Otsego Elementary Extra

June 27-July 7- Otsego Family Week - Campus Closed (Except for Extended Care)

August 5 - PTO Meeting, 6pm, Elementary Commons

August 6 - Back to School Day, 9:30am-8pm at the High School

August 18 - Open House

August 20 - 1st Day of School for Grades 3-5

August 20-25 - Staggered Start for Grades 1-2 (Each student comes ONE day)

August 20-22 - Preschool Screening

August 21-26 - Staggered Start for Kindergarten Students (Each student comes ONE day)

August 26 - ALL 1st-2nd grade students attend school

August 26 - First day for Preschool students

August 27 - ALL Kindergarten students attend school

Start and End Times

Starting next year, we will be adding 10 minutes to the Elementary School Day. We are going to start 5 minutes earlier and end 5 minutes later. What does that mean for you?

8:45 - The first morning bell that allows students in the building

8:55 - The second morning bell that signals the start of the school day

3:30 - The afternoon bell that dismisses students being picked up, walking home, or going to Extended Care. Bus riders will be called over the announcements the same way they are this year.

Locker Decorations, Shelves, Mirrors, etc.

We have updated some of the wording regarding lockers and what is allowed in them in the Student Handbook for the 2025-2026 school year. We want to share this information now to avoid parents purchasing items that are no longer allowed in lockers.

LOCKERS

Students are assigned lockers. Lockers are the exclusive property of the school district and are loaned to students for their use. No tape, glue, putty, or any other adhesive is allowed to be used inside or outside the lockers. Students wishing to hang items on the inside of their locker(s) may do so by using magnets only. Lockers can legally be inspected by school personnel at any time. Illegal items stored in lockers, items that pose a threat to a student’s safety, or items that disrupt the educational process, are prohibited. Lockers should not contain valuables. Once you have been assigned a locker do not move to another locker or share a locker with another student. The school is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

What This Means for Parents

To maintain a safe, distraction-free learning environment and protect school property, we want to clarify the expectations regarding student locker use:

• Students may not have shelves, mirrors, or personal items of value in their lockers.

  • Shelves that do not properly fit can damage lockers by preventing them from shutting correctly, bending the locker frame, and contributing to ongoing maintenance issues.

  • Mirrors have frequently fallen and broken, creating safety hazards.

  • Decorative or personal items have also caused distractions and delays during class transitions when students stop to use, organize or rearrange their lockers.

• No tape, glue, putty, or other adhesives may be used inside or outside lockers.
  This new statement in the board policy reinforces our existing policy: students may use magnets only to hang items inside their lockers. Adhesives damage locker surfaces and create unnecessary custodial work.

• The school will not investigate the loss or theft of personal items stored in lockers.
  Lockers are school property and are not secure storage for valuable or sentimental belongings. We strongly recommend that students leave personal items of value at home.

These expectations align with our locker policy, which prohibits:

• Items that pose a safety risk

• Items that disrupt the educational process

• Storage of valuables

We appreciate your support in reinforcing these guidelines with your student. Protecting instructional time and maintaining a safe and functional school environment is a shared responsibility.

PTO is again offering School Supply Kits for the 25-26 school year. This is a service PTO provides to parents, NOT a fundraiser. If you would like to order supplies and have them delivered to the school, please click the button below.

Otsego Schools is ALWAYS in need of having more substitutes on our list! At the Elementary, we are always in need of Aide Substitutes (HS Degree Needed) and Teacher Substitutes (Bachelor Degree Needed). If you are interested in helping out, or know someone that is, please apply using the link below:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eOEgL2bhHJLy9dEe7MQ5QoSpi68gMVTBmw9UXhSvGEQ/edit

Every 2 weeks, a different staff member will be highlighted.

Karen Ludwig: 2nd Grade Teacher

Karen Ludwig teaches second grade. She has been with Otsego Local Schools since 2001. Her previous teaching experience was in parochial elementary schools in Toledo and Cleveland. In 1988, Karen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana. She furthered her education by earning a Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. People may be surprised to learn that Karen lived in the city of Boston for two years and worked in the healthcare industry for a large HMO. When she is not teaching she enjoys spending time with her family, reading and shopping.

Morning Drop-Off

1. Please use the entire length of the drop off zone (even past the crosswalk) to keep the line moving. If all cars pull up as far as they possibly can we can fit more vehicles along the sidewalk and more students can exit at a time. This will make drop-off go quicker while maintaining safety.

2. Students should only be let out on the side of the car that is next to the curb. This is to avoid students being hit by a moving car in the lane farther away from the curb. If your student needs to get out on that side of the car, please park in a parking spot and have your student walk into the building using the crosswalk.

3. Please do not stop in the crosswalk. If you are dropping a student off, please do not stop your car in the crosswalk. This is a safe place for students to cross, and when there are cars in the crosswalk it creates a safety concern.

4. The second lane is for driving only. No students should be let out of the car in the lane farther from the curb. Students should only be exiting cars onto the sidewalk so that we can ensure their safety.

5. Please remember to NOT park your car in front of the school! The line needs to keep moving to efficiently get students into the school in a timely manner, and when there is a parked car in the drop-off line, the whole process gets backed up. If for some reason you need to leave your car, please use the available parking spaces.

