Parents should plan to be there the entire time as several activities have been planned.

Students will be given a short assessment test, be able to go into the kindergarten classrooms, meet the teachers, and get on a bus and learn about bus safety.

The post Oakwood Kindergarten Open House first appeared on SJO Daily.

The post Oakwood Grade School 2019 Honor Roll first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Oakwood School District received a “Commendable” designation on the Illinois Report Card, which was released on Oct. 31.

Each year, the Illinois State Board of Education gives school summative designations based on data provided.

Schools receive Exemplary School, Commendable School, Underperforming School, and Lowest-Performing School designations. 

Oakwood High School, Oakwood Junior High School and Oakwood Elementary received “Commendable” designations. 

With 993 students district-wide, enrollment in the Oakwood School District has held steady for two years, but is down approximately 30 students from 2015. 

The district has 42-percent low-income students, which is 6-percent lower than 2015. 

The report shows that chronic absenteeism, meaning students who miss 10-percent or more of school with or without a valid excuse doubled from 7-percent in 2018 to 14-percent in 2019. 

But chronic truism rates, 5-percent or more of school days per year without a valid excuse, decline. In 2015 4-percent of students were chronically truant and in 2016, 8-percent were. In 2017, 6-percent were chronically truant, then the percentage dropped to 5-percent in 2018 and 4-percent in 2019. 

High School drop-out percentages have held steady at 1-2 percent since 2015. 

A five-year look at 4-year graduation rates showed Oakwood High School losing a bit of steam after a 96-percent 4-year graduation rate in 2018. The 4-year rate in 2017 was 87-percent and the 5-year rate in 2019 was 94-percent.  

Prior to coming into Oakwood High School, eighth-graders at Oakwood Junior High School who pass Algebra I was at 20-percent in 2019. In 2017 and 2018, 25-percent and 17-percent of eighth-graders passed Algebra I.

As a class, 83-percent of freshmen were on track to graduate in 2019. The percentage was at 92-percent in 2018 and 91-percent in 2019 when it had risen from 79-percent in 2016.

Oakwood students see near-state-average scores on their SAT test. In 2017, students received an average score of 486.8 on the English Language Assessment part of the test and a 497 on Math. 

Math scores rose in 2018 with an average of 484.3 as did ELA scores at 480.8. In 2019, Oakwood students scored an average of 474.7  on ELA and 463.5 on Math.

Since graduating in 2019, 58-percent of Oakwood graduates have enrolled within college. That number is steady from 2018 when it was 57-percent. In 2017, the rate was 68 percent and in 2016, the rate was 64 percent.

The district spends roughly $9,300 per student enrolled. According to ISBE’s report, the district spends $9,343 per student at Oakwood High School. Expenditures per student at Oakwood Elementary are at $9,160 per student and $8,779 per student at Oakood Junior High.

The Oakwood School District was designated at a Tier 1 school for Evidence-Based Funding in 2019. At $7,151,834 Evidence-Based Funding Resources, they are at 64-percent capacity to meet the $11,134,482 Adequacy Target. 

Average class size throughout the Oakwood School District has been below the state average since 2015. Currently, the state average is 22-students per class and Oakwood is at 20 students per class on average. 

The Oakwood School District, which has a total of 61 teachers has a student to teacher ratio of 18.1 at the elementary level and 19.1 at the high school level. The state average is 18.1 at the elementary level and 19.1 at the state level.

The teacher retention rate, the 3-year average percentage of teachers returning to work  at Oakwood is at 86-percent, which is up from 71-percent in 2015.  

On average, teachers within the Oakwood School district see a lower salary than their state-wide counterparts. This has held true at least since 2015.

Currently, on average, Oakwood teachers are paid $40,224 per year. The state average is $67,049.

The percentage of teachers who are absent more than 10 days per year fell in 2019. In 2017 and 2018, 85 and 84-percent of teachers had fewer than 10 absences within the school year, but in 2019, 87-percent of teachers missed fewer than 10 days. 

