Ozona Elementary

Dear Ozona Families,

This first semester mother nature provided us opportunities to bond as a school community. As always, the Ozona community and Ozona Elementary School came together to step up and support each other, whether it was "How are you?", "What can I do?" or actually taking action and "doing" (laundry, dishes, clean up, donations) Ospreys took care of each other. It touches my heart to be able to serve a community that is kind, giving & wonderful.

As we head into November and December, we enter the season of warmth and love, comfort and caring, friends and family. Let's continue to act with grace and gratitude as we sing the praises of our wonderful staff and families.

We look forward to upcoming events when we have the opportunity to have some fun. Stay tuned to our school marquee, our school website, and our PTA Facebook page & PTA Instagram page to keep updated with school information throughout the year.

Thank you and Go Ospreys!

Lisa Freeman

Principal

Hello Families!

Here are a few academic updates.

New World Reading: If your student is not reading on grade level, please be on the lookout for a flyer called New World Reading. This is an initiative to help build classroom libraries at home to help strengthen reading skills. If your child qualifies for this, please make sure to sign up for this free opportunity.

PM Cycle 2 Testing: VPK students will test Star Early Literacy for cycle 2 on various dates between December 2nd-Febrary 5th.

Kindergarten-2nd grade will test Star Early Literacy and Star Math for cycle 2 between December 2nd-December 20th

Grades 3-5 will test Reading and Math FAST testing for cycle 2 between December 2nd-December 20th.

*Please make sure to see information that your child’s teacher sends home about specific classroom testing and work your appointments or travel plans around that. It is very important that students are present for their class testing.

Make sure to continue utilizing Istation and Dreambox from home to continue the learning and academic growth of your child.

Thank you for partnering with our school and teachers!

Mrs. Downes

AP Ozona Elementary School

Parents,

We need your help in enforcing the district dress code. We are seeing short shorts, shorts rolled at the waist band, midriffs showing and leggings without proper outer garments covering mid-thigh length or longer.

Please refresh your understanding of the dress code included below.

Parents,

Per new safety legislation. there are to be no students on campus prior to 8:15 AM. This is non-negotiable.

If you arrive prior to 8:15 in car line, the student is to stay in the car with you. If you walk or ride a bike, please adjust your schedule so that your child arrives between 8:15-8:45 AM. The school does not provide supervision for students prior to 8:15 AM. Club students & Patrols are the only exceptions and will be greeted by their sponsor. We need YOU to adhere to this safety concern. Thank you!

We had an Osprey winner during the Summer challenge. Let's go for a repeat win!

Go Ospreys!

Read together then ask:

• who are the characters?
• where & when is the setting?
• what are the actions/events?
• how the character has changed over time?
• why do you like or dislike the book?

Math - play games, look for numbers, shapes, patterns around you

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade students are expected to complete 5 Dreambox lessons per week independently.

3rd - 5th Grade students are expected to complete 10 Dreambox lessons per week independently.

Students take a monthly assessment which provides important information about their progress in ELA. They are then provided lessons specific to their needs. It is important that students spend 40-60 minutes per week on their I-Station pathway.

We have had a strong start to our year with PBIS. Teachers and Staff started awarding PBIS points to students for demonstrating the Osprey Guidelines for Success beginning the first week of school. Thank you to our PTA for supporting and funding the use of our PBIS Rewards program again this year. The school store has been open various weeks already for students and they have enjoyed purchasing their prizes these first few months of school.

We will be looking to do a Semester PBIS event coming up in January. Students will use their points, if they wish to participate, and come down with their grade level celebration to decorate and enjoy a cookie and some social time with myself and their grade level friends. We are also looking at doing an end of year PBIS event. More details will be out about that specific event closer to the final Quarter of our school year.

Our Staff PBIS committee has been working on verbiage to help create posters in our common areas such as: PE, Cafeteria, Hallways, Media Center, etc., defining the Osprey Guidelines for Success words and what they would specifically look like in these common areas. You can help from home by asking your students what “Persevering” may look like in the Media Center, what does “Respect” look like in the cafeteria, what does “Supporting Others” in the hallways look like, etc?

Thank you again to our PTA PBIS committee as well as our school Staff PBIS committee for promoting a positive and supportive school environment for our students.

We have many talented and committed professionals who work hard each day at Ozona Elementary School to provide a high-quality education for all students. As an A-rated school, we take great pride in the excellence our educators and support staff bring to their roles. The Teacher of the Year and Support Employee of the Year program is an excellent way to give them the recognition they deserve.

