Plant seeds of happiness wherever you go!

School is almost out for summer and I am ending my two year term as your PTO President.  It has been a privilege to serve as PTO President of Oak Mountain Elementary school. The parents show an enthusiastic level of commitment to the school, and the teachers, staff and administration share their loving care each day. Thank you for your confidence in me and for teaching me so much.   It was my intention to foster an environment where parents and teachers felt comfortable and knew they were needed.  I feel we have created an inviting environment.  We have a full PTO Board but there is always room for more as many hands make for light work.  Please accept this invitation for you to get involved.

OMES has been a part of my life since it opened in 1990 when my mother, Evelyn Blake, was the first principal.  As a high school senior, I remember hearing my mother talking about the donated artwork and how it would be hung at the eye level of the children.  It was that same year that my father, Ed Blake, grew an oak tree from an acorn and planted the seedling in front of the principal’s window.  It is a symbol of how the loving care of something as tiny as an acorn can grow to be amazing just as a child grows into an outstanding citizen.  The tree stands 22 years strong today and is a popular place for hanging piñatas during the closing of the kindergarten unit on Mexico.  As an OMES parent, I have seen many acts of kindness such as planting the tree that build such a strong sense of community.  I share this story with you because it is my hope to pass it on as Oak Mountain folklore as a part of our history.  It serves as a reminder that one person can make a difference.

We have several third grade PTO members leaving to go to OMIS, and I thank all of you for your hard work and dedication. You will be missed!   Please join me in welcoming Marci Hackbarth as the next PTO President.  She has been an active member in PTO and spearheaded the change from Spring Into Art to Fall Fun Fest.  It was quite the event to orchestrate which she did it with ease.  I know she will do a fabulous job. 

Plant seeds of happiness wherever you go!

Rebecca Sandidge – OMES PTO President

OMES Safety Summit Second Cup of Coffee

OMES

Safety Summit

Thursday, May 3^rd

We would like to invite you to join us for “A Second Cup of Coffee” on Thursday, May 3^rd in our PTO Room. We have scheduled speakers to cover nearly every aspect of keeping kids and families safe. We are so excited to have experts from the fields of child sexual abuse prevention, meteorology, law enforcement and technology with us to provide us with pertinent information on how to keep children safe. Coffee and refreshments will be provided by our PTO Hospitality Committee and Community Coffee. Please feel free to bring friends, neighbors and family members. Anyone is welcome to attend!

8:00- Ray Joiner, Owens House Family Advocate

Mr. Joiner will provide an overview of the Owens House and the services that are provided at the Owens House and other Child Advocacy Centers across the state. He will discuss sexual safety and how to keep children safe from sexual predators. Following his talk, Mr. Joiner will answer audience members’ questions.

9:00- Richard Scott, WVUA Chief Meteorologist

Mr. Scott will discuss Severe Weather Safety and the steps that you should take to keep your family safe during severe weather threats. As a survivor of the April 27^th tornadoes, Mr. Scott will share information about that event as well as what we can learn from the tragedy that our state faced just a year ago.

10:00- Deputy Charles Morgan,Oak Mountain School Resource Officer

Deputy Morgan will share his role in keeping students at all Oak Mountain schools safe. He will also provide helpful information on steps that you can take to protect your family and prepare your children to make choices that will keep them safe.

11:00- Leslie Cash, Shelby County Schools Technology Department

The Internet and social media are part of our lives and this will only become more so in the lives of our children. Along with all the benefits, there are risks associated with both. Join Mrs. Cash as she discusses ways to protect both your children and yourselves.

If you have questions, please contact OMES Counselor, Hayden Belisle at 682-5237 or hbelisle@shelbyed.k12.al.us.

April Boosterthon a Huge Success

I hope you all had a wonderful Spring Break full of love and laughter. It’s hard to believe that we are into the last nine weeks of school!

The Boosterthon fundraiser was a huge success. It launched with the famous Boosterthon Kickoff pep-rally. I did not know that we have such wonderful dancers in the school. Everyone had a blast!! I am very grateful for the support shown by our teachers, administration, parents and children. Shannon Mills, Gina Savage and Catherine McCluer did a fabulous job leading us in our biggest fundraiser. The group of gentlemen that have been at our school since the kickoff has impacted our children in ways that are immeasurable. It was fun watching them interact while at OMES. What a great experience for the students! They are getting a great education and learning life lessons at the same time.

