Hickory Ridge Highlights

As a reminder, when you are waiting on any of the neighborhood side streets, blocking driveways or the stop sign is not allowed. We have had a couple calls letting us know that traffic is parked on both sides of the streets (especially Blueberry Hill) and that homeowners are being blocked in.

Please also be mindful when traveling that we have walkers, so going slow and following posted speed limits is appreciated for everyone's safety.

Mrs. Verhest shared a parent letter at the beginning of the school year about the new state of Ohio attendance policy. Letters will be sent more frequently as thresholds are met throughout the school year. Regardless of vacations, sickness or tardies we will need to send them to families letting them know when hour amounts are met. We understand that students will be sick, so doctor's notes are accepted at the front office.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Bailey

Principal

Hickory Ridge Elementary

330-273-0483

jamiebailey@bcsoh.org

October 2026

10/5 - Morning Announcement Club 8:00

10/5 - Good Vibe Guides

10/6 - Growing Gardeners 3:30 pm

10/7 - PTG Plant Pickup Day 4:00 pm

10/8 - HHDC 7:45 am

10/8 - PTG Popcorn Day

10/9 - No School - NEOEA Day

10/12 - Morning Announcements 8:00am

10/12 - Good Vibe Guides

10/13 - BookWorms K-2 3:30 pm

10/15 - 3G Rotary

10/15 - Fire Drill

10/16 - End of First Quarter

10/16 - 3G Dental Program

10/16. House Meeting 2:30 pm

10/19 - Morning Announcements 8:00 am

10/19 - Good Vibe Guides

10/20 - Growing Gardeners 3:30 pm

10/21 - 4G Officer Garcia Lesson

10/21 - 5G Officer Garcia Lesson

10/22 - Picture Retake Day

10/22 - HHDC Group 2 7:45 am

10/23 - Report Cards Viewable

10/23 - Puzzle Club K-2 7:45 am

10/26 - Morning Announcements 8:00 am

10/26 - Good Vibe Guides

10/26 - Family First Night (No HW)

10/28 - 3G ELA OST

10/28 - BookWorms K-2 3:30 pm

10/29 - 3G ELA OST

10/30 - Trunk or Treat 9-11:30 am

10/30 - Halloween Parade (outside if weather permits) 1:45 pm class parties to follow at 2:00 pm

26-'27 PTG email distribution

If you wish to be on the 2026-2027 distribution list please sign up using the below link.

2026-2027 PTG Email Distribution

Fall Plant Sale

We are in need of volunteers for Plant Delivery Day!

Date: Wednesday, October 7th

If you’re interested in volunteering the day of our plant delivery, please use the link below for more information!

Fall Plant Sale Volunteer Link

Skate Night

Skate Night is Thursday, October 8th from 6:30 - 8:30 PM.

Trunk or Treat

Our 4th Annual Trunk or Treat event will be on Friday, October 30th from 9:00 - 11:30 AM

Keep an eye out for the sign up sheet to volunteer! You can also help support this fun event by sending in treats or trinkets to Hickory Ridge by Friday, October 23rd. We have approximately 350 students at Hickory Ridge, and need around 7,000 pieces to pass out!

• Kindergarten: Non-edibles (think squishies, bubbles, sticky hands, creepy crawlies)
• 1st: Non-edibles (think squishies, bubbles, sticky hands, creepy crawlies)
• 2nd: Non-candy (fruit snacks, pretzels, cheese balls, etc.)
• 3rd: Candy (Skittles, Starburst, Airheads, Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish, etc.)
• 4th: Candy (Lollipops - Ring Pops, Blow Pops, Tootsie Pops, Dum-Dums, etc.)
• 5th: Candy (Chocolate and Candy Bars)

Dine to Donate

September's Dine to Donate will be Little Caesar's Pizza Kits. For the next 2 weeks, we’re selling Little Caesars Pizza Kits and Meal Deal Codes to raise money for Hickory Ridge Parent Teacher Group. Help support Hickory Ridge PTG and get a night off from cooking! To reach our goal, we need everyone’s help.

To get started:

Follow this link with your phone

Little Caesars Fundraising | Click to Raise Money for a Cause

PTG Meetings

Our meetings take place at Hickory Ridge in the Pit. Upcoming meetings are:

October 14, 2026

November 18, 2026

January 13, 2027

February 24, 2027

April 7, 2027

May 12, 2027

Box Tops

Last year we earned $800 simply by scanning receipts! Let's see if we can beat that again this year. A flyer will be sent home with your student(s) if it has not already!

