http://www.ojref.org/rss.xml/ The OJR Education Foundation News Feed en-us Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST webmaster@ojref.org (2 Twins Design) 15 http://www.ojref.org/news_events/OJRNewslettermay2009.pdf The District was awarded the 2008 Campaign Performance Award at the annual United Way luncheon held at Spring Hollow Golf Club in Spring City, PA, on May 7, 2009. Dr. Myra Forrest accepted the award on behalf of 250 Owen J. Roberts School District employees who pledged $10,927 for the 2008 Annual United Way Campaign. The funds raised were matched by the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation in the amount of $7,400.03. This was an 111% increase over the previous year’s donations. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST http://ojrhs.ojrsd.com/ojrtv.aspx Congratulations to senior John Heim, senior Seth McNaughton, and junior Kyle Walker for having their films selected to the Inaugural Main Line Film Festival. John Heim received 1st Place honors for “Text” – Texting is fun, easy and addictive. Don’t lose your phone, or it could ruin your life! Find out what happens to John in “Text.” Seth and Kyle received Honorable Mention for “Cube of Time,” the story of a magical cube that suspends time. But look out if it falls into the wrong hands! Check out “Text” on the OJR Wildcat Television Network webpage under OJR Digital Shorts. “Cube of Time” will be posted soon, as well as other content that students have produced. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST http://www.bestbuddies.org/ The Owen J. Roberts High School Best Buddies Club hosted the 14th Annual Friendship Ball on May 9. This semi-formal event was a night for students and their peer buddies to celebrate a year of friendship and share memories with other chapters and friends. All of the 18 chapters of Best Buddies in Southeastern PA and New Jersey were invited. About 350 students, peers, and advisors attended this year’s Under the Sea event. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST http://www.ojref.org/news_events/OJRNewslettermay2009.pdf East Vincent Students Discover the Joy of Giving Back by involving themselves in community service projects. Projects included: students decorating Halloween treat bags for their peers at a local shelter... students reading with and recording themselves onto CD's which will be given to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia... students from the third grade bringing in pet donations such as leashes, bowls, food, and toys to donate to the local SPCA. East Vincent Students Discover the Joy of Giving Back through these projects, the students experienced firsthand the importance of giving back to those who are less fortunate and discovered creative ways to help their own community. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST http://www1.coventrylions.org Last Spring, Dr. Melchor, the Principal of North Coventry Elementary School, contacted Terry Stouffer, Lions Club member and Middle School track coach, about starting a Leo Club at North Coventry, but the students in his school were not old enough to meet the Leo age requirement (minimum age 12). Terry proposed that they start a new youth service club sponsored by the Coventry Lions Club. The principals of the other District elementary schools were contacted, and soon, all five elementary schools were involved in starting a new youth service club. After an orientation meeting at each school, new clubs were formed with the assistance of some very dedicated school advisors. A total of 180 students in grades 4 – 6 make up the new club. One of the first orders of business was its name. After each school submitted its favorite name, the “Lion Cubs” was selected as the official club name. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST http://www.ojrsd.com The Owen J. Roberts School District offers several summer programs for its students, including Academic Jump Start and Kinder Camp. Jump Start is a program designed to give qualifying elementary students a “boost” before the school year begins. Students who receive reading and mathematics support during the school year are invited to participate in the Jump Start program. Typically, over 150 students each summer spend time reading, using the computer, and practicing mathematics skills. Kinder Camp, open to all incoming kindergarten students, is designed to ease the transition into kindergarten. Students are invited to their home schools for four half-days in mid-August. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST http://www.ojref.org/news_events/OJRNewslettermay2009.pdf The District was awarded the 2008 Campaign Performance Award at the annual United Way luncheon held at Spring Hollow Golf Club in Spring City, PA, on May 7, 2009. Dr. Myra Forrest accepted the award on behalf of 250 Owen J. Roberts School District employees who pledged $10,927 for the 2008 Annual United Way Campaign. The funds raised were matched by the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation in the amount of $7,400.03. This was an 111% increase over the previous year’s donations. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST http://www.ojrsd.com Since Spring 2007, the Owen J. Roberts Education Foundation has awarded over $40,000 in grants. At the end of May, the Foundation will award mini-grants for the 2009-2010 school year. Mini-Grants Include: Accounting Monopoly, Reading Leveled Library, Classroom Library Collections, eBooks and Smart Board tools, Courtyard Ecosystem Pond Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST khocker@ ojrsd.com The 2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off will be November 7, 2009... Wanted: volunteers for the committee, sponsorships, and items for the silent auction. For more information about the vent, please contact: Dr. Kathleen M. Hocker – khocker@ ojrsd.com or call 610-469-5333 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST http://www.ojrsd.com The Friends of the Arts Holiday House Tour is in jeopardy this year. We at Friends of the Arts must have at least 6-8 houses commit to the tour by Sept., or we can't schedule this popular event. The Holiday House Tour has become a tradition and is our 2nd largest fundraiser; without it, our funds for next year will be sorely diminished. If you'd consider placing your home on the Holiday House Tour or if you know someone whose home you admire and would volunteer for the tour, please call! We are willing to consider houses in neighboring communities just outside the OJR District. Please contact these FOA members: Barbara Rambo- (610) 495-6808 // Mary Lou Fulmer- (610) 460-0274 // Joanne Floquet- (610) 326-6357 // Vicki Johnson- (610) 469-9084 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST http://www.ojref.org/news_events/OJRNewslettermay2009.pdf The Delaware Valley HR Person of the Year Award was presented to Mrs. Antonia R. Cramp, HR Director of the Owen J. Roberts School District. Mrs. Cramp accepted this prestigious award in the category of organizations with 501 – 2000 employees. The Delaware Valley HR Person of the Year Award was developed in 2001 to celebrate the Human Resources industry and to recognize those in the HR profession whoexemplify outstanding achievement within our local human resources community. Regionally, there are approximately 5,000 HR professionals. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST http://www.ojref.org/news_events/OJRNewslettermay2009.pdf Paws and Whiskers is North Coventry’s very own kid’s online newspaper. Staff members are fourth and fifth grade volunteers who meet almost every Thursday during lunch and recess recording all the news that is fit to print from our school. You can access this newspaper by visiting www. ojrsd.com, and selecting North Coventry from the drop-down school list, and then selecting Paws and Whiskers from the directory on the right side of the school’s homepage.The Gavel Goes Green Owen J Roberts High School newspaper known as The Gavel has gone green and is now online. This new format is designed to be easy-access, eco-minded, economical, and timely. The Gavel can be found on the District website. On the High School homepage, select Gavel Online. Front-page stories will be indexed as well as six news sections for review: Sports, Around School, International News, Review, Opinion, Health and Wellness. An archive of all student articles is also available. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST http://www.ojref.org/news_events/OJRNewslettermay2009.pdf Jarad Winget was honored to receive the Student Citizenship Award 2009 from the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Philadelphia Inquirer Student Citizenship Award, created to honor deserving students and to encourage others, recognizes outstanding high school seniors throughout the region who actively participate in civic life. Jarad invited Captain MT Stanley, USN (ret.) to join him for the ceremony. Schools in Philadelphia, Bucks, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Camden, Gloucester, and Burlington counties each select a senior who significantly demonstrates the qualities of civic or community contribution, good scholarship, and school participation. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST http://www.ojref.org/news_events/OJRNewslettermay2009.pdf On April 18, nine teams of students from our District competed in the Pennsylvania Odyssey of the Mind State Finals Tournament. This year’s competition was held in Williamsport, PA. Of the nine teams competing, seven have earned the right to move on to the world finals competition setting a new high for the District. Odyssey of the Mind is the world’s largest problem-solving competition. Teams of students choose to solve one of five long-term problems and are tested with additional “spontaneous” problems during each contest. The combination of long-term and spontaneous scores determines which teams ultimately place and move on in the competition. The year-long contest begins with teams starting preparation in October; regional tournaments held in the month of March; state finals held in April; and winning teams at the state level advancing to compete in World Finals. This year, World Finals will be held at Iowa State University from May 27-30. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST http://www.ojref.org/news_events/OJRNewslettermay2009.pdf On Friday, April 17, students in Julie Konjoian’s, Katie Montone’s, and Joyce DeVol’s third grade classes at French Creek Elementary enjoyed learning about environmental topics with four guest speakers. The children eagerly participated in various stations related to Earth Day topics. Jay Erb, from Warwick County Park, spoke with the children about cavity-nesting birds found near our school. His bird examples were of great interest to the children. Erb also emphasized the importance of protecting the trees used by the various bird species for nesting. Lisa Miller, from French Creek State Park, taught the children about different species of salamanders. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST http://www.ojref.org/news_events/OJRNewslettermay2009.pdf “Billy Elliot” leads the Tony nominations with 15 and tied the record for the most nominations with “The Producers” in 2001. OJR Senior Tessa Netting is now part of a Tony-nominated cast for Best Musical. The 63rd annual Tony Awards will be held at Radio City Music Hall on June 7, 2009. The three-hour program will be aired on CBS. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:59:59 EST