GRRR Gazette

Upcoming important dates:

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Principal Email: dave_zwiebel@plsd.us | AP Email: chelsea_brown@plsd.us

Counselor: andrew_sells@plsd.us | Secretary: valerie_jackson@plsd.us

Location: 775 Long Road, Pickerington, OH, USA | Phone: 614-548-1400

Pickerington Elementary PTO: @PickElemPTO

PTO email 📨 pickelempto@gmail.com

Thank you all so much for preparing your students with an incredible amount of positivity and willingness to learn. We are still in the midst of our iReady diagnostic. This test is used to determine how best to meet your student's needs academically, so make sure they get enough sleep 😴. We have gone over our GRRR Expectations in all areas of the building, I had some help going over our Bus expectations! Our new school counselor, Mr. Sells, is excited to begin working with our kiddos, so make sure you complete is needs assessment to help him better understand your child. You can find those links below in the "Counselor Corner" section. This could not be more important because our #1 building goal is to foster a sense of belonging with ALL of our students. A student who feels welcomed is a student who is able to overcome many obstacles...this goes hand in hand with GRIT. When a student can show GRIT....they grow! Everything that we do at Pickerington Elementary is for the betterment of your child's academic, social, and emotional success. We (Staff) are so excited for the memories we will create during the 23-24 school year! Please take a moment to read the rest of the newsletter to ensure you do not miss out! All the best! Mr. Z.

Our “Power Up” shirts will ONLY be available during this sale. This will be a one time sale! Represent Pick Elementary alongside our amazing staff! Ordering ends midnight, Sept. 10th and orders will be distributed at school the week of Oct. 2nd. Proceeds from the sale of these items will benefit Pickerington Elementary Staff and students. Every purchase made enters your child into a drawing for a free “Power Up” travel mug, lunch with Mr. Z or Mrs. Brown!

https://logoimages.us/poweruppick/

*Multiple colors, sizes, and gear are available

Shirt quality: These are super soft shirts...only the best for our families!

Past students and Families: Go ahead and order too! Put Mr. Z as the teacher and we will let you all know when your order has arrived!

This year we will partnering with Kona Ice once again to bring special treats to Pickerington Elementary and help raise some funds for the school! In order to make this process even easier than before, Kona will be offering a prepay option for the entire year! We plan on having Kona come 6 times throughout the year and for only $25 dollars per student, they will be able to enjoy a Klassic Kona every time they visit. Feeling generous? feel free to pay it forward for a another family as well.

PrePay here:

https://app.konaicepay.com/#/F02868034

New car tags will be given out this year! - Please let us know if you need the updated tags

Continuing during the 2023-2024 school year, we will be using a system called PickUp Patrol to help us track dismissals. PickUp Patrol (PUP) will save us a great deal of time here in the office and will reduce interruptions in our classrooms—while also providing you with a convenient way to make changes to your children’s dismissal plans. Most importantly, it will help us ensure that our students are safely dismissed to their correct after-school destinations.

Use the PUP web app for:

ATTENDANCE: Notify the school office when your child will be absent, arriving late or leaving early.

DISMISSAL CHANGES: Submit changes to your child’s regular dismissal plans. For example:

• A student normally rides the bus, but is getting picked up today.

• A student usually goes to aftercare, but is leaving early for an appointment.

How it works:

Your child is assigned a dismissal plan at the start of the year. This is the plan they will regularly follow on normal days. We call this the Default Plan.

Whenever you have a change to the Default Plan, you’ll submit a change through the PUP app. When the plan is submitted, the school will be notified and your child’s teacher will relay the change to them.

All plan changes should be entered in PickUp Patrol. Notes, emails or phone calls will not be accepted for changes, except in emergencies.

Getting started with PUP:

1. REGISTER: You will receive a registration email from PickUp Patrol with a link to set up your account.The PUP web app is free to parents and you can use it from your smartphone or computer. PUP is not accessed through the app stores. Instead, for easy access, follow the instructions in your registration email for how to add it to your phone’s home screen

2. ENTER DEFAULT PLANS: Once you register, log into your PickUp Patrol account to confirm your child’s default dismissal plan. It’s important that you complete this step so that we can accurately dismiss your children.

Thank you for using PUP to make safety a priority and to ensure our dismissal process is efficient for all our students.

If you have any questions, please first check the PUP FAQ page. If you still need help, contact Mrs. Jackson in the office at valerie_jackson@plsd.us or PickUp Patrol at support@pickuppatrol.net.

In order to reach more of our families, we will be using the app Talking Points. If you have not already done so sign up online at families.talkingpts.org/welcome. We will be sending reminders, newsletters, and other pertinent information this way. The app allows you to translate messages into languages that best fit your families needs...something that Infinte Campus just cannot do.

Administering Medications at School

Prescription medications

In the event your child needs to take prescription medication while at school, the Request for Administration of Medication by School Personnel form must be completed by the child’s physician and parents.

Prescription Medication Form

Nonprescription medication such as Advil, Tylenol, cough drops, etc. may be administered to students if the parent/guardian brings in the medication along with written permission for the medication to be given. All medications must be sent in the original container. Dosages cannot exceed the manufacturer’s recommendations for age and weight. We must have a note from the doctor to give a dose of medication that is different from the dose stated on the bottle.

Nonprescription Medication Form

***Both prescription and nonprescription medications must be brought to the school by a parent or guardian. You can drop off medications during “Peek at Pick” on August 14th, or you can make arrangements by emailing melanie_thompson@plsd.us

During the school year, we ask that all our students wear the shoes they plan on using all day. This includes PE class, recess, walking in the halls etc. The only exception would be if your students wears rain/snow boots into the building. they may change their footwear during this time. Thank you all for understanding.

The mindset of your student can control how they feel, act, or engage in their learning during the day. To have students start each morning with a growth mindset and ready to learn takes less than a minute to act on each morning. How can this be done? A morning saying empowers your students to take charge of how they will approach each challenge throughout the day. Below is a Back to School Manifesto that you can print out and display on the way out the door each morning to get your student in that growth mindset.

Registration is open for the 2023-2024 school year. At the time of registration, a $25/child registration fee will be charged to complete the registration.

Pickerington Before & After School Programming, 2023-2024 School Year

Phone: 614-425-8178

Email: garverregistrar@ymcacolumbus.org

Parents can register online here.

Click here to get involved with PES PTO.

If you need to contact the PTO please feel free to contact us at pickelempto@gmail.com We are excited to be your representatives next year!

Please fill out form if you would like to be a VIP this year.

We are excited to bring back VIPs. What is a VIP? A VIP can be a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, ect... that has a level 2 background check done through the school district. They will be trained on the photocopier, laminator, and everything that might possibly be used in the workroom. We have a VIP coordinator Natalie Matney this year. She will be organizing the VIPs with the teachers. In the past teachers have used the VIPs for getting the Scholastic flyers ready to distribute, copies, bulletin boards/hallway projects, and any number of things. We ask if you would like to VIP please fill out the google form by Aug 31, so we can get teachers assigned.

Parent VIP Form