French Run Elementary

Greetings French Run Families!

The end of the 2025-2026 school year is quickly approaching and testing season is upon us. Our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students will be taking the Ohio State Tests during the month of April. The testing dates are listed below:

April 8-9 - 5th Grade ELA

April 13-14 - 4th Grade ELA

April 15-16 - 3d Grade ELA

April 20-21 - 5th Grade Math

April 22-23 - 4th Grade Math

April 27-28 - 3rd Grade Math

April 29-30 - 5th Grade Science

Please be sure your children are in attendance and well-rested. We want them to be as successful as possible on the tests. We truly appreciate your support this year, and we look forward to finishing the year on a positive note.

Congratulations to our March Pride Team! These students were selected by their peers for the Responsibility they show daily. Here are some of the comments made about this month's Pride Team:

• Often asks to help clean up or organize materials, showing great care for our learning space
• Comes to class prepared with all of the materials and works hard to complete assignments
• Makes sure she is meeting her weekly progress goals, setting a great example for her classmates
• Makes good choices, follows classroom rules, and helps take care of our classroom
• always turns in his work and focuses on the tasks at hand

Congratulations Firebirds! We are so proud of you!

Out of all of our classes, Mrs. Cotton's class received the most SOAR sightings this month!!!

We are so proud of Mrs. Cotton's class for trying their best and working their hardest at school. Thank you for SOARING in all school environments. Great job!

The Month Ahead:

• April 3 - No School - Good Friday, District Offices Closed
• April 6 - No School
• April 7 - State of the Schools
• April 30- French Run Family Night (more details to come)

May Preview:

• May 7 - Field Day
• May 25 - No School (Memorial Day)
• May 28 - Last Day of School

We want to share important information about the 2026 Summer EBT program that can help you feed your children when school is out this summer. Eligible families can get $120 for each child from the Summer EBT/SUN Bucks program to buy groceries. To find out what's available for your family, please review the attached letter to learn more. The letter has been translated into: English, French, Nepali, Spanish and Portuguese.

Stopfinder is an easy-to-use, all-in-one app that allows parents or guardians to track their student’s bus, get up-to-date arrival times and more. Earlier this month, we introduced Stopfinder to our middle and high school bus rider families.

We are now ready to introduce Stopfinder to families of elementary school students who use bus transportation. Tomorrow afternoon (around 4:00 p.m. ET), you will receive an email invitation from Stopfinder with instructions for setting up the app. You will be able to track your student’s bus beginning Friday, February 27, 2026. The email currently on file with the District will be used for setup. If your email has recently changed, please contact your building secretary to be sure we have your most up-to-date information.

You can also watch this video to learn how to set up the app.

To ensure a smooth transition, we rolled out Stopfinder in phases. Once the elementary school rollout is complete, we plan to send a reminder to all families in March. We will also send a reminder over the summer.

We are excited to offer Stopfinder as a new tool to help keep you informed. With the Stopfinder app, you will be able to:

• View your student’s transportation information

• Send private messages to communicate directly with the Transportation Department

• Create GeoAlerts that notify you when the bus arrives at or departs from locations on your student’s route, including their bus stop and school and more

Once you receive your Stopfinder email, we encourage you to download the app and explore its features. If you have questions or experience any issues, please contact our Director of Transportation, Eric Kinney, at eric.kinney@reyn.org. Your feedback will help us make adjustments and improvements before the app is rolled out to our elementary schools.

PRO TIP: The setup email will come from Stopfinder, not Reynoldsburg City Schools. Please check your spam or junk folder for emails from Stopfinder.

Thank you for your partnership.

In 2008, Isaiah Lewis was about to begin second grade at French Run Elementary. His life ended tragically when he and a friend found an unsecured gun and Isaiah suffered a fatal gunshot wound. He died on his seventh birthday.

This $1,000 scholarship is provided annually through the French Run PTO in Isaiah's memory. It is available to any Reynoldsburg High School senior that meets the following criteria:

• Attended French Run Elementary for a minimum of two years
• Has a GPA of 3.0 or higher (must upload official transcript)
• Plans to further their education at an established educational institution
• Completes an essay answering the following questions: Why is firearm education important? What effects would increased gun control measures have on safety in the United States?
• What types of firearm safety laws and education exist in other countries that could work in the U.S.?

Please submit this application, along with uploads of your transcript and essay, no later than April 17, 2026 to be considered for this scholarship.

Online Application

Experiencing issues with the application or have questions? Email FrenchRunPTO@gmail.com for assistance.