Ozona Elementary School staff is proud to honor Mrs. Lyza Rutkoski (5th grade) as Ozona's Teacher of the Year and Mr. Mark Hardy (HPO) as Ozona's Support Employee of the Year!

Criteria includes:

• Demonstrates a superior ability to foster excellence in education and contributes to the continuous improvement of student learning & school improvement.
• Utilizes original and/or innovative instructional materials, methods, curriculum or tools, such as interdisciplinary instruction, project-based learning, research-based programs or technology to facilitate instruction.
• Actively engages in targeted, collaborative and sustained professional development and demonstrates leadership in educational & operational activities at the school, district and/or state and national level.
• Demonstrates a commitment to creating a climate of caring and respect inside and outside of the classroom with students, families and other stakeholders conducive to effective teaching and learning.
• Committed to a safe, secure and healthy school environment.
• Demonstrates exceptional skill and dedication in the performance of their jobs and are admired by students, teachers, administrators, coworkers, and families.

Have you been in your Parent Portal this year?

Do you know your parent ID and password?

Have you completed the convenient online back to school forms in your portal?

Is your portal account linked to your child?

If your answer is no to any of these questions, please contact our school office for help.

Please note: You must be linked to your child to use the new Focus forms.

If you are not linked to your child, you will need to bring your ID to school to complete the linking process.

If you have questions about the forms or your login information, please contact our school.

If you need technical support, contact the PCS Help Desk at 727-588-6060.

To ensure a smooth start to the school day, all students must arrive before 8:45 AM. This allows them to be seated and ready for instruction which begins at 8:45. Students who enter class after 8:45 are disruptive to the teaching and learning that began at 8:45. When arriving after 8:45 you need to walk your child in and sign them in at the front office. Do not drop them off and leave them as our front doors are locked, and entry is managed through the security doorbell system. Drop off starts at 8:15 AM.

Nov. 7

• PreK Outdoor Learning Day
• Veterans Day Concert 6 PM. cafe/MPR. All families welcome!

Nov. 8

• Wear Bucs Gear

Nov.13

• Midterm Reports

Nov. 15

• Fall Fest! (New date!)

Nov. 21

• All Pro Dad Breakfast 7:30 AM, cafeteria
• Thirsty Marlin/Salty Lime Spirit Night

Nov. 25 - Nov. 29

• Thanksgiving Break

Dec. 2

• School reopens

Dec. 6

• Wear Bucs gear

Dec. 9-Dec. 13

• Book Fair

Dec. 9

• SAC
• PTA members holiday party

Dec. 11

• Reading Under the Stars with Late Night Book Shopping

Dec. 13

• End of report period

Dec. 18 & Dec. 19

• Drama Club Performance

Dec. 23-Jan. 3

• Winter Break

Jan. 6

• School reopens for students & staff

Jan. 16

• Report Cards

Jan. 20

• MLK. Jr. Day: no school

Jan. 28

• Class photos

We now have school January 6, February 17, and a full day on May 29.

FortifyFL is a suspicious activity reporting tool that allows you to instantly relay information to appropriate law enforcement agencies and school officials.

Hey everyone!

We hope your children have been enjoying the content, skills, and games we’ve been exploring in PE. Just a friendly reminder to make sure your child has the appropriate footwear on and that they are bringing a water bottle on the days they have PE!

As the weather is changing, we are noticing a plethora of jackets and sweaters being left in the PE area. It’s a good idea to write your child's name on the tag for us to identify them, when they are left on the court.

A huge thank you to the PTA for your generous donation! The equipment we've purchased will help us to continue to provide a premium experience day in day out for our Ospreys!

Sincerely,

The PE Department

Ozona artists will be experimenting with a variety of two- and three-dimensional concepts and ideas in art and digital media. As we build upon our foundational skills, we will now introduce digital iPad, 3D ceramics and sculpture skills across all K-5 grades.

5th grade families will receive an email from Pinellas Kids Tag Art around Thanksgiving with a link and option to purchase your scholars license plate design. This is only for scholars that finished and are participating in the art contest. 5th grade will also be travel to The Chihuly Glass Museum in St. Pete in December for their art field trip. This trip is fully funded by the Arts Referendum Funds of Pinellas County.

