Wiggin Street Parent Update

Families,

The long awaited school class rosters have arrived! We appreciate your patience, and hope that the extra time has allowed us to create classes that will best serve your students. We want to welcome all new families to Wiggin Street! Kindergarten parents, please notice the group that your child has been assigned as well as the days they are to attend during the staggered start.

Don't forget to fill out our summer reading log with your child for your student to participate in our Olympic Water Games. You must turn in your summer reading log to be part of the fun! Also, please send us a summer reading picture of your student over the summer to aphillips@mvcsd.us. There is more information below, and our website has links to the reading logs. Enjoy the final days of summer with a good book!

Class lists are included in this update via Instant Connect and will be posted on our front doors. Click here if you need an Instant Connect account. All communication, including these updates, are sent by email and text through this method. Also, school supply lists can be found here. New parents, did I forget anything? If so, check out our website, and if you still don't find what you are looking for, email me at cgrandstaff@mvcsd.us.

This Back to School Update is also packed with lots of information to help you and your child have a successful start to the school year. Thank you for trusting us with your children each day, and please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to seeing all of you at Open House.

Have a great rest of your summer!

Sincerely,

Christy Grandstaff

Please click here for the class rosters for this school year.

Make sure you have completed all enrollment forms online including required documents.

In order to assist children in their transition to kindergarten, all elementary schools will be implementing a "staggered start" for just our kindergarten students. Please take note as to the group assigned on the class rosters and the dates they are to attend. Group A will begin on August 20th and Group B on the 21st. The A/B schedule continues through August 29th with all kindergarten students together on the 30th. Kindergarten teachers will meet the students on the front lawn on the first days, and they will walk together to class.

Please provide a change of clothes in a labeled Ziploc baggie in case of accidents. Also, our kindergarten students play on the playground multiple times throughout the day, so they will get dirty. Tennis shoes are needed for gym class.

Resources for Preparing for Kindergarten can be found here.

We are getting ready for an exciting school year! Click here for Wiggin Street's 2024-25 School Supply List.

Please save your student's Brag Tags to add to their new backpack for next school year. Some new tags have been purchased, and the kids love to collect them!

Teachers will be ready to greet students at our Open House on August 15th 6:00-7:30pm. This will be an informal meet and greet and opportunity for students to bring in their supplies. I will be available outside the office and look forward to meeting you, so please stop by to say hello.

Interested in being more involved with our school? Our PTO, Friends of Wiggin Street, will have a table set up at our Open House with sign up sheets for different committees and opportunities for parent volunteers. All are welcome!

We will be requiring for the 2024-25 school year that all adults attending field trips will need a BCI background check on file. The board will pay for any parent's background check done through the MVCSD district office to go on field trips or to volunteer at the school. The BCI background check will be good for 5 years and needs to be on file in our office. If any parent needs a background check, please go to the district office with your driver's license. Thank you.

There have been some changes in our staffing this year. Kara Wegmiller shortened her commute by obtaining a teaching position with Westerville City Schools. We were sad to see her go, but lucky to have Nick Zarley return to Mount Vernon City Schools to teach 4th grade at Wiggin Street.

Our intervention team had the most changes. Jessica Moore was our part time Intervention Specialist that we shared with East Elementary last year. She will be returning to full time with East this year, and Sam LaBenne will be joining us 1/2 time in the mornings.

We have two new Reading Specialists this year at Wiggin Street. Nikki Schuster married at the end of last year and relocated. Also, Lisa Ernst took a new position closer to home for a shorter commute. We have been lucky to have 2 highly qualified candidates to take their place this year. Michelle Kramp is joining us from East where she was a Reading Specialist for 3 years. Jennifer Richards was a Literacy Coach in Tiffin and moved back to the area with her family.

They have shared more about themselves below. Please help me welcome them at the Open House.

I am thrilled to be a part of the Wiggin Street Elementary Staff! I have two children, Norah (5th) and Logan (1st). We have two pups (Lily and Daisy). We love family trips, sports and bike rides. I enjoy working with my hands and reading all sorts of books. I attended MVNU for my undergrad, masters and generalist endorsement. I taught 2nd grade at PSES and 4th-5th grade at DE.

Hi! My name is Sam LaBenne and I’m excited to become part of the Wiggin Street team this coming school year. I have enjoyed being able to spend this past year with my son, Grayson, and daughter, Riley. I moved to Mount Vernon in 2012 to begin my career as a teacher and am looking forward to returning to the classroom this fall.

My husband Ben and I are so excited to be coming home to Mount Vernon City Schools. I am a 1999 graduate of Mount Vernon High School and my husband Ben started his career there a few months later as an English teacher. He will be returning in the fall as the new assistant principal at MVHS and I am thrilled to spend the year with you and Wiggin Street’s amazing students. I graduated with a BA in Early Childhood Education from Ohio Northern University in 2003 and after a short term position at Ben Franklin Elementary in Newark City Schools, I was a first grade teacher in the New Albany Plain Local School district for three years. For the last 17 years I have stayed at home with our two children. Ainsley is 17 and will be a senior and Owen is 15 and will be a sophomore at MVHS this Fall. After finishing my masters in Library and Information Science from Kent State University in 2008, I didn’t think I was going to return to teaching. However, I felt the pull back into the classroom and received my reading endorsement from Bowling Green State University in 2021. Since my time in New Albany, I have subbed and worked as an educational consultant for the Montgomery County ESC and the North Central Ohio ESC. For the past two years I have been pursuing a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist Certification and finished my practicum at the beginning of May. I am an avid reader and love swapping good books with friends, seeing theater productions, and traveling.

