Otsego Elementary Extra
Principal's Weekly Update -May 18, 2018
Field Day 2018
Staff Spotlight: Amy Soto
Mrs. Soto has been working at Otsego Schools since 2010. She has worked as a teacher aide in preschool and a one-on-one student aide. Amy is an Otsego alumni and is married with three boys. She enjoys spending time with her family along with watching her kids' sports activities.
Lunch Menu Changes
The last week of school Monday May 21st thru Thursday May 24th the B choice will be corn dogs. Chef Salads will only be available Monday thru Thursday.
On Friday May 25th the only lunch option will be the A Lunch. Menu for Friday May 25th will be Hot Dog on bun, carrots, fruit & milk.
Free Summer Food Service Program
Otsego Local Schools will host our first Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) beginning Monday, June 4th. The nation-wide program is designed to serve FREE meals to ALL students 18 years and under during the summer season. The U.S. Department of Agricultural has designated Grand Rapids and Weston as eligible sites for the summer of 2018. We are excited to announce that we have partnered with the Weston Library as the lunch sites this summer!
The FREE program is available Monday-Friday and runs from Monday, June 4th until Friday, August 10th. No meals will be served July 2nd to July 6th or Wednesday, July 25th. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to Noon. and has the required five USDA components, which are milk, fruit, vegetable, meat, and bread. All families are encouraged to participate in this program, NO SIGN-UP or REGISTRATION is required. The USDA estimates over 200 million lunches will be served across the country this summer.
Site Locations:
Weston Public Library
13153 Main Street
Weston, OH 43569
Grand Rapids Branch of the Weston Library
Times meals are served:
11:30 am to Noon
Click Here for USDA and Otsego Program Information
If you have any questions about the program, please contact Jeanne Jeffers, Director of Food Service, jjeffers@otsegoknights.org or 419-823-4381 ext. 1104.
5th Grade Ag Safety Day
An Educator's Perspective on Cursive Writing
There are many advantages to knowing how to read and write cursive handwriting. The first is the ability to be disciplined in a universal style of penmanship. The younger generation will, upon graduation and future employment, be working with a generation that used cursive.
If critical research of documents is done, this generation will find that much of the 20th Century papers were completed in cursive, both here in the United States and in other world countries. In the competitive job market, an ability to read cursive could be considered an advantage, like being bi-lingual, for being more employable then other candidates that apply for the same position.
I would suggest that the Otsego School District community give serious consideration as to how it could be implemented as an at home parent-student activity, facilitated by their teacher. This activity would compliment parent's involvement in their child's educational progress, while serving as an educational tool to demonstrate that education does not end when a student leaves the classroom for the day.
Tom Sorosiak
Cursive Resources
Websites:
http://www.kidzone.ws/cursive/
https://thisreadingmama.com/cursive-handwriting-worksheets/
http://www.handwritingforkids.com/handwrite/cursive/animation/lowercase.htm
Apps:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cursive-writing/id612497395?mt=8
https://www.babble.com/latina/5-apps-to-help-your-child-write-in-cursive/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lescapadou.cursivefree&hl=en_US
Knight in Shining Armor Nominations
Knight In Shining Armor Nominations
Please use the following form to inform OHS Student Council about a family in need within the school district. While the family does not need to have students in the district, we do ask that they are a member of the Otsego Community. Please use this form to share information about their current situation as well as how they can best be assisted.
Please be sure to understand that while Knight in Shining Armor (KISA) would love to help all community members in need, we are still a new program, and may not have the funds to do so. With that being said, we will consider each request on a case by case basis. Filling this form out does not guarantee that we will be able to assist the family, but we will try our hardest to do so!
Here are some things that we have done with KISA funds:
- School supplies were purchased for multiple families.
- Gas money has been provided to get to and from medical treatment.
- Food cards have been provided to help families afford meals while going through medical treatment.
- Cash donations have been made to families to help assist in paying bills during medical treatment.
- Gift cards and supplies have been provided to help make ends meet after housing emergencies have occurred.
Please refer to this link at any point during the year as a need arises, and KISA will do their best to help out!
A message from the Cafeteria:
No Charging:
As of Monday, May 7th, there will be no charging for meals in the cafeteria. Any charges not paid for by the end of the school year will carryover to the next year.
Knights Cross Country Registration Information
Extended Care Monthly Newsletter: May
Otsego Knights Girls Basketball Camp
Dismissal Notes:
Please remember to send in a note for ANY change in your child's dismissal plan. Without a note we will send him/her home per regular routine. We understand that plans may change throughout a day and you may need to call the office to notify us about that change. We will write a note to your child's teacher notifying them regarding a change, however, we must receive a phone call by 2:45pm to ensure that we have time to deliver a note.
Please DO NOT email teachers regarding dismissal changes. Teachers are busy throughout the day and often unable to check emails until school has dismissed. Also, please DO NOT simply tell your child what his/her dismissal plan will be for the day. Without a written note or phone call to the office, we will NOT take a child's word and we will send him/her home per regular routine.
Please understand, we make every effort and take every precaution, to ensure our students' safety. For this reason, we must adhere to the above dismissal policy. Thank you for your cooperation and please call the Elementary Office if you have any questions!
