Vol: 17 No: 6 September 30, 2018
OSA Annual Fund – DONATE TODAY!
APT-OSA Fundraiser on GoodEggs.com!
Coffee and Q&A with Dr. Christian Patz
Save the Date!
Upcoming Events for High School Seniors
The PSAT is Coming Soon for All 10th & 11th Graders
Important Dates
Weekly Announcements
The Technovation Challenge
CS First Coding Club
Financial Empowerment Summit for High School Girls
Parent to Parent
Did You Know…?
Useful Links
OSA Annual Fund UPDATE
We are off to a great start with over $164,000 raised and 19% school-wide participation!
This year, OSA is asking for a tax-deductible gift of $2,250 per student. Your gift is put to use where it is needed most, whether it is bridging the gap in state and local funding or investing in OSA facility and technology upgrades. It is our hope that you can help us meet this goal, but any gift counts.
Ways to Give:
- One Time Gift: (Checks preferred, or online).
- Matching: Click here to find out if your company offers a Matching Gifts program.
- Recurring Gift: Please consider a monthly gift of $188 to support your student’s 60+ hours per month of arts programming and our stellar faculty. If this gift is not possible, even $25/month goes a long way.
Please make your tax-deductible gift today to help us reach 100% family participation!
Email Diana Schneider, Annual Fund Manager at dschneider@oakarts.org or call 1-510-873-8807 with any questions!
APT-OSA Fundraiser on GoodEggs.com!
Join the Good Eggs fundraiser benefitting Alliance of Parents & Teachers for Oakland School for the Arts (APT-OSA) using APT-OSA’s special code and Good Eggs will donate 5% back on every order you place in October & November!
Those new to Good Eggs will also get $15 off their first order. AND if 20 people who are new to Good Eggs place orders using our promo code, APT-OSA automatically gets a $500 bonus donation.
What is the code for APT-OSA?
Your school code is OAKARTS –– it is live now!
How do you join the fundraiser?
1. Visit schools.goodeggs.com.
2. Enter the code OAKARTS and click “Shop Now.”
3. Add your groceries to your Good Eggs basket and place your order. You will see confirmation text on the checkout page that says “You’re supporting Oakland School for the Arts APT!”
Important: You have to actually place an order using the school code to join the fundraiser. If you add the school code at schools.goodeggs.com but then use a different code at checkout, you have not joined the fundraiser.
Click image for full-size Good Eggs flyer
Coffee and Q&A with Dr. Christian Patz
Please join us for coffee and Q&A with Dr. Christian Patz, our Director of Special Ed at OSA.
On Wednesday, October 17, at 8:30 am we will serve up coffee in the Black Box Theater, accessible via our 19th Street entrance. OSA has traditionally held a ‘Coffee with the Executive Director’ in years past, and this year we are expanding to include not only Brian Köhn but also additional members of staff.
Our first coffee of the year features Dr. Patz, who will be able to answer questions about the assessment process and general structure of OSA’s Special Ed department. Please note that due to privacy concerns, Dr. Patz will not be able to discuss specific students and their particular needs.
Save the Date!
APT General Meeting – Parent Education
When: Tuesday, October 9, 6:00 – 7:00 pm
APT Emphasis Meetings
When: Tuesday, October 9, 7:00 pm (right after the APT General Meeting)
Upcoming Events for High School Seniors
FAFSA Workshop
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a form that can be prepared annually by current and prospective college students in the United States to determine their eligibility for student financial aid. Claudia Villicuna from the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office at UC Berkeley will be leading the workshop. Families of seniors filling out the FAFSA beginning October 1 are strongly encouraged to attend and bring their questions.
Date: October 10
Time: 6:00 to 8:00 pm
Location: Student Center
Ongoing: College Application Workshops for Seniors
Support with college list, Naviance, personal statements and the application process
Dates: Mondays ongoing (from August 27)
Time: 1:30 to 3:30 pm
Location: Room 338
The PSAT is Coming Soon for All 10th & 11th Graders
On October 10th, all 10th and 11th grade students will take the PSAT/NMSQT on campus starting at 8:15 am. For sophomores, it is a low-stakes opportunity to see the format of the test and get feedback from the College Board. For juniors, it is an opportunity to enter the National Merit Scholarship Corporation competitions as well as potentially qualify for other scholarship programs.
Last year, two OSA students scored in the top 2.5% of Hispanic/Latino PSAT test takers in our region and qualified for the National Hispanic Recognition Program, which allows them to include this prestigious designation on their college applications.
