As you are likely aware, Okoboji Commuity School District Superintendent Todd Abrahamson will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 school year. The OCSD School Board has partnered with Grundmeyer Leadership Services to lead the search process for our next great school leader.
A first step in the process is to gain input from all stakeholders as to the qualities , skills, traits, etc we are looking for in our next leader. In that effort, a brief survey has been created to gather this input. If you have not yet done so, we encourage everyone to take a few moments to fill it out and share your thoughts. You can access the survey here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfBkLPcRjqYnQ1oEI59E4T7sGDTnLsOvKnfJl7zoIm6tyebWw/viewform
Survey deadline is August 31, 2024.
Online registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open! New and current families should visit the link below to complete this quick and simple process! Current families received an email this morning with more information and the same link.
https://www.okobojischools.org/o/ocs/page/enroll-at-okoboji
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 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!
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!
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!
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!
We are all keenly aware of the tragic events that occurred on Thursday at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa. As a district, we stand with and grieve with the students, staff, and community of Perry. Parents and students should never have to feel unsafe at school or worry if their kids will come home safe at the end of the day. As we continue to process this situation, we want to share some of the proactive measures we have taken over the last several years and continue to use to prevent and respond to such a situation. I've attached a letter outlining some of the steps and programs we have implemented to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
Please read the attached letter for more information. You can access a clickable version of the letter at the link below. That version will allow you to follow the links for more information.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AcpSZtPvDQ0FEj6JGJLYhjhj2jlqVxT2/view?usp=sharing
Okoboji Community School District stands with the students, staff, families, and community of Perry as they walk through this terrible tragedy. Educators in Perry and across Iowa work hard every day to make school a safe place for kids to grow and flourish. We will continue to offer our support in any way we can.
Hug your kids tonight and every night.
Two of our very own have been nominated to be University of Okoboji Winter Games Cheerleaders! Congratulations to Katie Luinstra and TJ Simington for being recognized for this awesome community honor! It is well deserved! Voting opens today and closes by 5 PM tomorrow!
https://www.uofowintergames.com/cheerleaders/
Tonight's basketball game is cashless! To buy tickets ahead of time please go to the Bound Website (www.gobound.com/ia/schools/okoboji/tickets). We will have Credit/Debit card readers available to purchase tickets. Due to cell phone service at the school, please have your QR code available before entering the building.
The Okoboji School Board recognizes that it takes a community to Pioneer our youth. Through two programs, Board Salute and Pioneer Student Recognition, we want to hear from you about those exceptional individuals who stand out. For November, please take a moment to honor those that go above and beyond! Below is the link to access the programs.
https://www.okobojischools.org/o/ocs/page/board-recoginition-programs
Thank you for your ongoing support for our school district!
We will have a send-off at ALL THREE buildings on Thursday afternoon to send our State-Bound Esports Team off in style and wish them luck! They will walk through the halls of OES at 2:40, OMS at 2:55, and OHS at 3:10 before heading for Des Moines! They will compete on Friday for a state championship! If any parents or community members want to join the send-off, please come to OHS via the main entrance before 3:10 on Friday!