In 2018 and 2019, 100-percent of Oakwood teachers have received Excellent or Proficient designations on their evaluations.

The Oakwood School District is almost in line with the state average of administration to student ratio. The state average of admins to students was 173:1 in 2019 and Oakwood was at 170:1.

Average administrator pay was also below the state average. In 2019, Oakwood administrators made an average of $78,887 whereas the state administrators made an average of $109,592. 

The post Oakwood School District receives “Commendable” on Illinois Report Card first appeared on SJO Daily.

Returning to school can be an exciting time for many children and parents.

But with extra vehicles on the roads, including school buses, it is important to remember Illinois State Law when approaching school zones and buses.

In a school zone:

• When approaching a school zone between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on days when school is in session, drivers must reduce their speed to 20 mph through the school zone.

• Drivers must also yield to any children or adults in the crosswalk and obey the signals of any marked crossing guard or school official.

• Drivers must stop and wait while a school bus loads or unloads.

• Using a cell phone while in a school zone is illegal for drivers of any age. Exceptions include calls made in emergency situations while using GPS or a hands-free device. Drivers under 19 are not allowed to use cell phones while driving unless calling in an emergency situation.

When passing a school bus:

• Drivers must come to a complete stop when a school bus operator extends the stop sign arm or when bus lights are flashing. The vehicle must stop at least 20 feet from the bus. Motorists can move again when the stop arm is retracted.

• Buses are required to stop at railroad crossings. When the bus operator extends the bus stop sign for a railroad, drivers traveling in the opposite direction are not required to stop. Drivers behind the bus are required to stop and may not pass the bus within 100 meters of the crossing.

Students loading and unloading:

• Known as the “danger zone” getting on and off the bus is where most bus-riding student injuries happen.  The “danger zone” is the 10-feet around the bus where a child is difficult to see. Students should stay 10 “giant” steps away from the bus until they are ready to load. While waiting for the bus, take five “giant” steps away from the road.

• Students should never cross the road behind the bus.

• Once the bus has come to a complete stop, the student should wait for the okay to cross from the bus driver, and use the handrail as they climb the stairs.

• While riding the bus, students should sit facing forward while being respectful to all passengers, not causing distractions.

Pedestrians:

• Children under the age of 10 should be accompanied by an adult or responsible student on their way to and from school.

• Pause before crossing the street: look left and right and make sure cars are not turning onto the street and/or have come to a complete stop. Pedestrians should use marked crosswalks and designated intersections.

• Walk on the sidewalk if one is available. If not, walk in the direction of traffic.

Bike Riders:

• Plan a route so that an adult knows which way the child will travel to school.

• Go with the flow of traffic, ride on the same side of the road as other vehicles.

• A bicycle is a vehicle, and all rules that apply to cars, also apply to bicycles.

• Children should learn to be seen. It is important to children to be paying attention while they are on their bikes. Never assume a car driver knows what you are going to do. Be vigilant and signal, just as a car should.

The post Back to School Travel Tips for Drivers, Bike Riders and Pedestrians first appeared on SJO Daily.

ALL STUDENTS
1-bookbag
1-pair of clean shoes for PE
1-change of seasonal clothes to be left in
bookbag

EARLY CHILDHOOD
1-box large markers
5-glue sticks/1-bottle of glue
2-boxes of tissues
1-pkg of antibacterial wipes
2-rolls of paper towels
CARE
1-bookbag
1-baby wipes
1-disinfecting table wipes
1-hand sanitizer
1-roll of paper towels

KINDERGARTEN
2-large boxes of tissues
24-Ticonderoga pencils
16-glue sticks-no glue bottles
2-large pink erasers
1-supply box
1-pair of scissors-blunt end
6-boxes 24 count CRAYOLA crayons
6-Dry Erase Markers
1-each antibacterial/baby wipes
1-roll paper towels
1-3 ring binder 1” black
1-box Ziplock baggies with Zipper(girls-gallon,
boys-sandwich)
1-box CRAYOLA Crayons for ART

