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Come to the Library on Tuesday, May 20th, to learn about:

The 2008 PTSA Silent Auction is here, and you're invited! It will take place on Saturday, April 5th from 5:30-10:30pm at Chapel of the Chimes on Piedmont Avenue. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

The Auction Committee is still seeking donations for the auction, and you can use this Auction Donation Form to submit an item for this great cause.

Course selection for incoming Oakland Tech freshmen will take place on Friday, April 11 from 4:00pm to 7:30pm in the library.

This is required for students either transferring from private schools, or coming from a public school where OUSD high school course selection was not offered to 8th graders.

Parents are required to bring a copy of their child's grades, which will be given the counselor.

The much-anticipated dedication of Oakland Tech's Field of Dreams will take place next Tuesday, April 1, at 4:00pm. Oakland dignitaries who will be in attendance include:

Ken Korach (Oakland A's play-by-play announcer) Bob Milano (retired Cal Baseball Coach & member of Cal Hall of Fame) Sam Bercovich (legendary Oakland baseball figure whose family sponsored local youth teams from 1929 to the 1980s) Vincent Matthews (State Administrator/Trustee, Oakland Unified School District) Kerry Hamill (OUSD Board Member)
The public is invited and encouraged to attend. Please come to help us inaugurate this great facility, and to celebrate the work of all the individuals and organizations who have made it happen!

A new program has been launched at Tech, designed to assist the parents of OT students. The Family Resource Center is 'A space to engage in Parent Learning, Parent Leadership, and Parent Advocacy'.

Please view this information from the Oakland Tech counselors regarding students' class schedules for the 2008-09 school year.

A Silence the Violence rally, co-sponsored by the Golden State Warriors and Joe Marshall's Street Soldiers, will take place in the Oakland Tech Auditorium on Monday, March 10th from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

Effective December 20, 2007, the Oakland Unified School District will enforce new safety restrictions at all OUSD sporting events:

Dear Parents, Students and Families of Oakland Technical High School,

I am writing to you to clarify a situation that arose at Tech on Friday. It came to the attention of administrators that two students and a coach had acquired a staph infection. The school took an extra cautious approach and closed the gym and locker rooms and arranged with the OUSD Facilities Department to completely sanitize those facilities on Saturday morning. These facilities were disinfected on Saturday and Sunday with the appropriate cleaning solution.

Please note, however, that while the case of staph infection at Oakland Tech was treated with due seriousness, it was NOT MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus), the strain of staph which has been the source of much alarm recently and was the cause of great concern in the news. Before we knew what kind of infection this was:

OUSD Administration and Health Services were immediately informed Both gyms and locker rooms were closed on Friday The gyms, locker rooms, restrooms and all other areas of concern were cleaned and disinfected according to established standards. Dr. Ryals, the Alameda County Public Heath Department Director of Communicable Diseases has assured us that we have taken the appropriate measures and no further action is necessary. Dr. Ryals reminded us that the key to preventing any infection is through thorough hand washing. OUSD takes constant precautions to provide a clean and safe environment for students, staff and the community not just at times of high alert.

These measures reflected accepted protocol for dealing with staph infections in a school environment.

Please note also that each individual can take important steps to protect themselves from unwanted germs and infection. The following are measures which go a long way in minimizing risk.

These measures include:

thorough handwashing, using soap or an alcohol based hand rub practicing good personal hygiene covering infections on the skin washing immediately after exercise minimizing or avoiding entirely the sharing of personal items (e.g, towels, razors) that come into contact with your bare skin We ask that the OUSD community implement these practices to reduce the risk of ANY infection.

The Tech staff will work with the OUSD Health Services Department and the TechniClinic staff to provide training and in-service to school staff and students on good hand washing techniques.

If you are concerned that your child might have a skin infection, contact your doctor or have your child seen at the School TechniClinic.

If you would like further information, you may contact

Joan Edelstein, Dr PH, RN, Health Services Coordinator Oakland Unified School District/ACPHD 2850 West Street ; Oakland , CA 94608 (510) 879-8816 (Health Services Office)

For our part, we will continue to be vigilant in observing all recognized infection prevention standards for a school environment to help ensure the safety of Tech students.

Please know that the safety of the students at Oakland Technical High School is our highest priority.

Sincerely,

Sheilagh Andujar Principal

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Here are some additional resources about staph infection:

From the Mayo Clinic web site