Heritage Newsletter
January 2026
Dear Heritage Families,
As we welcome January 2026, we are grateful for the many moments that made the past year at Heritage so meaningful. Together, our students, staff, and families created a year filled with growth, learning, and connection. From academic achievements to memorable school events , we have seen our students continue to grow both academically and socially. These successes are a direct result of the strong partnership between home and school, and we are thankful for the continued support and involvement of our Heritage families.
Looking ahead, we are energized by the opportunities the new year brings. January offers a fresh start, a time to reflect, set new goals, and build upon the strong foundation already in place. We are excited to continue challenging our students and supporting their individual growth. With collaboration, positivity, and a shared commitment to excellence, we look forward to another year of learning, connection, and success for our entire Heritage community.
Mrs. Maura Neville, Principal
Mr. Jason Call, Assistant Principal
Mr. Gary Vojtush, Assistant Principal
Every school day matters. Attendance law changes with HB96 will start to go into effect as we return from Winter Break. Some changes to note include:
Parent Notifications about absences (Excused and Unexcused) going out sooner when a student reaches 3%.
Avon Local Schools Tier 1-3%, II-7%, III-10% approach to improving attendance. This might include but not limited to: additional communication, informal meetings/talks, and assigning a check in for a friendly face, text message nudges and/or Attendance Intervention Plan.
Medically excused absences are no longer exempt from the total % of hours
Updated website outlining Attendance policies , procedures and resources..
When students are healthy and able to attend, it gives them the chance to keep learning, connect with friends, and grow both socially and academically.
If your family or your child needs support, please reach out to your child’s teacher, building administrators or Christine Thomas (Attendance Officer) for help.
This month students will be taking their MAP Winter benchmark and 3rd graders will also take their mid-year Dibels assessment. We take these assessments three times a year to gauge your child's progress in reading and math. Specific testing dates will be announced by your child's teacher(s). Once the MAP & Dibels window is closed in the coming weeks, and all testing is completed, you will receive a report of their results.
In order to prepare for MAP testing, please make sure your child's Chromebook is charged for school, they have a nutritious breakfast and a good night's sleep. We want to ensure they are in their best form to show how much they have learned throughout the school year.
In the case of indoor recess we have a rotating system of classes being able to use the gym for gross motor play and the stage for board games, card games, puzzles, Legos, drawing, coloring, etc.. Please send your child to school with activities they could participate in when it is their turn on the stage. We have items available, but if there is something specific they like please send it in for them to keep in their lockers.
During this time of year, illnesses tend to spread more easily among children, and we kindly ask families to please keep students home when they are sick to help prevent the spread of illness at Heritage. We do address this in our student handbook, as stated below.
Illness at School
If a student comes ill at school, he / she will be sent to the office, and if necessary, a parent will be contacted to pick up the student, ideally within 30 minutes. Students should not take it upon themselves to call / text / email their parents / guardians to pick them up from school directly. They must first notify the office or nurse in the clinic that they are ill. Student may not be in school if he/she has any of the following:
• Diarrhea / loose stools within the last 24 hours
• Vomiting within the last 24 hours
• Sore throat, difficulty swallowing, white spots on tonsils or throat
• Severe cough, congestion, drainage or relentless sneezing
• Undetermined rash / itching
• Temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
• Red, itching, burning or crusting of one / both eyes
• Eggs (nits), or head lice - until declared nit / lice free by the school nurse
Note: Students must be fever / vomit / diarrhea free without medication (for example: Tylenol) for 24 hours prior to returning to school. Also, students diagnosed with a condition requiring antibiotics (ex. pink eye, strep throat) must be on an effective antibiotic for 24 hours and symptom free before returning to school.
As we are coming back from winter break we wanted to give everyone a reminder about devices, including phones, smart watches and iPads at Heritage. Please see the information below that is taken directly from our student handbook.
