February Newsletter

Escuela Families,

As the weather continues to be unpredictable, please be sure to check the forecast daily and send your child to school dressed appropriately. Students should wear coats, hats, and gloves each day, and just so you are aware, we remind them to put on and zip their coats before leaving the building. Please talk with your child about the importance of wearing their coat so they stay healthy. If your family is in need of winter clothing items, please contact Nurse Ohashi or your child’s teacher, and we will be happy to support.

Our 3rd–6th grade students will take the ELA Ohio State Test (OST) between March 23rd and April 17th. The Math and Science OST will take place from April 20th through May 8th, and the i-Ready Spring Diagnostic will be administered from May 11th through May 22nd. Teachers will share specific testing dates and times at the beginning of March. We ask that families avoid scheduling appointments on testing days, as make-up testing is very difficult to arrange. Please also help your child by ensuring they get a good night’s rest and eat a healthy breakfast on testing days. Thank you for your continued support of your children and our staff.

Please SAVE THE WEEK: Spring Break will be held from April 3rd through April 10th.

Ms. Natasha Allen & Ms. Marcela Velazquez

Important Dates:

Feb 13 NO SCHOOL

Feb 16 President's Day - NO SCHOOL

Office hours are 7:30 to 3:00 pm. If you call before 7:30 am, please leave a message. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Only tardy students enter from the Office doors. All other students enter from the door on Field Ave. Students are considered late at 8:05 am.

If you need to change your child's dismissal procedure, please call the office BEFORE 12:00 PM. Last minute changes to the dismissal list causes chaos in the classroom.

ALL students get picked up from the car line. Only walkers go out the door on Western Ave. If you need to pick up a student from the office, try to pick up no later than 1:45 to avoid confusion during dismissal time. Thank you for your cooperation.

Escuela Families,

We are sharing our year-to-date attendance data so you can see how our school is performing and how we can continue working together to support student success. Please take a moment to review the image attached to this post.

What the data shows:

• Our year-to-date attendance is 94.71%
• Our schoolwide goal is 98% daily attendance
• Attendance declined during Quarter 2, which impacted our overall average
• We have had 1,627 unexcused absence days, compared to 703 excused days
• The chart on the right shows attendance by grade level, with percentages for each grade

While we are making progress, the number of unexcused absences is a key area of concern. Even a few missed days can quickly add up and affect learning.

What we are doing at school:

To support improved attendance, we are implementing several school-wide and classroom-level initiatives, including:

Roll Out of Bed Mondays, to encourage strong attendance at the start of the week
Classroom attendance challenges and incentives
Ongoing monitoring and support for students with frequent absences
Celebrating classes and students who show improved or consistent attendance

Why this matters:
When students are present every day, they benefit academically, socially, and emotionally. Daily attendance helps students stay connected to learning and to their school community.

As we move forward, our focus is on:

Increasing daily attendance across all grade levels
Reducing unexcused absences
Partnering with families to ensure students are at school every day, on time, unless they are truly ill

Thank you for reviewing this information and for your continued partnership. If your family needs support related to attendance or has questions, please reach out. WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

ATTENTION: 6th Grade Parents/Guardians!

Hello, parents and guardians of 6th graders. If you have not yet applied for 7th grade, now is the time to do so. Many schools have limited spots, and space is filling up quickly. Please read the following suggestions regarding applications for 7th grade:

It is encouraged that any English learners attend Jones Leadership Academy. This school works closely with Escuela SMART, and it also has a robust ELL program just like us. This is the best place for your English learner to continue learning English in an environment with ELL support. Once students are proficient in English, they will have the opportunity to apply to other TPS magnet schools for future school years.

All Escuela SMART students who continue to demonstrate strong academic effort and positive behavior have a guaranteed spot at Jones Leadership Academy. You still MUST apply to the school. The application for JLAB is here:
https://jonesleadershipacademyofbusiness.tps.org/application/apply_today_.

Other TPS magnet schools are also accepting students for 7th grade. We encourage you to apply to all schools that interest your child. It will not hurt your chances if you apply to a handful of schools. Applying and being accepted does not mean your child is enrolled in that school. In the month of April, you will enroll your child in the school of his or her choice. If your child has to decide between two schools, enrollment in the selected school will finalize the decision. Enrollment instructions will be available in early spring.

