November 2022 Northtowne News
Inside: School Spotlights, District Messages, Community Help
PBIS Mission Statement
I am prepared and ready to learn.
I will be respectful, responsible and focused.
I will make choices that focus on teaching and learning.
My hands are for helping, NOT hurting.
And my words are for encouraging.
I will be the best ‘me’ I can be.
November Important Dates
November 2 - Caregiver-Teacher conferences 3:45 pm-7:15 pm
November 7 - For Pre-k only, no school
November 8 - No School; It is Election Day. We encourage all those eligible to vote to cast their ballot.
November 10 - Caregiver-Teacher conferences 3:45 pm-7:15 pm
November 17 - Fall Band and Choir Concert 10:00 am
November 21-25 - No School; Autumn Break
November 29 - Literacy Night 6:00 pm-7:30 pm; come for free books and ideas to support literacy development
Northtowne will have a school picture day in January. Additional information will be coming as we approach the date.
You can keep up to date with the District wide school calendar by clicking here or using the button below.
Attendance Email
Morning Drop Off
Please stay with your child prior to 8:30 a.m. and/or when there is no adult supervision. For the safety of your child, please wait until a staff member is outside.
Children should not be dropped off before 8:30.
Dress for the Weather!
If you need any assistance with getting the necessary outerwear for the Ohio weather, reach out to Family Ambassador Sarah Bowman. She will get the details of your needs and connect you with Northtowne Elementary or community based resources to help.
The Lost and Found has a large number of jackets and coats already accumulating. If your student has lost of any of these items at school please contact the classroom teacher or Family Ambassador Sarah Bowman for assistance with attempting to locate items.
Contact the Family Ambassador at: sbowman@columbus.k12.oh.us or you can call or text 614-859-9654
Northtowne Elementary PTO
We have received replies in support of having a Northtowne Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)! We have nearly enough volunteers to establish a PTO Board. We especially need a PTO President. If you have been considering volunteering, please fill out the form linked below. Our Family Ambassador is available to help support the volunteer leaders through the set up process.
Fundraising to raise Money for your purpose - There are many ways to get the funds you need to fulfill your objectives, and they don't have to involve having the kids selling things like candy and wrapping paper.
Field Trips - Talk with teachers to see if they could use your support and talk with your principal.
Cultural Arts Assemblies - Bring culture and educational events to your school.
Projects that Support Needs - Whether it be a new playground equipment, special events, programs for teachers to augment lesson plans, etc.
By clicking on the form below, you can let us know your level of interest and support for a PTO. If you are willing to commit to being the president, vice president, secretary or treasure of the 2022-23 PTO you can indicate that as well.
Principal’s Corner -
Hello Families, Caregivers, and Students,
Just like that, an entire 9-week grading period has come to a close! Grades have been submitted and were finalized within the first couple of days in November. Families may always access quarterly grades through their Parent Portal accounts. I encourage families to start to get used to using the Parent Portal to check grades because several middle schools in the district no longer send home paper printed grade reports.
Fall has been very busy at Northtowne. We have had several great events already this year! It has been exciting to see so many caregivers and adults important to our students turn out for Donuts with Grown-ups/Cookies with Kids, Family Game Night, and Caregiver-Teacher Conferences. Caregiver volunteers were also a vital part of a successful fieldtrip to the pumpkin patch with our kindergarteners! I am grateful for your involvement and the many ways our families support the education of our Northtowne students.
The Wellness Week last school year must have a popular addition to the school calendar. A Wellness Week/Autumn Break is back again this year! Coordinated with the Thanksgiving holiday, we have a full week of no school. We hope that students will be able to relax and come back refreshed for continued learning through the 2nd quarter of the year. If your family is in need of childcare during this week, please continue to read through the newsletter as we have linked information on accessing childcare when school is out.
I hope all of our Northtowne Knights will enjoy this season of gratefulness!
Mr. Taylor
Donuts with Grown-ups/Cookies with Kids
Family Game Night
Family Game Night
At the pumpkin patch
Picking out pumpkins
It was a great day!
Did you know? If you click on any photo it will open an expanded version to give you a better view!
Spotlight on 1st Grade
Students are also developing their math skills with addition. They are working on learning that there can be several ways to reach a target number by adding two numbers. For example, you can reach 10 through 9+1, 8+2, 7+3, 6+9 and 5+5. Learning these math facts and groupings will help increase students' flexibility when approaching addition problems and will help them to understand important mathematical patterns.
Check out the writing scarecrows below, created by our first grade students.