Personal gaming devices, video cameras, cameras, laser pens, walkie-talkies, smart watches, smart glasses or distracting technology are not permitted on school grounds or in school buses, unless otherwise noted by the administration. Cellular telephones and music-producing devices may not be accessed during the school day. Cell phones and music producing devices must be stowed in a locker at all times during the school day. Technology devices may be used for curricular-driven instructional purposes only.
Drinks/Open Containers
Please note, per our handbook, "Water is the only approved beverage in classrooms and hallways. Open containers of drinks such as coffee, tea, smoothies, juice, pop, canned drinks etc., are not to be brought into the building upon arriving at school, or after lunch. Any child who brings in a beverage, other than water, will need to finish it in the office before being sent to class. Students are not permitted to bring food for others."
Lunch Drop Off
Please note your child's lunch time when dropping off lunch. If your child does not have a lunch at their scheduled time, we will send them through the cafeteria line for food. Students are not able to wait for lunch to arrive or eat later than their scheduled lunch time.
Lost and Found
Our lost and found items are donated on the last Friday of each month. Please have your child check the tables in each rotunda if they have lost something.
Late Arrival
Please remember that if you are dropping your student off later than 7:30 am, you must walk them to one of the offices and sign them in.
School Fees
You are encouraged to pay school fees each school year for your student. Payments can be made online using https://payschoolscentral.com/ or you can bring a check made payable to “Avon Board of Education” in an envelope marked “student fees” and turn it in to the Heritage office.
Students who have unpaid school fees will not be permitted to attend field trips.
Notes to School
Please remember to add your child's first and last name to any notes that need to be sent to the school offices. While their homeroom teacher may have only one student by that name in their classroom, we have many students with the same first name throughout Heritage school.
Attendance
Please use our attendance line 440-937-9661 to call off your child for the day. We ask that you do not leave a message for early dismissal on the attendance line. Send a note or call our main offices for any early dismissals.
School safety is in the front of everyone's mind and always a priority for us at Heritage. Along with keeping our exterior doors locked at all times we also have several procedures below that help with student safety.
Sign-Out
To ensure the safety and security of our students at Heritage Elementary we ask that if you are picking your child up early from school, you bring your identification card to the office when signing your child out. Our office staff will ask you to identify yourself and hold your ID card up to the window for verification. This will help us ensure you are a safe adult for one of our children. We also ask that you pick-up your child from the office that is closest to his/her classroom. Thank you in advance for cooperating with this very important procedure.
Dropping Off Items
To promote safety, we will be limiting guests entering our Main Office areas. Therefore, parents needing to drop off items at the school will be doing so within the double door vestibule areas, where a table will be set up to leave the marked item(s) example: lunchbox. This table will also have a sign-in area if your child were to arrive late due to a given reason. Guests can always push the buzzer to ask questions with the office personnel. We ask that you drop-off items at the office that is closest to his/her classroom.
Student Illness During the School Day
In the event your child is sick, the office and/or nurse will contact you directly. Teachers are busy instructing our students and are unable to answer any type of communication about sickness during the day. We also ask that students do not email or text their parents during our school day to report illness. All communication must go through the office in order for us to know who we are expecting and when.
Safety Drills
All of our students have talked about safety within their classrooms, going over and practicing fire, tornado and lockdown procedures. Along with classroom talks, we have various drills planed throughout this year to help our staff and students be prepared in case of any emergency.
Qualifying for Honors Math &/or ELA (6th-8th): In order to be placed in our honors math or ELA courses, students must meet ALL of the following qualifying criteria:
MAP scores (aptitude indicator) - the last three scores are at least the 80th%tile (or average in the 80%tile or above if there is one non-qualifying score).
OST (indicates achievement of grade-level standards) - a level 5 (Advanced).
Occasionally someone can qualify if their OST is in level 4, if all MAP scores meet the 80th%tile threshold.
*NOTE: Grades are no longer used as an indicator due to varying grading practices*
NOTE: students with a Super Cog gifted identification automatically qualify for honors ELA &/or Math
Please reach out to Mrs. Emily Russ, Assistant Principal at Avon Middle School, if you have any questions russe@avoneagles.org.
