Blacklick Bulletin

Dear Blacklick Families,

As a reminder, there is NO SCHOOL for students on Monday, October 20. This is a work day for our Blacklick staff. Teachers will be working to finalize report cards for quarter 1. Report cards will be sent home with students on Friday, October 24.

Community Night Information:

We would like to make a collection of photos and videos for Community Night (November 20). The videos can have your family reading poems or picture books that teach us about your family or culture. They can be in other languages. They can be about special days or special places. They can teach an important history. The photos can be of your family celebrating anything. Photos will be displayed on screens during Community Night. You can share photos or videos with Mrs. Honeycutt (honeycutta@gjps.org). You can also email her if you have any questions!

Service Learning Project #1:

This Friday our students will participate in our first service learning project of the school year. In the morning students will learn about the Life Care Alliance organization from Nicole Envid (Community Engagement Manager) and the work they do in the community. In the afternoon, students will work together to create winter themed gift bags with festive designs and drawings for seniors supported by Life Care Alliance. Our hope is that each decorated bag will carry kindness and will brighten the homes and hearts of the seniors during this special time of year.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns at 614-759-5100 or by email at grovesk@gjps.org.

Respectfully,

Kristen Groves

Doing a little fall clean-out? If you have any extra playground balls (kickballs, basketballs, soccer balls, footballs, etc.) gathering dust in your garage, we’d love to take them off your hands! Our students would greatly appreciate the extras during recess. Gently used or new donations can be dropped off in the front office. Thank you for your support!

We are excited to share with you that Blacklick will be celebrating Unity Day on Wednesday, October 22nd.

Unity Day is an annual event occurring during National Bullying Prevention Month in October that promotes joining together to create healthier communities through kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. It was started by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center in 2011 and is now celebrated around the world. Students will receive orange stickers to wear to show that we are united in kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.

We hope you’ll take this opportunity to talk to your children about bullying prevention and all the positive things we can do to make healthier communities. For more information on the history of Unity Day and its impact, please go to https://www.PACER.org/bullying/about/history.asp.

Additionally, please click here to be taken to The Kids Mental Health Foundation's landing page for bullying resources.

Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will be taking the Panorama Survey. The survey measures school climate, student engagement, and social-emotional learning. Our survey schedule is below:

Grade 3: TBD

Grade 4: Week of October 20

Grade 5: Week of October 20

*If you would like to opt your child out of the survey, please email your child's teacher and Mrs. Groves (grovesk@gjps.org). Thank you!

SStudents are working on soccer skills and small sided soccer games. The emphasis is on more experienced students sharing their knowledge of the sport with their classmates when developing skills of dribbling and passing. During the small sided soccer games the students are encouraged to use the skills previously practiced.

We will be collecting Candy for the Troops! Do you have extra Halloween candy that you would like to donate to the U.S Military? Please send in all of your extra candy to your child’s classroom teacher by Tuesday, November 7, 2025. We will be partnering with the Buckeye Military Moms Organization out of Worthington, Ohio. This organization will be shipping the candy to US military troops.

The annual Blacklick Elementary Veterans' Day Assembly is scheduled for Tuesday, November 11th. We will be having two assemblies on this date: 9:30 AM and 10:45 AM.

**Our 5th grade students will be performing at the 9:30 AM assembly.

**Our 3rd grade students will be performing at the 10:45 AM assembly.

RSVP Forms will be sent home with students the week of October 13. Please send in the RSVP form to your child's teacher by November 4, 2025.

You can also RSVP by filling out the google form that is linked below:

Veterans Day RSVP - November 11, 2025

We will be recognizing all Veterans and Active Military Guests that attend each assembly.

The Scholastic Book Fair will be coming to Blacklick! Preview days will be the week before but we will be open for sales from November 18-22. Students can shop during Library class, at the Community Night Celebration, or at the Blacklick Bazaar. More details to come as the fair approaches. Please reach out to Mrs. Ball with any questions.

Mark your calendar now and plan to join us on Thursday, November 20 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM!

We will be celebrating the cultures of our amazing Blacklick families!

**There will be special activities to participate in! There will be food trucks on site - Tortilla, Burgers N Smiles, and Kona Ice! The Blacklick book fair will be open in the library during this event! Details are listed below!

