PRM School Rocker
Issue 2, Volume 4 October 2022
Principal Simpson's Message
Greetings PRM Families,
This month we will close out the 1st quarter on October 14th and begin the 2nd quarter. The season has changed from summer to fall, and we are making progress every day toward our goal of having outstanding student outcomes.
Your support is important to our success. Please make daily/weekly contact with your child’s teacher(s) to discuss academic progress. Encourage your child to follow the school rules and be a good citizen who is a peaceful problem solver. Be sure your child is prepared for school each day and ready to learn. Review the Student Handbook available on prmrocks.org or by using this link. Also, check Powerschool and Schoology frequently for updates on assignments and progress.
We are partners in this work. We must function as a unit to support the success of every child at PRM. Our Parent Teacher Organization meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm. Please plan to attend those meetings so that your contributions are considered as we make decisions for our school.
We are moving in the right direction, and we won’t leave anyone behind. Please continue to partner with us on this amazing journey!
Love,
Principal Simpson
Email: simpsoa@cpsboe.k12.oh.us
Phone: 513-203-9087
School Hours
Upcoming Dates
Upcoming Meetings and Dates
Picture Day~Wednesday, October 12th (Students may be out of uniform for photos.)
LSDMC Meeting~Wednesday, October 12th @ 3:00pm at PRM (Media Center)
PTO Meeting~Wednesday, October 12th @ 6:30pm at PRM (Cafeteria)
Registration ends for basketball and cheer~Sunday, October 16th at midnight
ILT Meeting~Monday, October 17th @ 2:45pm at PRM
Foundation Meeting~Wednesday, October 19th @ 6:30pm at Community Happens Here*
Equity Group~Thursday, October 27th @ 6:30pm at PRM
No school for preschoolers~October 28th
October Bash/Trunk or Treat Event~October 26th 6:00-8pm
Picture Retakes~November 16th
Grandparents/Special Friend Day~November 18th from 7:45 - 9:30am
Event updates throughout the month will be available on www.prmrocks.org/calendar
*You can also subscribe to the calendar on your device- find the green “subscribe” button on the top right side of the calendar page.
School Safety
Reunification Plan
In the event of an emergency where an evacuation of any of our school buildings is necessary, students will be transported to safety at the PRM reunification site:
Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church, 5950 Montgomery Rd, 45213. Our alternate site is located at the Pleasant Ridge Recreation Center, 5915 Ridge Ave, 45213.
Families should report to this location to pick up their student(s). A Reunification Information Document will be used in an event of an emergency where a reunification process is required. This document will be made available at the reunification site to assist us in releasing your child to you.
How Will I Be Notified In The Event of An Emergency?
In any emergency, we will disseminate information as quickly as possible through our mass notification system, which includes robocalls, emails, CPS mobile app alerts, as well as the CPS district website, and social media. Additionally, we will continue to provide updates through the above avenues as needed.
We are asking parents to verify their emergency contact information is up to date in PowerSchool in order to be contacted in case of an emergency. If you make any changes to your contact information, please confirm that the changes have been received by the main office staff by calling us at 513-363-4400.
If you have the CPS phone numbers or emails blocked, you will not be notified in the event of an emergency. Please remove the blocked feature from your phone so that you can be contacted.
Trust Your School, Not Twitter
Unverified information shared on social media can cause unnecessary panic for students, staff, and families. It is the district and local law enforcement's responsibility to send out credible, verified information in a timely manner to families. Please make sure your contact information is up to date and that you are following us on social media:
- Facebook: @CincinnatiPublicSchools
- Twitter: @IAMCPS
If You See Something, Say Something
We need your help. If you and your students see something, say something. We strongly encourage you to have conversations with your students about reporting suspicious behavior to administrators directly, or call or text the Ohio Safer Schools 24/7 Tipline anonymously at 844-SaferOH (844-723-3764)
Emergency Management Plan
Each year, every Cincinnati Public School is required to submit an Emergency Management Plan to the State of Ohio. This plan is created in collaboration with members of the Cincinnati Police and the CPS Health and Safety department. While we are unable to share the specifics of our plan for security reasons, it includes:
A comprehensive all-hazards plan that takes into account all threats and hazards for our school. The plan must stipulate ways the administrator will address those threats and a protocol for responding to those threats.
