Wildcat RevieW

Winter 2016

Wildcat revieWO x f O r d c O m m u n i t y s c h O O l s

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AMY WUPOSITION: DA and OES Chinese Teacher

EDUCATION: M.A. in Teaching and Cur-riculum, Michigan State

BAsiA OstrOWskiPOSITION: OVA Math Teacher

EDUCATION: M.A. in Secondary Teacher Education, University of Phoenix

siAn MArshAllPOSITION: Data Specialist

sUe MOrrisOnPOSITION: OELC Assistant Teacher

dAvid WAlkerPOSITION: OES Fifth Grade Teacher

EDUCATION: B.S. in Elementary Edu-cation, Oakland University

stephen MixOnPOSITION: Building Technician for

Lakeville and Leonard

heAther thickPOSITION: OMS Counselor

EDUCATION: M.S. in Educational Counseling, University of La Verne

stephAnie tUrekPOSITION: Leonard Administrative

Assistant

shAWn crOsBYPOSITION: Clear Lake Paraprofessional

dAnA ActOnPOSITION: OELC Assistant Teacher

MelissA legendrePOSITION: Clear Lake Special Education

Paraprofessional

kellY neighOrnPOSITION: OELC Assistant Teacher

lOrettA christensenPOSITION: OELC Assistant Teacher

W e l c O m e t O O x f O r d

A continuation of 2015-16 neW staff

Jennifer gUthriePOSITION: OMS Special Education

Paraprofessional

AMAndA strAUsePOSITION: Lakeville Special Edu-

cation Paraprofessional

Continuation of Strategic Visioning Process article on page 10

oXforD 20/20: a strategic Visioning Process for stuDent

achieVement

Strategic planning or strategic process? Dynam-ic or static? A one-day event or an ongoing organ-ic process? Welcome to Oxford 20/20: A Strate-gic Visioning Process for Student Achievement.

Believe it or not, we have been actively engaged in strategic planning activities. In the spring of 2015, the necessary steps were taken to begin this new strategic process — one that many do not even recognize is happening. Please allow me to identify some of the key areas that are a part of our strategic visioning process.

In the area of INNOVATION, Oxford Schools strives to remain at the forefront of educa-tion. An educator is always thinking of new and improved ways to reach students. Teams of people are continually creating and updating our district improvement plan and individual school improvement plans. The Curriculum Department has undergone some major reor-ganization to better serve and develop student growth. This department focuses on ways to best serve the individual needs of every stu-dent that is currently enrolled in our district, and it also prepares to meet the needs of any potential student who has not yet entered our doors. We are implementing the use of for-mative and common assessments with a new tool called Illuminate. There has also been a restructuring of Career Technology Education at the high school to allow the district to in-crease the number of opportunities for students and to capitalize on more grant-funded pro-grams that will have a direct financial impact.

In the area of HUMAN CAPITAL, the district has already begun to review and modify both teacher and administrator evaluation rubrics using a program called iObservation. This investment in HUMAN CAPITAL directly impacts leadership today (employees) as it de-velops future leaders (students) of tomorrow. Our employees have contributed to the district in key areas that have allowed for financial flex-ibility. Last year, employees agreed to a new insurance plan. This decision has helped us to

m-steP results

W O r l d - c l a s s e d u c a t i O n

oms stuDents striVe to be better eVery day

Director of the Oxford International Program Chunchun Tang was one of ten K-12 educators chosen from across Michigan to participate in the Ger-stacker Fellowship program in 2016. The participants, known as Gerstacker Fellows, were selected based on past ac-ademic and service accomplishments, along with outside recommendations. An endowment from The Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation of Midland funds the program and fellows meet

monthly on weekends. Throughout the next year, the Gerstacker Fellows will receive concentrated leadership train-ing from Saginaw Valley State Univer-sity faculty who will instruct the group on subjects dealing with organizational leadership, ethics, finances, commu-nication, human resources, entrepre-neurship and education with a global perspective. Oxford Gerstacker Fellow-ship alumni include Kurt Nuss, Mary-anne Moriconi, and Dacia Beazley.

tang aWarDeD gerstacker felloWshiP

When the Oxford Middle School administrative planning team reflected on areas of potential program growth, it decided to focus its efforts on the Advisory program. Assistant Principal Maryanne Moriconi was charged with leading an initiative to revamp the 25-minute Advisory class that students have each day. The objective was to develop a curriculum grounded in leadership skills with a focus on academic enrichment, teamwork, anti-bullying lessons, and diversity, as well as how to become productive citizens not only from a community perspective but also a global one. The thematic approach of the curriculum has matured from previous leadership experiences to integrate the concept of Be Better Every Day through both individual and group goals. This year, the OMS staff and student body embraced the curriculum with great success.

