Oregon Trail Elementary School

While our 5th graders were learning about the American revolution, we engaged in a simulation to truly understand what 'no taxation without representation' meant. Each student was given 10 coins (Skittles). The King read aloud an infraction, one at a time, and the tax collectors collected the payment. One infraction read: "If you have a pet, you owe three coins." By the end of the simulation, most students had nothing left and were sent to jail. The tax collectors were each given 10% of the revenue, while the king got all of the rest. The students were incensed that the king was eating his profits right in front of them, which led to the question, "Do you see why the colonists were so angry with the king?"

Mrs. Willsey and Mrs. Shabi spent the morning co-teaching a lesson on accepting being told “no.” Students watched a video, participated in a related hands-on activity, and practiced how to disagree appropriately. We are thankful for the first 30 minutes we have each morning to support and strengthen the social and emotional needs of our students.

Building friendships and skills during Buddy Time with Mrs. Ferrara and Mrs. Christensen’s students!

Week 14 was filled with energy and connection! Students enjoyed plenty of dancing, welcomed families for our Thanksgiving Lunch, collaborated during small-group activities, and started each day with meaningful morning meetings. Wishing everyone a restful and joyful Thanksgiving break!

FUNctional Friday with Ms. Oberg, Mrs. Reichel, and Mr. Trevor! Our very own Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We learned about the history of the balloons, looked at pictures of the parade, and made our own balloon floats. Thank you to our school resource officer for leading the parade!

There’s no better time to gear up and show the world what true spirit looks like! Our brand-new Spirit Gear Collection has officially dropped—packed with bold colors, fresh styles, and everything you need to support your child's school!

Mrs. Seamons and her students began the day with the Good Morning song to welcome the students and set a positive tone. They then counted the absent students and reviewed the daily classroom jobs. Afterward, the class participated in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mrs. Seamons continued with a review of the days of the week song and completed calendar counting together. Students practiced identifying shapes and discussed plans for their upcoming Thanksgiving lunch. The session concluded with students practicing counting backwards as a math skill warm-up. Mrs. Seamons is highly regarded within the district for her skill in supporting and mentoring new educators. She is frequently requested for new-teacher observations because of her strong instructional expertise, clear feedback, and ability to model effective classroom practices. We love Mrs. Seamons and everything she brings to Oregon Trail.

"Congrats, Ms. Kelley's class, with the ninth correct answer "A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay on this week's What's This Song?!? Wednesday Challenge!"

Don't forget about Thanksgiving Lunch Tomorrow!

Go get dinner and support our amazing school on Wednesday, December 3rd!

Check out week 13! Next week is our last week of school before we have a week off for Thanksgiving Break! Don't forget about our Thanksgiving Lunch on November 20th.

Ms. Bixler and her students had a very efficient start to their day. They started their day with the pledge and a song, which was followed by students joining in a big circle around the room to count by their multiples. Once students were finished, they were given a few minutes to get some iReady minutes in before practicing their spelling patterns through "Map It". Instead of starting their day with a Morning Meeting, they end their day with social and emotional lessons. Thanks Ms. Bixler for providing routines for students to be successful in the classroom. Photo Credit: Barsa, student photographer

Winners of the What's This Song?!? Wednesday Award for "Good Feeling" performed by Flo Rida

Week 12 was fun! Art, Finding Patterns, Descriptive Writing, Independent Work, Group Work, and so much more. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Lunch Times -
Kinder: 11:00
First Grade: 11:15
Second Grade: 11:30
Third Grade: 11:45
Fourth Grade: 11:55
Fifth Grade: 12:05

Ms. Kelley and her students started out with one of Mrs. Willsey's Morning Meeting Lessons focused on having good manners. They watched the video as a class and worked with partners when answering questions about treating others with respect. At the end of morning meeting, they were able to enjoy a fun brain break together as a class. Barsa was very impressed with how well behaved the class was. Thanks Ms. Kelley for starting your day by meeting the social and emotional needs of your students. Photo Credit: Barsa, student photographer

"Nice job Mrs. Boyle's class! 2nd week in a row with Walking on Sunshine."

Last Friday was Halloween FUNctional Friday with Ms. Oberg, Mrs. Reichel, and Mr. Trevor! They created a bubble cauldron painting and worked on their fine motor skills by gluing the letters of their names onto their picture.

Mrs. Stephens and her students started the morning by talking about what makes a good friend. They watched Mrs. Willsey's morning meeting videos and participated in an activity called Mix-Pair-Share. It was evident that students knew the routines and knew how to respectfully have conversations with their peers. Our student photographer wrote all over the observation sheet, "smart", "good", "very good". She seemed to really enjoy being a part of their morning meeting. We love that Mrs. Stephens joined us at Oregon Trail this year. Photo Credit: Barsa, student photographer