Otsego Elementary Extra
Principal's Weekly Update - December 1, 2017
Staff Spotlight: Katie Gregorsok
Mrs. Gregorsok graduated from Bowling Green State University in 2005 with a Bachelor's degree in Middle Childhood education. She is working on her Masters degree in classroom technology. Mrs. Gregorsok has been teaching at Otsego for 11 years. She currently teaches 5th grade science and social studies. Outside of school, she loves spending time with her husband and daughter. She also enjoys reading, crafting, and spending time outdoors.
PTO DROP AND SHOP
Drop and Shop
December 8, 2017
Where: Otsego Elementary
Time: 6pm-9pm
Who: Otsego elementary students
Cost: $8.00 per child pre sale / $10.00 per child at door, $20.00 max per family
Just drop off the kids and enjoy a night out to holiday shop or a quiet dinner while they play some games, eat pizza, watch a holiday movie and eat popcorn and write a letter to Santa!
Reservations are required, return form to PTO by Thursday December 7th
Thanks!
PTO Holiday Shop!
During the dates of Tuesday December 12 and Wednesday December 13, PTO will set up a Holiday Shop at our school. The Holiday Shop will contain over 100 different items ranging in cost from 25 cents to $5. All of the students will be invited to shop and purchase gifts for their parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, relatives, and friends. Some of the gifts include jewelry, magnets, ornaments, mugs, tools, key chains, and many other quality items at reasonable prices.
The Holiday Shop is fun for the students and also educational. This experience will teach your child about the value of money, budgeting, and comparative shopping in a safe, non-commercial environment. There will also be parent volunteers on hand to help the children shop.
Please use the Shopping List envelope provided to help your child plan their shopping list. Mark the appropriate line for each person on the list along with the amount of money budgeted for the individual.
An envelope will be sent home this week - so look out for it! Return it to the school with the money enclosed. Cash and checks are accepted. PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO OTSEGO PTO. The envelope will serve as a guide for the volunteers that will be helping the children.
We need your help to make this project a success. We are asking for volunteers to help throughout the day. A few hours of your time would be appreciated. If can help, you can sign up online any otsegopto.com! Click on our “volunteers” page. Questions? Please email opto@otsegoknights.org.
Thank you!
Otsego PTO
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!
Prepare for Outside Recess
Donations Needed
Parents! As many of you may know, the technology in our district has greatly expanded this year. We are now a 1:1 district, with each student K-12 having access to a Chromebook in their classroom. This provides great learning opportunities for our students and allows them to be 21st century learners! As we have been implementing Chromebooks into the curriculum with our youngest learners, we have found the trackpads on the Chromebooks are tricky for little fingers to manipulate, and they do much better with a mouse. Many students have mentioned old technology at home that is no longer in use. If you have an old mouse at home that you no longer need, please consider donating it to the Elementary. Our little hands would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!
~Jessica Martinez, Computer & Technology
STEM at OES and a Coding Opportunity for 5th Grade Girls
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me (jmartinez@otsegoknights.org). ~Jessica Martinez, Computer and Technology
CODE4her is the new computer science mentorship program for girls in grades 5 through 8 organized by the BG Women in Computing (BGWIC) student organization and their faculty advisor Jadwiga A. Carlson. The CODE4her mentorship program is sponsored by Google igniteCS. IgniteCS provides funding and resources for groups of college and university students to make a difference in their local communities through CS mentorship.
Let HER learn to program with Sphero SPRK+ Robots. Five 2.5 hour meetings held on BGSU campus on Sundays of 2018
- January 21
- February 18
- March 18
- April 8
- April 22
Registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis at code4her.org.
Space is limited!
Reserve her spot today!
Click here to download a flyer (pdf)
For more information about BGSU's Women in Computing please visit: http://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/computer-science/women-in-computing.html.
Please direct all questions to Jadwiga A. Carlson at jacarls@bgsu.edu
Facility Use
We are getting a lot of texts, emails, and calls about the facility uses. We really want to use the program that we purchase for requests. Please Click Here to use school dude for facility requests. This is the most efficient way to request the facilities. We have a ton of requests and we do want to miss any.
Reminder to anyone that wants to use/rent our facility. Joyce Wright takes care of all facility uses for the entire campus. To access the program you’ll go to otsegoknights.org – Buildings – Facility Rental. Click Here
The facilities page of our web-site has detailed instructions on how to get started. The first time you access the program you’ll be asked to register as an organization. Once that step is complete you’ll be able to go in and request a rental date. Multiple dates can be added with one request.
Don’t hesitate to contact Joyceif you have any rental questions. You can reach me at 419-823-4381 ext. 3100 Or you can email me at jwright@otsegoknights.org.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Morning Drop-Off
Please use the entire length of the drop off zone (even past the crosswalk) to keep the line moving. If all cars pull up as far as they possibly can we can fit more vehicles along the sidewalk and more students can exit at a time. This will make drop-off go quicker while maintaining safety.