At the beginning of the school year, each student came up with his own personal Be Better Every Day goal to strive toward for the entire year. Moriconi explained, “For example, one student has a goal to ‘be more focused.- So when I see her in the hall, I ask her to give me examples of how she is meeting her goal today.” Students are enjoying the new approach to Advisory. “We are learning more about the world and how we are a part of it,” said eighth-grade student Ella Nash. Moriconi added, “The Advisory curriculum has been rigorous for the staff and students, but the outcomes have been very positive. They have risen to the challenge and supported the change. We all really believe in the potential of these kids.”

Each month, Advisory classes have a different focus on how to Be Better.

December’s focus was Be a Contributor. To connect students to a real-life experience, students chose and then voted on a charity to support as a school. The Make-A-Wish Foundation was the winner, with The Wounded Warrior Project running a close second. The Make-A-Wish Foundation helps to support children with life-threatening medical conditions.

The week before Christmas break, the staff and students of OMS participated in Penny Wars to raise money for their chosen charity. During Penny Wars, each Advisory class was to collect as many pennies as possible. The battle became heated when (during a specified time in Advisory) students could sabotage other classrooms’ efforts by adding silver coins – nickels, dimes, and quarters – to their buckets. The value of each silver coin deducted penny points from that classroom’s total. There were three ways classes could win the war: most positive points, most negative points or the most money raised. The winning classes would receive breakfast made by the administration. The goal of the building was to raise a total of $100. The students succeeded their goal beyond expectation by raising $6,527.37! “I am so proud of the students and the staff,” Moriconi said with a smile. Principal Dacia Beazley is also extremely proud of the OMS staff and students:, “The staff really got into it, encouraging the students and helping them strategize to win. Teachers were even on the floor with the kids sorting coins.” In the coming months, Make-A-Wish Michigan will be partnering with OMS to implement a celebration assembly where students will be able to present the donation as well as learn about the wish they have granted. Keep up the outstanding work, OMS!

Lakeville Elementary staff members Kerry Cisneros, Michelle Candella, Suzanne Senyk and Laura Powers were EACH winners of the Meemic Foundation Scholastic Book Fair Grant! A $100 Scholastic gift card was presented to each of them in December to help supply their class-rooms with new reading materials. The students are happily reaping the rewards of the teachers’ efforts and success in the grant competi-tion. Congratulations, Lakeville!

12/17/2015

Oxford Community Schools

Spring 2015 State Assessments:

M-Step and ACT Scores

GradeOxford Michigan Oxford Michigan Oxford Michigan Oxford Michigan

3 52 50 57 49 NA NA NA NA4 61 47 64 41 21 12 NA NA5 59 49 49 33 NA NA 25 226 60 45 48 33 NA NA NA NA7 59 49 50 33 39 23 NA NA8 63 48 49 32 NA NA 48 30

11 43 49 28 28 32 29 48 44

English Language Arts Math Science Social studiesM-Step Spring 2015: Percent Proficient scoring 3 or 4

School Year Oxford Michigan Oxford Michigan Oxford Michigan Oxford Michigan Oxford Michigan

2011-12 19.2 18.7 19.5 19.7 20.5 19.5 20.5 19.9 20.0 19.62012-13 19.3 18.8 19.9 19.6 20.2 19.6 20.5 20.1 20.1 19.72013-14 19.0 18.9 20.3 19.6 20.1 19.8 20.7 20.1 20.2 19.82014-15 19.2 19.4 19.4 19.5 20.2 20.1 20.3 20.1 19.9 19.9

Average ACT Scores Grade 11 Tested Students

English Mathematics Reading Science Composite

meemic grant Winners

Last spring, students across Michigan participated in the first online state assessment in grades three through eight and eleven, known as the M-STEP. During the month of January, individual student results were sent home for students who participated last spring. In the table, you will see the district aggregate results, which indicate the number of students who were proficient on the M-STEP. Included in the graph are the state results.

