PRM School Rocker
Issue 6, Volume 4 February 2023
Principal Simpson's Message
Greetings PRM Families,
We are excited to spread the love of our community as we celebrate the valuable contributions of African-Americans this month! There will be various opportunities to acknowledge the importance of African-American people in our history and everyday lives throughout the month. This time last year, we were also preparing to cheer our Cincinnati Bengals on in the Super Bowl. Though they fell short this year, we know they will come back strong.
Next week will mark the midterm of the third quarter. Our staff and students continue to work diligently toward academic success. Our team here at PRM is committed and passionate about the success of this school community. We continue to look for ways to provide the highest quality instructional experience for our students. We are in the midst of the pilot of our Montessori Scope and Sequence, which further enhances the true Montessori experience. We look forward to seeking official curriculum adoption in the spring. We want to thank you for all of your support in making this happen for our students, teachers, and the CPS Montessori community.
May you have a safe and healthy February!
Love,
Principal Simpson
Email: simpsoa@cpsboe.k12.oh.us
Phone: 513-203-9087
School Hours
January Meetings and Important Dates
Hop for Heart Health: Wear Red~ Friday, February 3rd
ILT Meeting~Monday, February 6th @2:45pm at PRM
Foundation Silent Auction~ Monday, February 6th thru Saturday, February 11th
PRM Party at The Acres~ Saturday, February 11th at 7:00-11:00pm ~ $30 per person
LSDMC Meeting~Wednesday, February 8th @ 3:00pm Virtually via Google Meet
PTO and Foundation Meeting~Wednesday, February 8th @ 6:00pm at PRM
No School: Conference Day Holiday~ Monday, February 13th
No School: Presidents’ Day~ Monday, February 20th
Equity Group Meeting~Thursday, February 23rd @ 6:30pm at PRM
Read-a-thon: 5th Annual~Thursday, March 2nd – Wednesday, March 8th
Event updates throughout the month will be available on www.prmrocks.org/calendar
*You can also subscribe to the calendar on your device- find the green “subscribe” button on the top right side of the calendar page.
Every Child Reads (ECR) Updates~Sarah Kleymeyer, Reading Specialist
3-6 News
The 3-6 team is excited to continue to help the students learn and grow this February during the third quarter of the school year. We continue to go outside twice a day (weather permitting) so please send your student with appropriate outerwear for playing outside in the cold. Also, if we do happen to get more snow, rain/snow boots are great if your student has them, but please send in a change of shoes, particularly if it is their day for gym class (kindergarteners). Besides a couple of days off (February 13 for Conference Day and February 20 for President's Day), it is business as usual this month. Please let your classroom teacher know if you have any questions or concerns.
6-9 News
As we approach February, the 6-9 classrooms will be participating in various lessons and activities related to Black History Month, including a Gallery Walk (door decorating) and an assembly towards the end of the month.
All 6-9 communities will be attending a field trip to Green Acres in early February to learn about the process of tapping maple trees for maple syrup.
The 6-9 teachers continue to work with the Montessori Scope and Sequence to drive classroom instruction. Studies of new continents are starting at the beginning of February, along with other cultural studies. All teachers are encouraging students to bring their computers daily fully charged for online classwork such as I-Ready and MyPath. All teachers are encouraged to have every student on MyPath for 45 minutes per week, and computers are necessary to achieve this goal! Thank you to our families for working with us to support every learner!
9-12 News
The 9-12 team is excited for everyone to check out the items we have ready for the annual PRM Silent Auction. We hope that something catches your eye! The 9-12 team also has many field trips coming up. This month we have one to the Taft Museum to see the Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art. Homerooms will be attending this exhibit on different days. Be on the lookout for more information from your child's teacher. Next in line for the 5th graders in March is a trip to the Zoo, and in April, the 6th graders will take their trip to Camp Kern! Thank you for all you continue to do to support our learning communities. Please reach out to your homeroom teachers if you have any questions.
