PRM School Rocker

Greetings PRM Families,

Signs of Spring are sprouting everywhere! We are hard at work to achieve the best academic outcomes for our learners. Your partnership in supporting your child's learning is not just valued; it's integral. We see the best growth when working collaboratively to implement effective and consistent strategies that yield the best results. Parents are a child's first teacher, and your engagement is vital to our collective work.

The last day of the third quarter is Friday, March 14th. We will kick off this school year's fourth and final quarter on Monday, March 17th. We will send home the third quarter report cards on Friday, March 21st.

The next few weeks of instruction are critical as we prepare for the final assessment cycle of the school year. Please ensure your child attends school daily. Please check teachers' weekly communication and progress updates for the most effective ways to support your child. We aim to have every student demonstrate at least one year of growth (typical) or more than one year of growth (stretch) by the assessment date. That only happens if we know skill deficits and work together to close gaps and expand knowledge.

After we return from Spring Break, the Ohio State Test cycle begins for grades 3-6. Testing will be happening throughout April and the beginning of May. Grades K-2 will take the spring iReady Diagnostic in reading and math and the end-of-year Acadience assessment for literacy. This assessment cycle determines our school's rating on the Ohio State Report card. It is an opportunity for our students to shine and showcase the wealth of knowledge they have gained this academic year. The teachers have exposed them to sample test questions and effective test-taking strategies, so they know what to expect. You may also familiarize yourself with the assessment by going to Practice Tests - Ohio State Testing Portal. If you have any questions about the assessment, please feel free to contact your child's teacher; they will be more than happy to explain more.

Finally, we need your help. Many students are still coming to school late every day. Please ensure your child is at school by 7:40 a.m. daily; every minute counts. It is imperative that all students are present every day and on time during the OST and end-of-year assessment cycles. Your commitment to ensuring your child's timely attendance is crucial. Please do not schedule medical appointments or vacations during this time. Our school social worker, Allie Quinter, will reach out to families to support them with resources and create Attendance Intervention Plans.

Thank you for being an excellent partner in our children's education. Your efforts do not go unnoticed. We look forward to the visible growth we will see in every student and in the spring flowers.

Love,

Principal Simpson & Asst. Principals Brown and Gray

Email: simpsoa@cpsboe.k12.oh.us

7:40am-2:10pm

Event updates throughout the month will be available on www.prmrocks.org/calendar

*You can also subscribe to the calendar on your device- find the green “subscribe” button on the top right side of the calendar page.

Friday & Saturday, March 7-8 – PRM Musical, Alice in Wonderland Jr. @ 6:00pm

Wednesday, March 12– LSDMC Meeting @ 3:00pm

Wednesday, March 12 – PTO Meeting 6:30-7:00pm in the library

Wednesday, March 12 – Family Literacy Night 7:00-8:00pm in the cafeteria

Thursday-Wednesday, March 13-19 – Annual PRM Read-a-thon www.prmrocks.org/readathon

Friday, March 14 – End of 3rd quarter

Monday, March 17 – ILT Meeting @ 2:45 at PRM

Wednesday, March 19 – Foundation Meeting from 6:30-7:30pm at CHH

Thursday, March 20th–Spring Picture Day (All Students in Uniform)

Monday, March 24-Friday, March 28 – No School; Spring Break

Monday, March 31 – School Resumes

April 1st-May 16th – Spring Assessment Cycle

Wednesday, April 9 – PTO/Equity Group Meeting @ 6:30pm at PRM (in the library)

We must be consistent in acknowledging and enforcing our school uniform policy. Our uniform policy is liberal enough to include several options for families. All PRM Spirit Wear is considered part of the school uniform.

While we don't like to take time away from instruction to deal with uniforms. We must all be consistent to ensure this doesn't become a major issue as we close out the school year.

Please see the policy below and in the PRM Student Handbook.

Parents may submit a concern to the CPS Customer Care Department using this form.