We have a lot going on this month. Kindergarten/New Student registration is Tuesday, April 3 (12-6:00pm) & Wednesday, April 4 (7-11:00am). The PTO General Session meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 10 at 11:00. We will be voting on the officers for next year, so please try to attend. Field Day is scheduled for Thursday, April 19.

Our school counselor, Mrs. Belisle, will host a Second Cup of Coffee on Thursday, May 3. This is a mini-parenting day that will focus on our children’s safety. I am excited for this safety event that has been in the planning stages since February to occur just before we break for summer. We will have speakers from Owens House, Children’s Advocacy Center as well as our OMES School Resource Officer. Internet and weather safety will also be discussed. Look for the schedule for a Second Cup of Coffee in the coming weeks.

We are always looking for volunteers to serve on the PTO. A great way to get involved is to attend a PTO meeting. I hope to see you on April 10.

Rebecca Sandidge, PTO President

March is going to be a fun month!

Thank you to everyone who attended our PTO General Session meeting in February. The minutes from that meeting are posted on the OMES website. Our March PTO meeting is a planning meeting and will be held on Tuesday, March 13 at 11am. All parents are invited as usual.

The Birmingham News reported a few Sundays ago, that parent involvement at
home makes a difference in a child’s performance in school. Parent involvement by volunteering and participating in fundraisers also makes a difference in the life of a school. We are lucky to have such wonderful parent support at Oak Mountain Elementary. Clipping BoxTops and participating in fundraisers gives the PTO the ability to help
the school purchase many things for the children to use at the school (e.g. purchasing computers, laptops and promethean boards for each classroom and replenishing the mulch on playgrounds are a few examples). I want to
congratulate all of the OMES families who have clipped BoxTops this year. OMES raised $5,000.

Acts of Kindness Week, where we showed our appreciation to the teachers, was a success this year and was very much appreciated. The teachers and staff enjoyed lunch donated by Jim‘N Nicks as well as many small acts of kindness the week of Valentine’s Day. I want to give a huge thank you to our Room Mom Coordinators Misti Steed and Natalie Ellison for coordinating the Acts of Kindness Week for the PTO as well as the room mothers for implementing the plan.

March is going to be a fun month! We have a FUN fundraiser coming up on March 15th—Boosterthon. Boosterthon is a fun run that takes place on the field behind the school. My favorite part of Boosterthon is the week before the event where the Boosterthon Guys plant seeds of good character. I am so thankful for the positive male role models for my children who are growing up so quickly and to know their friends participate in the same week of character education. All parents are invited to watch the Boosterhon run on March 15th.

It is hard to believe that we are in the last semester of this school year. In March and April,families will have the opportunity to participate in
two community outreach philanthropies. We will be collecting school supplies for Center Point Elementary that was destroyed in the January 23rd tornado. We will also participate in the Birmingham Reads program that is coordinated by The Literacy Council and Better Basics. Books will be collected for children in Shelby County, Jefferson County and Birmingham City Schools. The school that collects the most books will win $1,000 for their library.

There are a lot of opportunities to get involved. I urge you to pick one activity and participate in the PTO. We are currently filling positions for next year’s PTO board. Serving on the board is a great way to become more involved and to meet new people. Please contact me if you are interested. Thanks for all that you do to make
OMES a better place for our children.

— Rebecca Sandidge, OMES PTO President
becsandidge@bellsouth.net

Grateful for Our Oak Mountain Community

Grateful. As I review our fun-filled October, I feel so grateful. Character in Service, Parenting Day, Red Ribbon Week, Math Team, Teacher Treats, Duty-free Lunch and Fall Fun Fest kept everyone busy.

Our counselor, Mrs. Belisle coordinated a very informative Parenting Day. We heard from several of our teachers on current parenting matters. I continue to be amazed at the level of talent that we have at our school. As parents, we witnessed first-hand the expertise our teachers and staff share with our children.

Mid-month, our teachers enjoyed a fabulous Fall Harvest Luncheon provided by Mellow Mushroom and Brava Grill.

