French Run Elementary

Happy February!

Can you believe we're already halfway through the school year? Your children continue to amaze us everyday with their curiosity, kindness and growing confidence. As we bundle up against the winter chill and since that groundhog predicted 6 more weeks of winter, our school community is filled with warmth, laughter and lots of heart.

Please continue to encourage your students to read 20 minutes every night. Children who read 20 minutes every night/5 days a week are exposed to an additional 1.8 million words in one school year. Compare this to students who read 5 minutes per day – they will be exposed to an additional 282,000 words per school year. Reading builds brains, fostering early learning and creating connections in the brain that promote language, cognitive, and social and emotional development. The extra support and encouragement at home goes a long way in your students success at school.

One of the second grade social studies standards says a student can demonstrate how time can be shown graphically on calendars and timelines. Our second grade students get a chance to show this every year by creating a timeline of their life. This project is engaging for the students and gives families a chance to work with their student at home.

Each student gets a chance to present their timeline with their classmates. Students all always excited to share the highlights of their young lives on their timeline. Timelines are then displayed to that everyone can enjoy the big events in the lives of our second graders.

Great job second grade!

We are so excited to share that our kids did AMAZING things in Math yesterday. For the first time, we joined the Splash Learn Math League! It is a math league that occurs every Wednesday. It focuses on 1 standard per week and asks 15 questions for the students to complete. They are awarded points based on accuracy and speed.

Our 5th grade class earned an AWARD!! We were 5th in Ohio out of 65 classes.
We were ranked 50 out of 1,581 classes in the U.S!!!

We are so proud of ALL of them!

Congratulations to our January Pride Team! These students were selected by their peers for the leadership they show daily. Here are some of the comments made about this month's Pride Team:

• is a natural leader who includes everyone in our class and stands up for others
• leads by example in our class
• consistently leads class participation in the classroom
• shows leadership by listening to others, having a positive attitude and by being reliable
• is helpful, kind, and leads by example
• has worked hard to develop strong leadership characteristics
• sets a great example of leadership by following classroom expectations and helping her classmates when they need it

Congratulations Firebirds! We are so proud of you!

“I will be a leader every day.

I will make good choices, even when no one is watching.

I will treat others with kindness and respect.

I will help others and include everyone.

I will speak up for what is right and try my best.

I lead by example—at school, at home, and in my community.

I AM A LEADER!”

Ice cream with the Principals is part of our PBIS incentive program for students. Each month students earn pride tickets for demonstrating S.O.A.R expectations. Students may choose to spend their tickets in our monthly Firebird Flea Market or save them for something better next month. This month we had 14 students choose ice cream with the Principals as their incentive award. Mr. Fetty served scoops with a smile and spent time talking to students during lunch.

Here is what it means to S.O.A.R:

S - Self Control

O - On Task

A - Accepting

R - Respect

Out of all the classes that were rated this month, only Mrs. George's class was rated to have 5 star behavior and effort!!!

We are so proud of Mrs. George's class for working on trying their best and working their hardest at school. Great job!

The Month Ahead:

• February 16 - President's Day will be used as an instructional make-up day. Staff and students will report to school.
• February 17 - Spring picture day

March Preview:

• March 13th - Teacher PD Day will be used as an instructional make-up day. Staff and students will report to school.
• March 23-27 - No School - Spring Break

Spring pictures are scheduled for Tuesday, February 17th. You can order online at:

inter-state.com/order

Code:0378QVT

Only those students who preorder will be photographed. Online ordering for this event closes at 10:00 a.m. on picture day.

You may have noticed your child received a new hat and gloves last month. French Run partnered with students from Valor Christian College and they stopped by and delivered hats and gloves to all of our students. Kids were excited to receive their hats and gloves and interact with the college students.

If a child in your home needs a winter coat please reach out to the office. We still have coats available from our November give away. We also have a limited number of hats and gloves as well.

One of our most popular assemblies we have every year is with Jim "Basketball" Jones. This year we got the same experience with Jim's son, Parker. “Basketball” Jones is all about helping individuals develop and harness their inner strength and a positive mindset to lead a better more fulfilling life. Kids were encouraged to take ownership in their effort, be willing to learn from others and believe in themselves to realize their potential.

As we move forward, we must ensure our students have the required state instructional hours. Here are the changes to the academic calendar that we will be making:

● February 16, 2026 (President’s Day) will be an instructional make-up day. Staff and students will

report to school.

If we encounter additional reasons and need to implement a calamity day, these days may be used:

● March 13, 2026 (Teacher PD Day) will be an instructional make-up day. Staff and students will

report to school.

● April 6, 2026 (Parent Conference Comp Day) will be an instructional make-up day. Staff and

students will report to school. The comp day for staff will be moved to May 29, 2026.

The following two letters from the District were recently sent to all families regarding calamity days.

A reminder for our elementary school families:

Cell phone use has never been permitted during the school day in our elementary buildings. If an elementary student needs to contact a parent or guardian, they may do so through the school office.

If a student is caught with their cell phone out while in school, the phone will be confiscated and returned to the student at the end of the day. If a student is caught a second time, the cell phone will be confiscated, placed in the office and parent/guardian contacted to pick it up.

We appreciate your support as we work together to ensure a safe and distraction-free learning environment for all students.

EFCTS is excited to announce registration for summer camp will open up on Monday, February 9th! If you have students entering grades 5-7 that have been asking about summer camp again, you will now have the answers! Sessions will fill quickly!

