Aug/Sept Elementary Newsletter

This year marks my 13th year in education and my 7th as a proud member of the Crestline Bulldog community. Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to teach 5th grade Reading, Writing, and Social Studies—experiences that have deeply shaped my passion for student learning and growth.

I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from The Ohio State University, a Master’s Degree in Education from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, and a second Master’s Degree in School Leadership from Concordia University in Chicago.

Outside of school, I’ve been married to my wonderful wife for 15 years, and together we have two sons who are also proud Crestline Bulldogs. Our family also includes two golden doodles, Paisley and Rhett, who bring plenty of fun and energy to our lives.

I am excited to continue this role at Crestline and look forward to supporting you and your children throughout the year. Go Dogs!

August 18- PreK First Day

September 1- No School

September 3- 1 Hour Early Release

September 16- Fall Picture Day

September 19- No School

Dear Crestline Families,

What a great start to the new school year! We were thrilled to see all of the smiling faces back in the building, and we are excited for the year ahead. Thank you for your support in making the opening days of school such a success. Please remember to complete FinalForms so that we have the most up-to-date information on your child.

Our theme this year is “Bulldogs on the Move: Learning in Action.” This theme captures the energy, growth, and progress we are seeing across our school. We want every student to know that learning is active, engaging, and something we do together as a school family. Our teachers and staff are committed to creating classrooms where students are challenged, supported, and inspired to keep moving forward.

We are especially excited to launch our new ELA curriculum, Benchmark Advance. This program provides rich and engaging content that will allow us to take literacy instruction to the next level. Combined with our focus on explicit teaching and high expectations, we know this will help move our students in the right direction academically.

Attendance remains another top priority. Last year, Crestline Elementary achieved the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the past seven years — a major accomplishment! To keep that momentum going, we will continue to offer attendance incentives every six weeks. These celebrations recognize students for being present, engaged, and ready to learn each day, because every day in school matters.

As Bulldogs on the Move, we are committed to making sure our students are growing academically, socially, and emotionally. With the combined efforts of staff, families, and our community, Crestline students are truly moving in the right direction. Together, we will make this an incredible year filled with learning, growth, and success.

Sincerely,

Austin Gearheart

Principal, Crestline Elementary

If you need anything, you can contact me at gearheart.austin@crestlinebulldogs.org or 419-683-5351 ext 5850. And remember, it’s a great day to be a Bulldog!

➖ATTENDANCE FACTS AND INFORMATION➖
According to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, chronic absenteeism is a huge problem in Ohio and our school. Last year, we had more chronic absenteeism than the previous year. Students who miss just 2 days per month miss 10% of the school year! 🤯 If your child misses 2 or more days on average per month, they may fall behind academically.

Ways you can help:
⏰Set alarms and routines
🤒Only keep your child home if they are truly sick
📆Try to avoid scheduling appointments during school hours
✈️Try to plan trips and vacations on days off of school

We will be releasing the first attendance incentive on ClassDojo!

📢 Important Update for Crestline Families!

Starting this school year, Crestline Elementary will now serve grades PreK–4 only. Our 5th grade students are officially part of Crestline Middle School and will follow the Middle/High School schedule and times. We’re excited for this transition and the new experiences it will bring for our students! 🐾

🕒 Updated Crestline Elementary Schedule (PreK–4):

🍽️ Breakfast & Student Drop-Off Begin: 7:45 AM

🏫 School Starts: 8:05 AM

⏰ Students arriving after 8:05 AM will be marked tardy

Thank you for helping us start the 2025–2026 school year strong and on time!

#CrestlineBulldogs #NewYearNewSchedule #BulldogPride

Preschool registration for the 2025-2026 school year is currently ongoing! 🎉

We still have open spots for the 2025-2026 school year!

📍 Registration Packets will be available at the board office.

👶 Eligibility Requirements:
✅ Child must be 3 years old by August 1, 2025
✅ Must be potty trained

💰 Fees & Tuition:
💵 $20 registration fee (due at the time of registration)
📊 Tuition is based on income

🕘 Class Options:
☀️ Morning Session: 7:45 AM – 10:45 AM
🌙 Afternoon Session: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

🏅 Our preschool program is licensed through the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and has proudly earned a Gold Medal rating for the past 10 years! 🏆

📞 For more information, contact us at 419-683-3647 ext. 4410. Don’t wait—spots fill up quickly! 🚀 #PreschoolRegistration #EarlyLearning #GoldMedalProgram

Families, we hope you know that every child, regardless of ability to pay, has the opportunity to receive a ⭐FREE⭐ breakfast and ⭐FREE⭐lunch.

