Oak Ridge Elementary School www.oakridge.leon.k12.fl.us
January 13, 2006   Volume  8                      Number 8

School Hours:    Office Hours  7:30 - 3:30  Student Hours  7:40-2:00
Administrative Staff:
Hodgetta A. Huckaby, Principal
Kimberly McFarland, Assistant Principal
4530 Shelfer Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32310
Telephone: (850) 488-3124  FAX: (850) 922-7145
Web Page: http://www.oakridge.leon.k12.fl.us
Listserv: http://listserv.leon.k12.fl.us/archives/oes-parents.html
Mascot: Eagle - Colors:  Royal Blue and White

Positiv e Action Word of the Month
January:  Goal Setting

Dear Parents/Guardians,
       As I reflect and take a glimpse of what is ahead in 2006, I see
exciting possibilities, all inclusive opportunities, and new academic
challenges for our students.  During the upcoming weeks, we will be
involved in intensive instruction focusing on meeting stringent
promotional requirements and extensive preparation to score high on
the FCAT and SAT10  assessments.
      In order for each student to maximize his/her potential, we
continuously solicit and need your help and support.  Please insist
that your child/ren come to school each day and arrive on time ready to
learn, respect all adults, put forth their best effort, take responsibility
for his/her actions, set goals, read daily, and follow the school’s dress
code guidelines.
       Remember, we are a T.E.A.M. (Together Everyone Achieves More).
Our success as a school is largely dependant upon the degree of your
active participation in the teaching and learning process.  I highly
encourage you to get involved TODAY!!
     Sincerely,
     Hodgetta A. Huckaby, Principal

Presenting Oak Ridge’s Teacher of the Year for 2005 - 2006
Ms. Reggenia W. Baskin
          Reggenia W. Baskin is a native of Montgomery, Alabama.  She
has been relishing her passion for teaching young children for
twenty-five years.  Ms. Baskin donned her wings and became an Oak
Ridge Eagle in 1992.  She has taught kindergarten, first grade, a
second and third grade multi-age class and is currently teaching and
learning from her second grade kings and queens.  She is convinced
that teaching is her divine destiny and she attributes her success in
the classroom to God’s strength and favor coupled with her love for
children.  Ms. Baskin further attributes her accomplishments to the
love and support of Mr.  and Mrs. Paul Watson whom she upholds as
the best parents in any world.
          Her philosophy for life is, “If there is any good I can do, let me do
it now for I will not pass this way again.”  She is truly humbled and
honored to receive the nomination for Oak Ridge’s Teacher of the
Year.

January Happenings
•  January 16:  Dr. Martin Luther  King, Jr. Holiday

•  January 17:  Final Parenting
   Pow Wow  with Judge Hawkins

•  January 18:  Oak Ridge’s Writes
   Upon Request

•  January 19:  Business Partner Meeting at 9:00 AM

•  January 19:  General PTO Meeting @ 6:00 PM

• January 20:  E” Citizen Awards for 2nd Nine Weeks

• January 25: Honor Roll and Perfect  Attendance Assembly

Please Remember January 16th is: Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
NO SCHOOL for Students

D.A.R.E. Graduation 2005!
   On December 16, 2005, the fifth graders at Oak Ridge Elementary
participated in D.A.R.E. Graduation. The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse
Resistance Education),program  is designed to help teach our young
children about ways to say NO! to drugs and violence. Officer Carlson,
of the Tallahassee Police Department, instructed each fifth grade
class using hands on and interactive methods.
 As a concluding activity, the children had to write and present an
essay telling their peers what they learned, and how they will go on to
live a drug and violence free life. Our essay winners read their winning
speeches at the graduation ceremony. These outstanding Eagles
were; Keyonna Abdul, Mary Jo Dessalines, Kristopher Gaines, Kevin
Goldsmith and Devine Ojah.  Congratulations!
 After the uplifting ceremony, parents came back to the
classrooms for refreshments and celebration. We pray that our
children will continue throughout their lives to uphold the values and
oath that they took to stay drug and violence free.  
~Best of luck!
        Ms. Burleson , Mrs. Atkins, Mrs. Patel, Ms. Terry
 Fifth Grade Teachers 

Visit W.I.N.G.S. On the Web
       Thanks to Ms. Foggy, the Activities Leader for our WINGS 21st
Century program and a budding graphic design artist, the WINGS
website is ready for you to view! Just go to
http://ore17745-01.k12.fsu.edu/ , or navigate your way from the Oak
Ridge homepage using the address on the front page of this
newsletter. The site is still being developed and refined, but contains
basic information about our program. Check back often for updates
and improvements!