Getting children ready to take their place in the world is challenging. The knowledge and skills students need for a well-paying job continually evolve to meet current and future workplace demands. To ensure students can meet these demands, the State Board of Education

routinely strengthens Michigan learning standards. These standards broadly outline what students need to know and should be able to do in each subject and grade level to be career and college-ready upon high school graduation. The standards also serve as a foundation from which teachers develop classroom curriculum and lesson plans.

Today’s standards challenge students to:

• Understand subject matter more deeply. • Learn how to think critically. • Apply what they learn in the real world. • Make learning more relevant in their lives.

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OMS seventh- and eighth-grade choirs pay tribute to area veterans in the 13th annual Americana Concert on November 10.

Leonard Elementary hosts breakfast honoring veterans.

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Continuation from page 2

Oxford Students donated over 370 pounds of Halloween candy that filled over 140 Christmas stockings sent to U.S. soldiers overseas. Speech and Language Therapist Elizabeth Davis organized the OCS candy collection. Davis worked in conjunction with The Desert Angels, the Desert Angels K9’s, The Ortonville Sewing Club. The Ortonville Sewing Club created the stockings, filled them with the donated candy, included notes and shipped them to the deployed troops.

Soldiers sent several notes of gratitude after receiving the stockings. Sergeant Zachary, currently stationed in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, wrote, “I just want to express how grateful my troops, and I are for this! It’s always nice to see that people still support us and keep us on their minds!” Another soldier, Eileen, corresponded, “On behalf of the brothers and sisters I serve with, I want to thank you. We recently received one of your packages and couldn’t be more grateful.”

strategic Visioning Process

stOckings fOr sOldiers

PatriOt’s Pen essay Winners:

On December 17, four OMS students were honored by the North Oakland Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 334 for their entries in the Patriot’s Pen essay contest. Sixth through eighth graders from OMS submitted 300-400 word essays on the theme, “What Freedom Means to Me.”

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nori

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ur

Pictured left to right- First Place: Katerina Dimcevski; Second Place: Kendall Losee; Thrid Place: Kate Wozniak; Fourth Place: Katie Dietiker During the eighth-grade trip to

Washington, D.C., students place a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier.

provide three financial increases in two-and-a-half years. There has also been considerable activity at the Administration Building. A building that once housed 14 individuals was reorganized in order to improve our level of service to the community. Today our downtown facility hosts 26 individuals that were once located in other areas of the district. The traffic pattern within the building was adjusted to permit easier access to employees who work in departments that interact most often with the staff and the community. The Office of the Superin-tendent, Student Services and Communications are now located on the main level of the building.

FINANCE and OPERATIONS is an area that we de-pend on, as it supports everything we do to increase student achievement. FINANCE now reports quar-terly to the board of education. OPERATIONS has started to define a long-range facility plan, a long-range technology plan and an updated safety plan.

The last area is COMMUNITY. In an effort to bet-ter serve the COMMUNITY, the district developed a new website to enhance the communication of information and rearranged the downtown admin-istrative offices. The district continues to seek out strategic partnerships and is committed to gather-ing input from the community via various avenues such as the monthly superintendent office hours and annual parent, student, staff and community surveys. Please take a moment to fill out the surveys online and help us to complete the COMMUNITY piece needed to continue our strategic process.

Community/Parent Engagement survey: http://tinyurl.com/oxfordparents

Student Engagement (6th-12th grades) survey: http://tinyurl.com/oxfordstudents

A strategic visioning process builds upon the ac-complishments of the past, acts upon opportuni-ties today, enables a sustaining culture, identifies strategic goals, ensures all areas of the organization supports those goals, and adapts structures and processes for optimal learning and growth (both financially and academically). Over the course of the next several months, we will be entering a new phase of the strategic visioning process. We will be gathering survey data, holding board and admin-istrative workshops, and identifying our most im-portant academic goals in which all areas of the dis-trict will be aligned to facilitate their achievement.

As always, we welcome your input and hope you will help us to create the per-fect visioning process with Oxford 20/20.

t O m O r r O W ’ s l e a d e r s

lights, camera, action!

Identical twins Jason and Justin Pass are students in the Oxford Virtual Academy. Their stage names in the film industry are Jason and Justin Tebbets. Jason and Justin became part of the Oxford Wildcat family when they decided to try OVA to have the mobility needed to follow their acting careers. Although they only began acting a year ago, they have accumulated a full and diverse portfolio including commercials, music videos, television, and film.