Hello, My name is Michelle Kramp and I am one of the new Reading Specialists here at Wiggin Street. I live in Gambier with my husband Bryan and my two girls Naomi and Mia. In my down time I enjoy the outdoors, coffee, yoga and being in the barn with my horse. I also enjoy volunteering in the community as a 4-H advisor for a dog club.

Here's a little background about my educational path. After studying abroad in Wales and finishing my degree at Ohio Wesleyan University in Early Childhood Education I started my career at a Goddard Preschool in Dublin Ohio. Shortly after in 2005 I landed a job in the Mount Vernon City School district. My first four years in the district I taught the Extended Kindergarten Program. After that I taught First grade at East Elementary for two years. Then I moved back down to Kindergarten for nine years. Next I decided to start a new adventure as a Reading Specialist. My newest adventure has been moving to Wiggin Street School to join an amazing team! I look forward to meeting and learning more about each one of you! It’s going to be an amazing year!

Below you will see the route to enter our drive for pick up and drop off of your children. Please know that students should not be dropped off earlier than 8:40 am. for the students' safety.

For pick up, please do not arrive until 3:30. There is no stopping, standing, or parking on E. Brooklyn St. allowed, and you will be ticketed. Also, our school is an Idle-free zone. So, please protect our children and the community by turning off your engine.

Children need to be picked up by 3:45. We appreciate your cooperation and efforts to help this process run smoothly. Thank you!

All bus information will be available on the portal in early August. An Instant Connect message will be sent out to let you know when they are final. Please wait for the message before contacting the bus garage.

Our doors open at 8:40, so students should not be dropped off prior to that time for safety due to supervision. Attendance is taken at 9:00, and your child's success in school depends on them being prompt, so they are ready for morning routines which can reduce student anxiety. If they are tardy for some reason, you will need to come into the office to sign them in. If they are ill and need to be absent, please call the office. A note of explanation is needed in the office upon returning to school including medical excuses if applicable.

You can send a note with your child to the office in the morning if there is a change in their pick up routine. Sometimes changes are necessary during the school day for pick up. If you have a change in the way your child needs to go home, it is preferred that you send an email to your child's teacher and Anne, our secretary, at aphilllips@mvcsd.us. Phone calls must be made to the office before 2:00 pm if needed, so the change can be communicated.

As a district we are 1:1 on Chromebooks, and students in grades 3-5 receive a touchscreen Chromebook to be used in class. Parents of students in grades 3-5 also can opt to have a home Chromebook for their child during the school year. K-2 students regularly use iPads and/or Chromebooks that are assigned to students and kept in the classroom.

The 2022-23 MVCSD Student Electronic Device Handbook can also be found on the district website, but I've linked it here for convenience. Please read carefully to understand that "a Student Electronic Device or any of its accessories that are lost (whereabouts unknown) or damaged is the responsibility of the student and parent involved in the loss of property. The replacement costs are listed below. The user will not be given another device or accessory to take home until the replacement cost of the lost/damaged device or accessory is paid in full"

Replacement of the Chromebook - $363

Chromebook Touchscreen-$110

Chromebook Charger-$17 (Gen3); $15 (Gen2)

Chromebook Motherboard-$200 (Gen 3); $100 (Gen2)

Chromebook Daughterboards-$40 (Gen3); $10 (Gen2)

Chromebook Non Touchscreen-$70

iPad-$299

Chromebook Case-$25

There is an option to purchase insurance, and more information can be found here:

OPT IN Student Electronic Device Insurance Flyer (These will be sent home at the start of the school year.) The cost is $44 or $49 per device (K-12). Accidents happen, so I highly encourage the purchase of insurance to save you from paying for the cost of a replacement screen or Chromebook.

Parents' Guide: Keeping Children Safe Online

Acceptable Usage Policy

Mount Vernon City Schools Announces Free Meals for All Students

Mount Vernon, July 19, 2024 — The Board of Education of Mount Vernon City Schools is excited to announce that all students will receive FREE breakfast and lunch for the 2024-2025 school year. The District applied for and was awarded a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) grant, making this possible. Student academic fees will also be waived for the 2024-2025 school year. Even though meals are free for students this year, please complete the confidential online Free and Reduced lunch application in the parent portal.

Important- Students packing their lunch, but need to purchase a milk, will need to pay the milk price of $0.50.

Online School Forms: Every year parents must update several district forms. We make this process easy and convenient through our online |Parent Portal| If this link doesn't take you immediately to the ‘OneView’ login screen, you can find it on the district website under the ‘For Families’ drop-down menu. Please update the Student Emergency Medical Form and the District Authorization forms and select the ‘Save & Submit’ button at the bottom of the form.

