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“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”
-Helen Keller
This quote captures the spirit of the Oakridge Parents’ Club. It explains how this committed group of parents
was able to pull off so many events, fundraisers and activities to date such as the Magazine Sales fundraiser,
Upper School Healthy Eating Snack Days, Owlfest, Faculty & Staff Appreciation luncheons, Uniform Resales,
MS and US Dessert Parties, Owlfest, Holiday Treasures Gift Shop and Winter Parties. Thank you to all the parent
volunteers that gave so freely of their time. Our kids have benefitted so greatly from your investment of time.
A special thanks to Middle and Upper School parents. This year we have seen a big increase in MS and US
parent volunteerism. I really appreciate your willingness to continue to be involved and give of your time
year after year.
If you haven’t already, I would encourage you to register to volunteer or help with ECC or LS classroom
parties and/or MS and US student socials. You can register online at www.theoakridgeschool.org/
parentsclub under Volunteer Opportunities. Registering does not commit you to do anything other than to be
available to help if you can when there is a class party or an event.
If you missed registering in the fall, it is not too late. In fact, we could use more ECC and Lower School Parents
to sign up to help at Classroom Parties. Signing up to help at the classroom parties does not mean you have
to be present the day of the parties, but rather you may be asked to sign up to bring a sweet treat (bought or
made), paper goods or drinks that can just be dropped off in the morning with your child. ECC and Lower
School both have Valentines Parties and End of Year parties coming up, and additionally ECC has an Egg
Hunt all of which need parents to help bring party items. Also, we are still in need for volunteers for the Book
Fair in January and the last two Faculty and Staff Appreciation lunches – February 5th and April 16th,
especially from ECC and Lower School parents. If you have not registered to volunteer, please consider it.
The Faculty and Staff look forward to the delicious, quarterly Appreciation lunches and are so grateful for the
bountiful showing of parent-donated food items. If you are interested in helping, please know that you do not
need to be present the day of the luncheons to volunteer. Simply sign up and you will be asked to bring a
side or dessert item, bought or made, that can be dropped off at morning carpool.
Lastly, you should have received a letter last week from the Parents’ Club containing an OPC Self Interest
Form. For all parents that would like to become more involved with OPC, or continue to be involved for the
2015-2016 school year, completing this form is the first step. Please let us know which events or activities you
are interested in getting more involved with. For more detailed information, the OPC job descriptions can be
found on the OPC webpage of the school website under the Parents tab. We want and need your help.
Please consider becoming more involved with OPC because it is only together that we can do so much.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Lara Haddock
OPC President, 2014-2015
817-800-4854
OPC Newsletter Winter Edition
SHOUT-OUTS TO THE FOLLOWING OWLS!
Page 2
Thanks to Lyn Snyder, VP of Recognition and Appreciation and her team of
volunteers Lindsey Hey, Marissa Farhat, Leslie LeMond, Melissa Blum, Kara
Hembree, Melissa Jiles, Audrey Stehr, Chris Di Filippo, and Kristy Kundysek for
hosting a wonderful appreciation luncheon with the entrée catered by
Babes Fried Chicken for the Faculty and Staff on November 13th.
Thanks to Angela Redding, Haley Shimek, Jill Houseworth, Mitzi Willis, Alex
Warsop and Monique Bird for an amazing Owlfest. The kids had such a great
time! Thanks for all the parents volunteers that brought cakes for the cake
walk and especially those that decorated, transformed a locker room into a
haunted house and worked during Owlfest to make it such a success.
Thanks to Magazine Sales Chairs Alison Fawthrop, Melissa Blum, Lori Jones
and Liz St John for all the hard work and long hours. You all did a great job.
The school will benefit tremendously from the over $50,000 raised.
Thanks to Cindy Pettigrew, Lindsey Hey and Niti Ross for all the work hosting
Connecting Owls on September 12th. You all did a great job and the event
was first class!
Thanks to Victoria Walker, Angela Cary, Niti Ross and Denise Barley for
running two successful Uniform Resales in September and October.
