Oscoda Area Schools

The June 2021 Observer is now available electronically! Check out our latest edition in honor of the class of 2021! Good Luck Graduates! https://5il.co/t16r

Need help with internet access? Check out the attached flier for more information related to the FCC's Emergency Broadband Benefit.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is an FCC program to help families and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. This new benefit will connect eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, virtual classrooms, and so much more. FCC Internet Discount Program for parents/students https://www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit About the Emergency Broadband Benefit The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.

The Office of Highway Safety Planning is collaborating with the ThinkFirst organization to offer a free Virtual Parent Program. This is a great opportunity for parents who have children near driving age to learn more in preparation of their teens hitting the road. More details can be found on the attached flier.

Thank you to Sarah Negro and Salon 121 for her donation to Chester and our therapy dog program. Without the community support we would not be able to have this opportunity for our students. The students absolutely love Chester and we are very appreciative of all of our donations! https://www.facebook.com/Salon121/

The local health department, in coordination with Alcona Health Center, is able to procure COVID-19 Vaccinations for any current OAS student, aged 16 and up, that would be interested in getting vaccinated. To register, please click the link below and complete the online registration form. Following the submission of the requested information a representative from Alcona Health Center will contact the family to confirm the student’s interest and parent consent for vaccination. It is possible these vaccines may be available as soon as the end of next week. We are grateful to our community partners for their work to obtain these vaccinations and are excited to offer this opportunity to our eligible student body. Registration Link: http://bit.ly/2ZL2ac9

On February 22, Oscoda High School band students recorded events for MSBOA (Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association) Solo and Ensemble Festival. After virtual review by professional adjudicators, the results are in! Earning Division I (Superior) Ratings: Andrew Benton, 11 Tenor Saxophone Solo "Piece in G Minor" by Gabriel Pierne Patrick Boje, 10 Baritone Saxophone Solo "Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major - Prelude" by J.S. Bach Andrew Moore, 9 Marimba Solo "Furioso and Valse in D Minor" by Earl Hatch Emily Hanson (flute), 12; Zoe London (flute), 12 Austin Morton (clarinet), 11; Andrew Benton (tenor saxophone), 11 Grace Bergquist (tenor saxophone), 10; Michael Wrona (marimba), 11 Mixed Sextet "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" by W.A. Mozart/arranged Karen Lopez Each event was assigned a link which afforded a single opportunity to record entries. Recording was provided by Eric Joseph of eRock Innovations. "I couldn't be more proud of our students who participated in this event. This was a tricky year to rehearse - wearing musician masks, school shutdowns, and illness made preparing for Solo and Ensemble Festival challenging. Our students rose to the challenge, and every student who entered earned the highest possible rating." - Karen Lopez

Oscoda Area Schools announces vacancies in Food Service, Custodial, and has identified a need for a JV Baseball Coach. Check out the job postings for all the details on how to apply. Don't wait, join our team today! In addition we still have openings posted for Teachers, Bus Drivers, and an Assistant Principal. You can review all of our posted vacancies at https://www.oscodaschools.org/o/oas/page/hr-employment-opportunities

Oscoda Rotary Welcomes new members At their Feb. 11 zoom meeting the Oscoda Rotary officially welcomed Brianne Becker, Ryan Madis, Danny Gallahar, and Etna Romo as new members. Brianne Becker is a Chemistry and Math teacher at Oscoda High School (OHS), and recently became the official faculty advisor to the Rotary-sponsored OHS “Interact” service club, and works with the Interact School Service action group. Ryan Madis is the Oscoda Community & Economic Development Fellow, working on better city planning including a public art project to brighten our walks around town. Ryan is a former Kirtland College admissions officer and has been helping organize live and virtual college visits for our OHS juniors along with Jim Kent. Danny Gallahar is the Oscoda community police resource officer working to keep our kids safe and making wiser choices. Danny is also president of the Little League and is a Coach and lead person with the Colts football program. Etna Romo is the OHS Spanish teacher and also works with the Interact club international service action team. She is a native Spanish speaker and looks forward to assisting the club when we send OHS students to the Dominican Republic and promoting the advancement of cultural awareness. Oscoda Rotary is growing. If you would like to be part of an organization that puts “Service Above Self” and wants to work to make our community a better place to live, to work, and to raise our families then Rotary invites you to contact Dr. Kent at jimkent@umich.edu or 989-390-4643 to find out more about how to be the next new member!