Kindergarten Registration
On Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 6:30pm, Otsego Elementary School held a Kindergarten Round Up Meeting. This meeting was for all parents of incoming kindergarten students for the 2018-2019 school year. Students must by 5 years of age on or before August 1, 2018 to enter kindergarten.
If you were unable to attend this meeting, but have a student entering kindergarten for the 2018-2019 school year, please stop by the Otsego Elementary Office anytime to pick up a registration packet, or you can download and print the forms from our school website (otsegoknights.org) under the Parent tab on the Elementary Page.
If you have any questions regarding Kindergarten registration and/or screening please call the Otsego Elementary Office at 419-823-4381 Option 4.
Phone Number Changes
Parents/Guardians,
If your phone number has changed and needs to be updated in our system PLEASE call the office with that information. There have been many recent issues where we do not have the right number or it has been disconnected when trying to contact a students parent or guardian. It is crucial that we have a working number in the event of an emergency.
Thank you
A Note from the School Nurse:
ATTENTION PARENTS/GUARDIANS:
This year we have the following over the counter medications listed on the enclosed document stocked in each office. Please fill out the form and return to school with your child. We are hoping to cut back on parents needing to bring medication in and/or prevent sending students home. Hopefully this makes it easier on parents, teachers and staff.
Several students have been bringing cough drops with them to school without a note. Students may not take these without written permission from a parent/guardian. We have this listed on the form as well.
As always if you have any questions please feel free to call me at 419-823-4381 ext. 4002.
Thank you,
Jane Gray RN, BSN
Transportation
Sign up to receive text messages from our Transportation Department!
The transportation department will send out a Remind alert when a bus is running at least 10 minutes late.
Using the directions below, sign up for one or more of the notification groups.
You may opt-out any time by texting ‘unsubscribe’ to the appropriate group.
High School & JH Buses (Bus Routes for grades 6-12 & Penta)
Text: @otsbus6-12 to 81010
Elementary Buses (Bus Routes for grades PK -5)
Text: @otsbuspk-5 to 81010
If you have any questions about bus routing information, please contact Eva Vasher at evasher@otsegoknights.org or 419-823-4381 ext. 3156
Miss Syrowski
Mrs. Jacoby
Mrs. Miller
Happy Friday, Otsego family! I can't believe we are wrapping up the school year. It has been such an incredible first year as the elementary school counselor. I truly could not ask for a better community to be a part of. Over the next week or two I will be sharing data about our school counseling program and information about summer programs offered in the area.
Thank you all for participating in the Goodwill clothing drive. As a school we were able to donate over 450 bags of clothing to those in need! The generosity and kindness towards others is what makes Otsego such an incredible community! Thank you all for your help and dedication to our students and for making this year great. Have a great weekend. Also, don't forget to check out the counseling website at: http://oesknightscounselor.weebly.com/
Warmest Regards,
Miss Syrowski
May Students of the Month: Commitment
Important Dates
2017-2018
May 18 - 5th Grade Dance, 3:35-4:35
May 25 - Last Day of School for Students
2018-2019
August 1 - Elementary Class Lists posted, 9am
August 8 - Back to School Day, 8am-8pm, HS Commons
August 16 - Open House, Picnic in the Parking Lot
August 20 - 1st Day of School for 1st-5th Graders
August 21 - 1st Day of School for Kindergarteners
August 23 - 1st Day of School for Preschoolers
September 3 - Labor Day - NO SCHOOL
October 15 - Professional Development Day - NO SCHOOL
October 19 - End of the 1st 9 Weeks
October 26th - Professional Development/Work Day - NO SCHOOL
Otsego PTO
Check out the PTO on Facebook and follow on Twitter @OtsegoPTO
The next PTO meeting is June 5th at 6:00 in the Elementary Library.
Community Events
Bowling Green Parks and Rec Summer Events/Camps:
Follow Us on Twitter
Preschool: @OtsegoPreK
Kindergarten: @OtsegoK1st Grade: @OtsegoFirst
2nd Grade: @OtsegoGrade2
3rd Grade: @OtsegoGrade3
4th Grade: @OtsegoGrade4
5th Grade: @OtsegoGrade5
School Counselor: @OEScounselor
Reminders
SAVE ALUMINUM CAN TABS
Please help our students by collecting tabs from aluminum cans. Each tab is easy to remove and can be donated to the Ronald McDonald House. The tabs help fund various projects for Ronald McDonald Houses and its visitors. Send the tabs in a bag to the school and our students will do the rest!
SAVE BOX TOPS
You can help the school earn money for supplies by collecting Box Tops. Our PTO collects and counts them and puts the money straight back into the school. (We earn 10 cents per Box Top). If you are able to collect a lot of these, it would be great if you could turn them in in groups of 50, but we will take them even if they are not grouped together.
Heard a rumor or have a question?
Katrina Baughman
Email: kbaughman@otsegoknights.org
Website: www.otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4005)
Twitter: @kbaughman723
Mike Wiley
Email: mwiley@otsegoknights.org
Website: www.otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4009)
Twitter: @PrincipalWiley
Elizabeth Syrowski
Email: esyrowski@otsegoknights.org
Website: http://oesknightscounselor.weebly.com/
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4010)
Twitter: @OEScounselor
Bonnie Armitage
Email: barmitage@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4001)
Jenny Helberg
Email: jhelberg@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4003)
Deputy Brian Ruckstuhl
Email: bruckstuhl@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (2099)