Thanks to Shawna Wright for clipping, counting and checking expiration
dates all those hundreds of tiny Box Tops that continue to bring in easy
money for the Parents’ Club.
Thank you to Carol Fong Kutchins, Melissa Frank and all the Upper School
parent volunteers for all the desserts for the Fall Dessert Party and for all the
healthy snacks for the new quarterly US Healthy Snack Eating days. Both
were successful and appreciated by the students.
Thanks to Michelle Emmert, Gail Bedford, Amy Key, Chasidy Pettigrew, Pam
Pierson and all the Middle School parent volunteers for a fun ice cream
social complete with every topping imaginable as well as a creative and
delicious MS Winter Dessert party. You guys outdid yourself.
Thanks to Kristy Kundysek for her work on such a successful and
well attended Grandparents’ Day.
Thanks to Carey Ogle, Alison Fawthrop and Jill Houseworth for all
the hard work and long hours to make a special holiday shopping
experience for our children with the Holiday Treasures Gift Shop.
Thanks to all of the countless parent volunteers that it takes to
make this shopping experience happen so seamlessly. It ran so
smoothly and the kids had a wonderful time.
Thanks to Holly Fagan and Mellie Joiner for all the work in this first
year of promoting OakridgePages.com. It is coming together and
will benefit all of us parents, as well as the businesses it promotes.
Thanks to Diana York and Pam Pierson for their work in providing
test snacks for our Middle and Upper School children during
exams. They did a great job especially being flexible with the new
exam schedule.
Thanks to Cindy Pettigrew, Michal Tincup, Jennifer O’Connor and
Barbara Arnondin for their work in securing Party Coordinators and
managing through the new online list of volunteers and using Sign
Up Genius with the Winter Parties. The children all had fun and
creative Winter Parties. Thanks to all the parent volunteers who
provided party food, games and activities to make these Winter
Parties so wonderful.
Thanks to Larraine LaRovere for publishing our Fall OPC Newsletter.
You’ve taken the Newsletter to a whole new level.
Thanks to a dedicated OPC Executive Board who always go
beyond the call of duty, put in the extra time effort and provide so
much support to so many.
Thanks as well to Michele Cole, Alisa Hunter, Teri Foster and Kelli
Lambert for the continued support and work to help make Parents’
Club so successful.
Page 4
January 9, 2015
Dear Fellow Oakridge Parent, Happy New Year from the Oakridge Parents’ Club. It is an exciting time of year as we look forward to the fun upcoming Parents’ Club activities such as our annual Book Fair and Valentines Day parties. It is also the time of year that we begin to make plans for the coming 2015-2016 school year. Each January, the Parents’ Club begins the process of looking for parents that are interested in becoming more involved in our parent organization. The purpose of the Oakridge Parents’ Club is to assist the administration, faculty, staff and Board of Regents in providing for the educational enrichment of the students; to promote the fellowship of the families and staff of The Oakridge School; and to raise funds to accomplish those objectives. This purpose can only be achieved with dedicated, fun-loving and energetic parents as yourself. If you have ever been interested in getting more involved with the Oakridge Parents’ Club (OPC), this letter is for you. In fact, we are encouraging all current and previous OPC General Board members to complete the OPC Self Interest Form for the Nominating Committee to better understand your areas of interest as well. Please complete the enclosed OPC Self Interest Form and indicate which board positions you are interested in and mail it back by January 30, 2015 to: OPC Nominating Chair The Oakridge School 5900 W. Pioneer Parkway Arlington, TX 76013 Completed forms may also be returned via backpack to your Divisional Secretary attn: OPC Nominating Chair. We hope you will consider getting involved in the Parents’ Club today! Your time and talent make a great investment not only in the school, but your child’s experience at school. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact one of us. Sincerely, Lara Haddock OPC President, 2014-2015 [email protected] 817-800-4854
Linda Wright OPC President Elect, 2014-2015 [email protected] (817) 584-0431
Page 5
2015-2016 Oakridge Parents’ Club (OPC) Self Interest Form
If you are interested in serving as an Chair or Chair-Elect on the OPC General Board or would like to be on
the OPC Executive Board, please complete the following form and return it to The Oakridge School or
your Divisional Office: Attn: OPC Nominating Chair. Please note that Executive Board positions are held
for two years except President and Parliamentarian and that some positions are in the middle of their
terms at this time. On the General Board, the Chair Elect will serve for one year under the Chair and then
move up to the Chair position the following year. For a list of OPC job descriptions, please see the OPC
webpage at www.theoakridgeschool.org/parentsclub. Forms are due by January 30, 2015.