Happy New Year! I hope you and your families had a safe, restful holiday break. As we move through the winter months, please remind students about:
- Arriving and departing school safely, especially during the darker mornings and afternoon hours.
- Following school rules and expectations in and out of the classroom
- Reporting concerns to a trusted adult if they feel unsafe or notice something concerning
January is also a great time to reinforce the importance of kindness, respect, and positive decision-making. Small actions can make a big difference in creating a welcoming school environment for everyone.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership. I look forward to another safe and successful month at school.
Mrs. Ryan
Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday spent with family and friends. A new year means new art projects for the South Art Room!
Third grade classes will be adding some light to the cold winter by making “Glow Art”! They will learn how to use acrylic paint markers as we talk about tints and shades to create artwork that appears to glow like a neon sign!
Fourth grade will be starting their “4 Styles” projects. This was a fan favorite for the 4th graders last year. Students will start by dividing up their papers into 4 quadrants. Next, they will draw out one image of their choice that spans all 4 sections. Then, they will use a different style/ art technique in each section. We will be using pencils, Sharpies, acrylic paint markers, and colored pencils for this 4-in-1 art project.
I can’t wait to see how your children bring light and creativity to the month of January!
Mrs. Bryant
3rd Grade
I am so proud of all the work your child put in while preparing for our 3rd grade concert. They sang their hearts out and I couldn't be happier. Moving forward we are going to take a performance break and get back to regular music class. We'll learn folk songs, play, and learn how to be strong musicians. In May, we'll have our final concert of the year, so keep an eye out for when that information comes out. Hope your holidays were fabulous!
4th Grade
I have six 4th grade classes this year and they have been absolutely incredible. We've been working on solfege and you'd be amazed at how well they've been reading do, re, mi, sol, and la on a music staff. We've also been working on more complex rhythms that have more than 2 sounds on a beat. We call them tika-tika, ti-tika, and tika-ti. Looking forward, we'll have another concert in May. Details will come out in March. Hope your break was restful and fun!
Heritage Choirs
Honor choir is happening soon! If you have a child in either the daytime choir club or the after school choir, please make sure you get them registered for the event on Saturday, March 28th. They need to be registered by February 1st. You can find registration with this link! https://www.ochoristers.org/honor-choir-2026
Mr. Moellman
Music Field Trip 1/28
All 5th graders will be bussed to the Performing Arts Center at Avon High School on the morning of January 28th. The high school curricular groups (Chamber Orchestra, Wind Symphony and Chorale) will perform in a special assembly just for us. There will be instrument and voice demonstrations, and each group will play something impressive and recognizable. Look for a permission slip that is coming home the first week after break. Every child needs parent permission to attend this event.
Following our trip, there will be a simple paper form sent home for "ensemble selection" in 6th grade. Music is not required in 6th grade, just highly encouraged! We have been recognized nationally as one of the Best Communities for Music Education (NAMM Foundation). 6th grade is the ground floor for our performing ensembles. Selecting an ensemble is the first step towards the many wonderful experiences our musicians have at Avon Middle School and Avon High School.
At the elementary level, we see students for 40 minutes once a week. At the middle school, we see our students for 50 minutes a day! Progress happens fast because we are able to really develop strong fundamentals. Outside of school expectations are minimal. This is an opportunity for your kids to express themselves, build confidence, and discover talents they may not even know they have.
Mr. Mauser
For the month of January 4th and 5th Grade P.E. will be finishing Soccer and moving into Cooperative tumbling.
Our PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) Program is up and running! Our students are earning Eagle Bucks when they are showing appropriate behavior in all areas of the school (classroom, lunch, recess, hallways, specials, on the bus...everywhere!). We are thankful to all of our volunteers who come in and help our students "shop" with their Eagle Bucks Thank you for your support!
