Greetings PRM Families,

We have successfully transitioned back to full remote learning until after the first of the new year. Thank you so much for partnering with us to ensure that learning continues in spite of the circumstances! Please know how much you are appreciated for how you support our school community. Our teachers will continue to partner with families to provide reasonable accommodations for those that may have unique child care situations or other circumstances. Our goal is to make sure that every student has access to the lessons provided and the follow-up work expected. Please make sure you are clear on the expectations, instructions, schedule, meeting codes, and office hours communicated by your child's teacher. We will continue to do this and do it well!

We are here to foster and support your success. Please be sure to communicate any needs you may have or seek clarity if you are unsure about something. We welcome your constructive feedback to help us refine and improve our systems. We want to make sure that what we are doing not only works well for us, it also needs to work well for our families. This is so hard for everyone. We appreciate your compassion and consideration. We are in this together!

Let's continue to do our part to ensure the health and safety of our school community. If your child tests positive for COVID-19, please report it to our school nurse, Margaret Shroeder by calling (513) 363-4421. Please report your child's absence by calling the main office or the classroom teacher. Nurse Meg will likely follow-up with a call to see if support is needed. She will also continue to provide on-site COVID testing for any CPS students. She cannot test adults. Be sure to wear a mask at all times if you need to come to our campus. We also ask for your help by wearing a mask when out in public and washing your hands frequently. We want to be able to return to blended learning after the holiday break.

It is my sincere hope that you were able to safely enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with your family. In this season of giving, know that the best gifts are often the things we take for granted. Give love and attention to the people and the things that matter most. The love and time that we share as a family can never be replaced. We wish you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season!

Love,

Principal Simpson

Email: simpsoa@cpsboe.k12.oh.us
Phone: 513-203-9087

• Distance Learning~November 23rd-January 4th (TBD)
• Virtual Gingerbread House Party~ December 5th @ 2pm
  
• ILT~ December 7th @ 2:45p
• LSDMC~ December 9th @ 3pm
  
• 2nd Quarter Virtual Conference Night~ December 10th 3pm-6pm
• Virtual Movie Night~ December 11th @ 6:30pm
• Coat Drive~ Shopping on Thursday and Friday, December 10th and 11th 2:30-4:30pm
• Virtual Winter Variety Show~ Wednesday, December 16th @ 5:00 pm
• CPS Board Meetings - December 2nd @4p, December 7th @ 6:30p, December 16th @ 4pm
  
• Winter Break~ December 21st-January 3rd- Schools Closed
• PTO~ January 13th @ 6:30pm
• Foundation~ January 19th @ 7pm

Greetings PRM Families,

Our 2nd Quarter Virtual Conference Night is fast approaching. We will host virtual conferences on Thursday, December 10th from 3pm-6pm. Please be on the lookout for an email from your child's teacher to sign up for a conference. You may also use the attached letter with times to communicate your needs to your child's teacher via email. If you do not have the ability to respond via email you can complete the attached form and return it to the main office on Thursday, Friday, or this coming Monday, December 7th and we will get it to the right person. We will have paper copies of the form available in the main office as well.

We look forward to discussing your child's progress with you and continuing our partnership for success. Please call 513-363-4400 if you have any questions.

All students in grades PreK-6 transitioned to full remote learning on November 23rd.

Monday-Thursday~ Synchronous(teacher-guided lessons) Learning for all students 8am-2pm

Friday~ Asynchronous (self-directed) Learning Day; Teacher office hours; Specials Courses are Synchronous on this day

To accommodate working parents and virtual learning times, Student Dining Services will have meal distribution at all schools (with the exception of Lighthouse and RSA Cheviot/Westwood) on Wednesdays -- December 2nd, December 9th, and December 16th on the following schedule:

· Elementary schools will distribute meals 7am-12noon

· Secondary & K-12 schools will distribute meals 12noon-5pm

Student Dining Services is currently exploring meal distribution for Winter Break and will share information with Principals as soon as possible.

The District Safety Plan for Reopening Schools was updated recently with some additional information below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17IRPdq6SPuhmldRJ_mJZ5X0njVDR_CRYhKT5NeRcqiE/edit

This update includes more specific guidance for recess, cloth face coverings, and how to respond to a confirmed case or exposure to a confirmed case in your building. Please take the time to read these updates in the safety plan at the link above.

Hello! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and had some important downtime. I wanted to talk to everyone about illnesses and absences while the students

are learning remotely. It is still very important that you reach out to your teacher or directly to me to report symptoms your child might be having that could be related to COVID.

We also need to be informed of any positive COVID results. I know this might seem strange to you and some have even wondered if there is a potentially evil reason behind this and I want to give you some assurance and ask for your help.

