Jim Andersen, Head of Upper School

 

November 17, 2023

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” - Voltaire

Parents, 

As we begin our Thanksgiving break, it is always good to recognize that gratitude and appreciation for others are crucial in our community. I hope you are able to spend time this break appreciating the gifts you have and sharing them with others.  Happy Thanksgiving! Classes resume on Monday, November 27.

• Turkey Toss at Mission Arlington

• 9th Grade Trip 

• Semester Exams

• STEM Showcase Application 

• Oakridge Owl Service

• Check out procedures

• Campus policy

Turkey Toss:  We also hope you join us from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. on Monday, November 20 at Mission Arlington.  Our service is to remove the frozen turkeys from the walk-in freezers and begin the thawing so they are ready for Thanksgiving Day.  Bring a jacket and some gloves and join us!  Families, friends, alumni, and students of all ages are welcome.

9th Grade Trip:  The 9th grade trip was a wonderful experience and opportunity for team building, leadership practice, and enjoying the great outdoors.  Our 9th graders spent 3 days and 2 nights supporting each other in archery, canoeing, outdoor cooking, high ropes, hiking, survival training and team building exercises.  The weather was perfect and our students represented Oakridge incredibly well. 

Semester Exams:  Semester exams are Monday, December 11 - Friday, December 15. This week we have early dismissal at 12:00 p.m. each day.  Students are only required to be here during the times they have exams.  

• Monday, December 11 - 8:30 a.m. English  10:30 a.m. Elective
• Tuesday, December 12 - 8:30 a.m. World Language  10:30 a.m. Science
• Wednesday, December 13 - 8:30 a.m. Math   10:30 a.m. Elective
• Thursday, December 14 - 8:30 a.m. History   10:30 a.m. Elective
• Friday, December 15 - 8:30 a.m. Make up exams

STEM Showcase Application: The 2024 STEM Showcase is now accepting applications. Complete the application here. 

Oakridge Owl Service: Over the past two weekends, Anthony Erdemir and his mom volunteered at pop-up clinics for Remote Area Medical volunteer corps, first in Fort Worth and then Houston. Starting at 5am every morning, he helped with clinic setup and break down, assisted in eye examinations and made eyeglasses.  Over the two weekends, 1410+ underserved and uninsured individuals were served free medical, vision, and dental care, providing over $500,000 worth of care. www.ramusa.org

Checkout Procedures: Anytime a student needs to leave campus early, a parent must email Mrs. Blake to let the US office know. Once the office knows, the teachers are notified, and then the student can be dismissed from the class without disrupting the teacher and be on time for their checkout. It is best practice to give 24 hours notice. Giving less than an hour notice may result in classroom disruption and delayed dismissal. 

Campus Policy: Parents, please support us with our updated security policies. All students and families must have a car tag on their rearview mirror; deliveries from outside vendors are not allowed; parents may deliver to the Admissions office and text their child to pick up delivery from the main office as soon as possible. Parents may check into the main office and then proceed to any appointments scheduled on campus. We are a closed campus. This means students may not leave for study hall and return, nor may they leave for lunch and return. If they leave campus, it must be with prior parental notification. Appointments should be accompanied by a note to return to school, ensuring the absence is excused.

 

The  Upper School Team

 

Please note the dates for the US November and December Calendar: