Happy Holidays

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas and blessed Holiday Season. We hope everyone has a chance to "recharge" their batteries and enter 2012 excited about school. Please remember that we will have "OPEN GYM" time beginning January 3rd in the morning. Morning times will be from 7:30 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. Afternoon times will be Monday through Thursday from 3:05-4:00 p.m. The open gym time is for archers to get extra practice. Only archers who have all of their paperwork completed with the school nurse may participate in open gym. Tryouts for the team will be held the week of January 16, 2012. All of the best to you and your families.

THANKS!!!

Mrs. Hart and myself would like to offer our sincere thanks to Sensei Paul Kilduff for volunteering two weeks of his time for our students at OCS. For the second year, which we hope will be an annual event, Paul came to our physical education classes and instructed the students in the basics of Isshinryu Karate. The students had so much fun breaking boards and hitting the pads. Sensei Kilduff demonstrates the qualities of good character that we try to teach our students. THANK YOU SENSEI from all of us.

Lockers

Many thanks to the Oxford Board of Education for purchasing basket lockers for the boys and girls changing rooms. The baskets will allow students to place their belongings in a secure place while attending physical education classes. The students may bring in a lock to place on the basket while in class, but MUST remove the lock at the end of the class. This will allow all students to use the lockers while in physical education class. The baskets are the perfect spots for students to place their DEODORANT and change of shirt while participating in class. We have been addressing with each class, grades 3 - 8 the need to bring deodorant (non-aerosol) in use before and after class.

4th Grade Poster

Our 4th grade students are participating in the annual poster contest for the Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey. The students are to create a poster on a single 8.5" x 11"  white copy paper poster that highlights "Fun Things to Do Instead of Doing Drugs". The focus should be on the students artwork, and they should limit the amount of text so the poster can be reproduced if chosen as a finalist. More information regarding the contest can be found at the following web page:http://www.drugfreenj.org/2011_4th_grade/. Please contact Mr. C. with any questions: rcauston@oxfordcentral.org.
 THE POSTERS ARE DUE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011!!!

KARATE!!!

Students in all physical education classes are working hard learning basic movements in the discipline of Okinawan Karate. Many thanks to Sensei Paul Kilduff for volunteering his time to teach our students these valuable lifetime skills.

Happy Thanksgiving

Mrs. Hart and Mr. C. would like to wish everyone a safe and healthy Thanksgiving. When we return from our short break, we will have a guest instructor, Sensei Paul Kilduff will be joining our classes to introduce them to Karate. Sensei will be with us for two weeks. During this time all classes will meet in the gym so we can take advantage of Sensei's talents.

THE BLACK EYED P.E.'s

Mrs. Hart and Mr. C. dressed up for the school's Halloween Celebration. After many guesses from the students and faculty, we had to share what our costumes represented!

IMPORTANT DATES

6TH GRADE HEALTH TRIANGLE PROJECT DUE: FRIDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2011!!!

Below you will find the gymnastics contract for grades 4-8. The students will work independently to complete a minimum number of skills on both the Balance Beam and the Tumbling Matts. The students will also have time to experience our Transverse Rock Wall and workout to our Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) purchased by our PTA for our students.
Gymnastics will end on November 18th. All contracts need to be completed by this date!!!

Balance Beam Contract 2011

Mount (pick one only)

_____ Saddle up                     _____ Front Support               _____ Knee Scale

_____ Squat                            _____ Step Up                        _____ Side Seat

Skills

_____ Forward Walk              _____ Backward Walk           _____ Dip Walk

_____ High Step                     _____ Squat Turn                   _____ Tip Toe Turn

_____ Lunge Turn                  _____ Gallop Step                  _____ Swan Scale

_____ One Foot Balance        _____ Knee Scale                   _____ Lying Position

_____ Single Let Squat          _____ Side Lunge                   _____ Straddle Turn

_____ Push Up Position         _____ Front Scale                   _____ Side Seat Turn

_____ Side Seat                      _____ V-Seat                         

Dismount (pick one only)

_____ Straddle Toe Touch     _____ Tuck                             _____ Pike Toe Touch

_____ Touch Knees                _____ Jump                             _____ ½ Turn

_____ Full Turn

I agree to complete at least _____ skills on the Balance Beam, including one mount and one dismount!