A floor plan identifies key infrastructure elements of the building, such as classroom locations, emergency exit routes, and locations of fire extinguishers.
A site plan is an aerial view of the school facility and its surrounding area, which identifies nearby roadways, fire truck routes, and other school property such as athletic fields and gymnasiums.
An emergency contact sheet contains information so first responders can reach administrators and other key people during an emergency.
Time to Start Thinking About High School~Jackie Bonfield
This presentation includes:
- Links to some HS virtual visits
- Information about admission criteria for SCPA, Walnut, and Spencer
- Information about national percentile scores
- Links to a few online practice tests for Iowa and CogAT
- Additional information about the Iowa and CogAT assessments
PRM Community in Action:
Community News: Thank to our wonderful parent group for providing such a wonderful meal for conference night. Our staff appreciates the thoughtfulness and time taken to make this happen.
Music with Ms. Sarah's Room
Pumped for Learning
Ms. Jennifer's Class Busy at Work
PTO & Foundation Hub News
Parent Organization Updates
There are a number of leadership groups who host monthly meetings where all voices are welcomed and encouraged to attend. PTO focuses on building community. Foundation focuses on large scale initiatives and fundraising. Boosters supports our athletic and academic teams. ILT leads on instructional decisions and in school events and LSDMC makes bigger decisions about the school. The equity group meets to discuss diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging in a safe space with the intention of inspiring unity and building bridges at PRM. There are also a variety of other groups that parents and caregivers help support, consider getting involved in a group that supports you and your interests.
PTO
Happy fall! Hopefully your student(s) and you are starting to get accustom to the rhythms of the school year. Thank you to all the teachers who stayed late last week to meet with parents and caregivers during conferences in order to partner in their students’ learning. Thank you to the PRM community for providing a meal to the whole staff on that day so they could be nourished. We will look to continue building community later this month with a
Fall Celebration/Trunk or Treat event –
more details including the date will be coming out soon. Watch for details via email and Facebook; we will need volunteers to make this event a success. Volunteering is actually a great way to build connections at PRM, you will benefit alongside the benefactors. Next month we will be bringing back Grandparents and Special Friend Day on November 17 th . This is another unique opportunity to volunteer to help support a meaningful and memorable event for both students and their invited guests. PTO will be meeting again this month and these meetings are a great introductory way to gather information and to start to get involved in your child(ren)’s school. PTO meets on Wednesday, October 12th at 6:30pm in the cafeteria. Childcare is provided, and all are welcomed and encouraged to attend.
Thanks to everyone who bought mums to help support The Pleasant Ridge School Foundation and thanks to volunteers who helps make sure everyone received their fall flowers. And a special shout out to Benken Florist Home and Garden Center for their partnership with PRM. Another way to stay connected is through the PRM Rocks website, if you haven’t already done so, now is the perfect time to subscribe to emails: https://prmrocks.org/emailupdates/
Foundation
Boosters
Register NOW for Basketball and Cheer - Registration ends on Sunday, October 16th
*After this date we cannot guarantee a spot on a PRM team.
All registration information and links are available at prmrocks.org/connect/athletics
Both sports will run early November through February. Basketball is for 2nd through 6th graders and Cheer is for girls in th through 6th grade. Financial Assistance is available. Questions can be directed to prmathletics@gmail.com
Equity Group
ILT~Instructional Leadership Committee
The instructional leadership team at PRM has approved a more consistent homework policy for this school year. Information has or will be coming home from teachers with more information, but all students will have assigned homework. Kindergarten and First Grade will have a max of 10 minutes per night. Each subsequent grade has a maximum of an additional 10 minutes. (2nd grade has 20, 3rd grade has 30, etc.). 9-12 students should have a planner to help them with their homework scheduling. Homework is at maximum four nights a
week; Monday through Thursday.