Jason and Justin needed to move to Atlanta for three months this year to work on set, as Atlanta has become the third largest market for film and television. An education through OVA made that move possible. The Tebbets’ credits while in Atlanta include two episodes of Survivor’s Remorse, an Original Starz production; the movie The Accountant

Track and field athlete Connor Bandel has achieved his goal of gaining the opportunity to compete with a Division 1 College that has the potential to win a national championship. Bandel signed his letter of intent with the University of Florida on November 17, 2015, and he will recieve a full scholarship. Currently, Bandel holds the 2015 MHSAA Boys D1 Shot Put & Discus State Championship Title and earned second place titles for both discus and shot in the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics in July of 2015. His drive for success occurs off of the field as well, and he plans to study chemical or biomedical engineering while at the University of Florida.

connor banDel signs With uniVersitY of

floriDa

On Saturday, December 12, 2015, 77 members of Oxford’s HOSA–Health Occupation Students of America, competed in the regional leadership conference against over 500 students in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Students competed in two types of events: skills events and leadership events. Fourty-nine Oxford students placed in the top ten in their respective events and qualified for the state competition, which will take place in Traverse City, Michigan, in April, where they expect to compete against over 3000 students. If students place in the top five, they will qualify for the national competition in Nashville, Tennes-see, in June. In the skills events, students demonstrate skills in areas such as physical therapy, emergency medicine, nursing, sports medicine, dental science, or veterinary science. Students are judged on their performance as well as their knowledge of the field. In the leadership events, students prepare presentations and speeches on a given topic related to the medical field.

First PlaceDental Science- Brennan Burrows EMT- Jacob Lewinski and Mandalyn Sterner CERT (Community Emergency Response Team)- Quinn Kimball and Zack Acton Veterinary Science- Brooke BogerCareer Health Display- Kendall Todd and Abigail Wiseman

Third PlaceNursing- Rosalind Schassburger Medical Photography- Emily BurrowsDental Science- Nataleigh MuscottPhysical Therapy- Jordyn ZyngierJob Seeking Skills- Monique GarrettHealthy–Lifestyles- Stephanie Heirman

Top 10 FinalistsPathophysiology- Elise GodfrydBehavioral Health- Bridget GrabowskiEpidemiology- Sofia Hessler Dental Science- Katelyn Whitlatch, Annalise Cornell, and Ling XiongPublic Service Announcement- Andrew Richardson, Jonathon Rob, and Alexander MazurekEMT- Kohli Johnson, Raynor Rusinowski, William Quackenbush, and Vanessa DinhPhysical Therapy- Emma Gordon, Madeline Gordon, and Jenna CarsonVeterinary Science- Haley Smiley and Sarah SchaeferHealthy Lifestyles- Cade BellHOSA Bowl- Sophia Bell, Chloe Jones, Hannah Long, and Grace ClelandNursing- Madison McClear and Sydney HillPublic Health- Matt Olson, Sarah Good, and Amanda MooreResearched Persuasive Speaking- Madison MeeronCareer Health Display- Ashanti Huddleston, Sierra Stover, Ana Gayton, Claire Clifton, Taylor Cole and Jenna Vanloon

hosa stuDents QualifY for states

starring Ben Affleck, which will air in 2016; and the film Billy Lynn’s Long Half-Time Walk starring Steve Martin, which will air in 2016 as well.

They have recently moved back to Michigan to fulfill a commitment with Pine Creek Films where they are starring in a web series called Dreamscape, airing in 2016. The boys were also on set in an upcoming movie filmed in Detroit called North, starring Patrick Schwarzenegger, son of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and broadcaster Maria Shriver. Jason and Justin’s mother Suzan shares, “The boys love being on set…the hardest part of acting is the long hours and time involved in auditioning –only to be rejected. You have to have a thick skin to work in the film and TV industry.” We look forward to seeing our fellow Wildcats on the big screen!

oms robotics team aDVances to state chamPionshiPThe OMS TOWR (the Oxford Wildcats Ro-bots) team competed in the regional robotics championship against 24 other teams and took fourth place. Although this achievement alone did not earn the team an invitation to the state competition, when combined with accolades for its character, TOWR was selected to advance. TOWR was awarded the Connect Award for its outreach efforts to the Oxford Community. It was also awarded nominations for the Motivate Award (for exhibiting team building, spirit, and enthusiasm) and the Inspire Award (for demon-strating respect and gracious professionalism).

