Reflecting on our First Days of School!

Thursday, September 3, 2026

Hi Raccoons and Families!

The first days of school are meant to reorient ourselves to the structures and routines that help build a strong foundation for a safe, productive, and fun year. While we will continue to work through bumps and challenges, overall it was a great first few days! 

To help make sure we are on the same page, I wanted to share a few reminders (especially with our families) as we kick off the new school year! Check out the information below and let me know if you have any questions.

 

Accountable to Ourselves and Each Other: Community Commitments
Our Community Commitments set common expectations for all of us to follow. They are rooted in safety and build strong habits to maximize engagement, reduce avoidance behaviors, and help us prioritize learning over other distractions. 

Every class reviewed these commitments on Tuesday. Feel free to check them out here.

 

Campus Safety
We conducted our annual safety seminar on Wednesday during Pride. We reviewed:

• Evacuations

• Responses to Violent Critical Incidents

• Parking Lot Safety

• Other Safety Routines and Topics

Families can watch a recording of this safety seminar on the RCC recording page here.

Throughout the year, the Waukesha County K9 unit will come to campus and have their drug dogs sniff for illegal drugs. These unannounced sniffs will occur in our parking lots and within randomly selected classrooms at both Main and East Campus. This proactive measure is just one way we work to keep our campus drug-free.

Finally, if you ever need to report suspicious activity or have a concern about the safety/security of our campus, please let me know right away. You can also reach out to our School Resource Officer, Dawn Hass (HassD@oasd.org), report the information through the anonymous reporting tool Speak Up, Speak Out (SUSO) on a student’s Class Link, or call 911 directly. 

 

Communication
At OHS, we communicate through various methods. Here is a quick rundown for our freshmen and new families.
 

Blog, Email, Text

• Updates from OHS Blog: Schoolwide messages about Academic and Career Planning programming (recommend reading within 1-week after sending).
• Emails: Grade-level specific information from counselors, course specific details from teachers, and/or updates from Mr. Curtis regarding operational disruptions or time-sensitive issues on Campus.
• Texts: From district regarding emergency notifications and school closures.

 

Social Media
We suggest students and families follow these accounts on Instagram:

• OconSchools - District Updates

• OconThemes - OHS Student Life Updates

• RCC_OHS - School News (Broadcast Daily at 8:55am) 

• OHS_Insider - Student perspective and insider look from Ariana on OHS events and happenings

 

School News - Raccoon Community Connection (RCC)
The RCC is broadcast live daily at 8:55am. You can watch live or any recording through this link. 

 

Canvas 
Families can access and follow their student’s Canvas accounts for each class. Directions are on the district’s tech website. The site also has a lot of other information regarding tech policies and programs. 

 

Upcoming Information
The first weeks of school are busy and wild, so watch your email and the Updates from OHS Blog for information on the following upcoming events.

• Homecoming (September 20-26)
• Family Teacher Conferences (October 1)
• Fall Career, College, and Life Readiness Day (October 13)