Students will be accountable for completing their assignments, teachers will decide what accountability will look like. If your child reaches the maximum time for their grade level, please sign off on the homework and send it in even if it is not completed. If your child's teacher sends home weekly homework, it should be worked on using the above guidelines. Homework is meant to be a review of the work students are currently doing in class. Students in the same class may get different homework to reflect that work. If this homework policy is still a struggle for your child, please have a conversation with your child's teacher right away. Homework can and should be modified as needed so that it benefits the
student and supports the work that they are doing during the school day.
LSDMC ~ Local School Decision Making Committee
This month’s Local School Decision Making Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 19th from 3:00-4:00pm in the PRM Media Center.
Scouts
Cub Scouts kicked off in September with the full pack joining for a trail hike in French Park and learning about the Cub Scout 6 Essentials. Later in the month, the Scouts prepared by learning to set up tents and participated in hands-on demonstrations of common camping equipment. Lastly, several Cub Scouts joined our Pack 25 and their family members for Peterloon 2022, a weekend camping experience through Boy Scouts of America.
School Team Reports
3-6 News:
The 3-6 team is excited for fall. Please send your student(s) to school in appropriate clothing/layers as many of the classes get a chance to go outside before 9:00am. Thanks for partnering with us by getting your student(s) to school on time and making sure they are well rested. On October 28th, there is No School for Preschoolers. Also on that day, we will be taking our kindergarteners to Blooms and Berries Farm in Loveland.
Outdoor education instruction with Imago began this week. Please make sure your child wears shoes and clothing that can get dirty and muddy on the days that they get to explore the garden. In language, we continue to work on phonemic awareness and phonics. We also work on vocabulary development and identifying characters and settings in stories. In math, we continue to work on number recognition and counting. We will begin working with addition and subtraction using stories, pictures, and drawings. In science, we will observe nature, study plants such as trees, apples, and pumpkins. Some classes may also begin their study of animals. In social studies, we will be studying our earth by talking about various continents and countries.
6-9 News:
All 6-9 classrooms will begin Outdoor Education with Imago as a part of their specials. Students tend to get a little messy when they explore in the garden, so be sure to encourage them to wear proper shoes on the day of their outdoor ed class.
This month the entire 6-9 team will be attending a showing of Descendants: The Musical at the Taft Theater. Some classrooms have trips to the pumpkin patch planned as well.
All benchmarks have been completed and reading specialists are beginning to pull their small groups throughout the day. Tutors are starting to come into the classroom to work with specific students. If your student is working with a tutor, you would have received a piece of paper with that information. The 2 nd graders have begun CoGat testing while the 3 rd grade OST testing will be during the week of October 24 th .
9-12 News:
The 6 th grade students are working on multi-digit fluency (including decimals) in math, their novel study of Bud, Not Buddy in English, and exploring geography and metabolism in cultural studies. Additionally, they successfully completed the annual boat building project! When you visit PRM stop by the Media Center to check it out!
The 4 th and 5 th graders in Lauren Anderson's class are working with character analysis through various reading strategies and cooperative work.
The 9-12 team is preparing for our service field trip to Matthew 25: Ministries at the end of the month, on October 26 th . Students will spend the day organizing and preparing supplies for communities in need. Additionally, they will learn about poverty both locally and internationally. Remember to return permission slips as well as the $8 fee to cover the cost of the buses.
Specialist Team:
Music Update from Ms. Maria: Flyers with sign-up information for Matilda Jr. as well as information about a 1st -3rd grade music club will be coming home in Wednesday Folders. Be sure to sign up quickly as spots will fill up fast.
Reading Specialist Kait Metersky and Sarah Kleymeyer
CLC Update
October 2022
Hello everyone, The CLC Center is here to provide you with various services that you may need. Feel free to contact either our Resource Coordinator- Ms. Monique Johnson at johnmon@cpsboe.k12.oh.us or our Asst. School Community Coordinator- Mrs. Jamie Donaldson at donalja@cpsboe.k12.oh.us.
Happy Hispanic Heritage (September 15-October 15)!!!
Picture Day!!!! Make sure you are ready on Wednesday, October 12, 2022. The order forms have already gone home. If you need another form, contact your child’s teacher or the front office. You can also order online at mylifetouch.com and put in your student’s school ID or picture ID: EVT8R6QQF.