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The Oxford High School Business Profession-als of America (BPA) team had its regional leadership conference Wednesday, December 16, and the team represented the Wildcats extremely well. BPA is an organization that challenges students in a variety of business-related fields such as accounting, website de-sign, and even parliamentary procedures.

The twenty-four member team accomplished outstanding results: twenty-one members placed and the other three received honorable mention.

TEAM EVENT WINNERS

Broadcast News Team- First PlaceLeo BaldigaLakin FelixDeanna PrzyblskiKathrine Sanchez

Global Marketing Team- First PlaceIzaak OssegeAlex MazurekMatthew CruzJordan Brinker

Parliamentary Procedure Team- Second PlaceDryden CalcaterraHannah SchonfeldLuke AutcherJoseph Glenn

INDIVIDUAL EVENT WINNERS

Visual Basics/C# ProgrammingGreg Martin- First Place

Advanced AccountingKristen Evans- First Place

Fundamentals of AccountingLuke Autcher- First Place

Fundamentals of Web DesignStephen Reynolds - First Place

Interview SkillsEthan Cherian- First Place

Parliamentary Procedures Open Test Dryden Calcaterra- First Place

bPa has great success

oXforD’s fine arts entertain for the holiDaYs

Historian and storyteller Genot Picor brought his-tory alive for Clear Lake students with interactive sto-rytelling, dance, and song. Students learned about the life of a French orphan immigrant who voyaged to and through Michigan as a fur trader 300 years ago.

interactiVe historY lesson

goats for africa

Fourth- and fifth-grade students at Leonard Elementary in the We Can Make a Difference group are asking for donations to help feed impoverished people in Africa. The donations will purchase as many goats as possible to give to African families in need. One goat costs $75 and can provide up to 16 cups of milk each day, which will supply families with protein, calcium and other vital nutrients. By giving goats to needy families, it not only provides daily nourishment but also allows the fam-ily to sell the extra milk to help them afford other necessities. Student services teacher Helen Andreou is the group’s advi-sor and explained, “This project teaches students to be com-passionate and to see beyond their community and their situ-ation.” She is always inspired and amazed by her students involved in this project. “They are dedicated. I feel very fortu-nate to be working with them. They certainly take this seri-ously.” If you would like to help their mission, donations can be dropped off at Leonard Elementary during school hours.

oes stuDents think like an artiSt

Photo courtesy of Sherman Publications

Oxford Theater’s production of It’s a Wonder-ful Life sold out all eight of its performanc-es in the Black Box Theater in November.

Thanks to the Detroit Institute of Arts, OES students had an opportunity to Think Like an Artist. In an effort to bring an educational, hands-on art experience beyond museum walls, the DIA has a fully furnished, 53-foot, double-expandable mobile classroom they call DIA Away: Think Like an Artist. The mobile classroom was stationed outside of OES on both November 4 and December 14 for the students to tour with their classes. Docents guided participants through the experience that was specifically designed to coordinate with school curriculum standards. According to the DIA, successful learners in the 21st century need to be creative and flexible thinkers in all subject areas. Think Like an Artist gave OES students an opportunity to study artists’ creative processes and identify the artists’ thinking strategies. The use of touchscreens, sliding panels, lift labels and other interactive elements, allowed students to discover how artists imagine new worlds, combine everyday objects in unexpected ways, collaborate with each other, fuse cultural traditions and keep their minds open to new possibilities.

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BOArD OF EDUCATION

ADMINISTrATIONTim Throne SuperintendentKen Weaver Assistant Superintendent

of Curriculum and InstructionSam Barna Assistant Superintendent of

Business and OperationsNancy Latowski Assistant Superintendent

of Human ResourcesDenise Sweat Assistant Superintendent

of Student Services

NON-PrOFIT OrG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPErMIT NO. 38

OXFOrD, MI

ECRWSSDATED MATERIAL - PLEASE PROCESS

POSTAL PATRONRESIDENTIAL AND BUSINESSOXFORD COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

Dan D’Alessandro PresidentKim Shumaker Vice-PresidentMike Schweig TreasurerMark Stepek SecretaryJoyce Brasington TrusteeCarol Mitchell TrusteeJim Reis Trustee

10 N. WashiNgtoN, oxford, Mi 48371 | WWW.oxfordschools.orgfacebook.com/oxfordcommunityschools

www.oxfordschools.org

holiDaY sPirit Was Plentiful throughout the District!