Back to School Student Services Newsletter

Friday, August 26, 2022

Hey Raccoons!

As we continue to inch our way towards the start of the new year, I want to remind you to reach out to your counselor, Associate Principal, or myself if you need anything. In an effort to help our students and families stay connected to our vision of career, college, and life readiness and to share more about how we are living our values of being grounded, committed, and accountable, at the beginning of each month, we will send out our Student Services Newsletter. The newsletter often previews upcoming opportunities for students and families and provides additional resources to assist in the academic and career planning process.

The special Back to School edition of the newsletter, outlines the following:

• Reminders about the first day of school for freshmen on Thursday, September 1 and our schedule for the first day of classes for all grades on Friday, September 2.
• Information and registration for Senior College Pathway Information Night on Wednesday, September 7 at 6:30pm.
• Reminder on how to schedule an appointment with members of our Student Services team.
• Details on how to follow your Raccoon and their classes on Canvas.

 CLICK HERE to access the newsletter.

Watch for the next update in early October!

Jason

Welcome Back, Raccoons! Back to School Information and Updates

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Hey Raccoon Community!

I hope everyone is doing well and that you are having a fun, safe, and relaxing summer! Since school ended in June, our team has been working hard to prepare for the new school year. Our counselors have been building schedules and welcoming new students, the buildings and grounds team has been cleaning and getting our rooms ready for the new semester, our office staff has been answering all your registration questions and prepping for the new year, and our teachers have been planning, training, and meeting as they get ready to welcome our Raccoons back to campus in a few weeks! While you certainly deserve to soak in every last bit of summer, I am looking forward to welcoming everyone back home to OHS as we kick off the 2022-2023 school year! 

 

In preparation for the start of the school year, please review all the important details outlined below. This includes:

• Details about the Freshmen First Day of School on Thursday, September 1 and the First Day of Classes for all grades on Friday, September 2.
• A timeline of various activities designed to help all students ease back into the routine of the school year.
• Introductions of our new staff.
• An overview of important calendar dates and schedules for your planning reminders.
• A quick reminder of important procedures for attendance, parking, drop-off and pick-up
• A preview of upcoming school-wide celebrations including our first home football game on August 26, Homecoming the week of September 23, and our first Career, College, and Life Readiness Day on October 18. 

I know this message is lengthy, but this blog post is your one-stop resource for any questions you may have about the start of the year and all the events happening at OHS this year. Consider bookmarking this site so that you can quickly access it as needed. You can also get to the blog through the OHS homepage and through the QR code on the 2022-2023 School Year Family Calendar linked below.

As we approach mid-August, campus starts to become more alive with the start of fall sports and several school events. Please remember that you can always reach out to me, your counselor, our office, or your associate principal if you have any questions or need any support. 

I look forward to seeing you soon! Go Raccoons!

Jason

Open House: Tuesday, August 30, 2022 (2:00-6:00 p.m.)

Our annual Open House is on Tuesday, August 30 between 2:00-4:00 p.m. or 4:00-6:00 p.m. Details are below:

We invite every Raccoon and their family to OHS to walk your schedule, familiarize yourselves with the building, meet your teachers, and learn about the various clubs and activities to join.

• Appointments for self-guided tours and to stop by and meet your teachers are available from 2:00-4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 30. You can click here to sign up for a time that is convenient for you. Please feel free to sign up your upperclassmen for that same time, as well. Again, feel free to arrive at any time in the 30-minute window you sign up to attend.
• The building will be open from 4:00-6:00 p.m. for self-guided tours, as well. However, teachers will not be in their rooms. This is more of a chance to just familiarize yourself with the building. If you would prefer to come in the evening between 4:00-6:00 p.m., you can sign up here.

 

Freshmen First Day of School: Thursday, September 1, 2022 (7:20 a.m.-2:40 p.m.)

Our first day of school for Freshmen is on Thursday, September 1, 2022. Below are a few quick notes for the day:

• Buses will run under the normal schedule. Regardless if you are taking the bus or being dropped off, all students should report to the Gale Douglas Field House Lobby by 7:20 a.m. as our day will begin in the Field House.
• Students should not bring their Chromebooks.
• We will run our normal lunch operations. There will be a free meal option for all students. However, if you prefer there will be upgraded options for purchase!
• The day will end at about 2:40 p.m. Buses will depart at their regularly scheduled time of 2:47p.m.
• The schedule for the day is as follows:
• 7:20-9:00 a.m. (Freshmen Welcome Rally)
• 9:00-11:00 a.m. (Freshmen Orientation)
• 11:00-11:40 a.m. (Lunch)
• 11:40 a.m.-12:15 p.m. (Stay Accountable: Previewing our Community Commitments)
• 12:20-12:50 p.m. (Schoolwide Scavenger Hunt)
• 1:00-2:05 p.m. (Starting Strong: Grounded as a community and Committed to our goals)
• 2:05-2:30 p.m. (Pep Rally: Learning our student section chants and traditions)

Be sure to click here to check out all the details about the freshmen transition process and the supports in place.

