The start of the 2024-25 school year is quickly approaching! We are excited to see all of our Sycamore Creek students in about three weeks. School will once again start with a staggered start on Thursday, August 14 and Friday, August 15. All students will then report on Monday, August 18. This means students in grades 1-4 will attend either August 14 OR 15.

Most families should have received notification of which day their household will be starting school (August 14 OR 15). However, another update will be going out each week as a reminder and will include families that have recently enrolled.

We look forward to seeing your student(s) back for the new school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school office at (614) 834-6200.

Please see the school supply list below for grades K-4.

It is time for kindergarten families to sign up for a 2-hour orientation on August 14, 15, or 18. Please call the school office at 614-834-6200 to schedule a time for your kindergarten student to attend. No Kindergarten classes will be held on these three days. During orientation, your student will meet all of the kindergarten teachers, other building staff, tour the building, learn basic procedures, interact with peers, and visit the playground.

All families should be able to see their child's teacher assignment for this school year on Monday, August 4th at 8:00am, by logging into Infinite Campus.

Attention all Kindergarten Families: Your child is currently placed in a teacher's class, and we have done are best to honor your preference for the AM/PM session if possible. However after initial assessments are done and kindergarten orientation takes place, some teacher changes and/or AM/PM placements may need to be adjusted. We try to make minimal adjustments, and we do appreciate your understanding when this needs to happen.

Also, please make sure you have signed your kindergarten student up for orientation (see email above) by calling the school at 614-834-6200.

If you have not signed your student up for their Kindergarten assessments on July 28th - July 31st, be sure to get them signed up!

When: August 13, 4:30-6:15

To help manage the amount of people in the building during this time, we have assigned the following times:

For students attending their first day August 14: 4:30-5:15

For students attending their first day August 15: 5:30-6:15

If you are within walking distance to the school, and are able to walk to the building, we encourage you to do so.

During this time, you can meet your child's teacher and drop off any school supplies to their classroom that might make coming to school on the first day a little easier.

Kindergarten parents: There will be a meeting for parents during this time in the cafeteria.

For students attending in the AM: 4:30-5:15

For students attending in the PM: 5:30-6:16

We are super excited to announce that the volunteer form has become electronic across all schools in PLSD. This means that the paper forms that have been used in the past will no longer be used to sign up to be a volunteer. You can easily sign up to be a volunteer right now by using the QR code below or the link provided. If you have been a volunteer in the past, you must sign up again. Volunteer approvals are only good for the school year in which you signed up.

Here is the link to sign up: https://forms.gle/3c2wxQ3TxqeSh4AQA

The Annual Update for the 2025-2026 school year is now active on the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Please complete and submit the Annual Update for your currently enrolled student(s) by Friday, August 1, 2025. If you need help in completing your Annual Update please come by the library on Back to School night for assistance.

What is the Annual Update? Every academic year, parents/guardians are asked to update and submit the required "Back-to-School Forms" for their currently enrolled student(s). These forms include the Emergency Medical Authorization, Student Handbook Acknowledgement, Device Agreement, Technology Protection Plan and Field Trip Authorization Form. The process of completing these forms is referred to as the Annual Update.

Where do I find the Annual Update? The Annual Update can only be accessed via the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. The Annual Update "lives" in the Online Registration area of the Parent Portal. Instructions for accessing and completing the Annual Update can be found here.

Please Note - Address changes cannot be reported on the Annual Update. If you have moved or need to change your address, please complete the Change of Student Information Form and return it to the Welcome Center. COSI/Change of Student Information Form

Who may fill out the Annual Update? Only parents or legal guardians in the student's custodial household may complete the Annual Update. Students may not complete this update for themselves.

When is the deadline? Please complete and submit the Annual Update by Friday, August 1, 2025.

We will be utilizing PikMyKid again this year, please make sure you have the application downloaded. If you need assistance in getting PikMyKid set-up we will be avalible to help on Back to School night, August 12th, in the Library!

August 1st is the deadline for the annual update for shared residency.

If shared residency applies to your family, please remember to fill out the form here.

*Click the residency tab toward the bottom of the page*

If you have questions, please call during our office hours: M - F 8:00 am - 2:30 pm.

An important update is coming to how you pay your student’s fees. Infinite Campus, the District’s student information system, is transitioning to Stripe as its new merchant service provider, and we want to ensure you're prepared for the upcoming changes.

