Hello Families,

We hope that you and your family had an amazing Thanksgiving holiday with opportunities to share things that you are thankful for. We are thankful for the opportunity to work with your children as we continue through this first semester of the school year. We are continuously building their resilience to persevere through challenges, both academically and emotionally. A great way for them to achieve these successes is to put their best effort into learning each and every day. It is expected of them to show what they have learned through the daily classroom activities, assignments, and assessments. Our continued partnership will be vital to the success of your child and the attitude that they display at school. A positive learning environment allows for a more creative, innovative, and independent learning space for students to thrive and be successful. In December, days always seem to fly by quickly, so we have much work to do in a short period of time. I assure you that we are ready to provide the best possible instruction to our students! Ready to care, help, support and love your children so that they continue to build confidence in themselves and thrive.

As a school community, we are teaching our students about compassion, bravery, resiliency, and the importance of emotional regulation. These are traits we want to focus on this school year. The importance of these traits and students becoming stronger in regulating their emotions will encourage and cultivate a self-reliant and confident way of thinking, responding, and growing. We want our students to be successful, not only in school but in any environment outside of school. Continue to encourage your students to never give up and to be positive!

As winter approaches, please remember to send students with coats, hats, and gloves, as the weather is always changing. We do send students outside to play during recess, as long as it is dry enough and the wind chill is above 25 degrees. We continue recess to ensure that students get plenty of physical activity during the winter months. *(Side note: please write your child’s name on all clothing items so that it may be returned to them if lost.)

We would like to send out well wishes to all of our families over the holiday season and in the New Year!

Sincerely,

Dee Copas

Holiday Shoppe

PTO is hosting a Holiday Shoppe for students December 5th - 9th. Students will have the opportunity to shop for gifts for their family members. Items are priced between $0.75 - $10.00, with most items between $3.00 - $7.00. Parent volunteers will help students shop and gift wrap their purchases. The Holiday Shoppe is completely optional to you and your student.

Students brought home the attached flyer and envelope this week. All sales will be by cash or gift certificates that parents can set up at www.holidayshop.org/giftcert Gift Certificates are a great option if you prefer to use a credit card instead of cash.

If you are able to volunteer at the Holiday Shoppe, please sign up HERE.

If you have any questions about the Holiday Shoppe, please contact April Groff at april.groff@icloud.com

Join us on Friday, December 9th at 6:00pm for our Holiday Movie Night! We will be watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Please bring blankets or chairs. Families can bring dinner or snacks to enjoy with the movie. There will be free popcorn, while it lasts! In order for everyone to enjoy the movie, all students need to have an adult chaperone with them. This is not a "drop off" event. We are asking that families bring one canned food item per person for the Pickerington Food Pantry as "admission" to the movie. We hope to see you there!

We are excited to bring back The Watch D.O.G.S. program this year! This program has been so successful in bringing fathers and father-figures into the classroom. Watch D.O.G.S (Dads of Great Students) is a national program designed to get fathers, grandfathers, step-fathers, uncles, and other father figures involved in volunteering at their student's school. The two main goals are:

1. To provide positive male role models for the students, demonstrating by their presence that education is important.
2. To provide an extra sets of eyes and ears to enhance school security and reduce bullying.

The program has been very positive for students of every grade level. Here is what we know: Kids develop more fully - socially, physically, academically, emotionally and spiritually - when they have a positive role model actively engaged in their life. We all appreciate your time and positivity when you volunteer in our school! Learn more about the Watch D.O.G.S. program.

To sign up for a day or half-day, please click HERE. We will then make a schedule for you that will include times to assist in classrooms, the library, gym class, and cafeteria/recess. We hope to see you soon!