PTO & Foundation Hub News
Updates from our Parent Organizations:
PTO/Foundation
February might be the shortest month of the year, but we have just as many wonderful things happening at PRM in these short 28 days. To learn more about all the excitement, please plan to join us at an upcoming PTO meeting. Meetings are open to all, everyone is encouraged to attend, and it’s a great way to build community by being a part of our unique school. Meetings are on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 6:00pm in the school cafeteria. Our next meeting will be on February 8th and will be a joint meeting with Foundation. The foundation meeting will start immediately following PTO at around 7:00pm.
The PRM Foundation has been supporting our school financially in a variety of ways; paying for staff to attend upcoming conferences and professional development, buying storage solutions for the preschool/kindergarten playground, and paying for vital updates to the school garden beds. In order to continue supporting PRM in this way, we have two important upcoming fundraisers.
The Annual Silent Auction will be virtual again this year and will go live on February 6th. Bidding will be open through the evening of February 11th, and details will be sent out via email and posted on the PRM (PTO Sponsored) Facebook page. This year we have an exciting experience to go along with the Silent Auction: every PRM student will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a Pizza Party Lunch with Principal Simpson. One name will be randomly drawn from each level, and those students will get to enjoy a special lunch and time with PRM's amazing leader. This event is sponsored by Foundation, and donations are always appreciated as every dollar goes back to PRM staff and students: https://prmrocks.org/donate/
Shortly following the Silent Auction will be the 5th Annual Read-A-Thon! Save the date for March 2nd through 9th, and watch for more information about this event in the upcoming weeks. Foundation will also continue to reach out to business sponsors for the 2023 calendar year. If you know of anyone, please ask them to contact Laura Morales at laura.schatz912@gmail.com.
Still haven’t subscribed to the calendar? Now’s the time - https://prmrocks.org/emailupdates/
Questions can be directed to PTO President Antoinette Moore at grayac1012@gmail.com or Foundation President Sara Bourgeois at prsfpres@gmail.com
Boosters
It’s still cold outside, and there is snow on the ground, but it is already time to think about spring!
Registration for spring sports is happening NOW. Registration will be available until February 17th at midnight, but it is possible that some teams will sell out, so register early! In the spring, we offer four sports; Volleyball, Soccer, Track and Field, and Baseball (including tee ball and coach pitch). All of the information to register for these sports is available on prmrocks.org/athletics. Please email prmathletics@gmail.com for any registration questions.
ILT
The Instructional Leadership Team meets twice monthly at PRM on Monday afternoons. ILT will next meet on February 6th at 2:45pm at PRM. They will continue to discuss and work on important issues that affect our students during their school day.
LSDMC
The LSDMC met virtually in January and will meet virtually again in February on Wednesday, February 8th, at 3:00pm. Please check prmrocks.org for the google meeting link if you’d like to attend. Everyone is welcome!
In January, the LSDMC sent a letter to CPS board members requesting an adjustment to the online enrollment process for incoming families. This adjustment asks that families of students transferring to PRM have the option (if they so choose) of continuing in their traditional path of study by offering acceptance at a neighboring school that is under-enrolled (Woodford, Silverton, or John P. Parker). We are still awaiting a response from board members.
The CPS board has created an Ad Hoc committee to discuss elementary boundaries throughout the district. This group has been gathering monthly, and PRM has been represented by members of the LSDMC at each meeting. To date, board members have reviewed enrollment data for each school in the district, but there have been no recommendations or action plans created that involve PRM. Future meeting dates and agendas can be found on the CPS website.
One role of the LSDMC is to review PRM’s aftercare partners on an annual basis. A satisfaction survey will be given to participants in the on-site after-school care program run by the CRC in the coming weeks. If you are a member of this program, please be on the lookout for this survey.
As you may have noticed, construction on the Lester/Montgomery property has begun. The LSDMC has not been notified of a start date for PRM’s construction but will communicate the timeline just as soon as it is made available.
