This week, your Oakhill Admissions Office hosted an informal "Fall in Love with your Oakhill Panthers event" immediately following our Early Childhood Valentine's Day parties. Parents that were able to stay to visit with Admissions, joined Suzanne McCanles, Becky DiGerlamo, and Brenda Bock in the Main Campus Commons. This event was an opportunity to learn more about Independent Schools, Oakhill's history, why fundraising is part of the culture, and ask questions!
Our conversation included:
- The importance of and differences from receiving an Independent School education
- Quick future planning for Oakhill
- Gifts that keep on giving through your time, talents and treasures
- Gifts of your time and talents through volunteering
For those who were unable to attend, we'd love to share with you our talking points!
Have questions or want more information? Please don't hesitate to contact Dorothy Beckham in the Admissions Office.
Do you love to snuggle up in your PJs at the end of a school day? Do you love watching movies to pass the time? Oakhill will be having a one-day-only collection drive of pajamas and DVDs to benefit children who want to snuggle up and settle down to a movie! The pajamas will go to the Pajama Program, and the DVDs will go to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital. On Friday, February 15, when you're wearing your PJs for Spirit Week, bring in:
- Pajamas (new, unopened, complete sets, any size); and/or
- DVDs (new OR used, G- or PG-rated only)
The classroom/Advisory who collects the most PJs/DVDs will win a popcorn and movie party! Contact the Service Committee with any questions!
Oakhill Day School Students Make State MathCounts Competition
On Saturday, February 2, 2019, Oakhill Day School competed in the annual MathCounts Competition at Burns & McDonnell in South Kansas City.
MathCounts, established in 1986, encourages sixth through eighth-grade students across the United States to participate in extracurricular math programs through competitions, clubs, and creative learning.
The competition on Saturday challenged students to individual and group math tests, averaging individual and team scores to determine the day's winners. Oakhill Day School placed third as a team under the direction of middle school math teacher Jake Kleyh. Two eighth-grade students, Wain Guo, and Shawn Walden, individually tied for 15th place. By earning a spot in the top 25 percent, both Wain and Shawn will continue to the state competition in March.
This year's competition is the second consecutive year that Oakhill's math team has placed in the top three and has had students continue to state. Oakhill's fourth through sixth-grade math team will have their next competition on March 2 in Bethany, Missouri.
Thank you, volunteers!
Your Oakhill PTO says THANK YOU for attending the Son and Daughter Date Nights last weekend! We hope that everyone had a great time. The boys enjoyed dancing with mom and playing with friends, while the girls made sweet memories with dad!
Thank you to the many parents and faculty who volunteered to help make this year's Date Nights a success! The PTO Leadership thanks you for being such an important part of the school's Parent Teacher Organization as members and supporters.
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Leecil Culbertson |
*Although we try to recognize everyone, we realize that many others jump in to help when needed. If we've left your name off the list, please know that we appreciate everything that you do for Oakhill!
Remember, there are many opportunities throughout the school year that need volunteer involvement. Be sure to check out our Volunteer Guide to see which opportunities work best for you and your family!
Again, thank you for all you do to make Oakhill great!
Oakhill Students Shine in School's First Trip to the Great Plains Regional Future City Competition
GLADSTONE, MO - Oakhill Day School students made a trip to the campus of Kansas State University on Saturday, January 26, 2019, to compete for the first time in the Great Plains Regional Future City Competition. Oakhill's Team Calama earned a top 5 spot out of 52 teams represented from 29 area schools at the competition and received the Build It Smaller Award from HNTB for Best Physical Model. Team Jakarta earned the Engineering Our Future Award for the Highest Ranked New School and brought home a $250 Technology grant from Westar Energy.
The Oakhill Science and Technology departments spent the first semester of the school year working together on this cross-curricular project that merges all areas of engineering with other essential skills like math, public speaking, and research to get students to brainstorm solutions to real-world problems. Each seventh and eighth-grade student at Oakhill participated in the Future City program; nine teams total, narrowed down to five after a school-wide round of judging was held to decide who would go on to the regional competition.
"As teachers taking on this task for the first time, we had no idea what to expect," said Maggie Newhouse, Middle School Science Teacher," but each of our students did an amazing job." As most teams had mentors to guide them through the process, Oakhill students met with Gladstone City Planners and other members of the community who work in the field of engineering to guide them through the research and virtual planning phase of their projects which took about two months. The students spent the rest of the semester writing scripts, rehearsing their presentations, and building their city models to scale.
