March 19, 2023
The Truth ... and Nothing But the Truth!
Hey Dolphin families and happy Sunday! I hope everyone had a happy week of school and I'm wishing everyone a happy and healthy weekend!
One of the great things about kids, especially younger kids, is that they aren't afraid to say what's on their mind! Kids tell us a lot about their lives outside of school and I know they tell you a lot about their lives at school. Communication between home and school is really important and it's great when the student can be part of making that happen.
Sometimes, however, kids will go home and share something about their day that didn't feel good, or something that made them upset. When parents call the school to tell us about those kinds of things their kids have shared (or a child shares directly with us at school), the very first thing we do is investigate and the reason we do that is that gathering more information from the student and other student and adult witnesses helps us to understand the truth of what happened.
But why is an investigation necessary, you might be asking? The student has already said what happened! Isn't that the truth? Well, sometimes what kids initially report about something that happened is exactly what happened, but more often than not what they initially report about something is only part of the story. That doesn't necessarily mean that the child is lying. Kids in elementary school are very sensitive to what others say and do to them, but they are far less sensitive to how their own words and actions impact others. In other words, kids often share the truth as they see it, but that truth might not be the whole story.
For example, an investigation might start with one child accusing another child of hitting them, but when we investigate what we discover is that both students were hitting each other ... at recess ... as part of a game that they both agreed to play .... and the specific instance the child is describing happened 3 weeks ago. When the first student originally said that the other child hit them, that was the truth ... but it wasn't the whole story. Understanding that whole story is important so that we can implement a plan to fix the problem. In this case that might include revisiting playground expectations and reviewing the fact that hitting each other is not appropriate even as part of a game. We might also engage both students in an adult-facilitated conversation so that each of them has an opportunity to both share their truth and listen to someone else's. We might also issue appropriate consequences. The truth of what happened helps us know what our response needs to look like so that we can work to make a situation better.
Please know that we really value the feedback we get from parents about what their kids say about school! That feedback helps us to make sure we have the best plans in place to encourage students to feel successful and happy. Investigating, getting to the whole truth, is how we make sure we can figure out what those best plans look like and how we can implement them in a way that is most supportive to students. Please continue to reach out and share your feedback! It helps us continue to get better at working with you to support your students!
Thank you, and I hope everyone has a happy and healthy weekend! Please stay safe and healthy!
Jay Corrigan
Principal
News from the OGES PTA!
Greetings from the OGES PTA!
The OGES PTA hopes all of our Dolphin Families are having a great year!
We are looking forward to the last half of the Year!
We have a few EXCITING FUN things planned for the end of year!!!
STAY TUNED FOR WHEN THOSE EVENTS ARE COMING OUT!! WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEE EVERYONE AT OUR EVENTS!!
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JOINING THE PTA COULDN'T BE EASIER - and COMES WITH BENEFITS!
Joining the OGES PTA couldn’t be easier, check out our website. An right now it's $6.00!
https://orchardgrove.memberhub.com/store/items/720875
We have LOTS of Memberships already! If you haven't signed up yet, please do, even if you may not be available to help at events. Your Membership helps your Children's Class and the whole school!
Did someone say Benefits, too!! Absolutely! Looking for Gift Cards for someone for the Holidays! Get them through your PTA Membership at a Discount! Your Membership also gives you discounts on tons of other items, too from National! Stop in today!! www.orchardgrovepta.com
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PTA Board of Directors for the 2022-2023 School Year - @ogespta
· President – Dave Whitesell · Vice President – Jorge De Jesus
· Treasurer – SueEllen Gillie · Recording Secretary – Brooke Loewenstein
Do you have questions for our PTA Board Members? Feel free to email us at orchardgrovepta@gmail.com.
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Looking Ahead
*Dates and times are subject to change.
PRINCIPAL Jay Corrigan ORCHARD GROVE ES 5898 Hannover Drive Frederick, MD 21703 240-236-2400 Phone 240-236-2401 Fax
Follow Us on Twitter: @OgesPrincipal https://education.fcps.org/oges/
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www.fcps.org