Your Name: _______________________________ Phone Number: _____________________
Email Address:______________________________________________________________
Please number the positions that you are interested in by order of preference with #1 being your first
choice.
OPC Executive Officer Positions
____President – Elect ____ Secretary ____Vice-President Membership ____ Treasurer ____Vice-President Fundraising Parliamentarian- filled by previous year’s President ____Vice-President Divisional Activities ____Vice-President Recognition and Appreciation ____Vice-President PR and Publicity
OPC General Board Positions
Chair and Chair-Elect
___Meet & Greet ____ECC Activities ___Back to School Fair ____LS Activities ___Parent Ambassador ____LHMS Activities ___Membership Support ____UHMS Activities ___Magazine Sales ____US Activities ___Holiday Treasures ____ECC Faculty and Staff Appreciation ___School Supplies ____LS Faculty and Staff Appreciation ___Book Fair ____MS Faculty and Staff Appreciation ___Uniform Resale ____US Faculty and Staff Appreciation ___Oakridge Pages.com ____ Test Snacks ___Owlfest ____ Box Tops
Thank you for your interest. You will receive confirmation when your form is received. The Nominating Committee will meet in February. The Board will be slated and voted on at the April 14, 2015 OPC General Board Meeting.
Page 6
Connecting Owls
The Pastries for Parents event was
held on the morning of September 12
in the Quinn Kindergarten Multi-
Purpose room. It was a great oppor-
tunity for ECC parents, as well as all
new Oakridge parents, to meet each
other and learn about how to get
involved in OPC and why it is so vital
for our children. The Upper School
choir performed, several upper
school Alpha & Omega students
spoke about their Oakridge experi-
ence thus far, and several OPC chairs
informed parents of the easy ways of
how to get involved. All enjoyed the
light breakfast fare, while mingling
with other parents. Thank you to all
who participated in this special par-
ent event!
Page 7
Magazine Sales
Upper School 2014 Winners
Baylee Frank—US coveted parking spot & $100 consolation car
prize
Amy Zhang and Madison McCarty - $50.00 Food For Life Gift
Certificates
Gretchen Leffler - two Prom tickets
Olivia Duke - two After Prom tickets
Lauren Marr - $100 Gilligan's gift certificate
Thank you for supporting our Magazine Sales Drive which
helped OPC raise over $50,000 for the 2014-15 school year.
OPC uses these funds to operate and put on many of the
events you see in these newsletters. In addition, OPC makes
allocations back to the school in May each year for class,
technology and other campus improvements that have a
direct impact on your child’s experience at Oakridge. It is
OPC’s biggest fundraiser so your participation and encour-
agement is greatly appreciated!
Congratulations to the following 2014 Winners!
Lower School - Jai Bhakta won LS Head for the Day
Middle School - Lauren Campbell won MS Head for the Day
Page 8
Upper School Socials
OPC sponsored 2 Fall Socials for our Upper School Owls! On Wednesday, September 17th, volunteers decorated
tables beautifully, and served and brought an abundance of sweet treats during lunchtime for the US Dessert Party.
One Upper Schooler said it gets better and better every year! We received so many generous donations, many stu-
dents could not decide which goodie to take, so they helped themselves to 6 or 8 and we still had plenty of lefto-
vers to offer to our faculty and staff. We balanced out our sweet program and decided to begin offering Healthy
Snack Days. Our first one was held on Wednesday, October 15th and the peaches, plums, apples, pear, bananas,
cheese & crackers, pretzels and fiber bars were a hit and were offered throughout the entire day as a grab and go
option in the US Commons.
