Tremont Family Update

December 16-20-SPIRIT WEEK (info below)

December 20-Winter Parties 2-3pm

December 23-January 6-Winter Break

January 3-Tremont Elementary Service Learning Teddy Bear Toss for the Ronald McDonald House at halftime of UA Men's High School Game--more info below

January 7-School Resumes

Looking Ahead:

January 20-No School

January 22-Progress Reports Go Live in PowerSchool

TAKE A LOOK AT THE "FROM THE DISTRICT" SECTION FOR GREAT INFORMATION ABOUT A DIGITAL WELLNESS ACTIVITY FOR WINTER BREAK.

As we move into the second half of the year, we will continue to monitor the implementation of our new arrival time frame. Currently, we still have upwards of 50 students a day who are late for school. Our hope was that extending our arrival time from 7:45-8:15 would help alleviate some of the traffic and congestion that may have been causing our tardiness. Based on our data collection so far this year, it seems that the bigger problem is that many students are still being dropped of very close to the end of our arrival window. We know that the arrival time at Tremont can impact your childcare and we will be sure to make a decision regarding the 2025-2026 school year by spring break. However, if we continue to have the same rate of tardy students, it is likely that we will move our arrival time back to 8:00am.

Please come to Tremont and take a look at our lost and found! There are so many coats, sweatshirts and other random things there!

We will hold our second annual Teddy Bear Toss during the halftime of the UA Men's Basketball game on January 3 starting at 7:30. This Teddy BearToss event is a heartwarming and fun way to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House.

During this event, participants can bring new teddy bears or stuffed animals to the Upper Arlington High School Gymnasium for the Men's Basketball game. At halftime, participants will throw their teddy bears onto the court. It creates a beautiful and memorable sight as hundreds of teddy bears rain down.

After the toss, the teddy bears are collected and donated to the Ronald McDonald House. This organization then distributes the stuffed animals to children in need, providing comfort and joy during difficult times. We hope this event will raise awareness about the Ronald McDonald House and the important work they do to support families with sick children in keeping families close.

We hope you can join us at the second annual Teddy Bear Toss on January 3rd!

New! Upcoming PTO Events: Mark Your Calendars & Save-The-Date!

12/20 Winter Parties

1/14-1/16 Spelling Bee

2/7 Cake Bingo

2/28 Not-So-Silent Adult Social

Registration Ends Tonight For Winter After School Activities!

Registration is open Now through TONIGHT. All classes begin the week of January 13th. Please click HERE to view the flyers for details and class descriptions. Contact Leslie Addington (Leslie.addington@gmail.com) with any questions.

Tremont Spelling Bee-January 14th, 15th & 16th

The Spelling Bee will be here before we know it! It is scheduled for January 14th (K-1st), 15th (2nd-3rd) and 16th (4th-5th). Last day to sign up is Friday, January 10th. Please click HERE to register your child online and HERE to view the study list for each grade. Volunteers are needed so please consider signing up below to help make this event possible!

Volunteers Needed for February's Not-So-Silent Social!

Volunteers Needed for this year's auction--formerly known as the Not-So-Silent Auction! The auction will happen in late February, and we are in need of volunteers for the following--please reach out to Meg Terwilliger if you're interested in getting involved! Heymegtwig@gmail.com

1. Classroom Art (1 person): Each classroom is responsible for creating a piece of artwork that is part of the silent auction. Typically, each class has a parent that works with the teacher to manage and complete the art project with the class. This role has been working with each classroom volunteer to make sure each class has a project, the final project is photographed for the auction site and coordinates the 'gallery' at Tremont where all classroom art is displayed the week of the auction. We have guidelines for what the art can/should be, and templates for outreach and management of this effort.

2. Donations (4 people): This year all packages will be pre-established based on most popular packages in past auctions. Each volunteer will be responsible for 6 packages from start to finish. Includes contacting the business/donor for each item in the package, arranging for pickup of items, combining into a package or creating certificates (we have a template), and dropping packages off at Tremont for winners to pick up on Friday of the Not-So-Silent Social. We have a spreadsheet to manage solicitation and donations based on who has donated in the past. Volunteers would be responsible for 'back filling' if a business does not wish to donate again. For example, if Goodie Shop does not want to donate to the birthday party package, the volunteer would need to find a different business to donate a 'sweet treat' for that package.

Cafeteria Volunteers Needed!

To sign up for a shift (as few or as many as you want!), please use the SignUp Genius link below. Remember to check in at the front office when you arrive and grab a volunteer lanyard. Thank you in advance for your dedication and support!

Sign Up:

https://bit.ly/4gkExgs

Walking Club Volunteers Needed!

For every lap, students receive a check mark on their Walking Club cards. For every 8 laps, students earn a bracelet charm and for the completion of their cards (20 laps), students receive a token 5 mile charm. Volunteers are necessary to make this club possible so click HERE and sign up today!

Progress Reports for students with IEPs

Unfortunately, the Progress Report icon for students with IEPs in PowerSchool has been eliminated. This was out of Upper Arlington’s control. In order to access your child’s progress report, your child’s intervention specialist or speech language pathologist will share the report via an email from Same Goal after each reporting period. You should receive the 2nd quarter progress report by January 9th for students in grades 6-12 and by January 22nd for students in Kindergarten through 5th grade.

Digital Wellness Activity for Families During Winter Break

What's topping your kids' holiday wish lists this year? Chances are it has a screen, Internet access, and games. With a little planning -- and kids' assistance -- you can balance your family's tech activities with much-needed face time.

As an extension of the 2024 Digital Safety Week, Screenagers viewing, and Thanksgiving Digital Wellness Activities, we wanted to provide families with some Digital Wellness tips and strategies to consider during the Winter break. These two weeks are an opportunity to exhibit a healthy balance with device use.

Here are some ideas to try from CommonSense Media:

Be jolly -- but firm. Let your kids know that you'll be enforcing stricter time limits to create more quality family time. And tell them that the rules will apply to the grown-ups as well.

Make a list (and check it with your kids). Don't go cold turkey. Schedule some daily tech time for yourself and your kids. Get their input on which devices they absolutely can't live without, and allow some limited use.

Plan a device-free dinner. Put the phones and tablets in a basket and don't check 'em til the dishes are done.

Make setup fun, not frustrating. No matter how easy to use companies make new devices, there's always some (often frustrating) setup time. Truth be told, kids often figure out thorny tech glitches faster than parents, so involve your kids in the process. Use that time to discuss responsible use of the new device.

Try some tech togetherness. Unplugging for its own sake isn't the point. Family time is. Plan a night of video games, movies, or maybe preselected YouTube videos that you can all enjoy together.

Combine on- and offline activities. Document your family memories and consider compiling them into journals, cards, and scrapbooks. This is a perfect time to share your own holiday memories with your kids.

If no creatures are stirring … don't check your email. Remember, your kids learn their media habits partly from you.

By January 5th, discuss questions with your students related to this activity, such as:

• Did you feel more present with your family?

• What was the most challenging part of the break for you?

• What was the one offline activity we did that you enjoyed the most?

• Can you help our family create a plan to make this a more frequent practice?

If you do this with your family and feel comfortable to share, please share an anonymous feedback about the process. The Excellence and Engagement Office is committed to supporting families with exercises like these to help create a healthy digital balance for our students.

December 13, 2024