"Our students should be proud of all they accomplished. It was a huge deal, bigger than I think they understand," said Sara Verwers, Oakhill Technology Teacher. "Hopefully we can connect with more engineers in the future to help mentor our students through another year of competition."
View photos from the Future City in-school presentations and the Great Plains Regional Future City Competition!
2019 is going to be the greatest summer of your life! Oakhill Fully Charged is coming back with all of our favorites from last summer... only bigger! We are excited to announce a new lunch program, dual campus integration, and crazy field trips for everyone!
This summer we are offering an all-inclusive lunch program for our 1st through 8th grade campers that includes a drink, multiple entrées and sides along with a dessert every day. If you are in the 4th-8th grade, you will also get the chance to eat outside of camp each day you go on your field trips!
Last summer we all called our Main Campus home, this summer we will be using both campuses for camp! Our main building will be for our Toddler –3rd grade campers and the south building will be for our 4th–8th grade campers and our new lunch program!
Each and every camper will go on field trips every week this summer! Our littlest campers will get things brought to them as our older campers will get to go to Worlds of Fun and BreakoutKC. This summer will include the best field trips we have ever done, and you will not want to miss out!
What's new this summer? We will be offering extra camp activities that your camper can sign up for. We are integrating a lock-in at camp for each age group starting in 1st grade all the way through 8th grade. Also, this year our 6th-8th grade team will be going on the first multi-day field trip we have ever offered. Stay tuned for the location and details as this will fill up extremely fast!
Camp Outline
- February: Registration opens!
- May 31: Our first day of camp! This first day is completely free, so be sure to bring your friends!
- 10 awesome weeks of camp!
- August 7: Last day of camp and end of summer party!
Prepping for an awesome lunch program takes a great team of chefs and some really good food! Chef Justin answers questions on the spot about what makes our school lunch program so yummy!
What the Chiefs Taught Me About Oakhill
I guess we got our "red snow day" after all... but, it wasn't because we won the Super Bowl... maybe Mother Nature gave us the ice and snow to help us reflect on a great season... a great team... and, a bright future.
I have been waiting my whole life to go to the Super Bowl and watch the Chiefs play! I am a huge fan... not totally crazy, but a definite believer, supporter, and follower. I have gone to games when it is snowing, blowing, raining, flooding, hot, cold, and anything in between. I LOVE being a spectator at Arrowhead!
I took time yesterday to think about what made this Chiefs team special this year; I tried to create a parallel to what makes the Oakhill team special and to what makes the Oakhill students special. Here is what I came up with... lessons learned from the Chiefs:
- We teach our students resilience and grit; we do our best to model this very behavior. When something gets in the way (a great defensive line, a few questionable referee calls, etc...) we do our best to overcome the situation... to take what we were dealt and make the best of it. We help our students make lemons out of lemonade. Just like the Chiefs, we teach each another and our students to find a way. Even when we don't win, we learn, and we get better!
- We teach our entire team of students and staff to appreciate one another... to recognize one another's strengths and challenges. The Chiefs have 11 people on the field for a reason... each person possesses specific skills and brings varied experiences. Our faculty is made up of 85 unique individuals who are better together. We bring varied experience, opinions, thoughts, and skills to fulfill our common goals. We also teach our students to appreciate this... all of us are truly better because of the diverse perspectives and talents.
- We teach the entire community to be resourceful and to look for and accept opportunities when they knock. The Chiefs constantly look for that opportunity... a fumble, an interception, an open receiver, a poor match up... and, they take advantage of it. They can force opportunities, but they must also be prepared to grasp an opportunity when it presents itself. From administration to teachers and students, we must always look for those opportunities. All it takes is one... that one opportunity can help forge a new path or set something great into motion.
Each player on the Chiefs roster learned to be humble this year, and I truly believe that is what helped the team find greater success. I am sure that when you are in the NFL, making millions, and playing well, it can be easy to become overly confident. But, the individuals on the roster truly became a team this year, and it showed on the field... it showed in the playoffs, and it will continue to help them improve. I feel as though our entire school is humble... we deliver an incredible education... a caring community... and so much more without overwhelming current and prospective families with too much fluff. We help our students realize their potential while staying true to being humble. I always say..."you shouldn't have to tell everyone how good you are... it should be known through what you do and how you do it."
