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April 2024 Northtowne News
What's happening in our school, district, and community!
PBIS Mission Statement
I am prepared and ready to learn.
I will be respectful, responsible and focused.
I will make choices that focus on teaching and learning.
My hands are for helping, NOT hurting.
And my words are for encouraging.
I will be the best ‘me’ I can be.
April Important Dates
Save the Date
May 9 - Northtowne Spring Concert 6:30 p.m. at Woodward Park Middle School
May 16 - First Annual Northtowne Art Show 6:00 p.m.
Spring Ohio State Tests (OST)/End Of Year (EOY) Testing Schedule
April 17 and 18 - 3rd thru 5th Grade OST for English Language Arts
April 24 and 25 - 5th Grade OST for Science
April 29 and 30 - 2nd Grade iReady Reading EOY
May 1 and 2 - 3rd thru 5th Grade OST for Math
May 7 - 1st Grade iReady Reading EOY, Kindergarten iReady Math EOY
May 8 - 1st Grade iReady Reading EOY (continued), Kindergarten iReady Reading EOY, 2nd Grade iReady Math EOY
May 9 - 2nd Grade iReady Math EOY (continued), 1st Grade iReady Math EOY
May 10 - 1st Grade iReady Math EOY (continued), 3rd Grade iReady Reading EOY
Stay up to date! The calendar for the 2023-24 school year can be found here.
The calendar for the 2024-25 school year has been released. Find it here.
Student Absences
Did you know that you can send an email to let us know your student will be absent from school? You can! You can also take a photo of the appointment excuse note and attach it to an email. No more wondering if your student remembered to turn in the paper. Contact us with all things concerning attendance here: attendance.northtowne@columbus.k12.oh.us
Principal's Corner
Hello Families, Caregivers, and Students,
I was excited with the success of our March Math Morning event! It was wonderful to see so many families come to the event. We were grateful to be able to share some ideas for fun and simple games that you play at home to support mathematics fluency. There are some photos from this event below my message. I also want to personally thank our families for their support of the Panorama Family Survey. This Spring we had our strongest level of participation in at least three years!
I hope that Spring Break has been a nice change of pace for our students and everyone feels refreshed! The solar eclipse was definitely a special thing to see. We hope our students were able to participate safely. Upon the return to school we are now strongly focused on ensuring that students are ready to participate in District and State End Of Year (EOY) testing. I have been in classrooms seeing some of the wonderful lessons that our teachers prepare on a daily basis. One example of these lessons, from Ms Easley in kindergarten, even made it onto the District social media! (The Northtowne Elementary Facebook page has shared the post: https://www.facebook.com/NTESCCS) I am anticipating great results and growth for our school with this year's final round of testing.
In these final months of the school year students have even more to look forward to. Some students will have field trip opportunities, special assemblies, and special recognitions. Some of these events have already started! Our younger grades had a field trip to Franklin Park Conservatory. Our Positive Behavior and Supports (PBIS) team held a fun Spring BINGO game event to recognize students who have been working to meet their iReady goals. We had a strong start to the school year and we are in a great position to end stronger!
Best,
Mr. Taylor
Morning Drop Off Reminders
Please stay with your child prior to 8:30 a.m. and/or when there is no adult supervision. For the safety of your child, please wait until a staff member is outside. Children should not be dropped off before 8:30.
If you drive your student to school, please enter the parking lot area and drive beside the sidewalk. Pull forward, as much as possible, until just past the open cafeteria doors.
Breakfast is served starting at 8:30 and is free for any child who chooses to eat.
Diversity Corner
Welcome to the Diversity Corner! It only takes a quick glance around Northtowne to guess that our students and families come from many diverse backgrounds. In recognition of this, we are starting a regular spotlight on diversity topics that are meaningful to our students. These are topics that can also benefit from a moment of more explanation to help increase everybody's awareness. Many thanks to Ms Lo, our ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher for contributing these topics to the newsletter.
Many of our Muslim students and families are celebrating Ramadan during March and April this year. Ramadan is one of the most sacred times for Muslims. It happens in the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. It is the month in which it is believed that the Holy Qur'an was sent down from heaven to the prophet Mohamed.
During this month, Muslims observe a strict fast from dawn until sunset. They do not eat or drink (even water) during daylight hours. The fast is broken at the end of the day with prayer and a festive meal called an iftar. It is customary to visit family and friends following the iftar.
