MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
This was the year that wouldn't start and felt like it would never end with all of the make up days! We're in the home stretch now! We have had a successful school year, even with all of the interruptions. Thank you parents for working with us as we added an hour to the day to help make up some of our days.

Our students learned a valuable life lesson this year about helping others in need. “Everyone can do something to help” was evident daily. Everyone made sharing space with SPPS work and willingly made sacrifices in the process. I am thankful the flood waters weren't an inch higher, or we would have been displaced as well.

I would like to thank Mrs. Niese, Mr. Manz, Mrs. Otto, Mr. Baransy, Mr. Deskins, Mr. Becker, physical and occupational therapists for giving up their classrooms. Thank you students/teachers for understanding that we had to give up our primary computer lab and our Waterford reading lab for a school year. Thank you Mrs. T-K for sharing office space with Mr. Kuhlman and Mrs. Ward and for answering extra phone calls and handling extra details on a daily basis. (Thanks Mrs. Ward for pitching in and helping us when we needed it!) Thank you cooks and custodians for cheerfully handling the extra work that comes with additional students (and thank you SPPS for loaning us cooks/custodians to help out). Thank you teacher aides for volunteering to watch extra students at recess so the SPPS teachers could get a quick break. Thank you parents and grandparents for understanding we couldn't do Thursday lunches this year. We missed it, and can't wait until next fall! Thanks to our students who traded our annual self esteem day for an afternoon of bowling for a Super Friday event, due to space issues. Thank you Mr. Becker for helping get SPPS computers set up on the network so they could have technology access. Thank you OE teachers for helping SPPS teachers set up classrooms and for making them “Welcome Bags”. Thank you crossing guards for handling the extra traffic. I apologize if I have missed anyone. This was truly a team effort.

Open House is August 20 from 6 - 7:30. The first day of school next fall is August 25. The fall newsletter will be sent out the week of August 11. That is the only newsletter that is mailed, and we use the address we have on file for parents. If your address has changed, please notify the school office so we can update your records.

I hope you all have an enjoyable summer vacation and enjoy the time with your children and all their activities. Good luck to our 8th graders who are moving on to high school. I'll see everybody else in August!




BUMP UP DAY - 8TH GRADERS
The high school is having a bump up day on Friday, May 23, for all 8th graders. They are to get off the bus (or be dropped off) at OGHS by 7:55 that morning and should report directly to the auditorium. Mr. Hanna and Mr. Sweet will welcome them and review some high school procedures they need to know for next fall. They will get their schedules and meet their teachers for next year. By running through the schedules, any “mistakes” can be repaired prior to the start of school next fall. Students should bring a minimum of $2.00 for lunch. They can buy all kinds of a la carte items at lunch. The cooks are famous for warm chocolate chip cookies! I will provide the high school with a list of any students who are on free/reduced lunch. When they go through the line, they need to tell the cashier if they are on reduced lunch. Their lunch will cost 40 cents. If they are on free lunch, their lunch is free. Free/reduced lunch students can purchase a la carte items, if they want, but those are at full price. Students will be dismissed from the high school that day.

CONGRESSMAN LATTA TO MEET WITH 8TH GRADERS
While our 8th graders are at OGHS for bump up day, Congressman Latta is going to meet with them from 9 - 9:30 to follow up on our visit to him in Washington DC.

KINDERGARTEN PARENT MEETING
A meeting will be held on May 5 at 7 p.m. for parents whose children will start kindergarten next fall. Parents will learn about school life for kindergarteners and have a chance to visit the classrooms.

CHOIR CONCERT
The spring choir concert will be Monday, May 19, at 7:30 in the OGHS gym. Students in grades 7-12 will dazzle you with their performances!

KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION
One of my favorite programs every year is kindergarten graduation. It will be at 7 p.m. on May 29. The date was changed due to the extended school year.

JUNIOR HIGH JAZZ BAND UPDATE
The junior high jazz band participated in the Eleventh Annual Jazz Summit at Tiffin University. Matthew Samuelson is a member of this O-G group. The group scored very well in the competition receiving comments like “nice ensemble, strong rhythm section, and amazing for a junior high band.” Congratulations to the team members, and thank you to Mr. Baransy for arranging this opportunity for our students. The junior high jazz band will be performing for our school on May 14 at 8:30 a.m.

