GRRR Gazette

775 Long Rd.

Pickerington, OH 43147

Secretary: christy_jocek@plsd.us

Join us on Thursday, October 22, 2026, from 9:45 AM in the school cafeteria for the Pickerington Elementary October Family Session!

We are thrilled to celebrate our building’s incredible 4.5-star report card rating, a milestone made possible by the hard work of our students, staff, and families. Along with enjoying complimentary donuts, families will gain valuable insights into state testing and diagnostics to better understand how we reached this high score and how to support student learning.

In addition to celebrating our academic achievements, this session offers an important opportunity to meet Dr. Smialek and ask questions about the upcoming school levy. Whether you want to learn more about district planning, understand state assessments, or simply connect with fellow parents over breakfast, we would love to see you there. Mark your calendars and come celebrate our school community’s success!

Dress Like Your Favorite Book or Movie Character Costume Parade!

Get ready to step right out of the pages of a book! On Friday, October 30th, our elementary school will transform into a living library as we host a "Dress Like Your Favorite Book Character or Movie" Day!

We encourage every student to dive into their favorite stories and use their creativity to bring a beloved character to life. This is a day to celebrate the joy of reading and the incredible adventures found in books.

We will start our costume parade at 10:00AM. Parents may join us outside the school and see all of our students in their awesome costumes.

Please remember these important safety and school guidelines:

• All costumes must be based on a character from a published book or age appropriate movie.

• Costumes should not include gore, horror, or violent themes.

• For safety, please avoid full-face masks, face paint that covers the entire face, or props that could be mistaken for weapons.

• Make sure your child can easily wear their costume all day, including at recess and lunch.

Our focus in Pickerington is on awareness, communication and support—not simply counting absences.

Why does attendance matter?
Regular attendance gives students consistent opportunities to learn from their teachers, collaborate with classmates, participate in classroom experiences and build the knowledge and skills that support their success.

What can families expect?

At 38 hours of missed instructional time:

Your school will contact you to make you aware of the amount of instructional time your student has missed. This early communication is intended to provide families with information before a student reaches the state's 5% attendance threshold.

What is the 5% threshold?

Ohio considers missing 5% or more of the instructional time for which a student is enrolled to be a level of absenteeism that requires additional attention and intervention.

At 65 hours of missed instructional time:

Your school will make personalized contact with your family. This provides an opportunity to talk about your student's attendance, understand any challenges that may be getting in the way of regular attendance and connect you with support or resources when needed.

Why does missed time matter?

We understand that students sometimes need to be absent. Illness, appointments, family circumstances and other situations happen, and absences will continue to be identified as excused or unexcused based on the reason for the absence and applicable District requirements.

At the same time, even an excused absence means a student misses something—a lesson, a class discussion, time with classmates, hands-on learning or an opportunity to practice an important skill.

Our goal is to recognize concerns early and work alongside families before attendance becomes a bigger challenge.

Every day a student is able to be at school is another opportunity to learn, connect and grow. Together, we can help our students make the most of those opportunities.

For more information, visit Student Attendance: What Families Need to Know on the Pickerington Local Schools website.

Oct. 9 - Records Day *No School*

Oct. 12 - *No School*

Oct. 13 - Parent Teacher Conferences *No School*

Oct. 25 - Movie Day

Oct. 25 - 30 - Book Fair

Oct. 30 - Costume Parade

2026–2027 PTO Board

Co-Presidents: Kristy Hoeflich & Jackie Nice
Vice President: Kayla Hamlin
AP Treasurer: Stephanie Pringle
AR Treasurer: Courtney Adams
Secretary: Maria Arrubarrena-Hurtado

HALLOWEEN MOVIE DAY

Mark your calendars for an afternoon of Halloween fun!

Sunday, October 25

2:00–4:00 PM

Pickerington Elementary

Movie: To Be Determined

Admission: Free

Costumes: Wear your Halloween costume!

Costume Contest: One lucky winner will take home a BOO Basket prize!

Popcorn: Free

Pizza: Slices available for purchase

Concessions: Available for purchase

Come hang out with your PE friends, wear your favorite costume, grab some popcorn, and enjoy an afternoon together!

Mark your calendars! Join us for a delicious way to support our school at our Chipotle Fundraiser on Tuesday, October 13, from 5:00–9:00 PM.

Location: Chipotle, 1291 Hill Road N

- Dine in: Show the fundraiser flyer when ordering in the restaurant.
- Order online: Place an order for pickup at this location during fundraiser hours and use promo code WTLKZXT at checkout.

FALL BOOK FAIR

Our Fall Book Fair is coming up Monday, October 26 – Friday, October 30!

We are also excited to have the Book Fair open during our Halloween Movie Day on Sunday, October 25!

We need volunteers to help students shop for their favorite books during their scheduled library times throughout the week. Your help will make it easier for our students to find the books they love!

Volunteer Requirement:

All volunteers must complete the PLSD Volunteer Form before volunteering. If you haven't completed one yet, please do so here:

PLSD Volunteer Form

Once you have completed the volunteer form, please sign up for a Book Fair volunteer spot here:

Fall Book Fair Volunteer Sign-Up

Thank you to everyone who continues to volunteer and support our school. We couldn't do all of this without you!

Thank you, Pickerington Elementary families!

To give our families a smoother, safer, and more consistent experience across Pickerington Local Schools, Pickerington Elementary is using PikMyKid for all student dismissal changes this school year!

What is PikMyKid?

It’s our new one-stop app to manage your child’s end-of-day plans—whether it’s parent pick-up, bus changes, or daily updates. If you have kids in other district schools, this means one single app for your whole family!

Next Steps & Action Required:

1. Download the App: Get the PikMyKid app on your phone today!

2. Watch Your Inbox: Keep an eye out for setup instruction.

Absences and Early Dismissals can now be entered in Pikmykid!

