From The Principal 
February Newsletter
Hello Parents and Friends:
My goodness, but the weather has been uncooperative lately! We are looking forward to better days so that the children can participate to the fullest in their educational endeavors. This month is always considered a short month because we also have the scheduled mid-winter break which is from February 18-22. During the vacation week, I would like to suggest that you have your children engaged in educational learning, including reading and math, every single day. There are several free apps that they can use for these activities including RazKids, DreamBox, and Khan Academy.
As part of the reading theme, this month we place an emphasis on informational reading. Children tend to struggle a bit more with informational reading for a number of reasons. Based on the subject area, the vocabulary used in a passage may be unfamiliar to the child. In addition, with the absence of a story line, it is easy to lose focus on the text. Thirdly, if the subject discussed in the informational piece is not of interest, the child is not always able to see the purpose for the reading. I strongly encourage you to find age-appropriate, informational passages and read them with your child. Help them with the difficult words and “chunk” the text into smaller parts. Share the meaning of the text when you have finished and give the children examples of why the information is important and how they will use it in authentic settings.
A reminder that we have some favorite activities prepared for this month. The Valentine Breakfast sponsored by the Family Tree will begin at 8:00 AM on February 14. We also have our annual Talent Show scheduled for February 28, at 7:00 PM in the Oakbrook gym. Please join us for both.
We would like to thank our community once again for its support of the 2018 bond issue. Over the next five years, bond issue projects will impact Oakbrook, our feeder schools and every school in the district. To provide updates to the community, the district has created an informational page that reports the status of the projects. The site is located at http://www.uticak12.org/2018bond/updates. If you have any questions regarding the projects and our school, feel free to contact me either through the school email or at the school office (586.797.5900).
Stay warm!
Dr. Schneider-Redisk
Principal
The annual UCS Career Focus Luncheon
Nearly 2,000 UCS sixth graders will be meeting May 1-2 for the annual Career Focus Luncheon, being sponsored by the UCS Foundation for Educational Excellence, in partnership with Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce. It will provide an opportunity for the district's sixth graders, their teachers and principals to meet with local business and community leaders. As members of the Graduating Class of 2025, it will also acquaint students with the variety of career opportunities which exist.
Patricia Lopez, President of Rose-A-Lee Technologies will provide the keynote address.
Business leaders will sponsor the children's participation, byeither reserving an entire table of 10 as a corporate sponsor or by purchasing individual sponsorships. If parents who are also local business owners wish to participate, they can contact the UCS Foundation at 797-6953 or email at email@ucsfoundation.org.
Hello Families!
The flu season will continue through April. We wanted to provide you with some flu prevention tips:
- Hand washing is the best preventer of illness. Wash your hands often and especially before eating food, after using the bathroom, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. The CDC has a Handwashing Heroes Social Wall where you can send in pics of your kids washing their hands at: https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/heroes.html
- Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
- Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
- Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
- Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
- Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
- Cover your mouth and nose with tissue when you cough or sneeze
- Please do not send students in sick—they must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of Tylenol or Motrin
- See your doctor right away with symptoms to see if your child can get on medicine to help decrease symptoms or length of illness
Thank you for your help and cooperation in keeping students healthy and in school!
Rebecca Rosbolt, RN, UCS District Nurse
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