Students should only be let out on the side of the car that is next to the curb. This is to avoid students being hit by a moving car in the lane farther away from the curb. If your student needs to get out on that side of the car, please park in a parking spot and have your student walk into the building using the crosswalk.
Please do not stop in the crosswalk. If you are dropping a student off, please do not stop your car in the crosswalk. This is a safe place for students to cross, and when there are cars in the crosswalk it creates a safety concern.
The second lane is for driving only. No students should be let out of the car in the lane farther from the curb. Students should only be exiting cars onto the sidewalk so that we can ensure their safety.
Please remember to NOT park your car in front of the school! The line needs to keep moving to efficiently get students into the school in a timely manner, and when there is a parked car in the drop-off line, the whole process gets backed up. If for some reason you need to leave your car, please use the available parking spaces.
Afternoon Pick-Up
Please use the entire length of the pick-up zone (even past the crosswalk) to keep the line moving. If all cars pull up as far as they possibly can we can fit more vehicles along the sidewalk and more students can get into their vehicles. This will make pick-up go quicker while maintaining safety.
Please do not stop in the crosswalk. If you are picking a student up, please do not stop your car in the crosswalk. This is a safe place for students to cross, and when there are cars in the crosswalk it creates a safety concern.
The second lane is for driving only. No students should get into their car in the lane farther from the curb. Students should only be entering cars from the sidewalk or by using the crosswalk so that we can ensure their safety.
Please remember to NOT park and leave your car in front of the school! The line needs to keep moving to efficiently get vehicles out of the pick-up zone in a timely manner, and when there is a parked car in the line, the whole process gets backed up. If for some reason you need to leave your car, please use the available parking spaces. If you are parked while you are waiting for your student (and you are IN the car), that is fine.
THANK YOU so much for your understanding and compliance with these procedures to ensure our students’ safety. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time!
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
Food Service
Parents:
We have a large amount of negative lunch balances this year. Please check your child's back pack for low/negative balance letters. These are sent home twice a week, Tuesday's and Thursday's.
You can also track your child's purchases and balances by setting up an account on the K12 payment center. You do not need to pay online to track your child's account. You can also set up alerts to warn you of the low balances.
Per the school policy children are allowed to charge only 3 lunches. Once they are over 3 lunches they will receive an alternate meal. They are not allowed to charge breakfast or ala carte items.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Jeanne Jeffers
Director of Food Service
Otsego Local Schools
#050724
419-823-4381 ext.1104
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
Important Dates
2017-2018
December 5 - PTO Meeting, 6pm
December 7 - 3rd Grade Music Performance, 7pm
December 12-13 - PTO Holiday Shop
December 22-January 2 - NO SCHOOL, Holiday Break
January 3 - NO SCHOOL, District Professional Development/Work Day
January 9 - PTO Meeting, 6pm
January 15 - NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 6 - PTO Meeting, 6pm
February 16 - NO SCHOOL, District Professional Development/Work Day
February 19 - NO SCHOOL, President's Day
February 20-23 - Jump Rope for Heart
March 6 - PTO Meeting, 6pm
March 27 - 2nd Grade Music Performance, 7pm
March 30-April 8 - NO SCHOOL, Spring Break
Thank you again to everyone who participated in the Ohio State vs. Michigan Food drive. Just like the big game, Ohio State won out with 423 donate items. Michigan fans were able to collect 218 items. This brought our overall total to 641 items donated to the Otsego Food Pantry! Thank you all for supporting our school and community!
With the Holidays coming up, it is easy to get swept up in the joy and festivities of the season. However for some people, including our students, the holidays can be a challenging time. If you notice changes in your student, such as withdrawn behavior, irritability, unexplained crying, and/or changes in sleeping, eating, and self-care patterns please feel free to reach out to them or me.
Best Wishes,
Miss Syrowski
Don't forget to check out our counseling website for ongoing updates and information. http://oesknightscounselor.weebly.com/
Otsego PTO
Check out the PTO on Facebook and follow on Twitter @OtsegoPTO
The next PTO meeting is December 5th at 6:00 in the Elementary Library.
Otsego 5th & 6th Grade Girls Basketball
Who: Any 5th or 6th grade girl interested in playing organized basketball.
When: Games will begin in January on Saturday mornings, practices will be determined by coaches and will normally be held one or two week nights beginning in November/December.
Where: Games will be held at league schools including Otsego High School. Practices will be held at gymnasiums within the district (OHS, OJHS, Otsego Elementary).
Why: To have fun and learn the fundamental skills of basketball in a team setting.
Other: Cost will be minimal–if needed, the cost of a jersey (approx. $20)
Fill out the form below if you are interested!
Community Events
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)