Otsego Elementary Extra
Principal's Weekly Update - April 12, 2019
Important Dates
2018-2019
April 11 - 1st Grade Music Program, 7pm, HS Auditorium
April 13-April 21 - Spring Break (NO SCHOOL)
April 24 - 3rd-5th Grade Math State Test, Part 1
April 25 - 3rd-5th Grade Math State Test, Part 2
April 29 - Parenting in the Digital Age Presentation, 6:30pm, HS Auditorium
April 30 - 5th Grade Science State Test, Part 1
May 1 - 5th Grade Science State Test, Part 2
May 7 - PTO Meeting, 6pm, Elementary Commons
May 11 - PTO Knights Run, 9am
May 13 & 14 - Field Day(s)
May 21 - Kindergarten Graduation, 6pm, HS Auditorium
May 24 - Last Day of School for Students
2018-2019 School Year Calendar
Get real time calendar on our website!
District:
http://www.otsegoknights.org/apps/events/calendar/?id=0&id=1&id=2&id=3&id=4&id=5&id=6&id=7
Elementary only:
Parenting in the Digital Age Presentation
A special thank you to the OES PTO for sponsoring this event!
Yearbooks are Here
Yearbooks have arrived and will be coming home with students who had ordered one.
We do have a few extra books for sale in the office. If you did not order one and would like to purchase a copy, you can stop in the office or send a check in with your student.
Checks should be made out to Otsego BOE and the cost is $17 per book. Copies will be sold on a first pay, first serve basis.
If you have any questions, please call the school office.
Ohio State Fair 4-H Spelling Bee
The Ohio 4-H program is once again hosting the Ohio State Fair Spelling Bee on July 27 at the Ohio State Fair. Otsego can send two students from each grade level (currently in grades 3-6) to represent us. Students need not be a 4-H member to participate. This is a fun, educational event and not sanctioned by Scripps; winners do not advance to any other bee or competition.
Please e-mail me if you are interested in having your student participate. The dates and times are listed below. Slots will be given to students on a first come, first serve basis.
Important dates and times
Entry deadline: June 1
Competition date: July 27, Martin Janis Senior Center
- 3rd and 4th grade students
- 8 – 9 am – Registration
- 9 – 11 am – Competition
- 5th and 6th grade students
- Noon – 1 pm – Registration
- 1 – 3 pm – Competition
1st Grade Music Performance: Get Hoppin'
State Testing Dates
Below are the remaining testing dates for all 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students:
Wednesday, April 24th: Math Part 1 (Grades 3-5)
Thursday, April 25th: Math Part 2 (Grades 3-5)
Tuesday, April 30th: Science Part 1 (Grade 5)
Wednesday, May 1st: Science Part 2 (Grade 5)
What can parents do to help?
While state testing is never our primary focus here at OES, we still strive to give our students their best chance possible. Parents can help with this by ensuring students are at school on the dates listed above, have had a good night sleep, and a healthy breakfast. At school we focus on encouraging students to do their best and show us what they know, reiterating that at home might help students feel less stress regarding taking these tests.
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns! Thank you for your assistance in giving our students their best education possible!
Upcoming PTO Events
Field Day Volunteer Opportunity
Reminder: OES Parent Drop Off & Pick Up 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 Katrina Baughman, Elementary Principal.
Important Food Service Information
Parents, please check your student's meal account balances. We have several students at or over the three meal charge limit. We send letters home twice a week with elementary students and also email parents at all grade levels.
