Oakview News 06-07

Robotics Team Wins First Place

The Oakview Elementary School Robotics team competed against 60 other teams in the state Lego League competition Saturday bringing home FIRST place. Their first place win secures them a spot in the World Championship in Atlanta in April. The Robotics team consists of 7 fourth and fifth grade students led by Mr. Cox. This year the team based their research on nanotechnology and its use in the fight against cancer, inspired by a classmate who has been battling the disease. The Lego robot performed 10 tasks, including picking up a ball and placing it inside a replica of a human bone, and simulating a surgical procedure.

Oakview Earns Palmetto Gold Award

The Education Accountability Act established the Palmetto Gold and Silver Awards Program to recognize and reward schools that attain high levels of absolute performance and schools that attain high rates of improvement. The specific criteria used to identify recipient schools are established by the Accountability Division of the Education Oversight Committee (EOC). The EOC’s award criteria were based on the absolute and improvement ratings that were assigned to each school on the 2006 report cards. The report card ratings are determined by PACT scores for elementary and middle schools.

Each winning school will receive an award flag, a certificate and a portion of $3 million in state funds earmarked for the awards program. The financial award is determined by several factors, including the type of award received, student enrollment, student attendance, teacher attendance and dropout rates. The minimum amount for a Gold award is $1,500, and the minimum for a Silver award is $1,000. Oakview Elementary has earned $18, 043.00 based on an Absolute Performance Rating of Excellent and an Improvement Rating of Good in 2006.

Oakview Elementary Wins Second National Blue Ribbon Award-

The National Blue Ribbon Schools program honors public and private K-12 schools whose students achieve at the highest levels or have made significant progress in closing achievement gaps. Oakview is honored to receive this prestigious award for the second time in our eleven year history! See our Blue Ribbon presentation here.

Sweet Blue Ribbon Award

Mrs. Wheeler-Hawkins and Mr. Reavis hold up cakes sent by district superintendent, Dr. Fisher, to congratulate our school for becoming a 2006 National Blue Ribbon!

Landscapes for Learning

Kathy Miller, science lab teacher, received a $1500 Landscapes for Learning grant from Clemson University.  The funds will be used to create a rain garden.

Crazy About Cotton-

Kathy Miller has won an Alliance for Quality Education grant for Oakview to help maintain the cotton plants.

PTA Parental Involvement Award

Oakview PTA received the Parental Involvement Award for the second time! We are so proud of our parents and their commitment to their children's education. Oakview is one of the few schools to receive this award twice for upholding high standards in parental invovement.

Oakview Named 2006 Safe Kids School

Oakview has been designated a 2006 Safe Kids School by Safe Kids Upstate, a local coalition of Safe Kids Worldwide. Sponsored by the Greenville Hospital System Children's Hospital, the Safe Kids program is dedicated to fighting unintentional injuries in children. For more information on Safe Kids Upstate, please visit their website at http://www.safekidsupstate.org. Oakview qualified in five of the nine categories: Safety Patrol Program, Bike Safety Presentation, Fire Safety Program, Participation in the Safety Coupon Program and a PTA Meeting on Safety Topics (Internet Safety in December 2005).

Champions of the Environment

Oakview was selected as the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s April winner of the Champions of the Environment contest.  The school received $500 and a 30 second commercial that airs on a Columbia television station.  Members of The Earth Savers Club and the Youth Garden Club also had the opportunity to represent Oakview at the Champions of the Environment Awards Ceremony at the State Museum on May 4th where Oakview was awarded an additional $1,000.

Oakview is Named South Carolina's Recycling School of the Year

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced at the 11th Annual Recycle Guys Awards Program that Oakview is the winner of the 2005-2006 South Carolina Recycling School of the Year award.  Mrs. Wheeler-Hawkins, Mrs. Miller, and the Earth Savers Club traveled to Columbia on March 7th to accept the award.   Oakview recycles aluminum cans, ink cartridges, cell phones, batteries, six-pack rings, packaging materials, tennis shoes (one week each year), and the school's paper, cardboard, and plastic bottles.  In addition, we promote Reducing, Reusing, and buying products made from recycled materials.  This award is a reflection of the commitment to environmental stewardship of Oakview's students, parents, teachers, administration, staff, and community.

 

ACTIVOTES: Mrs. Faulk explains how new ActiVotes work with the Promethean boards. Students can use the voters to choose multiple choice answers giving the teacher instant feedback about their learning.

 

 

 

LEGO WORLD COMPETITION - Atlanta, GA.: In the true spirit of Oakview Elementary students, our Robotics team won 2nd Place in the World for TEAMWORK.  To achieve this incredible title our team was matched with the New Hampshire team and told to build a bridge out of LEGO's that span between two tables.  Students were not allowed to use words or write notes.  Nano Limit Busters are also ranked 20th in points with a score of 390.  High score was 400.  Go Team!