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More NewsPrevious Announcements posted in the "What's New" section of our Home Page Board of Trustees ElectionsBoard of Trustees Elections will be held in May for two Board of Trustee
positions. A Board Development Committee is being created to organize and
develop policies & procedures for the elections. If you are interested in being
involved, please email cchomjak@odysseycharter.net.
If anyone has a working TV, VCR or DVD player to donate, we would love to
have them. Also, if there are any TV repairmen that have students at Odyssey, we
have a TV that needs to be repaired.
The Hamner Family and the Baker Family of Odyssey Charter School were featured in a charter school article on Sunday's front page of the Daily Herald. The article examined why students were leaving Alpine District schools and coming to charter schools. See the article in entirety at http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/175416/. Odyssey Appreciation Week and Founder's DayHere are a few things we'll be doing this week to prepare for Odyssey's future success:
Science Fair on April 13-14Our upper grades will be holding their Science Fair on Thurs-Friday, April 13-14 at our school. Parents are invited to view the projects Thursday from 12-8 pm and Friday from 8am-4pm. Prizes will be awarded on Thursday. Reminder to Students: All Science Fair projects are due Friday, April 7th!! Science Fair JudgingWould you like to be a judge for the Science fair? Email Mr. Wendling at jwendling@odysseycharter.net. New Member of Board of Trustees Mark JacobsonMark Jacobson (dad to Brianne, 3rd and Jenna, K) is the newest member of Odyssey's Governing Board of Trustees. His responsibilities include: Technology, Physical Facilities, Safety and Salvage. New Academic Support Chair Julie NellA big welcome to Julie Nell (mom to Rachel, 3rd)!! She was recently appointed by the Board to chair the Academic Support Committee. We are so excited to have her! Farewell to Mrs. Cox and Mrs. BillingsMrs. Cox (2nd Grade) recently left Odyssey to focus on family matters. We will say goodbye to Mrs. Billings (5th Grade) this week; she is moving to Arizona. Best of luck to both of these fine women! 7th & 8th Grade Preview - February 16thFind out what's in store for the 7th and 8th grade for the 2006-2007
school year.
Learn more...
Currently, Utah has 36 charter schools with nearly 12,000 students in 12
different school districts. By next year, another 15 schools are expected to
open. Learn more...
Recent studies show that K-8 schooling has many benefits including better SAT scores, reduced aggression and disciplinary problems. Learn more... Odyssey's First Annual Holiday Party - Dec. 15Christmas is coming, and so is Odyssey's Holiday Event! Music by our Children! Local entertainment! Student Art Display! All to raise money for our art and music departments! Our spectacular evening will celebrate the Holidays, and
help fund our art and music departments!
Do you have goods or services you'd like to donate for the
auction? (For example, a computer tech could donate an
hour of service.) See the November 15th edition of the Breeze for more details.
We will be holding our very first OCS Book Fair, November 14-17. The book
fair will be set-up in the future site of our library, so please stop by and
take a look at all the exciting books that will be available. The fair will
provide a great opportunity to help build our classroom and school libraries and
will also promote the joy of reading Watch for further information on Book Fair
Special Events that you won't want to miss! Mark your calendars - November 17, 7pm - 9pm, OCS Fall Harvest
Celebration...the first of many OCS traditions. Parent Teacher Conferences will be held November 14-17 from 3:30pm - 4:30pm.
Sign-up sheets to schedule your appointments with your child's respective
teacher will be available at the front desk starting Nov. 8. For those
parents that need to meet before school or after 4:30pm, please contact the
teacher directly. Odyssey Picture Day will be November 18th!! Students may wear any uniform
they prefer. Pictures will arrive in time for parents to hand out for
Christmas. All students will be photographed for school file. Class photos
will be shot in the spring. Grant writers are needed!!! We also need help with fundraising.
Learn more... OCS parents are encouraged to attend Curriculum Night at 7pm on November 10,
at the new school. This will be a chance for you to be trained on the
curriculum that is being taught to our students as well as the methodology of
instruction that is being used. Have you been wondering what the following terms
mean? First day of school will be September 7, 2005The first day of school will be Wednesday, September 7 at our temporary site, 738 E Utah Valley Drive, American Fork. This site is just around the corner from our permanent site and we plan to be at the temporary site for only about 1 month. Remember that the first day of school is also a Dress Uniform Day. Urgent! Student PlacementIn preparation for the first day of school, we are currently placing
students in their respective classes and Achievement Groups according to the
results of their assessments. First Day of School - Dress Uniform DayThe first day of school will be a "Dress Uniform" Day. Please review the
Uniform Policy if you have any
questions. Parent Registration Meeting, Wednesday, August 24OCS will be holding a Parent Registration Meeting on Wednesday, August 24th at the school from 7:00 - 8:00pm. Next Lottery: September 1stOur next lottery will be held Thursday, September 1st. Open enrollment that started August 17th, will close at midnight, August 31st. All ITR's received by midnight on Wednesday, August 31st, will be included in the lottery. Taking Applications for D.I. CoordinatorOdyssey is using Direct Instruction (DI) as its method of teaching and
facilitating our achievement groups. We are looking for someone to
oversee the clerical aspects of Direct Instruction for the school. DI
requires much record keeping, evaluating said records, and working with
an outside DI consultant to interpret the information. Some hours would
be spent at school - some of the hours could be at home, doing
paperwork. The position requires approximately 30/hrs a week and pays
$12/hour. If you would like to be considered for the position, or have
questions, please email nbrooks@odysseycharter.net. OCS Family Picnic-August 25We're Having A Fun Family Picnic!