With that being said, breakfast for the elementary is served from 7:45 am until 8:00 am on regular school days.
🥞If your child is a bus rider and the bus is running behind, we will have breakfast items for them.
🥞If your child is a car rider and you would like them to have breakfast, they need to arrive before 8:05 am to receive their breakfast.

Our school is participating in an important district initiative. It is called Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS).

📢 Reminder: BARK Expectations Matter! 🐾

Parents, we need your support in reinforcing our BARK expectations to ensure a positive and respectful school environment for all students. Lately, we've noticed an increase in negative behaviors, and we want to work together to encourage:

✅ Behavior
✅ Attitude
✅ Responsibility
✅ Kindness

Please take a moment to remind your child about making good choices and following these important values each day. Together, we can help our students succeed! 💙🐶 #BARKExpectations #CrestlineBulldogs

🐾 Supporting BARK at Home

At Crestline Elementary, we teach our students to live by our BARK Expectations:

• Behavior

• Attitude

• Responsibility

• Kindness

You can help support these values at home with small, consistent routines and conversations.

🟦 Behavior – Making Positive Choices

• Talk with your child each evening about one good choice they made that day.

• Set clear expectations for chores, screen time, and routines at home.

• Praise positive behaviors instead of only pointing out mistakes.

🟩 Attitude – Showing Respect and Effort

• Encourage your child to use polite words such as please, thank you, and excuse me.

• Share examples of times when you had to keep a positive attitude, even when something was hard.

• Remind them that effort is just as important as the outcome.

🟨 Responsibility – Owning Actions and Learning

• Have your child pack their own backpack and get materials ready the night before school.

• Assign age-appropriate chores to build accountability.

• Review school expectations and talk about how following rules keeps everyone safe.

🟥 Kindness – Treating Others with Care

• Encourage your child to use kind words with siblings and friends.

• Practice empathy by asking, “How do you think that person felt?” in everyday situations.

• Celebrate acts of kindness at home with simple recognition (high-five, sticker, or praise).

💡 Quick Tips for Parents

• Model BARK expectations in your own daily life.

• Ask your child: How did you show BARK today at school?

• Celebrate successes, even small ones, to build consistency.

Together, we can help our Bulldogs live out BARK expectations at school, at home, and in the community! 💙🐶

📢 Bulldogs on the Move: Introducing Our House System! 🐾

Crestline Elementary is excited to share that this year we are launching the Ron Clark Academy House System as part of our PBIS framework!

The House System is designed to:
✅ Build a stronger school culture
✅ Encourage leadership and teamwork
✅ Create a fun, positive sense of community

Here’s what it means for your child:

• Every student and staff member will be placed into one of six Houses, each with its own color, symbol, and value.

• Students will stay in their House for life, building friendships and connections across all grade levels.

• Houses will earn points for positive behavior, leadership, and school spirit.

• Each month, we’ll focus on a specific character trait (like Behavior, Attitude, Responsibility, and Kindness), and students can earn bonus points for showing those traits.

• At different times throughout the year, we’ll celebrate with House competitions, activities, and special events.

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This is all about making school fun, engaging, and meaningful while reinforcing the values that help our students succeed. We can’t wait for our first House Sorting Day coming soon!

💙🐶 Together, we’re on the move—Learning in Action!

As we enter into the 2025-2026 school year, we would like to stress the importance of completing the FinalForms information that is required for each student within our district. This information is necessary for the school to have in case of an emergency or any other information we need to know about your child.

Please go to: https://crestline-oh.finalforms.com/ and follow the prompts to create your account, create your student’s account, and sign the necessary forms. If you created an account last year most of the student information should roll over which should make it easier to complete.

If you need help or do not have a computer please call the school and we will be happy to assist you in any way possible.

Thank you for your assistance in streamlining our paperwork process at Crestline Exempted Village Schools.