At the end of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr celebrates the breaking of the fast. This is a large joyous celebration. Friends and families gather for festive meals and exchange gifts. Special gifts are also given to the poor. (Article taken from Brandeis University, Center for Spiritual Life, 2024.)
Counselor's Corner
Lessons with the school counselor have been focusing on empathy. Empathy is the ability to be aware of the feelings of others and imagine what it might be like to be in their position. Empathy is a key ingredient in positive friendships and relationships. It reduces conflict and misunderstandings and leads to helping behavior, kindness, and even greater success in life in general. And like any skill, empathy can be taught and developed in children.
Here Are 4 Strategies to Teach Empathy at Any Age
Model empathy
Any time you want to teach a skill to a child, it’s important to model it yourself. This way, the child understands what empathy looks like, sounds like, and feels like.
Remember to model empathy even when you’re upset with or giving consequences to your child. This reinforces the idea that empathy can and should be used even when you’re feeling disappointed, hurt, or angry. The more children receive empathy, the more likely they are to offer it to others.
Discuss emotions
Talk openly about emotions rather than dismissing or burying them. Maybe your child is scared of the dark. Instead of saying, “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” explore the child’s feelings: “Are you scared of the dark? What scares you about the dark?" If your child doesn’t like another child, don’t immediately say, “That’s wrong,” but ask why the child feels that way. This can lead to a discussion about the other child’s actions and why the child might be acting that way (e.g., They just moved to a new school and are feeling angry because they miss their old school and their friends).
Never punish a child for feeling sad or angry. Make it clear that all emotions are welcome, and learn to manage them in a healthy way through discussion and reflection.
Help out at home, in the community, or globally
Helping others develops kindness and caring. It can also give children the opportunity to interact with people of diverse backgrounds, ages, and circumstances, making it easier to show empathy for all people.
Praise empathetic behavior
When your child shows empathy for others, praise the behavior. Focusing on and encouraging empathetic behavior encourages more of it in the future.
Make the praise specific: “You brought your sister a Band-Aid for her scraped knee so she could feel better. That was so kind and helpful!”
Notes From Nurse Cassie
Nurse Cassie reminds all families who are new to the Columbus City School District to be sure they have submitted a copy of their student's immunization record to the school. This record is an important part of how the schools ensure student health safety. Students without proof of immunization are at risk of being excluded from school.
If your student is in need of immunizations, please reach out to your student's primary care doctor. If you do not have a primary care doctor you can also receive immunizations through Columbus Public Health. You can find more information about the Columbus Public Health immunization clinic here: https://new.columbus.gov/Services/Public-Health/Find-Healthcare-Resources/Immunizations
If you have any questions about this or other school health related concerns please contact Nurse Cassie at cwalaszek@columbus.k12.oh.us
Chick Hatch in 3rd Grade
In 3rd grade, Ms Snedeker has been teaching students about how chicks develop from fertilized chicken eggs. Her classroom was host to an incubator for a group of eggs for three weeks. Students have been eagerly watching the eggs for signs of development, movement, and life! Just before Spring Break the hatching occurred! It was so exciting for our students see the brand new chick, even though only one of the eggs in the group successfully hatched. Check out some photos below.
Pathway Express - The Final Stop
All aboard! Pathway Express arrives at its final destination for the 2023-2024 school year. Students and their families will get the chance to enjoy FREE admission to Grange Insurance Audubon Center.
When: Saturday, April 13, 2024 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Where: Grange Insurance Audubon Center, 505 W. Whittier St., Columbus, OH 43215.
Click here to register for a fun-filled day with Pathway Express at Grange Insurance Audubon Center.
Fun Family Learning Experience includes:
- Urban agricultural experiences such as seed planting, wildlife exploration, learning how to Bee Waggle, and more!
Enjoy a meet and greet with American novelist, short story writer and television producer R.L. Stine. Stine is known for his children’s literature and horror fiction novels, including Goosebumps.
Free books and giveaways while supplies last!
FREE PARKING is available at Grange Insurance Audubon Center.
FREE TRANSPORTATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE - APRIL 13TH ONLY
Transportation is available from the following locations on April 13, 2024 and will be departing CCS sites at 10 a.m.
Northland High School (1919 Northcliff Drive, Columbus, 43229)
South High School (1160 Ann Street, Columbus, 43206)
Walnut Ridge High School (4841 E. Livingston Avenue, Columbus, 43227)
West High School (179 S. Powell Avenue, Columbus, 43204)
Reserve your spot by completing the registration form.