Soon, each sophomore and junior will receive a copy of ‘The Official Student Guide to the PSAT/NMSQT’ published by the College Board, which contains more details about the exam. Please encourage your student to take the free practice exams available on the College Board website.
We believe strongly in preparing our students for college, and believe this test to be an important part of our college prep experience. This test does carry a fee of $20, which may be submitted any time between now and the day of the test, October 10th. Please, if you are able, consider sponsoring another student who may find this fee a financial hardship. Any funds collected above and beyond the testing fee will be donated to the Student Activity Fund. Juniors who are on the Free/Reduced Lunch program have their fee waived automatically.
Please make checks payable to OSA for $20 and write PSAT/your student’s name in the memo line.
How To Prepare
Visit https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/practice/full-length-practice-tests for free practice exams. Come to school on October 10th well-rested, with #2 pencils, and having eaten breakfast. Testing will take place on campus in designated testing rooms, and will replace our usual morning schedule.
How To Pay
Send your student with $20 via check or money order anytime between now and testing day. We prefer students do not pay in cash, but it will be accepted if that is the most convenient option for your family. Students who pay before the day of the test will receive a receipt strictly for your records – it will not be required for entry on testing day. Please consider sponsoring additional students if you are able. Students should bring their payment to Ms. Romy in room 232.
Please contact Romy Douglass with any questions:
Romy Douglass
Director of Data & Special Projects
510-873-8815
rdouglass@oakarts.org
Important Dates
Tuesday, October 2
Event: APT Board Meeting
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 pm
Location: OSA Student Center
Friday, October 5
Event: Theater – “I’m Coming Out” Cabaret
Time: 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Location: Sweet’s Ballroom, 1933 Broadway, Oakland
Saturday, October 6
Event: Theater – “I’m Coming Out” Cabaret
Time: 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Location: Sweet’s Ballroom, 1933 Broadway, Oakland
Tuesday, October 9
Event: APT General Meeting – Parent Education
Time: 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Location: OSA Student Center
Wednesday, October 10
Event: PSAT Testing (Grades 10&11)
Time: 8:00 am
Location: OSA
Saturday, October 13
Event: Board of Directors Meeting
Time:9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: TBD
Tuesday, October 16
Event: APT-POC Meeting
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: Room 302
Thursday, October 18
Event: Quarter 1 Ends
Friday, October 19
Event: Indigenous People Day – NO SCHOOL
Thursday, October 25
Event: Literary Arts – Enizagam Reading
Time: 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Location: Black Box Theater
Event: Theater Mainstage – CHURCH
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Sweet’s Ballroom
Friday, October 26
Event: Visual Arts – Drawing Exhibit
Time: 4:30 – 8:00 pm
Location: White Box
Event: Theater Mainstage – CHURCH
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Sweet’s Ballroom
Saturday, October 27
Event: Visual Arts – Drawing Exhibit
Time: 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Location: White Box
Event: Theater Mainstage – CHURCH
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Sweet’s Ballroom
Weekly Announcements
Anime Club: Anime Club does everything anime related: Cosplays, Watch and Draw Anime. Meetings are on Tuesdays after school in Room 269b (Ms. Hannah). We also include hilarious comedy and food. Interested students are invited to join and see what we are about!
Latino Heritage Planning Committee: A Latino Heritage Planning Committee meeting will take place Monday (10/1) after school in Mr. Chazaro’s room (306). Students are invited to come by if interested in potentially organizing, contributing, and/or performing in this event that will take place next month!
Latinos Unidos: Latinos Unidos meets as a club every Tuesday at lunch in Room 306 (Mr. Chazaro’s room) to discuss and celebrate our cultural roots. All are welcome! Bienvenidos!
Robotics Club meets Tuesdays in Room 338.
Gardening Club meets Fridays in Room 338.
Donate: There are still donation boxes at the 18th and 19th Street entrances for a large homeless camp that burned down recently. Many people lost all of their belongings. Please donate imperishable food, backpacks, toiletries, tarps, warm clothing, etc.
The Technovation Challenge
Girls, are you interested in learning to code and making a difference in the world? The Technovation Challenge offers girls around the world the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to become tech entrepreneurs and leaders.
You will join a team to create, build, and sell an app that addresses a problem in your community. You will be given the opportunity to pitch your idea at a special event in San Francisco.