COUNTY CHOIR & ART SHOW
The Putnam County County Choir and Art Show will be on Sunday, May 4, 2008, at the Ft. Jennings High School from 2-4 p.m. Student art work from many of our students will be on display. The County Choir will perform at 3:00. Students representing Ottawa Elementary are: Tesia Paniagua, Jasmin Bishop, Callie Flores, and Celena Lugo. Students selected were chosen on the basis of quality musicianship, personal responsibility, and good attendance.

DC FINAL REPORT
It was in the lower 80's every day and sunny. The trees were in blossom and the tulips and daffodils were in full bloom. Our students and chaperones had one of the best DC trips yet! I was very proud of our students on this trip. I would like to thank their teachers for preparing them so well for the trip. I was extremely impressed when Miss Smith asked them to recite the preamble of the Constitution, and they could---and did!! Mrs. Snyder used literature to prepare the students for the experience in the Holocaust Museum, and even made arrangements for their traveling trunk to spend some time at Ottawa Elementary prior to the trip. We have already started to book things for next year for the current 7th graders. They need to qualify to go on the trip by being responsible school citizens and having fewer than 15 lunch detentions for incomplete homework by the time we leave for the trip. If you want to view our pictures from this year, I have created a group room in my Walmart account. You need to be a registered Walmart photo lab user, then you can type in my group room name (washingtondcpictures08) and see our pictures. If you e-mail Mr. Becker (beckerr@og.noacsc.org), he can send you the link to the site.

FIRST GRADE NEWS FROM MRS. BICE AND MRS. HERINGHAUS
May is going to be a busy month for the first graders. We will be completing our math and reading series and begin checking the students' progress in these areas as well as other curriculum areas. We will be working on letter writing and addressing envelopes. On May 8 we will be touring the Post Office and see what happens to a letter when it is mailed. We will visit the Putnam County Library in May and the students will get their own library card. On May 30 we will walk to McDonald's. Each child will order and pay for their breakfast. We will then walk to the Ottawa Memorial Park for our fun day. More information in our weekly newsletter as each event approaches.

THIRD GRADE NEWS FROM MRS. LICHTLE
Mr. Jeb Hunluck, known as “Bear Claw Jeb” is coming to the third grade on Thursday morning, May 22. Mr. Hunluck brings with him, his wife, who is part Indian, as well as Indian artifacts of the area. He brings alive the history of the Native Americans of our area in an hour long presentation for each class. Hands on things make it an even more memorable educational presentation.

JELLY BEAN FIELD DAY
Our annual Jelly Bean Field Day is set for Monday, June 2 after lunch. Mrs. Siefker is always in need of extra volunteers. If you would like to join in on the fun, please contact her via email (siefkel@og.noacsc.org), note, or phone call.

PARENT ACCESS TO GRADES
The parent access codes for the 2007-2008 school year will be erased in June. New passwords will be given in the fall. We are pleased that so many people have been keeping track of their child's progress!

OTTAWA PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOK SALE
The Public Library may have been flooded out, but they are still having their annual book sale. Watch for information in local media. It is tentatively set for June 10 & 11 in the Ottawa Elementary gym.

LIBRARY NEWS - submitted by Mrs. L. Schroeder
In memory of Mrs. Terri Witte the books The Quilting Bee and Spend a Day on the
Farm donated by Mr. & Mrs. Wayne Phillips, The Baking Book, Mom & Me Cookbook and Brutus' Journey through the Buckeye State donated by Mr. & Mrs. Roger Snyder & Family. In memory of Mr. Clayton Drerup the book Grandpa's Fishin' Friend
donated by Mr.& Mrs. Ray Trigg & family. In honor of the retirement of
Mrs. Linda Graves the book P is for Palmetto: a South Carolina Alphabet donated by
Ottawa Elementary Faculty and Staff.

A thank you to Gage Hoehne for donating a set of Star Wars books and the Dave
Hanneman family for their donation of used books.

A BIG THANK YOU to all who have donated books this year, Denny Schroeder for covering all our books, and to our Student Volunteer Library Workers & MH
Reading Buddies for all their help. All of these people have made the O.E. Library a better place and it is deeply appreciated.


Upon request to the principal, reasonable accommodation(s) may be made for a disabled person to participate in the activities described in this newsletter.

OTTAWA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CALENDAR