White Oak Financial Literacy Save The Date! Fundraising Project Spotlight This semester, the White Oak seniors’ The White Oak Senior Raffle Thank you to everyone who Saving Unit projects included the creation will be: contributed to or supported the of public service announcements on the importance of saving -- young and often. lower school bake sale! A special The seniors shared their project with their Friday, February 7th thanks to Mrs. Cestola for younger peers. They began with an activity Dinner at 6 PM coordinating the sale! $110 was using skittles (how many to save or spend) Raffle at 7 PM raised towards our technology that involved younger students guessing the fund! prices of popular items. Then the seniors Pasta Dinner Tickets will be shared a PowerPoint presentation with a $10 in advance or $12 at great video about savings (how to save and door. why). After that, the seniors demonstrated a savings jar with a visual of what to save for (setting goals). Finally, the younger Pasta Dinner tickets and students played a money scenario game where they rolled dice and had to either raffle tickets go on sale this spend money (lose skittles) or save money month! (receive skittles). If the younger students saved, they earned interest! In December we purchased a doc cam, projector, and cart for C Building thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Student Council and parent participation. Our next technology goal is to purchase the same set-up for A Building! The proceeds from the bake sale in December are a great start! Future technology expansion projects include updating some of our reading & writing support software. We will use this column each month to let you know about upcoming fundraisers, volunteer opportunities and progress towards our goals! Thank you all for your help! In December, White Oak seniors shared their financial literacy public service announcements and activities with their younger peers. Ugly Sweater Day Compass Team News The Compass Team, made up of On Thursday, December 19th, the Student Council hosted the annual White Oak Ugly Sweater Day. Our halls were filled with fabulously ‘ugly’ creations! Thanks high school and middle school to everyone who participated. students, joined residents in Armbrook Village's Compass Unit • Ugliest Sweater: Lauren Benard to make sparkling ornaments. The •Funniest Sweater: Josephine Cestola glitter sparkled cheerfully over our •Most Festive Sweater: Lucia Grimaldi •Most Creative Sweater: Jose Sanchez-Munoz hands and in all of our eyes! Student Council Advisor: Mr. Rodak Springfield Thunderbirds White Oak Night! Clinton York was thrilled to meet “Boomer,” the Thunderbirds mascot, at the December 7th White Oak Night at a Springfield Thunderbirds hockey game. The game featured a Teddy Bear Toss, during which a total of 5,887 teddy bears were donated to children in need. Class News Grade 10 News: Hey everyone, hope we all had a restful and Lower School News: relaxing holiday season. As we gear up to get The Lower school has had a busy month back in the swing of things, we as advisors collecting for the Westfield State are cooking up some great ideas for University food pantry and making fundraisers as well as that so often spoken posters and reminders to contribute to about class trip. Looking forward to getting the food drive. Our students once again back to the books and knowledge! visited the residents of Armbrook Village Class Advisors: Mr. Riley & Mr. to spread some Christmas cheer by Saccomani reading a variety of seasonal poems and books. Students read books about Hanukkah and Christmas and discussed Grade 11 News: what they hoped to get for Christmas. Breaking News for the 11th Grade! Semester The residents enjoyed the poems and one is nearly in the bag and another books that our students shared with adventure is about to begin. Just as semester them. The residents made a Christmas Kevin Brass, Grade 9 two is on its way, so is our fundraiser, The craft with a yummy chocolate bar for Snow Ball. The dance will be going down each of our students. We were also able Grade 9 News: Saturday, January 18th, which means the to partake of wonderful Christmas Happy New Year 9th graders! 