Equity Group
The next meeting for the Equity Group will be on Thursday, February 23rd, at 6:30pm at PRM.
CLC Update
Hello everyone,
The CLC Center is here to provide you with various services that you may need. Feel free to contact either our Resource Coordinator- Ms. Monique Johnson, at johnmon@cpsboe.k12.oh.us or our Asst. School Community Coordinator- Mrs. Jamie Donaldson at donalja@cpsboe.k12.oh.us.
PRM Spirit Day for the Cincinnati Bengals- The students and staff truly got into the spirit of the Bengals. We had a blast, from walking into a school with football and balloon decor to throwing footballs around to creating pennants and cheers.
Black History Month- the committee is geared up and ready to celebrate BHM with our students and community. There will be daily facts during morning announcements, a door decoration, a walking gallery, and a Cincinnati Opera performance dedicated to Marian Anderson. Check out the flyer below for more information.
Shadow/ Tour Clark- Are you interested in attending Clark? If you are, you can sign-up by clicking on the link below. They have several dates already and are willing to open up more opportunities if needed. If you have any questions or need any additional information feel free to contact the Resource Coordinator at Clark, her name is Joyia Johnson.
Spring Picture Day- Cheese!!! Picture Day will be held on Friday, February 24th. More information about ordering will go out in your child’s Wednesday folders.
High School Lottery- The lottery is open until March 11, 2022. The CPS Early High School Montessori Lottery (In-District Residents-students who already attend a Montessori school and would like to continue on the Montessori track) has already taken place and is now closed. You should have received your results. If you did not do the early lottery, you can still do the open High School lottery by clicking on the link below. Once you submit your application, you will receive your results by April 28, 2023. (Approximately 30 days after the lottery has closed. If you have any questions or need any additional information feel free to contact CPS District Office at 513-363-0123. High School Lottery Link: https://www.cps-k12.org/enroll/7-12highschool
Parking at that Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church- We are asking that no one park in the restricted marked-off section of the church parking lot while they are in the clean-up and restoration phase. If cars are parked in restricted areas, their cars will be towed at the owner’s expense.
We would like to make sure that everyone knows about our www.prmrocks.org page. You can find all kinds of information about the school, meetings, sports, and so much more. Make sure you head on over and check it out. You truly don’t want to miss what PRM is doing!
Resources
Financial Assistance Needed- United Way, St. Vincent De Paul, and the Freestore Food Bank are geared up to help assist any family in need. Feel free to reach out to our Resource Coordinator for more information.
Free Tax Preparation- Looking to either volunteer or do you need assistance with filing your taxes? United Way is providing a free service to file your taxes. Click on the link to access when and where you can get your taxes done for free.
Link for Free Tax Prep: https://www.uwgc.org/get-help/free-tax-prep/for-taxpayers
Job Opportunity- Are you looking for a summer job? Check out some of the flyers that we have for you to gain a summer job.
Looking for something to do- Check out Michaels. They have in-store and online free classes for the entire family. Click on the link and see what you can get into. Link: https://www.michaels.com/classes
Menus
District Calendar 2022-23
Support Hotlines
Cincinnati Public Schools:
513-363-0123
Cincinnati Children's Hospital PIRC intake line:
513-636-4124
Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect:
513-241-KIDS
Suicide Prevention Hotline:
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Crisis Textline:
Text 4HOPE to 741741
Disaster Distress Helpline:
1-800-985-5990
Domestic Violence Hotline via Women Helping Women:
513-381-5610
CPS Parent Technical Support Line
R.O.C.K.S!
Our Character Program centers around:
Respect, Ownership, Compassion, Kindness and Safety, Safety, Safety!
Below are the three school-wide expectations that we expect students to follow throughout all parts of our learning community. Please support us by reinforcing these at home.
- Be Respectful
- Be Responsible
- Be a Problem Solver
Principal Simpson & Assistant Principal Stegman
Website: https://pleasantridge.cps-k12.org/about
Location: 5945 Montgomery Road
Phone: 513-363-4400