You should start to see some artwork coming home soon, but know we always keep at least one masterpiece per scholar at school for our annual “Student Showcase” that happens towards the end of the school year. While you wait to see the masterpieces in person, please remember scholars also take photos of their own work and post them on their digital portfolio: Artsonia.com. If you still need to connect to your scholars account, please reach out to me and I will provide your Parent Code.

A friendly reminder that we do get messy when learning in art. please remember to wear art appropriate clothing. We do offer smocks for all scholars, but accidents do happen.

Thank you,

Mrs. Keller & Mrs. Romney

In music class we are beginning new instruments and getting ready for some upcoming performances. In Kindergarten we are learning about our 4 different voices. First and Second Graders are working on Ostinatos. Third grade is learning to play the recorder. Fourth grade are also reviving their recorder skills and preparing for a concert on December 12th that will also feature our Osprey Chorus. Fifth grade is finishing up our Veterans day performance on November 7th and then we will be starting our ukulele unit and learning to tune them as well as play them.

Our after school drama program is gearing up for two great performances on December 18th and December 19th of our production of Into The Woods, Jr.

Hello! What a busy semester we have had. Thank you to our amazing PTA and volunteers for help with such events as All Pro Dads, dinner nights, our hurricane relief efforts and many more. They are always busy planning engaging activities for our families and students. Not to mention all the great mentors, tutors and classroom assistants who are busy on campus working with our students.

We are excited to welcome speakers for our annual Great American Teach In on Nov. 13th and you don't want to miss out on our upcoming Fall Festival Nov. 15th! Due to the storm, our bookfair has been rescheduled to the week of Dec. 9th. If you would like to volunteer to help students pick out books, please email Mrs. Narkier at narkierj@pcsb.org. We especially need help with our little ones who need assistance finding just the right book.

Please also take the time to record your volunteer hours at https://focus.pcsb.org/volunteer. If you do not know your username or password, you can email me at moncrieffj@pcsb.org. Thank you for all you do on campus and in our community to make Ozona the best school for our incredible students!!!

Sincerely,

Jenny Moncrieff

Family and Community Liaison

As we enter the holiday season, I am reminded of how grateful we are to be an Osprey family. I am truly thankful for our wonderful group of generous volunteers and hardworking staff. While we have had to pause, pivot and persevere, I know this school year will be one of the best! We have some very exciting events and programs in the works and we hope you plan to help make them a success.

We are looking forward to welcoming our families to our annual Fall Fest on Friday, November 15th on our campus beginning at 4:00pm. We will have food, drinks, Jeremiah's Ice, carnival games, an obstacle course, dodgeball, a train ride, a cake walk, a DJ, face painting, and our annual craft pumpkin auction. You won't want to miss this fun event! Adults and children under 3 are free. Wristbands can be purchased at a discounted price from now until November 11. There is also a discount for multiple wristbands purchased. Proceeds benefit various learning enrichments that support the BEST standards as well as various programs provided as givebacks to our students.

The following week will host our next All Pro Dad breakfast meeting where we will begin our day with our Dads and other positive role models discussing Gratitude. Plan to join us Thursday, November 21 at 7:30am with your photo ID. We will serve breakfast and coffee. Please RSVP here to this free, heartwarming start to your day!

Then, beginning at 4:00pm until close on the same day (Thursday, November 21), let Thirsty Marlin and Salty Lime feed your family for dinner. Either restaurant will donate a portion of the sales back to school. Bring the printed flyer with you and enjoy a wonderful meal. We can't wait to see you there!

Our special events committee is planning a fun grandparents event for the beginning of December - stay tuned for details on how to register. And Ozona Pig is generously sponsoring a month long spirit month for us again for December!

We hope to see our members at our annual PTA holiday celebration in December - check your email for an invitation coming soon.

Sincerely,

Ashley Gonnelli

Ozona Elementary PTA President

Show your Buccaneer Spirit on the following days:

11/8 & 12/6

Student council is kicking off its Fall Food Drive to benefit FEAST of Palm Harbor. The drive will begin on November 6 and run through November 15.

There are many ways to stay connected with all the things happening at school. Consider following and visiting the links below.

Ozona Elementary Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OEPTA?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Ozona PTA Instagram https://instagram.com/ozonapta?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM=

Ozona Elementary Website https://www.pcsb.org/ozona-es

Email: freemanl@pcsb.org
Website: https://www.pcsb.org/ozona-es
Location: 601 Tampa Road, Palm Harbor, FL, USA
Phone: 727-724-1589