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Oakdale Elementary

Fitness, Friends, and Family

On Wednesday, May 15th, the students at Oakdale participated in the annual “Fun Run” through the neighborhood.  Afterward there were popsicles and time to enjoy the great weather.  Joining us for the day was Oakdale Principal for the coming year Mrs. Harding.  A special thanks to all the parents who volunteered to help supervise the route for this great Oakdale tradition.  Click here to view additional photos from the day!

3rd Grade Learning is Open for Business

On Friday, May 10th, the "Shops of Oakdale" opened to the public with great excitement.  The project was a culminating activity for 3rd Grade students who had studied units on how communities use resources including the exchange of goods and services and also included a variety of math skills such as counting money and making change.  During the event the students operated stores where guests could purchase food, clothing accessories, or enjoy activities like bean-bag toss and bowling.  Students also integrated technology using the "Aurasma" augmented reality app on the iPad.  The app plays a pre-recorded video, in this case a commercial the students created, when the user aimed the iPad's camera at the shop advertising poster.  Click here to view additional images of the event.

Supporting Bella's Battle

On May 6th, 7th, and 9th the 3rd through 6th graders of Oakdale Elementary hit the field for the annual Kickball Tournament.  The tournament is a fundrasier coordinated each year by the 6th graders and raises funds for a selected cause.  This year participation and concessions raised money for "Bella's Battle," benefiting local middle school student Bella in her fight against cancer.  As a special treat, Bella and members of her family were able to visit and even play in part of the tournament.  Click here for additional photos.

Great Role Models of All Ages

On Friday, May 3rd, friends of all ages enjoyed time together during Oakdale's annual Grandfriends Day.  Students performed musical selections, gave their guests a tour of their classroom, interviewed them about their school experience and much more.  Though named for our Grandfriends, we are so appreciative to our friends of all ages who came to spend time with the children, and we think you're all pretty grand!

Learning About Our City's Culture and History

On Wednesday, May 1st, the 3rd graders enjoyed their Omaha field trip by making three stops around town. The first stop was Rotella's bakery, where students watched the production of bread from start to finish-it was quite an amazing operation! Next, they traveled down to El Museo Latino to learn more about culture and create their own pinatas! Lastly, they went to the Omaha World Herald where they learned about how a newspaper takes shape, watched the 1:00 press, saw robots, and leaned a bit of Omaha history. It was a fantastic day filled with fun and new experiences!

Funding Learning Integrated with Nature

The Oakdale Outdoor Classroom is excited to announce that we have been selected to receive a $2000 garden grant from the Whole Kids Foundation, a charitable foundation of the Whole Foods Company.  The Outdoor Classroom Committee under the leadership of 3rd Grade Teacher, Mrs. Yandell, applied for the grant this fall and is excited to hear of our acceptance.  The committee will be working hard over the next weeks and months to plan for new seeds and plants, tools, curriculum and educational materials, and in planning events to bring community and families to the Outdoor Classroom.  We look forward to sharing further details with you as the planning continues.

Bravo!

Congratulations and Bravo! to the many Oakdale students who shared their talents at the 2013 Oakdale Talent Show.  Students performed for the school on Friday the 26th and for family and friends the evening of April 30th.  It was great to see the many talents of our students here at Oakdale.

2nd Graders Learn About Nature at Fontenelle Forest

On Thursday, April 25th, the 2nd graders at Oakdale took a field trip to Fontenelle Forest.  There they participated in the Habitats, Habitats program.  The students have been studying plants, animals, their habitats, and their lifecycles.  The highlight of the day was a guided nature walk.  Click here to see even more images of the exciting day.

New Planting Beds Take "Shape"

Though our spring planting has been a bit delayed by the rain and weather, when dry moments are available the Outdoor Classroom has been "growing" and "getting in shape" with the addition of some new planting beds.  Hexagon and pentagon shaped beds allow both for additional planting space and for further integration of classroom skills such as shape properties, angle measurement, and surface area.  Be sure to check back soon as classrooms begin to sow the gardens.

Oakdale Artists Featured in School Wide Gallery

On Tuesday, April 9th, the halls of Oakdale Elementary were filled with artwork as we hosted our annual Art Show Open House.  Families were able to come, see the art work, and enjoy refreshment at the gym.  A special thanks to the many volunteers who helped to hang the beautiful artwork throughout the school.  Click here to view more photos of these creative masterpieces.

Learning How Communities Provide Services

During this week’s Junior Achievement lessons 2nd grade students got to speak with local Fire Captain May and Resource Officer Martinez.  Students have studied service jobs as part of their Social Studies curriculum and will follow up following the Spring Break with lessons to understand how communities provide these services to their citizens.  Click here to view additional images.

Experiencing Life in Pioneer Times

On March 21st, 4th graders at Oakdale participated in the Pioneer Living Class at the Stuhr Museum.  This is an all day class where students spend the majority of their time preparing a meal just as pioneers would have.  They make a ham and vegetable stew, corn cob jelly, cornbread muffins, and sweet cream butter for their lunch.  The first thing that students do is peel and chop carrots and potatoes for the stew.  Students then used old fashioned tools to remove corn kernels from corn cobs, then ground the corn kernels, and finally sifted the corn meal to use in the muffins.  The corn cobs were boiled to make the jelly.  They also have to take turns churning cream until it became butter.  After lunch they learn about games that pioneer children would have played and make homemade candles.  Throughout the day, students take turns pumping water outside and bringing it into the house.  They take turns doing various chores that pioneer children would have been responsible for doing.  Students enjoyed the hard work and the delicious meal at the end!  Click here to view additional photos.

Tiger of the Week

This year we are recognizing students doing a great job following the 3 B's (Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible) through the Tiger of the Week.  Each week students are nominated by their teachers and 5 are featured on our school newsletter, lobby television, and website.  

The Tigers of the Week for May 20th - May 24th are:

9801 West Center Rd
Omaha, NE 68124-1936
Phone:  (402) 390-6460
Fax:  (402) 390-2164

Our mission is to ensure academic excellence and to serve the unique needs of all learners.

Don't forget to check your child's Tiger Tracks for weekly updates. The current edition can always be checked on-line with our newsletter link.