OHS Rotary Interact Club Establishes Action Teams The Oscoda High School Interact Club is off to a great start with President Sophia Rayes forming five action teams giving more students the chance to develop leadership skills. The School Service Action Team is led by Emily Hanson and assisted by Interact Faculty Advisor Miss Brianne Becker. They are looking to increase positivity in the school by displaying kindness posters. They are also scheduling a Virtual Spring College Trip which will happen at the school on April 12 and will feature virtual interviews with Admissions officers from six colleges/universities in the Lower Peninsula. In addition, they are starting up the Earlyact Service Club for 7th and 8th graders. The Community Service Action team is led by Caitlin Berney and assisted by Interact Co-Advisor Mrs. Mary Reitler. In November they presented the Oscoda Police Department with a “Thank You” poster signed by students, blue line police flag pins, and, of course, doughnuts. Recently they made valentines which were delivered to a local nursing home. The International Service Action Team is led by Jessica Montgomery and supported by Interact’s International Specialist, Mrs. Etna Romo. They are working on an all school End Polio Dollar Drive with donations to be matched two-to-one by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Publicity Action Team led by Savahanna Webster and the Fund Raising Action Team led by Lucas Farrier are assisted by Interact Co-Advisor Dr. Jim Kent and are doing a great job publicizing and providing for club services and activities. For more information about the OHS Interact and OMS Earlyact Clubs please contact Dr. Kent at 989-390-4643 or kentj@oscodaschools.org.

Congratulations to Sophia Rayes on being one of ten students selected to receive the MHSAA/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athelete Award this year. To be eligible students were required to carry at least a 3.5 grade-point average and have previously won a letter in a varsity sport in which MHSAA sponsors a postseason tournament. Congratulations Sophia! Check out the full article at the following link: https://secondhalf.mhsaa.com/All-News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/9526/Scholars--Athletes-2021-Class-C--D

Dear Parent/Guardian: Your school provides an amazing benefit to your child called the TRiO Talent Search Program through Alpena Community College. Your child’s school has an advisor who works with TRiO students almost every week helping them with a multitude of life skills and abilities that are essential for making their college transition a much smoother process. The TRiO Talent Search Program starts recruiting students as early as 6th grade through 11th grade and works with students from 6th grade through 12th grade. Students can receive college scholarships for being in the TRiO program. The TRiO Talent Search’s primary target is low-income first-generation students. However, we are allowed to work with a smaller number of students that are not in this category, but they may be put on a short-term Waiting List. Please don’t let this discourage you from applying. We do our best to bring students in off the Waiting List as soon as we can!  Our TRiO Talent Advisor would like to help you prepare your student for a successful College experience by offering a wide variety of workshops aimed at helping improve your child’s overall educational health such as:  Study Skills  Time Management  Budgeting Skills and Financial Aid Navigation Skills.  If your student is brought into the TTS program, meeting with their TTS advisor is vital! TRiO Talent Search advisors can:  Help match your student’s interests with potential career choices  Provide free SAT, ACT, and College Application fee waivers.  Recommend universities that offer the best courses for your student’s interests  TRiO Talent Search also offers Campus Visits, free to all TTS participants (grades 9-12)! Some of the Universities we visit include:  U of M (Ann Arbor & Flint)  Northern Michigan University
  Saginaw Valley State University
  Ferris State University  Grand Valley State University  Central Michigan University  Michigan State University  Lake Superior State University If you would like your child to take advantage of this FREE program offered by your school, have them pick up a TRiO Talent Search application at the High School or Middle School office or speak with the TRiO Talent Search Advisor. Parent/Guardians must complete this application and mail it back to Alpena Community College to see if your child qualifies for the TRiO program- (All applications come with an envelope to mail back the application). Please note that we are a federally funded, grant-based program. As such we are responsible for verifying income, and promise to keep all information confidential. It is only used for income verification and for classification such as first generational college student or low income. If you have any questions, or would like more information, call us at (989) 358-7348, or visit us online at: www.acctalentsearch.com