Please note that Technovation requires a commitment of about 4-5 hours a week, either after school or at lunch, to complete the curriculum in time.
To be eligible to participate in Technovation as a student, you must be between the ages of 10 to 18 as of August 1, 2019 and identify as female. To be fully registered, you must form or join a team. No more than 5 girls are allowed to join a team. You can only join one team.
Interested? Contact Mrs. Yan in room 248 or shoot her an email at cyan@oakarts.org. Registration begins on October 1, so sign up ASAP!
To learn more, visit technovationchallenge.org.
CS First Coding Club
When/Where:
- Tuesdays after school – meet in Room 222 and we will walk to the STEAM lab
- Thursdays at lunch – Room 222
Students can come to one or both sessions each week. Sign-ups are not required!
Financial Empowerment Summit for High School Girls
Click to view flyer
The YWCA is offering a Financial Empowerment Summit for High School Girls. This is a great opportunity for our high school juniors and seniors. Many seniors have already signed up!
Date: Friday, November 2
Time: 9:00 am – 1:45 pm (Doors at 8:30 am)
Location: YWCA, 2600 Bancroft Way, Berkeley
See flyer for additional details.
Program Schedule
8:30 am: Registration & Breakfast Bites
9:30 – 9:45 am: Opening
9:45 – 11:00 am: Interactive Module
11:15 am – 12:15 pm: Two Workshops
12:30- 1:30 pm: Lunch
1:30 – 1:45 pm: Closing
Parent to Parent
Events, activities, and classes shared by parents for parents. 
Calling all Middle Schoolers! Want to join the new Ultimate Frisbee team at OSA?
The sport of Ultimate, as it’s commonly referred to, combines some of the most exciting elements of basketball, soccer, and non-contact football. Practice begins Monday, October 1, 4:00 – 5:30 pm at Bushrod Park in Oakland. Players from other middle schools are also welcome to join, and this team will have players from Claremont Middle School in Oakland. No tryouts, no experience necessary, all are welcome. Ultimate frisbee is a fast-paced, low-cost sport. The team will participate in tournaments hosted by the Bay Area Disc Association, and financial aid is available. For more info, contact coach Patsy Smith (mom to 6th grade Monique Wethy – vocal music) at carmengetit@gmail.com, and join the google group at https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/ultimate-ms-claremont-osa/join. There is also a Konstella social group called “ultimate frisbee team middle school.”
Parenting U – Coming Saturday, October 13!
If you had the opportunity to find out from experts, in one short day, how to be a more knowledgeable, empathic, and effective parent, wouldn’t you take it?
Click image for full-size flyer
SOS4Students and The Julia Morgan School for Girls are excited to bring back, by popular demand, Parenting U, a conference for parents of students in grades 4 – 9. You won’t want to miss this event!
Event: Parenting U
Date: Saturday, October 13
Time: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm (Doors at 8:30 am)
Location: The Julia Morgan School for Girls (5000 MacArthur Boulevard)
Come away with key skills to make it easier to parent your tweens and teens, this year and onward. Learn from leading clinicians and educators! An unparalleled parent enrichment opportunity.
For more information and to register:
http://www.parenting-u.com/
See you there!
Did You Know…?
You can prepay online for student lunch! Set up an account at MySchoolBucks.com. Options include receiving notifications when your account balance is low and turning on automatic account funding.
OSA Commuters is an online resource for families looking to connect with other families for carpooling, commuting together on BART or bus, etc. Students can also find out where to buy discounted Clipper cards for use on BART. OSA Commuters is password-protected for your privacy. Request a password at https://aptosa.org/on-the-go/!
Shopping at konstella.com/amazon is better than shopping at smile.amazon.com! When you shop on Amazon via konstella.com/amazon or the Amazon links on Konstella, OSA receives 2% of the purchase amount. Compared to 0.5% for going directly to smile.amazon.com purchases, that’s a clear win. Bookmark konstella.com/amazon now so you’ll have it next time you shop!
Useful Links
- OSA Spotlight – June 2018 edition
- Hot Lunch Menu
- My School Bucks – Add money to School Lunch Account
- OSA Commuters – Connect with other commuters and find discounted student Clipper cards.
- KOSA Radio – student radio
- konstella.com/amazon – Use this link when shopping on Amazon. It brings more money into the school than going directly to smile.amazon.com.
News item submissions (deadline-end of school-day Wednesday) osanews@aptosa.org
Submission Guidelines