We would like to remind you of our policy around law enforcement on our school campuses as it relates to recent conversations with immigration:

· CPS schools will respond to any ICE officer requesting information or access to a CPS school as the school would treat any other visitor and law enforcement activity at schools. Without a warrant, ICE officers do not have any special authorization to access CPS schools.

· If the ICE officer presents credentials or documentation, including a subpoena or search warrant, it will be forwarded to the Office of General Counsel.

· Requests for student information are subject to state and federal student privacy laws.

· Requests to interview any CPS student may only be conducted pursuant to CPS Board Policy 5540. In any student interview, the student's parents must be contacted by the school first, if the parent is unavailable, an adult from the school must remain in the room for the interview.

For more information, please go to our website: https://www.cps-k12.org/

Along with the whole school, the Read-A-Thon is encouraging our students to read or be read to for 7 days straight starting on March 13. If you do this and record it (either online or in your envelope), your child will receive a free PRM t-shirt. It is also one of our biggest fundraisers of the year, but we are more focused on 100% reading participation.

As a reminder, we go out for recess in the early morning every day. So even as the weather begins to warm in the afternoons, it is still quite chilly in the morning. Please dress your child appropriately or send in layers so they can be warm enough at morning recess.

For Kindergarteners, outdoor education will resume the week of March 4th. Special thanks to our partners at Imago for this wonderful program. Please be sure that students have shoes that are okay to get dirty or boots to change into for the garden.

Also, for Kindergarteners, we continue our WIN (What I Need) intervention block Monday through Thursday. Ask your students who their teacher is for WIN on A days and on B days. Ask them what they learned about in WIN.

Quarter 3 ends on March 14, and we are in the last quarter of the school year. As always, direct questions or concerns to your student's teacher.

March is Reading Month! PRM Students will participate in the Read-A-Thon starting on March 13th. All students who read for seven days in a row and log their reading will receive a PRM t-shirt. Please contact your classroom community or check the PRMrocks.org website for information if you have additional questions.

The 6-9 students were invited to view the school-wide production of Alice in Wonderland on Thursday, March 6. We are so lucky that Ms. Maria has organized this for our students and staff members. We are also returning to field trips now that the weather is warming up. Our 6-9 learners will explore the Ohio River on a Riverboat toward the end of the month. Outdoor Education is restarting this month, and I know our students are eager to get back outside into our garden. End-of-the-year testing will begin in April, so our classrooms will continue with direct instruction to build the knowledge of every learner before our Spring Break (from March 24-28).

Spring is in the air, and our 9-12 communities are working hard to prepare for spring testing! We have hit the ground running with our newly organized “WIN” block (“what I need”), focusing on the skills needed to be successful and show academic growth. “WIN” blocks will continue until testing and resume at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year.

9-12 is excited to watch the Alice in Wonderland performance this week and support all of our stars. We also look forward to starting the Read-a-thon next week (from March 13-19). We plan to finish the quarter strong and enjoy a much-earned spring break (March 24-28) before testing begins in April.

Lastly, the 6th-grade students experienced one of the most exciting milestones in their PRM careers… Camp Kern! We loved hearing their stories of friendship, humor, and thrilling adventures, which are sure to be memories to last a lifetime. A special thanks go to our wonderful planning committee and the chaperones who helped make this experience possible!

And thank you for your partnership and for helping us finish the school year strong!

The spring musical was a huge success! Our 9-12 students worked so hard to put on an amazing performance of Alice in Wonderland Jr. on March 7th & 8th. We hope you enjoyed it!

Coming Soon!

Coming soon!

The Enrichment News Update for March can be found here:

https://secure.smore.com/n/y2q46

If you do not receive my monthly newsletters and would like to receive them, please send me an email to bonfiej@cpsboe.k12.oh.us, and I will add you to my mailing list.

Coming Soon!