Here is the application for Toledo Technology Academy:
https://tta.tps.org/applicants/apply_today_

Here is the application for Toledo Pre-Medical and Health Science Academy:
https://www.tpsmed.org/apply_now

Here is the application for Aerospace and Natural Science Academy of Toledo: https://ansat.tps.org/application/apply_today

Here is the application for Toledo Early College. This school is not generally recommended because it is a very rigorous school for students who are truly ready to be college students in the 9th grade. Success at this school takes extreme discipline and commitment:

https://toledoearlycollege.tps.org/application/apply_today_

If you have any questions or need help with the application process, please email Mrs. Szozda directly at kszozda@tps.org

If you speak Spanish and would like any application assistance, please contact

Gaby Rodriguez Diaz at crodrigu@tps.org or (419) 261-6178.

Hello Escuela Families,

I wanted to let everyone know that due to budget cuts at TPS, I will no longer be at Escuela full time, only part time. For now, Monday, Wednesday, and every other Friday I will be at Escuela. We are still trying to figure out the best schedule that will meet the needs of our families at both schools. I will keep you updated with any changes to the schedule.

I hope everyone enjoyed the snow these past few days. With the constant changes in weather, please make sure that your children are wearing appropriate clothing for the weather. A coat, hat, and gloves are important to keep your child safe in the winter. We gave these items to each student a few months ago, but if you are in need of gloves or hats, please let me know and I will make sure your child gets them.

Vision Mobile

I am thankful for the partnership with Health Partners of Western Ohio for providing Vision Outreach services to our school. We would like to welcome the doctor and his team. They provided amazing vision services to our students last year. This year we will welcome their team to our school from February 3rd - 6th. Thank you to all who turned in their consent forms.

Remember, they do a complete comprehension vision test. If your child needs glasses, they will provide glasses for them. It does take 2-3 weeks to receive them. If you have insurance, they will bill your insurance with no cost to you. If you do not have insurance, the services are free. Remember we need a signed consent form on file for your child to receive these services.

Dental Mobile

On February 12th - 20th, we will have a dental mobile van coming to our school. They offer dental services to our students who have a signed consent on file. The type of dental services that they offer are dental cleanings and sealants. They do not fill cavities or any other major dental work. If your child has cavities, they will be referred to a dentist. If you have insurance, they will bill your insurance. If you do not have insurance it is a free service for your child. Please remember that most insurances allow two cleanings every six months. This will count as one of the cleanings billed to your insurance. If you have any other questions, let me know. I have sent consent forms home since August. If you have not signed one and would like your child to receive dental services, please message me or call me at 419-671-5550 and ask for Nurse Martha.

Community Health Resources:

Old West End Community Health Center

https://hpwohio.org/location/old-west-end-community-health-center

(Medical, Dental, Vision, Behavioral services, pharmacy)

Tienen aparato para transducir en Espanol

2244 Collingwood BLVD

Toledo OH 43620

567-318-3891

Hours 8am-8pm

Riverside Community Health Center

https://hpwohio.org/location/riverside-community-health-center

(Medical, Pharmacy)

Se Habla Espanol

405 Woodville Road
Toledo, OH 43605
(567) 318-3900 Pharmacy: (567)249-1820

Medical: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Pharmacy: Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Cordelia Martin Health Center

https://nhainc.org/cordelia-martin-health-center/

(Medical, Mental Health)

615 Division St.

Toledo OH, 43604

419-255-7883

Monday – Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Thank you,

Nurse Martha

Hola Escuela Family,

Greetings from the Wonderful World of Music!

I hope this message finds you well and staying warm during this chilly season.

Thank you to all the families who were able to attend our Kindergarten–2nd Grade Winter Music Concert in December. The students truly enjoyed performing, and it was wonderful to see the creativity and enthusiasm reflected in their attire. If you have any photos or videos from the concert that you would be willing to share, please feel free to send them to me via a private Dojo message.

Looking ahead, our Spring Music Concert for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students will take place on May 7 at 5 p.m. The concert will center around an Earth Day theme, highlighting ways we can care for our planet and one another. It promises to be a meaningful and engaging performance.

Please encourage your child’s full participation in class, as they will be showcasing the work we will be developing over the coming months. A detailed letter will be sent home closer to the performance date, outlining arrival time, performance attire, and other important information.

Thank you for your continued support of our music program. I truly appreciate our school community and look forward to a successful remainder of the school year.

Sincerely,
Mr. Berns