FCAT Explorer.com
          There's good news for all students taking the FCAT this year:
You can get free reading and math practice on the FCAT Explorer.
That's right: free practice for the FCAT at www.fcatexplorer.com.
          The FCAT Explorer is an on-line practice program made for
Florida's public school students by the Florida Department of
Education:
•  The Galactic Library provides comprehensive practice with the
reading benchmarks tested on the 3rd grade FCAT. Reading Odyssey
provides the same type of program for the 4th grade FCAT.  Both
reading programs are  adaptive, changing the amount of support
students receive based upon their performance within the program. In
addition, they include vocabulary building activities and games,
passage-based incorrect feedback, and animated pleasure readings
•The Math Station provides comprehensive practice with the math
benchmarks tested on the 5th grade FCAT.  With a colorful, appealing
interface, the Math Station includes over 150 context-rich practice
problems and five benchmark-based math games. In addition, the
Math Station offers hints for incorrect answer choices and detailed
correct answer explanations
        Best of all, the FCAT Explorer is on-line, which means you can
use it on any computer connected to the Internet: at school, at the
library, even at home.
        Your performance on the test can benefit from the extra time you
spend studying math and reading on the FCAT Explorer. To get your
free FCAT Explorer sign-in name and password, see your teacher.
Log on today!

Beautifying Oak Ridge
     The flower beds along the 5th grade wing were recently rejuvenated
by Mr. Robshaw's School Yard Ecology, WINGS class. Students
removed debris and sand from the beds and replaced it with rich soil,
called compost. Drought tolerant plants such as rosemary and
lavender were then selected because of the dry nature of these beds.
You can show pride and respect for our school by keeping them free
of trash and not stepping in them.
      Students and parents will be invited to come out for a Saturday
work day in March to help put in a new courtyard garden. If your
interested in helping or would like your class to be involved with the
garden, see Mr. Robshaw 
     Our thanks go to the students of Mr. Robshaw's class, and our
partners in this project, WFSU and The Damayan Garden Project.
By Mr. Robshaw

Cultures, Customs, and Traditions
 Ms. Ruth Ojah volunteered in our classroom. She did a wonderful
presentation about her culture and country Nigeria! The students
learned so much from her presentation! Ms. Ojah made this such a
real life experience by sharing such items as jewelry, clothes,
magazines, money, and food. This photo shows her dressing her
daughter Melody Ojah in such wonderful African attire! We appreciate
Ms. Ojah so much! She is Mrs. Ware’s Parent of the Month for
December.
Mrs. Ware’s Third Grade Class

Fourth  Grade News
           Our fourth grade team is happy to introduce a new pre-service
teacher, Miss Sherece Bennett.  Miss Bennett attends Florida A & M
University and comes to us from the state of Maryland.  She is very
excited to be here at Oak Ridge and we are thrilled to have her!
          Fourth graders are hard at work in all academic areas.  We
attended the Larger than Life Rally with Mr. Ron Large where we
celebrated our successes in Math. We are working to become
members of the “4 and Up” club, denoting our writing scores. We
continue to work on Reading and Math skills throughout the day and
after school since our teachers have volunteered to stay after to help.
          Congratulations to our First Place Speech winners:  Derian
English from Ms Rodriguez’s class, Wanda Booth from Ms. Teague’s
class, Shannon Sterling from Ms. Hartman’s class, and Ashlie
Broome from Miss Lirette’s class.
           Last but not least, January continues to be a busy month for
fourth grade. We will be going on a field trip to the Goodwood Museum
and the Riley House January 27th!
   Mrs. S. Rodriguez, Mrs. Willis, Mrs. Hartman and Ms. Lirette,  Fourth
Grade Teachers

Cut and Return to Your Child’s Teacher:

Your Feedback is Needed!
Would you be interested in Oak Ridge establishing an After School
Child Care Program for a minimal cost?
______ Yes  ______No
Parent Name___________________________________________
Telephone Number ______________________
How many students? ________________

Project SMART
           We are getting “SMART”er everyday.  These photos of Mrs.
Wacksman’s class depict some of the many readiness training
activities that have been proven (researched-based) to develop
physiological and neurological readiness skills that are essential for
success in school.  A select group of School Readiness,
Kindergarten, and other students ranging in ages from
3-9 years old are taking advantage of this program.  Mrs. Wacksman
has already reported that the benefits are shown in her children’s fine
motor and letter recognition skills.  Ms. Gewanter reports that her
children are showing growth in all areas of their school activities from
the ability to stay focused on their assignments to letter/sound fluency
and much more.   In addition, Mrs. Piper notes that her students seem
to be learning their colors and numbers more easily than in the past!
Most importantly, the students LOVE the SMART activities!
Mrs. Wacksman, School Readiness Teacher


Cut here and return the bottom portion to school
You are cordially invited to the
Last Parenting PowWow with Judge Hawkins
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Dinner is served:  5:00 - 6:00 PM
Session is:  6:00 - 7:30 PM
Child Care is provided
All Parents participating will receive a special gift.
RSVP to Last Parenting Pow Wow with Judge Hawkins
Name:
______________________________________________________
______________________
Children:
______________________________________________________
____________________
Telephone: ______________________________  Number attending:
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