We are excited to be back outside and in person with your students this month! Students will learn about what is under the ground and will have the opportunity to learn about moles, fossils, and soil. We will also be working in the garden this month, and students will have the opportunity to turn compost and plant early spring greens.

This month is all about literacy – and hopefully some warmer weather! We are excited for you and your family to find a way to participate in one of our literacy events. Family Literacy Night is on Wednesday, March 12, immediately following the PTO meeting, from 7:00-8:00 p.m. in the cafeteria, and the Annual Read-a-thon kicks off on Thursday, March 13!

The goal for all this literacy is for students to begin to love reading and to be able to read to learn. The goals of the Read-a-thon specifically are for all PRM students to read for seven consecutive days and to track and log their reading. All students who accomplish this goal will receive a PRM Read-a-thon spirit wear t-shirt. All reading minutes, as well as any funds raised, can be turned in through the collection envelopes or can be submitted online at www.prmrocks.org/readathon. Please encourage your child(ren) to read… you can read to them or model to them that you, too, read for pleasure – and then track that reading!!!

The next PTO meeting will be in the library on Wednesday, March 12th, from 6:30-7:00pm. We will host a Family Literacy Night immediately following PTO in the cafeteria starting at 7:00pm. We have partners who will join us in doing a seasonal hands-on craft project, book reading, book giveaways, and providing refreshments. The entire family is invited and will enjoy this hands-on Literacy Experience!

Please enter through the back parking lot doors. Childcare is provided for the PTO meeting only. Questions should be directed to prmpto@gmail.com.

New champions are needed in the new year! Champions are essential to making events happen at PRM – if you are interested in a specific event occurring in 2025, please consider being the champion or co-champion of the event. As the champion, you can choose the date and will be asked to coordinate most logistics. If you have an idea for an event or want to champion an annual favorite, please reach out to prmpto@gmail.com – for our traditional events to take place, they will need new champions.

Remember that the PRM Read-a-thon encourages good reading habits and raises money for our school. Please support this event by logging your child’s reading and consider asking for donations.

Foundation meets in person on the third Wednesday of the month at Community Happens Here at 6:30pm. Our next meeting is March 19 – all are welcome! Please email prsfpres@gmail.com with any questions.

Winter Sports have wrapped! Congratulations to all 14 of our basketball teams (which includes 130 athletes and 30 coaches) on great seasons and impressive showings in the end-of-season tournaments. A huge thank you goes out to all of our coaches, parents and caregivers, custodians, and administrators, as well as Coach Cash, for being a part of the needed support system that helped make this season possible and successful for all our athletes.

Spring sports are just around the corner—volleyball and track starting next week, with soccer and baseball shortly thereafter. All teams' practices will begin by mid-March, with games and meets starting in early April. Lots of work is happening behind the scenes to ensure that all of our sports have successful seasons ahead.

The PRM Brain Bowl team has started the season with a strong 4-1 record! The team has three more regular season matches left before the district tournament on March 15th at the CPS Central Offices. Thanks to David Woerner for helping with logistics and stats and providing pep talks, lineup advice, and nervous energy removal strategies – we appreciate all the support.

The Instructional Leadership Team meets on most first and third Mondays of each month at 2:45pm at PRM. January and February were full of “no school Mondays,” so meeting dates were adjusted. It is budget season in all schools, and therefore, the ILT is working hard to help determine how best to allocate our Title 1 funds. The next ILT meeting is on Monday, March 17th.

The Local School Decision-Making Committee met virtually in January and February but will return to in-person meetings in March. It will meet on Wednesday, March 12th, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in the school library. Meetings are always open to all members of the PRM community.

LSDMC is reviewing next year’s budget and will continue to monitor the success of our One Plan. Join us for next week’s meeting if you’d like to learn more about where our funding comes from and how you can support our school and community partners. LSDMC offers an opportunity to understand the federal budget and the critical resources that help our teachers and students thrive.

