Fairfield Panther Paw

We are at the final Friday before school begins. We got to speak to many families last night at the Popsicle with the Principal event and everyone agreed that the summer went fast. But we are ready to start another awesome school year at Fairfield! The teachers return on Monday with our first group of students starting on Thursday. We are excited to welcome our Fairfield families back and we extend a very warm welcome to our new students, our new families and our new staff members. Please make sure that you have done all the checking of information including school supplies, staggered start date, Meet the teacher night and updating student information in Infinite Campus. Please contact our office if you have any questions.

Assistant Principal: Kyle Babbitt

Secretary: Daniella Schmidt

Attendance Secretary: Jennifer Todd

School Counselor: Nikki Arnold

School Nurse: Tami Tackett

School Nursing Assistant: Nick Root

Email: stacy_tennenbaum@plsd.us
Website: www.pickerington.k12.oh.us
Location: 13000 Coventry Avenue, Pickerington, OH, USA
Phone: 614-834-7600

August 13: Meet the Teacher 4:30-6:15

August 14 and 15: Staggered Start - starting date has been emailed.

August 14-15-18: Kindergartener screening days --- Parents contact office to schedule

August 18: First day of school for all students 1-4

August 19: First day for all Kindergarteners

September 1: No School - Labor Day

It is VERY important that your child’s dismissal procedure remain consistent, however, we understand that there may be times that these plans will need to be changed. If you must change the way your child is to be dismissed, we ask that all changes be made in the PIKMYKID App. The cut off to make any change is 11:45am for AM Kindergarten and 3pm full day students. For any emergency changes after 11:45 am(for Morning KG) /3pm (for all others) please call the front office.

Are you a Walker? Walkers are only students who live within the 2 miles range from the school. For safety reasons please make sure your walker knows how to get home. If they don't please plan to pick them up in the car-line. Once they leave the school property the school is not responsible for making sure they get home safely. If you need to change them to the car-rider please make that change in the PIKMYKID app by 3pm.

Are you a Bus rider? Students residing more than 2.0 miles from school will be placed on a bus route with Petermann Transportation. If your student is assigned to a bus the only options for pick up at the end of the day is car-rider or after schoolYMCA/Daycare bus. For bus information please contact Peterman Transportation at 614-837-8525 or check the PLSD website for more information. No bus student is permitted to walk home or walk to another designated area ( outside of school) to be picked up by car. If you are picking up your student by car you must pick up on the car line only and make the change before 3pm in the PIKMYKID app.

Do you ride a Daycare Bus? Students attending an after school Daycare facility( such as Goddard and La Petite..etc) will be picked up by the designated Daycare bus. If your child is absent or picked up early from school please be sure to also contact the daycare to let them know they are absent as well. If they are not riding the daycare bus home please make the change in the PIKMYKID app as well as contact the Daycare facility.

We will send students home by what is listed in PikMyKid. Please do not communicate with the teacher or your student to make those changes. Thank you for following our procedures to ensure the safety of our students.

To ensure an efficient and safe dismissal for students being picked up, please follow these simple procedures:

1. Make sure parent pick up is designated in the PikMyKid app. Students will default to either walker or bus rider and will need to be changed.

2. Dismissal begins at 3:55 and ends at approximately 4:15. Please be on time for pick up.

3. This year, we will not have you "announce" your students. You will place you student ID tag for PikMykid in view for the staff members to see. You will pull all the way up and wait for your student to arrive.

4. We realize that the line can be long at times but please be patient with our staff and the other families.

5. Families are responsible for picking up students by 4:15 which is the end of the day for staff. Failure to pick up students on time may result in students having to be dismissed to their district assigned transportation mode and will not be eligible for parent pick up.

Please make sure that you do the annual update for your student in Infinite Campus. This ensures that we have current information in case of emergency and it also grants permission for your student to participate in field trips.

PLSD is hosting 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.

We would like your assistance in promoting this event through your building-level newsletters and social media platforms. To facilitate this, we have created a Toolkit (Google folder) with resources for your use.

All new students to Pickerington Schools must present written evidence of immunizations or written evidence to indicate that they are in the process of receiving immunizations, to be completed no later than the day of entrance. Students failing to complete immunizations within 14 days after entering are not permitted to return to school.

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

• Cover à la carte purchases

• 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.)

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).

• Academic fees: Assigned after the September 8 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!

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