A Message from Principal Freeman
Dear Ozona Families,
Welcome back to our returning families and to our new families, "Welcome to Ozona Elementary School!" Ozona ES is a historic community school that embraces children. Being an Osprey is special. As we open the school year, we will continue to serve our students and families by focusing on the student experience and setting high expectations for all. Our Ozona PTA supports us in achieving our goals. I highly recommend you join this advocacy organization and be an active part of your child's success. You can check out their PTA FB and Instagram page for membership info, school & community related info and so much more.
We ended the year on a very high note. The State grades were released and Ozona Elementary School is rated an "A"! Our scores were the highest they have ever been, proving once again that our kids feel safe and happy while learning. We did celebrate student scores at the end of the year, but we had not been able to share the official grade with the students at that time. We look forward to doing so.
It is also important to note that Ozona's excellent scores supported the District in becoming an "A" rated district! This is the first time ever that the Pinellas County School District has received an "A"! Isn't it awesome to be a part of school & district that are so AWESOME!?!
Our goal is to kick off the year with positivity and continue trending up as we grow our students and grow our practices as educators. In order to have a successful start, it is important that we have processes for safety, including a safe campus & classrooms, arrival/dismissal processes and much more. Please take the time to read this update and review attachments so you can be part of our success.
Thank you and Go Ospreys!
Lisa Freeman
Principal
A reminder:
- 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.
- K-5th grade parents will be able to walk their child(ren) to class on the first day of school. 1st-5th grade parents may not enter the hallway as the students will walk into the building independently where the teachers will be waiting for them at the classroom door. Staff will be on hand at each hallway door to assist.
Kindergarten only may also walk their child on day #2. For safety purposes, after day two we will be securing our campus; then we will maintain a secure campus for the remainder of the school year. We will have staff on hand to help scholars find their classrooms. - Please be sure your child knows how he/she will be getting home from school each day!! Start this way on Day #1 of school. If your child is a bus rider, have him/her ride the bus on day one. This prevents confusion later.
- Students need to be seated & ready to learn promptly at 8:45 AM. Students will be marked as tardy if they are not in their classroom by 8:45 AM.
- Little Osprey & KG Parents attending the Ozona PTA Boohoo-Yahoo breakfast (Aug. 12) MUST sign in at the front office with a state issued photo ID.
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!
·Bus circle & car circle procedures:
Kindergarten – 5th grade Arrival: In the morning, you may drop your children off no earlier than 8:15 AM using the Tampa Road entrance only. Students will be directed to the cafeteria for breakfast then to their classrooms. Those who eat at home will go directly to classrooms.
All students are to be dropped off in front of the main building. We have adult supervision in addition to our student Safety Patrols to unload cars along the entire sidewalk in front. There is no supervision of students by Building 6 for car line drop off, so for safety, 1st grade students are not to be dropped off there. In the past we have occasionally had a backup in the morning, right turns will help with the safe flow of traffic when exiting the campus.
Kindergarten – 5th grade Dismissal: Our main goal is to load many children as safely and efficiently as possible by loading seven cars at a time.
Again, this year, because of the large number of car riders, we will have a second car line in the bus circle (entry off of Pennsylvania Avenue) for siblings of our Ozona PreK students, 3rd, 4th & 5th graders without siblings. Kindergarten – 2nd grade and families will be loaded in the front car circle (entry off of Tampa Road). For example, if you have a 3rd grader and a Kindergartener, they will be picked up together in the front car circle at 2:55 PM.
The procedures for afternoon pickup are as follows:
· Tampa Road Dismissal:
Kindergarten Fast Pass!
Kindergarten car riders only will enter driveway and pull into the left lane marked Kindergarten Only. The first car will stop at the stop sign in the parking lot just before the main building, pull up close to the car behind you. When directed you will transfer up to the front car circle to pick up your child from a numbered spot. Parents may “fast pass” from 2:40 until 2:55. At 2:55 PM, the regular car line is open and any remaining KG parents would use the main car line starting at 2:55 PM.
If your Kindergartner has a sibling, you can only use the regular car line.
