Worthington Park Shark Sentinel
Friday, August 13th, 2021
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Dear Worthington Park Families,
Good Morning Shark families! I want to start by sharing a massive thank you to all of the parents, students, and staff that were able to come to Worthington Park this past weekend to help our PTA "beautify" the outside of our building. It was wonderful to see so many of familiar faces and we look forward to seeing even more of you starting on Wednesday. Please take a few minutes to review the information below about the start of the year. Remember to save Tuesday, August 17th on your calendar for our Popsicles on the Playground welcome back event here at Park from 5 pm-7 pm.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us here at (614) 450-5500 with any additional questions or concerns. Enjoy your weekend and GO SHARKS!
-Principal Garrity
(pgarrity@wscloud.org)
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CLASSROOM ROSTERS EMAIL 8/13
We know that there is always a level of excitement centered around classroom roster release. Kids and parents alike want to know "Which classroom will I be in?!" We will be sending an email out later today, Friday, August 13th, with the name of your child's teacher and room number. Please note that we are using the email contact we have in Infinite Campus. Should you need to update your email- please contact Renee Fisher here at Park at (614)450-5500.
***Special reminder that students in grade 4 and grade 5 will receive the name of their homeroom teacher. Those grade levels are departmentalized and students will work with all three teachers on the grade level team.
POPSICLES ON THE PLAYGROUND 8/17 5-7pm
Welcome back, families! You are invited to come to Park to kick off the 2021 School year with Popsicles on the Playground. This is your first chance to come back into the building and meet our staff. Families can visit with staff members, learn about school and community programs and enjoy a sweet treat!
The event will be indoors and out on the playground
We are strongly recommending all attending adults wear masks during the event
To provide as much distancing as possible, we request that you limit the number of attending participants to just your immediate family.
School pictures will not be taken on this day. (as they have in years past)
Please park in the back of the school.
If you ordered a supply kit, the kit will be placed in your child’s classroom for the first day of school. You do NOT need to pick it up.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2021-2022
We are excited to reopen Worthington Park Elementary on Wednesday, August 18th for all students grades 1-5. Below is the structure of the schools days here at Park:
Student Arrival can begin at 7:35 am Tardy Bell rings at 7:55 am
Student Dismissal begins at 2:25 pm
**Kindergarten Parents, please see the information below in regards to the first week of school's staggered Kindergarten start
KINDERGARTEN STAGGERED START
All Worthington Elementary Schools will be doing a staggered start for our Kindergarten students this school year. This will allow our newest Sharks to come to school in a small cohort and learn about their classroom and their building. This will be true for both half-day and full-day kindergarten students
- Student's Last Name starting with A-K = First Day is Wednesday, August 18th
- Student's Last Name starting with L-Z = First Day is Thursday, August 19th
- ALL KinderSharks come on Friday, August 20th.
Please reach out if you have any questions at (614) 450-5500
PARENT DROP OFF & PICK UP
Drop Off
If you are driving your child to Worthington Park, our drop-off loop is located at the rear of our building on Park Rd. Our building doors open at
7:35 am. Students being dropped off will use entrance 6 this school year, located at the top of the hill near the playground. Parents, please click the
link here (or in the picture) to see how we will operate the loop. Parents- please stay in your vehicle during drop-off. Please note that students are not able to be dropped off in the front of the building due to district school buses using that loop.
Pick Up
For those parents who are picking up students, we use the same loop and protocol as mentioned above for parent pick up. Students will begin to come outside at 2:25 pm. Staff will bring students outside at this time and students will stay with their grade level. During the first week of school, our staff will be creating blue signs with your child's name and grade on them as a way to signify who you need to pick up. Please consider making a version of this sign with first and last name (and grade) for the first few days of school. This will allow pick up to move quickly. Just as above, we ask all parents to please stay in your vehicle during this process.
WHAT DOES THIS SCHOOL YEAR LOOK LIKE?
WORTHINGTON SCHOOLS COVID GUIDELINES
Below is information from our Superintendent in regards to our COVID guidelines for the start of the school year:
Mask Protocol: All students K-8 are required to wear a mask in the school building during the school day (unless medical or developmental conditions prohibit use.) Vaccinated staff are strongly recommended to wear masks in the school building during the school day. Unvaccinated staff are required to wear a mask indoors on school property. Students will be permitted to remove their masks when they are outdoors.
Under federal order, masks must be worn on school buses. Additionally, we plan to host vaccination clinics for students age 12 and up at middle and high school schedule pick-up. We encourage vaccination for students who are eligible as this is the surest way to make sure you can consistently stay in school.