I am sure you are aware that COVID rates are again increasing. The severity of illnesses from COVID is also increasing. The data that we are able to collect regarding students attending Cincinnati Public Schools can help keep our students and our families safer during this time. This information is not used to track you or to punish you. It's being gathered to show trends. To show where we might need to improve. It will help determine what we need to do to keep this awesome school up and running in January. We are fortunate to be working with a program with Cincinnati Children's Hospital, the Cincinnati Health Department, and Cincinnati Public Schools. Many people are involved in this project and every day they meet to see what they can do for CPS. So please, if you have a student who is sick or is positive please email me @Schroem@cpsboe.k12.oh.us. You may also call me at 513-363-4421. I will answer any/all questions you have that might help you recognize the importance of this information.

And now an important message about COVID testing. I can do testing at the school. This is part of the program I talked about above. It cannot be easier. It is free. We almost always get our results back by 6am every morning. I think one very busy day they did not come back until 7:15am but still that same day. I just waited six days for my results! It is quick. If you call me/email me I will try to have all of the paperwork ready and you can be in and out of my office in 10 minutes. Testing can help keep your family safe. If you know one of your family members is positive you can help watch for symptoms but also can help stop the spread to other family members. I am here Monday through Friday from 7am until 3:30ish but will also stay later (within reason!) to accommodate your schedule. (This Thursday I am only working 7-12 BTW) I do need you to make an appointment but I can be flexible on all of this. This is how strongly I feel about the need for testing. I am not getting any extra pay for testing. I am not getting any extra retirement points. I am pushing this because I truly believe this will ultimately help our students and our families.

Specifics about testing: I can test any student who attends a Cincinnati Public School with symptoms related to COVID. I cannot test adults. I cannot test students not enrolled in CPS but can refer you to a Cincinnati School-Based Center where you can get care. You will have to sign a waiver. The test is relatively quick and relativity painless.

I am also asking for your help in dispelling rumors about the reason we are asking for this information and providing testing.

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me either via email or my office.

Take care!

Meg Schroeder MSN, RN, PHNII

School Nurse Pleasant Ridge Montessori

Cincinnati Health Department

Cincinnati, OH 45214

513.363.4421 (o) | 513.363.4420 (f)

We hope you had a happy and HEALTHY Thanksgiving. We are so thankful we have the technology to still be with your children every day! Don't forget, packet pick up is on Fridays and Mondays from 8:00 am-4:00 pm. In geography, we are traveling through Europe. The children are learning about different countries and their flags, landmarks, and many other things. In science, we are learning about mammals. Ask your child to tell you some of the characteristics that make an animal a mammal. The children will also learn how animals change and adapt during the winter months. Thank you for your support and dedication to your child's education, PRM, and to our classroom communities!

As we move back into our virtual learning, the 6-9 team will continue with academic lessons, community building, intervention and enrichment! Please reach out to your classroom teacher if you have any questions about your learners distance learning routine. Each grade level will continue their work with language fluency, writing, and understanding texts with text specific comprehension questions! Each classroom teacher is working hard to build place value understanding, addition, subtraction, and multiplication fluency, and word problems. We hope all of our families are staying safe and healthy for the next few weeks before Winter Break.

Our team is fully up and running with the Ready Math curriculum. ELA is rolling along with our fictional texts and will be writing their own fictional narratives this quarter. We're all so proud of how well our kiddos are adjusting to remote learning. We're really enjoying our time with them.

December 2020

• Thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity during the Thanksgiving Food Distribution. We collected over $1700 and were able to give out 86 boxes to our PRM families. That was a wonderful feeling. We truly appreciate our PRM community and families.

• A big THANKS goes to our PTO, Foundation, and Principles for putting on our IPP Recognition Celebration. Each of our IPPs was given a recognition award, a gift certificate, a nice card, a thank you video, candy, and a nice lunch. The IPPs were so surprised and were truly appreciative of it all.

• Hands Across PRM was a heartwarming event. You can see the handprints going around the entire school building. I quote, “We may be far, but our love is always near.” PRM we love you.

• Coat Drive- Our Annual coat drive is happening now. We are taking new or gently used coats, hats, scarves, and gloves. If you would like to donate you can come by the school and drop off your donated items in the box in the lobby. If you would like to receive a coat please contact Ms. Johnson is our school resource coordinator at 513-363-4429. There are order forms for shopping as well in the front office and your child’s take-home folders.

• Storytime with Principal Simpson- Friday, December 11at 6pm

• Virtual Movie Night- Friday, December 11, 2020, at 6:30pm. The featured film is Polar Express. Optional snack options of popcorn, candy, and a drink can be purchased by going to prmrocks.org/movie to order your snack pack. The snack packs are $5.00.

• Virtual Music Concert- Are you ready to hear the sounds of PRM? If so please tune in to the virtual music concert on Wednesday, December 16, 2020

• 12 Days of Ridge-ness- November 30- December 20, 2020
  

• Winterfest Drive-Thru- “Wishing for a brighter Future”- January 15, 2021

• CRC is still taking applications for PRM After-School Care. Stop by the office for an application.