FIRST GRADE
3-large boxes of tissues
24-pencils-sharpened
4-large pink erasers
1-supply box-small
4-boxes-24 count CRAYOLA crayons
12-glue sticks
2-Highlighters
2-composition noteboooks
1-pkg of antibacterial wipes
1-roll of paper towels
1-box of ZIPLOC bags w/zipper
1-pair of scissors-blunt end
1-3-ring view binder
4-Dry Erase Markers
1-box CRAYOLA Colored Pencils
1-box CRAYOLA washable markers for ART

SECOND GRADE
1-Supply Box (small)
24-Pencils (TICONDEROGA Brand)
8-Glue Sticks(No bottle glue)
4-Pink Pearl Erasers
1-Pair of scissors
2-Boxes of 24 count Crayola crayons
2-Boxes of Crayola Colored Pencils
4-Fine Tip Dry Erase Markers
2-Composition Notebooks
1-Roll of Paper Towels
1-pkg Clorox wipes
3-Large Boxes of Tissue
1-Container of Wet Wipes
1-Pair of Headphones (no earbuds)
Sandwich Size Ziplock bags with Zipper
Closure(Norton Only)
1-Clipboard(Rupp Only)
2-Highlighters(Rupp Only
4-pocket folders(Rupp Only)

Third Grade
24-pencils(sharpened)
2-large boxes of tissues
2-box of crayons
2-pairs of scissors
2-Expo markers, black, fine point
2-boxes of markers(8)
1-small supply box
2-highlighters
4-large pink erasers
2-glue sticks
1-bottle of School Glue
1-composite notebook
2-pkg. notebook paper, wide-ruled
2-pkg. antibacterial wipes
1-1” black ring binders, plastic cover on the
front
3-pocket folders, plain colors
2-roll of paper towels
1-box CRAYOLA colored pencils for ART

Fourth Grade
1-box of crayons
1-pair of scissors
36-pencils(sharpened)
2-large pink erasers
3-spiral notebooks
8-glue sticks
1-pkg. of BLACK dry erase markers
1-pkg. of loose leaf notebook paper
1-pair of Headphones
4-Colored folders(green, red, yellow, blue)
2-boxes of tissues
1-container of Clorox or Lysol Wipes
Gallon size bags
Lunch size bags
Box of markers(optional)
1-pkg. ELMER brand glue sticks for ART

5th/6th PE Supplies
T-shirt
Shorts
Socks
Comb/brush
Deodorant

Fifth Grade
2-Large Boxes of Tissues
24-pencils(sharpened)
4-glue sticks
5-pocket folders w/fasteners
1-pack notecards
1-supply box
1-pair of scissors-pointed end
1-box of crayons
2-pkg of notebook paper-wide ruled
1-ruler w/inches & centimeters
1-box colored pencils
1-box of markers-basic set
1-box of dry erase markers
3-spiral notebooks
2-composite notebooks
1-container of Clorox wipes
1-bottle of hand sanitizer
1-pkg. erasers pink pearl or paper mate block
for ART

Sixth Grade
Coloring Supplies(crayons, colored pencils, or
markers)
1-calculator
1-pkg. 3”x5” notecards
1-pkg. 4”x6” notecards
24-pencils-sharpened
12-glue sticks
1-pkg. Notebook Paper
2-Composition Notebooks
2-1 ½” binders
1-pair of scissors
1-supply box
1-pkg. Clorox wipes
1-box of tissues
1-roll of paper towels
4-pack-Expo dry erase markers
1-pair Earbuds
1-pkg. Ticonderoga #2 pencils for ART

The post 2019-2020 Oakwood Grade School Supply List first appeared on SJO Daily.