Okoboji Community Schools

As you may or may not know, Mr. Abrahamson (our current Superintendent) is retiring at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 school year. The Okoboji Board of Education recently hired Grundmeyer Leader Services to support the search for a district superintendent. The search will begin immediately and conclude with the hire of a successful leader. Your feedback regarding what desired qualifications is most important for this position will ensure the hire is a good fit for both the school district and community. Please see the link below to provide input and feedback for this incredibly important position! https://bit.ly/OkobojiCSDSuptSearch2024

Today is School Lunch Superhero Day! It is a day to celebrate and thank the school food service team members that work hard every day to make sure all of our kids (and many staff members) have the nutrition they need to grow, learn, and succeed! They are often here well before the start of the day ensuring that breakfast and lunch will be ready for all of our hungry learners! Thank you to OCSD Food Service Director Carrie Stethem and her outstanding team! OHS Brieanna Nabb Naoko Menting Deb Malchow OMS Carrie Stethem Lindsey Chaffin Tia Hofmeyer Michal Nabb Mia Bacco OES Sherryl Jones Patty Hofmeyer Jackie Anderson Mary Demuth Sandy Hoffman Nancy Kissner

May is School Board Appreciation Month! School board members volunteer their time to help our students, staff, and schools succeed. Few know the hours of time spent and the difficulty of the decisions that have to be made. Those who volunteer for this service are to be commended as the local school board is a critical aspect of any strong public school system. Thank you to our outstanding Okoboji School Board Members and thank you for all you do, seen and unseen, to drive our school forward and Pioneer Pathways for Every Student!

Today is Administrative Professionals Day! We depend on our outstanding team every day and quite literally could not make our school run without them. They do countless things to support the learning, physical, and mental health of all of our students and staff every single day and we want to show them our appreciation today and EVERY day! Thank you Gayle, Lenae, Amanda, Kizze, and Missy, for all you do for all of us every day!

Okoboji 8th Grader Collin Kats was involved in a very bad accident over the weekend and is currently receiving medical treatment in Sioux Falls. Collin's birthday is Wednesday and he is a big fan of the Minnesota Vikings. Let's all wear Vikings gear, or purple and gold, on Wednesday to show Collin we are supporting him!

April 3rd is School Para-Professional Day! Okoboji Schools depends on our amazing team of para-professionals in all of our buildings every single day. They are often the first smile a student sees as they walk in the door and they often spend more one-on-one time with individual students than anyone else in our district. They impact the lives of our students, teachers, and families in countless ways and we could not imagine our schools without them! Thank you to all of our outstanding para-professionals today and every day!

Date to Create is only 1 week away! The countdown is on! We hope to see you there!

Date to Create is coming soon! Please come to OES for our Open House on April 4 from 5-7 to see some amazing creations from our students! You won't want to miss this one!

Be sure to head to the Pearson Lakes Art Center tomorrow from 5-8 to see some amazing art by students from Okoboji! More details on the flyer at the link below! https://bit.ly/3wKoruv

This is the sight of nearly 200 student musicians in grades 5-12 being led by just two conductors and playing in beautiful harmony! What a wonderful Parade of Bands Concert we had tonight! Thank you to our musicians, directors, and everyone who came out to enjoy the show!

***SAVE THE DATE*** Date to Create is one month away!!! Please come to OES for our Open House on April 4 from 5-7 to see some amazing creations from our students! You won't want to miss this one!

We are one week away from SPRING BREAK at OCSD! All OCSD school buildings will be closed and on break from March 11-15. Whether you will be travelling or staying local, we hope the time off gives all a chance to recharge and refresh for the last ten weeks of the school year!

March 1st is Maintenance and Operations Appreciation Day! Today we take a moment to thank Derek Chappas, OCSD Maintenance Director, and Tim Blair, OCSD Head of Grounds, for all of the hard work they do each and every day. Derek and Tim work tirelessly in ways seen and unseen to ensure our facilities and grounds are safe, operational, and in top condition to support the learning of all OCSD students. Thank you, Derek and Tim!

Concert season is upon us! You don't want to miss the chance to see these wonderful upcoming performances from both Okoboji Middle and High School students! Admission is $5/person with activity passes accepted. Tickets can be purchased with card at the door or ahead of time through the Bound App at this link: https://www.gobound.com/ia/schools/okoboji/tickets

February 22nd is National School Bus Driver Appreciation Day! Today we want to salute our Director of Transportation, Steve Clayton, and ALL of the outstanding drivers who get our students to and from school and activities every day safely! Through wind, snow, and rain, they always keep our kids safe and get them where they need to be to learn, perform, and grow! Thank you to all of these outstanding OCSD Bus Drivers! Steve Clayton Rod Blau Tom Sporrer John Walters Pam Trosin Daniel Clements Michal Schoning Michael Umscheid Don Nolan Aaron Sloan Brett Simpson Adam Quail Brett Ferguson Doug Otto Heidi Wittrock Tiffani Reese Dennis Houseman

Do you have a child that is ready for our PK Programming next year? Or, do you have a child ready for KG that is currently not at Okoboji Elementary? If the answer is yes to either of those questions, please join us for our PK/KG Parent Night on Tuesday, March 19 at 6:00 PM! See the flyer below for more information!

The Okoboji High School Student Council will be hosting their 3rd Annual Inclusion Fair at Okoboji Middle School on Friday, March 1st from 6:00-8:30 PM. The fair includes activities and games, coloring, a bake sale, and more! Cost is $3 for kids 3-12 and $5 for those 13 and above. Kids under 3 attend free! All proceeds go to the Okoboji Special Olympics Team. Make plans to come and join us in the fun while supporting these awesome athletes and students!

Today is National School Resource Officer Day! We are celebrating our SRO, Keaton Verner. Keaton has been a part of the Milford Police Department for several years and began his role as SRO for the Okoboji School District this year. Keaton works each day to ensure safety and develop positive relationships with students, staff, and families. Keaton also serves as a great connection for increased partnership between MPD and OCSD. In his first few months in the role he has helped identify and lead training opportunities for our staff, informative assemblies for our students, and much more. We are grateful for Keaton and all he does every day for our students, school, and community!

There may be snow on the ground but soon we will be trading our shovels for sandals to enjoy another amazing Okoboji summer! If you or someone you know needs an outstanding worker, or two, or more, sign up now to participate in the 8th Annual Okoboji Summer Job Fair! Last year we connected students from several area school districts with over 50 different local businesses and organizations looking for summer and year-round team members! This year's fair will again be held in the Roof Garden Ballroom at Arnolds Park Amusement Park on Friday, April 12th. More information and a form to sign up, share contact info with our organizer, and ask questions, can be found here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBnMW6B9JpkY7ai5RKQxhdahhJauWNudLfIBOW94u8O6pX3A/viewform

All OHS students engage in our Senior Internship Program during their senior year. It gives them a chance to get a glimpse of daily life in a career field they are interested in. We are a little less than halfway through the school year and OHS Seniors have already logged over 600 hours of on-the-job internship experience so far! Eight seniors have already completed their Senior Internship program and another 21 have begun logging hours. The experiences they have already shared in their reflections have been AMAZING and we look forward to the rest of the class getting started soon!