August 8, 2023
A Message from Mr. Ryder
OV Families,
I hope this message finds you well! I wanted to share the staff's appreciation for joining us on Thursday, October 31st, for our annual fall parade and fall parties that followed. A big thank you to all the families who braved the wind (and luckily no rain) and made their way to the Overlook parking lot to enjoy the kids with us!
The parties were a wonderful success, and we owe it all to the fantastic planning by our PTO and room ambassadors, along with the treats and snacks generously provided by our amazing volunteers. Your support truly makes our OV community special!
Warm regards,
Mr. Ryder, Principal
Be Kind Wadsworth
Be Kind Wadsworth is currently running a spirit wear sale.
If you are interested, please use the link below.
Overlook Skate Night at Brunswick Skate
3rd Grade Walking Trip to WHS
The 3rd grade will be walking to Wadsworth High School on November 13th to watch the high school production of A Wrinkle in Time. Please complete this form granting permission.
I have two focuses during my classroom guidance lessons this October: Bullying Prevention and Drug Prevention. October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. Bullying is defined as using words or actions on purpose, repeatedly over time. Students in all grades learned the difference between being a bystander and an upstander. A bystander is someone who sees someone else being bullied and an upstander is someone who helps the person being bullied. All students are encouraged to be upstanders- if you see something, say something. With 2nd-4th graders, we discussed the 4 types of bullying: verbal, physical, social/emotional, and cyberbullying, role-played scenarios, and the importance of telling the bully to stop and letting an adult know. Kindergarten and 1st graders learned what bullying is, the difference between tattling vs telling, and practice saying stop and telling an adult.
2nd through 4th grade students also heard about "Start With Hello" which is part of the Sandy Hook Promise. "Start With Hello" is a prevention program that teaches children and teens how to be more socially inclusive and connected. "Start With Hello" asks students, educators, parents, and other community leaders who interact with kids to take steps in the classroom, lunchroom, bus and/or other times in their day to be inclusive and connected. If your child sees someone alone, they are encouraged to reach out to that person and say, "Hello". The classes brainstormed ways to reach out such as; inviting someone to sit with them at lunch, asking someone to come play at recess, and waving in the hall or on the bus. Overlook has a "buddy bench" where if someone is sitting there it means they don't have anyone to play with. All Overlook kiddos know if they see someone sitting over there to go ask if that kiddo wants to play. I have noticed our Overlook Grizzlies are good about checking the bench and reaching out to anyone sitting there.
"Start With Hello" encourages families to be involved at home too. Below are tips from the program for how families can help:
1. Make an intentional effort to greet each other with hello and ask questions about each other’s day. Practice active listening.
2. During car rides or at dinner challenge each other to use eye contact and truly listen.
3. Model best practices for your child. Say hello to people, and make conversations at stores or restaurants.
4. Share your story. Tell your child a story about a time that you reached out to someone who was alone and in need. What happened? How did you feel afterward?
5. Be there for your child. Talk about what your child can do if they ever feel lonely at school. Remind your child that you are always there for them if they need someone to talk to.
6. Talk about the good and bad kinds of being alone. When does being alone feel good? When does being alone feel bad?
All students also received a classroom guidance lesson on Drug Prevention. This is in response to the prescription opioid abuse crisis that exists in our state, Ohio House Bill 367, passed in 2014, requires each school district to include instruction on specific topics pertaining to prescription opioid abuse prevention in our schools.
Children are beginning to use substances such as nicotine at an earlier age than ever, and we want to provide them with the information ahead of time so they are not learning from their peers about topics like drugs and alcohol. We feel this topic is very important to educate students on what to do in a situation BEFORE they are faced with peer pressure. All lessons highlight the HOPE (Health and Opioid Prevention Education).
Sign up for Parent Tips “Know!” from Prevention Action Alliance for how to prevent substance use and abuse in our youth. They will email you with parent tips and helpful information regarding ways to help your child develop a healthy lifestyle with a variety of information including drug prevention, anti-bullying messages, human trafficking prevention, suicide risks, and much more. https://preventionactionalliance.org/about/programs/know/
If you are interested in getting a “Parent360 Rx Medicine Abuse Action Kit” to plan a family and/or community discussion to help educate your family and others about how to protect our children from drug use/abuse, please go to starttalking.ohio.gov
and search “Parents360”.
For more information re: e-cigarette use in youth and young adults, please go to
https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/
If you have any questions or concerns or if there is anything I can help you with please don't hesitate to reach out.
On October 16th Overlook staff and students wore orange to celebrate Unity Day. We wanted to show our support that Overlook wants to prevent bullying, build commUNITY, and that we are united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. We tell all students to remember if you see someone getting bullied; say something. If you see someone alone; say something.
Last week October 21st- 25th we celebrated Red Ribbon Week. Our Student Council came up with some fantastic themed days to help us remember to live a drug-free lifestyle. Students and staff wore red to support staying drug-free, silly socks to sock it to drugs, neon & tie-dye to show our future is bright, pj's or comfy clothes to remind us to dream big, and Grizzly/Overlook gear to team up against drugs.
Dates to Remember
November:
6th Overlook Skate Night 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
7th No School Parent/Teacher Conferences
8th No School Professional Development Day
12th Veterans Day Program 10 a.m.-11 a.m.
12th Overlook PTO meeting 6:30 p.m.
20th End of Trimester 1
22nd YES Day 1
28th-29th No School
December:
9th-13th PTO Winter Holiday Shop
20th Winter Class Party
23rd-31st No School-Winter Break
January:
1st-3rd No School-Winter Break
6th No Records Day for staff
14th PTO Meeting Overlook Library 6:30 p.m.
20th No School - Martin Luther King Day
February:
3rd National School Counselor's Day
6th Parent teacher Conferences 4:30-8:00
11th PTO Meeting Overlook Library 6:30 p.m.
14th Valentine's Day Parties (tbd)
17th No School President's Day
28th end of the 1st Trimester
Birthday Celebrations
We've had many questions about birthday treats.
Here is what the student handbook says:
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS:
In compliance with our District Health and Wellness policy and allergies, food treats are not permitted. Stickers, pencils, erasers or other non-edible treats are welcome to be distributed instead.
We appreciate your help in following this policy.
Non-Service Animals in Schools and Elsewhere on District Property
Board policy 8390
Animals permitted in schools and elsewhere on District property shall be limited to those necessary to support specific curriculum-related projects and activities, those that provide assistance to a student or staff member due to a disability (e.g., seizure disorder), or those that serve as service animals as required by Federal and State law.