March 4th, 2026
Hero of the Month Winners
Congratulations to all of the winners. We are so proud of you!
Sycamore Creek Third Grade Spring Concert and Love our Languages Event
Empower ED Pickerington
Join us for our next EmpowerED Pickerington series, a resource series dedicated to special education support.
Date: March 18, 2026
Time: 5:00 PM
Format: Virtual - please use this link to log on to the session
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/gco-vnrf-iuo
Focus: Supporting Every Learner, Supporting Every Family
This Month's Topic - Leveling the Playing Field: Understanding Accommodations vs. Modifications: Navigating special education terminology can sometimes feel like learning a completely new language. If you have ever felt confused by the difference between an "accommodation" and a "modification" on your child’s IEP or 504 plan, this session is for you!
This event is a great opportunity for families and educators to gain valuable insights and resources to support students with special needs. We look forward to seeing you there!
Please remember that all past episodes are uploaded to our district website/YouTube channel.
Fitness Challenge
Reminder, the Team Tressel Fitness Challenge will run through May 2nd. Your student should have brought a hardcopy of the workbook home on February 13th. Please continue to work through the workbook with your child as they work toward their goals. This is totally optional, but we are hoping to recognize as many students as possible for completing the challenge. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Jack Haas.
Sycamore Creek Media Center
SCE was featured on Channel 4 in the "Tell Me Something Good" segment last week! It highlighted the library's "Harry Potter" weeks, where students earned points for their houses for extra reading and writing activities! We are happy to announce that House Hufflepuff has earned the 2026 SCE Champions House Cup this year! You can watch the segment below!
PTO News!
Our SCE Boys Event is THIS Friday, March 6th from 6-8pm. Our committee has worked so hard to make this the best event for our boys. We can’t wait to see you all there!
Girls Dance Reminder
**There's still time to register your daughter for girls dance, use the link below or send in the paper copy with cash or check
https://my.cheddarup.com/c/girls-dance-2026-37566
**If you would like to volunteer at the dance, sign up below by March 5th and your level 1 must be filled out
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090A49AFA62FABFD0-61875455-girls?useFullSite=true#/
**Level 1 form
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfpV_qCyt7k_Vgk1HHpepvJq6Xg5c8YrlnJQWWe2P4HIuQ7xw/viewform?pli=1&fbclid=IwY2xjawQJT2lleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA80MDk5NjI2MjMwODU2MDkAAR5W5duQ8E0aMTTqVFiDXf_rNXlDrg3hltbEaApKqHKO06jyWrASAI68PEfRCg_aem_7dfRuRgciiwLHYOHfk3kMQ
Our spring flower sale started last week. You should have received an email from fundraiseit with your child’s personal selling link! If you did not receive an email please email:
sycamorecreekfundraising@gmail.com
*Make sure you check out the prize info! We have some new prizes this year that the kids will be super excited about!
Counselor's Corner
As we continue through the second half of the school year. One way, we like to support our 4th grade students who might be more nervous/anxious about their transition to middle school is offer a small group to students who could benefit from a smaller group environment during their lunch time to connect with peers who might be having similar experiences, process through them, and come up with strategies to help support them with the transition.
If you think this is something your student could benefit from please complete this google form!
Our focus for Student of the Month for March will be "cooperation". Below are some suggestions for reinforcing positive cooperation:
Key Strategies to Teach Cooperation:
- Model Teamwork: Actively demonstrate cooperation in daily life, such as working together on tasks, solving conflicts calmly, and sharing belongings.
- Use Cooperative Games: Engage children in activities requiring joint effort, like "Triple Free Tag" (requiring three people to free a tagged player), building with blocks, or solving puzzles together.
- Facilitate Problem-Solving: Ask open-ended questions like "What can we do?" or "How could we solve this together?" when conflicts arise, encouraging them to find their own, collaborative solutions.
- Give Choices: Provide options to help children feel in control, which reduces resistance and increases the likelihood of cooperation.
- Offer Specific Praise: Rather than just saying "good job," explicitly point out how they cooperated, such as "You and your sister were cooperating nicely when you worked together to complete the puzzle".
Instructional Coach
Third Quarter Update: Reading & Math at Home
Dear Families,
With just two weeks remaining in the third quarter, I want to take a moment to emphasize two things that make a tremendous difference in your child's academic success: reading at home and math practice.
The Power of Reading
Reading is the foundation for learning in every subject. When students read regularly outside the classroom, they:
Build fluency and confidence with text
Expand vocabulary naturally through context
Develop stronger comprehension skills that transfer across all subjects
Foster a lifelong love of learning
Even 15–20 minutes of daily reading together can have a powerful impact. This might look like:
Reading aloud to your child
Having your child read to you
Reading side-by-side with different books
Visiting the library together to explore new titles
Every book counts—whether it's a picture book, graphic novel, chapter book, or magazine.
Math Matters Too
Math skills grow stronger with consistent practice and real-world application. Here are simple ways to support math learning at home:
Play games that involve numbers—dice games, card games, board games
Practice skip counting during everyday activities (counting by 2s, 5s, 10s)
Use real money to practice counting, making change, and simple transactions
Measure ingredients while cooking or baking together
Talk about time, distance, and patterns you notice around the house
Review math facts for 5–10 minutes daily using flashcards or apps
Ask "why" questions to help your child explain their thinking
Working Together
As we head into the final stretch of the quarter, we encourage you to prioritize both reading and math practice. Your involvement sends a clear message that learning—in all its forms—matters.
Thank you for partnering with us here at Sycamore Creek Elementary to support your child's growth!
Best Regards,
Mrs. Horsford
K-4 Curriculum Instructional Coach
PLSD, Sycamore Creek and Violet Elementary
Clinic Updates
Flying Horse Farms is a nonprofit medical specialty camp in Mount Gilead, Ohio, that provides free camp experiences for children with serious illnesses and their families. With on-site medical support, children can safely enjoy traditional camp activities while building confidence, friendships, and lasting memories. It’s a truly special place serving families across Ohio and beyond.
If you are interested, please check out this link: Camper Toolkit - Flying Horse Farms.
Reminder from the School Nurse
Please make sure your child keeps an extra set of clothing in their bookbag. The clinic does not have spare clothing to provide, and if a change of clothes is needed, we will need to contact a parent or guardian to bring some in.
We have extra clothing in emergencies but cannot provide them to every single student. Plus, they come in all shapes and sizes:)
2025/26 SCHOOL CALENDAR
PLSD 2025-2026 District Calendar - click here
Districtwide Activities Calendar
Upcoming events and important dates are listed in the Districtwide Google Events Calendar, which is synced with individual building, program and athletic team calendars. Once inside the district wide calendar, to display the events of a particular building, team, program or activity, you will need to check the specific corresponding color-coded box(es) from the list on the left-hand side.
Pickerington Schools partners with the City of Pickerington and Yodel to bring you the Pickerington Community Calendar!
Visit this link to view all Pickerington Schools activities included on the calendar and don’t forget to “favorite” our Pickerington Schools schedule! Once favorited, Pickerington Schools' events will be front and center on your calendar, enabling you to see what’s coming up.
Upcoming Dates/Special Reminders
Please call the Sycamore Creek Elementary Attendance line at 614-834-6201 to leave a voice-mail message to report an absence for your child. Our secretaries check messages throughout the day.
If you have a doctor's note that you need to share with the school to document an absence, please email it to:
March 13th
*No School (Records Day)
March 30th-April 3rd
*No School (Spring Break)