Owlfest
Page 9
On October 28, at Owlfest, hundreds of children had a frightfully good time
while dressed as Elsa from Frozen, super heros, monsters, athletes and
princesses. Preschool through 4th grade students showed up in their
Halloween costumes to win a cake in the famous cake walk, try their hand
at fun carnival games, ride a pony or creep through the not-so-scary
haunted house.
The photo booth, new this year, was a big hit as children donned fun props
and received a cute photo strip keepsake. There was face painting and
pumpkin decorating as well as hot dogs, nachos, and popcorn. Raffle
prizes rounded out the event with fun and exciting prizes such as American
Girl dolls, Razor Scooter, Beanie Boos, Lego sets and an iPad mini.
A special thanks to all the Parents’ Club volunteers who transformed the
Student Activity Center into a fun fall carnival and worked so hard to make
this event special for the children. Thanks to the National Junior Honor
Society students for manning the carnival games this year.
ECC & Lower School Winter Parties
Page 10
These photos captured the spirit of the moment!
ECC & LS students had a blast celebrating before the
upcoming Winter Break! Parents provided fun games,
activities, decorations and treats for all! Thank you
parent volunteers for your creativity and generosity!
Page 11
Middle School Socials
Page 12
The Middle School has had
one Frozen First Semester! We
all screamed for ice cream
with our Ice Cream Social
kick off event. All Middle
School treated themselves
and greeted friends with a
Back to School Ice Cream
and Toppings Bar made to
order and done up Owl style.
Tons of creative and yummy
desserts blew in like a
Blizzard later in the semester
as Middle School geared up
for exams and got ready to
enjoy winter break. They did-
n't build Snowmen they ATE
them. We look forward to a
very Happy New Year and
l o t s m o r e f u n a n d
festivities next semester in
MS!
Teacher Appreciation Luncheon
Page 13
Babe’s fried and baked chicken were enjoyed by our faculty and staff on Thursday, November
13th. Rounding out the luncheon were tasty sides, salads and desserts provided by our wonderful
parents and volunteers. Thank you to Recognition and Appreciation Chairs, Chris Di Filippo, Kristy
Kundysek, Melissa Jiles, Audrey Stehr, Melissa Blum, Kara Hembree, Melissa Farhat, Lindsey Hey,
and Lesie LeMond for organizing donations, set-up, serving and cleanup. We have 2 more
luncheons this year: February 5th and April 16th. We always need volunteers to bring food items,
set up, serve and clean up. It takes a lot of help to feed 155 hungry faculty and staff! The lunches
are a great way to spend time with other Oakridge parents, and to visit with your children during a
busy day! Please come out and enjoy a part of your day with us!
Page 14
Grandparents’ and Grandfriends’ Day
Over 500 grandparents and grandfriends attended our Grandparents’ Day on Tuesday, November
25th. They enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in the SAC while our Strings students performed classical
pieces. Our Booster Club was on hand to sell spirit items and our guests greatly appreciated this
addition! After breakfast, the Choir performed some holiday pieces in the Flavin Fine Arts Hall. As
our guests descended from the performance, they toured the classrooms and campus, and made
keepsake photo buttons with their grandchildren. Each guest departed our campus with an OPC
donated logo umbrella! A BIG thank you to the Development Office, Lisa Sauls, Larraine LaRovere,
Jennifer Miller, Michelle Krabill, Jennifer Jones, Amy Bell, Rochelle Greene-Boyles, Andrea Meller,
Jamie Wayland, Kate Benedict and Diane Deng, for making this a memorable event.
Page 15
Book Fair
Hours:
Weds., Jan. 21 - Weds., Jan.28, 2015
7:45 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Special Time: Weds. Jan. 28 closes at noon
ECC Donuts for Dads — Friday, Jan. 23 starting at 7:00 a.m.