Afternoon Pick-Up

1. Please use the entire length of the pick-up zone (even past the crosswalk) to keep the line moving. If all cars pull up as far as they possibly can we can fit more vehicles along the sidewalk and more students can get into their vehicles. This will make pick-up go quicker while maintaining safety.

2. Please do not stop in the crosswalk. If you are picking a student up, please do not stop your car in the crosswalk. This is a safe place for students to cross, and when there are cars in the crosswalk it creates a safety concern.

3. The second lane is for driving only. No students should get into their car in the lane farther from the curb. Students should only be entering cars from the sidewalk or by using the crosswalk so that we can ensure their safety.

4. Please remember to NOT park and leave your car in front of the school! The line needs to keep moving to efficiently get vehicles out of the pick-up zone in a timely manner, and when there is a parked car in the line, the whole process gets backed up. If for some reason you need to leave your car, please use the available parking spaces. If you are parked while you are waiting for your student (and you are IN the car), that is fine.

5. Students must be picked up by 3:35pm. At 3:35pm, students will be taken to Otsego Extended Care at the cost of the parent/guardian (unless previous arrangements have been made).

THANK YOU so much for your understanding and compliance with these procedures to ensure our students’ safety. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Katrina Baughman, Elementary Principal.

At OES, we celebrate ALL student birthdays by providing cupcakes at lunch for ALL students who have birthdays during that month! (June and July birthdays are also assigned a month).

This means that we do NOT allow birthday treats in the classrooms. So, please keep the birthday treats at home!

Dana, Cali and Oakley will all be returning for the 2025-2026 school year. IF your student has allergies and/or fears related to dogs (and you did not already make us aware last year), PLEASE fill out the form below!

The Dazzled Dog

212 Farnsworth Road

Waterville, Ohio

419-266-4636

**OES Extended Care Summer/School Year Program Registration Packet for 2025-2026 available the week of May 12th on the website or in hard copy at the Elementary School.**

OES Extended Care is available for students aged 5 through the summer before entering 6th grade. There is a $10.00 per family yearly registration fee for the OES Extended Care Program. The registration fee will be applied from June 1 to May 31 each school year and will be charged to the credit card on file. If you are registering your child for the summer program you will not be required to pay an additional registration fee for the coming school year.

Contact Info and Hours

phone: (419)823-4381 ext 4408

email: extendedcare@otsegoknights.org

School Year 2024-25: August 21 (first day)

The program follows the school calendar

• Before School ~ 6:30 a.m. to THE START OF SCHOOL
• After School ~ END OF SCHOOL to 6:00 p.m.

In the event of a school cancellation after a two-hour delay, OES Extended Care will remain open. If school closed before 6:30, Extended Care is closed also.

Pricing and Registration Info

The hourly rate charged is $3.50 per hour for the first child, $2.00 per hour for the second child, and $1.50 per hour for the third child and any additional children. The hourly rate is billed to the quarter-hour. The Credit Card form in the registration packet MUST be filled out in order to register.

The Credit Card Form will be used to pay your Extended Care amount.

Please print out the registration form (all 5 pages MUST be completed in their entirety) and send it to the elementary school office, attention: Becky Hatfield.

Questions may be emailed to:

Billing: Steve Carroll 419-823-4381 extension 1101 or scarroll@otsegoknights.org

Becky Hatfield 419-823-4381 extension 4401 or bhatfield@otsegoknights.org

Registration: Becky Hatfield bhatfield@otsegoknights.org

Please use the following form to inform OHS Student Council about a family in need within the school district. While the family does not need to have students in the district, we do ask that they are a member of the Otsego Community. Please use this form to share information about their current situation as well as how they can best be assisted.

Please be sure to understand that while Knight in Shining Armor (KISA) would love to help all community members in need, we are still a new program, and may not have the funds to do so. With that being said, we will consider each request on a case by case basis. Filling this form out does not guarantee that we will be able to assist the family, but we will try our hardest to do so!

These funds are not for routine expenses such as utilities, bills, rent, etc. It is designed for assisting community members in an emergency situation. This can include, but is not limited to unforeseen medical expenses, medical related travel expenses, and household emergencies such as a fire, water leaks, etc. Please keep this in mind when submitting a nomination.

Please refer to this link at any point during the year as a need arises, and KISA will do their best to help out!

https://goo.gl/forms/mG7IctP7q8ZAaQOX2

Want to help raise some money for the school but hate cutting out all the box tops? Or forget they are there and throw them away? Well now you don't have to worry about that; box tops have gone digital! You just need to download the app, set up Otsego as your school, scan your receipt and we will receive the credit. Check out the Box Top website for more information- we will be adding more as well when we get it.

Don't want to download ANOTHER app?

Just send your receipts into school with your kid and we will scan them for you. Please make sure you put them in a bag or envelope labeled box tops for PTO so the teachers know where they go.

Please send me an e-mail or give me a call!

Principal

Email: kbaughman@otsegoknights.org
Website: www.otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4005)

Assistant Principal

Email: bbuchman@otsegoknights.org
Website: www.otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4009)
Twitter: @buchman_becky

School Counselor

Email: lmiller@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4010)
Twitter: @OEScounselor

School Counselor

Email: ksnyder@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4105)

Administrative Assistant

Email: jhelberg@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4001)

Administrative Assistant

Email: anorman@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4003)

School Nurse

Email: kyeuler@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4002)

School Facility Dog

School Therapy Dog