Wickliffe Family Update

Dear Families,

Last week, we had the pleasure of meeting most of our Kindergarteners and their parents. What a wonderful, lively group of children we have joining us this year! It was a joy to personally connect with the students and families. We are hosting one more Kindergarten Meet-up on Sunday, August 9 at 3 PM.

By now, you should have been able to log in to PowerSchool to see your child's teacher assignment and begin completing your Back-to-School information. If needed, please see the instructions below on how to access this information.

We are all preparing for the return of staff on Monday and the arrival of students next Wednesday. I hope you all enjoy these last few days of summer.

We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Best regards,

Angela

August 5: 1st-5th Grade Class placements available on PowerSchool

August 9: Kindergarten Placement available on PowerSchool

August 12: Kindergarten Parent Information (6-7pm)

August 13: "Sneek-a-Peek" before school starts (4:00-5:30)

August 14: First day of school for 1st-5th graders and half of our K students

August 15: First day of school for the other half of K students

August 16: All students at Wickliffe!

August 16: PTO Sponsored family coffee on the playground after morning drop off

August 22: Parent Information Night:

• 1st and 4/5 @ 6:00-6:45
• 2/3 @ 7:00-7:45

August 30: Picture Day

It’s time to get ready for the 2024-2025 school year! Please read this full email for important back-to-school information to complete for new and returning students before the first day of school.

Class/Teacher Assignments (Grades 1-12)

Grades 1-12 students and their parents/guardians can now view class/teacher assignments in PowerSchool. If you have questions, please contact your child’s school.

Back-to-School Forms for Returning Students (PreK and Grades 1-12)

Back-to-school forms for returning students in preK and grades 1-12 are now available in the PowerSchool Parent Portal by clicking “Forms” in the left navigation menu.

Parents/guardians for all returning students will need to access and complete all available forms in PowerSchool to verify and update important student information. These forms involve parent/guardian contacts, emergency contacts, medical history and all technology forms associated with students’ school-issued devices, including the optional Technology Protection Plan.

Please complete your student’s forms before the first day of the school year (August 14, 2024).

For step-by-step instructions on how to access the forms in the Parent Portal, please visit our website, www.uaschools.org/backtoschool. If you have any questions about the back-to-school forms or difficulty accessing the PowerSchool Parent Portal, please contact backtoschool@uaschools.org.

Student Fees for New and Returning Students (Grades K-12)

Families of new and returning students can log in to SPS EZpay to pay any fees associated with their students. At this time, the fees available for payment include:

• Instructional fees for elementary students (K-5);

• Middle school optional community building / social fees; and

• The optional Technology Protection Plan fee ($25) for students in grades K-12.

Families wishing to purchase the optional Technology Protection Plan must complete the technology forms in PowerSchool AND pay the $25 fee in SPS EZpay before the first day of the 2024-2025 school year (August 14, 2024). If the $25 fee is not paid by the first day of school, the plan is void.

Middle school and high school course fees will be available in September. Fall athletic fees and UAHS parking fees will be available after those assignments are completed by the schools. Please allow 48 hours from the time of course enrollment to see fees updated in EZPay.

If paying these school fees will cause a hardship for your family, please contact your child’s principal or school counselor.

For instructions on how to create an SPS EZpay account or add a new student to an account, please visit www.uaschools.org/backtoschool. If you have any questions about student fees, please contact fees@uaschools.org. If you have difficulty accessing your account, please call 1-866-MYEZPAY.

Bus Route Information (Grades K-8)

Bus routes for any K-8 families who requested busing for the school year are now available in the Traversa My Ride K-12 website and app, available for Apple and Android devices.

For instructions on how to set up a My Ride K-12 account, please access this document. You will need your student's six-digit school ID number, available in the PowerSchool Parent Portal, to connect your student with your account.

Please note that the Transportation Department is continuing to refine bus routes, and there may still be slight changes in your child’s pickup or drop-off times. We encourage you to check the Traversa My Ride website or app again on Tuesday, August 13 to confirm these times for your students. We also ask that students arrive at the bus stop 5 minutes before their scheduled pickup time to ensure that our routes run efficiently.

If you have any questions or concerns about your student’s route information or difficulties registering for a Traversa account, please contact schoolbusquestions@uaschools.org.

We are super excited to welcome our students and families next Tuesday (Aug. 13) for our Sneak-a-Peek event from 4:00-5:30! This is meant to be a fun and brief visit, so feel free to drop in, find your classroom, say hello, and take a quick look around the space.

Upper Arlington Schools has a staggered start for our Kindergardners. This means approximately half of our students will come on one day, the other will stay home, and the next day, the process will be reversed. This is the general schedule for the first 3 days of school for our Kindergarten students.

August 14 - On this day, families whose last name begins with A—L will come to school.

August 15 - On this day, families whose last name begins with M—Z will come to school.

August 16 - ALL Students will come to school.

Some teachers may reach out to possibly switch a child's start day to ensure a more balanced class these first two days.