Health Screening for students in Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade. Will take place on Friday, October 7, 2022. This screening is a state mandate screening for vision and hearing. Forms went home to the students in those particular grades for options to do additional screens such as BMI, dental and etc.
Hispanic Heritage Day we want to take a moment to celebrate on Friday, October 14th with music, book readings and more. Stay tune for more updates.
Whiz Kids will start on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, from 5:30-7:00pm at Crossroad Church in Oakley. Applications are in the school office. This is a first come first serve sign-up. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact Monique Johnson.
In-Person and Virtual Tutoring is up and running for our students and it's off to a great start with the help of many of our volunteers within the community and from our local colleges and universities. If you are looking for tutoring services for your child, feel free to contact Jamie Donaldson for assistance.
Are you interested in learning Spanish? Well PRM is happy to bring back our partnership with Cincinnati Spanish Academy. Click on the link to register www.cincinnatispanishschool.com/prm Classes start soon here at PRM.
Blessings in a Bag is coming back to PRM. Sign-up sheets went home today in your child’s Wednesday folder. The program will start on Thursday, October 20th.
PRM Pink Out Friday is scheduled for Friday, October 28, 2022. Make sure you stay on the lookout for updates on this celebration.
After-School Clubs and Groups are getting geared up for a fun and exciting school year. The leaders of the clubs/groups are getting ready to send out information and applications to students. Here is a list of current Clubs/Groups:
Girls 2 Women (4th-6th)
M.O.R.E. (4th-6th)
Chess Club (3rd-6th)
Brain Bowl (4th-6th)
Hooked on Fishing (4th-6th)
Art Club (4th-6th)
African American Choir (2nd-6th)
Girls on the Run/Sprint Sisters (3rd-5th)
Drama Club (2nd-6th)
Coffee Cup
Girl Scouts (K-6th)
Boy Scouts/ Cub Scouts
PRM Athletics (Fall, Winter, & Spring Sports)
Spanish Academy
Webby Dance (K-5th grade)
Enriching Kidz (more info. to come)
First Generation Leaders of America (more info. to come)
CRC After-School Care at PRM is currently full. There is a waiting list at this time if you are interested.
Making Strides Breast Cancer Walk will be held on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at Yeatman’s Cove from 8 am-12 pm. Click on the link to see more information. Breast Cancer Walk link: https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?pg=entry&fr_id=100970
Queen Bee Half Marathon and 4-miler this event is Saturday, October 8, 2022, on Central Parkway by Hard Rock Casino. The half marathon will start at 7:30am and they will have 2 start times for the 4-miler at 8am and 8:30am. Click on the link below to volunteer, register, or see the route map to cheer people on. Queen Bee: https://queenbeehalf.com/
CRC Pleasant Ridge Ghoul Trunk or Treat is Friday, October 14, 2022, from 6pm-8pm. This is a free event and is open to the public.
YMCA Blue Ash Fall Festival is Thursday, October 20, 2022, from 6 pm-8 pm. It's located at 5000 YMCA Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45242. Trunk or Treat in partnership with Blue Ash Business Association. Open to the community with treats, photo booth and more.
Menus
District Calendar 2022-23
Support Hotlines
Cincinnati Public Schools:
513-363-0123
Cincinnati Children's Hospital PIRC intake line:
513-636-4124
Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect:
513-241-KIDS
Suicide Prevention Hotline:
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Crisis Textline:
Text 4HOPE to 741741
Disaster Distress Helpline:
1-800-985-5990
Domestic Violence Hotline via Women Helping Women:
513-381-5610
CPS Parent Technical Support Line
R.O.C.K.S!
Our Character Program centers around:
Respect, Ownership, Compassion, Kindness and Safety, Safety, Safety!
Below are the three school-wide expectations that we expect students to follow throughout all parts of our learning community. Please support us by reinforcing these at home.
- Be Respectful
- Be Responsible
- Be a Problem Solver
Principal Simpson & Assistant Principal Stegman
Website: https://pleasantridge.cps-k12.org/about
Location: 5945 Montgomery Road
Phone: 513-363-4400