May 7, 2024

Dear OABA Dolphin Families,

Welcome to our Parent Communication page! Please visit our website every Tuesday afternoon for important information and updates!

As always if there are any questions you can call the front office at 409-750-9289, Option 2.

OABA Mission Statement:
At Odyssey Academy Bay Area we are a family of students, staff, and parents/guardians working as one to educate, inspire, and develop a generation of caring, compassionate leaders with integrity.

Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow

★ SPELLING BEE | Wednesday, May 8th

8:30 - 1st and 2nd grade

9:30 - 3rd - 7th grade

10:30 - final spell-off between the winner and runner up of each round

★ NIGHT AT THE THEATER | A Night at the Theater - Thursday, May 9th, 5:00-7:00pm. All are welcome to see the 5th-7th grade class plays.

★ DOLLAR DRESS DAY | Celebrations Dollar Dress Day Wednesday, May 15th - Fundraising for Staff & Student Celebrations. Bring a dollar to wear free dress. Have your student drop it in the bucket in the gym!

★ COLLEGE AND CAREER DAY | College & Career Day Thursday, May 16th 7:45AM - 11:15AM WE ONLY HAVE 2 VOLUNTEERS SIGNED UP SO FAR FOR PRESENTATIONS. Please refer to the letter for instructions on registering to participate in Career Day. Click HERE for letter to sign up.

★ YEARBOOK | $25 each - shout-outs $5 each. Cash or credit cards - pay in the front office. Orders due Thursday, May 16th. Click HERE for order form.

★ FIELD DAY | Thursday, May 23rd. The morning session will be from 8:15 to 11:15.  The afternoon session will be from 12:45 to 3:00. Click HERE for the field day parent letter.

★ PHILL THE BOX DONATIONS | Phill the Box informed us he will be here until the END OF THE YEAR!!!!

Place your items in the large blue collection bins in the corner of our parking lot from now until May 30th.

Together with “Phill” we will be collecting textiles of all shapes and sizes to not only raise money for OABA, but also to reduce our carbon footprint by removing textiles from landfills. We will collect all gently used clothing, bags, and home goods textiles. We encourage Dolphin Families to use Phill as an opportunity to declutter your closets (and your lives) while giving back to the community, supporting your school, and saving the planet one textile at a time! Below is a list of things that we are able to collect and how they should be donated. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out and we would be happy to help!

• Clothing Apparel & Shoes: Gently used Women’s, Children’s, Baby’s and Men’s clothing

• Accessories: Purses, Backpacks, Handbags, Clutches, Tote Bags, Shoulder Bags, Laptop bags, Hats, Gloves, Ties, Scarves, Belts, and Wallets.

• Home Goods: Towels, sheets, curtains, blankets and furniture covers.

• Collection Methods: Items should be clean and placed in plastic bags.

★ PK MONTHLY MISSION | The Birthday Joy Program dedicated to bringing birthday celebrations to children in foster care, homeless shelters, group homes and other disadvantaged situations.  TBJP continually collects new toys for children ages 2 - 18, wrapping paper, new party supplies, cake mixes, icing, candles, balloons, party favors and new books.

https://thebirthdayjoyprogram.com/
Check out the Amazon Wish List

Please donate by April 26th

★ COUNSELOR CORNER | Angela Christian, LPC-Associate. Click HERE to read the February Newsletter.

★ OPEN ENROLLMENT - GENERAL PUBLIC | Open enrollment for the general public begins on February 5th, and we will use the information you provide through the Returning Student Registration forms to determine how many new students can be enrolled. https://www.odyssey-academy.com/enroll

★ OAW CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENT | Click HERE to read the letter sent out about our NEW Campus!!!

★ CANVAS | Canvas Parent Access Instructions for K-12 Courses. Click HERE

★ KROGER REWARDS |Did you know that our school participates in the Kroger Community Rewards Program and just by linking your Kroger Plus card to our school (under Odyssey we earn money!!! Click HERE for the instructions to link your account.

★ GIFTED AND TALENTED | Gifted and Talented Referral Information - Click HERE

★ MEDICAID OR CHIP | Please click HERE for Medicaid and CHIP Benefits reminders. Spanish flyer

★ PRINCIPAL LETTER | Click HERE to read the beginning of the year Principal Letter.

★ FACEBOOK PARENT PAGE | Go to our Facebook parent page for reminders of events https://www.facebook.com/groups/OdysseyAcademyBayArea

★ WEEKLY ATTENDANCE DRAWINGS | Students that are present 100% each week will be entered into a drawing. There will be three drawings each week.

★ MEDICATION | Reminder: Please do not send medication with your students. Parents need to bring it into the school to the nurse.

★ SCHOOL and COMMUNITY STANDARD RESPONSE SAFETY PROTOCOLS | Click HERE

★ DISMISSAL MAP UPDATED | Here is a copy of the updated dismissal map. Click HERE

★ 2023-2024 SCHOOL SUPPLY LISTS | Click HERE to purchase for the school to earn 5%. Click HERE to see the supply list.

