Back to School & What's Ahead

Welcome to the start of the 2024-2025 school year! How exciting the first few days have been! It feels like just yesterday that I was starting my first year at Oakhill, and here I am in year three. I am truly grateful to work and be a parent in the Oakhill community. The Pavlisin Family had a busy summer - Olivia and I spent a couple of days a week working/attending summer camp Fully Charged (it’s the best!). I blinked and Lucy is already 9 months old. She is crawling, pulling herself up on furniture, and not far from walking. She is embracing the little sister role with confidence, as Olivia is learning the in’s and out’s of being the oldest. We didn’t do any traveling, but we spent a lot of time with family which is our favorite thing to do!

I love the start of the year because it means that we have a blank slate… the opportunity to make this year something awesome and exciting. I have lots of ideas on how to elevate my role at Oakhill, and reach our students in different ways. Just like in years past, I will hold Minute Meetings with all K-8 students the first few weeks of school. For families that are new to Oakhill, I sit down with every student for one minute (roughly) and take that time to get to know them better than the year before - their favorite things, what they love (or don't love) about school, and what they hope for this school year. I look forward to Minute Meetings because it allows me to spend time with each student and let them know that they have support if/when they need it.

In addition to minute meetings, I plan to implement more small groups geared towards areas that our students may need extra support in - anxiety, friendships, self-esteem, etc. I love small groups because the kids learn so much from one another. I am there to guide the conversation, but groups give them the opportunity to connect and learn from one another. I will also be in the classrooms implementing whole class lessons. This is a great time for me to dive deeper into our four major Lifeskills this year - Respect, Honesty, Responsibility, and Kindness. Whole class lessons allow me to interact with all Oakhill students regardless of whether or not I work with them 1:1 or in small groups. And lastly, for our middle school students, I am excited to teach a 6th and 7th grade rotation this year! 7th grade will be with me for Career Exploration (either 1st or 4th quarter) and 6th grade will be with me for WINN (What I Need Now) (either 1st or 2nd semester). 

As I mentioned, I love the start of the new year. So much potential, so much excitement, and so much learning and growing ahead! Please know that I am here for your child(ren), but also for you. One of the best parts of Oakhill is our partnership with our families!

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything!

Mrs. P