Enrollment, combined for both current and new students, is pacing 100 students above where we were this time last year!

With any questions on things like enrollment, our Ambassador Referral Program, Financial Assistance, the MOST 529 Savings Program, or Faces and Our Cultures, please don't hesitate to reach out! I'm looking forward to an AMAZING 19-20 School Year with you!

Dorothy Beckham 

Oakhill's very own Brianna Ely presented her work at the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Society Annual Conference in Vancouver, Canada earlier this year.  Brianna and her team of psychologists from UMKC have been working on their study of the efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation on depression.  Their manuscript was accepted and they were honored to present their findings at the conference.  Brianna even got to meet Tony Barker, the creator of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.  Brianna is a member of the Oakhill Class of 2011 and she graduated ~ a semester early ~ with honors from UMKC in December.  She was awarded a scholarship to Missouri State University to continue her studies in their Clinical Psychology Master Graduate Assistantship Program in the fall.  We are so proud of you, Bri!