2020! Wow 11th grade will be having a sleepover, set-up cookies as a snack together. Students that makes graduation year of 2023 sound on Friday, January 17th. Permission slips and teachers are looking forward to kind of close!! We hope you all had a great for the sleepover will be coming home soon, Christmas break to relax and enjoy vacation and happy holidays. Our student as well as information on the dance. special time with family and friends. to feature this month is Kevin Brass. Additionally, if anyone can lend us any Class Advisors: Ms. Emond & Mrs. Although Kevin is always good for a funny Christmas lights for the event, that would be Saloio joke and a way to make you smile, there is splendid. In other fundraising we have a more serious side to him as well! He decide that March will be our calendar would like to pursue a career as a fundraiser month, and since every day there Grade 7 & 8 News: firefighter and has already begun training! will be a winner, we are going to need to Happy New Year! It is 2020 and we are When he is not spending time at his fire work together to get some sweet prizes in. moving towards the last few weeks of the station, he likes learning about WWII Most importantly though a very happy first semester of the 2019-2020 school history. In fact, when we asked him to tell holiday from your friendly neighborhood year. This month’s birthday celebrations us about someone whom he admires he advisors. are Kyle Wickles on 1/10 and Olivia said it was General George Patton, a Class advisors: Mrs. Fuda, Mr. Girard, & Standish on 1/11. Happy Birthday to general from WWII. Beyond admiring his Mr. Welch both! bravery and successes in the war, Kevin admires him because he stuck to his word. The 7/8th grade classes have decided to Definitely a quality to admire! Kevin’s love Grade 12 News: of history transfers to school as well where do a community service project of a can Happy Holidays Everyone! It is important to tab collection for Shriners Hospital for history is his favorite class this year. He remember that when we return from break Children in Springfield. Each student at says his teacher is great and so was the there will only be a little over a month until the school has the opportunity to Boston field trip. Kevin didn’t list any the senior raffle on February 7th! We still participate in this community service outside winter activities as hobbies need prizes, so continue working hard to get project. At the end of the school year although he doesn’t mind helping out with donations for the raffle and send them in as there will be a gift card given to the the snow blowing when needed. But for fun soon as possible. We will have the raffle list student who donates the most can tabs he would rather stay indoors and go to RC and order forms available in January. We and a pizza party for the class that had Madness. He also enjoys go-kart racing. hope everyone had a fantastic vacation and the highest percentage of participation. He was hoping to receive a helmet for we are looking forward to the new year! We look forward to giving back to the Christmas to wear while racing. Glad to Class Advisors: Mr. Rodak & Ms.Gray-Ross local community. Upcoming activities hear you wear a helmet Kevin! But that will be discussed at our January class makes sense because as a firefighter you meeting! Class Advisors: Ms. Callahan & definitely know about safety!! Happy Mr. Tobin birthday Kevin! Class Advisors: Mrs. Seyler & Mr. Marshall Career Counseling Corner Health Center News By Ms. Rogers In December, two Career Counseling field trips went out with selected seniors and juniors. We visited Advance Manufacturing to explore a work environment for welders and machinists, and at Springfield Technical Community College, students met with learning specialists in the Disability Office and toured the campus, specifically focusing on health and technology programs. Seniors are busy submitting college applications or exploring apprenticeship and workforce opportunities. Juniors will be investigating results from career inventories in the coming weeks. We plan to work hard to utilize the present in order to prepare for the future and many Happy New Years! By Ms. Rogers January 2020 update from the Health Center: So, you made a few New Year’s White Oak School Proudly Presents the: resolutions… Did you know that the custom of starting the “new year” by making resolutions or intentions has been around for a very long time? Four thousand years ago the ancient Babylonians started their new year by making promises to their gods that they Featuring the hottest DJ in Westfield, DJ Daley! would pay their debts and return Open to Grades 5-12 borrowed goods. If they kept their promises, the gods were happy, and the ● The Snow-Ball Dance will be held in White Oak’s own Cafeteria, coming year would be a good one. Nowadays instead of making promises to Saturday, January 18th. The dance begins at 6pm and ends at 9pm. the gods, most people make resolutions ● Tickets will be on sale starting January 2nd, for the price of $25.00 only to themselves, and focus purely on (See Mrs.