Montgomery Elementary News
October 20, 2023
Contact Us
Dr. Amy Debelak, Principal
Ms. Sally Ganz, Asst. Principal
Office 513-686-1730
Absence Line 513-686-1736
Absence Email MTattendance@sycamoreschools.org
School Nurse 513-686-1733
Cafeteria 513-686-1735
Transportation 513-686-1785
FAX 513-792-6131
Website: http://www.sycamoreschools.org/Domain/13
Location: 9609 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, OH, United States
Facebook: www.facebook.com/montgomeryelementaryofficial/?fref=ts
π PRINCIPAL'S CORNER π
Fall weather is here! Teachers and students are celebrating fall in many ways in the classrooms. Thank you to so many of you who have sent supplies in for pumpkin and apple activities. The school looks beautiful! Our Fall Parade is back on October 31st at 2:30. It will be on the large playground if weather permits. If not, we will be on the stage. Families are invited to attend! Please see your teacher newsletter for more information about fall festivities.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Best,
Amy
π IMPORTANT DATES π
OCTOBER:
*LITERACY NIGHT HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL THE SPRING*
26 - End of 1st Quarter
27 - Records Day *No School*
27 - Skating Party
31 - Fall Parade 2:30-3:30
NOVEMBER:
3 - Family Fun Night
8 - Picture Retakes
9 - Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences
10 - Conferences *No School*
16 - Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences
20-24 - Thanksgiving Break *No School*
π MONTGOMERY NEWS π
CHANGING FAMILIES
Our Changing Families support group, which focuses on students experiencing divorce or separation, will begin on Monday, October 23rd. This group is facilitated by our school counselor Mrs. Block. Please reach out to her via email (below) as soon as possible and ideally by Thursday, October 19th if you would like your student to participate in the Changing Families group. She is also happy to answer any questions about the group as needed.
Thank you!
Samantha Block
VISION AND HEARING SCREENINGS
Vision and hearing screenings at Montgomery Elementary will be on the following dates for the 2023-24 school year.
Kindergarten October 24 and October 26
First grade October 25
Third grade November 2
If your child does not pass the vision and/or hearing screening, a second screening will be conducted by the school nurse. If your child does not pass the second screening, a referral will be mailed to you recommending further evaluation by a vision and/or hearing specialist.
If you have any questions about the school vision and hearing screening program, please call Susan Linton, School Nurse at Montgomery Elementary or email at lintons@sycamoreschools.org.
VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP
Below is a link to sign up if you are interested in helping out with the vision and hearing screenings. Thank you!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A4FACAE28A7FE3-44417226-volunteers
Susan Linton, MSN, RN
Montgomery Elementary
Nurse Office 513-686-1733
Fax 513-792-6131
ART ROOM VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Hello, awesome aviator families! The art room is in need of volunteers. The volunteers will help prepare supplies, help with the art show, and help with displays. If this is something you are interested in please complete the art room volunteer sign-up form!
Thank you so much!
Mrs. Helton
Mikayla Helton (She/Her)
Art Teacher
Montgomery Elementary School
Mark Your Calendars!!!
Our annual BINGO night is back!
When: Friday, November 3, 2023
Time: 6:30 - 7:30pm (doors open at 6:15pm)
Where: Montgomery Elementary Cafeteria
Who: All Montgomery Elementary Families
Join us for a night of free family fun! Multiple games, prizes, and light snacks. All ages are welcome!
This is not a drop off event. All children must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Please Consider Helping make Bingo Night a success-sign up to volunteer here:
Socktober
Itβs October, which means it is Socktober at Montgomery Elementary!
Socktober is a time where students bring in a pair of socks to donate, or money to purchase a pair of socks. Our childrensβ socks will be donated to Operation Give Back. Our adult socks will be donated to The Homeless Veterans Division of the VA.
Kindergarten, First and Second Grades will be donating childrensβ socks. Third and fourth grade will be donating adult socks.
The children can put them in the barrel that will be by the Flying Pig at the bottom of the stairs or give them to their teacher.
This is a great way for the students to learn about community service and the importance of giving to those in need.
Please have all donations in by Thursday, October 26th.
If you have any questions, please email Michelle Barrometti barromettim@sycamoreschools.org or Amy Bass bassa@sycamoreschools.org.
βοΈ PTO NEWS βοΈ
As we are nearing the end of the first quarter, I hope you have all had a successful start to the school year! If your student has achieved something great beyond the classroom, such as awards, championships, etc, please let me know so we can share with District Administration!!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We CANNOT do the work we do in the school without the help of our wonderful volunteers! We are always looking for help so if you are interested or need more information please contact me at mtpto@sycamoreschools.org. Positions that we'd like to fill as soon as possible include:
LUNCHROOM VOLUNTEERS - Help monitor students in the lunchroom and clean up between grades. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CAEAA2FABFF2-45447402-lunchroom#/
HASSLE FREE GIVING CHAIR β Organizes hassle-free opportunities such as restaurant nights, Pipkins receipt turn-ins and Kroger Rewards.
WALKING PROGRAM COORDINATOR - Creates Sign Up Genius and coordinates prizes for students that participate in the recess walking program
MEDIA CENTER VOLUNTEERS - Help check in books and reshelve during the school day. Sign up here https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4CA9A729AAFD0-45009106-novdec#/
UPCOMING EVENTS
There are lots of fun things coming up. Please be sure to mark your calendars!!
SKATING PARTY β Our first skating party will be on October 27 at Castle Skateland, mark your calendars!
FALL PARADE β Come see our students strut their stuff in their trick-or-treat costumesβ¦and our teachers usually have some epic themed costumes as well! More details will be coming via email, but this event will take place on the afternoon of Halloween, October 31.
PTO MEETING - Our next general meeting will be on Thursday, November 9 @ 6:00pm. District Superintendent, Mr. Chad Lewis will be there to answer any questions you may have and Director of Technology, Mr. Christian Long, will also give a brief presentation and answer questions about the Canvas Learning Management System!! There will be pizza and childcare provided for those who need it. We will also be discussing our updated Bylaws, which will be posted online for review.
All information is also available on the PTO website and via our facebook page. If you have any questions, you're always welcome to send an email to me - MTPTO@sycamoreschools.org
Best,
Amanda Middleton
Montgomery PTO President
βοΈ DISTRICT NEWS βοΈ
CANVAS LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
During the 2023-2024 school year, Sycamore Schools is transitioning to Canvas as our Learning Management System (LMS) district-wide. Teachers are transitioning to Canvas to varying degrees as they familiarize themselves with the platform and its features. As with any new system, there may be a learning curve as educators explore Canvas's different tools and functionalities. We are committed to supporting our teachers throughout this process, and we have organized comprehensive training sessions to help them make the most of this powerful educational tool.
Canvas allows educators to create, facilitate, and present learning through a digital platform. Students can access course instructional materials through Canvas, participate in discussions, and receive teacher feedback. Canvas also provides parent access.
Grading in 2023-2024:
Parent Portal will continue to be the location for graded assignments that result in cumulative, quarter, semester, and yearly grades.
By Default, the Canvas gradebook will not show course averages. Course average grades will be reflected in Parent Portal.
For more information about Canvas, including a training site for families on how to use Canvas, please visit the Sycamore Community School Districtβs website at sycamoreschools.org/canvas.
Event and Activity Flyers Now Listed on Website
After receiving feedback from families, all district-approved flyers will now be listed on Sycamore Schools' website instead of in our weekly newsletters. This will help condense our newsletters to important school information. If you are still interested in viewing community flyers about events and activities for students, please click here: https://www.sycamoreschools.org/domain/944