Happy Virtual Learning Friday! Today Chester was able to get cleaned up and get a haircut. Thank you to Sunrise Side Grooming Salon for his spa day today. He is all cleaned up and looks fantastic. We are very appreciative of their grooming donation!!! They are an Oscoda Owl level sponsor of Chester. Thank you! Here are the RES announcements for this week: *Due to the volume of people at parent pick up we are asking, if you are picking a student up at the end of the day, to please have a mask on. We want to keep everyone as healthy and safe as possible. We appreciate your support with this. *January 20th and 21st all students will be released early. Dismissal time is at 12:30pm on these days. *January 22nd is a virtual Friday. All students are expected to complete an online assignment/activity that has been assigned by their teacher that day. This counts for attendance and grading purposes. It is also the end of the second marking period. *RES is having a Be Kind grade level challenge through February 12th. The grade level with the most Caught Being Kind tickets earned between now and then will get a small treat. Currently 4th grade is in the lead. There is still lots of time left. Keep earning those tickets! *Every week students who have been signed up are taking home a small bag of groceries courtesy of the Backpack Food Program. If this is something you would like, please contact the office or your child's teacher to sign up. There are also bags out at parent pick up available as well and families are welcome to take a bag. We hope everyone has a healthy and safe weekend. Go Owls!

We would like to congratulate Zach Ouillette on signing with Missouri Valley College. We wish Mr. Ouillette the best of luck!

Oscoda Area Schools is pleased to announce the donation of $400 worth of personal care products to the student pantry located at Oscoda Area Schools through the Backpack Program. This donation is greatly appreciated. These resources will provide students supplies that are needed during trying times. Karen Curtis (pictured right) Community Outreach Chair Quota International of Iosco County Robin Gray, Treasurer (pictured left) Scott Moore, OAS Superintendent (pictured center)

If you are interested in pre-ordering your 2021 Oscoda High School Lumberjack Yearbook (grades 7-12), please go to: www.ybpay.lifetouch.com Our school's Yearbook ID code is 7863521 The cost of each Yearbook is $40. You can personalize your Yearbook by having your name engraved on the cover (additional $5), and you can add icons to represent your hobbies ($3 each). The YB Pay site will accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express.

Thank you to Alpena Alcona Area Credit Union Board of Director Charlie Negro, on his selection of the Oscoda Schools Backpack Program. This $1000.00 donation was part of the Credit Union’s 14 days of Giving Campaign to support our local communities.

We are wrapping up the advertisement portion of our 7-12 grade yearbook. If your business or organization would like to purchase an ad in the 2020-2021 Lumberjack, please reach out to Mrs. Lopez. We are also wrapping up "Ads for Grads". Parents of seniors received a letter in the mail about this last month, and email from Mr. Allison, and a reminder on the 2021 Facebook page. If you have not yet provided this information, please reach out asap. Thanks, and have a safe and healthy break! yearbook@oscodaschools.org

Happy Thursday! Today was the last day before break for in person instruction. Tomorrow is a Virtual Learning Friday for all of our students. Winter break officially starts on December 19th. School will resume on Monday, January 4, 2021. We want to wish everyone a very happy holiday season! Here is a short video from Mrs. Pichla, Mrs. Brooks, and Chester to make you smile today. https://elfyourself.com/?mId=139466 Chester wanted to share his holiday pictures as well. He hopes everyone has a safe and fun break. We want to make sure we thank our community for all of your support during this unique school year. 2020 has been a year full of ups and downs, new challenges and triumphs, laughter and tears, and a truly unique year. We can't thank you enough for all of your support during this quickly changing school year! We truly appreciate our community! THANK YOU! Have a safe, healthy, and fun holiday break! See you in 2021! Go Owls!!!!

Oscoda Area Schools is seeking qualified individuals to join our team of highly skilled and exceptionally motivated educators. Check out our employment opportunities page at https://www.oscodaschools.org/o/oas/page/hr-employment-opportunities for all the details. We currently have openings for Teachers, Bus Drivers, and School Counselors. Do you have a skill set that you think you could put to good use for the students of Oscoda Area Schools? Contact our business office today at (989)739-2033 to discuss employment opportunities and training plans.