The beginning of a new school year is upon us and it is sure to be a great one in Oakwood Schools. I wanted to take a moment to welcome you to the 2019-20 school year and share a few thoughts.

The past 12 months have been challenging for the Miami Valley and our district but we have stepped up to meet the challenges and are stronger than ever.  As our neighbors have been challenged with tornadoes and acts of violence, our school community wrestled with multiple losses of our own.  We will miss our beloved students, alumni and staff who are no longer with us.  And we welcome those new faces who have joined our team to help carry on the legacy and tradition of excellence in Oakwood.

During the summer, we were able to accomplish a number of projects and begin some of the long-range work our community approved this spring.  With the coordination of the Oakwood Schools Foundation and generous donors, we were able to create two new areas for our students, staff and community.  

The new Lange Playground is ready and waiting for members of the Class of 2032 and in the next few weeks, finishing touches will be complete on the Oakwood Alumni Plaza at OJH/OHS.  Both of these projects, made possible by private donations, will enhance our facilities and our students’ experiences.  Design work is being done now for Phase 1 of our MasterFacilities Plan.  Engineers have been working throughout the summer, meeting with District Core Team members, touring facilities and gaining the necessary information to make critical decisions about the final design.  Operations Coordinator Todd Scott will continue to update you on the MFP in his blog, “From the Ground Up.” 

We continue to evaluate our safety and security measures.  We have taken advantage of safety resources available to Ohio Schools in the SaferOH program.  Included in this program is an anonymous tip line, allowing students or adults to share information with school officials and law enforcement about threats to student safety - whether that involves a mass event or harm to a single student.  Calls or texts to 844-SaferOH (844-723-3764) are answered by analysts in the Ohio Homeland Security’s Threat Assessment and Prevention (TAP) Unit.  When action is needed, the TAP Unit immediately forwards information to local school officials, local law enforcement agencies and others, if necessary.  

Our Timber, Take 5 and Homeroom teams have prepared great opportunities that will be rolled out in the coming months to help develop the social and emotional well being of our students.  In addition, OHS students have been training and developing a Hope Squad.  The Hope Squad program is a peer support team that partners with local mental health agencies “to watch for at-risk students, provide friendship, identify suicide-warning signs and seek help from adults.” (Hope Squad website)

During this school year, you will start to see other changes we have made.  You will certainly notice continued improvements in the area of communications. Results of the 2019 Communication Survey will continue to guide us in making adjustments to our processes for communicating with parents, residents, students and staff.  You will see more electronic forms and a new and improved format for newsletters. You can sign up for these messages on our District website. 

On our website you can also find opportunities for students and parents to be involved with our community groups.  From Athletic Boosters to Fine Arts Boosters (formerly Oakwood Arts Bridge) to PTO, Oakwood Schools Foundation and Oakwood Alumni Association, information can be found under the Community tab on the District home page. 

We will continue to share our progress and updates as we wrap up a very busy summer and head into another terrific school year.  If you have questions, concerns or comments, we want to hear from you. We look forward to working with all of our stakeholders to make their Oakwood experience a positive one.

Again, if you are new to the district or just want to get involved more in the schools, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.