LS Donuts for Dad — Tuesday, Jan. 27 starting at 7:00 a.m.
Questions contact:
Denise White
817-233-8649
Andrea Meller
817-675-6839
Come support the Oakridge
Library and help your child
develop a love for reading!
Visit our Book Fair!
Volunteer!
Share some of your time with
us and enjoy this magical
event!
Page 16
Holiday Treasures
The OPC building was transformed into a Holiday Shopping
Boutique from Dec 8– Dec 12! Our students enjoyed their
secret shopping adventures and our parents enjoyed Holiday
Treasures as much as our students did! Volunteers all took
note that our Oakridge Owls have amazing manners! Many
thanks to our dedicated parent volunteers who make this
event fun and running smoothly for the entire week! It takes a
lot of elves to pull this one off!
Page 17
Page 18
Boxtops for Education
Uniform Resale
Uniform Resale is a great way to stock up,
shop and save on some gently used uniforms.
Your donations and purchases raised close to
$3,000 for OPC last year! And that enables us
to give back to the school in many ways!
Our next Uniform Resale dates are:
January 22 7:30-9:30am & 2-4pm
February 19 7:30-9:30am & 2-4pm
at the OPC Building (the small brick building
located to the left of the Early Childhood
Center).
If you are cleaning out closets and have collected a stash of outgrown uniforms, you may bring them to the ECC,
Middle School and Upper School Administration Offices. Please remember to donate items that are clean, gently
used and free from stains, broken or missing buttons/zippers/other parts.
We have low inventory in the following categories:
Fleece, skorts and larger sized shorts.
Thank you for your support and Happy Shopping!
The second collection of Box Tops was another success! Thank you to all of the
families for making that possible. We turned in over 1800!
Our 1st place winners were rewarded with a $25 Target gift card. They were
Keith and Lynn Bohn, parents of 4th grader, Haley, and turned in 364 Box Tops.
2nd place winners, Kevin and Melissa Koon, parents of Cayden and Chloe in
pre-K, were rewarded with a $10 Target gift card and turned in 126 Box Tops.
Our last collection date is February 1st. Box Tops must be trimmed, not expired
and submitted in a baggy labeled with the parent’s name and cell phone
number to be considered for prizes. Winners will continue to be published in
the OPC Newsletter following each collection date.
Thank you so much in advance for your continued support! We would love to
reach our goal of $1000 for the 2014-2015 school year!
Start the year off right… Make a resolution to support Oakridge Friend or Family owned businesses.
Visit OakridgePages.com and support our businesses! Find an Insurance agent, AC Specialist, Vacation planner, Realtor, Doctor, Attorney and many others.
Contact: Holly Fagan 214-926-8106 or [email protected]
Page 22
UPCOMING EVENTS
January
OPC Executive Board Meeting
Tuesday, January 13
8:15am
Development Office
Book Fair
January 21-28
See hours on p.15
Library
US Healthy Eating Day
Wednesday, January 21
All Day
US Commons
Uniform Resale
Thursday, January 22
7:30-9:30am & 2-4pm
OPC Building
ECC Donuts for Dad
Friday, January 23
7am
Library
LS Donuts for Dad
Tuesday, January 27
Library
7am
OPC New Parent Breakfast
w/Parent Ambassadors
January 27
8:15-9:30am
Bridge
February
BoxTop Turn-In Date
Monday, February 2
All Day
