Wickliffe Family Update

Dear Families,

I want to take a moment to thank each of you—our incredible students, dedicated staff, and supportive families—for an absolutely fantastic start to the new school year! Your enthusiasm, hard work, and positive attitudes have set the stage for a wonderful year filled with growth and learning.

I also want to remind everyone about a couple of important upcoming events. We’re looking for volunteers to assist during our lunch block, so if you’re able to lend a hand, please consider signing up. Your support is invaluable in helping our school day run smoothly!

And don’t forget, we have our first town meeting this week at 8:30 am. This is a great opportunity for us to come together as a community, sing, learn from each other, and celebrate the growth of our students.

Thank you again for making our school such a wonderful place to learn and grow. Let’s keep up the fantastic work!

Angela

August 20: Town Meeting @ 8:30 am

August 22: Parent Information Night:

• 1st and 4/5 @ 6:00-6:45
• 2/3 @ 7:00-7:45

September 1: Golden Bear Bash

September 2: Labor Day ~ No School

September 2: UA Arts Festival

September 4: Town Meeting

September 13: UA Band Spread @ Wickliffe

Because the elementary school years are critical to a student’s academic and personal growth, our teachers will increase communication regarding each student’s achievement this year.

In previous years, elementary students have received progress reports three times a year at the end of each trimester. There have also been conference opportunities for families in the fall and the spring.

Beginning this school year, teachers will provide progress reports in January and June. In the fall and the spring, they will provide interim reports for each student. Teachers will go over each student’s fall interim report with families during conferences in October. While spring conferences are optional for families, all students will receive another interim report at that time.

Our goal is to increase meaningful conversations between teachers and families regarding each student’s individual achievement, growth and learning needs. We are excited to launch this expanded reporting system this year and look forward to collaborating with you!

To help expedite the car line at the end of the day, please make sure to:

1. Display Information in the Windshield: Include your child's name, grade, and classroom teacher on a piece of paper in the windshield. If you are picking up multiple children, please list all their names.
2. Passenger Side Entry: Ensure that your child can enter the car from the passenger side.
3. Remain in Your Car: Please stay in your vehicle, and we will assist in getting your child into the car.

Please do not apply stickers or write on the iPad keyboard cases, as devices may be reassigned to other students throughout the year. Reassignment occurs when students graduate, transfer, or when devices need repair. The new keyboard cases are district property and durable assets intended to last for several years, not consumable items.

We have received some questions about what stylus, or specifically Apple Pencil, would work with the new iPads that students are receiving for this school year. The answer is that, like the headphones, any USB-C stylus, including the Apple Pencil USB-C, will connect with the new 10th generation iPads. Students can also continue to use any non-USB-C stylus, such as the Apple Pencil 1st generation, but will need to purchase a USB-C adapter to connect the stylus to their new iPad. It is important to note that specifically the Apple Pencil Pro along with the Apple Pencil (2nd Generation) will NOT work with the student iPads.

However, these types of adapters may get lost quickly. There are many third-party options available for the USB-C headphone adapter cable. These are some alternatives that our technology department suggested:

• https://a.co/d/0fUkocjn

• https://a.co/d/0096Wfpj

Each year schools review their schedules and make changes such as this one for a variety of reasons, including improving the flow of the day, increasing or improving the quality of instructional time, or allowing our staff to better support student needs through team planning or classroom management techniques.

With this in mind, we are changing our lunch/recess block from one hour to 45 minutes, giving students about 20-25 minutes for each activity. As we move through the first days and weeks of school, we will be monitoring lunchroom processes to ensure every student is able to eat their meal at a comfortable pace.

We understand the importance of break times for students and will continue to prioritize time for students to play and recharge throughout the day.

• Please encourage your child to memorize numbers and to leave a voicemail (even just to say "nevermind") so that a panic isn't sent when they see a missed call from their student.
  

• Please check your voicemail before calling the school related to a missed call. Generally, if a staff member (and hopfully your child) contacts you via phone we will leave a voicemail.

Wickliffe Progressive Elementary School will host this conference from October 17th to 20th of this year, welcoming around 300 progressive educators from across the country to the community. This year's theme is The Space Between: How Progressive Education Fosters Curiosity, Creativity, Community, and Connection. By bringing together so many educators, we hope to build on the common pedagogy vision articulated by progressive education leaders while enthusiastically embracing a commitment to diversity, equity, and justice in our schools.

