Gearity PDS

Greetings Gearity Families:

Three weeks until school starts! Gearity PDS staff members are excited to welcome all Pre-K through 5th grade students to the 26-27 school year!

1st - 5th grade students return to school on August 19th.
Kindergarten families can learn about the Kindergarten program by attending the Annual Kindergarten Kickoff event which will be held at Heights High School on August 11th - details are in the flyer linked below. Kindergarten students will follow a staggered start schedule where they come in based on the first letter of their last name: last names A-I - August 19, last names J-R - August 20, last names S-Z - August 21. The staggered start allows for the teachers to assess students in small groups. The teachers will then call kindergarten families the afternoon of August 21st to share which homeroom they have been placed into. All kindergarten students come daily starting August 24th.
Preschool orientations will take place August 24th and 25th with the first day of classes on the 26th - more details will be coming soon from the preschool team!

The school day starts at 8:45 and students dismiss at 3:25. Homeroom teacher information will be available in Infinite Campus a few days before school starts. We will have staff at the school entrances with teacher rosters to make sure students know where to go to meet their teachers and classmates.

It is not too late to participate in the Superintendent’s Summer Reading Challenge if you haven’t started yet. The program will end on August 14th and is a part of the Heights Library Summer Reading Challenge. When entered in the Reading Challenge, students are participating in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School summer reading assignment and the Superintendent’s Summer Reading Challenge! Since we are collaborating with the Heights Library, students should stop by any Heights Library Branch for a paper reading log or to sign up with Beanstack, the app for logging reading electronically. Tell students that if they need help to visit a branch of the library or go to Heights Library Summer Challenge. They can read whatever they would like and should log each day.

I want to share some important information with your family that can assist with planning the start of the new school year:

Save Money on School Supplies: Ohio's sales tax holiday runs from August 7th - 9th and is a great way to stock up on back to school supplies since you can save money by not paying sales tax. Visit the Ohio Department of Taxation web page for more details.

School Supply Lists: Please check out your student's grade level supply list to ensure that they are ready on day one for class work. Please let our school counselor, Mrs. Higham, know if you need assistance with school supplies.

Registration Information: New student registration can be completed online or in person. Find instructions, required documents, and contact information here. Please share the registration link with new neighbors or friends who may need help getting their children registered for the start of the school year.

Food Service: Our District will continue to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students through a Federally funded grant program this school year. Students are able to bring meals from home but we ask that you have a conversation with your student about not sharing or trading outside food due to allergy issues. Please make sure you let the school nurse and homeroom teachers know if your students have any allergies or dietary needs as we will work with AVI (food service provider) to accommodate them. You can see the monthly menus by clicking on this link.

Attendance Matters! School attendance has a direct impact on student learning outcomes. It is crucial that all students come to school on time daily. Please do your best to schedule doctors appointments outside of the school day. Any absence counts towards the state's definition of chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year) unless the student is with the school for a field trip. Students should stay home if they have a fever over 100, have thrown up or have diarrhea. Please contact Nurse DeLambo at 320-4854 if you have questions about your child's health as she can give guidance about their attendance at school.

Transportation: Elementary students who live more than one mile from our school are eligible for bus transportation. You can call the Transportation Department (216-371-7195) weekdays from 6:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m to find out if your student is eligible. You can find out more about transportation at this link if you have further questions.

Before and After Care: Our District partners with Right at School to provide before and after school supervision for students. If you are interested in the program you can click here for more details.

The MetroHealth School Program: The CHUH schools also partner with MetroHealth to provide our families with health services. If you are interested in learning more about the program you can click here. The MetroHealth Program is a great service for immunizations, physicals and basic medical services.

Enjoy the last few weeks of summer,

Mr. Mc Nichols

Principal

Mr. Mc Nichols

Principal, Gearity Professional Development School

Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District

Important Links!

School Supply Lists: Gearity Elementary

Food Service: You can see the monthly menus by clicking on this link.

Registration Information: New student registration can be completed online or in person. Find instructions, required documents, and contact information here. Please share the registration link with new neighbors or friends who may need help getting their children registered for the start of the school year.

Student Code of Conduct: Link to the Student Code of Conduct and Anti-Bully forms.

District Plan for Communications with Persons with Disabilities

The District has adopted a plan for communications with persons with disabilities, which is available at the following link: Communication Plan. The plan establishes procedures to ensure that the District's communications with persons with disabilities, including applicants, participants, members of the public, and companions with disabilities, are as effective as its communications with others.