Ms. Stokes (914)457-4654 Mrs. Gooden(914)400-6302
SEPTEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER
August 27, 2018
Dear Parent / Guardian:
Thank you for choosing Oakview Preparatory School for your child. As you are aware, our institution provides a Bible-based, quality education that will facilitate the spiritual, moral, mental, social and physical growth of each student. With a dedicated staff, your child’s involvement in his/her own learning, and your constant support, we can make great things happen every year. If you do not receive my monthly letter from your child between the 1st and the 5th of each month, please ask your child to bring the letter home or print it from the website under “Newsletter” at: www.oakviewprep.com.
There are a few items that we would like to bring to your attention:
1. Thursday, September 6, will be Parent/Teacher Curriculum Instruction from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 pm & 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. All parents should be present to get acquainted with the teacher(s), and the Curriculum. This is a mandatory meeting; parents must be involved in their children’s learning process. Parents need to be preventative. It is important to know what will be taking place during the school year. Please do not wait until the end of the marking period or in Home and School meetings to address past issues that should have been resolved with the teacher.
2. Home and School Election at OPS will be on the same day, September 6, at 7:00p.m. Please come and get involved.
3. In order to reduce the amount of clothing lost in the building, we are asking you to write your child’s name on his or her belongings. All students are allowed to come to school wearing the gym uniform, which is a white T-shirt and blue shorts/sweat pants on gym days only(except picture & graduation day). Parents, please make sure that your child dresses appropriately and follows the school rules. If not, please be aware that the second offence will cause your child to be suspended for breaking the school rules. If you would like a blue T-shirt with the school logo, please call Ms. Stokes.
4. Thursday, September 20, weather permitting we will go apple picking. The permission forms (see attachment) should be signed and returned to the Homeroom Teacher with the money by Friday, September 14. The total cost for the six pound bag is $35.00; and the 25 pound bag is $45.00 per student. Please indicate your choice on the form. The Coach buses will leave school by 9:30 a.m. and will return to school by 2:30 p.m. On that day we will provide transportation as usual. We want all students to wear their gym uniform on that day.
5. The Schedule for Dress Down or Dress up Days for the year 2018-2019 is in the Student Handbook p. 34, and
it is posted on the event calendar on the website. We are asking each student who would like to dress down on these days to pay $1.00 each time. The money collected helps to subsidize other student activities in the school.
6. Your child has received a package to sell some items as a fundraising venture for the school. The profit will be used to upgrade computers or any other capital expenditure needed in the school.
7. a) This year we will continue with the instrumental music program. The practices will be held on Wednesdays. Classes will be 30 minutes per session during school hours.
b) For those who choose violin, guitar, or trumpet, classes will be from 3:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. after school hours. These children will have to be picked up on time after music class. The cost for this program is $45.00 per month per child, and $10.00 for materials. We would like to have at least 40 children to start the sessions on Wednesday, September 26, due to the fact November and December are short months. We would like all parents to pay the fee ahead of time, by Tuesday September 25, ($100.00)for two months. Both parties will benefit from this system. This will help us a lot in maintaining the program. Last year many parents forgot or found it difficult to keep track of the monthly payments. This program must be self sustained, if not, we will regrettably have to cancel it or ask your child to withdraw. Please fill out the “Orchestra Application form” and return it ASAP. Parents are responsible for providing their child’s instrument.
8. We want to thank you for your cooperation in this matter by paying the tuition on time, which means the 1st of each month and by participating in the fund raising programs. The school needs to plan ahead of time in order to function adequately. Unfortunately some parents do otherwise. The school needs the funds to meet its financial obligations. Last summer we were $60,000 out between July and August. We were unable to pay the bills and order textbooks on time. We will only accept cash, money orders, visa master card (there will be a charge of 2.5% for the service), or teller’s checks in order to protect the school. The final payment is due on May 1, 2019 before all final examinations. Please be aware that the school policy requires everyone to register with “Smart Tuition” unless payments are made ahead of time at school every 3 months, 5 months or 10 months. This will allow parents to monitor themselves. Please keep all your receipts in a special envelope so that you may refer to them as needed. Please contact the Treasurer directly at this number 914-400-6302 for any additional information.
9. Many children bring lunch to be warmed at school. We are asking the parents of Pre K – Grades 4 students only to purchase a special thermos for your children so they can bring their food warmed up from home. The teachers do not have the time to supervise the children, serve others, and warm up food at the same time. This is humanly impossible. Please cooperate with us on this matter.
10. Please keep your child at home if he/she is sick. We are asking the children to keep a bottle of hand sanitizer inside their school bags so they can keep their hands clean at all times.
11. Please do not include the tuition payment with the kitchen fund. Please send checks directly to: “KVC Cafeteria Service Inc.” for any transaction regarding the kitchen.
12. All grade 5-8 students need to secure their schoolbag with a lock. We want to discourage anyone who may have any malicious behavior from going into someone else’s book bag. We encourage all parents to set up a curfew for your child’s electronic use in order to avoid misuse of the internet &/or overuse of these items.
13. This year we are going to provide “Extended care” for free up to 5:00 pm for those who are unable to pick up their children by 3:30 p.m. After 5:00 p.m. there will be a charge of $20.00 that must be paid on the same day or the following day. If not the child cannot return to the program. Also a form must be filled out and returned by Sept. 4, 2018 for approval. If there is a behavioral problem or the child is unable to sit and wait for you, the request might be denied. A staff member, Ms. Grant, will be in the cafeteria up to 5:00 p.m. to supervise the children. Please return the request form to the office for this service. We are asking everyone to be responsible by not abusing the service and report on time to receive your child.
Thank you, and welcome again to another wonderful school year.
J. Eric Imbert, Principal