Come and Get To Know Your
Teacher and Classmates! School SuppliesIn preparation for the upcoming 2005-2006 school year, OCS is NOT requiring that
school supplies be purchased by each student. We ask that parents
prepare their children for the first day of school by helping them get a
good night's rest, giving them a healthy breakfast and having them arrive
happy, on time and dressed in uniform. Looking for an Eagle Scout Project?During the Summer months, there were several salvage projects that took place, allowing OCS to procure free equipment for the school. The Salvage/Procurement Committee is needing help with cleaning, repair and preparing the
equipment for moving in. If you know of anyone that is looking for an
Eagle Scout project, this may just be the answer! Next Lottery: August 17thOur next lottery will be held Wednesday, August 17th. Open enrollment that started Aug 5 will close at midnight, August 16. All ITR's received by midnight on Tuesday, August 16, will be included in the lottery. Change in School ScheduleAt the Board of Trustees Meeting on Thursday, August 4, the Board approved a
change to 2005/2006 school hours. The new hours of school operation
will be 8:15 am - 3:15 pm, MTTHF. The early out day will be on
Wednesdays, 8:15 am - 1:15 pm. Information Meeting for Prospective ParentsWant to know more about Odyssey Charter School? We are an Information
Meeting for prospective parents on Thursday, August 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the
school (738 E. Quality Dr.[700 S.], American Fork). Meet the school's
director and tour the school. Current parents are also invited to
attend. From the Director's DeskThis month Mr. Brooks shares his thoughts on getting ready for the new
school year. See the August Director's Letter. Last Week for Playground VotesThis is the last week for your kids to get in their votes for the
playground! Playground plans are being finalized, so have them email
their preferences to
students@odysseycharter.net before Monday, August 8. Looking for Office Manager (20 hours/week)Odyssey is looking for a part time Office Manager. If you or someone you know has the skills and would like to work at Odyssey Charter School, send a resume to:
careers@odysseycharter.net. July Letter from CAOThe July letter from the CAO was recently mailed
to all families. You can view a copy here: July
CAO Letter. Uniform Rules of ThumbHere are a few rules of thumb for successful uniform shopping. Odyssey Students!! Help design your new playground.At Odyssey, there will be more than an acre of grass and blacktop playground heaven. But, we want to know what activities you like most. Here's what to do: write us an email with your NAME and GRADE and include
three of your favorite things to do on the school playground or at recess. Send the email to:
students@odysseycharter.net. We can't have everything, so just send your favorites! School Start DateOn June 20 we got the final word - we have a building! Our land
and facilities team has worked diligently to develop a timely
build-out schedule. Because lease negotiations took longer than anticipated,
our construction schedule is very tight. We anticipate school to start
on about September 15. Continue to watch the website for
updates throughout the summer. Urgent Request!!! - Need Warehouse SpaceWe need warehouse space for the next 6-8 weeks in the
N. Utah County area to clean, repair and store items that have been collected
from our salvage projects. We need to prep salvaged items prior to moving in
to our school. Enrollment UpdateLooking for a middle school solution? Guest Speakers at Thursday's GB MeetingWe hope everyone will mark Thursday night on the calendar and get to the Lindon
City Veteran's Center (directions below) at 7 p.m. In addition to our Tactical
Operations Center (TOC), Committee Meetings and GB Meeting -- we welcome our
keynote speakers Carolyn Sharette and Julie Kiser from American Preparatory
Academy (APA) in Draper. APA opened its doors two years ago and has been
phenomenally successful and widely imitated. What can we do as first-year
families to create the same success for Odyssey Charter School? Come ask two
people who've done it! Next meeting: July 21 at Odyssey. Last Week to Secure Your Child's EnrollmentIf your child has been offered a
position and you have not completed the student registration materials...this is
the last week to do so. All registration materials (including the record
transfer request) must be completed and SIGNED by Thursday, July 14 or your
position will be offered to someone on the waiting list. All registration
materials will be available at this week's Thursday meeting at the Lindon City
Veteran's Hall at 7 p.m. Please direct any questions to
enroll@odysseycharter.net.