Save the Date:

Santa Shop: December 3rd & December 4th

We will be looking for volunteers to help students shop. Sign up link will be posted at the end of October.

As always, please reach out to the PTG email if you have any questions! We are looking forward to a GREAT '26-'27 school year!

Popcorn Fridays

PTG hosts Popcorn Fridays on the first Friday of each month.* If you missed the Popcorn Pass Sign Up, don’t worry, students can bring in money for Popcorn that Friday. Popcorn Friday Dates are below:

October 8, 2026

November 6, 2026

December 11, 2026

January 8, 2027

February 5, 2027

March 5, 2027

April 9, 2027

May 7, 2027

Happy Fall everyone! I hope everyone has settled into the school year nicely. Please reach out to me if you need any support for your child or have any questions about anything. My contact information is listed below.

We will be continuing with the Second Step lessons in October. This month we will be focusing on Bully Prevention. Your child(ren) will learn the definition of bullying, how to recognize it, refuse it and report it. They will also learn what a bystander is and how to help deter any bullying behavior at our school. Please continue to reinforce these concepts at home with your child(ren). See the parent links (listed below in this newsletter) for more information on this topic (and others) and how you can work with your child on these concepts at home to help with their social emotional learning.

Teach Your Child How to Put an End to Bullying at School

Parents often think that bullying is just a part of life, but it should be taken seriously. Bullied children often become anxious. Some end up not wanting to go to school. Kids that bully others are often in pain themselves. They can use aggressive behavior to cover up their shortcomings. To stop bullying from happening, parents can:

• Watch for symptoms that your child is being bullied. These may include withdrawal, a drop in grades, torn clothes or needing extra money or supplies.

• Listen to your child. Encourage them to talk about school and other kids. Ask about the walk or ride to and from school.

• Show your child how to protect themselves. Practice walking with confidence, role-play how to stand up for yourself verbally.

• If your child complains about another child, dig deeper. Children are often embarrassed or afraid to say they’re being bullied. When probed, a seemingly minor complaint might reveal a more serious problem.

• If your child is being bullied, tell the school. Teachers can take steps to ensure your child’s safety.

• Get together with other parents. Ensure that children in your neighborhood are supervised to, from and after school.

• Don’t be a bully yourself. Don’t yell, tease or hit others.

• Praise your child when they are kind toward others.

If you think your child may be a bully, get help. Talk to a teacher, counselor, principal or psychologist. Your child might be acting out feelings of insecurity, anger or loneliness.

Source: Parents Make the Difference!, The Parent Institute, a division of NIS, Inc.

The Second Step Program has a link that parents can utilize to reinforce the skills that their children have learned for the week. All you need to do is the following:

Use this link www.SecondStep.org then enter the following Activation Key:

Kindergarten- SSPK FAMILY70 Look for Lessons under Home Link

1st Grade-SSP1 FAMILY71 Look for Lessons under Home Link

2nd Grade-SSP2 FAMILY72 Look for Lessons under Home Link

3rd Grade-SSP3 FAMILY73 Look for Lessons under Home Link

4th Grade-SSP4 FAMILY74 Look for Lessons under Home Link

5th Grade-SSP5 FAMILY75 Look for Lessons under Home Link

Click here for PaySchools Central to register and create your account.

Also, any outstanding student class fees have been transferred to PaySchools. You will also have the option to pay any Athletic and Marching Band Pay to Participate fees through your PaySchools account.

There are no fees involved when paying your student's fees online.

There will be a small transaction fee for the Meal Accounts.

• Credit/Debit Cards (Transactions less than $25.00) $1.65 per transaction

• Credit/Debit Cards (Transactions $25 to $49.99) $2.00 per transaction

• Credit/Debit Cards (Transactions greater than $49.99) 4.5%

• Electronic Check (All transaction amounts) $1.75 per transaction

Several PaySchool links are provided below. At the bottom of each informational document, you will find PaySchools customer service contact information. Feel free to reach out to PaySchools if you encounter a problem when creating your account.

If you have a district-related question regarding your fees please contact Tina Campbell, Administrative Assistant to the Treasurer, at tcampbell@bcsoh.org. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation with this transition.

PaySchools Parent Registration

PaySchools Free and Reduced Application

PaySchool Meal Account

Website: https://www.bcsoh.org/Domain/12
Location: 4628 Hickory Ridge Avenue, Brunswick, OH, USA
Phone: (330) 273-0483
Twitter: @BCSDHRidge