Dear Parents,

We invite you to share a few kind words or a heartfelt message for your child's teacher or Blacklick staff member. Our staff works tirelessly to provide the best education and support for our children, and your appreciation can make a significant impact on their day.

Please take a moment to express your gratitude, share a positive experience, or simply say thank you.

Your messages will be shared with the staff member to brighten their day and acknowledge their hard work and dedication.

Thank you for your participation and support!

Staff Tribute: Share Your Thanks

Student attendance is calculated in hours. This includes absences that have been identified as both excused and unexcused by the school, as well as planned absences. Being late or tardy to school does calculate into the total hours absent.

If your child is going to be absent for any portion of the school day, please notify the school. You may report an absence by using our Online Absence Reporting available in the Parent Portal in Infinite Campus. To enter a request follow these simple steps:

1.Log in to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account.

2. Select your child’s profile.

3. Navigate to the Absence Request section.

4. Fill in the required information, including the date and reason for the absence.

5. Submit your request.

You will be able to view the status of your request using the View Requests button.

You may also call Blacklick at 614-759-5100 or email our secretary at lindseyk@gjps.org.

Medical excuses from a doctor can be submitted to Kim Lindsey, our school secretary, through email (lindseyk@gjps.org) or sending in a paper copy.

For food assistance, please come to GRIN. No appointment needed. Come during the listed pantry hours. Bring your photo ID & proof of residency. You may come 2 times/month for canned foods, fresh produce, dairy, meat, toiletries & cleaning supplies.

Pantry Hours:

Every Tuesday 6-8:00 PM

Every Wednesday 10 am - Noon

Every Saturday 9 am - 11:00 am

Questions? Contact Beth Bentley, Program Director at pd@grin4gahanna.org.

"GRIN is an equal opportunity provider."

The October PTO meeting of the school year is scheduled for November 11, 2025 at 6:30 PM in the Blacklick library. All parents/guardians are welcome and encouraged to attend!

PTO Officers for 2025-2026

Kristin Stewart - President

Jess Waxler - Vice President

Emily Smith - Treasurer

Laura Valido - Secretary

Andrea Stump - Board Elect

Need to contact the PTO?

PTOBlacklick@gmail.com

Please click on the link for the Blacklick Family Directory 2025-2026.

A big thank you to Mrs. Stump and the Blacklick PRIDE Partner PTO for putting this directory together for our families this year!

Ohio State Testing Dates are ready for the 2025-2026 school year. Please avoid scheduling vacations or appointments over these dates.

October 14 and October 15 Grade 3 Ohio State Test in Reading

October 14 PTO Meeting in the Blacklick Library at 6:30 PM

October 17 End of Quarter 1

October 20 Staff Work Day - No School for Students

October 24 Report Cards for Quarter 1 go home with students

Nov. 10 Professional Learning Day for Staff - No School for Students

Nov. 11 Veterans Day Assembly (See Details Above)

Nov. 11 PTO Meeting at 6:30 PM in the Blacklick library

Nov. 13 World Kindness Day

Nov. 17 - 21 Book Fair in the library

Nov. 20 Blacklick Community Night (6:00 - 7:30 PM)

Nov. 22 Blacklick Bazaar & Book Fair in the library (8:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
Nov. 26-28: Thanksgiving Break - No School

Dec. 19 End of Quarter 2
Dec. 20 - Jan. 4: Winter Break - No School
Jan. 5: Staff Work Day - No School

Jan. 10: GLHS Ribbon Cutting and Community Tours

Jan. 12: Yearbook Group Photos

Jan. 16: Be the Light PRIDE Talk (Details coming soon)
Jan. 19: Martin Luther King Day - No School

Feb. 3, 4, and 5: Donuts with Grown Ups (Details coming soon)
Feb. 13: Professional Learning Day for Staff - No School for Students
Feb. 16: Presidents Day - No School

Feb. 28: GJEF Gala

March 6: End of Quarter 3
March 9: Staff Work Day - No School

March 20: Conference Comp Day - No School for Students or Staff
Mar. 30-April 3: Spring Break- No School
May 8: Strides for PRIDE Day!

May 15: Talent Show - Grade 5 Students

May 21: Field Day

May 22: Last Day of School for Students

May 26: Teacher Work Day (Last day for staff)

May 28: Report Cards Released to Families