First Day of Classes Grades 9-12: Friday, September 2, 2022 (7:20 a.m.-2:40 p.m.)

Our first day of classes for all grade levels will be on Friday, September 2. Everyone should be in their Block A/Hour 1 class by 7:20 a.m. We will end the day with an all-school pep rally to celebrate our first day together and send our football team off to Waukesha South for their game. We hope to see everyone there in time for kickoff at 7:00 p.m.!

Click here to view the bell schedule for the first day of classes on Friday, September 2.

Introducing our Routines and Structures

Once the school year begins, we will take several days to acclimate to the routines and structures our community has in place. These include:

• Friday, September 2: Community Commitments and Welcome Back Pep Rally. In addition, we have Raccoon Community Connection (RCC) at 7:20 a.m. to welcome everyone back and at 11:41 a.m. to review our lunch operations.
• Tuesday, September 6: RCC Live: Welcome Back Edition on RCC at 8:55 a.m.
• Wednesday, September 7: Safety Seminar with Mr. Curtis and Officer Dawn on RCC at 8:55 a.m.
• Thursday, September 8: Staying accountable during Pride period on RCC at 8:55 a.m.

Families are welcome to watch the welcome back pep rally or any of the RCC meetings outlined above on our daily announcements page, which is available by clicking here. If you cannot watch the meetings live, a recording will be posted to the same link after the meeting is complete.

 

New OHS Staff Members

We have several new staff members joining the OHS community this upcoming year. Please click here to learn more about some of our new Raccoons! 

As we shared in June, some counselor and associate principal assignments have changed. Your assigned support team is listed in Family Access or you can click here to view the assignments and their contact information.

Important Dates and Schedules

Mark your calendars for some key community-wide events coming up over the next few weeks:

• Monday, September 5: No School—Labor Day
• September 18-24: Homecoming Week! (Watch announcements and social media for updates!)
• Tuesday, October 18: Fall Career, College, and Life Readiness Day (Click here for details).
• Fall Sports Calendar (Note: Home football games are August 26, September 9, September 23, and October 7)

 You can click here for the 2022-2023 Academic Calendar.

 

Other Quick Links:

Below are a few other quick links that might help families prepare for the upcoming school year!

• OHS Daily Schedule
• Bus Route and Information
• Food Service

Student Schedules Released!

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Hi Raccoons and Families!

Earlier today your 2022-2023 academic schedule was posted to Skyward! Please see below for details and important notes about your schedule:

• Your schedule has only been posted if a parent/guardian has completed the online registration process. If you have not completed online registration, you will not see your schedule. If you need help with completing the online registration process, please come to OHS on August 3 between 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. or to the Main Office between 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. on Monday-Friday.
• If you have questions about your schedule, please contact your counselor. A few counselor assignments have changed, so please click here or check family access to see your counselor assignment.
• While it feels like school is about to start, we still have 4 weeks until the first day of classes. There may be some adjustments to your schedule as we approach the first day of classes for all grade levels on Friday, September 2 (remember, Thursday, September 1 is for freshmen only). As we have more students register in the month of August, we may be balancing class sizes or changing classrooms. Therefore, we recommend that you do not take a screenshot or print your schedule. Rather, log in to the Family or Student Access through your phone to see your most updated schedule.
• If you have a study hall assigned in your schedule, the room number will be finalized in late August. Second semester study hall periods will be assigned in January.
• We know that our building and campus is large and it can be difficult to navigate for our new students. Keep in mind that rooms in the 100s, 200s, and 300s, are at Main Campus and rooms identified in the 500s and 600s are at East Campus. We encourage you to come in and take advantage of one of the following opportunities to walk your schedule. However, keep in mind our Buildings and Grounds crew are still working hard to prepare the building for the new year, so please pardon our dust and do not walk down any blocked off areas. 
• August 3 is picture day and registration from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Feel free to walk your schedule when you are on campus. If you forgot to sign up, or if your schedule has freed up, you can still come during one of the available times. Click here to sign up. Counselors will be in their offices from 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. if you have any questions about your schedules.
• Any time Monday-Friday from 7:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Just swing by the main office and let our office staff know you would like to walk your schedule and we can provide you with a map. If evenings are better, just email me at CurtisJ@oasd.org to arrange for a time.
• Incoming Freshmen and new families are reminded to sign up for a family dinner. At the conclusion of the meeting dinner, families will have time to walk their schedules and familiarize themselves with the building. Sign-ups for the family dinners are located here for incoming freshmen and for transfer students click here.
• Our annual Open House is on Tuesday, August 30 between 2:00-4:00 p.m. or 4:00-6:00 p.m. Details are below:
• Appointments for self-guided tours and to stop by and meet your teachers are available from 2:00-4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 30. Please feel free to sign up your upperclassmen for that same time as well. Again, feel free to arrive at any time in the 30-minute window you sign up to attend.
• The building will be open from 4:00-6:00 p.m. for self-guided tours, as well. However, teachers will not be in their rooms. This is more of a chance to just familiarize yourself with the building. If you would prefer to come in the evening between 4:00-6:00 p.m., you can sign up here.

Have a great day! We will see you soon!
Jason