The free and reduced meal applications are available online or in the school office. CLICK HERE FOR THE ONLINE APPLICATION
As many of you may remember we have the "Pay it Forward" account which is to keep students from receiving an alternate meal. At this point, the account is nearing zero. If you are interested in donating to the Pay It Forward program please contact Jeanne Jeffers, jjeffers@otsegoknights.org or Adam Koch, akoch@otsegoknights.org. Once the Pay It Forward account gets to zero, we will have no choice but to implement our districts unpaid meal charges policy, which follows.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Jeanne Jeffers, 419-823-4381 ext 1104 or jjeffers@otsegoknights.org
- Lunch Menu
- Elementary - Lunch Menu
- Breakfast = $1.10, $0.30 for students who qualify for reduced lunches
- Lunch = $2.75, $0.40 for students who qualify for reduced lunches
Kindergarten Registration for the 2019-2020 School Year
If you have a student entering kindergarten for the 2019-2020 school year, and could not attend Kindergarten Round Up, please stop by the Otsego Elementary Office to pick up a registration packet, or you can download and print the forms from our school website (otsegoknights.org) under the Parent tab on the Elementary Page.
If you have any questions regarding Kindergarten Round Up, registration and/or screening please call the Otsego Elementary Office at 419-823-4381 Option 4.
A Message from the School Nurse
We have had a few cases of Type A Influenza. Please take precautions with increasing hand washing and wiping down surfaces with a disinfectant. Below is a handout to brush up on Flu info.
Thank you!
Jane Gray RN, BSN
419-823-4381 Ext. 4002
Happy Friday, Knights! With spring break fast approaching, I wanted to give you all a heads up that we will again be participating in our yearly, school-wide Goodwill Drive. This is a great opportunity to go through your closets, dressers, and wardrobes and set aside any clothes that you have outgrown or no longer need.
The Goodwill Drive will run from Monday, May 6th until Friday, May 10th at 9am. All clothing items collected will help support individuals living in Northwest Ohio. Last year we donated more than 5,000 pounds of clothes! Let's see if we can reach 6,000 pounds this year. A flyer with more information will be sent home on Friday, April 12th. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Warmly,
Ms. Syrowski
Powerschool Parent Access
Parents can access student grades and attendance through the Otsego website.
www.otsegoknights.org, students tab, online grades
All students user ID is their lunch number and all passwords are the first 3 letters of the student's FIRST name with the first letter being capitalized (Jane would be Jan).
If you have any trouble logging on, please call the office at 419-823-4381, option 4.
Important Transportation Information
Elementary Bus Passes: We will no longer be able to accept bus passes for grades PK-5 for your child to ride home with a friend on another bus route. We have seen our transportation numbers increase over the past several years and in order to continue to operate the most efficient way possible, we will no longer be able to accept bus passes in the elementary.
If you have any questions, please contact the elementary school office or Eva Vasher.
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Sign up to receive text messages from our Transportation Department!
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 me at evasher@otsegoknights.org or 419-823-4381 ext. 3156
Knight in Shining Armor Nominations
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. 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.
We now have TWO ways that you can nominate a family in need. Bookmark the link below to use as the need arises. You can also find this link on the Otsegoknights.org webpage under the "District" tab.
Please do not hesitate to nominate a family in need, and KISA will do their best to help out!
Otsego PTO
Check out the PTO on Facebook and follow on Twitter @OtsegoPTO
The next PTO meeting is May7th at 6:00 in the Elementary Library.
**Babysitting is provided!!**
Community Events & Information
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
Principal: @kbaughman723
Assistant Principal: @PrincipalWiley
STEM Teacher: @jemartinez714
PE Teacher: @AmyKonoff
School Nurse: @nursejaneots
Otsego Food Service: @Otsego_Cafe
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)
Elementary Blizzard Bags are available online under the "Parents" tab on the Otsego Elementary School website or at this link: elementary blizzard bags
If you are unable to print off the Blizzard Bags when school is cancelled, please ask your student's teacher for a copy.
1. Requests must be made through this Google Form- https://goo.gl/forms/8gzBjFVbbt4lht9f1
Please click on the link and complete the 3 questions to make your teacher request.
2. NO requests will be honored unless they have the 4th question answered regarding "reasoning for the request".
3. Requests will only be accepted during a 2 week period - March 15 - March 29th. It is too difficult to create class lists with requests coming in through June. (The only exception to this will be for students enrolling after this 2 week period).
4. While we do our best to honor requests, there is no guarantee.
Thank you for your understanding!