Each school year, parents are asked to update and submit the required “Back to School Forms” for their student(s).

These are required each school year and should be completed each year.

The updates include:

• Emergency Medical Authorization
• Student Handbook Acknowledgement
• Device Agreement
• Technology Protection Plan
• Field Trip Authorization Form

Please review and update your student's information by logging into your Infinite Campus Parent Portal and completing the Annual Update. Most of the information will be pre-populated for you and you will simply double-check that the information is still accurate.

The Emergency Medical Form will require you to review and make necessary changes prior to submitting it.

A step by step guide on how to do so is linked below.

National Sports Day is a time for students, families, fans, and athletes to come together and celebrate the sports they love. It is more than just honoring athletic events — it is about recognizing the valuable lessons and lifelong benefits that come from healthy competition.

When students engage in sports, they build critical skills like teamwork, discipline, and perseverance. These habits that extend far beyond the playing field. Similarly, coming to school each day requires that same level of commitment and consistency. Just like in sports, showing up for school each day, putting in the effort, and striving for growth are the keys to success.

On October 16th, we encourage everyone to wear a shirt or jersey representing their favorite sports team. Whether they’re a Tiger, Panther, Buckeye, or simply proud supporters of the Pickerington community. Let’s come together to celebrate National Sports Day with pride and unity!

Every Student and Staff member who participates will receive a special Stay in the Game! sticker to wear or decorate their favorite electronic device.

Let’s make it a day full of school spirit, team pride, and positive energy!

TalkingPoints is a communication platform, like texting, designed to connect teachers with families. We also use it to break down language barriers by providing two-way translation in over 100 languages. This allows our teachers to easily communicate with parents and guardians in their native language, increase family engagement and support your child's learning. CLICK HERE to connect with your child's teacher!

We are excited to tell you that we will be using a program called PurposeFull People this year. This program teaches skills that will help students be successful in school and in life.

We believe that students should have safe, predictable places to learn where they feel included. Students should have healthy and helpful connections with teachers and classmates. They should also experience learning that will help them tackle challenges inside and outside of school. PurposeFull People is more than a set of lessons - it is a partnership between schools and families to create a place where students feel like they belong and learn skills that will help them be the best they can be!

PurposeFull People has three main goals for students:

• Be Kind
• Social skills like listening, friendship, solving conflicts, and leadership. These skills are taught alongside Empathy, Respect, & Cooperation
• Be Strong
• Skills that help students focus, stay organized, and set goals. These skills are taught alongside Responsibility, Courage, & Perseverance
• Be Well
• Skills that help students handle their emotions and deal with stress. ○ These skills are taught alongside Gratitude, Honesty, & Creativity

The path forward is full of growth! We cannot wait to partner with you in this work…

● To teach students how to build strong friendships

● To work together to solve problems, big and small

● To grow skills for life

● To become PurposeFull People

Hello,

We promised to focus our remaining "The Facts" emails and posts on highlights of our successes. Simply said, no one does what we do at the level we do it!

This week's "The Facts" explains that we rank 25th out of 607 Ohio school districts in a very important indicator: "expenditures per equivalent pupil."

So, what does "expenditures per equivalent pupil" mean? It's not simply what we spend on each individual student. Ohio's calculation adjusts student counts based on differences in educational needs and looks specifically at operating expenditures-not capital projects or debt interest. This measure provides a more meaningful way to compare how districts use operating resources while accounting for differences in the students they serve.

This is not a home cooked statistic! The state uses this to help districts assess their value by providing one number to assess how efficiently we meet our goal of improving student achievement! You can find more information at https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Data/Report-Card-Resources! (Source: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, 2024-25 district data)

Thank you for continuing to engage with and support our students and schools!

Charlie

1. Cultivate Academic Excellence – Engage all students in relevant, rich learning experiences that prepare them for career, college, and life.
   
   

2. Provide Modern Facilities – Ensure physically safe spaces that offer diverse opportunities for all students.
   
   

3. Ensure Operating Efficiency – Maximize resources, maintain financial accountability, and operate lean and efficiently.
   
   

4. Be Pillars of Our Community – Pursue opportunities to engage with all residents in meaningful ways.

We are starting the 2025-2026 school year with a clear and exciting vision for our first 100 days. We want to build a truly collaborative and culturally aware community where every student feels a strong sense of belonging. Our goal is to create an environment where each student is not only supported and challenged but also celebrated for their unique background and potential.

We'll be working closely with everyone who plays a part in our students' lives—students, families, educators, and community partners. Our focus is to build a shared commitment to student growth and academic success by honoring the diverse perspectives and experiences that each person brings. We believe that by listening to and learning from each other, we can create a stronger, more supportive school culture.

We will strive to support every student effectively, we'll use timely assessment data as our guide. This data isn't just about numbers; it helps us understand each student's individual needs and celebrate their progress in a meaningful way. We're committed to making sure every student sees measurable growth and feels the joy of learning, while also respecting their personal journey and learning style.

By working together and embracing our diverse community, we can establish a strong foundation for a school year filled with remarkable student success and enduring positive relationships.

• By June 30, 2028, we'll increase reading proficiency by 9 percentage points for all Kindergarten through third-grade students at Pickerington Elementary, as measured by the State Report Card's Early Literacy Component.

• By June 30, 2028, Pickerington Elementary School will increase the percentage of all students and English Language Learners scoring proficient or higher on the 3rd and 4th grade Math OST by 15%.

• By June 2028, we will consistently apply and reflect on strategies such as daily reflection, mindful listening, and positive affirmations to improve self-regulation and interpersonal relationships, as evidenced by Panorama safety and belonging by increasing 3%.