We would love to invite Upper Arlington businesses and community members to partner with us in presenting this event. We would greatly appreciate your financial contribution to the event through sponsorship or donation. Please follow this link or reach out to conference@progressiveeducationnetwork.org for more information. Thank you, Wickliffe and Upper Arlington supporters!

School Day Hours

• School Day: 8:10am-2:50pm (students can begin to arrive to the playground at 8am)

• Tardy bell: 8:15am

• Lunch Block: 11:00am-12:20pm

• K/1 11:40-12:25 (Recess/Lunch)

• 2/3 11:05-11:55 (Lunch / Recess)

• 4/5 11:10-11:55 (Recess / Lunch)

• Office Hours: 8:00am-4:00pm

Wickliffe Office:

• Our Wickliffe office is at the front of the building off of Wickliffe Road. When arriving at the building, you will always need to be buzzed into the main office when you arrive so that you can check in appropriately. Please don’t forget to bring your driver’s license if you need to enter the building or if you plan to pick up a child for any reason.

Traveling To and From Wickliffe:

Routes To and From School During Arrival and Dismissal:

• There are many ways to travel to and from Wickliffe! If your child is walking or biking, please remind them to cross at the designated marked crosswalks. When on school property – which includes crosswalks and sidewalks – students must walk their bicycles.

• In the AM walkers can enter at the front or back part of the building.

• In the PM walkers will exit the building out back near the black top/playground. Siblings/parents will meet out back. Walkers will NOT be dismissed out front near the bus lane. Only bussers/daycare vans will exit out the front.

• As students walk home, they will need to follow the same safety precautions of walking on the sidewalks around the building.

• If you plan to meet your child at dismissal, please determine the spot that your child is supposed to meet you. This will help your child know where to find you at the end of the day. Please plan for this spot to be out back and not in the front part of the building.

• If you are driving and plan to park your car and then pick up your child on foot, please follow the suggested street parking signs. There should be no parking along Cimmaron Rd. and Eastcleft Dr. during morning drop-off. There should be no parking along Eastleft during dismissal. We will have a number of students moving around in those areas and, for safety, it’s best if students and families are not crossing in areas where our car drop off/pick up occurs.

• Cimmaron Rd. is available for parking on both sides at the end of the day for parents who want to pick their children up on the playground by foot.

• Will arrive at school and stay on the bus until 8:10 when the morning bell rings. Students will then enter the building and go directly to their classrooms.

• Students will get picked up by the bus at the end of the day in the bus lane at the front of the building (Wickliffe Road)

• Please use the bike racks that are at the back of the building near the blacktop.

• Please remind your child that when riding their bike, they need to start walking once they are on school sidewalks.

Please do not drop children off prior to 8:00am as school doors are locked.

Car Line:

• AM Drop Off:

• The car line involves driving along Eastcleft Dr. from the east and dropping your child off at the designated areas just before the indent in the sidewalk. (When in doubt, look for the signs for car drop off.) In the drop off area, there are aides and teachers on duty from 8:00am through 8:15am and 2:50pm through 3:05pm. To use the car line, please pull all the way forward in your car, as far as you can, and then you can let your child(ren) out of the car once you are in the drop off zone. All students K-5 can use the car lines.

• PM Pick Up:

• ALL students will get picked up on Eastcleft Dr. at the end of the day.

• Please place a sign in your window with your child’s name and grade on the passenger side of the car.

• Car Line Drop off/Pick up reminders:

• Pull all the way up to the front of the drop off lane.

• Do NOT allow your child to exit the car outside of the drop off and pick up zone as it slows the car line.

• Children need to exit/enter on the right side of the car.

• Students need to be ready to get out of the car as you pull forward (backpacks and lunch boxes in hand).

• DO NOT pull around cars after you drop your child off. Please stay with the flow of the line. While we know people are in a hurry in the morning, our priority is the safety of everyone.

• Parents need to stay in the car during drop off/pick up. The teachers on duty will help assist with getting students out of the car.

• Please keep your child in the car until you see an adult on duty at 8:00 am.

• If your child arrives past 8:15, and there is not a teacher out on duty, please bring them to the front office to check in.

• DO NOT drop your child off in either parking lot during the 8:00-8:15 time frame. You will need to use the car line.

• There is NO parking, drop off or pick up in the Eastcleft Drive staff parking lot. This is a dangerous spot with the potential of students crossing on foot and bikes coming and going at that time.

• PLEASE do not block the entrance to the staff parking lot.

• Please do not drop children off prior to 8:00am as school doors are locked.

