Picotte Pinto Press

Picotte Elementary School

Principal: Mrs. Heidi Malowski (Heidi.Malowski@ops.org)

Secretary: Mrs. Sherise Wynne (Sherise.Wynne@ops.org)
Website: www.ops.org/picotte
Location: 14506 Ohio Street Omaha, NE 68116
Phone: (531) 299-1920

Fax: (531) 299-1937

Facebook: facebook.com/OPSPicotteElementary

Thank you to all of our families who attended parent-teacher conferences last week! We appreciate your time, engagement, and commitment to your child’s learning and success. It was a pleasure connecting with you, celebrating student growth, discussing areas for improvement, and working together to support each child’s unique needs.

Strong partnerships between home and school are essential to student success. When families, teachers, staff, and the community work together, we create a supportive environment where students feel valued, encouraged, and empowered to reach their full potential. We encourage you to continue communicating with your child’s teacher, celebrating progress at home, and reaching out whenever questions or concerns arise.

Your partnership makes a difference, and we are grateful to have you alongside us as we help our students learn, grow, and succeed!

October 30 at 3pm we will have our annual fall classroom parties.

School-wide costume parade: All families are invited to watch the costume parade which will, weather permitting, be an outdoor parade starting at 3pm and lasting approximately 10 minutes. Families will need to park in the parking lot to avoid blocking the pick-up lanes.

Classroom parties: Immediately following the parade, classroom volunteers, students, & staff will go back to their classroom for a few fall-themed games and treats. Parents or guardians who have prearranged to be classroom party volunteers will be permitted in the building after the parade. If you are interested in helping with the classroom fall parties, please sign-up using this link. ALL volunteers must also complete the volunteer application.

Costume guidelines: Students should wear school-appropriate costumes. Costumes that include guns, weapons, blood or anything violent are not acceptable. Students should bring their costumes in the backpack and they will change into them before the parade.

Classroom volunteers: If you have signed-up and are an approved classroom volunteer, please check in at the main office at 2:45pm. You will receive your badge and information on the classroom activities & games.

Our arrival and dismissal procedures have been going well, and we appreciate everyone's patience and cooperation as we continue to establish routines. A few reminders and actions will help us keep the process safe, efficient, and smooth for everyone:

• Have a plan. Communicate a regular dismissal plan with your student. Whenever possible, avoid making changes to dismissal plans during the school day. Changes can disrupt classroom instruction and may cause confusion for students and staff.
• Be mindful and aware. School staff are outside directing traffic and making every effort to keep vehicles moving safely and efficiently. Please follow staff directions and remain alert as you move through the arrival and dismissal areas.
• Pull forward. Minimize the space between vehicles and pull as far forward as possible. This allows us to serve more families efficiently and keeps traffic moving.
• Stay in your vehicle. All adults should remain in their vehicles while in the pick-up lanes. If your student needs additional assistance with their seat belt or getting into the vehicle, please park and assist your student. School staff can help open car doors while students are developing these independent skills.

• Drop off beginning at 8:30 a.m. Students can enter the building at 8:30 for breakfast or to go directly to their classroom. Students should not arrive at school before 8:30am as there is no supervision for students.

• Arrive before 8:50 a.m. Students arriving prior to 8:50 a.m. should enter the school through Door #2. If Door #2 is closed, a parent/guardian will need to come into the building to check the student in.
• Plan to pick up your student by 4:15 p.m. Please plan accordingly.
• Talk with your student. Make sure your child knows important dismissal information. Do they know the color or type of your vehicle? Do they know who is picking them up? Taking a few minutes to review this information with your student can help dismissal go more smoothly.

Thank you for following these reminders and helping us create a safe and efficient start and end to the school day.

10.27: School Improvement Day: 2-Hour Late Start.

10.27: Student Assemblies hosted by the Susan La Flesche Picotte Center

10.28: Burke Annual Trunk-or-Treat in the baseball parking lot from 4:30-6:30pm

10.30: Fall Parade & Party at 3pm

11.03: NO SCHOOL

11.05: Make-Up Picture Day

11.23-11.27: Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL

12.01: Winter MAP Reading Testing

12.08: Winter MAP Math Testing

12.14: Winter Vocal Music Performance (9:30am & 2pm)

12.21-01.04: Winter Break

Congratulations to our 161 Pintos who missed 1 day or less during the 1st quarter. You should have received a Rockstar Attendance Certificate at conferences to recognize your efforts.

We currently have nearly 70% of our Pintos who have missed 5% of fewer days this school year. And a special shout-out to our Kindergarten students who have 83% of our students missing 5% of fewer days! Great job!

Every minute counts toward attendance. Limiting appointments and not checking students out early is imperative for student academic growth. Too many absences in preschool and elementary school can cause children to struggle socially and academically. Missing 10% of school (approximately 2 days each month) can make it harder to learn to read and do basic math.

When students are ill they need to recover so they can come back feeling better. If you student is ill or absent from school for another reason, please notify the office (531-299-1920) by 9am. If your student arrives late, they must be walked into the building by a parent or guardian. Tardy students will enter through the main entrance (Door #1) and must be accompanied by a guardian.

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school — and themselves. Your family can build a habit of positive attendance now. Thank you for prioritizing attendance and helping us meet our school-wide attendance goal. If your family or student is experiencing barriers to positive attendance, please reach out to Ms. Mahr, Picotte School Counselor.

The Student Transportation Department oversees the safe transportation of eligible students to and from school each day. Omaha Public Schools students may be eligible for transportation based on the Student Assignment Plan, or as outlined in a student's IEP. To determine if your child is eligible for transportation, visit the Student Assignment Plan website. If you have questions or concerns about your child's transportation, their eligibility to receive transportation, a late bus or more, please call the transportation hotline at (531) 299-0140.

Omaha Public School District uses the transportation vendor Zum Services. Zum Services offers a free mobile app that allows parents/guardians to track their child's school transportation. With the Zum Parent App you can:

- Track your student's ride in real-time and receive ride updates

- Know your driver profile and vehicle assigned to transport your student

-View pick-up and drop-off time estimates

-Cancel rides when necessary

-Chat with Zum support team if needed

Download the Zum App (iOS) (Android) from your carrier’s App Store.

Picotte Elementary participates in the traditional National School Lunch Program (NSLP). This means in order to receive free or reduced-price meals for lunch, families need to complete a Free and Reduced Meal Application. Breakfast continues to be at no cost for all students. Lunch for Elementary students is $2.50, secondary lunch is $2.85. In accordance with the Nebraska Hunger-Free Schools Act, reduced-priced lunch is $0.00 in the elementary, middle, and high schools.

To apply for Free & Reduced Lunch, log in to SchoolCafe (you may need to create an account). Once logged in click “Apply for Benefits” to complete the form. It only takes a few minutes to complete if you have your household income details handy. To access the income eligibility guidelines click here. This website provide guidelines to determine eligibility for free and reduced-price meals.

Please reach out to our office if you need help completing your application.