Gearity PDS
9.29.23 Family Message
Greetings Gearity Families
We are now more than half way through the 1st quarter and progress reports should be coming home in the mail within the next few days - they can also be accessed through Infinite Campus. We will have Parent Teacher Conferences from 1-7 pm on October 26th and from 8:15-11:45 am on October 27th. Teachers will reach out to your family in the next two weeks to schedule conferences. We offer both in person and virtual meetings so we can accommodate your work schedule. I will be sending you a link to a Google Form so we can get input on your families goals for your student(s). We ask that your complete the form prior to conferences.
We will also share assessment results for Reading (MAP or Acadience) and Math (MAP all grades) via US mail prior to conferences so you are aware of where your student is performing compared to typical peers from across the country. The goal is for students to be in the 50th percentile or higher as this is where the average score would fall out of 100 typical peers. Students who need additional support in either core subject are being scheduled for academic interventions - you will be notified if your student is a candidate for extra help.
Gearity students continue to come to school and we currently have the highest attendance rate in the District (95.85%). Thank you for getting your child to school as in person learning is crucial for student academic growth. We will be recognizing the 145 students who had perfect attendance for the month of September with a swag tag. In October, we will start our grade the level attendance challenge where the grade level with the highest attendance rate on October 27th will earn an attendance treat. Please consider having your child vaccinated for Covid, Influenza, and RSV as a means of keeping them in school. I got my shots yesterday and they are the best protection from these serious illnesses coming home.
Finally, we will be starting a reading log challenge soon. It is critical that your students read for at least 20 minutes each night. We encourage students to read about topics of personal interest with the goal of fostering a lifelong love of reading. Students in K-2 may need to have books read to them or with assistance since they are learning foundational reading skills. By 3rd grade students should be independently reading to learn. Students have weekly access to the school media center and we have carts full of free books that can taken home to build your home library. Our first Scholastic Book Fair will be November 13th - 17th and is run by the PTA.
Have a great weekend,
Patrick McNichols
Principal
Gearity Earns ODE Recognition
Gearity Professional Development School has been awarded the Bronze Recognition Award for the 2023 Ohio PBIS Showcase! We are one of two schools in the District to earn this recognition. Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is a schoolwide systems approach aimed at establishing positive student culture and individualized behavior supports necessary to create a safe and effective learning environment for all students. At Gearity, we create a positive culture through our PAWS program which emphasizes students doing the following:
Personal Best - they attempt challenging work and maintain self control
Acting Responsible - prepared to learn and support their classmates
Working and Playing Safe - Self explanatory
Showing Respect - listen to their teachers and use kind words
Students can earn PAWS points from all staff members to acknowledge when they are meeting any of these behaviors. We just had our 1st Scholastic PAWS ceremony last month where 8 students from each grade received certificates for meeting these expectations in their classrooms. Throughout the year, students earn the privilege of participating in school wide incentive events such as the staff v students basketball and kickball games by earning PAWS points.
Young children can be impulsive and will occasionally struggle to meet school expectations. For low level issues, our staff members use Restorative Practices to address peer conflicts. When a student continues to struggle behaviorally, a support team will meet to develop focused intervention plans to help the child be safe in school and focused on academics.
The bronze level recognition signifies the first year we have meet the criteria from the Ohio Department of Education for implementing the PBIS program. We will be eligible to earn the Silver recognition at the end of the current school year and the year after attempt the Gold recognition. We appreciate the support our families provide our students and encourage your to use the PAWS language at home.
CH-UH Plan for Communications with Persons with Disabilities
Upcoming Events
October 2nd - PTA Planning Meeting
October 4th - Lockdown Drill (2 required by the ODE per year)
October 9th - Mobile Dentist
October 12th -School Market
October 17th & 18th 3rd Grade Fall Ohio State Test and 4th/5th Grade Benchmark Reading Tests
October 24th & 25th 3rd-5th Grade Benchmark Math Tests
October 26th - No Students: Elementary records day and Parent Teacher Conferences (1-7pm)
October 27th - No Students: Parent Teacher Conferences (8:15-11:45 am) & PD Day
November 1st - Picture Retake Day
November 3rd - Quarter 1 Report Cards will be available in Infinite Campus - mailed home the following week!