Leighton Update

Dear Leighton Families,

We cannot believe that the first quarter of the 26-27 school year came to a close this past Friday! Please keep in mind that report cards will be finalized and posted to ProgressBook for the first quarter next Friday, October 23rd. To celebrate the end of the quarter, we recognized our Greenmen Bus Award winners for each grade level this week. These students were highlighted by our bus drivers for demonstrating expected behaviors on their daily routes and were rewarded for their great efforts.

As you read through this newsletter, you will find several important details and upcoming reminders. Please take a moment to review the important reminders included below regarding our arrival procedures and medication policies to help keep our drop-off line efficient and our students safe. Parent-Teacher Conferences will also be taking place over the next couple of weeks, and your child's teacher has likely already scheduled a time with you or will be finalizing those details soon. Additionally, early registration for our Laps for Leighton Fun Run is currently open. We are excited to hold our student kickoff assembly this Thursday, which is sure to get everyone energized! We already have 22% of our students registered which is incredible and and those early registrants will be entered into a grade-level drawing to win a free 26-27 Leighton yearbook.

For our 3rd-grade families, please note that our 3rd graders will be taking the Fall ELA Ohio State Test (OST) starting next week; specific testing dates for each homeroom are again listed further down in the newsletter. Please also note that the first 5th-grade band concert had to be rescheduled and will now take place on November 3rd at Aurora High School starting at 7:00 PM. We are looking forward to a fun end of October and a strong start to the second quarter.

Have a wonderful weekend! Go Greenmen and Go GUARDS!

Sincerely,

Spencer Warders

Principal

To help our morning drop-off run as safely and efficiently as possible, we would like to share a quick reminder regarding our car rider line traffic flow.

Recently, we have noticed an increase in vehicles traveling down Greenmen Way from Miller Elementary and attempting to turn left into the Leighton car rider loop. Making a left turn into the line disrupts traffic flow and creates significant delays in unloading students.

To keep the line moving smoothly for everyone, please strictly follow our designated drop-off route shown on the map below. Additionally car riders should only use this area to drop students off in the morning. Also, students cannot exit their vehicles until 8:50 am. We have had an increase of students exiting well before this time and we do not have supervision for student prior to 8:50.

Thank you for your partnership, patience, and cooperation in keeping our students and campus safe.

Leighton will have its school wide "Fun Run" on October 30th. This is the culminating activity for Leighton's only school wide fundraiser. Please save the date for this event as it will be at the High School Stadium, weather permitting. The event will be held in Leighton Gym if raining.

If your student registers early on mybooster.com, by October 21st, they will be entered into a grade specific drawing to win a 26-27 Leighton School Yearbook!

Leighton is in need of a full-time paraeducator. This role would be working with our classroom teacher(s) and/or intervention specialist in supporting our students with special needs in a variety of ways. No previous experience in this role is required. A love for children, a collaborative attitude, and a desire to learn are all highly recommended traits.

If interested please click the button below to read more about the role, qualifications and to apply for the position. If you have more questions you can reach out to:

Mike Maglionico - Director of Pupil Services

mmaglionico@aurora-schools.org

or

Spencer Warders - Principal Leighton Elementary

swarders@aurora-schools.org

Our 3rd Graders will be taking the Fall Reading Ohio State Test (OST) next week, October 19th through the 23rd. This will be the first experience our 3rd grade students have taking an OST. This is not for a grade in their class; however, we do want our students to give their best effort and give an appropriate representation of their ability.

Schedule for the week is as follows:

10/19 and 10/20 3rd Grade Fall ELA part 1 and 2

Homerooms: Grabfelder, Yusko, Yaeger, McNally, Bindus

10/21 and 10/22 3rd Grade Fall ELA part 1 and 2

Homerooms: Heffernan, Leone, Goldhamer, Mastri

10/23 Make-ups

If you know your child will be absent on their test date please email Mrs. Wadkins at nwadkins@aurora-schools.org to notify the school as soon as possible so we can schedule an alternative date for these assessments. Thank you!

Please ensure your child gets a good night's rest and has breakfast in the morning to ensure they are ready to show what the know and give their best effort. Your support and partnership is always appreciated!

We have seen an increase of students bringing in medications both over-the-counter (Tylenol, cough medicine etc.) and prescription medications without the proper forms and processes in place. As a reminder, students are not permitted to carry medication at school or keep in their bags/lockers unless they have a signed order from their physician allowing them to "self-carry" the medication. Please review and thank you for your attention in keeping our school safe. The medication procedure from our handbook is below:

Medication Procedures:

We recommend that all student medication be administered at home. The school nurse or the school nurse’s designee will administer any oral medication at school if the need arises. Written AUTHORIZATION signed by a parent and physician is required for ANY/ALL MEDICATION. Authorization instructions need to include: child’s name, the name of the medication, the purpose of the medication, the time it is to be administered, the dosage, possible side effects, and the termination date for administering the medicine. It is required that medication is in the original prescription bottle. Parents assume responsibility for informing the nurse of any change in a student's medication.