Car Line Process: Cars will enter the driveway using the right lane and pull into the mini car loop in front of building 6 (first grade building). The first car will stop at the stop sign in the parking. Pull up close behind the car in front of you. When directed you will transfer up to the front car circle to pick up your child from a numbered spot. Students in 1st grade join all the other students in front of the main building for pickup – do not try to pick them up in front of the classroom (Building 6).
Please, do not arrive before 2:55 PM. [start of our line is very important – too early and we block traffic on Tampa Road]. Arriving prior to 2:55 interferes with our Kindergarten Fast Pass. We ask for your help in not blocking traffic.
Please consider making a right hand turn onto Tampa Road as you exit the parking lot. This will help keep the traffic moving to get all of our students home quickly and safely.
· Pennsylvania Avenue Dismissal: You will not be permitted to enter the campus until all vans and buses have been loaded and driven away. We suggest that you not arrive before 3:05 PM. Please note 15 mph school zone. In the event that you arrive, and our buses and vans are still present, you will need to wait in the church parking lot next to our school. Parking on the side of the road is not allowed. We will call you in when we open the driveway. All the siblings of our Ozona PreK students, 3rd, 4th & 5th graders (without younger siblings) are staged outside the Multipurpose room. Do not arrive prior to 3:05 PM.
- Car circle procedures:
- Use the Little Ospreys entrance off Pennsylvania Avenue. We have faculty/staff to unload cars along the entire sidewalk in front. Please stay in your car.
- Do not block Pennsylvania Avenue or the sidewalk while waiting in the carline. Once the line goes past the parking lot, cars should wait in the driveway in front of the original school building.
- For dismissal, make sure you have a car tag with child’s first and last name visible in the front windshield. These will be provided at the Meet & Greet. Again, please stay in your car.
- PPK and ASD VPK: You may drop your children off between: 8:35-8:45 AM.
- VPK Arrival: You may drop your children off between 8:20-8:30 AM.
- Anyone arriving after your designated arrival block time will need to park, walk your child up to the gate and call the front office at (727)724-1589. The office will then call into your classroom to send a teacher out to accept your child.
- PPK Dismissal and ASD PreK: Teachers will be dismissing their students starting at 2:35-2:45 pm. After 2:45, children will be taken to the front office on the main campus. If you arrive late to dismissal, you will have to check your child out from the front office. You will need to have a Government Issued Picture ID available.
- VPK Dismissal: Teachers will be dismissing their students into their cars starting at 2:20-2:30 PM. After 2:30, children will be taken to the front office on the main campus. If you arrive late to dismissal, you will have to check your child out from the front office. You will need to have a Government Issued Picture ID available.
Please be courteous of the times as there are two separate arrivals and dismissals, and your child’s teachers will only be at the carline during their designated times.
- There is a second car line in the bus circle (entry off of Pennsylvania Avenue) for siblings of PreK students.
- The procedures for Pennsylvania Avenue Dismissal: You will not be permitted to enter the campus until all vans and buses have been loaded and driven away. We suggest that you do not arrive prior to 3pm for the back carline. Please note 15 mph school zone. In the event that you arrive and our buses and vans are still present, you will need to wait in the church parking lot next to our school. Parking on the side of the road is not allowed. We will call you in when we open the driveway. All the siblings of our Ozona Little Ospreys, 3rd, 4th & 5th graders (without younger siblings) are staged outside the Multipurpose room.
Please consider making a right hand turn onto Tampa Road as you exit the parking lot. This will help keep the traffic moving to get all of our students home quickly and safely.
Our Little Ospreys families (PPK, PreK, PreK ASD, VPK) will receive specific arrival and dismissal information from their PPK/PreK/VPK Back to School Night.
Bus Riders
Bus Riders A few reminders for our bus riders
- Make sure your child is at the bus stop 10 minutes prior to the assigned pick-up time.
- Remind your child that there will be assigned seats and students are expected to sit in his/her assigned seat every day.
- If you have multiple children riding the bus, the driver may ask for siblings to sit together.
- Students are expected to adhere to bus rules at all times.
If you live more than 2 miles from the school and need to request a bus stop for your child, please contact to the front office. A request will be made for a bus stop, for your child through the transportation department. This could take up to a week, so plan accordingly.
Parents of bus riders are encouraged to sign up for bus bulletin. Bus bulletin is a system that Pinellas County Schools uses to communicate transportation issues with schools and families. If you sign up, you will receive information regarding any changes to your child's route. The information could include a late pickup, a substitute driver, a change in route, or a number of other things. This is a great way to stay connected to transportation without having to call.
