PICKERINGTON ELEMENTARY NEWS
February 2019
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
It is exciting to share that during our January PTO meeting, 14 students were recognized for being chosen as school leaders, seven for the month of November and seven for the month of December. each of the fourteen students were nominated by a staff member for demonstrating one of the seven habits described in the book The Leader in Me by Stephen R. Covey and in the series of books titled The 7 Habits of Happy Kids by Sean Covey. Each student demonstrated wi]hat a highly effective leader looks like. During the meeting, the students were given a leadership T-Shirt, a certificate, and a charm. Congratulations to the following students: November: Habit 1 - Christian P-B., Habit 2 - Kyleigh A., Habit 3 - Liza H., Habit 4 - Elisabeth M., Habit 5 - Layla T., Habit 6 - Autumn K., - Habit 7 - Zachary S. December: Habit 1 - Xavier B-F., Habit 2 - Jake P., Habit 3 - Abdulrahman J., Habit 4 - Collin M., Habit 5 - Pippa A., Habit 6 - Isabella C., Habit 7 - Shelby M. Great job to all students!
Our Fourth Grade Spelling Bee was held the evening of January 15, 2019. Congratulations to our winner Aryan Kaushik and our runner-up, Tommy Phan. Aryan took another test, online, in hopes of being able to represent our school at the regional Bee at Ohio University in Athens on March 24th. We are waiting for the results. Good luck Aryan!
Our district held a conference for staff on 1/18/19. One of the workshops for teachers was offered by representatives from our Tiger STEM Girls. This is one of our Tiger Teams that meets six times a year, and is led by our Instructional Coach, Beatrice Horsford, and a fourth grade teacher, Amanda Stemm. Five girls from the team spoke about what they do, and facilitated interactive, hands-on stations for teachers to rotate to. The five girls who were teaching the adults were Addison F., Bella N., Aminata S., Lucy S. and Aubrey S. Thanks, girls, for a job well done!
Thank you for your continued support, and helping us establish a positive learning climate. stay warm this winter and stay involved with your child's education!
Melissa Moriarty, Principal
COUNSELING NEWS
The Great Kindness Challenge Week- February 11th-15th
Week-Long events- Food Drive and Blizzard of Kindness Wall(in school activity)
Monday 11th- Dream of Kindness (wear PJs)
Tuesday 12th- Crazy about Kindness (wear crazy hair or outfit); Kona Ice can be purchased by students during their lunch period. 50% of the proceeds will go to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!
Pricing is as follows-
Kiddie (8oz) $2
Regular (12 oz) $3
King (16 oz) $4
Color Changer (17oz) or Brain Freeze (22 . oz) $5
Wednesday 13th- Team up for Kindness (wear your favorite team attire); Kindness Tic Tac Toe can be completed in school to win eating lunch with Ms. Stewart
Thursday 14th- We LOVE being Kind! (wear red or pink)
Friday 15th- Be PROUD to be Kind! (dress your best); Bring in a canned food item!
Kendra Stewart, M. Ed., LPSC
School Counselor
FROM THE OFFICE
A reminder to those who haven’t paid your student fees for the 2018-2019 school year, please do so as soon as possible. Here are the fees for each grade level:
Kindergarten - $19.00
First Grade - $17.00
Second Grade - $17.50
Third Grade - $22.00
Fourth Grade - $22.00
Please join us for Family Math Night on Wednesday, February 27 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration for the 2019-20 school year will begin online on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
Children entering kindergarten must be 5 years old by August 1, 2019. For more information, see Board Policy 5112. Parents may request a morning or afternoon kindergarten preference. Depending on the number of parents with preferences, a lottery may be held to determine placement. To be considered for the lottery, all necessary forms must be submitted by May 1.
To start the kindergarten registration process, all families (whether new to the district or with existing students) must fill out the online registration form through Infinite Campus. This form will not be active for the 2019-20 school year until Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
Please note that if you are not the residential/custodial parent or if you do not currently live in the district, you should call the Welcome Center at 614.920.6180 before beginning the enrollment process.
After completing the registration online, parents will receive an email with information about contacting the Welcome Center to set up an appointment to sign final registration paperwork. Parents will register for an appointment for the Bracken readiness assessment at the time of the appointment. The district administers the Bracken School Readiness Assessment for incoming kindergarten students. These screenings for 2019 will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 29, April 30, and May 2 at Violet Baptist Church, 8345 Blacklick Eastern Road (S.R. 204).
Parents are advised that, due to the high number of callers, our staff and phone lines at the Welcome Center may be very busy at the beginning of kindergarten registration. We appreciate your patience!
Assuming your child will be 5 years old by Aug. 1, the district will perform an assessment. This year, those assessments will be April 29, April 30, and May 2 at Violet Baptist Church, 8345 Blacklick Eastern Road (S.R. 204). These individual screenings (called Bracken assessments) are performed by trained district educators. They are only used by the district to help teachers determine where to begin teaching individual children.
Intradistrict Building Transfer 2019/2020
Intradistrict building transfer is only in effect for one school year and there is no guarantee of approval for your child in future years. Those interested in open enrollment are required to complete an application for your child to be considered for the Open Enrollment program. If approved, transportation to the new school is the responsibility of the parent. The open enrollment application for the 2019-2020 school year must be completed and on file with the district by July 31, 2019, per district policy.
Details about intradistrict building transfer are provided through Board Policy 5113.01 and 5113.01 AG and on the intradistrict transfer request form (PDF) | intradistrict transfer request form (RTF).
Paws for Reading
Because of recent weather, a few of our events from "Paws for Reading" week have been rescheduled.
The school visit from Doggy Drama series author Andra Gillum will take place on Thursday, February 7th.
Extra book order forms will be sent home prior to her visit. Wear your best Pickerington Purple spirit wear that day!
The day to Dress as your Favorite Character from an Animal Book has been rescheduled to Friday, March 1st.
The Reading Committee would like to thank the families and volunteers for braving the cold weather on January 31st to attend the "Paws for Reading" family night. Participants got to meet author Andra Gillum, listen to guest readers, visit with 4-H PetPALS therapy dogs Reese, Lucy, and Shadow, experience the new Clever Touch technology device, and play together as a family in multiple literacy game rooms. The Reading Committee would also like to thank everyone who donated items to the Fairfield Area Humane Society for animals in need.
Music News
Do you like to sing and have fun with your friends? We will be holding our second annual PLSD Elementary Choral Festival. This year’s theme is Sing! and will feature music from around the world and tons of fun games. There will also be performances by the combined North and Central High School Choirs.
Students will have the chance to work with Dr. Amy Chivington from Otterbein University. Dr. Chivington has worked with youth choirs all around the world and is excited to work with our students.
Who - All 4th Grade Students
What - Sing!
When - Saturday, March 2, 2019 (9 am Start, 2 pm Concert)
Where - Pickerington Central High School
Cost - $10* - Includes Lunch and a T-Shirt
*Payment waived for students who qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch
Visit the choral festival website to register and get additional information.
Singing Valentine!
Important Dates:
February 6
2 Hour Late Start
February 18
Presidents Day - School WILL BE IN SESSION, this is a calamity make-up day.
March 6
2 Hour Late Start
March 7
K-12 Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences
March 14
K-12 Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences
March 18-22
NO SCHOOL - Spring Break