Countdown to Kindergarten
Are you ready to Countdown to Kindergarten? Do you know another family who is getting ready to start Kindergarten with their child? The CCS Department of Early Childhood Education is hosting the annual Countdown to Kindergarten event
Saturday, May 4th
10am - 1pm
Ft. Hayes High School Campus (546 Jack Gibbs Blvd)
Families can enjoy FREE Kindergarten readiness kits, games, food, giveaways, community resources, and more!
Columbus City Schools FACES Information Sessions
Columbus City Schools (CCS) proudly presents FACES, the online Family and Community Engagement Series program created to inform and connect families, community, and schools. The series airs on the District's Facebook and YouTube channels. During sessions, CCS families will learn about the latest District information, hear about family resources from our community partners, provide feedback, and get answers to frequently asked questions.
Sessions air at 6:00 pm on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. Then, the Columbus City School Board of Education meetings air on the first and third Tuesdays. Sessions are recorded and available to watch at your leisure. Some past topics have included mental health awareness, reading and literacy, and coping with stressors of busy holiday seasons.
Summer Opportunities and Camps
Improve Your Neighborhood Safety with Columbus 311 Reports
Did you know that you can have an active voice in matters that impact the safety of your neighborhood and streets? You can! Columbus officials cannot be everywhere all at once to notice issues and concerns in neighborhoods. So, they have created the 311 reporting system and ask for residents to report the things that are concerns to the people who live in our Columbus neighborhoods (that's you!).
Some examples of things that can be reported or requested in the 311 system include:
- Road potholes that need to be filled
- Broken street lights that need repair or an area that needs new lighting installed
- Issues with animals (wild or pets)
- City Code violation complaints
- Issues with speeding, sidewalks, or other pedestrian safety concerns
- And more!
Go on line (use the button below) or call 614-645-3111 to make a report. When calling, interpreters are available.
Tax Preparation Services
$Tax Time is an initiative led by United Way of Central Ohio that brings together a coalition of nonprofit, business and government organizations working to provide free tax assistance services and connect clients to financial resources. Since 2007, $Tax Time volunteers have prepared over 175,000 returns, returned nearly $190 million in refunds, and saved clients $36.7 million in tax preparation fees.
For information call 2-1-1 of visit liveunitedcentralohio.org/tax-time
Community Resources Collection
At the following links you can find a collection of community resources. These resources are ones that are consistently available on our Central Ohio community. Each link has a different theme to the resources contained in it. These resources have been found and the information is maintained by a team of Family Ambassadors. If you discover outdated information or links that do not work please help the Family Ambassador team by notifying the Family Ambassador at your school. If there are additional resources that would be helpful to you, please notify your Family Ambassador so that the team can work on those additions.
Northtowne News Past Issues are Still Available
Did you delete a Northtowne News email and then realize there was a resource you still wanted to check out? Do you remember seeing a newsletter announcement about a community resource but now you can't remember the name of the organization and you can't find the email from the newsletter? Don't worry! The information you need is not lost! All prior Newsletters and mid-month updates are available on the Northtowne Elementary web site. The button below will take you directly to the newsletter archive.
Grateful for Family Involvement
Thank you so much for your support and involvement with your child’s learning. Whether it’s conferences, attending the family meetings, or a quick chat throughout the day, we appreciate your involvement and efforts to build the lines of communication between home and school.
Lots of school communication and information is in the Parent Portal. If you need help accessing the Parent Portal please contact our Family Ambassador, Sarah Bowman. She can even link families to interpreters (Bilingual Engagement Liaisons or BEL) to help with understanding the Parent Portal set up process. Email: sbowman@columbus.k12.oh.us or you can call or text: 614-859-9654Thank you for reading this month’s newsletter.
Send a note to let us know what you thought, make suggestions or ask a question. We would love to hear from you. Please send a note to your child’s teacher or send a message.
Contributors:
Austin Taylor, Principal
Phone: 614-365-5488
Fax: 614-365-5487
Email: ataylor4@columbus.k12.oh.us
Sarah Bowman, Family Ambassador
614-859-9654
Email: sbowman@columbus.k12.oh.us
Susan Bryant, Building Coach
614-365-5488
Email: sbryant9569@columbus.k12.oh.us
Frank Beickelman, Grant Provider
614-365-5488