If a prescription or over-the-counter medication is needed to support your child during the school day, it must be accompanied by a physician/nurse practitioner signed document. There is one such document located on the Aurora City Schools website (request for medication administration form) or available at each school.

Questions please email Nurse Harper at eharper@aurora-schools.org

Leighton is proud to host a building-wide assembly honoring our community’s and nation’s military veterans. We invite student-connected veterans to attend as our honored guests so we can recognize and celebrate their service. Due to this being an assembly during the school day, and our entire student body utilizing the gym during this time, we cannot allow parents to attend the assembly. However, they can if they are being recognized as one of our school community's veteran's, or their accompanying guest.

Assembly Details

• Date: Wednesday, November 11th

• Time: 2:15 PM (Veteran's will have cookies and juice with students after assembly; will need to have parking lot cleared by 3:15 for bus dismissal)

• Location: Leighton Gymnasium

If your student has a veteran in their life who can join us, please complete the Google form to RSVP. by October 18th.

Students are invited to wear costumes during the school day on October 30th. Guidelines for costumes are as follows:

Fall Festival Costumes – Costumes will be permitted but the costume cannot hinder the educational environment. Masks will only be permitted to be worn during the class parties. No make-up, blood, props, weapons or anything that promotes violence are permitted as part of the costume. All costumes must be appropriate for the school setting.

Laps for Leighton Fun Run Details: For safety reasons, running in a full costume is not permitted. If your child chooses to wear a costume, please make sure it is easy for them to change in and out of independently.

Thank you for helping us keep this fun-filled day safe and comfortable for all our students!

Our Leighton students have been busy creating in their art classes with Mrs. Girbino's guidance all quarter long. Click the link below to access the Art Room News page to read and see more.

Please click the green button below to submit a change in your student's daily transportation,

or to inform us of an early dismissal time. Any changes made by phone are not guaranteed.

*Daily dismissal begins at 3:25PM. Last available time to pickup your child early is 3:15PM.*

When reporting your child's absence, please call 330-562-2209 and select option 1. You will be prompted to leave a message with the name of your child and the reason for the absence. If you need to talk to our attendance secretary, Mrs. Mariah George, please select 0 and you will be connected during normal school hours.

OCTOBER

19th-23rd- 3rd Grade Fall Reading OST

22nd- Parent Teacher Conferences 4:30 - 7:30

28th- Parent Teacher conferences 4:30 - 7:30

30th- Leighton Fun Run / Fall Festivals

NOVEMBER

3rd- 5th grade Band Concert @ AHS 7:00 pm *RESCHEDULED*

11th- Veteran’s Day Assembly (2:15 - 2:45)

12th- School Picture Retake Day

16th- 20th- PTO Book Fair

19th- Leighton Choir - Akron Children’s Hospital Festival of Trees charity event. (11:00 AM)

25th-27th- NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break

30th- SCHOOL RESUMES

DECEMBER

14th- 5th Grade - General Music concert - Location: Leighton Elementary Gym - (6:30 PM)

14-18th- PTO Holiday Shop

17th- 4th/5th Grade - Orchestra concerts - Location: Aurora High School - 4th Grade (6:30 PM) / 5th Grade (7:30 PM)

18th- Winter Festival - classroom parties

18th- End of 2nd grading period

21st- NO SCHOOL - Winter Break - through January 4

You can track your child's lunch account by setting up your profile.

You may also send in cash or a check written out to the

"Aurora City Schools".

DAF Day was this past week!

A Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) is a charitable investment account that allows you to personally make a tax-deductible contribution, grow those assets tax-free, and recommend donations to your favorite charities over time.

The Leighton Amphitheater Outdoor Classroom is just one example of what community generosity can make possible for Aurora students.

Have a DAF? Consider recommending a grant to the Aurora Schools Foundation and help fund more innovative and imaginative student opportunities.

Learn more about donating to ASF at

https://auroraschoolsfoundation.org/donate/

swarders@aurora-schools.org

Jeff Morris - Assistant Principal

jamorris@aurora-schools.org

Halston Pratt - Building Secretary

hgarzapratt@aurora-schools.org

Mariah George - Attendance Secretary

mgeorge@aurora-schools.org

Email: swarders@aurora-schools.org

Website: aurora-schools.org
Location: 121 Aurora Hudson Road, Aurora, OH, USA
Phone: (330)562-2209