Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District

December 2016

Sharing Friendship & Kindness Beyond School Walls Carollton Elementary students worked together to send holiday cheer to the service men and women aboard the USS Somerset! Each student wrote a letter to send to the ship just in time for the holidays. This unique and very special schoolwide project was led by third grade teacher Mrs. Timm. Mrs. Timm’s daughter, Megan, served in the Navy as an Lieutenant and was the Navigator of the USS Somerset.

Megan visiting with Carollton students.

The ship left on its maiden deployment in October and carries 600 special ops marines, 300 enlisted sailors and about 45 officers. The

USS Somerset was built in honor of the 911 victims of the plane that crashed in Somerset County, PA.

After learning all about the USS Somerset and seeing pictures of the service men and women aboard the ship, the students were so excited to write their letters. Here are a few excerpts from the letters written by Carollton students: “As an American, I am proud to call you my hero! I hope this letter makes your day!" -Ava

Mrs. Timm working with students on their letters.

“It has been incredible to see our entire school come together,” said Mrs. Timm. “Having students participate in a project like this helps create a real feeling of patriotism and shows our students that sharing friendship and kindness really isn't about what we do to make ourselves happy, but we do to make others happy. We give of ourselves "selflessly" just like these service men and women are giving of themselves,” Mrs. Timm continued.

“I hope you know I’ll be thinking of you.” - Cameron "I've always wanted to know what it would be like to be on a big ship. We learned lots of cool facts about the Somerset. My favorite is that the old beams from the Twin Towers were used to make this ship strong!" - Breanna The students plan to write the service men and women again before the end of the school year.

Generosity Fills Oak Creek High School Oak Creek High School’s sixth annual Generosity Project made the holidays a bit brighter for thirtyeight district families.

Students dropping off their donations!

Each year, high school advisory classes come together to collect items for local families in need. Food, blankets, clothing items are among the most requested items. “I think it’s important to give our students a way to help their peers and give back to their community,”

said Raquel Thorsen, OCFJSD transition coordinator and Generosity Project committee member. Generous donations quickly filled the stage as each advisory class brought their gifts to the gym during the drop-off event. During this event, students enjoyed holiday tunes provided by band students and had fun taking pictures by the photo stations created by the Knight Construction students. The students also had a chance to reflect on the Generosity Project and celebrate the kindness of their fellow students. “I really enjoy being part of the Generosity Project each year,” said junior Kyle Studebaker. “Growing up, Christmas for me was always a time to give and share, and that’s what this project is all about,” Kyle continued

“It is so incredible to see the gifts come in, but what is truly amazing is to see the families with tears of joy who are so grateful for the generosity of our students and staff,” said Mrs. Thorsen.

Members of the Generosity Project committee collecting gifts.

Important Dates

WMS Students take on the Mat Challenge Seventh grade students in the 7Blue House at West Middle School are taking on a big project after being inspired by the “Mat Challenge” CNN Student News story. The “Mat Challenge” turns used plastic into something helpful and useful. Students have been bringing in plastic bags, cutting them into strips, and braiding them into 3 foot by 6 foot mats for homeless people. Each mat is made up of six hundred plastic bags and takes approximately eighty hours to make. Other organizations have taken on this challenge and now West Middle School students are stepping up to the plate, sharing kindness and giving hope one mat at a time. The students hope the mats provide people with a measure of comfort and keep them safe during these cold winter months.

Winter Celebration at the Community Center Thirty Oak Creek-Franklin families attended the annual Winter Celebration for our special needs students. During the event, students and their families were able to get their picture taken with Santa, make ornaments for their tree, and share a delicious meal together. Thank you to the Oak Creek Community Center for hosting such a wonderful event, and to Best Buddies and our Oak Creek-Franklin staff for volunteering at the event! This year, there was also an outpouring of support from several local businesses. Thank you Molthen Bell, Waterstone Bank, the Oak Creek Community Center, Lions Club, and Kiwanis Club for helping make this great community event a success!

WINTER BREAK: Schools & District Office Closed Friday, December 23rd - Monday, January 2nd (Classes resume Tuesday, January 3rd) School Board Meeting: Monday, January 9th 6:00 PM at Edgewood OCHS Open House: Thursday, January 12th 5:30 - 7:30 PM Festival of Bands: (Grades 512) Saturday, January 14th 2:30 PM & 5:00 PM @ OCHS Festival of Choirs: Thursday, January 19th 7:00 PM @ OCHS NO SCHOOL: Monday, January 23rd and Tuesday, January 24th School Board Meeting: Monday, January 23rd 6:00 PM at Edgewood

9TH GRADE CENTER CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

District Reminders The 2017-2018 School Calendar is available to view on the district website. Click HERE to view the 2017-2018 calendar. Don’t forget to check the Virtual Backpack for new events! Check it out HERE. Schools and the district office will be closed for winter break (December 23rd through January 2nd). Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 3rd. The winter season is upon us. Please click HERE to review the district's Inclement Weather Closing Procedures. Stay informed and sign up for Board Updates! Click HERE to subscribe and receive the Board Updates email the day after each Board of Education meeting.

Drywall finishing in the science, social studies and math classrooms is ongoing and window installation is complete. Click HERE to read the latest update.

Do you have questions about the new secondary school? OCHS is putting together an FAQ for the new 9th grade center. Please help us to keep the community informed by submitting your questions. Click HERE to tell us what you want to know!

Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District 7630 S. 10th Street, Oak Creek, WI 53154 T. (414) 768-5880 E. [email protected]

Happy Holidays!

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ASPIRE program at Carollton collected 555 Club and MultiCultural Club attended the 4 The 1 Spanish hats, scarves and mittens during their cold Holiday Folk Fair at the Wisconsin State Fair

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Grounds last month. Students watched holiday performances from a variety of countries and visited booths to learn about each country’s culture, history and heritage.

Students had fun posing for photos at the Oak Creek High School’s Generosity Project drop-off event! The beautiful photo stations were created by the Knight Construction students.

"elves" in Mrs. Castro’s 4K class at Salvation 3 The Army made cookies at the North Pole Bakery in dress-up center!

weather clothing drive! Great job, students!

4th grade ambassadors had a 5 Meadowview’s great time singing along with the residents at the Elizabeth Residence! Both students and residents enjoyed signing the holiday classics together!

students at Deerfield made paper 6 Kindergarten lanterns in celebration of Eid after learning about

the different holidays from around the world. Oak Creek-Franklin families celebrate all different holidays like Diwali, Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid, Kwanzaa, and more! Whichever holiday your family celebrates, happy holidays to you!