★ 2023-2024 OABA Pre-K LUNCH MENU | Click HERE

★ 2023-2024 OABA K-8th LUNCH MENU | Click HERE

★ 2023-2024 DISTRICT CALENDAR | Click HERE

★ 2023-2024 SCHOOL SUPPLY LISTS | Click HERE

★ 2023-2024 DRESS CODE | Click HERE

★ PARENT PORTAL | https://portals04.ascendertx.com/ParentPortal/login?distid=084802

★ TARDY PROCEDURES | School starts at 7:45am, you can drop your students off as early as 7:25am. Every 4 tardies will result in lunch detention. Tardies counted started on September 1st and will start over every grading period. If your student is tardy, you need to walk your student to the door at the front office to sign them in.

★ CHILD NUTRITION | Our goal is to have a school wide POPCORN PARTY when we get 100% applications filled out!!! Please go in and complete your 2023-2024 meals application online by visiting myschoolapps.com. If you do not have your student's ID number you can email dscott@odyacad.com or mtovar@odyacad.com for that information. OAG will register under the OA-Galveston Campus, but both OABA and OATC schools will register under the OA-Bay Area Campus since we are one campus combined.

★ 2023-2024 OABA K-8th Lunch Menu | Click HERE

★ 2023-2024 OABA Pre-K Lunch Menu | Click HERE

★ CUPCAKE FLYER & ORDER FORM | Click HERE

STAAR testing is around the corner, and I would like to provide some tips you can share with your students to help them have a successful testing experience:

1.    Get a good night’s sleep: A good night’s sleep will help you think more clearly during the test. It will also make it easier to cope with test-taking stress and anxiety. Moreover, excellent sleep habits have been shown to consolidate memory and improve academic performance, as well as reduce the risk of depression and other mental health disorders.

2.    Eat a good breakfast: Like sleeping, eating is an important part of self-care and test taking preparation. After all, it’s hard to think clearly if your stomach is grumbling.  As tough as it can be to eat when you’re nervous or rushing out the door, plan time in your morning on test day to eat a healthy breakfast.

A mix of complex carbohydrates and healthy protein will keep you feeling full without making you feel sluggish. Whole wheat cereal, eggs, oatmeal, berries, and nuts may be great choices (depending on your personal dietary needs and preferences). It’s best to avoid foods that are high in sugar, as they can give you a rush of energy that will wear off quickly, leaving you feeling tired.

And don’t forget to drink plenty of water. If possible, bring a bottle of water with you on test day.

3.    Arrive Early: Arriving early at a test location can help decrease stress. And it allows you to get into a positive state of mind before the test starts. Choose your seat as soon as possible. Organize your materials so they are readily available when you need them. Make sure you are physically comfortable (as much as possible). By settling in early, you are giving yourself time to get organized, relaxed, and mentally ready for the test to begin. Even in a high school setting, maximizing the time you have in the test classroom—even if it’s just a couple of minutes—can help you feel more comfortable, settled, and focused before the test begins.

There are more test taking tips which can be found here: https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/14-tips-for-test-taking-success/

Click on the staff member below for more information: (we are adding more staff members each day)

Mrs. McNair - Principal

Ms. Middleton - Principal’s Assistant

Ms. Buckley - Campus Receptionist

Mrs. Crawford - Campus Nurse

Mrs. Iftikhar - PreK 4 Teacher

As a reminder, we will notify all families and staff of a school if we have any positive test confirmed COVID-19 cases.  We also notify the local health department as well as submit a weekly report to the Texas Education Agency.  We even notify our local health department if we have any individuals who have COVID-like symptoms and ensure these individuals understand they cannot come back to campus until they satisfy all re-entry criteria. 

Please use OA’s COVID Tracking Form below for the required notification for the school instead of having to call or email LaToya Sanders.  She will get the information by simply completing the form if they test positive, have symptoms, or are in close contact to a test-positive individual. 

★ May 6-10: Staff Appreciation Week

★ May 8: Spelling Bee (PK will be eating lunch in their classrooms)

★ May 9: Field Trip 3rd & 4th grade - La Marque City Hall, Fire Station, Library and Police Station; Night at the Theater 5PM - 7PM

★ May 14: Field Trip 6th - 7th Texas A&M

★ May 15: Celebrations Dollar Dress Day; Field Trip Kinder & 1st - Houston Zoo, Field Trip MS Lighthouse

★ May 16: College & Career Day; OAW Information Meeting at City of Webster Civic Center at 6PM

★ May 22: Dress Rehearsal for Talent Show

★ May 23: Field Day

★ May 27: Holiday for Students & Staff - Memorial Day

★ May 28: Talent Show 2pm

★ May 29: Greatness Gathering & Student Led Conferences

★ May 30: Class Parties; Last Day of School - Early Release - Dismissal at 12PM

★ May 31: Friday Students - Dismissal at 3PM

★ June 6: Report Cards Posted

Click here for all the details about our events on the OABA calendar.

Please let us know if you need anything!

Sincerely,

Ronnetta McNair
Principal