In a Nutshell: No Parade, Still Plenty to Celebrate

 

I am sitting at my kitchen table, looking out the window, and watching a beautiful snowfall as I write! A bit earlier, I ventured out for a hike in the woods - so peaceful and serene (and quite cold); not many creatures were out and about so no tracks to identify! I have to admit, I am glad it decided to snow on the weekend - less stress about calling a snow day! With basketball games and cheerleading canceled this weekend, I hope your family was able to enjoy the snowy scenery from somewhere warm (not the crazy, crowded grocery store - a story for another day). 

I like to look back at previous calendars and articles … to see what I was doing exactly a year ago. One year ago this weekend, I was enjoying ANOTHER AFC Championship WIN at Arrowhead; the Chiefs were heading to ANOTHER Superbowl! Even though this weekend at Arrowhead had become a norm, I made it my norm to stay to the bitter end, to enjoy the celebration, to catch confetti, to see the jumbotron light up with “Superbowl Bound”. Although I wish I was cheering for the Chiefs this weekend, I am so grateful for these incredible memories - no one can take those feelings of joy away! 

When I look back at Oakhill’s calendar one year ago, we were battling SNOW days (the snow kept winning), enjoying traditions like PK’s “under the sea”, raising funds for The Welcome Project, and grateful for an incredible re-enrollment season (ahead of the previous year’s pace). I feel like we are “copy and paste” other than snow days (we haven’t had a full one yet) AND we are watching The Welcome Project take shape board by board! 

If you haven’t seen The Welcome Project in the last week or so, stop by and take a peek - when I say “taking shape”, I mean creating an AWEsome new facade to the gym! The new lobby and restrooms will say “WELCOME” - making this addition a prominent entrance to Oakhill! With the project on pace, our goal is to have the new space ready to use for our Annual Auction - Oakhill In Bloom - on April 11th! 

A huge thank you to Corner Cafe - our Presenting Sponsor! We will be reaching out to past sponsors and interested sponsors in the next few days. If you own a business, or know of a business that would like to support Oakhill AND receive great exposure, please reach out! Tickets for the Auction will go on sale February 1st - watch for that link to become live! A huge thank you to our Honorary Auction Chairs, Kyle and Jennifer Tankesley, as well as our Step-Up Chairs, Tim and Jenny Julian. The entire Auction Committee is putting in countless hours to make our biggest fundraiser of the year a success! 

With January coming to a close, I want to thank you for continuing to choose Oakhill Day School - for reenrolling … for recognizing the strong community, for believing in the talented faculty and staff, and for seeing the value of the entire Oakhill Experience. I am grateful for your trust, for your engagement, and for being a piece of this beautiful Oakhill puzzle. 

Speaking of puzzle pieces, this is the time of year when faculty and staff placements begin to take shape for the coming school year. Our theme, Seasons of Oakhill, truly comes to life this time of year as we learn of retirements. Although puzzle pieces are still being sorted and placed, I want to share news regarding retirements. 

Kathy Clark, Pretoddler Teacher, will retire at the end of this school year. Although Kathy has only been at Oakhill for 4 short years, she has truly made a difference; she has created a very high bar for our Pretoddler Classroom. Kathy began her Oakhill career as a Preschool Assistant before becoming the Lead Teacher in our youngest classroom. Kathy is one of the MOST energetic teachers I have ever met - always moving, always teaching, always singing, and always learning with (and from) her students! 

Kathy Trager, Preschool Teacher, will end her 23 years at Oakhill in May. Kathy has been a pivotal player in the Early Childhood Division during her time here; she has assisted in Kindergarten, and taught Toddler and Preschool. I was able to experience Kathy as my daughter’s teacher many years ago - her passion, professionalism, and love for her students has never changed; she cares deeply about her students and about Oakhill! With Kathy’s departure, Melaina Hagan will transition from Toddler to Preschool next school year. 

Barb Ely, Pretoddler thru Prekindergarten Music Teacher, will retire at the end of the school year; she has spent 27 years within these walls as an Early Childhood Assistant, Early Childhood and Middle School Music Teacher, while overseeing garage band, and teaching many students guitar and piano in after school music lessons. Barb is not only a rock and roll band member and talented musician, but she is a dedicated and loyal Oakhill alumni parent and team member! I believe she will be back some day if grandchildren come into play!

We will be sharing ads for Pretoddler and Toddler in the coming days; feel free to share these openings. We will spend the next few weeks and months finding the absolute best fit for each classroom! I will continue to provide updates regarding any internal moves or changes - always made to find the right “seat” on the proverbial Oakhill bus! 

I hope to see all of you at Parent/Teacher Conferences - such a pivotal and powerful checkpoint for the school/teacher/parent/student partnership! We look forward to discussion, dialogue, and connection; a time to make sure WE are meeting YOUR expectations, as well as your child’s needs! 

Thank you for being an integral part of Oakhill’s educational experience,

Suzanne