Dear GJPS families,

During the 2024-25 school year, students in kindergarten through 10th grade will take the NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Assessment in the areas of reading and mathematics. The MAP assessment measures student achievement and academic growth over time. It also compares student, class and grade level performance with other students’ performance across the country.

The MAP Assessment is web-based and adaptive to measure your child’s instructional level. The results from the MAP Assessment are one data set that help to provide a more complete picture of what your child knows and is ready to learn, helping staff to better plan instruction to meet their needs.

The MAP Assessment will be given up to three times this year depending on the grade level. Your building principal will share the specific dates for your building before testing begins. Following each testing window, you will receive a report showing your student’s performance and growth.

For more information about MAP Assessments, check out the Family Guide to MAP and the NWEA Family Toolkit. If you have questions, please contact your student’s teacher or building principal

Sincerely,

Tia P. Holliman

Director of Curriculum

Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools

*Please note: Kindergarten will take the Acadience Screener starting next week, while grades 1-5 will take MAP. Kindergarten will take MAP starting in January.

Thank you for your patience with arrival and dismissal. Thursday was our first day with all the Kindergarteners which caused more traffic. Please keep in mind:

• When dropping off and picking up along the curb, all students must exit and enter from the right side of the car to the curb.
• If your child is unable to buckle themselves in, please pull through the line and park in the lot to assist them with this. This will help the line to continue to flow.

You can find almost anything you need on the Gahanna School Website at https://www.gahannaschools.org.

• Infinite Campus: Please log-in to the parent portal and update all Emergency Medical Forms, make sure all contact information is current, apply money to lunch accounts, and more! DIRECTIONS
• Bus Information: find your student's bus route, contact information, and download the bus app.
• District Calendar
• High Point Events Calendar
• Free and Reduced Lunch Applications: To apply for free or reduced lunch prices, please visit this site for more information. If you need assistance please contact Missy George at georgeme@gjps.org.
  
• Volunteer Application-If you are interested in volunteering at High Point this year, please fill out the an application. More information can be found here.

If you use Google Calendar, feel free to add our public calendar to your device by using this link.

MONTHLY MEETINGS: PTA Meetings are the second Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm in the High Point Library starting September 3rd (date was changed). This is a great way to get involved and meet families, we would love to see you there!

Welcome to the new school year! My name is Jennifer Diol, and I am the School Counselor at High Point Elementary. I am here every day, and am available via email at diolj@gjps.org or phone at 614 643-0811. Joining me this year is Jadean Frost, our new Prevention Clinician from Concord Counseling. Together Jadean and I will provide monthly lessons in classrooms, small group counseling sessions and one-on-one support to students. Please reach out if there is anything we can do to support your child's mental health or success at school. We will be starting out the year with a couple of small group opportunities. Please see below for more info!

New Student Groups-These groups will be for any 1st-5th grade student who are new to High Point. The purpose of this group is to ensure that our new students are feeling comfortable at their new school, learn all about the different activities and opportunities available at High Point, and to help them develop friendships. If you have a student who is in 1st-5th grade and you would like them to participate in this small group please sign them up here.

Anxiety Groups-As you may know, the beginning of the school year can be a stressful time for students. We would like to conduct small groups to help your child(ren) cope with any anxious feelings they may be having regarding the start of the school year. This will be a multi-week group based on grade level. It will allow your child to identify signs of anxiety and build coping skills while spending time with their peers. If you are interested in enrolling your child into one of these groups, please fill out the following google form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfpCngyOCtW-PoZNxkM9-9GNYPp0gUgbYdhod25R3pdW76Dhw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Columbus Metropolitan Library’s School Help Centers are now open, offering students in your family free after-school help.

• Reading Buddies, 15 minutes of one-on-one reading practice for K-3 students

• School Help Centers, offering K-12 students free help with their schoolwork plus use of computers, printers, digital research tools and other resources

• HelpNow, connecting them one-on-one with a virtual tutor Monday-Friday, 2-11 p.m.

• Online school help tools available 24/7

• YouMedia, an open lab space at nine locations where teens can explore technologies

• After-School Snack, offered at 16 locations in partnership with the Children’s Hunger Alliance

Learn more at columbuslibrary.org.

At High Point Elementary, we believe that learning extends beyond the classroom, and we highly encourage students to engage in meaningful educational activities at home. However, if students are not able to complete work at home, there will not be ramifications at school. If you choose to extend your child's learning at home, here are some options:

• Reading: Students should aim to read for at least 20 minutes each evening. This fosters a love for reading and enhances literacy skills.

• Lexia & DreamBox: These online platforms provide personalized learning experiences in reading and math, supporting your child's growth in these critical areas. These platforms can be accessed through Parent Classlink Letter

• Parent Resources: Teachers may also provide additional resources and assignments tailored to your child’s needs aligned with the curriculum, which can be used to further reinforce classroom learning.

NOTE: Occasionally, students may be asked to finish work from school or complete a project or parts of it at home. These projects and assignments are designed to be engaging and to deepen their understanding of the topics covered in class. Your support in helping students manage these tasks is greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions about what comes home with your student, please reach out to your child's teacher.

Do you know a staff member who you feel makes a profound impact on students and Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools? If so, nominate them for the GJPS Heart and Pride award. This award is open to any staff member. regardless of position. Each month, the district will take the nominations to the Heart and Pride Committee, which is composed of community members and former staff members. The committee will select two winners a month that will be recognized by our Board of Education at the monthly meeting. If you have a staff member in mind, please complete THIS GOOGLE FORM. Nominations can take place all year.

We are excited to be implementing new Math and ELA Curriculum as district this year in the Elementaries. Our teachers have gone through training last year and this summer to begin the year. With anything new, there is a learning curve and teachers will continue to learn as they dive in this year. Teachers will be sharing information throughout the year on what your student will be learning and more.

Below are the sites for families resources for both if you are interested in learning more:

BRIDGES MATH

WIT AND WISDOM

The elementary Chinese Enrichment Program is now accepting registrations for the 2024-2025 school year. This program is open to all students in grades 2 through 5 with classes taking place before or after school. Please visit our website for more details. Registration will be accepted online now through August 30, 2024.

As a district, we use the Talking Points platform to communicate via text. You can download the app on your phone to receive quick messages as needed.

Sept. 2, 2024: Labor Day - No School