Tumbling Contract 2011

_____ Standing Front Fall      _____ Kick Through               _____ Forward Roll

_____ Frog Stand                               _____ Tripod                          _____ Head Stand

_____ Backward Roll             _____ Shoulder Roll               _____ Hand Stand

_____ Rocker                          _____ Cart Wheel                   _____ Egg Roll

_____ Round Off                   _____ Roly Poly                     _____ Log Roll

_____ Rocking Chair              _____ Back Extension            _____ Straddle Roll

_____ Forward Roll with Straddle Jump       _____ Forward Roll with Tuck Jump

_____ Forward Roll with Pike Jump             

_____ Other (with teacher permission) ___________________________

_____ Other (with teacher permission) ___________________________

                                                                                   

I agree to complete at least ______ skills on the tumbling mat.

Red Ribbon Week

6TH GRADE HEALTH TRIANGLE PROJECT DUE: FRIDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2011!!!

The last week of October is designated for Red Ribbon Week throughout the United States. The week helps us to remember that we need to live a drug free life. Students at OCS will participate in a wide variety of activities throughout the week:

Red Ribbon Week, 2011

“It’s Up to Me to Be Drug Free”

Red Ribbon Week will take place next week, from Monday, October 24^th through Friday, October 28^th.  Once again, each day will have a specific theme.  The theme will be reflected in the clothes we wear, any activities planned for the day, and the items students will be receiving.  (All items will be provided to homeroom teachers throughout the week.)  The following is the breakdown for the week:

Monday – “A Drug Free Life Rocks”

- Wear school-appropriate rock/music shirts OR red shirts

- Dance troupe assembly at 9:00 am

Tuesday – “I’m a JEAN-ius – I’m Drug Free”

- Wear jeans

Wednesday – “Say Peace Out to Drugs”

- Wear ties or tie-dye

- Parent/community workshop from 7:00-8:00 pm

Thursday – “Staying Drug Free in Jersey”

- Wear jerseys or sports shirts

Friday – “Partnering Up to be Drug Free”

- Wear school colors

- Gingerbread man cooperative activity pairing upper and lower grades (more information to follow)

Fire Prevention Week

All of our Family Life Classes will be discussing Fire Prevention week. We are working with the Lehigh Valley Health Network and the Burn Prevention Network to delever important information to our students regarding fire prevention. Our younger classes will be learning the importance of STOP, DROP, ROLL, COOL, CALL! They are working on different safety messages and identifying what a firefighter would look like in a fire so they are not scared. Our older students are developing escape plans for their houses. We hope all of our Oxford families practice home fire drills and emergency procedures to help prevent fires.  Please look at the following link for more information about fire safety in the winter months:

http://www.burnprevention.org/userfiles/file/WINTER%20January%202010%20EARLY%20CARE.pdf

NEW ARCHERY GLOG!!!

Please visit the following links to view our NEW GLOGS!

http://robocauston.edu.glogster.com/archery-glog/


http://reneehart.edu.glogster.com/hartglog/

IMPORTANT DATE!

Our school doctor will be visiting the school on October 18, 2011. During his visit he will be reviewing the physical papers parents have submitted to the school. All students must have a current physical in order to participate in any before or after school activities. We will be starting to have some open gym times in the morning for students to have additional practice with archery. If any student is planning on trying out for the archery team this practice time is an opportunity to get more repetitions which will help in their performance. Please contact me with any questions: rcauston@oxfordcentral.org. 
Kindergarten Soccer began this week with an incredible turnout of 23 students. The kids have a lot of energy and are doing a great job. Now we just have to get Mother Nature to cooperate with us so we can get lots of playing time. Thanks to everyone for their support.

