GOTR This Week

There WILL be GOTR tomorrow and you won't want to miss it!  We'll be doing some especially fun running games to celebrate our final practice of the season.  Remember that our GOTR end of season celebration is on Thursday.  Bring your family and join us for some healthy snacks, a GOTR video and some fun games!

Snacks Please

For next Thursday's end of season celebration we are in need of some healthy snack donations.  If you are able to bring a fruit or a vegetable for the girls to enjoy please let me know!  Thank you in advance!

Grace Race - Sign Up Today!

It's not too late to sign up for Grace Race!  We would love to have you, your family and friends join us as we celebrate the beginning of summer, spend time in fellowship and support Grace Centers of Hope.

If you'd like to receive a Grace Race shirt, designed by our own Katelyn, you must register by tomorrow, May 16.  If you don't mind not having a t-shirt you can even register the morning of the race. Registration forms are available for download here.

So far we have raised $100 for the children at Grace Centers of Hope.  We need your help to raise even more!  Even if you are unable to attend the race you can still donate!  Simply send your donation to Mrs. Garner by the last day of school.

On race day registration/sign-in will open at 9:30 am and the race will begin at 10:00 am.  There will be face painting, door prizes, cheerleaders and tons of fun.  Hope to see you there!

Rock the Skirt

Yesterday, we had a special visit from Mrs. Reyes to learn about Rock City Running Skirts!  These fun and sparkly running skirts are a great way to support a local Christian business, raise money for wells in  Africa ($1 from every skirt is donated), and have fun while you run!


There's still time to order them before our GOTR 5K Races.  The owner of Rock City Skirts lives only a few miles from OCS so you won't even need to have them shipped, Mrs. Reyes is willing to deliver them right to school!  If you'd like to order two skirts you can use the discount code GOTRDISCOUNT to save $7.

You can find more information or place an order by visiting the Rock City Skirts Website.

Grace Race Help Needed!

We need your help!  Please e-mail Mrs. Garner egarner@oaklandchristian.com if you are available.  All donations and hours are eligible for FSH.  

Snacks - Purchase before race at Meijer using a gift card (provided) then set up (10:00) and work table (10:30-11:00ish) - 1 Adult 

Sign-In/Donations Table - Sign in runners/walkers and collect donations for Grace Centers of Hope (9:30-10:00) - 2 Adults 

Finish Line - Sit at the finish line and shout out times as runners/walkers cross, congratulate the elementary kids as this is a big deal for them!  (10:20-11:00ish) - 2 adults

Water Stops/Checkpoints - Pass out water as runners/walkers pass your station, pass out stickers to elementary kids to help them chart their progress (10:00-11:00) - 3-5 stops, 2 people (adults or teens) per stop 

Face Paint - Face Paint the elementary kids before the race to make them feel special! (9:30-10:00) - 2-3 people (adults or teens)

We are also in need of quick snack donations to have at the water stops - jelly beans, licorice, starbursts, banana slices, orange slices, etc.

Grace Race Update

Currently we have 6 GOTR families signed up to walk/run in Grace Race on Saturday, May 25.  It's going to be a great time together to celebrate the beginning of summer, get active and support Grace Centers of Hope!

Due to a shortage of volunteers we have decided to keep the event a bit smaller scale and not open it up to the entire school.  Instead, participants will be GOTR families and friends, OCS staff families and high school track and cross country athletes.

The high school LEAD students will be volunteering on Race Day to run water stations, organize sign-ins and much more but we could still use a few more adult volunteers.  Please e-mail Mrs. Garner egarner@oaklandchristian.com if you are able to help!

If your daughter, a family member or friend would still like to sign up you can download the registration form by clicking here (Grace Race Registration Form)!  T-shirts are guaranteed if registered by next Wednesday, May 15.  Donations to Grace Centers of Hope may be made ahead of time and/or on the day of the race.

It will be a fun filled day, complete with a finish line cheering section and pre-race face painting!  Hope to see you there!

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

At yesterday's practice we talked about the idea that we are each fearfully and wonderfully made by God.  We also reminded ourselves that being fearfully and wonderfully made doesn't mean that we are all the same - it just means that we are all wonderful exactly the way that God create US!

With our focus set on this important truth we headed outside to do our workout at our own pace and in our own way that was just right for the way we were created.

Check out these fun pictures from practice below!  We were having so much fun that some Omega students even joined in!

Grace Race

Hello GOTR families!  So far only 3 families have indicated that they will be participating in Grace Race at OCS on Saturday, May 25.  If you are planning to participate but have not yet let Mrs. Garner know please send her an e-mail or return your daughter's race slip by Friday.

Working Together

We had a great practice yesterday afternoon learning about how God created each of us differently but equipped us to work together to serve Him!  Check out our girls working together to support their teams in this video!

Thankfulness

This week at GOTR we talked about our emotions, especially the emotion of thankfulness!  We girls on the run are thankful for many things including our families, God, our pets, our school, strong bodies and Girls on the Run!

