Pinto Press
Thursday, April 1, 2021
A Message from Your Principal
Good afternoon, Pintos. We've had another great week here at school. The sunshine has helped us all, I think.
Tomorrow, April 2, is the last day to register for this summer's Next Level Learning. If you have not registered yet, please call the school by 4:00 tomorrow (the link sent previously will no longer work). If you believe you are registered and want to confirm it, please call the school or check with your child's teacher.
Our students in grades 3 and 4 will soon begin participating in the state-wide state assessment, NSCAS, in reading and math. This year is a pilot year, as the state is shifting to a new assessment. Teachers will be previewing some testing practices and preparation tips with students. Some of the best things you can do are to make sure your child is here, learning each day, and have your child get a good night's sleep the night before each assessment. Teachers will send out additional information specific to your child's classroom. I've included a link below to the state's parent resource site with lots of good information.
Due to the continued restrictions, we are not able to hold the PTA fundraiser "Day of Awesomeness" celebration for students. Instead, Step It Up provided additional funds for extra special PE equipment for our students. That new equipment will help us make our field days this year extra special.
Artsonia.com is the World's Largest Student Art Museum. Yet it's so much more than that! It's a free, safe, educational program designed to connect parents and families with their child's creative activities at school. You should have received an email connecting you to Artsonia. We started this last year and would love to continue. Mrs. DeMilt has been uploading projects as students finish. If you have previously been connected, please just revisit the siteand see what has been added. (Artsonia.com, type in Picotte and search your child's name) Remember, this is completely optional but super fun! If you have any questions about Artsonia, please email Mrs. DeMilt. (rebecca.demilt@ops.org) or send a Dojo message to her.
We have PInto gear for sale! Orders will be taken through Monday, April 5 at midnight. The link to order is below.
Please reach out if you have any questions or if we can help in any way.
Enjoy the long weekend.
With Pinto Pride,
Mrs. Schovanec
Counselor's Corner
Is it possible that we are getting spring fever? The halls are bustling and it is starting to feel like "school" around here!! Consistency, safety and comfort, means many children are letting guards down and letting feelings out. Feelings are shown in so many different ways: we see them in words, expressions, written and in our actions. Sometimes, by not doing anything at all, we are saying EVERYTHING! We are noticing and we ARE paying attention. It's time to touch base with all of the classrooms and talk about how they feel. Remind them no feeling is too big or too small, that they have a place to go. I am working with our students on recognizing their feelings and once they've recognized, what are things they can do about them. As always, I can use your help. A simple, how was your day? Was anything different? What went well? What could go better? And a reminder..."I am here, and I am listening" goes a long way.
If you are looking for ways to help your child engage with learning, with lessons, with peers, please reach out so we can support you and them!
Looking forward!
Mrs. Ferree
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=tm3mWBshN0q36A72lnQgwdfKyQI2d5hInvWH1P2GG29UM0YwTTAwUzZZM1hQRFNKOVQ1R0hRNlNaMC4uImportant Upcoming Dates
April 2:
- No School for all students
April 5:
- Last day to order Pinto Gear
April 9:
- Spirit Day!
- NSCAS testing begins for our 3rd and 4th graders
April 16
- Progress reports sent home (remote students' reports will be mailed)
- Spirit Day!
April 21
- No school for EC (Early Childhood) students
- Happy Secretary's Day to our fabulous Mrs. Wynne
April 23
- Spirit Day!
April 26
- PTA meeting, 7:00 p.m.
April 30
- Spirit Day!
K-4 Arrival Drop Off Time Is 8:35
As a reminder, morning arrival drop off time is 8:35. If you bring your child to school, please keep them safely in your car until 8:35 or until staff signals them to exit. Staff is not on duty so therefore I do not have enough supervision for all students before that time.
I have a few extraordinary volunteers who are assisting me with getting our bus students into the building before then. I have to get buses unloaded and on their way and will not keep students out in the cold. However, regular drop off begins no sooner than 8:35, as that is when I have a full staff for supervision.
Thank you for helping me keep all students safe.
Early Childhood Drop-off
If you are the parent of an Early Childhood student and drop your child off in the morning, you must exit your child on the sidewalk (passenger) side. When students get out on the driver's side, it is not safe for them, you, or the drivers who are coming around you for the K-4 dismissal zones.
Thank you for helping keep everyone safe!
