Mrs Kristi Motsch, Principal

Mrs. Erika Lomonico, Assistant Principal

Ms. Ebony Woodard, Assistant Principal

Mr. Darren Drake, Counselor

Mrs. Jaclyn Davis, Office Assistant

Mrs. Tassie Hall, Building Secretary

Feb 6th - No School (Staff Innovation Conference)

Feb 7th - Virtual Learning / Professional Development

26 students in the 4th grade class qualified for the Spelling Bee Monday Jan. 20th.

The Spelling Bee went for over 10 rounds. All of our spellers did wonderfully and should be so proud of themselves! Our winner was Garrett Furrow and Runner up was Addalyn Bolon. Garrett will move on to the next round to potentially qualify for the Regional Spelling Bee in March.

Thank you to everyone who participated.

This will take place from Feb 8 - Feb 17. We will have a team here to help daily.

The only interruption where students are out of class is on the event day. The rest of the program days have a quick video for the classes to watch, which can be done during brain breaks or whenever it works best for the teacher.

Here's what the schedule should look like:

Digital Kickoff Day - 10-minute video

6 Team Days - 3-5 minute character lesson video

Event Day - 45 minutes per group

I understand that team members will be here the whole time and will serve the staff with what they need (reading to kids, running copies, cutting things out, etc.).

More information will be sent out when we get it. If you have questions, please let us know! :)

Fairfield Recycling & Litter Prevention’s annual Third Grade Billboard Contest is approaching fast! This year’s contest theme is Recycle Right! Third Grade classes will have a presentation discussing how recycling works, conserving natural resources and conservation. Presentations are designed to meet Ohio Learning Standards. The contest objective is to create artwork that describes the importance of recycling, identify possible solutions, identify natural resource usage, and improve their ability to make responsible choices as citizens and consumers regarding the environment. The students will be working on this project in class.

Valentine's Day is traditionally a time in which friendships are celebrated with Valentine's or special thoughts. We will celebrate this year by asking students to bring in a Valentine's Day box that follows a design challenge. Teachers will be sending this home soon.

Please make sure your pay your children's fees If you have not.

Thank you,

The Leader In Me Program

Our Mission Statement is Growing Leaders. We implemented our leadership culture

using the Leader in Me educational leadership program developed

by FranklinCovey Education . This approach is based on The 7 Habits of Highly

Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, and it establishes a school-wide culture that

supports and lives out these habits. The 7 Habits are a common language used by all

staff and is integrated into everything we do.

As these habits become part of your child’s character, you will see increased leadership

skills, goal-setting, problem-solving, and relationship abilities. These habits will

positively impact your child’s education as well as provide them with lifelong skills that

will carry them into adulthood.

The Framework provides a unique approach to integrating highly effective practices

throughout a school’s culture.

Instead of focusing on academic measures alone, Leader in Me embodies a holistic

approach to education, redefining how schools measure success. This approach

empowers educators with effective practices and tools to:

 teach LEADERSHIP to every student,

 create a CULTURE of student empowerment,

 and align systems to drive results in ACADEMICS.

Toll Gate Elementary students have leadership notebooks where they track and explain

their learning. These should come home periodically; students take ownership of their

learning and share their notebook with their family.

In the past, we have done student leadership teams that were based on interest. These

teams met once a month and focused on topics such as gardening, running, puzzles,

debates, etc. We also had student led groups where students acted as student

ambassadors for visitors and new students. Additionally, we had students present to

PTSO and other adult groups regarding programs being used in the classroom and much

more. Our habits at home (activities to be done with families) was also something we

concentrated on in years past that we have gotten away from). These types of activities

were halted during COVID, and haven’t been brought back as of now, but we are

interested in reinstating some of these programs as volunteers become more and more

available.

As the weather in Ohio continues to get colder, I would like to share how the district will handle calamity days if in-person classes need to be canceled due to inclement weather. Calamity days this winter will be good old-fashioned snow days. Students will not be expected to learn virtually.

We strive to make the decision to delay or close by 5:30 a.m. or earlier so that we can notify radio and TV stations, post to the district website, and send electronic notices to emergency announcement subscribers.

Unusual weather conditions may force us to make the decision after this time. For that reason, parents and students are advised to stay tuned to major television and radio stations, as well as our website and e-communications notices, for updates.

Once a decision is made to delay or cancel, the information will be shared with parents and the media as quickly as possible. You can read more about calamity day procedures on our website at https://oh50010917.schoolwires.net/Page/98.

Please check the Infinite Campus portal to ensure that your contact information is accurate so that you will receive closing/delay notifications in a timely manner, and that you will receive the messages via your preferred method(s) of delivery (text, phone call, email, etc.).

Thank you!

Dr. Chris Briggs

Eric Mialky of Toll Gate Elementary has been nominated as 1 of 20 teachers across the USA and Canada for the Most Valuable Teacher award! The teacher who receives the most votes for the month of January will be awarded a $10,000 donation for their school district to be used for Environmental Sustainability Resources. The grand prize winner for the school year, announced in May, will receive an additional $20,000 donation from SAP for their district towards Environmental Sustainability Resources. It would be great to win this for the district! Throughout the month of January, students and parents can vote every day by visiting http://www.nhl.com/mvt. Scroll down and click on Eric Mialky to vote. Let's do this, Pickerington Schools! Bring home the win!

#PLSDProud #NHL #SAP #MostValuableTeacher #vote