From the Guidance Counselor
We are continuing to ask that families please, complete the Northtowne PBIS survey. We want to hear from our families about their ideas or concerns about our program. Get to the survey by clicking the button at the end of this update from the counselor.
We congratulate Mr. Dickerson on the birth of his new baby! While he is on paternity leave we do have a guidance counselor providing coverage for our school. Our 5th graders have been able to have lessons on various career and college paths even during Mr. Dickerson's absence. It's never too early to be thinking about life plans! All of our families are encouraged to ask your students what they think they they might like to do when they grow up.
Before Mr. Dickerson went on leave, he was able to coordinate our school Touch a Truck event on October 18th. We were glad to welcome the Columbus Police Department, the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Franklin County Engineer's Office. Students were able to see the police vehicles, snow plow, road salting truck and a bucket truck, among others. The drivers of the various vehicles spoke with our students about their jobs and how their vehicle is used to get important jobs done in our community. This event is becoming a yearly tradition that the students thoroughly enjoy!
Notes from Nurse Brandi
Health Screening Information
As part of the School Health Services of Columbus City Schools, and in fulfillment of Ohio Law 3313.69, school nurses conduct periodic student health screenings. The screenings include: height, weight, vision, hearing, dental and the calculation of body mass index (BMI). The school nurses perform the various screenings in pre-kindergarten, special needs pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th , 9th and 11th grades and students new to the school district.
Health screenings will be conducted at your child’s school throughout the year. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the screening, please contact the school nurse at phone number 614-365-5488. I am available at school on the following day(s):
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Parents/Guardians will receive the results of all screening.
Grateful for Family Involvement
Thank you so much for your support and involvement with your child’s learning. Whether it’s conferences, attending the family meetings, or a quick chat throughout the day, we appreciate your involvement and efforts to build the lines of communication between home and school.
Report cards/grades will be available in the Parent Portal. If you need help accessing the Parent Portal please contact our Family Ambassador, Sarah Bowman. She can even link families to interpreters (Bilingual Engagement Liaisons or BEL) to help with understanding the Parent Portal set up process. Email: sbowman@columbus.k12.oh.us or you can call or text: 614-859-9654November is Native American Heritage Month. The month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. Heritage Month is also a time to educate the general public about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.
There are over 9 million Native Americans and Native Alaskans living in the United States today. And with over 500 federally recognized tribes, there are hundreds of different cultures that are as unique as the people they represent. From artwork and books and literature, to cuisine and music, there is much to appreciate and learn.
Here are a few interesting facts:
- When Europeans first came to the Americas, there were already 50 million Native Americans and Indigenous peoples living there. Of that, 10 million were living in what was to become the United States.
- The three largest Native American tribal groupings are Cherokee, Navajo and Latin American Indian tribes. The three largest Alaskan Native groupings are Yup’ik, Inupiat, and Tlingit-Haida.
- There are approximately 175 Indigenous languages spoken in the United States today.
- During World War II, the United States government enlisted the help of skilled Native Americans, known as code talkers, who used the Navajo language to transmit top-secret information to allied forces.
- Things that we might take for granted, like rubber, corn, kayaks, modern-day farming and even mouth wash, all find their roots in Native American design.
- It's not just goods that we use every day that we owe to Native innovation. Historians believe that the United States Constitution was modeled after the “The Great Law of Peace” the constitution that governed the Iroquois Confederacy. Benjamin Franklin was said to have studied it in detail as inspiration for the Constitution that we adhere to today.
Reading Suggestions
Bookelicious is Book Reading Fun!
Get to the Bookelicious site through your student's Clever account. Scroll to the Bookelicious icon (you may need to scroll far down on the page) and click. You will be directed to the bookelicious.com site and your student may begin to explore! You may also go directly to the Bookelicious site and use your student's Clever login credentials to access this great resource.
Thanks a Million
by Nikki Grimes
Giving Thanks: More Than 100 Ways to Say Thank You
by Ellen Surrey
The Great Thanksgiving Escape
by Mark Fearing
Duck for Turkey Day
by Jacqueline Jules
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
by Traci Sorell
Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving
by Joseph Bruchac
Stay in the Game - Attendance Matters
Attending school on-time every day when children are healthy is important to helping your student learn, engage, and stay on track.
We want to make sure caregivers have up-to-date information on their children's attendance. You may receive a text message every other week or a monthly letter in the mail from our partners at EveryDay Labs with an update on your child's current number of missed days. Please take a moment to review this important information.
