Okma Weekly Message October 2, 2020
Greetings IA Families,
The Hybrid Schedule started yesterday with the Blue group attending. This is a reminder for the Silver group that begins Monday of the "housekeeping" items to be aware of. All students should come prepared with a fully charged mobile computing device. If your child needs to borrow a device during this hybrid period, please fill out this form so we can sign one out to them. Subject to availability, our supply is extremely limited.
Families, staff, and visitors/vendors are required to complete the daily pre-screen before coming to school. It is advised this be done before leaving the house or in the parking lot in order to prevent a jam up at the school entrances.
The pre-screen is available at www.bloomfield.org/pre-screen and can be completed from any computer, tablet, or mobile device. Paper copies are also available for those who wish to print the checklist for a home reference.
Students and staff do not need to display a screen or paper upon building entry according to guidance received from the Oakland County Health Division. Visitors/Vendors must complete the digital pre-screen prior to building entry and visitors/vendors will be greatly limited to minimize exposure risk.
Thank you for your cooperation and daily diligence in this process! Here are just a few items:
- The building will open at 7:15. Students are asked to use the entrances nearest their first class and report directly to their first class:
- All students should bring a fully charged mobile computing device
- All students must wear masks - refer to the handbook for appropriate types
- Drinking fountains spouts have been disabled - students should bring a water bottle to refill at the refill stations.
- Lunch will be free for all students until December 31. Lunches will be pre-packaged using a grab-and-go model. Students are welcome to bring their own food. Microwaves are currently unavailable.
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Students must leave the building at 2:45
A comprehensive listing of all staff and student protocols are contained in the IA Okma Student and Staff Handbook. Please be sure you and your child have consulted.
OKMA Silver/Blue Hybrid Days
Silver Days: Bloomfield Hills, Berkley, Clawson, Lake Orion, Waterford, and West Bloomfield School Districts
Blue Days: Birmingham, Avondale, Royal Oak, and Rochester School District
Seniors Families! Please be sure to check the senior portrait information that has been posted at the bottom of this page!
Student Athletes
Brooke Thompson Sets New Swim Record
Brooke Thompson, a member of the BHHS girls swim and dive team, has set a new school record in the 500 meter freestyle swim event with a time of 5:22:54. Brooke is a sophomore student at the International Academy. Congratulations, Brooke!
Yes, You Can Still Check Books out from our Library!
THE Spiritwear Store is OPEN!
ATTENDANCE
Remote Learning Attendance Reminders~
- Calling the attendance line at (248)341-5910 or emailing: iaattendance@bloomfield.org is the only sure way that your message is received. Emailing an individual staff member may not ensure that the message will be received.
- If a student will be missing a class they need to be called out with a specified reason, ortho, doctor appointment, home school sports, funeral etc.
- If a student will be logging off early, they MUST have a call into the attendance line or they will be marked an unexcused absence for the entire block. They are not allowed to just disappear in the middle or towards the end of a session. We do our best to get the ePasses out, but at times that doesn't happen. The important thing is that the call into attendance by a parent/guardian has been made. Make sure your teacher knows what you are doing.
- If you leave for a mid day appointment or log in later the the beginning of the day, either reply to the ePass you received or send me a note letting me know when you logged back in, so I can mark your attendance correctly. You can email: iaattendance@
bloomfield.org - Our arrival times to classes have NOT changed. Students must be logged in and ready to go at the beginning of class. If they arrive late (within the first 5 minutes), they will be marked TARDY. If they log in AFTER 5 minutes, they will be marked an unexcused absence.
- We all understand that while working remotely, internet issues may occur. These issues will be noted by your teacher on a case by case basis.
NO HOMEWORK WEEKENDS!
Oct 30 - Nov 1 Three Day Weekend
Nov 25-29 Thanksgiving
Dec 21-Jan 3 Winter Break
Jan 23-24 End of Semester
Feb 13 - 21 Mid-Winter Break
Mar 27-Apr 4 Spring Break
May 29-31 Memorial Day
Service Opportunity for Students
Please see the information below if you are interested in a service learning opportunity in Pontiac. It looks like this would be a good fit for students interested in urban gardening.
Garden Volunteers!
Hello friends,
This year, we received a grant from Impact100 Metro Detroit for a serious garden overhaul including new beds, hoop houses, etc. and we can use all the help that we can get in the month of October. If you have a church group, youth group, ladies group, office group or can bring yourself or your family, we'd love to have you!
Tasks include:
- Laying new mulch and dirt
- Laying new weed barrier
- Putting new plastic on our hoop houses
- Building new garden beds
- Moving fruit trees
- Pouring concrete pads for picnic tables
- Building new hoop houses
- Planting new bulbs
All work days are all-age friendly.
We encourage everyone to bring work gloves, we'll provide the rest.
We are planning on working EVERY Friday, Saturday and Sunday through the month of October and would love your help. Please visit our facebook events page to mark which days you'd like to attend.
Counseling Newsletter
https://www.smore.com/703cf
Calendar
2020-2021 Calendar
Are you looking for a past Weekly Message post? The last few weeks are always available on the Okma Campus main page.