We also worked hard this week to learn how to pace ourselves.  Many girls ran more than one mile at yesterday's practice!

Our stickers in the picture below represent how many laps we've run - wow!

We're Back!

Welcome back from Easter Break!  We can't wait to get started with GOTR tomorrow.  Remind your girl on the run to dress for the weather and bring a water bottle!

Blast Off!

Check out this game to see if your food will blast you off!  Blast Off Game! Click Here

Fueling our Bodies

This week at GOTR we're talking about fueling our bodies!  The Bible tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20,

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."

We need to take good care of the bodies God has given us by eating healthy foods, getting rest, and exercising!

Build Each Other Up!

Today we practiced building one another up just like God commanded us in 1 Thessalonians 5:11.  We memorized the verse "Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up just as you are already doing," and made up motions to help us remember it.  Ask your Girl on the Run to show you her motions!

After our lesson time we ran through the halls shouting out things that made us proud and reminding each other, "You go girl!"

Please help your Girl on the Run to remember a water bottle for next week's practices!  We will have GOTR on Thursday even though it is the last day before vacation.

GOTR Promise

Check out the GOTR Promise we wrote together at yesterday's practice!

Choosing to be a Girl on the Run

Despite our chilly March weather the girls on the run had an awesome practice number three!  Today we talked about choosing to be a girl on the run and choosing to get our power from the good things that God has for us.  We even practiced reacting to tough situations like a Girl on the Run who's living for God.  Ask your girl on the run which situation she acted out today!

We also took a "field trip" to pump up our team spirit with some help from the high school cheerleaders!  Check our our fun pictures below!

We ended our practice by running in the halls!  For each lap we completed we earned a power sticker to keep track of our laps and to make us smile.  How many power stickers did you earn today?

5K Options

This year we are excited to announce that our OCS team has the chance to participate in two different 5K Events!  Parents, friends and family are invited to join our Girls on the Run in both events.  The first  is YMCA sponsored race which will take place on Sunday, May 19 at Oakland University.  The second is the Grace Race which will take place at OCS on Saturday, May 25.  Put these on your calendar and get ready to run, skip, hop and jump your way across the finish line!

Plugging into the Right Cord

Today at GOTR we talked about plugging into the right cord to get our power and energy! As Girls on the Run we want to "plug into" things that fill us with power and energy to live out God's plan for our lives.  In Philippians 4:8 God tells us, "...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."  

When we choose to plug into "icky" thoughts we can lose our confidence and get worn down but when we choose to think about excellent things and work hard to "plug into" the right cord God fills us with energy and power to do His will.

Ask your girl on the run, "What can you say to encourage a friend this week and to help her re-charge with the right cord?"

We Girls on the Run love to be silly!

So Much Fun!

We had an awesome practice today!  Can you find your girl on the run in the video above?

1 John 3:18 says, "Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions."  Today we practiced showing God's love and truth to all of our GOTR friends by using words of encouragement.  Ask your girl on the run, "What encouraged you today?"

Be sure to check out the "Grown Up Guide" in your daughter's cinch bag for more fun ways to follow up at home.

We're hopeful that the weather on Thursday will be warm enough to run outside.  Please be sure your girl on the run is prepared with a sweatshirt or light jacket!

Reminder!

Tomorrow is the first day of GOTR OCS!  Come ready to run and dress in layers - we will run outside if the weather permits.

Ready to Run

When you send your daughter to school on Tuesday please be sure she is ready to run!
Right after school she will need to change into comfortable running clothes (no jeans) and shoes.  We will be running outside so please remind her to dress in layers!  A snack will be provided for the girls but please help your daughter remember her water bottle.  It's so important to stay hydrated!

All girls should meet in Mrs. Garner's room, #102.  From there we will meet the coaches and split off into our pink and green groups.  We will dismiss the girls from the elementary lobby at 4:30.  Any girls not picked up by 4:45 will be sent to Omega.

What do we love about GOTR?

Watch the video of these veteran girls on the run to find out what their favorite part of last season was!

Roster

We can hardly believe how many girls will be a part of GOTR OCS this spring!  Check out our roster!

3rd Grade
Olivia C
Anna P
Ellayna S
Chloe K
Taylor T

4th Grade
Sophie A
Kendall B
Samantha B
Brynn C
Gjulia C
Katelyn E
Kennedy J
Ava M
Riley S
Claire S
Lilly W
Delilah C
Gina R


5th Grade
Rachel B
Abby C
Izzy W
Autumn M

Welcome!

Welcome to Girls on the Run OCS!  We are so excited to have your family involved in this exciting program!  Our blog will be updated twice a week with pictures from practice and lesson follow-ups you can review with your daughter at home.  Much of our GOTR communication will be done via the blog so be sure to check in when you have the chance.

Practices begin next week - check out our schedule tab for a more detailed look!