Action Needed: Pay Balances by June 26, 2025

If you have an outstanding balance, we strongly encourage you to pay it before June 26 to avoid additional service fees when the new payment system goes live.

Important Dates

• June 26: The payment portal goes offline—no online payments accepted.

• July 4: The payment portal returns, but service fees will apply.

Temporary Portal Outage: June 26 – July 4

During this time, payments can only be made by:

• Mailing a check or money order to the District Office.

• Bringing cash, check, or money order in person to: Pickerington Local Schools, 90 N. East St, Pickerington, OH 43147.

• For recent graduates: Payments must be in cash or money order—checks will not be accepted.

• Make sure you include your child’s student identification number to ensure payments are posted correctly.

What to Expect When the Portal Returns on July 4

• Families will need to re-enter their saved payment method in Infinite Campus.

• New service fees will apply to online payments:
  
  

• Credit/debit card payments: 3.5% fee

• E-check/ACH payments: $0.35 fee

• Returned payments will incur additional charges.

Any payments returned for insufficient funds will include an additional charge equivalent to the bank fee incurred by the District.

What to Expect for the 2025-2026 School Year

Families should plan for these key student fee assignments:

• August 1: Technology Protection Plan fees will be added to student accounts (optional, due September 30).

• Fall sports & marching band fees: Assignments will start on August 1, 2025, as rosters are made available.

• Academic fees: Assigned after the September 8 add/drop period, with email notifications sent via Infinite Campus.

Need Financial Assistance for Academic Fees? Apply for a Fee Waiver!

Families needing financial support must complete the Household Income Survey via the NEW Meal Magic Family Portal coming late this summer. Important: Mark the information-sharing box so the Treasurer’s Office can process potential fee waivers. If this box is left unchecked, the waiver cannot be applied.

Need Financial Assistance with Extracurriculars? Apply for a Fee Waiver!

Extracurricular waiver requests should use the Financially Disadvantaged Student Fees form available under the Family & Student Forms or Play-to-Participate pages.

Take Action Now: Please check your Infinite Campus account today and submit any outstanding payments before June 26 to avoid additional fees.

For more details, visit www.plsd.us or contact the Treasurer’s Office.

Thank you for your attention to this important update!

Pickerington Schools has launched a new, mobile-friendly system to help families manage school meals and submit the Education Benefit Form for fee waivers.

With the PLSD Meal Magic Family Portal, families can:

• Add money to student meal accounts

• Move funds between siblings

• Pay off past due balances

• Manage all students in one account!

Did You Know? For the 2025–2026 school year, all students will receive FREE breakfast and lunch through the Community Eligibility Program. This portal simply supports any extra meal options or needed financial assistance.

Visit https://PLSD.familyportal.cloud to get started.

Questions? Call 614-833-3645 (Monday–Friday, 7:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.)

• PLSD 2025-2026 District Calendar - click here

• Districtwide Activities Calendar

  Upcoming events and important dates are listed in the Districtwide Google Events Calendar, which is synced with individual building, program and athletic team calendars. Once inside the district wide calendar, to display the events of a particular building, team, program or activity, you will need to check the specific corresponding color-coded box(es) from the list on the left-hand side.

  Pickerington Schools partners with the City of Pickerington and Yodel to bring you the Pickerington Community Calendar!
  

  Visit this link to view all Pickerington Schools activities included on the calendar and don’t forget to “favorite” our Pickerington Schools schedule! Once favorited, Pickerington Schools' events will be front and center on your calendar, enabling you to see what’s coming up.

Pickerington Local Schools invites you to our

2025 Be Ready Resource Fair on Saturday, August 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Lakeview Junior High School (12445 Ault Road).

This family-friendly event is your one-stop shop to prepare for the school year. You’ll have the opportunity to meet our new Superintendent, Dr. Charles Smialek and connect with school and district staff.

Families can explore transportation routes, pick-up and drop-off times, programs for English Language Learners, our free breakfast and lunch program, and our new payment portal.

Free backpacks and school supplies will be available—while supplies last.

Back-to-School Schedule:

• Staggered start for grades K–12: August 14–15

• First full day for grades 1–12: Monday, August 18

• Kindergarten begins: Tuesday, August 19

We hope to see you and your family there as we begin another exciting school year!