🛑 🚲 🛴 Click HERE to view our guidelines for arriving to and leaving school. 🚙 🚌 🛑

This is important information related to the safety of our students, staff and families. Please read it carefully. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me.

The bulk school supply program is back for the 2024/2025 school year! With one annual fee, we can ensure all students start the year equally and with the supplies they need. This program leverages bulk buying to obtain school supplies for the year including: markers, scissors, journals, tape, pencils, erasers, folders, paper, etc. These supplies can be shared across grade levels and classrooms further reducing costs. Supplies are distributed to each classroom prior to the start of the school year. We strive to keep costs as low as we can for families while also making the process as convenient as possible.

The fee for the 2024/2025 school year is $40. You can visit https://www.wickliffepto.org/school_supplies to pay school supply fees, field trip transportation fees, and PTO dues for the year all in one convenient location. Questions can be directed to the PTO at wickliffepto@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you soon!

META Columbus, our PowerSchool host, has planned maintenance that requires everything to be powered down on August 10th. During the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. maintenance window, you will not be able to access any of our PowerSchool portals. Please plan accordingly.

New iPads will be distributed to all students during the first weeks of school. These iPads no longer feature a traditional headphone jack; therefore you may need to buy new headphones for your student. We only recommend the official Apple USB-C headphone adapter: https://a.co/d/01oRJL6N. This is the only one we can guarantee is compatible with our 10th-generation iPads.

However, these types of adapters may get lost quickly. There are many third-party options available for the USB-C headphone adapter cable. These are some alternatives that our technology department suggested:

• https://a.co/d/0fUkocjn

• https://a.co/d/0096Wfpj

If you are moving to a new home within UA Schools, you will need to complete a Change of Address form. Please email UAenrollment and they will send the form(s) you need.

If you are moving out of Upper Arlington, please complete a Withdrawal Form as soon as possible. We have printed copies available in the office. If you would like a form emailed to you, please reach out to Teresa Morley. Please return your child's iPad, borrowed library books and other items belonging to Wickliffe to the school office. Office hours are 8:00 - 3:00 most week days. Please label the items with your child's name.

Want more information about our PTO, events, and activities?

We encourage you to join the PTO and bookmark this website to stay up-to date.

We are starting to plan for this year's PTO After School Discovery program. The After School Discovery program lets K-5 students explore diverse interests through fun extracurricular courses like STEM, fashion, Lego sculptures, magic, chess, music, drama, basketball, and more! After School Discovery has been a huge success in the past because of the amazing support from our Wickliffe community, including school staff, families, and local businesses.

Do you have a special skill or interest that you want to share with Wickliffe students? We are accepting instructor applications for courses for the 2024-2025 school year. Classes will begin Monday, Sept 23rd, are usually offered once per week, and run for six classes (with no class on days where there is no school) plus a make-up class if needed. All course instructors will be compensated through course fees. The instructor sets the price, class size, grades, and curriculum, and we coordinate the rest. If you or someone you know has a skill or passion to share with K-5 students through After School Discovery, please apply here, or contact the ASD planning committee at wickliffeptoasd@gmail.com. Applications are due August 23rd. Thank you!

Rachel Menezes, Robin Ralston, Marisa Martin, Shanna Jaggars, & Mayling Mckinley

Committee Members

After School Discovery

Wickliffe Progressive Elementary PTO

Please direct any questions to the After School Discovery committee at wickliffeptoasd@gmail.com. Course-specific communications will be sent from notify@membershiptoolkit.com. Add us to your address book to ensure you receive important information, such as schedule changes.

Some of the following links may not work after the conversion. We will update this Helpful Links section very soon.

Attendance Information - Click link for full details

• If your child will be absent from school, please email wickliffeattendance@uaschools.org. Please state a reason for your child’s absence. If you are emailing your child’s teacher regarding attendance, simply copy the attendance email - no need to send separate emails.

• There is a link to the attendance email in the Upper Arlington Schools app

• District Attendance Policy

• Please obtain a medical excuse for ANY visit to a doctor, dentist, therapist, etc that occurs during a school day.

Planned Absence Form - Forms should be completed 10 school days in advance of the first date of the planned absence whenever possible. Otherwise, the absence may be unexcused.

District Website Link

• 2023-2024 School Year Calendar

• A-E Calendar

Drop off/Pick up information

Instagram Account ~ @wickwolves

Lunch Menu

Lunchroom Helper - click here to Volunteer

PowerSchool Parent Portal: https://ps-uar.metasolutions.net/public/home.html

If you need assistance logging into PowerSchool, you may reach out to: familytechhelp@uaschools.org

Technology Family Support

• Check out this resource for K-5 families.

• WOSU Digital Wellness

• CommonSense Media Activities

Transportation Services

Email: schoolbusquestions@uaschools.org

UA Flyer Connection

Wickliffe PTO

Links to Previous Updates:

All of our updates can be found on the Wickliffe website under “school news”.