Kramer Elementary
E-News
Friday October 23rd, 2026
Dear Kramer Elementary Families,
We are excited to announce that our entire school is partnering this year to implement a powerful, evidence-based strategy called the PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG).
What is the PAX Game?
The PAX Game is not a separate curriculum or a set of strict rules. Instead, it is a set of strategies used by all teachers and staff throughout the school day to help students build self-regulation, focus, and teamwork.
"PAX" is a Latin word meaning peace, productivity, health, and happiness. By using PAX school-wide, we create a unified, positive environment in our hallways, cafeteria, playground, and classrooms.
Key Terms Your Child Will Use
PAX Behaviors: The positive actions, cooperation, and focus we want to see more of at Kramer Elementary.
SPLEEMS: Minor disruptions, distractions, or behaviors that get in the way of learning and harmony. We work together to notice and reduce these.
PAX Quiet: A quick, gentle signal (using a harmonica and a hand signal) used by staff to gather students' attention instantly and calmly.
Tootles: The opposite of "tattling." Students write these small notes to recognize and appreciate kind or helpful acts by their peers.
PAX Prizes: Fun, 30-second activity breaks (like "Granny's Wacky Prizes") that classrooms earn for working together to keep SPLEEMS low.
Bringing PAX Home
Because PAX is a school-wide effort, you can easily use these same concepts at home! You can support your student by asking them:
"What did PAX look like in the cafeteria or on the playground today?"
"Did anyone write a Tootle for you, or did you write one for a classmate?"
"What kind of PAX choices can we make while we get ready for bed tonight?"
Thank you for partnering with us to make Kramer Elementary School a peaceful, productive, and joyful place for every student to learn and grow.
Warmly,
Mrs. Ashley Tebbe, Principal
Counselor Corner
Bullying vs. Peer Conflict
Bullying
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems.
In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:
- An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
- Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.
Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.
Peer Conflict
It is not bullying when two kids with no perceived power imbalance fight, have an argument, or disagree. These behaviors can occur at different ages, including early childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. Parents and caregivers, school staff, and other adults can help younger children develop skills for getting along with others in age-appropriate ways. Conflict resolution or peer mediation may be appropriate when these situations occur during adolescence and young adulthood.
Halloween Events Friday October 30th, 2026
Costumes will be permitted with the following guidelines:
1. NO Costume Masks
2. NO Props
3. Minimal Makeup
4. Costumes MUST be worn to school. There will not be a “Change Time”
5. Please make sure your child will be able to function comfortable throughout day (bathroom needs, recess, school work. and specials) while wearing his/her costume.
The parade will take place outside in the vehicle pickup area behind the school at 9:30 a.m.
Fuel The Day Donate Cereal Today!!
- This event is proudly coordinated by TOPS, Oxford Kiwanis, and Kramer K-Kids, with all donations going directly to the Talawanda Oxford Food Pantry.
- Our goal this year is to break the record of 576 boxes of cereal.
We need your help to do it! - Donation Dates: October 26- November 9
- What to Bring: Boxes of cereal (any brand or type!) Ask your family, friends, and neighbors to join in! They can drop off cereal at Kramer, or you can bring donations with you to school.
- Let's work together to help our community and make this our biggest cereal drive yet!
- The class that brings in the most boxes gets to pie a Kramer staff member in the face!
Class @ the Court
2026 Class @ the Court
Greater Oxford Educational Collaborative
Miami University Athletics & Talawanda Elementary Schools
On Wednesday, November 11, 2026 our students once again have the fantastic opportunity to attend the Miami University Women’s basketball game “Class at the Court” at Millett Hall during the school day. Thanks to the generous support of Miami University and our educational partnership our students will attend the game free of charge.
We will leave school shortly after we take attendance, heading to Millett Hall at 9:30AM, and will return to school after the game. Any student that has NOT arrived at school on 11/11/26 before 9:30AM, will not be able to participate in this activity. Please make note of this.
We will contact the parent of any student that experiences illness or behavior issues and the parent will need to pick their student up at Millett Hall.
Permission slips have been sent home today. Please fill out and return to school.
Wear Your Miami Gear!