• The District is seeking your input using the communication platform Possip. An email soliciting and/or text message will be sent to parents directly on 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month. Please share your feedback.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the PRM Thanksgiving Food Box Event! We handed out 86 boxes! Thank you to our Resource Coordinator Monique Johnson for organizing and Pastor Amy Snow for doing the shopping from the monetary donations.

Happy Holidays from PTO, Foundation, ILT, LSDMC and Boosters! Some groups are not meeting in December, but you can see the list of those next meetings and other meetings happening in December below. The meetings will be remote and the links will be available on PRMRocks.org calendar. PRM parents and administration want to make sure all voices know they can be heard and are welcome. Please see the meetings, reminders and updates below!

• PTO Meeting - January 13th at 6:30pm (No December Meeting)
  

• Foundation - January 19th @ 7p (December Meeting is a work time, contact Emma.Massie@gmail.com if you would like to be involved).

• LSDMC - December 9th @ 3pm

• ILT - December 7th @2:45p

• CPS Board Meetings - December 2nd @4p, December 7th @ 6:30p, December 16th @ 4pm
  

Fundraisers: Our Awesome Pleasant Ridge Foundation is working hard to raise funds to support these community events, our community garden, the amazing PRM staff and students and all the unique needs we have this year of remote learning. Check out the links to the awesome fundraisers we have!

• Poinsettia Sale prmrocks.org/flowers Thank you to those who ordered Poinsettias (Pick details to come)!
  
• Deck the Walls Virtual Holiday Fundraiser on December 5th @ 4pm
• PRM Cookbook prmrocks.org/cookbook
• Magazine Sale
• Box Tops, Kroger Card and other No-Cost Fundraisers - https://prmrocks.org/give/fundraisers/
  
• Donate prmrocks.org/donate (#Giving Tuesday, December 1st)
• No Cost Fundraisers
• Look for details to come about the annual Read-a-thon in January! prmrocks.org/readathon

Reminders of Community Events:

• Virtual Gingerbread House Party! Saturday, December 5th @ 2pm! prmrocks.org/gingerbread
  
• Virtual Movie Night! Friday, December 11th @ 6pm prmrocks.org/movie
  
• Coat Drive Shopping on Thursday and Friday, December 10th and 11th 2:30-4:30p Click here for coat drive event info on PrmRocks.org
• Virtual Winter Variety Show Wednesday, December 16th 5:00 pm, submissions by December 6th https://prmrocks.org/virtual-winter-variety-show/
  
• 6th Grade Families! Need help navigating how to sign up and plan for next year! Go here: https://prmrocks.org/6th-grade-families/ Magnet lottery process has begun!
• Email Updates: https://prmrocks.org/emailupdates/
• Subscribe to the PRMRocks.org Calendar here: https://prmrocks.org/calendar/
• Interested in Scouts! Girl Scout Troops and Cub Scouts are active at PRM and you're welcome to join! Go to https://prmrocks.org/connect/scouting/

Technology throws a curve ball occasionally when software is going haywire or a laptop simply will not start.

For CPS students and their families, help is a phone call away by dialing the Family Technology Support Center, (513) 363-0688 or emailing. Tech support is available in English and Spanish from 8 a.m.– 6 p.m., Monday through Friday when school is in session.

The Family Technology Support Center has been created to assist students and their families when they are not at a CPS school. The move is in response to feedback received from families during the district’s Parent Town Hall meetings held recently.

Some examples of available tech support include:

• Resetting passwords for Google, Schoology and Powerschool
• Troubleshooting connectivity issues
• Logging into the computer
• Offering assistance with Google Meet, Calendar, Gmail and standard software
• Coordinating the repair of a CPS device that is damaged, broken or not working

"We understand that technology issues arise, and we are here to support our CPS families," said Jeremy Gollihue, chief information officer. "It's important that students do not lose valuable learning time and it is our goal to resolve situations quickly so students can go back to completing assignments, doing research or connecting with their teacher."

Parents will continue to call the Customer Care Department, 363-0123, with other school-related questions.

VIRTUAL MINDPEACE ROOMS Many of our students (and staff) are missing our MindPeace Rooms used to help students deescalate and learn coping skills. During this stressful time while students are not in schools and don't have access to a physical MindPeace Room, we are providing a virtual experience as a resource for students of all ages. Please share this link to 3 Virtual MindPeace Rooms (one for K-2nd grade, one for 3rd-6th grade and one for middle and high schools) on the updated MindPeace website with the students and families you serve. https://mindpeacecincinnati.com/virtual-mindpeace-rooms/ Virtual MindPeace Rooms™ mindpeacecincinnati.com

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

Website: prmrocks.org
Location: 5945 Montgomery Road
Phone: 513-363-4400