Chronic absenteeism is a real concern. In Columbus City Schools, missing as few as eight days of class can cut in half an elementary student's likelihood of passing the Third Grade Reading Guarantee... or cut in half a high school student's likelihood of graduation.
Any time your child misses class - for any reason - parents should contact the school within 48 hours but no later than 5 days after absence to provide the school with a reason and to determine what assignments or lessons were missed.
For questions about the attendance text messages or to get more support for attendance-related challenges, families can call the CCS Family Support Line at 614-705-2612 or talk to your child's principal, attendance secretary, or family ambassador.
Upcoming Virtual Family Engagement Sessions:
Virtual Family Engagement Sessions are typically scheduled for every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 6:oo p.m. Sessions rotate through various topics. Currently topics are announced one week at time. Click here to find out what the upcoming session topics will address.
Please be aware that for November the schedule is slightly different. There will be no session on the 3rd, the 8th, or during Wellness Week/Autumn Break.
Click here to join the sessions directly starting at 6:00 p.m.
Does your schedule not allow you to join the sessions live? No problem! Past sessions are recorded and posted on the Virtual Family Engagement Session Library in case you are unable to attend.
Community Giveaway Day
This giveaway will take place at Columbus Global Academy. Families can receive clothing, household items, bedding, bath items and baby items all for free. The event runs from 10:30 am until 1:00 pm.
Saturday, Nov 5, 2022, 10:30 AM
4077 Karl Road, Columbus, OH, USA
Childcare During the School Breaks
Recreation and Parks "Schools Out" Program - Thanksgiving and Winter Break Now Registering
Youth need opportunities for fun, engaging enrichment experiences when school is out. Columbus Recreation and Parks Department’s Schools Out program opens recreation centers for extended hours during Columbus City Schools upcoming fall and winter breaks.
Somali Community Association
The Somali Community Association of Ohio (SCAO) is one of Central Ohio's leading voice for Somali immigrants and a grass-roots organization serving the Somali refugee community. SCAO advocates and promotes self-sufficiency for families through employment, education, cultural and social support, and economic empowerment. They serve elders, working adults, teens and children at no charge. Click on the link below for a full list of services.
🎄 Christmas Cheer! 🎄
Paper copies of the flyer pictured above are located in the bins at the school's Resource Center.
- November 9, 10:00am - 1:00pm
- November 10, 10:00am-1:00pm
- November 14, 10:00am-1:00pm AND 5:00pm – 7:00pm
- November 16, 10:00am-1:00pm AND 5:00pm-7:00pm
- November 17, 10:00am-1:00pm
- November 28, 10:00am-1:00pm AND 5:00pm – 7:00pm
- November 30, 10:00am-1:00pm AND 5:00pm-7:00pm
- December 1 ,10:00am-1:00pm
To put in an application no appointment is necessary. Just go to one of the locations listed below:
- The Salvation Army Citadel Worship and Service Center
3662 Karl Road, Columbus, OH 43224
614-262-8450 ext. 205
- The Salvation Army Hilltop Worship and Service Center
2300 West Mound Street, Columbus, OH 43204
614-274-7600 ext. 201
- The Salvation Army/Stowe Mission Center
888 Parsons Avenue, Columbus, OH 43206
614-449-8066
- The Salvation Army East Main Worship and Service Center
966 East Main Street, Columbus, OH 43205
614-437-2153
- The Salvation Army Chapel at Worthington Woods
760 Worthington Woods Blvd., Columbus, OH 43081
614-846-1884 ext. 10
A few documents are required for the application. They are:
• Picture Identification for Head of Household
• Proof of Dependents with Birth Dates for all Household Members
Parents/Guardians will select toys and pick up a food box the week before Christmas. The time and location will be shared at Registration.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL (614) 221-6561 x600
Northtowne's Resource Center
If there is information that you need, but don't see available, please reach out to our Family Ambassador, Sarah Bowman. She will be happy to help you locate services to meet your needs. mailto:sbowman@columbus.k12.oh.us or 614-859-9654
Thank you for reading this month’s newsletter.
Send a note to let us know what you thought, make suggestions or ask a question. We would love to hear from you. Please send a note to your child’s teacher or send a message.
Contributors:
Austin Taylor, Principal
Phone: 614-365-5488
Fax: 614-365-5487
Email: ataylor4@columbus.k12.oh.us
Sarah Bowman, Family Ambassador
614-859-9654
Email: sbowman@columbus.k12.oh.us
Susan Bryant, Building Coach
614-365-5488
Email: sbryant9569@columbus.k12.oh.us
Frank Beickelman, Grant Provider
614-365-5488