Kindergarten Soccer

Kindergarten Soccer






All Kindergarten students are invited to join an after-school, intramural, soccer program. Soccer is held Tuesday through Thursday beginning at 3:05 pm and finishing at 3:35 pm. Your child does not have to attend all the days just when they are available. The program is designed to allow students from both Kindergarten classes to interact and play games. This NONCOMPETITIVE program allows students to learn more about soccer and the basic rules. Games are strictly for fun and we do not worry about the score. No special equipment is needed to participate, if your child has cleats or shin guards they may wear them, but please do not go and purchase these items for our program. We want the students to be active and have fun. Any questions please call me at school, 908.453.4101 or email rcauston@oxfordcentral.org . If the schedule changes or weather is questionable, you will be contacted before 1:00 pm. Thanks in advance for your support!





Mr. Causton (Mr. C.)

WELCOME BACK

As we prepare for the beginning of a new school year, we would like to offer some ideas that will help all students find success in our Physical Education and Family Life classes. Please consider the following things when preparing for the school year:

• ALL STUDENTS MUST WEAR SNEAKERS THAT TIE FOR ALL PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS!!!
• Students in grades 4-8 should minimally have a change of shirt for P.E. class. Changing into sweat pants or shorts is also recommended.
• Students in grades 4-8 should also have deodorant or anti-perspirant to use after class. (NO AEROSOL CANS)
• Students who have P.E. class in the morning should consider bringing in an old pair of sneakers and dry socks to help keep their feet dry when we are on the field in the morning.

• Students should have a small note book for Family Life class, as well as a folder for handouts and worksheets. We will provide folders for our 4th grade students from the Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding physical education or family life classes. We are looking forward to having a great year. Thanks in advance for your support.
Renee Hart - rhart@oxfordcentral.org
Rob Causton - rcauston@oxfordcentral.org

Same But Different

With Field Day being held in a new location this year, many concerns were put to rest with a very successful day. Many thanks to the Oxford Volunteer Fire Department for supporting us and giving up their time to help out with Field Day. Although we did not have the picturesque back drop of Oxford Furnace Lake, the field and black top areas worked great for Field Day and logistically everything went well. The kids seemed to have a great time and parents were very supportive of the move back to school. We started Field Day with a "Pep Rally" in the gym that got the kids pumped up and was a really good start to the day. The students moved around to all the events cheering and laughing and having fun. What a great way to end the school year. Thanks again to everyone for supporting our Family Life and Physical Education programs. Have a safe and happy summer!!!

FIELD DAY 2011

Field Day this year will be a little bit different than in the past. We will be holding all of our events at Oxford Central. All the students will be participating in events throughout the day on the back field and on the side blacktop area of the school. Families are welcome to come and cheer on the students. We will still be separating the school into blue and gold teams so the students can have some FUN competition. Hope to see everyone at OCS on June 16th!

Happy Anniversary Oxford Emergency Squad!!!

On Saturday, May 21, 2011 the Oxford Archery Team helped celebrate the Oxford Emergency Squad's 40th Anniversary by marching in their parade. What a great time the archers had traveling through Oxford and cheering for the crowds. The parade was a very important community event and Squad 39 pays a huge part in the success of our archery team. Each year they help us with fund raising efforts, a major factor in getting the archery team to Kentucky. What a great way to show our appreciation for all they do for us. Many thanks to Peggy Hissim for her dedication to the Oxford community and the Emergency Squad. Also a big thanks to Chris Czarnecki for putting the archery float together for the team and organizing the archery team's part in the parade. The team received a beautiful trophy for being the most energetic and spirited youth group in the parade. The trophy will be displayed at the school with all the archery team's hardware from over the years. This trophy is very special to us, being recognized in our home town.

It is truly a pleasure to be welcomed as part of the Oxford community, and I am so proud of the accomplishments of the team over the past 5 years. We look forward to representing Oxford and New Jersey again in 2012.

National Tournament

The Oxford Central Archery Team once again represented New Jersey with pride at the National Archery in the Schools Program National Tournament. The team shot 95 points higher than they did at the New Jersey State Tournament. The team shot a score of 3250 which placed us 18th out of 104 middle schools. This is a tremendous accomplishment, considering the qualifying score for the tournament was raised 200 points this year, resulting in a much more competitive tournament. We had a great trip to Kentucky and I would like to thank everyone who helped us get there.