Let’s fill the court with RED & WHITE and cheer on our RedHawks!
Kramer Building will be CLOSED 9:30am-1pm
DISMISSAL CHANGE REMINDER
Please make sure all dismissal changes are communicated to the office before 3:15 PM.
Thank you for helping us keep dismissal safe and running smoothly!
NO TOY POLICY
Kramer Elementary is implementing a NO TOY POLICY.
Students should leave toys and other non-school-related items at home. This will help us keep our classrooms focused, safe, and free from distractions.
We appreciate your help in reminding your child to leave toys and personal items at home each day.
Exceptions: Exceptions will be made for medical needs that are supported by a note from a medical provider.
Thank you for helping us create a safe and focused learning environment for everyone!
Specials Rotation
Monday- A
Tuesday- B
Wednesday- C
Thursday- D
Friday- A
Volunteer & Visitor Policy
As we continue with our volunteer policy this year, please remember that any adult volunteer who wishes to enter the school building must have a volunteer application on file with the office every school year. After a parent’s second visit to the building, or if they plan to chaperone, assist with a field trip, they are required to complete fingerprinting and a background check through the Central Registration Office. Please plan to complete this process at least 3 weeks prior to the event. This allows adequate time for the background check to be completed and for the appropriate information to be provided to the school administrator for planning purposes. Once completed, your background check is valid for 5 years.
Central Registration Office:
Ruth Michael
📞 513-273-3101
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work to keep our students, staff, and school community safe. Public schools have implemented these regulations to comply with state and federal safety requirements regarding volunteers and visitors in schools.
Thank you for helping us make safety a priority at Kramer Elementary!
NOTES FROM THE OFFICE
Student Fees:
Fees have been loaded to Payschools Central If you wish to pay online. You can also pay in the office with cash or check.
Lunch Accounts:
As a reminder, you are able to add funds to your student's lunch account through the Payschools Central system. If your student's account reaches -$50 it will be rolled into your school fees. Please be mindful and keep your student's account current. You can use Talawanda EZ Pay, send a check or cash to the school office to take care of your student's balance.
Free and Reduced:
If you would like to apply for free or reduced lunches, please reach out to the Kramer office or Kramer social worker, Chelsea Pike. We can help walk you through the online application or help you fill out a paper form in the office. If you qualify for FREE lunch, your fees will also be waived. If you qualify for REDUCED, fees will be reduced by 85% and meals will be FREE.
Final Forms:
Remember, if you have any changes to your information (phone number, address, who can pick up your student, etc) throughout the school year, change it in Final Forms! The office is notified of these changes and will update our information. IF you have an address change, you must submit new proof of residency to the office before we will update your address.
School Calendar
Lunch Menu
October Title Talk
How Important is the Alphabet?
The alphabet is very important! The alphabet is the foundation or building block for reading, writing, and spelling. It is important for each child to recognize and name all of the letters and combinations of letters in and out of order and also the sounds associated with them, to be successful with literacy.
In Kindergarten, students are taught the letter sounds in conjunction with the letter names. For example, a teacher might say, “Today we are learning the letter that says /b/. What are some words that have the /b/ sound? This is the letter that spells the /b/ sound. It is called the letter b. This is how we make the letter b.” It helps students to connect sounds to familiar words, as this helps develop a memory aid.
As students begin to recognize the letters and understand their sounds, they are able to begin reading and writing independently. This emergent reading begins in Kindergarten (or preschool) and continues through the elementary school years.
It’s also important for early learners to know the symbols or ways we write the letters or combinations of letters or graphemes that represent sounds. A combination of 1, 2, 3, or 4 graphemes can represent a phoneme or sound. For example: 1 letter; p, 2 letters; ch, 3 letters; igh, or 4 letters; tion. Recognizing letters, sounds, and combinations of letters and sounds is a skill needed to read unfamiliar words independently.
As students progress in their knowledge of the alphabet and phonics, they are directly and explicitly taught the more advanced letter-sound relationships in a progression from least difficult to more difficult. This instruction continues through the early elementary years.
What can I do to help my student?