You will find them on the left sidebar.
Yale Young Global Scholars
Would you like to deepen your knowledge about various academic disciplines and connect with people across the world? Would you like to experience life as a student at Yale? If you said yes to any of the questions above, consider applying for Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS). YYGS is a program for current sophomores and juniors that allows participants to engage in numerous enrichment programs and experience life as a Yale Student. To gain more information about the program, there will be a virtual information session on Friday, October 9th at 2:45 pm. If you are interested, please write your contact information on this form. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact aguwa.chinyere61@bloomfield.
Speaker Event
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PTIA NEWS
PTIA Teacher Grants - At the last PTIA meeting, $18,618.74 was approved in teacher grants! Through these grants, our students and teachers will benefit from new art material, new physics equipment, new gym equipment and various technology equipment including new laptops. Our second round for teacher grants is underway. Thanks to all the families that donated. These are some of the exciting things we are doing with your support. Please continue to support the PTIA by becoming a member.
MINI OLYMPICS - Let the games begin!!!! While the traditional Olympics had to be cancelled, the PTIA has decided to organize events spread over the next 3 weeks for some fun competition amongst the grades to take place after school. Can’t make the events??? Don’t worry, keep track of your team's score with this link:
The schedule of events will be as follows:
1. Chalk Mural Design - Theme Avatar Airbender will take place Friday 10/2 from 3:00-5:00 under the front awning of the school. Signup to participate by using this link. Each grade will create a sidewalk mural associated with their team:
- Seniors - Fire Nation
- Juniors - Water Tribe
- Sophomores - Earth Kingdom
- Freshmen - Air Temple
2. Kickball & Gold Rush will take place Friday 10/9 from 3:00-5:00 in the back field. More information about the games and signup to participate by using this link
3. Four different activities/races will take place Friday 10/16 from 3:00-5:300 in the back field. More information about the games or signup to participate by using this link.
- Egg Toss
- Bat Spin Relay
- Whack the Baseball Relay
- Fill the Bowl Relay
PTIA DIRECTORY - OPT OUT FORM: One of the many benefits of being a PTIA member is the directory. YAY! The printed directory will be distributed at the end of this month to all PTIA Members. If you DO NOT wish to be listed or would like LIMITED information in the directory, please fill out this form
No need to do anything if you would like the registration information listed. Information listed on the directory is Student Name, Grade, Address, Phone Number, and Parent/Guardian Name(s) and Email.
If you would to receive one of these handy dandy directories and haven’t joined yet, there is still time!!! It’s easy as 1-2-3.
STEP 1: Complete this online membership form:
STEP 2: Pay using one of the following methods:
1. PAYPAL -
2. CHECK - Mail/drop off a check to the main office c/o Ann Curran. 1020 E. Square Lake Rd. Bloomfield, MI 48304
3. CREDIT CARD - login to Bloomfield Community Pass . Put the “International Academy OKMA Campus PTIA Membership Fees" into your shopping cart.
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STEP 3: Reap the rewards of your PTIA membership. In addition to the directory, the PTIA has a full schedule of activities and programs available!
YOGA CLASS - NEW TIME STARTING AT 3:00! Want a great way to unwind after class or just get a good stretch?? Come join the yoga class under the tent on Tuesday 10/6 from 3:00-4:00. Reserve a spot by signing up here: Free IN PERSON Yoga
THANK YOU!!! A big thank you goes out to all the volunteers that came out to help with the freshmen tours and ice cream social last Friday. Both parents and students found it super helpful to connect with the IA Community. A special shout out goes to PTIA Mentor Chairs, Janet Raymond and Tracy Burroughs for recruiting mentors to come support the event and PTIA Hospitality Chair, Shirley Wilson for organizing the ice cream treats. Yum!
Parent Mentor program - Attention Freshmen Families!
It is not too late to sign-up for the Parent Mentor program! With the return to school through the hybrid model, you may have questions about what in-person school at the IA is like. We are here to help! Sign up and you will be connected with a veteran family from your district who can provide answers, guide you to the right person or resource, and help you make connections with others in your district. We're all in this together! SIGNUP LINK
Contact Janet Raymond raymondfamily@ameritech.net or Tracy Burroughs Tracy
tracyburroughs@hotmail.com with any questions!
Next Coffee with Counselors
10/07/2020, Focus on Seniors
Next PTIA Meeting
10/13/2020, 7-8pm
MUSIC BOOSTERS
Hello Music Families!
Please join the IA Central Campus Music Boosters for our monthly meetings the first Wednesday of the month at 7 PM. Upcoming dates include October 7, November 4 and December 2. We will get together via Zoom at the link below. All parents of Music students are welcome. Boosters meetings are a great way to find out more about your student’s experience and ways to help out the school. Hear from Mr. LaNoue and Mr. Lewis-Ziegler how the music classes and ensembles are working this year.
See you the first Wednesday of the month at 7 PM.
Questions? Contact Carol Hart at carolswebmail@yahoo.com.
Topic: IACCMB Meeting
Time: This is a recurring meeting
Join Zoom Meeting
Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
Meeting ID: 825 7601 7210
Passcode: 8362ac