Mount Vernon City Schools Announces New Cell Phone Policy and Free Meals for All Students

Mount Vernon, July 19, 2024 — The Board of Education of Mount Vernon City Schools is excited to announce that all students will receive FREE breakfast and lunch for the 2024-2025 school year. The District applied for and was awarded a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) grant, making this possible. Student academic fees will also be waived for the 2024-2025 school year.

In conjunction with this announcement, the Board is implementing a new cell phone policy to foster a more focused and engaged learning environment for all students. This policy will take effect at the start of the upcoming school year and reflects our commitment to enhancing student learning and well-being in alignment with our mission to ignite students’ passion for learning, cultivate a strong foundation of knowledge, and foster a sense of community within our schools.

Policy Objective

The primary goal of this policy is to strengthen Mount Vernon City Schools' focus on learning by minimizing distractions caused by cell phones. By limiting cell phone use during school hours, we aim to support an environment where students can fully engage with their classmates, teachers, and instructional activities.

Research Support

Extensive research highlights the negative impact of cell phone use on student performance and mental health. Studies have shown that cell phones can distract students from classroom instruction, leading to smaller learning gains and lower test scores. Additionally, increased cell phone use has been associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders in children. Cyberbullying, facilitated by instant messaging and social media platforms, exacerbates these issues, contributing to anxiety and depression. Furthermore, constant access to cell phones reduces essential face-to-face interactions, which are crucial for developing social skills. Our structured cell phone policy aims to mitigate these risks, creating a safer and more focused learning environment.

Applicability and Grade-Level Policies

This policy applies to students' cell phone use on school property during school hours, tailored to students' age and maturity levels through grade-level bands.

• Elementary School (Grades K-5):

• Policy: Cell phones are prohibited from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM.

• Rationale: Encourages focus on learning and social interactions without distractions.

• Middle School (Grades 6-8):

• Policy: Cell phones are prohibited during class periods, Flex, and lunch. Limited use is allowed during the 3-minute transition times for parent communications.

• Rationale: Provides limited opportunities for phone use to minimize distractions while allowing necessary parent contact.

• High School (Grades 9-12):

• Policy: Cell phones are prohibited during class periods, HIVE, and study hall. Limited use is allowed during the 4-minute transition times and at lunch.

• Rationale: Offers more flexibility while ensuring academic time is prioritized.

Emergency Communication

We understand parents' concerns regarding constant contact in emergencies. The district has protocols to notify students if parents call the office quickly. Students can use the office phone to contact parents in case of a school emergency. An emergency is defined as any situation where a student's immediate safety, health, or well-being is at risk and requires urgent communication or action.

Cell Phone Storage

Students must keep their cell phones in a secure place, such as a locker, closed backpack, or a secured cell phone pouch provided by the district, at all times when cell phone use is prohibited. The secured cell phone pouch is the property of MVCSD; students will be responsible for any lost, stolen, or damaged pouches.

Progressive Discipline for Policy Violations

• First Offense:

• Action: Student receives a warning.

• Contact: Family is notified.

• Procedure: The phone is placed in a secured pouch until the end of the day.

• Second Offense:

• Action: Lunch detention.

• Contact: Family is notified.

• Procedure: The phone is placed in a secured pouch until the end of the day.

• Third Offense:

• Action: Loss of cell phone privilege during school.

• Contact: Family is notified.

• Procedure: Phone stays at home or checked in at the office.

Further violations may result in increased disciplinary action, including suspension or referral to law enforcement.

Policy Review and Modifications

The cell phone policies will be reviewed regularly to ensure they meet the needs of students, parents, and the educational environment. The district reserves the right to modify these policies based on new research, feedback, and changing circumstances.

This policy is designed to create a focused learning environment while addressing the communication needs of parents and students. We are confident that this will enhance the educational experience for all Mount Vernon City Schools students.

Sincerely,

William Seder Jr. Superintendent, Mount Vernon City Schools

Visitors to our building are required to sign in at the office.

Click here for the 2024-25 Mount Vernon City School District Yearly Calendar

August

1 Wiggin Street office opens

5 Class Lists are shared

13-19 Teacher/Staff District In-Service

15 Elementary Open House; 6-7:30

20 First Day of School

20-29 Stagger Start for Kindergarten (A/B) See schedule above.

23 Summer Reading Logs Due

30 First day of ALL Kindergarten

Christy Grandstaff

Email: cgrandstaff@mvcsd.us
Website: https://www.mt-vernon.k12.oh.us/wigginstreetelementary_home.aspx
Location: 207 Wiggin St, Gambier, OH, USA
Phone: 740-427-4262
Facebook: facebook.com/wigginstreet
Twitter: @wiggin_street

Email: cgrandstaff@mvcsd.us
Website: mvcsd.us
Location: 207 Wiggin St, Gambier, OH, USA
Phone: 740-427-4262
Facebook: facebook.com/wigginstreet
Twitter: @wiggin_street