Read to/and with your child every day
Alphabet flash cards
Matching games for uppercase and lowercase letters
Car games could include saying a word, and your child has to tell you what the beginning sound of the word is, then progress to ending sounds. The ultimate goal is that your child tells you all of the sounds in a word.
You are welcome to contact us at any time if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s progress in Reading Corner. geshanc@talawanda.org, kobermanc@talawanda.org or waltersh@talawanda.org
Unplug & Play at Kramer!
Bring a lawn chair! Relax and chat with other parents and staff while the kids engage in independent creative play! Join us Thursday, November 5th 5:30-6:30 Kramer Playground
PTG
PTG Meeting
PTG Facebook Page
For important updates check join our PTG Facebook page
Dine to Donate
Please consider dining at Larosa's on November 5, 2026 to support the Kramer PTG
THANK YOU
Thanks to YOU, our Fall 2026 Conference Meals were very successful with plenty of food and drink. Our teachers & staƯ were very grateful to have food on site during the very busy parent-teacher
conference nights. Many thank-you messages were left on the wall from our teachers to us. Here are some... “Thank you for the incredible spread and delicious goodies! We feel so grateful and you’ve made our buckets OVERFLOW! - Anonymous” “Your food is the way to my HEART!! Thank You! – Angela Jones (4th grade teacher)” The next set of conferences is in March. We hope you will consider donating toward the conference meals again in the future!
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SPECIAL THANKS TO: Jersey Mike’s of Oxford, Kristen Adams,
Abdullah Alqahtani, Cheyenne Atkin, Jackie Barrier, Andrea Bennett-Kinne, Tomoko Brown, Emily Bufler, Jennifer Bulanda, Lindsay Burns, Yenlin Chien, Kelsey Chow, Brooke Cropenbaker, Laura Desmond, Candance Doria, Kathryn Dougherty, Charlotte Elting, Katie Flynn, Jonathan Fox, Rosie Garcia, Alicia Garrod, Jessica Hallberg, Jill Hauser, Lindsey Holden, Becky Hughes, Leah Hricko, C Idseng, Katrina Jackson, Coutney Jessup, Melinda Juergens, Corinne King, Emily Kuhn, Brittany
Kyger, Katy McCarrick, Malora Mcintosh, Christine McIntosh, Lois Meade, Kayla Napier, Nicole Ortner, Sarah Packer, Maria Palafox, Teresa Radomski-Bomba, Kara Ramsey, Heather Reece, Christina Rolfes, Chauncey Smith, Molly Todd, Shannon Trewyn, Ifeoma Udah, Kelsey Vance, Kellsey Wash, Bianca White, Chanelle White and other anonymous donors (apologize if I skipped or misspelled your name.)
Lois Meade & Tomoko Brown, 2026-2027 Kramer Conference Meal Coordinators
RAH
Attention Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade families: RAH began on Wednesday September 30th. Please return your RAH sheet every week by Wednesday!
Kramer RAH (Reading At Home) is a voluntary program from K-2nd graders that builds a home-school connection by rewarding students for reading at home. Each week students record the books they've read and turn-in record sheets for rewards. Rewards alternate between a student selected book and a small prize.
Family support and involvement are important! Here’s how it works:
Read a book, color a book. Books can be read to, by, or with your child. Books can be read multiple times and you can color a book for each time a book is read. Ten pages of a chapter book counts as one book. Fill the page with 20 books read.
Send the completed sheet to school with your child on WEDNESDAYS. The first sheet is on the back of this flyer, but any paper with your child’s name and teacher’s name is fine; just draw a star (or other symbol/shape) to represent each book read.
Your child will receive a prize for each sheet with 20 books completed!
Students will only receive 1 prize a week. However, you may send in up to 2 completed sheets if your child reads beyond 20 books in a week. We will hold on to the extra sheet, using it if your child has missed a Wednesday or forgotten their sheet. Any remaining extra sheets will be tallied at the end of the year.
Classrooms that read 1,000 books every 6 weeks will receive a class reward!
Important District Information
Changes to the K-5 Grading System at Talawanda NEW for the 2026-2027 School Year
Grades 3-5 - Moving to a Traditional Letter Grading System (A-F)
We are excited to shift our grades 3–5 to a traditional letter grade system (A-F) to provide a more detailed look at your child's overall performance and academic habits. This change aligns our 3rd-5th graders with the expectations they will meet in middle and high school, fostering greater accountability and preparing them for future success.