Please visit: https://www.pcsb.org/BusBulletin
With our ongoing commitment to ensure the safety and security of our students, staff, and visitors, the Pinellas County School District will begin implementing enhanced security measures regarding access control on our school campuses for the upcoming academic year. This is in response to the latest revisions to the state legislation regarding school safety and security, effective July 1, 2024.
Due to new safety enhancements, absolutely no students on campus prior to 8:15 AM. If you arrive prior to 8:15 your child must wait with you in the car, at the trail or off campus.
At the front door, ALL visitors will ring the doorbell and must have a government issued ID to present prior to gaining access to the school. Even if we "know" you and see you all the time, or you have a “volunteer badge” you will still need to present your ID before entering our campus. In addition, we will need everyone to check out at the front office before leaving our campus. This is essential in having an accurate accounting of who is in our building. The safety and security of our school community is our number one priority, and we believe these measures are critical in maintaining a safe and secure learning environment. Thank you for your help and cooperation.
Meal plans: Breakfast is free. There is a $2.25 charge for lunch. Students in all Pinellas County Schools are able to apply for free and reduced lunch meal benefits online. Online application for free meal benefits is available at www.myschoolapps.com. Meal account information including the prepaid account http://www.myschoolbucks.com/ can be found on the district website.
August Breakfast Menu:
https://www.pcsb.org/cms/lib/FL01903687/Centricity/Domain/179/Breakfast%20K-12%20August%202024.pdf
August Lunch Menu:
https://www.pcsb.org/cms/lib/FL01903687/Centricity/Domain/179/Elementary%20Lunch%20August%202024.pdf
If your child will need to have prescription or over the counter (OTC) medication during school hours, it is important for you to visit the front office prior to school starting. Both prescription and OTC medications require additional paperwork to be completed by the parent and/or doctor. Prescription medication may ONLY be brought in by the parent and must be in the original prescription bottle.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As we prepare for the upcoming school year, parents of students in grades 1-5 over the next two weeks will receive an email that an assigned PCS laptop has been checked out to their child. When a PCS device is assigned to a student, an email notification is sent to the parent of record indicating a checkout of the device has occurred. Assigned laptop devices checked out to students prior to the first day of school will be distributed to students by their classroom teacher during the first week of school. This process is designed to allow us to distribute assigned devices to students as quickly as possible at the start of the school year to support learning.
As a reminder, students entering grades 4 and 5 that renewed their device in May 2024 with Mrs. Narkier for summer checkout election should bring their device and power adapter to school on August 12th.
Should you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Narkier via email at narkierj@pcsb.org.
Thank you in advance for your support and we look forward to seeing you back at school on Monday, August 12th!
Mrs. Jennifer Narkier, LMT
WELCOME BACK!
We are all excited to kick off the new school year and welcome to you our PTA.
We are hosting our new kindergarten parents for our BooHoo/Yahoo! breakfast on the first day of school, August 12th. Swing by the office after you drop off your student and then head to the media center for breakfast and coffee before you continue with your Monday.
Our first PTA meeting will be held on Monday, August 19th at 6:30pm in our media center. Come and meet other parents, hear from our Administrative team and hear about the exciting programs, events and initiatives that as a group, we make the magic happen!
Please take a moment and join or renew your PTA membership to stay up to date on all the happenings at Ozona Elementary. The email address you enter will be how you receive the PTA communications. We also have business sponsorship opportunities available with new perks this year! Check them out!
Finally, search for follow our Ozona PTA Instagram and Facebook social media pages for information on upcoming events, reminders, and fun! Our spirit store will be opening very soon to order your shirts, hats, and other Ozona Elementary gear to wear on Spirit Day Fridays! 2024-2025 PTA members will receive a discount code so please join today!
I look forward to seeing or meeting you very soon!
Sincerely,
Ashley Gonnelli
2024-2025 PTA President
Are You In the Know?
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
Ozona Elementary
Email: freemanl@pcsb.org
Website: https://www.pcsb.org/ozona-es
Location: 601 Tampa Road, Palm Harbor, FL, USA
Phone: 727-724-1589