THANKS OFFICER MASENIOR

A huge thank you goes out to our D.A.R.E. Officer, Josh Masenior of the WTPD. Our 5th Grade students are completing their final lessons in this year's D.A.R.E. program. Officer Masenior has been coducting the classes the last two years. In celebration of the 5th Grades achievements, we visited Coca-Cola Park on Tuesday May, 3 to watch the Iron Pigs play the Buffalo Bison. Everyone had a great time and the students got to see a great ball game. The students learned how to keep score while at the game. Visiting the ball park has become a tradition at OCS for D.A.R.E. classes instead of having a graduation ceremony. We will still recognize all of the D.A.R.E. graduates at our awards ceremony at the end of the school year.

BASKETBALL GAME

The 8th graders will be playing the Oxford Central School Staff on Tuesday May 3rd at 7:00 PM in the OCS gymnasium. This is becomming an annual event, with all proceeds benefitting the OCS Archery Team. Please come and cheer on both teams! There will be baked goods for sale, and we are giving away a brand new bicycle to someone in the auidence. Please come out and show your support! Ticket prices are $3.00 for ADULTS and $1.00 for STUDENTS

ARHCERY FUND RAISING

With our trip to Louisville, Kentucky on the horizon, the archery team is hosting some fund raising efforts to help offset the cost of the trip. April 17th the parents of team members will be collecting money at the intersection of Rt. 31 and Rt. 46. This would not be possible without the tremendous support we receive from the Oxford Township Emergency Squad. The Squad donates their time to us which allows us to run this fund raiser. If you are out driving around this Sunday, come by any donation is greatly appreciated it. The archery team is also selling flowers for Mother's Day. Please see the school's web site for the order form. The flowers are always beautiful and available at a great price. What a great way wish someone a Happy Mother's Day.

TCHOUKBALL

No it is not a misspelling, it is a game we are playing in physical education classes. The game comes from Switzerland and focuses on teamwork and communication, skills we are really trying to develop in our students. The students throw a ball (Tchouk) into a rebound frame and the other team tries to catch it. The frames are similar to the "pitch back" frames we used to use as kids. The game is a lot of fun and offers a chance for everyone to participate. The attached video clip will give you a better explanation of the game. Hopefully warmer weather is coming and we will soon be getting back outside with our physical education classes. Please remember to have students bring in deodorant and a change of shirt for class. This is especially important in grades 4 and above. As always please contact us with any questions.

Good Luck Mr. Bartow

Mr. B. finished his first student teaching placement last week. He is leaving OCS and heading to East Stroudsburg High School North, where he will have a secondary school experience. We hope all the knowledge he gained here at OCS will make his high school student teaching experience successful. I am sure he will come back and visit us before the school year ends.
Family Life classes in grades 6-8 are working on their Human Growth and Development unit. Younger grades are spending time working in a character education unit.

WE DID IT!!!

WOW, FIVE STRAIGHT

The archery team found out on Tuesday March 8th that we won the New Jersey State Archery Championship. The archers performed above and beyond once again. Their confidence grows everyday and we will once again have the opportunity to represent New Jersey at the National Archery in the Schools Program, National Championship. Congratulations to all of the archers all of your coaches are so proud of you.

Kylie Hibbett prevailed as the top female archer in the state of New Jersey!

Danny Farkas once again is the top male archer in the state of New Jersey!

A shoot out was held on March 8th to determine the individual rankings for this year. Congratulations to Paige Bechtle, Kaitlyn Lauziere and David Czarnecki, they all were involved in the shoot out this year.

A special thanks goes out to our archery coaches, Renee Hart, Victoria Ficarra, Jennifer Saxton, and Matt Hibbett. Without their constant support and dedication, our program would not be as successful. Please take the opportunity to thank them if you get the chance.

Now the hard part of the season begins, raising our funds, and sharpening our skills for Louisville.

Congratulations to everyone, I know we will represent the community of Oxford well and make everyone proud.

MARCH IS ROARING IN!!!

March is coming in like a lion for this years Archery Team. We will be hosting a shoot for the state championship on Wednesday March 2, 2011 at the Oxford Central School. The shoot will begin approximately 3:15 PM and take place in the gymnasium. Please come out and support our team as they "Strive for Five", defending our state titles.