For families, this transition offers a familiar and intuitive way to track progress. While the numerical scale focused on specific milestones, letter grades allow for a wider range of feedback to distinguish between meeting basic requirements and consistently exceeding them. This system ensures a clearer dialogue between teachers and parents, highlighting exactly where a student excels or may need extra support.
Here is the breakdown of the traditional letter grading system:
A - 90-100%
B - 80-89%
C - 70-79%
D - 60-69%
F - 0-59%
Grades K-2 - Remaining with the Numerical Grading System (1-4)
Grades K–2 will continue using the numerical (1–4) grading system to best support our youngest learners. At this foundational level, education is focused on the progressive development of core skills and meeting specific developmental milestones rather than a cumulative letter grade. The 1–4 scale provides a precise way for teachers to communicate exactly where a student is in their learning journey—from beginning to explore a concept to achieving mastery—ensuring that families have a clear understanding of their child's growth in these critical early years.
As a reminder, here is a breakdown of the numerical scores:
4 - Consistently/Independently Meeting the Standard
3 - Meeting the Standard
2 - Approaching the Standard
1- Not Yet Meeting the Standard
TSD Title I-A Parent and Family Engagement Policy
We invite and encourage our families to review the TSD Title I-A Parent and Family Engagement Policy linked to our website. If you have feedback to share, please contact your student’s Title Reading teacher. There will also be a feedback session on 11/19/26 ahead of the School Board Meeting at the THS Performing Art Center.
TSD One Plan Family Engagement
We invite and encourage our families to review the TSD One Plan linked to our website. Talawanda is in year one of our current One Plan. Additional information about the One Plan can be found on the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, linked here.
If you have feedback to share or would like to be part of the parent/community advisory group for our One Plan, please contact Ms. Stephanie Aerni, Director of Teaching & Learning (AerniS@talawanda.org). There will also be a feedback session on 11/19/26 ahead of the School Board Meeting at the THS Performing Art Center.
Peachjar
We are excited to announce a new partnership aimed at improving how we share information with you. Talawanda School District is launching Peachjar this 2026-2027 school year! Peachjar is an innovative digital flyer management system. It transitions our schools from paper handouts to electronic flyer delivery, and assists with ADA compliance to meet the new Ohio law mandates in this area.
Why Are We Making the Switch?
Eco-Friendly: Saves thousands of sheets of paper annually.
Highly Convenient: Delivers school and community resources straight to your inbox.
Accessible: View important updates anytime on your phone or computer.
Saves Time: Frees up valuable administrative and classroom instruction time.
What to Expect as a Parent/Community Member:
You do not need to take any action to register. If your email address is on file with the district, Peachjar will automatically create an account for you.
You will receive a weekly digest email containing school-approved flyers.
You can view flyers by clicking the Peachjar button on our school website.
Your email address is kept entirely confidential and is never shared.
You can opt out or adjust your email frequency at any time.
WHAT'S COMING UP
October
26- Big Brother Big Sister After School
28- 3rd Grade to Hueston Woods
29- 4th Grade to Governor Bebb
30- Halloween Celebrations
November
2- Big Brother Big Sister After School
3- No School (Professional Development Day)
9- Big Brother Big Sister After School
11- 4th Grade Concert 7pm
13- End of 1st Trimester
16- Big Brother Big Sister After School
23-27- Thanksgiving Break
30- Big Brother Big Sister After School
December
10-5th Grade Concert 7pm
21- January 5- Winter Break
January
6- First Day Back
18- No School (MLK Jr. Day)
February
10- 2nd Grade Concert 7pm
15- No School (President's Day)
24- 3rd Grade Concert 7pm
26- End of Second Trimester
March
9- Conferences 4:00-7:30
10- 4th& 5th Grade Author Visit
11- Conferences 4:00-7:30
22-26 Spring Break
29- No School
April
May
3- No School (Data Day)
4- No School (Professional Development Day)
27- Last Day of School for Students