Dates: June 2nd & 3rd
Times: 8:40-11:00am (morning session); 12:05-2:25pm (afternoon session)

Lunch: If they choose both sessions, students will need to bring a sack lunch.

Location: Eastland Career Center, 4465 S. Hamilton Rd., Groveport OH 43125

Price: FREE!!
Transportation: On their own

Registration: Eastland-Fairfield website (Registration will end on April 10th)

Each camper will receive a T-Shirt! Once a student is registered, more detailed information will be sent to the parent/guardian that has registered.

We have confirmed that Caitlin Hughes with the Fairfield County ESC will be joining us on June 2nd for a lunchtime presentation and animal ambassadors from the Columbus Zoo will be with us on June 3rd.

*New this year* COSI will join us this year, running a session geared towards Entrepreneurship. Jazz Lab will also be joining us this year with their sessions highlighting music and how it can inspire learning and related careers!

We look forward to hosting your students for two days of learning, fun and a great kick-start to their summers!

Students who will be 5 years old by the first day of school (August 20, 2026) ae eligible to enroll for kindergarten for the 2026-2027 school year. Visit the District enrollment page to learn more or contact the Welcome Center at 614-501-1033, opt. 7.

Reynoldsburg City Schools is excited to partner with Children's Hunger Alliance (CHA) for our weekend meal program again this year! TANF-eligible families interested in receiving weekend meals for their student(s) can complete the program form located here: https://forms.gle/z8HY4vZx4yxrZ33c7.

If you have questions about the weekend meal program or other available resources in the school community, please reach out to wholechild@reyn.org.

Local Community Resources

H.E.A.R.T. Pantry

Community of Care (Reynoldsburg Church of Christ)

Reynoldsburg Helping Hands

We are in need of boys and girls bottoms. If you have any pants, sweatpants, leggings or shorts you are able to donate to the clinic it would be greatly appreciated.

We have more than enough shirts and tops and we do not need anymore of those items.

Please drop of any bottoms you would like to donate to the office.

Thank You

Ms. Sheena

School Nurse

Drop Off and Pick Up Details:

Arrival: Doors Open: 8:20 am

Tardy Bell: 8:30 am (Doors will close at this time)

If you arrive after 8:30, you will need to walk your student into the building and sign them in. There will be a sign in sheet on a table in the foyer outside the office.

Dismissal/ Pickup

Students begin leaving the building: 2:45 pm

All students out of the building/last pick up: 3:00 pm

Car Rider Loop

Parents dropping off or picking up students must follow the car pickup line.

Students will be waiting for parents who are in line, and released by the cones on the sidewalk. Please do not pass cars in the loop.

Please do not use the bus loop during pickup and drop off times.

The French Run PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) is a group of parents, caregivers, and staff who work together to support our school through events, volunteer efforts, and fundraising. The PTO helps create fun experiences for students, supports teachers, and builds a strong school community. You don’t need a lot of time to help—there are many simple ways to get involved, like donating items, helping at events, or sharing ideas. Every bit of support makes a difference. Click the link below to learn more and see how you can partner with the PTO.

As we head into the holiday season, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for the partnership you provide to our school community. Your support helps make our school a joyful place for students to learn and grow. A few families have asked how they might spread a little extra cheer to our teachers and staff before winter break. While gifts are never expected or required, here are a couple options below if you are interested.

Teacher Lounge Refresh

If you'd like to contribute to making our teachers' lounge a brighter, more comfortable place for staff to recharge, you can purchase from the Amazon wish list or surprise them with a snack or item of your choosing.

A Few of Our Favorite Things

Prefer to surprise a specific teacher or staff member with their favorite treat or gift? Take a look at this staff favorites guide for ideas. As always, gifts are never expected or required.

Thank you for helping us make this season special for our staff! Your thoughtfulness and generosity -- whether through kind words, gifts, or simply your ongoing support -- make a big difference to our staff. We hope you have a safe, peaceful, and happy winter break!

Kroger Community Rewards is partnering with French Run PTO to earn money for our school when you enroll "French Run PTO" as your Community Rewards recipient. It takes less than one minute to sign up through the app. See steps below:

1. go to the Home Screen
2. select the menu in the upper right, click on "rewards"
3. then select "Community Rewards"
4. and finally, type in "French Run PTO"
5. select "enroll"

You can also sign up online using the link below!

Use the Code to support our school!

French Run Elementary Code: NPO #82187

Beginning Monday September 15th, all family communication was transitioned to using Talking Points. You may click on the link below for additional information about Talking Points.

https://intercom.help/talkingpoints/en/articles/10504279-translated-talkingpoints-families-app-invitations-printable

Parent/Guardians will be automatically enrolled with your phone number and e-mail addresses on file in the office.

It is very important that your phone number is updated so you can stay up to date with information from the building! To begin, TalkingPoints will automatically allow us to communicate by text messages to your phone. If you wish, you can download the TalkingPoints Parent app to your phone. This allows you to do more advanced features such as react to messages, RSVP to events, and more. Downloading the app is optional.

Any changes in phone number, e-mail address, or other important information should be communicated to the front office as soon as you can.

Change of addresses are required by Ohio Law, and should be communicated with our welcome center. Cindy in the French Run front office can help with this process.

Address: 1200 Epworth Ave, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068

Phone: (614) 367-1950