• All daycare and school busses will pick up and drop off students on the Wickliffe Road entrance to the school.

Before School Procedure:

• Students will be directed to the playground at 8:00, weather permitting. They will be supervised by our staff until 8:10 when they will line up and head to their classrooms.

• In the event of inclement weather, students will enter the school and go to the gym or the town square, as directed by our staff members.

• Students should be in their classrooms and ready to learn by 8:15. (Tardy Bell rings at 8:15)

Late Arrival or Early Sign-out:

• If your child is arriving late to school (after 8:15am) or is getting picked up before the end of the school day, they must be signed in/out by a parent or caregiver in the Main Office on Wickliffe Rd. Please remember to bring your drivers license or digital pass to sign out your child.

Dismissal:

• We will be using a staggered dismissal plan and will begin dismissing the following groups starting at 2:50 pm.

1. All UA bus riders, daycare pick-up busses or vans/SACC students/ will be dismissed at 2:50

2. All walkers/bikers/car riders will be dismissed shortly after the first group.

Parking:

• We have a few visitor parking spots in the Wickliffe Road lot. These are for visitors who are going to be in the building for a short period of time. There is street parking available all around the building. Please follow the street signs that indicate where you are able to park.

• There are designated parking in the bus lane between the hours of 9 am - 2 pm

• Email your child’s teacher and copy wickliffeattendance with ANY attendance-related information

• Avoid scheduling appointments during the school day. If you must schedule during the school day, try to schedule early in the morning or late in the afternoon and avoid recess times whenever possible.

• It can be challenging to find students during recess, so please allow yourself extra time if this is your only option

• Obtain a medical excuse every time you visit a doctor, dentist, orthodontist, therapist, etc.

• Scroll down to the Helpful Links section below for full details about the district's attendance policies and procedures.

• Inside the vestibule, there is a shelf where you can leave things such as lunches, iPads, jackets, etc. Please use the provided post-it notes, markers, and tape to indicate your child's name along with their teacher's name.
• Our educational aides regularly check these shelves and will ensure that the items are delivered to your child's classroom or the lunchroom.

Get ready for school by downloading the new Upper Arlington Schools app! The launch of our new district app coincides with our new website, launched in June. The app gives families access to important information like school year calendars, school day schedules, and information to report a student absence — all in the palm of their hands. You can download the app in the App Store or Google Play.

Any prescription medication administered at school requires written authorization from the student’s physician as well as written parental permission. Per Ohio Revised Code, the Prescribed Medication must be received by the health office in the container in which it was dispensed by the provider or pharmacist (we cannot accept medication in baggies). Medication authorization forms and other health forms can be found on the district website at: UA Health Forms. Should you have any questions, please contact the Wickliffe Health Office at 614-487-5150 or wickliffehealthclinic@uaschools.org .

Want more information about our PTO, events, and activities?

We encourage you to join the PTO and bookmark this website to stay up-to date.

Welcome back to the 24/25 school year! We are excited to reconnect with our returning families and looking forward to getting to know our new families! Please join

us Friday August 16th to meet and mingle with other parents/caregivers. We will gather on the blacktop behind the school after morning drop off. Coffee will be provided by the PTO, we look forward to seeing you then!

Please be on the lookout for the monthly PTO newsletter to stay up to date on upcoming events, important announcements, and volunteer opportunities!

• The bulk school supply program is back for the 2024/2025 school year! With one annual fee, we can ensure all students start the year equally and with the supplies they need. This program leverages bulk buying to obtain school supplies for the year including: markers, scissors, journals, tape, pencils, erasers, folders, paper, etc. These supplies can be shared across grade levels and classrooms further reducing costs. Supplies are distributed to each classroom prior to the start of the school year. We strive to keep costs as low as we can for families while also making the process as convenient as possible.

• The fee for the 2024/2025 school year is $40. If you have not done so already, please visit https://www.wickliffepto.org/school_supplies to pay school supply fees, field trip transportation fees, and PTO dues for the year all in one convenient location. You may be asked to update your information prior to purchase. If you do not yet know your child’s teacher for the year, this can be left blank and added at a later date. Questions can be directed to the PTO at wickliffepto@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you soon!

• To safeguard students' privacy, the school does not share class lists. However, parents can add a student's teacher assignment to the Wickliffe family directory. Once other parents update the teacher assignment for their children you will be able to connect with the families in your child's class. If you would like this information shared, please take a moment to add your child's teacher assignment to your family's directory profile by clicking here (or use the PTO website menu option My Account / My Forms / Step 1: Family Information > Next Step to Step 2: Student Information).

