Gearity PDS
9.26.25 Family Message
Greetings Gearity Families:
It is hard to believe that we are already heading into October next week! We have had a busy month of September with the Ice Cream Social, Homecoming Parade, Father's Walk and getting routines established for students and families. October will also be busy with the return of the School Market, our first lockdown drill, Parent Teacher Conferences and Picture Retakes. For those families that are new to our school and District, I want to share what these important events mean for you and your family.
School Market: on the 2nd Thursday of each month, we have a school market where every family in the building receives free produce. Volunteers help pack fresh produce (vegetables and fruits) and we distribute the food at dismissal time. We open the car line to the community as they are invited to participate so anticipate a slight delay when picking up your students. Bus riders will get a bag to take home as the leave to board the bus. Please let family members and neighbors know that they can participate by coming the back playground between 2-4 pm.
Safety Drills: The state of Ohio requires that all schools have a monthly fire drill, two lockdown drills and two tornado drills each school year. Gearity will have a level 2 lockdown drill on October 8th. We are always in a level 1 lockdown where the school doors are locked and visitors need to come to the office to access the building. A level 2 lockdown is where students stay in class and continue to work when there is an issue in the surrounding neighborhood. The students are not allowed to leave the classroom while in the level 2 lockdown. We will have a level three lockdown later in the school year where doors are locked, lights turned off and students are silent. We practice these drills to give students the skills to respond if we should ever need to implement a level 2 or 3 lockdown. Our first priority is to keep your children safe, not to scare them, so please reinforce the need to take our drills seriously so we can help your students safe.
Parent Teacher Conferences: The CHUH Schools schedule elementary conferences for the end of quarter 1 and quarter 3. Our Fall conferences will take place on October 23rd from 1pm - 7pm and October 24th from 8:30 - 11:45. Home room teachers will reach out in the next two weeks to schedule your conference. At the conference, the teacher will review your student's performance on beginning of the year nationally normed assessments and classroom based assessments. The teacher will also share information about your student's performance in class and discuss any supports that are needed to help them with mastering grade level standards. If you are unavailable during the conference dates, you can schedule a meeting with your children's teacher during their planning time throughout the school year. We are partners in your student's learning and look forward to developing a productive working relationship with your family.
Character Strong: Our school District uses Character Strong as our Social Emotional Learning Curriculum. Mrs. Higham and the teachers use the program to teach students the soft skills they need to be respectful and responsible members of our school community. Each month has a character trait that is taught and October focuses on Responsibility. We will share at home tips for supporting the teaching of that trait and you can preview the October family newsletter below.
No School Thursday: the District will be closed on Thursday, October 2nd so students and staff can celebrate Yom Kippur.
Have you ever wondered why Gearity is called a Professional Development School? Two decades ago the District created a partnership with the education department at John Carroll University. Professors from JCU worked with Gearity teachers to learn about and implement best practices for teaching elementary students. As the main participants retired or moved on to other positions the partnership started to fade. We have worked really had over the past six years to revive the partnership. We currently have more than 20 JCU tutors who work weekly with our 5th grade students on math and reading supports, upper level JCU Spanish majors work with 1st grade students who need language support, and JCU volunteers help maintain our school garden. We provide opportunities for JCU students to observe classrooms and student teach to earn their teaching license. We are glad to have a strong relationship with JCU that benefits your students and will work to continue to deepen that partnership in upcoming school years.
PTA: Please consider joining the PTA! Our September meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday and will start at 6:30. You can log in to the Google Meet here. We will be planning for the Book Fair in November and are hoping we can get a few more officers as we would like to have co-officers for each position. Thanks in advance!
Mr. Mc Nichols
Principal, Gearity Professional Development School
Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District
Important Links!
School Supply Lists: Gearity Elementary
Food Service: You can see the monthly menus by clicking on this link.
Registration Information: New student registration can be completed online or in person. Find instructions, required documents, and contact information here. Please share the registration link with new neighbors or friends who may need help getting their children registered for the start of the school year.
Student Code of Conduct: Link to the Student Code of Conduct and Anti-Bully forms.
Upcoming Events
September 30th - Rescheduled PTA Meeting 6:30 - 7:30
October 2nd - Yom Kippur (No School)
October 9th - Gearity School Market (Free fresh produce for all families)
October 20th - 22nd Spirit Week!
October 23rd - No school Records Day and Parent Teacher Conferences in the PM
October 24th - No school Parent Teacher Conferences in the AM and Teacher PD
October 27th - Picture Retakes