We have a location!The Board of Trustees of Odyssey Charter School is pleased to announce that on Monday, June 20, 2005 the school entered into a lease agreement. We have our building! Odyssey Charter School will be located at:
Special thanks to those who have worked hardest to accomplish this difficult goal, especially Nate Birchall, Dave Lamb and Todd Rapier. We will be celebrating our building by meeting at the building on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. and holding the board meeting thereafter. We will be having root beer floats, and bring your kids. Spread the word! Bring your kids in grubby clothes for some sidewalk and sign painting. We begin the renovation for our purposes right away. So, you ask, what can I do? Again, spread the word! We need hundreds of hands to help in the salvaging projects going on so that we can save lots of time and money in our renovation. Please contact Becky Rasmussen at volunteer@odysseycharter.net to learn when the next salvage project is planned. We anticipate the website becoming much more active with updates and information. We plan to post the floor plans for the school on Friday, after we have made a full presentation at the Board Meeting on Thursday night. We will be posting a calendar with the schedule for the projects throughout the summer as we prepare to open the school in September. If we can get the work done, we will open sooner. Weeklong Salvage Project - June 20-24This is a great opportunity to get to know other parents and really be a part of the building of our school. Plus we'll feed you! We need every family to get involved with this move!! We are scheduled to work at:
We will work as late as possible. Please come to as many days as your schedule will allow. Email Becky at volunteer@odysseycharter.net if you are planning to come. For up-to-the-minute project information, contact parent volunteer Roy Gerber at 801-330-1779. We need people to bring, generators, halogen lights, lantern, head lamps, drills, power screwdrivers, pribars, hammers, sledge hammers, crowbars, gloves, dollies, etc. All tools should be battery powered. Good shoes are a must! There will be no electricity or air conditioning so please dress accordingly. Please bring plenty of water. Food will be provided. No one under the age of 18 will be permitted to enter the school. Thank you for your willingness to help on this project. It will be hard work and we look forward to having a great time doing it!! We will see you there!! Board of Trustees Meeting Highlights - June 9Building Update: Power Point presentation created by Ron Myers and presented by David Lamb. Discussion on considerations for the decision to buy the warehouse. Parents viewed slides of the current floor plans, as well as plans for playground and parking facilities. Call for Volunteers: We have much to do to get the school up and running! We need volunteers for the following committees:
If you want to get involved in these or other areas, contact Becky Ramussen at 492-4058 or via e-mail at volunteer@odysseycharter.net Hiring Update: We have extended offers to four teachers and are ready to extend offers to 3 more. We are currently screening resumes and interviewing candidates to fill positions as teachers, teaching assistants, and as a business manager. Enrollment Update: Odyssey Charter School is currently full. However we do expect some to see some slots open up in the upper grade levels and plan to hold a third lottery. If you're feeling in the dark or uninvolved, be sure to come to our next meeting on June 23 at 7:00 p.m. May Letter from DirectorHello Parents, Some of you have just joined our Odyssey Charter School family and this is the first time we have met. I am Nyman Brooks. My official title is director. You may wish to know something of how I feel about this profession as well as the path that has brought me here to be your director. I love this profession! I cannot recall a time that I did not wish to be an educator. When I was a baby, my father was an elementary school teacher in Salt Lake City School District and he named me after his school principal. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of helping my dad restock his teachers. classrooms during the summer when he was an elementary principal. I enjoy telling people that the mingled smells of chalk dust, spirit master fluid and newly waxed linoleum are imprinted on my mind and evoke the same emotions in me that baking bread does in others. Now, I have taught for over a decade. I have taught all ages from elementary through college. I have taught in public, private, public charter schools and on the university campus. I have been a teacher, a dean, and most recently I have served as the assistant principal at Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts, Utah.s first charter high school. This profession still gives me as much joy now as it did in the beginning—maybe more. I enjoy the company of other teachers. I find educational issues endlessly fascinating. Most of all, I find that working with children challenges my mind and emotions more thoroughly than anything I have ever done, except parenting my own two children. I hope we a get a chance to meet each other at Odyssey.s registration event on May 5th. I am living in St. George now, but will be moving north at the end of Tuacahn High School.s school year in a few weeks, so if you want to get in touch with me, probably the best way to do so is via email. Please feel free to drop me a note at nbrooks@odysseycharter.net. Best, Looking for a preschool?—As you know, Odyssey has decided to postpone offering a preschool this year. If you are looking for a preschool with a similar philosophy, John Hancock Charter School offers a Core Knowledge preschool program. Call 796-5646 for availability and enrollment information. Come to GB Meeting this Thursday—The Board of Trustees will meet this Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Lindon City Veteran's Hall. Committee meetings will take place at 7 p.m.; the official meeting of the Board of Trustees will begin at 8 p.m. Parents are encouraged to become actively involved at Odyssey Charter School. Attending Board of Trustees meetings is a great way to find out what's going on and discover where your talents and resources can help the school. Next GB Meeting: Thursday, June 9. New OCS Plaid—Because of a change in availability from uniform vendors, we have a new "OCS Plaid." See our uniform page for details. |
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