It's hard to believe, but we are already nearing halfway through Quarter 1. Interims are scheduled for next Friday, the 20th, and grades will be posted in Infinite Campus by the following Tuesday. Now would be a great time for students to do a quick grade check in advance of next Friday.

The first round of parent-teacher conferences starts later this month, with our first conference night scheduled for Thursday, September 26th. Our second night is set for Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, on Monday, October 14th, we are holding a full day of conferences for families. Over the next few weeks, teachers will be reaching out to families of students they feel would benefit from a conference. Families can also call the Main Office (614-830-2200) to request a day/time for a conference with teachers.

In this newsletter, I have included information about possible planners for students (vote below!), information on upcoming dates for sports physicals, and information on the upcoming Panorama survey.

Ben Baptist

Principal

Important Dates

Thursday, September 26th: Parent-Teacher Conferences, evening

Tuesday, October 1st: Parent-Teacher Conferences, evening

Thursday, October 10th & Friday, October 11th: No School -- Staff Professional Development

Monday, October 14th: Parent-Teacher Conferences, all day (no school for students)

Based on feedback we've received recently from staff, students, and families, we are looking into the possibility of a bulk order for academic planners for our students. See the attached picture for what the planner could look like.

Students would then be able to buy a planner from the Main Office for $1. Lakeview would pick up part of the total cost for planners to split with families, so this would not be a fundraiser.

Please vote below so we can start to get an idea of how many planners we would need to purchase.

Starting September 23rd, students will have the opportunity to complete the Panorama Fall SEL surveys. These surveys help to provide us with social and emotional learning information, which we use to plan interventions and outreach to best support our students. SEL is the process through which children and adults apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. These are the skill sets that promote success in life.

To view the surveys, please use these links to access the SEL Competencies survey and the Supports and Environment survey. Please notify us if you do not want your child to participate in the survey by September 20. To opt-out, you may return the completed form (below) or email your child’s School Counselor.

Please see the PayPal link below for a quick way to support our students and staff through the PTO. They are currently raising funds to help support dinners for staff during parent-teacher conferences, an upcoming Teen Night, and other events during the year that recognize student achievement.

A big THANK YOU to our 67 families who have already filled out our volunteer form. We are going to start reaching out to a few families over the next few weeks to see who might be interested in helping with our POPPs (Parents on Positivity Patrol) program at Lakeview. This is a great way to help us out in the building, interact with students, and help us foster our welcoming climate. POPPs volunteers would need to be approved as Level 2 volunteers through the district, so we will share additional information with families who are interested in the POPPs program.

One of our building goals this year is to increase the number of opportunities our families have to engage with our school. If you are interested in helping Lakeview in any way this year -- e.g., Parents on Positivity Patrol, overseeing study sessions, volunteering to help run family events, etc. -- please fill out the form below indicating your interest!

We will periodically reach out throughout the year whenever we could use volunteers.

If any of our families have driven by Lakeview in the past week, you probably noticed a new yellow donation bin by the road. We are partnering with Planet Aid, a non-profit organization that collects used clothing and shoes. All you have to do is stop by the bin, drop in your used items, and you're not only supporting those in need around the world, but you are also supporting our students through this fundraiser.

Please note the building-wide approach to late/missing work for students. All students have up to two school days after the original assignment deadline to turn in work for full credit (no points deducted). After the two days, the student will no longer earn credit for the work; however, we still encourage the student to complete the assignment in order to receive feedback, and to prepare for the unit assessment. As an example, if a student does not turn in assignment that was due on a Thursday, the student has until the following Monday (two school days) to turn in the work for full credit.

The absence/missing work policy has not changed. Students still receive the number of days they were absent to turn in any work that was assigned while they were out, in addition to the two-day grace period.

Overall, we have been very impressed with how our students have adhered to our new PCD expectations. Currently, we have collected only 54 phones this year, which is a very low number considering out student population of over 930 students.

One concern that has come up recently is students texting families during the day when they don't feel well. While that is still a cell phone violation, it's a larger concern for us because it could be a safety issue when a student is sick and no one in the building is aware. Please encourage your student(s) that whenever they feel ill to visit the Clinic. We don't want to be in a situation when a student is sick in the bathroom and we are unaware.

If our families need to get in contact with their student(s) during the school day, we encourage them to send an email to the student's school Gmail account or call the Main Office (614-830-2200) and we will have the student come to the office.

Please understand that our intent for this expectation is to help to teach students better, more responsible use with their cell phone while in school. We appreciate your support and your willingness to work alongside us.

The athletic website for both PHSN & LJH is now live. Use the https://pickeringtonpanthers.org/ to watch for announcements! All coaches will be using this website for updates and announcements, so please check here if you have any questions. When you go to https://pickeringtonpanthers.org/ you will need to click on "more" and then Final Forms is under "Athletic Registration".

We want to share a reminder of the district's expectations for students attending varsity football games.

• All K-8 students must be accompanied by an adult to enter the football game. Students must be seated with or supervised by that adult during the game.
• All JH students attending the game need to sit in the designated JH student section, which is the small set of bleachers next to the HS student section. If the JH students are not sitting in the JH student section, they must be sitting with the parent/adult in the main bleachers.
• Backpacks are not permitted in the stadium.
• Students should make transportation plans before attending a high school sporting event.

During junior high athletic events, any student attending the game as a fan must have transportation set up and must be picked up within 20 minutes of the game ending. If students are repeatedly not picked up within 20 minutes, those students may lose the privilege of attending future athletic events.

Above all, we expect our students to represent their families, Lakeview, and the Pickerington community in a positive manner.

This form will be linked in each Community Corner update, allowing families to offer feedback to the counseling and administrative team regarding social justice, mental health, academic support, friendships/relationships, etc. Counselors and administrators will review the feedback on a weekly basis and send out any updates to concerns/questions in the next Community Corner update.

One family reached out with a concern regarding 7th-graders and their lack of confidence with opening their locker. The family suggested that the 7th-graders have an opportunity for a hands-on lesson in opening their locker. We think this is a great idea. The building administrators talked through this idea earlier this week, and we are going to set up a time (probably during E/I) for 7th-graders to practice opening their locker.

Has your child done something awesome recently and you want to give them a shout out? Make sure you use the Lakeview Family Feedback Form (linked below) to fill out information in the Student Spotlight section. You can also send a picture to ben_baptist@plsd.us if you would like a picture to accompany the shout out.

Office Hours 6:45 am - 3:15 pm

Email: ben_baptist@plsd.us
Website: https://www.pickerington.k12.oh.us/Domain/19
Location: 12445 Ault Road, Pickerington, OH, USA
Phone: (614) 830-2200
Facebook: Lakeview_JH_PLSD
Twitter: @lakeview_jh