Start your scouting adventure with Cub Scouts! Pack 25 has exciting plans for this spring, including our Pinewood Derby, rocket launch, fire station tour, and spring campout.

We meet on the first and third Thursdays of the month at or around PRM. For more information, contact us at cubpack25prm@gmail.com!

PRM community, The CLC Center is here to provide various services you may need. Contact our Resource Coordinator- Ms. Monique Crosby, at johnmon@cpsboe.k12.oh.us.

• Black History Month- Our PRM celebration was very nice this year. The students had an opportunity to learn about one African American person a day during their morning meeting session. The door decorating was beautiful. It's a sight to see! The students even dressed up as their favorite person

• Family Literacy Night- On Wednesday, March 12th, at 6:30 pm, we encourage all families to come out to PRM for a night full of fun. We have partnered with Learning Through Arts who will join us in doing arts and crafts, light bites, and taking home a book, “Kite Flying”. The entire family will truly enjoy this Hands-on Literacy Night!

• Cincy Reads- This is a one month reading challenge to increase the awareness of the importance of reading and literacy through the partnership of Cincinnati Children’s Hopsital and City Hall. Visit cincinnatilibrary.beanstack.org to pre-register

• Spring Picture Day- Cheese!!! Picture Day will be held on Wednesday, March 20th.

• Understanding Gifted & Exceptional Workshop- Spencer Center is pleased to announce that we are bringing back our popular Gifted Caregiver Workshop Series. This series focuses on supporting families of gifted and exceptional students. Three Wednesday workshops designed to empower parents and caregivers raising Gifted & Exceptional Students. Attend one or all 3! Hybrid March 5, 12, & 19. Special Guest Speaker: Maggie Gunnerson

(Ms. Gunnerson chairs Ohio's Gifted Advisory Council and GEAR—Gifted Education Advocates and Resources. She is also a nationally awarded Mensa Gifted Youth Coordinator) Please see the attached flier for more details and to register.

• Spring Break- March 24-28, 2025- Enjoy your time away from school

• Opening Day Parade- Thursday, March 27, 2024, downtown at 12 pm. The baseball game will start at 4:10 pm at Great American Ballpark.

• Financial Assistance Needed- United Way and the Freestore Food Bank will help assist any family in need during the winter months. Reach out to our Resource Coordinator for more information.

• Looking for something to do?- Check out Michaels. Lowe’s, and Home Depot. They have in-store and online free classes for the entire family. Click on the link and see what you can get into. Link: https://www.michaels.com/classes, https://www.lowes.com/diy-projects-and-ideas/workshops , https://www.homedepot.com/c/kids-workshop

• Free Tax Preparation- Looking to either volunteer or do you need assistance with filing your taxes? United Way is providing a free service to file your taxes. Click on the link to access when and where you can get your taxes done for free.

Link for Free Tax Prep: https://www.uwgc.org/get-help/free-tax-prep/for-taxpayers

Please keep the electronic link to the Code of Conduct handy for your records. There will not be paper copies printed this school year.

Cincinnati Public Schools:

513-363-0123

Child Mental Health Crisis

Cincinnati Children's Hospital PIRC intake line:

513-636-4124

Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect:

513-241-KIDS

Suicide Prevention Hotline:

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Crisis Textline:

Text 4HOPE to 741741

Disaster Distress Helpline:

1-800-985-5990

Domestic Violence Hotline via Women Helping Women:

513-381-5610

Our Character Program centers around:

Respect, Ownership, Compassion, Kindness and Safety, Safety, Safety!

Below are the three school-wide expectations that we expect students to follow throughout all parts of our learning community. Please support us by reinforcing these at home.

• Be Respectful
• Be Responsible
• Be a Problem Solver

Email: simpsoa@cpsboe.k12.oh.us
Website: www.prmrocks.org
Location: 5945 Montgomery Road
Phone: 513-363-4400