Finally, our revised protocols will read:
- Physical distancing: Physical distancing will be recommended whenever possible.
- Handwashing: Handwashing will be emphasized throughout the school day. Hand sanitizers will be placed throughout the buildings and students will be encouraged to sanitize their hands when entering and again when leaving a classroom. Cough and sneeze etiquette will be taught, monitored, and reinforced.
- Facilities: District cleaning protocols will continue with COVID-developed enhanced routines. Ventilation systems all have a MERV rating of 6-10.
- Contact tracing: Contact tracing will occur based upon CPH guidance for all highly infectious diseases. District nurses have all been trained in this process.
- Diagnostic and screening testing: Worthington City Schools will continue to have testing and screening supplies at nursing clinics. The district will strategically utilize test kits for COVID concerns in order to keep students safely in school as much as possible.
- Vaccinations: The district will continue to encourage faculty, staff, and students to be vaccinated. The district is willing to serve as a host site as vaccinations are available.
- Accommodations for children with disabilities: The district will build a health plan to meet the unique health needs of students who need them. This could include home instruction or further mitigation efforts in the school setting.
Additionally, we request that any adults wear masks when they are in the building for school events or to volunteer.
BUILDING VISITS AND STUDENT SIGN IN AND SIGN OUT:
Worthington Schools will be using the online SchoolSafeID electronic sign in / sign out visitor system again this school year. Every visitor and volunteer that enters the building will be asked to check in using this system. This is also how we track student sign in and sign outs. The first time you sign in, you will need your driver’s license or state issued ID. You can download an app on any smartphone and use the app to check in on subsequent visits. Thank you for your cooperation with this. The safety of our students is very important to us.
FREE OR REDUCED SCHOOL MEALS APPLICATION
There will be Universal Free Meals for the 21-22 School Year.
Worthington School District offers healthy meals every school day. We believe that children learn best when they have nutritious meals. Want to know what is being served at Worthington Park? Visit http://www.worthingtonschoolmenus.com/ to see what is coming daily at school
Your children may qualify for reduced or free meals, as well as reduced or free Instructional Fees and/or All-Day Kindergarten Tuition. Please visit our District website (www.worthington.k12.oh.us) to apply for reduced or free meals/fees/tuition.
SCHOOL INSTRUCTIONAL FEES (MyPaymentPlus)
Starting on Friday, August 13th- the portal to pay your student instructional fees will open. We appreciate your help and timeliness in paying student instruction fees. You may pay your instructional fees on my payment plus's website. We strongly encourage families to pay for School Instructional Fees, All-Day Kindergarten Tuition, Field Trips, etc., through MyPaymentsPlus. By using MyPaymentsPlus, you can keep track of all student payments in one convenient location and eliminate sending multiple checks for multiple students!
Parents, please log into mypaymentsplus and pay all fees by September 30. Below is a chart showing the breakdown of all Instructional Fees this school year. Again- the mypaymentplus portal will open on August 13th.
21-22 School Instructional Fees
Create your FREE account today be visiting
www.MyPaymentsPlus.com. Please note that you will need your student’s ID Number, which is located on the Worthington Cloud, under the student’s name.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
Worthington Schools asks that we do not celebrate student birthdays with food in the classroom. So, as a reminder, please do not send in cookies, cupcakes, candy, or other food items with your child to share with classmates. If you would like to send in a treat for your child to share with their classmates on their birthday, please consider sending stickers, pencils, trinkets, etc., or plan a special activity such as reading a book or playing a game.
Snacks will be served throughout the year during scheduled celebrations. Families will always be informed when food will be brought into classrooms so that alternative plans can be made for students with dietary restrictions.
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All Worthington Buildings are Nut Free
Just a reminder that all buildings in Worthington Schools are nut-free as they were last year. We want to create a PEANUT/NUT FREE environments in order to protect students with life-threatening allergies. Parents and guardians are asked NOT TO PACK SCHOOL LUNCHES or send any food items to school that contain NUTS or NUT PRODUCTS.
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- Tuesday, August 17th- Popsicles on the Playground 5 pm-7 pm
- Wednesday, August 18th- First Day of School for All 1st-5th Graders & Kindergartners Last Name A-K
- Thursday, August 19th- First Day of School for Kindergarteners Last Name L-Z
- Friday, August 20th- All Kindergarten Students come to Park
- Thursday, September 9th- Curriculum Night K-2 6:00-6:40 & 3-5th 6:45-7:25
Mr. Patrick Garrity
Principal- Worthington Park Elementary School