Attendance
Unless enrolled in the All-Remote Learning model, your child is marked absent if they are not physically here at school, even when they join on-line. We do not have a hybrid model where you can transition your child back and forth between In-Person and Remote Learning on a day-to-day basis.
If your child is arrives late (after 8:50) or leaves school early their absence is recorded as well.
Attending school on time every day matters. We know students are more engaged and achieve best when they are here. Plus, we miss our students when they are gone!
Please call the office if you have any questions. Thank you.
OPSF Early Childhood Parent-Pay Registration
To attend this program, your child must be age 4 before the first student day of the OPS 2021-2022 school year. They must also be fully potty trained and participate in rest/nap time.
Please see this link to register.
https://omahapublicschoolsfoundation.org/21-22-ece-reg-form/
OPS Early Childhood Application
This is an application-based program. Your child must reside in the OPS district and be ages 3 or 4 before July 31, 2021.
Application are being accepted from now until March 19. (Acceptance into the program is not guaranteed.)
Please see this link to apply.
Kindergarten Registration
iPad Battery Trouble? Check out these tips!
Battery Life of the iPad: A few things that could be draining your iPad battery:
- Tabs open in Safari- To close them, hold X on an open tab and hit "Close other tabs"
- Multiple Apps opened: Double click on the home button, a small version of all open apps will appear. You will need to swipe them off with your finger to close them out.
- Bluetooth is on: Go under settings and turn bluetooth off.
- Background Apps Refresh: In Settings, go to General, select Background Apps Refresh. Turn off apps that students do not use like maps, books, music, etc. This will prevent these apps from running in the background which will drain your battery and use data.
- Reduce Screen Brightness: In Settings, select Display and Brightness. You can lower the brightness of the screen. This is also better for the eyes!
- Cellular Data/Wi-Fi: If you are on a home Wi-Fi, you need to turn off the cellular data. If you are using the cellular data, you will need to turn off the Wi-Fi (under settings).
- Personal Hotspot: Under settings, turn off the personal hotspot.
Remember to charge all night for updates and battery charge!
Always use the charger that came with the iPad. Other chargers may not work.
Updated Breakfast Procedures
Instruction begins here promptly at 8:50. At that time, students begin actively participating in their morning meeting. We serve regular Grab and Go Breakfast until 8:45.
To limit the amount of time students are unmasked, students will finish eating breakfast no later than 8:50. At that time, students will put their masks back on.
If you plan to have your child eat breakfast here at school, please be sure they arrive as close to 8:35 as possible. That will allow us to balance the safety and nutrition needs of all our students.
Kindergarten Registration Information
Live Instruction for Foundational Skills
If your child is attending school at home, they must log on for morning meeting and for Foundational Skills. Your child's teacher will keep you informed of the times for the LIVE instruction for Foundational Skills. The content taught during our Foundational Skills time is absolutely vital for building strong readers, and attendance is required.
Daily Health Assessment (Updated 1-22-20)
Every day before they leave home, families must complete a self-health assessment, asking themselves three vital questions:
1. Have you or anyone in your household tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 14 days?
2. Are you awaiting a Covid-19 test result, following symptoms or a direct exposure to
someone who tested positive?
3. Have you had one or more of the following: a new cough, new onset of shortness of breath, new loss of taste or smell OR two or more of the following symptoms: fever 100.4 or above, chills, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue in the last 24 hours?
If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, you will be expected to stay home.
Dressing for the Weather
Springtime means uncertain weather. Please dress your child for the day, knowing we will go outside nearly every day.
Meals to Go
Throughout the second semester, we will continue our Meals2Go curbside meal distribution at its regularly scheduled times. This program provides five days of meals for children ages 1-18 at no cost to our families.
- On Mondays, five days of meals will be available for drive-through pickup.
- Elementary meals are available from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
- Middle and high school meals are available from 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
We are excited to announce that the Meals2Go program will continue to be available at no cost to families throughout the summer of 2021.
Summer meal information and schedules will be provided in the coming days.
If you have questions about student lunches or the Meals2Go program, please contact Nutrition Services at 531-299-0230.
Safety Links
Valerie Schovanec, Principal
Email: valerie.schovanec@ops.org
Website: https://picotte.ops.org/
Location: 14506 Ohio Street, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: 531-299-1920
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PicottePintosOPS
Twitter: @OPS_PicotteFam