We celebrate our school pride on Eagle Pride Day once a month. On these days, students wear purple and/or gold to show school pride, and are encouraged to bring in $1 to donate to the Heritage Boosters based on a community-service deed they completed to help out around the home/neighborhood to show school pride. We also recognize a student from each homeroom who shows the Eagle Pride Day assets we encourage at Heritage Elementary. Eagle Pride Day will be on Wednesday, January 21st and the asset trait we will be celebrating is Fairness.
Eagle Pride Day assets and dates for each month are listed below:
- September 17th-Decision Making
- October 15th-Respect
- November 19th-Responsibility
- December 17th-Caring
- January 21st-Fairness
- February 18th-Trustworthiness
- March 18th-Positive Identity
- April 29th-Citizenship
- May 20th-Empowerment
Boosters will use the Eagle Pride Day dollars for student programming throughout the year. For those who don't have cash on hand - Eagle Pride Day donations can be made here: https://2022-pride-day.cheddarup.com
Stay Connected
Have you seen our new calendar of events? It’s pinned at the top of our Facebook page.
Not following your Class Of group yet? Join here to stay connected each month:
January 2026
Happy New Year!
Boosters Meeting. Jan 20th
South Media Center, 7pm
Plastic Bag Drive: Thank you to those who donated. We had a “tree” mountain and will let you know if we won!
Community Engagement: Thank you to HealthSource Chiropractic Avon for offering our staff chair massages and stretches!
SOAR Cart
Haven’t had a chance to do the SOAR Cart yet, or want to come back for more time with your child’s class? The signup for 2026 is here! Please select 1-2 dates to begin with to allow others a chance.
Fifth Grade Glow Up Dance - January 30 • 7:00–8:30 PM
Get ready to light up the night! All fifth graders are invited to the Glow Up Dance in the South Gym for an evening of music, dancing, and glowing fun!
Dress Code: Casual wear that glows!
Please no dates - this is a fun, friends-only event for all fifth graders to enjoy together!
Tickets: $15
Glow Up Kit (optional): $5 - includes 4 awesome glow items to wear at the dance!
Use the links below to purchase tickets, order Glow Up Kits, or sign up to volunteer. We can’t wait to see our fifth graders shine!
Save the Date: Upcoming Booster Meetings
March 10
May 5
Follow us on Facebook for reminders, updates and a monthly calendar at-a glance.
Thank you for helping make our school a supportive and joyful community!
We are in need of a couple coaches for this Spring season of Girls on the Run! This is an amazing program and you will help these girls build confidence, conquer new challenges, and make some amazing memories! Please contact Kathleen Quinn at kferrall729@gmail.com if you are interested or have any questions! For more information about coaching please click on this link https://www.gotrnortheastohio.org/coach
This year, give an all-new experience they’ll love! Camp Invention® combines the tradition of camp with hands-on STEM exploration. This one-of-a-kind gift sparks a love for learning and exploration. Register today and give the gift of fun and learning!
Visit invent.org/gift/stem-camp and use code SUM35 before Feb. 21, 2026, to save $35! If you are registering two of your children please use the code: SIBSAVE30 to receive $60 ($30 per child) offf. If you are registering three of your children, please use the code SIBSAVE40. These codes work for campers only.
If you have any questions please contact Pamela Hartwell for more information at 440.724.8247 or hartwellp@avoneagles.org
1/5-School is Back in Session
1/5-Winter MAP Window Opens
1/5-Mrs. O'Hara & Mrs. Smith's Field Trip to Cleveland Aquarium
1/6-Avon Local Schools Board of Education Meeting
1/6-Heritage Yearbook Candid and Club Picture Day
1/12-Winter Dibels Window Opens
1/15-End of the Second Quarter
1/16-No School for Students-Inservice for Teachers
1/20-Heritage Boosters Meeting
1/21-I'm Possible Game Event
1/21-Eagle Pride Day
1/28-5th Grade Music Field Trip to AHS
1/30-5th Grade Dance
