Evening Street Weekly Update
December 6, 2024
The children have been enjoying the climbing unit this past week in PE class. Pictured above are students from Mrs. Crocker's homeroom. Students in grade 3, 4, and 5 have been preparing for the Intermediate Art Show which will be held December 18th. Student artwork inspired from Mrs. Wetz will be on display from 6:00-7:00 p.m. The Fourth and Fifth Grade Choir Concert, under the direction of Mrs. Jarzecki, will perform at 6:30 p.m. December 18th. The concert is open to all families. On April 3, 2025, The Primary Art Show and Second Grade Musical will be held.
In January, our Eagle Family Group lesson will focus on the importance of giving to others. Each child will be asked to donate at least one pair of gently used shoes to the Shoes for Souls cause. Our motto for the collection drive is we can make a difference one step at a time. If your children clean out their closets over break, hang on to any pairs of gently used shoes. We will collect shoes of all sizes, so if you clean out your closet, save the shoes to send them into school in January.
Next week, thanks to PTA President Marisa Yitsis, the children will participate in a science assembly hosted by Crystal Clear Science. Each year, the PTA President selects an assembly or activity for the children. This year, Marisa arranged for this assembly. Hopefully, children will be motivated to participate in the Science Celebration. Michelle White, the presenter, will educate and entertain the children. We are grateful to PTA for providing this opportunity. If you have not registered your child for the Science Celebration, there is still time to do so, more information is below.
PTA also sponsored the Reflections Art Contest. Mrs. Lindsay Duffey was the coordinator. We had many wonderful entries this year. Names of those who entered as well as those whose work will move on to the district level can be found in this newsletter. Thanks for encouraging children to enter.
For the 2025-26 school year, Worthington Schools will be offering universal, no-cost, all-day kindergarten for all students. Kindergarten registration for Worthington Schools opens January 6, 2025. If you have a child ready for kindergarten, register in January! If you know someone who has a child of kindergarten age, please encourage them to register in January. I have also received inquiries about families who had children in private kindergarten this school year, but would like to enroll in first grade for 2025-26. We do have space for first grade in the upcoming year, families should be encouraged to enroll early as well.
Looking forward to warmer days next week!
Have a great weekend,
Mary Rykowski
With colder weather, please remember to remind children to wear coats, hats and gloves to school. The children will participate in outdoor recess if the temperature and wind chill is 20 degrees or higher. Fresh air and play are important for children, they love to enjoy the company of friends at recess. If you drop off your child in the car line, it is helpful if they have coats on and are ready to get out of the car.
With the earlier sunsets coming at around 5:00 p.m., please exercise extra caution during After Care pick-ups and drop-offs, as well as after school activities. While this may be a time where you are rushed, please remember nothing is more important than student safety.
Here are some tips to ensure a safe environment for everyone:
- Drive Slowly: Reduced visibility in darker mornings and evenings calls for slower speeds, especially in the parking lot and school zone.
- Stay Alert: Be mindful of children walking or crossing between vehicles. Avoid distractions like phone use while driving.
- Follow Drop-Off Procedures: Use designated drop-off zones and follow staff instructions to keep traffic moving smoothly and safely. This week a citizen who lives on West Stafford could not get out of his driveway because parents were dropping children off on West Stafford. The car line really moves fairly quickly, please take the extra two minutes to go through the car line.
- Be Patient: Winter weather can cause delays. Allow extra time and remain courteous to others in the parking lot.
The safety of our students, staff, and community is our top priority.
Attendance Reminder
Should your child be absent from school for any reason, illness, doctor appointment, or family trip, please email Mrs. Nicklaus, our attendance manager. Her email is jnicklaus@wscloud.org. You can even copy her when you email your child's teacher. Please also let her know if you will be leaving early for the Winter Break. If we do not hear from a parent about an absence, Mrs. Nicklaus will text or call parents.
As a reminder, HB 410 was passed into law by the Ohio General Assembly in December, 2016 and the most recent state guidelines were made in July, 2017. This has changed the way school districts monitor student attendance across the state. Schools now must keep track of absences by “hours” to include partial-day absences as opposed to “days missed.”
The definitions are below:
○ Habitual Truant - any student absent without a legitimate excuse for absences of:
■ 30 or more consecutive hours.
■ 42 or more total hours in one school month.
■ 72 or more total hours in one school year.
○ Excessive Absence - any student absent with or without a legitimate excuse for
absences of:
■ 38 or more hours in one school month.
■ 65 or more hours in one school year.
If a student has exceeded one of the attendance thresholds for Excessive Absences, a letter will
be sent home and phone calls will be made to meet the requirement, the letter will be sent as a notice to you about attendance. You will receive the notice even if the absences are excused.
If a student has exceeded one of the attendance thresholds for Habitual Truancy, a letter will be sent home and phone calls will be made to contact the student’s parent/guardian to set up a meeting. The purpose of this required meeting will be for the parent/guardian, student (when appropriate), and building staff to be a part of an Absence Intervention Team. A plan will need to be developed to achieve “satisfactory” improvement in attendance, or truancy charges could be filed to the juvenile court.
Update on Technology Practices
As technology continues to become more present in our student’s lives, Worthington Schools has been seeking to better understand the impacts of technology in our classrooms. All schools in Ohio are required to adopt a policy regarding cell phone use by July 2025. Superintendent Dr. Bowers recently presented student, community, and staff feedback regarding cell phone use in our schools and Worthington’s progress toward defining a cell phone policy which you can view here.
Based on this feedback, we are adjusting our technology practices at the elementary level. Students at our elementary schools have always been asked to silence cell phones and are required to keep them in their bookbags during the school day. Now, this practice will also apply to smartwatches and other wearable technology.
This change supports a more focused and distraction-free classroom environment while still allowing students to access technology for communication to and from school. We understand that many families find value in features like location tracking, and this adjustment allows for these needs to be met without interrupting the school day. Thank you for your continued support as we work together to create the best learning experience for all our students!
Should you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Infinite Campus Email Delivery Change
Starting Dec 2, 2024, the email address you receive email communications from Infinite Campus will change. Emails will be delivered from wrthschl@worthingtonoh.mg.infinitecampus.org. For more information on how to ensure safe delivery, please see our Parent Guide: Email Safe Sender information.
