March Newsletter

Para leer en español: En una computadora, haga clic en "Translate" en la parte superior derecha de la pantalla. En su celular, seleccione el círculo con una persona en la esquina inferior derecha.

Dear John Burroughs Parents and Guardians,

The spring season is quickly approaching. I know that I am excited with the warmer temperatures and the start of spring. There are also a number of exciting events occurring at John Burroughs Elementary School during the month of March that I would like to share. We are also busy planning our annual spring Science Night. This spring season certainly brings the opportunity to discuss several scientific and astronomical events with your children with the arrival of the Vernal-Spring Equinox and the upcoming solar eclipse.

March 6: District Professional Development Day—No classes

March 7: Breakfast and Books: 9:15 to 9:45 am

March 10: Daylight Savings Time begins

March 12: Soccer program during all three recesses resumes for spring

March 15: End of Third Quarter

March 19: Spring Begins at 11:06pm! —Happy Spring!

March 20: Records Day—no classes

March 25: Scholars’ Dinner (Invitations will be sent out.)

March 28: Dismissal at 2:45 (District-wide 30-minute early dismissal--spring break begins)

Spring Break: March 29-April 7

April 8: Solar Eclipse: The Monday, April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

April 10: Science Night 5-7pm

Official state testing commences on March 28 in reading, math, as well as science in fifth grade. The testing, however, will be during April and May due to spring break. Enjoy the hopefully warmer temperatures and improved spring weather. Cherish every moment with your children and grandchildren.

With John Burroughs Pride,

Dr. Mike Eicher, Principal

6 - NO SCHOOL

7 - Breakfast & Books

20 - NO SCHOOL

25 - Scholar's Dinner (Invitation Only)

28 - 2:45 Early Dismissal

29 - No School

29 - Last Day for Elementary School Lottery Applications

1-8 - NO SCHOOL

8 - Solar Eclipse

10 - Science Night 5-7 PM

March 7, 2024

You are invited to come and have breakfast with your student. We will have juice, fruit and pastries. We will be celebrating literacy for Dr. Suess' birthday! Each child that comes can select a free book to take home.

Registration is required as we need to coordinate with your student's teachers and have enough food available.

April 10, 2024

5-7 PM

Join us for a free family night learning about space exploration and how the school is using space technology to grow food in our classrooms! Light snacks will be provided. Bring the whole family out for fun that is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Spring break begins with an early dismissal at 2:45 on March 28. Students return to school on April 9.

There is a solar eclipse on April 8 and No School that day.

On Monday, April 8, 2024, people within a 124-mile-wide band in the state of Ohio will experience a total solar eclipse.

Areas in Ohio that are outside the path of totality will experience a partial eclipse. A total solar eclipse is a rare and spectacular event. On average, one happens somewhere on the Earth only once every 1.5 years. Only 21 total solar eclipses have crossed the lower 48 states in the entire existence of the United States.

The last total solar eclipse visible in Ohio was in 1806. The next total solar eclipse in Ohio will be in the year 2099.

Eclipse Simulation:

You can enter a city to figure out what you’ll be able to see during the eclipse.

https://eclipse2024.org/eclipse_cities/statemap.html

Solar Eclipse Glasses:

You MUST use viewers or glasses with special filters to look directly at the sun without burning your eyes.

Hilltop Library will hand out FREE Eclipse glasses starting Monday, March 18. There is a limit of 4 per person. They will likely run out, so please plan to get them before April 8.

Here's a link to verified suppliers of eclipse glasses for purchase.

Every month we focus on a different character trait at Burroughs. In March we are focusing on Cooperation. As we learn about the character trait, teachers will nominate a student each week that exhibits that character trait at school. You can learn more about our Character Strong program at the Family Strong website: https://characterstrong.com/familystrong/

These students will be celebrated on Wednesdays through recognition during the announcements, a certificate and small gift, and by participating in the Bee Kind Squad at dismissal. The Bee Kind Squad will cheer their classmates out of their classes with foam fingers and high-fives! Everyone is encouraged to participate in these Kindness Wednesdays by wearing a kindness shirt or button to spread Kindness at our school! Let's all work together to Bee Kind!

Thanks to donations and community partners, Burroughs has a resource room available to assist students so they are ready to learn while at the school. Staff are able to offer these items to students who may need them.

This includes:

• A Free Hygiene Store - Thanks to a partnership with A Step in the Right Direction nonprofit, free toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, soap, menstrual pads, etc are available to our students.

• 4th -5th grade students can come request items once a month on Thursday mornings 9-9:30 AM.

• Extra Snacks to send home

• Socks & Underwear & Pants & Shirts - For our younger students who may have accidents

• Coats

• Backpacks

• Hats & Gloves

A community Free Hygiene and Period store is available through A Step In The Right Direction. You can find out more about the resources they offer here: https://www.intherightdirection.org/hygieneprogram

Lisa O'Neill is our amazing social worker at Burroughs Elementary! She works with families to overcome barriers to education from mental health counseling, housing & food assistance and transportation. She coordinates our school's buddy box program (food is sent home with students on Fridays), coordinates community holiday donations, and helps with behavior plans for students at Burroughs. She is one busy social worker. If Ms. O'Neill has impacted your family, could you please send her a note of thanks: loneill@columbus.k12.oh.us

We were teaching the students to write a "How-To" piece of writing. The end goal was to write How To Make a S'More, so the students started off by first making a S'more by roasting their marshmallows over the "fire." They had loads of fun and their writing turned out great!

Elementary School Lottery Applications via Parent Portal:

• Thursday, February 1, 2024 through Friday, March 29, 2024
• Applications are NOT first come first serve. The lottery drawing takes place at a later date.