And, finally, I believe integrity is the most important aspect of a good person... a good school... a good team. The Chiefs showed integrity even during the devastating loss on Sunday. As I sat there watching the Patriots celebrate (as they should have), I was most proud of the Chiefs... they shook hands, they waved at the crowd, and they accepted the defeat. The post-game interviews were factual, kind, and reflective. I know that every teacher and administrator at Oakhill strives to help model integrity and expect nothing less from our students. We want our students to be respectful and recognize right from wrong... choosing right every time! I am proud of the Chiefs... I am proud of our community. Although ten people threw snowballs at the game, 74,990 did not.
Oakhill's Super Bowl (Annual Auction) is coming up soon... Saturday, March 2nd! Get your tickets now!
Go Chiefs,
Suzanne
Shake, Raddle, and Raise Your Paddles
The 2018-2019 Auction Committee wants to invite all of you to the Oakhill Day School Annual Auction on Saturday, March 2. We are bringing our largest fundraising event back to the Oakhill Day School Gymnasium for a 50's Themed Sock Hop to shake, raddle, and raise our paddles!
Be sure to get your tickets soon, reservations are a must to attend the event. To plan enough food and beverage for our guests, you must have your tickets purchased by February 18, 2019. VIP Tables are selling fast... we only have 10 left to purchase!
These are the remaining ways you can help support the Auction:
- Purchase Tickets (deadline is February 18, 2019)
- Donate towards your class package (donate to help your class have the best package for live auction)
- Donate items for Live, Silent, and Children's Auction (We are now accepting donations in the Development Office)
- Purchase a business advertisement (Your business can be featured in the auction catalog)
- Attend the Children's Action on Wednesday, February 20 from 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Help Your Class Earn Top Dollar! Contribute to Your Class Package
Class packages are packages put together by your student(s) classes and these packages get auctioned off on auction night! Contributing towards your student(s) class package helps the Auction Committee secure great packages for either silent or live auction and make money for our favorite school. Below is a list of all of the class packages. If you have connections to help one of the other classes please contact the Development Office.
- Toddler/Early Learner: Staycation
- Pre-School: Cruising to the Caribbean
- Pre-K: American Girl Adventure
- Kindergarten/First: Sporting and Sounders Soccer Package
- Second/Third: Chiefs Tailgate Fun
- Fourth: Hermann Get Away
- Fifth/Sixth: All that Bling
- Seventh/Eighth: New York Vacation
Make the Scene: See You at Children's Auction!
Children's Auction is an opportunity for the students to get in on the auction fun! Best of all... No tickets are needed to attend this event because it's FREE! There will be tons of toys, games, books, and tween/teen items for students to bid on with your help... as well as concessions with pizza from Pizza Street and a sundae bar!
More information will be distributed as we get closer to the Children's Auction. The event is on Wednesday, February 21 right after school in the gymnasium.
Get ready to celebrate the most successful event yet! With your participation, we will be able to reach our goal of $180,000!
✉️ Contact the Development Office if you have any questions!
Become Our Next Community Partner!
You may have heard people talking about our "Community Partners" around the halls of Oakhill, but do you know what a Community Partner is? Here is a quick run through of the program!
What is a Community Partner?
The Community Partnership program at Oakhill is a collaboration between local business entities and Oakhill where the business provides the school with necessary resources in the form of monetary contributions, sponsorship, time through volunteerism, and goods to help maintain school facilities and curricular programming and materials that benefit each one of Oakhill's students. In exchange, our Community Partners gain access to our community through exposure in school publications, the website, and during school events.
Don't worry about Spam or unwanted solicitations, we never give away your information!
Where do we find our Community Partners?
Our Community Partners support us from all over the greater Kansas City area.
How can I become a Community Partner?
We welcome any Oakhill family who owns a business or thinks their place of employment is a great fit for our Community Partnership program, to consider reaching out in regards to becoming a partner. All referrals are welcome! Partnership plans are flexible and can be customized to fit various budgets and desired levels of engagement.
For more information on how your business can partner with Oakhill Day School please contact Rebecca DiGerlamo in the Development Office.
Ready to become a Community Partner?
Why choose an independent private education?
By choosing an independent private education, you have the opportunity to choose a school whose philosophy, values, and teaching style fit your child. Independent private schools can also offer your family small class sizes, excellent teachers, and high academic standards.
Oakhill Day School is a place where children discover themselves as learners in a community where they feel valued and known. We invite you to learn more about the active learning that happens here!
