What we have here is a failure to communicate...

9/25/2021

Friday, September 24, 2021
Quote of the Week: "Nothing is so simple that it cannot be misunderstood." --Freeman Teague, Jr.

Dear Ocean Shore Families,

I've been thinking a lot about communication this week. No, I'm not talking about the latest OSS virtual meeting issue, and I apologize to anyone who had to wait until we figured out how to fix the problem! Let's face it, after 18 months in COVID times, our social skills are rusty. We see it every day at school, whether it's kindergarteners arguing over a toy, fourth graders disputing kickball rules or eighth graders disputing who said what about whom. I see it in meetings (virtual and IRL), at Safeway, and while driving. It doesn't help that we are all still under more stress than normal, and that COVID protocols change frequently and are different depending on where you are and who you are with. Luckily, Ocean Shore has a fantastic staff, and we are utilizing restorative practices and conflict management strategies through class meetings, small group discussions and one-to-one conversations with our new counselors. We are practicing mindfulness at staff meetings and in classrooms. Students are reading stories, discussing characters' feelings, and being encouraged to empathize. If there has been a conflict, students are guided through discussions that focus on how to make better choices, how to repair harm, and how to look at the incident from multiple points of view (students, teachers, office staff, custodians, kitchen staff, parents). Learning to communicate effectively, empathize with others, and resolve conflicts are lifelong learning goals, and we all have room for growth. Especially me.

Take a deep breath and take care,

Jeanne

School Business:
Staffing update: I'm thrilled to announce that we have a new counselor, Gitima Sharma. She will be with us on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I'm also happy to announce that Ayesha Siddiq, one of our parents, is transferring to Ocean Shore from Sunset Ridge and will be assisting with supervision on the playground and working with students in the classroom. Barbara Bualat is resigning from her dual positions of Library Technician and Office Assistant/Yard duty supervisor. As much as we hate to see her go, I'm excited to see her advance in her career. She will be replacing Kelly Alves as the executive assistant to the superintendent. Congratulations, Barbara! You will be missed.

PTO General Meeting: The PTO General meeting wasn't recorded on September 23, but slides from the meeting will be posted soon on the PTO website.

Picture Day: Picture Day will be Friday, October 1st. Classes will come to the library one at a time. Students will be masked until they sit down to have their photos taken.

Read-a-thon: Read-a-thon will be virtual and will take place during the entire month of October. Information will be coming from your student's classroom teacher or ombud. This year's theme is the Olympics and we will all be reading for the gold (and for the cash)! In 2020, Read-a-thon raised over $30,000 for our school.

Scoliosis Screening: 5th-8th grade students will be screened for scoliosis on October 5, 6 & 7. No clothing is removed during these screenings aside from bulky jackets. There is a flier below with more information. The opt-out letter is also below.

Water Protector Video Contest: Earthcapades, run by Ocean Shore alumni parents, Hearty and Lissen, is sponsoring a water conservation video contest for kids of all ages. See this link for details and for more information: Earthcapades Water Conservation Video Contest

Fliers: Arbor Day tree art contest, scoliosis information, scoliosis opt-out letter.