Pickerington Elementary
October 30, 2020
Pickerington Elementary
November 3rd: Go Vote! -Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences (11 am - 7 pm) and Pickerington Elementary PTO Fundraising Day at MOD Pizza!
Email: david_zwiebel@plsd.us
Website: https://www.pickerington.k12.oh.us/pickerington-elementary/
Location: 775 Long Road, Pickerington, OH, USA
Phone: 614-548-1400
Facebook: facebook.com/pickeringtones
Twitter: @pickeringtones
Principal's Message
Dear families,
I’m so pleased to announce our first seven students of the year who were honored and recognized at school for being chosen as leaders for the month of September. Each of the students was nominated by a staff member for demonstrating one of the seven habits described in the book, The Leader in Me, by Steven R. Covey and in the series of books titled, The 7 Habits of Happy Kids, by Sean Covey. Each student demonstrated what a highly effective leader looks like. Students were given a leadership T-shirt and a certificate. Congratulations to Kennedy G., Aditya K., Chloe C., Lydia M., Precious K., Tye W., and Tyler K.
A big thank you to families. We had a great response for our parent/teacher conferences that we held this past month and for those who are signed up for November 3, next Tuesday. Thanks family members for partnering with us in your child’s education, especially in a virtual setting for the conferences, a first for everyone. We all appreciate you!
Keep reading for more information that will help you stay up to date with all that’s happening.
Melissa Moriarty
Principal
Hybrid to VLA lottery
Dear Parents/ Guardians of Hybrid Students,
At the October 12th, 2020 PLSD Board of Education Meeting, the Board determined that hybrid students (Cohorts A & B) will return to full in person learning Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday beginning on November 16th. Wednesday will remain a virtual learning day for the remainder of the semester for these students.
The administration and the Board also decided to allow full time Virtual Learning Academy students the opportunity to apply for a return to the face to face model based on space and availability by grade/building. The district held a lottery for VLA students in grades K-6 and the students that will vacate VLA will now have their “seats” made available for hybrid students to transition to VLA. This will be the only opportunity for your student to apply and remain in VLA for the remainder of the year.
In order to be fair to all parties requesting consideration to transition to the VLA, a lottery will be held for any spots available by grade/building on Monday 11/9/20. In order to be considered, you must submit an application for each student you are requesting consideration for. The district will be sending out a communication to the K-6 hybrid learning families on Monday 11/2 at 8 AM along with a list of open seats available for VLA by grade level. The email will also include a link to a survey that must be completed to be considered for the lottery. If you would like to be considered for having your student transition to VLA, please be on the lookout for the email. The survey link will be open until Wednesday 11/4 at 4PM. If you’re content with the hybrid / in-person learning, there will be no action needed on your part.
Jack-O-Lanterns
Free meals at school!
We just got word from the ODE Child Nutrition Department that all meals are free through June 2021. No paperwork needs to be completed. Your student simply needs to go through the line. Please take advantage of this amazing program!
Counselor Connection with Ms. Stewart
Thanksgiving Meal Assistance Available
Local community members are interested in donating Thanksgiving meals (Gift Card for a Turkey, Stuffing, Pie, Corn, Green Beans, Turkey Pan, Biscuit Mix) to other Pickerington families. This is a confidential donation, neither the names of donors or recipients will be shared. Due to the amount of food in the box, an adult will need to be available to come and pick it up from Pickerington Elementary on Friday, November 20th. The pick-up time is to be determined and will be communicated closer to that date.
If you are interested in receiving a Turkey dinner, please contact me at Phone:(614)548-1431 or email kendra_stewart@plsd.us by November 4th.
Please let me know how many family members live in your house so we can make sure the appropriate amount of food is boxed.
Holiday Assistance
Pickerington Schools are once again teaming up with the Violet Township Fire Department to help provide some holiday assistance for families in need during this holiday season.
In need of assistance?
Request an online form for holiday assistance by contacting me at kendra_stewart@plsd.us or 614-548-1431. The request link will then be provided to you, only one per household please. This form is handled in a confidential manner with more details from your school counselor. Please remember that we will only be able to supplement your holiday. The online form must be completed by Friday, November 20th.
Wanting to donate?
There are several ways to donate this year:
The traditional big red boxes throughout the community and in the schools accepting donations of new toys/gifts.
Gift cards are also appreciated.
Cash donations through Paypal.
Another way of donating this year is through Amazon and Target. If you would prefer to donate in this way, click on the links below. Be sure to ship to Violet Township Fire Department Toy Drive (address will appear as an option).