• The online directory can only be viewed by current Wickliffe families. The Wickliffe Family Directory is a secure, password-protected online directory that allows Wickliffe families to easily update their own contact information and find the contacts of the parents of their student's classmates and friends. Find out more in the Directory FAQs

We always have opportunities to volunteer and all are welcome! If you are interested in volunteering on a committee or in a specific role, please fill out the survey to indicate your interest and we will be in touch! If time constraints limit your availability, please be on the lookout for sign up geniuses for various needs throughout the year!

• Classroom coordinators aim to help teachers. They are a liaison between the teacher, PTO, and classroom families, helping to bridge communication and community. They help with communication by relaying information to families about announcements, reminders, activities, events, and volunteer opportunities within the classroom and the larger community. If you are interested in pursuing this role for your child’s classroom this year please indicate your interest here or email Anita Bracha at a_rigoli@yahoo.com.

We are starting to plan for this year's PTO After School Discovery program. The After School Discovery program lets K-5 students explore diverse interests through fun extracurricular courses like STEM, fashion, Lego sculptures, magic, chess, music, drama, basketball, and more! After School Discovery has been a huge success in the past because of the amazing support from our Wickliffe community, including school staff, families, and local businesses.

Do you have a special skill or interest that you want to share with Wickliffe students? We are accepting instructor applications for courses for the 2024-2025 school year. Classes will begin Monday, Sept 23rd, are usually offered once per week, and run for six classes (with no class on days where there is no school) plus a make-up class if needed. All course instructors will be compensated through course fees. The instructor sets the price, class size, grades, and curriculum, and we coordinate the rest. If you or someone you know has a skill or passion to share with K-5 students through After School Discovery, please apply here, or contact the ASD planning committee at wickliffeptoasd@gmail.com. Applications are due August 23rd. Thank you!

Rachel Menezes, Robin Ralston, Marisa Martin, Shanna Jaggars, & Mayling Mckinley

Committee Members

After School Discovery

Wickliffe Progressive Elementary PTO

Please direct any questions to the After School Discovery committee at wickliffeptoasd@gmail.com. Course-specific communications will be sent from notify@membershiptoolkit.com. Add us to your address book to ensure you receive important information, such as schedule changes.

A new state law that was signed in May requires reducing cell phone-related distractions in classrooms. While UA has current policy and restrictions in the student rights and responsibilities handbook, we will request input on any potential needs for updates to our policy–this will include engaging staff, students and families in the next few months. This information was previoously shared with you in Dr. Hunt's last Family Update.

META Columbus will be performing scheduled maintenance on Saturday August 17 from 6AM to 6PM in order to replace the data center's uninterruptible power supply (UPS). During this time, Powerschool and other services will be unavailable.

Attendance Information - Click link for full details

• If your child will be absent from school, please email wickliffeattendance@uaschools.org. Please state a reason for your child’s absence. If you are emailing your child’s teacher regarding attendance, simply copy the attendance email - no need to send separate emails.

• There is a link to the attendance email in the Upper Arlington Schools app

• District Attendance Policy

• Please obtain a medical excuse for ANY visit to a doctor, dentist, therapist, etc that occurs during a school day.

Planned Absence Form - Forms should be completed 10 school days in advance of the first date of the planned absence whenever possible. Otherwise, the absence may be unexcused.

District Website Link

• 2023-2024 School Year Calendar

• A-E Calendar

Drop off/Pick up information

Instagram Account ~ @wickwolves

Lunch Menu

Lunchroom Helper - click here to Volunteer

Nurse Notes

Any prescription medication administered at school requires written authorization from the student’s physician as well as written parental permission. Per Ohio Revised Code, the Prescribed Medication must be received by the health office in the container in which it was dispensed by the provider or pharmacist (we cannot accept medication in baggies). Medication authorization forms and other health forms can be found on the district website at: UA Health Forms. Should you have any questions, please contact the Wickliffe Health Office at 614-487-5150.

PowerSchool Parent Portal: https://ps-uar.metasolutions.net/public/home.html

If you need assistance logging into PowerSchool, you may reach out to: familytechhelp@uaschools.org

Technology Family Support

• Check out this resource for K-5 families.

• WOSU Digital Wellness

• CommonSense Media Activities

Transportation Services

Email: schoolbusquestions@uaschools.org

UA Flyer Connection

Wickliffe PTO

Links to Previous Updates:

All of our updates can be found on the Wickliffe website under “school news”.