The 2024 Summer Experience is FREE to all Pre-K through 12 Columbus City Schools students! Summer Experience for Pre-K through 8 students kicks off June 17. We're excited to provide CCS students and families with a summer of exciting school and community-based learning experiences.

This year’s Pre-K through 8, Summer Experience includes similar project-based learning students and families have been able to enjoy through our Pathway Express focuses, including Pathways such as Health and Fitness, Visual Arts, Urban Agriculture, World Languages and Cultures, and MORE!

Questions? Contact the Office of Extended Learning: 614-365-5010 or ExtendedLearning@columbus.k12.oh.us.

Click here for a Parent Portal registration walkthrough.

Learn more by clicking the link below.

Couldn't make it to the 2024 Summer Opportunities and Engagement Fair? Still looking for summer camps and experiences for your student? Click the link below to discover local camps, programs, and adventures just right for your student.

Columbus City Schools is offering our Pre-K program tuition-waived for the 2024-2025 school year. The Online Registration will open January 3, 2024. Enrollment appointments are no longer required. School selections will begin April 3, 2024 via the Parent Portal. If you have any questions, please contact 380-997-5192 or email eceenrollment@columbus.k12.oh.us.

Please view the enrollment page for documents needed to enroll.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

6:00 - 7:00 PM

Grange Audubon Center

505 W Whittier St, Columbus, OH 43215

All Pre-K families can attend!

Lower Lights Child Enrichment Center is now enrolling for children ages 18 mths - 5 years at their brand new center at 2323 Sullivant Avenue. They accept Publicly Funded Childcare (Title XX) and for parents who don't qualify they use a sliding scale based on income to set tuition costs. They have a brand new, beautiful facility.

Contact: childcare@lowerlights.org | 380-223-2305

The Franklin County Auditor's Office Affordable Housing Resource Fair is free and open to the public. The fair will feature:

• 50+ Community Partners, Government and Social Services

• Resources for Homeowners and Tenants

• Banks with financial and first time homebuyer resources

• On-Site Translators

Date: Saturday, March 9, 2024

Location: Hilltonia Middle School (2345 W Mound Street, Columbus, OH 43204)

Time: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

Parking is Free!

Since 2007, Tax Time has provided low- to middle-income households with free tax assistance services and connections to financial resources through a coalition of nonprofits, businesses and government.

Find out how you can get your taxes filed for free: https://liveunitedcentralohio.org/agency/tax-time/

Come practice your English at this Free English Conversation Club. All language skills welcome.

Faith Community Church

2578 Sullivant Ave

Thursdays from 2:00-3:00 PM

www.FaithCommunityWest.com

Hope Resource Center

496 S. Wheatland Ave

Columbus, OH 43204

Meals Served Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 11 AM - 2 PM

Jordan's Crossing

342 N Hague Ave, Columbus, OH 43204

Monday - Friday

Daily Hot Lunch 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Daily Sack Lunch 10 a.m. – 4: 00 p.m.

Hilltop Worship Center

2622 Sullivant Ave

Columbus, OH 43204

Hot meals to-go: SATURDAYS: 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Feed My Sheep

2364 W Broad St

Tuesdays: 6:30PM to-go meal

2nd-5th Saturdays: 9AM to-go breakfast

Additional food resources:

https://hilltopusa.org/?resource-item=westside-free-food

Get connected with people and resources on the westside of Columbus while shopping for free items including clothes, shoes, accessories and toys for children ages 0-3.

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

At Faith Community Church

2578 Sullivant Avenue

Columbus, OH, 43204

https://bloomfreestore.org/west-columbus

Email: adouglass@columbus.k12.oh.us
Website: ccsoh.us/burroughses
Location: 551 South Richardson Avenue, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: (614)365-5923
Twitter: @burroughsbees

To keep everyone safe at Burroughs, we are asking that ALL students please head straight home after dismissal. The school playground and basketball court will be closed from 3:15-3:45. Thank you!

• John Burroughs is a Title I school that receives Federal Title I funding to support academic achievement.
• Title I funding is spent on supplies, materials, staffing, and programs to support student achievement.
• As a parent of a student attending a school that is receiving Federal Title I dollars, you have the right to know the professional qualifications of the teacher(s) and instructional paraprofessional(s) who instruct your child. Federal law requires every Title I school district to comply and to provide you with the requested information in a timely manner. We are happy to provide this information to you. At any time, you may ask.

Contact Information:

Dr. Michael Eicher (Principal) - meicher@columbus.k12.oh.us

Brenda Tucker (Secretary) - burroughses@columbus.k12.oh.us

If your student is absent, you can email the school to notify us. You can attach and send doctor's notes as well. This will keep your student's attendance as accurate and current as possible. The email is attendance.burroughs@columbus.k12.oh.us

If you need to sign-out a student during the school day, please be aware of the following procedures that keep your student safe at school:

IDENTIFICATION IS REQUIRED WHEN SIGNING OUT A STUDENT.

Any students being picked up early must be signed out by a relative / adult that is listed in Infinite Campus. Parent's can list adults allowed to pick-up their student in the Parent Portal. If an unlisted adult needs to pick up a student, the listed Guardian MUST call the school office at 614-365-5923.

Starting April 7, 2023, Ohioans who are 17 years and older can receive an ID card at no cost. https://publicsafety.ohio.gov/static/free-ID-palm-card.pdf

STUDENTS WILL NOT BE RELEASED BETWEEN 3:00 - 3:15 PM.

If your student has a doctor’s appointment after 3:00 or you just want to pick them up early, please sign them out BEFORE 3:00pm. This will prevent the interruption of the teaching process. Students are dismissed at 3:15. We appreciate your concern for your students continued and uninterrupted education. We thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.