General Board Meeting
Tuesday, February 3
8:15am
OPC Building
Teacher Appreciation Luncheon
Thursday, February 5
11am-1pm
SAC
US Fall Dessert Party
Wednesday, February 11
12:30pm
SAC
ECC Valentine’s Day Parties
Wednesday, February 11
Preschool 10:30-11:30am
PreK and K 1:30-2:30pm
ECC classrooms
LS Valentine’s Day Parties
Thursday, February 12
1st/2nd grades 1-2pm
3rd/4th grades 1:45-2:55pm
LS classrooms
MS Valentine’s Day Lunch
Friday, February 13
11:45am-12:30pm
SAC
Uniform Resale
Thursday, February 19
7:30-9:30am & 2-4pm
OPC Building
US Free Dress Day Fundraiser
February 23-27
April
ECC Egg Hunt
Wednesday, April 1
PreSchool 10:30-11:30am
PreK & K 1:30-2:30pm
ECC
School Supplies Mailing
OPC Newsletter submission
Deadline date
Thursday, April 9
OPC General Board Meeting
Tuesday, April 14
8:15am
OPC Building
Teacher Appreciation Luncheon
Thursday, April 16
11am-1pm
SAC
March
US Dodgeball Pizza Party
Date TBD
OPC Executive Board Meeting
Tuesday, March 3
8:15am
Development Office
US Healthy Eating Day
Wednesday, March 4
All Day
US Commons
MS Spring Dessert Party
Friday, March 6
11:45am-12:25pm
SAC
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS
GENERAL BOARD MEMBERS
Page 23
Lara Haddock
President
Linda Wright
President-Elect
Michelle Reese
Treasurer
Ronda Lane
VP Fundraising
Larraine LaRovere
VP Public Relations & Publicity
Susan Jones
Meet & Greet Chair
Kristy Kundysek
Meet & Greet Chair Elect
Grandparents Day Chair
US Teacher Appreciation Co-Chair Elect
Kelly Broadus
Back to School Fair Chair
Deme Cleveland
Back to School Fair Chair Elect
Susan Daniels
Parent Ambassador Chair
Alison Fawthrop
Magazine Sales Chair
Holiday Treasures Co-Chair
Lori Jones
Liz St. John
Magazine Sales Co-Chairs
Carey Ogle
Holiday Treasures Chair
Jill Houseworth
Holiday Treasures Co-Chairs
Fran Lyons
School Supplies Chair
Andrea Meller
Denise White
Book Fair Co-Chairs
Tessa Guevara
Book Fair Chair Elect
Victoria Walker
Uniform Resale Chair
Denise Barley
Angela Cary
Uniform Resale Co-Chairs
Holly Fagan
Oakridge Pages Chair
Mellie Joiner
Oakridge Pages Chair Elect
Shawna Wright
Box Tops Chair
Gay Swinney
Box Tops Chair Elect
Lindsey Hey
Connecting Owls Co-Chair
ECC Teacher Appreciation Co-Chair
Cindy Pettigrew
Connecting Owls Co-Chair
ECC Activities Chair
Michal Tincup
ECC Activities Chair Elect
Niti Ross
Connecting Owls Chair Elect
Uniform Resale Co-Chair
Angela Redding
Owlfest Chair
Jill Houseworth
Haley Shimek
Owlfest Co-Chairs
Mitzi Willis
Owlfest Advisor
Jennifer O’Connor
LS Activities Chair
Michelle Emmert
LHMS Activities Co-Chair
Gail Bedford
LHMS Activities Co-Chair
Amy Key
LHMS Activities Chair Elect
Diana York
Christine Davis
Test Snacks Co-Chairs
Chasidy Pettigrew
UHMS Activities Chair
Pam Pierson
UHMS Activities Chair Elect
Test Snacks Chair Elect
Carole Fong-Kutchins
US Activities Chair
Melissa Frank
US Activities Chair Elect
Marissa Farhat
ECC Teacher Appreciation Co-Chair
Leslie LeMond
ECC Teacher Appreciation Chair Elect
Melissa Blum
LS Teacher Appreciation Co-Chair
Kara Hembree
LS Teacher Appreciation Chair Elect
Melissa Jiles
MS Teacher Appreciation Chair
Audrey Stehr
MS Teacher Appreciation Chair Elect
Chris Di Filippo
US Teacher Appreciation Chair
Michal Tincup
Secretary
Kelly Broadus
Parliamentarian
Deme Cleveland
VP Membership
Lyn Snyder
VP Recognition & Appreciation
Jennifer Tompkins
VP Divisional Activities