H.O.P.E Food Bags
Violet Baptist Church offers a Weekend Food Program. This program was created to help those families in need of meals for their children over the weekend. This is offered to our students for FREE. Each student in the house is eligible. Students will take their bags home on either Monday or Thursday, depending on which hybrid day they are here. If your student is VLA and would like to participate, you will pick up the bag(s) from the school on Thursday or Friday. Please reach out to Kendra Stewart, School Counselor by phone at 614-548-1431 or email at kendra_stewart@plsd.us in order to sign up.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentoring Program
Pickerington Elementary would like to introduce Big Brothers Big Sisters and its school-based mentoring program. School-based mentoring assists youths in realizing their full potential academically. Bigs meet with Littles at school, whether it’s in the classroom or on the playground. Currently, meetings are happening virtually on the students' virtual learning days with their 'Big' as a BBBS staff member monitors the hangout. When we return to full-time in-person learning and once visitors are allowed to return to buildings, Bigs would come to our school to meet with the Little at a time that works best for the pair. These meetings are typically scheduled during lunch/recess depending on the availability of the Big. The meetings usually last about 40 to 45 minutes once per week throughout the school year.
If you think this would be a good fit for your child please contact Ms. Stewart or Ms. Smith (Intern) at (614) 548-1431 or by email at kendra_stewart@plsd.us / ashley_smith@plsd.us.
Please click the link below to learn more.
Pickerington Elementary Staff "Shout Out"
Mrs. Horsford Instructional Coach's Corner
Greetings Families,
The 1st quarter of the 2020 - 2021 school is now complete. The first two rounds of parent- teacher conferences to discuss quarter one progress have been very productive. With three more quarters left to the year, the following resources might be helpful for families.
Below are links to all of the year- long math standards for each grade level from the Ohio Department of Education’s website.
Below are links to the ELA (English Language Arts) Standards and Model Curriculum for each grade level from the Ohio Department of Education’s website as well .
Looking forward to continuing to support students and families.
Best,
Mrs. Horsford
Testing Month!
Testing Information
Gifted and Talented Testing (Second AND Third Grade)
2nd and 3rd-grade students will take the gifted and talented assessment for math and reading. Testing will take place at Pickerington Elementary on November 2nd and 5th. 2nd-grade students will take the Naglieri assessment, while 3rd-grade students will take the CogAT. Assessment results will inform teachers of student achievement in comparison to other students across the country. As well, the assessment will identify the student as gifted and talented. We ask that you please be mindful of scheduling appointments around the testing window.
PTO Needs YOU!
Committee Heads needed/Volunteers
We are excited to announce we have many spaces available to help our children at the PTO! We are currently looking for and AP Treasurer and need Chairs for the following Committees:
Family Fun Night
Kids Care Club
K.I.S.S. Luncheon
Movie Nights
Staff Appreciation
Walk-a-thon
Super Games
If you are interested in any of the committees and want more information please feel free to contact either Darcie Adams @ darcieadams13@gmail.com or Emily Haverfield @ haverfieldt@hotmail.com The PTO is an amazing organization that provides so many fun opportunities for your students. Even if you would not like to be a Chairperson we are always looking for volunteers throughout the year. Please join the Pickerington Elementary PTO to find out more about those opportunities.
Did you know you can become a member of the PTO?
find out more here
Make sure to follow our PTO on their NEW Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/PickElemPTO
Pickerington Elementary PTO Fundraising Day at MOD Pizza!
Stop by the Pickerington location anytime on Tuesday, November 3, 2020! There's no school for K-8, so perhaps pizza for lunch AND dinner?! Show this flyer when ordering and 20% of sales will be donated back to the school! Thank you for your support!
Gear Up!
Support our PTO by purchasing your very own
Early Dismissal Protocol
Also, If you need to sign your child in or out of school, please use the QR code located on the front doors. All parents are expected to walk their child to and from the main entrance when signing a child in or out of school. Unfortunately, we are unable to allow parents in the building due to COVID unless it is an emergency.
Come join us!
Tech Help
If seeking help or have signed up for tech help at the district office please reference the district website.
https://www.pickerington.k12.oh.us/news/new-plsd-technology-hours/
Current tech support hours AND the location at Heritage Auditorium. Parents must go to doors P and O (not District Office or The Elementary School).
This information is on the District website but we have had many students/parents come here today saying their teacher sent them.
*the current hours are only for the month of October!
Chromebook restart message
If students see a message telling them they will be logged out soon, this is because they have not turned off or logged out of their computer for some time. This can cause issues with memory among other issues. Logging out and back in should solve any issues. If they ignore this message they will be logged out by the computer. No worries, they will be able to log right back in. The worst case scenario is they may be kicked off during work they are completing.