A reminder for our elementary school families:

Cell phone use has never been permitted during the school day in our elementary buildings. If an elementary student needs to contact a parent or guardian, they may do so through the school office.

If a student is caught with their cell phone out while in school, the phone will be confiscated and returned to the student at the end of the day. If a student is caught a second time, the cell phone will be confiscated, placed in the office and parent/guardian contacted to pick it up.

We appreciate your support as we work together to ensure a safe and distraction-free learning environment for all students.

Students who will be 5 years old by the first day of school (August 20, 2026) ae eligible to enroll for kindergarten for the 2026-2027 school year. Visit the District enrollment page to learn more or contact the Welcome Center at 614-501-1033, opt. 7.

Reynoldsburg City Schools is excited to partner with Children's Hunger Alliance (CHA) for our weekend meal program again this year! TANF-eligible families interested in receiving weekend meals for their student(s) can complete the program form located here: https://forms.gle/z8HY4vZx4yxrZ33c7.

If you have questions about the weekend meal program or other available resources in the school community, please reach out to wholechild@reyn.org.

Local Community Resources

H.E.A.R.T. Pantry

Community of Care (Reynoldsburg Church of Christ)

Reynoldsburg Helping Hands

Drop Off and Pick Up Details:

Arrival: Doors Open: 8:20 am

Tardy Bell: 8:30 am (Doors will close at this time)

If you arrive after 8:30, you will need to walk your student into the building and sign them in. There will be a sign in sheet on a table in the foyer outside the office.

Dismissal/ Pickup

Students begin leaving the building: 2:45 pm

All students out of the building/last pick up: 3:00 pm

Car Rider Loop

Parents dropping off or picking up students must follow the car pickup line.

Students will be waiting for parents who are in line, and released by the cones on the sidewalk. Please do not pass cars in the loop.

Please do not use the bus loop during pickup and drop off times.

The French Run PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) is a group of parents, caregivers, and staff who work together to support our school through events, volunteer efforts, and fundraising. The PTO helps create fun experiences for students, supports teachers, and builds a strong school community. You don’t need a lot of time to help—there are many simple ways to get involved, like donating items, helping at events, or sharing ideas. Every bit of support makes a difference. Click the link below to learn more and see how you can partner with the PTO.

As we head into the holiday season, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for the partnership you provide to our school community. Your support helps make our school a joyful place for students to learn and grow. A few families have asked how they might spread a little extra cheer to our teachers and staff before winter break. While gifts are never expected or required, here are a couple options below if you are interested.

Teacher Lounge Refresh

If you'd like to contribute to making our teachers' lounge a brighter, more comfortable place for staff to recharge, you can purchase from the Amazon wish list or surprise them with a snack or item of your choosing.

A Few of Our Favorite Things

Prefer to surprise a specific teacher or staff member with their favorite treat or gift? Take a look at this staff favorites guide for ideas. As always, gifts are never expected or required.

Thank you for helping us make this season special for our staff! Your thoughtfulness and generosity -- whether through kind words, gifts, or simply your ongoing support -- make a big difference to our staff. We hope you have a safe, peaceful, and happy winter break!

Kroger Community Rewards is partnering with French Run PTO to earn money for our school when you enroll "French Run PTO" as your Community Rewards recipient. It takes less than one minute to sign up through the app. See steps below:

1. go to the Home Screen
2. select the menu in the upper right, click on "rewards"
3. then select "Community Rewards"
4. and finally, type in "French Run PTO"
5. select "enroll"

You can also sign up online using the link below!

Use the Code to support our school!

French Run Elementary Code: NPO #82187

Beginning Monday September 15th, all family communication was transitioned to using Talking Points. You may click on the link below for additional information about Talking Points.

https://intercom.help/talkingpoints/en/articles/10504279-translated-talkingpoints-families-app-invitations-printable

Parent/Guardians will be automatically enrolled with your phone number and e-mail addresses on file in the office.

It is very important that your phone number is updated so you can stay up to date with information from the building! To begin, TalkingPoints will automatically allow us to communicate by text messages to your phone. If you wish, you can download the TalkingPoints Parent app to your phone. This allows you to do more advanced features such as react to messages, RSVP to events, and more. Downloading the app is optional.

Any changes in phone number, e-mail address, or other important information should be communicated to the front office as soon as you can.

Change of addresses are required by Ohio Law, and should be communicated with our welcome center. Cindy in the French Run front office can help with this process.

Address: 1200 Epworth Ave, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068

Phone: (614) 367-1950