On March 8th we will be hosting a friendly archery scrimmage in the gymnasium beginning at 3:15 PM. Our archers will be shooting with Harmony Township School and our own Oxford Alumni. The shoot is a chance to get more exposure for the archery program. Once again, spectators are encouraged to come out and show their support for the team. Also on March 8th, NJN will be here to film a story on the archery program here at the School. The show will air later this year, we will make sure everyone is aware of the dates.

February is Dental Health Month

February is dental health month. The students will be learning about dental hygiene during their Family Life Classes. There are some great resources available for families that will help to strengthen children's dental habits. You may be hearing about the cavity creeps or learn to be healthy. These are excellent interactive web sites that the students will be using during classes. The fifth grades will begin the DARE program on Monday, February 14th. Officer Masenior, from the Washington Police Department, will be our DARE officer once again this year.
Physical Education classes will continue working on their floor hockey skills. Please help your children to remember their gym days. Sneakers must be worn for class. Boots, of any kind, are not acceptable footwear for the gymnasium floor. Students need to be prepared for class. Thanks for your continued support. Please feel free to contact us at anytime if you have any questions or concerns.

Archery Team

After a very difficult process, the OCS Archery Team for 2011 has been finalized. Congratulations to all the students who tried out for the team. Each year the process of putting a team together to represent our school becomes more difficult. All in all it is a great problem to have. If you are interested in supporting our OCS Archery team, please consider purchasing a team shirt. Orders may be placed through February 23, 2011. If you are interested in buying a shirt, please contact Assistant Coach, Matt Hibbett, email: hibit001@aol.com
Prices are as follows:
Adult S - XL $25.00
Adult XXL - XXXL $30.00
Thanks so much for your support. The picture of the shirt is at the top of this blog, our OCS Archery logo will be placed on the chest.

THANK YOU SENSEI

A huge THANK YOU to Sensei Paul Kilduff for volunteering his time the last two weeks and instructing our students in the basics of Karate. Mr. Kilduff is certainly a dedicated individual who represents the community of Oxford with flying colors. His dedication is truly appreciated by all of us here at school. The students were really excited all week and demonstrated some awesome skills. Please contact Golden Rule Karate if you are interested in having your child get more experience in the martial arts.

This week begins the "No Name Calling Week" national initiative. Oxford Central will once again participate in No Name Calling activities during the students family life classes. Lessons are designed for all levels of instruction from primary through high school. Please clink on the link or more information regarding No Name Calling Week!

Karate Comes to OCS!

Golden Rule Karate is coming to our school to provide some basic Karate skills for our students. We are very excited to share our physical education classes with them. Please make sure that students come to physical education class with comfortable clothes that are easy to move in. Students will be given time before and after class to change clothing if they desire to change. This is the first time we have had our classes participate in Karate and hope that the discipline and structure they learn will carry over into the academic classes.

Volleyball Continues in Physical Educaiton Classes!

Our Physical Education classes are continuing to work on "Volleyball" skills. Students participate in many games that involve their volleyball skills. Our goal is to get them familiar with the game and the basic strategies involved. Many classes play a game of "Newcomb" which is similar to volleyball, but participants are allowed to catch the ball or hit it when the ball comes to them. This is a great way to introduce them to volleyball. The students really enjoy when we cover the net so you cannot see the other side. This makes sure everyone pays attention, because you have no idea where the ball is coming from.

4th and 5th grade students are working on the Mental Health section of the Learn to Be Healthy website: Parents can follow along with the students assignments by viewing the website. This is an excellent resource that we use in all of our Family Life Classes. You may sign-up for the website for free and participate in the interactive web pages. The students really enjoy the website and the information is frequently updated.

Happy New Year!!!

Mrs. Hart and myself would like to wish everyone a safe and prosperous new year. We will be spending some time in our physical education classes learning volleyball (striking skills). Family life classes will be continuing discussions and lessons that focus on values and morals. Our younger classes will be focusing on human body systems. Letters have gone out to the 40 students in grades 6-8 who have demonstrated, through rubric scoring, excellent potential in our archery program. Tryouts for the 2010 - 2011 archery team will be taking place during the next few weeks.