We ended the month with a celebration. A BIG thank you to everyone who came out and supported the second annual Fall Fun Fest. The committee, a.k.a. Fall Fun Fest Fanatics, planned each detail under the leadership of Emily Thompson and Marci Hackbarth. It was fun for the entire family. Melissa Ogle and Kaye Smith did a fantastic job publicizing the event. Ashley Kitchens combined recycling with crafts to spend a minimal amount on supplies. Have you ever seen such beautiful artwork on the faces of children? Daniel Vickery was an amazing balloon artist. Brent and Lynn Walker, with Cre8tive Signs and Graphics, donated our yard signs and the carpool count-down sign, The silent auction was full of so many interesting and useful donations. I am thankful for our parents working on behalf of the school to collect donations. The Silent Auction requires the coordinating proficiency of Misti Steed. She handled it with ease. Please note the donators and think of them when shopping in the community. The event would not be possible without the parent, OMHS and OMMS volunteers. We had a record number of Give Me 5 volunteers thank you to Amanda Foree’s coordination. Another thank you goes to the Ticketing guru Mindy Miller and our PTO treasurers Katie Burnett and Sara O’Dell. No one conducts a hayride like our very own Robert Smelcher. Mrs. Darby, Mrs. Galloway, Becky McCullough and Judy Vatella helped the whole day. Their support and team spirit was tremendously appreciated by everyone. There are many, many people that played a role in the ‘howling’ success of Fall Fun Fest. I personally had a wonderful time getting to know the parent volunteers even more and developing friendships that will last a lifetime. For that, I am grateful.

There are several exciting things left for us this year. Please contact me if you would like to get involved in PTO. Holiday Shop is just around the corner. We always need parents to assist shoppers.
Remember, school is closed on November 11th, 23rd, 24th and 25th.

I appreciate all you do for OMES. Keep up the enthusiasm, it is contagious!

November PTO

Please take a moment to read this month's newsletter to find out the latest OMES information. You can find the OMES Oak Leaf Newsletter on the OMES school website. Our November PTO Meeting is tomorrow at 11am in room 404. Dr. Irma Palmer will return to speak to us about Health and Wellness for 10-15 minutes after the PTO meeting. See you tomorrow!

The 2nd annual OMES Fall Fun Fest this Saturday 9am-3pm. The community is welcome to enjoy the wonderful fall event!

I hope you are all planning to attend the OMES Fall Fun Fest tomorrow!! We will have activity armbands available at the door. $5 jim n Nick plate ticket and $.50 snack tickets. We will also have a vendor hall and a Silent Auction full of wonderful items. See below!!
Gifts of time from teachers
Lunch with the Principal
Lunch with the Assistant Principal
Calling Carpool Numbers
Birthday on the School Marquee
PE Coach for a Day
Junior Librarian for a Day
A variety of themed baskets,
3 beach getaways
1 lake getaway
Signed Nick Saban football
Christmas baskets
Oak Mountain Spirit baskets
Mom’s Night Off
Date Night
Birthday parties
Many more!
Donations to treat yourself
A Glow to Go
Brooke Ballard Massage
Capelli Salon
Chiropractic Today
Gege's Salon
Henry Schein Dental
Lisa G. Wilson, DMD
Martin Bentley Dermatology
Mt. Laurel Dentistry
Nail Tip
Pure Barre 280
Pure Wax and Tan
Richard Joseph Studio SalonSpa at Belk
T-Fox Salon
Valleydale Dental - Gentry Gonzalez
Donations from a
variety of local restaurants
Bojangle's
Brava Rotisserie Grill
Brother Zeke's - Hoover
Cantina
Chick-Fil-A at Inverness
Dyar's Daylight Donuts
Edgar's Bakery
Homemade Cakes by Linda
Joe's Crab Shack
Kona Ice
Melting Pot
Momma Goldberg's-Inverness
Mughal Indian Cuisine
Pastry Art Bake Shoppe
Petrucelli's
Pizza Express
Ragtime Café
Shane's Rib Shack
Yogurt Twist
Zaxby's at Lee Branch

Donations from 5 photographers
E. Bailey Photography
Jennymo Designs
Meredith Rowlen
Custom Portraiture
Momentaker Photography
Recollections Photography
by Barbara Hardin
Donations for fun things to do
Birmingham Legends Soccer Club
Brook Highland Racquet Club
Cameron Oaks Farm
FarmLinks
Game Zone—Pelham
Gaminride
Iron Tribe Fitness
Sportplex
Items donated by...
AAA - Alabama Travel Services
Birmingham Barons
Bedzzz Express
Blossom Original
Cahaba Valley Animal Clinic
Cheeriodicals
Citrus Solution Carpet Cleaning
Cre8tive Signs and Graphics
Creative Quilting by Cindy Payne
Earthborn Studios
Ella and Oliver
HollyDays
Inverness Raquet Club
Louise's Cakes-n-Things
MyThirtyOne - Amanda Graves
Rocky Ridge Pharmacy
Target - 280
The Escape Artist
Two Sisters Design
University of Alabama Hockey Team
Walmart - Pelham
Whimsical Paper