PRM School Rocker

Greetings PRM Families,

December brings the signs of winter and all the celebrations and traditions associated with the season. We will also close out the first semester of the 2024-25 school year as we anticipate with great hope the positive changes of the new year. We have been working tirelessly to provide high-quality Montessori instruction and to equip students with the necessary tools to become productive citizens of the world. Your partnership means so much on our journey to success.

Your active participation in the learning process and your positive relationships with your child's teachers are invaluable. We encourage you to attend conferences and school events, and to volunteer whenever possible. Your presence is always welcome and greatly appreciated. We will host 2nd quarter parent conferences on Thursday, December 12th, from 4:00-7:00pm. We hope you can secure a preferred conference time to discuss your child's progress.

As we strive for the maximum academic growth of every child, we need your help to ensure a safe and healthy school environment. Many students still come to school late every day. Please do your best to ensure your child is at school by 7:40 a.m. We will begin our school-wide, targeted intervention block in January. Daily student attendance is imperative. We also need your support to minimize classroom disruptions by avoiding non-essential early dismissals and appointments. We also need to ensure that students are not sent to school when ill. It is flu season, and several viruses have been going around, including COVID-19. Please help us keep our school healthy and safe by not sending your child to school when sick.

I sincerely hope you will have a safe and enjoyable holiday season with your family and friends. We are excited about the classroom celebrations and community events that we are preparing to showcase our students' talents and celebrate the spirit of the season. These events include the PRM Handmade Market on December 14th, the Gingerbread House Event on December 18th, and Winterfest on December 19th. Be sure to view the dates for upcoming events included in this newsletter so that you can plan to attend as many events as possible.

Love,

Principal Simpson & Asst. Principals Brown and Gray

Email: simpsoa@cpsboe.k12.oh.us

7:40am-2:10pm

Event updates throughout the month will be available on www.prmrocks.org/calendar

*You can also subscribe to the calendar on your device- find the green “subscribe” button on the top right side of the calendar page.

Wednesday, December 11 – LSDMC Meeting @ 3:00pm at PRM (Library)

Wednesday, December 11 – PTO/Equity Group Meeting @ 6:30pm at PRM (Library)

Thursday, December 12 – Parent Teacher Conferences from 4:00-7:00pm at PRM

Saturday, December 14 – PRM Handmade Market from 10:00am-3:00pm at PRM

Monday, December 16 – ILT Meeting @ 2:45pm at PRM

Monday, December 16 – Friday, December 20 – Countdown to Winter Break Spirit Week Wednesday, December 18 – Gingerbread House Event @ 6:30pm & 7:15pm at PRM

Wednesday, December 18 – Foundation Meeting from 6:30-7:30pm at CHH

Thursday, December 19 – Winterfest Performances 5:00-7:00pm at PRM

Thursday, December 19 – Generosity Leadership Assembly at 1:00pm

Friday, December 20 – End of Second Quarter and End of First Semester

Monday, December 23 – Friday, January 3 – No School – Winter Break

Monday, January 6 – School Resumes; start of third quarter

Wednesday, January 8 – LSDMC Meeting @ 3:00pm at PRM (Library)

Wednesday, January 15 – Foundation Meeting from 6:30-7:30pm at CHH

Monday, January 20 – No School – Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Saturday, January 25 – PRM Annual Silent Auction Party 7:00pm at The Fermentorium

Thursday, January 30 – No School for Preschoolers ONLY

Friday, January 31 – No School – Staff Professional Development Day

Parents may submit a concern to the CPS Customer Care Department using this form.

Please remember that all the perimeter parking is for PRM usage only EXCEPT by the basketball hoop. Any other white-striped spots are for PRPC only.

The yellow-striped spots are already contracted for the property across the street (Montgomery/Lester)--not even we at PRPC are permitted to park in them. As time goes on, towing may occur from their end.

This reminder comes to all due to the activity we here at PRC are experiencing with our new weekly ongoing meetings and events.

Also, PRM staff have said to our building manager they were unaware of the parking limitations so we are resending a photo to share -- Only Green markings are permitted for PRM staff/volunteers/parents.

***EFFECTIVE October 10th Any cars NOT parked in permitted spots as described above will be towed. We have signs now posted with towing company information.***

Thank you again for your attention to this matter!

December is packed with several family events that you wouldn't want to miss: a Gingerbread House decorating party, The PRM Handmade Market, and Winterfest. These events are not just fun, but also a great way to bond with the school community. For more information, please visit our website: prmrocks.org.

We're looking forward to hosting the second quarter Conference Night on Thursday, December 12, from 4-7pm. This is a valuable opportunity for you to discuss your child's progress with their teachers.

Kindergarteners will be having their winter assessments from December 2-6, with make-ups the following week. To ensure that your student performs their best, please make sure they are well-rested and arrive at school on time.

There will be lots of learning happening in the 15 school days of December, along with some opportunities to celebrate. Please dress your students appropriately for the weather; we will still go outside for recess if possible.

The 6-9 Team has been very busy with our academic learning over the past few months! Students are working on fractions, time, money, and measurements in their math lessons and continuing to build fluency and writing skills during language instructions. Most classrooms are diving into large vocabulary during cultural lessons where many are learning about North America, the United States, biomes, or different types of animals.

We are finishing up our middle-of-the-year assessments and will be able to share those results with you at second-quarter conferences next week (Thursday, December 12, from 4-7pm).

Please help your child prepare for these chilly days by encouraging them to wear coats, hats, and gloves to school. Many students still arrive with a thin zip-up jacket and then complain when we have outdoor recess. If you need any winter clothing, please let us know, as PRM is hosting a beautiful coat drive right now.

Team 9-12 continues to venture to the Cincinnati Observatory on field trips! As we begin December, we are learning about and celebrating the virtue of generosity, gearing up for our leadership assembly at the end of the month. Classes will be doing various projects to show their generosity.

With three weeks left of the year and the first semester, we focus on our middle-of-the-year benchmark tests and completing all assignments. Parents are encouraged to check Focus and talk with their students about how to end the semester strong! Attendance continues to be vital as we get close to the holidays and the weather gets colder outside – please ensure your student is consistently attending school.

Winter Choir- Winter Choir will be performing the musical "Snow Way Out" at 6:30pm in the cafetorium on December 19th during Winterfest.

Spring Musical- Save the date for Alice in Wonderland Jr. performances on March 7th & 8th.

Students have been hard at work creating this quarter in the art room. The 9-12 students have begun building coil pots out of clay. We looked at the artist Roberto Lugo and how he uses contemporary ideas and inspiration from his home to create forms inspired by ancient Greek pottery. Roberto Lugo had a residency at the Cincinnati Art Museum in 2022, and some of his work is still on display.

The 6-9 students are creating painted creatures that they will stuff and stitch together. Their printmaking projects should be coming home in the next couple of weeks.

Kindergarten students are focusing on the element of color. They are working with primary colors to create secondary colors. We read the book Mouse Paint and mixed colors using model magic and tempera paint to create a color wheel. Students are exploring color and thinking about how artists utilize color in different works of art.

Coming soon!

9-12: Students are taking a slight break from exploring the genres of literature to review some basic sentence structure. Direct objects, prepositional phrases, and gerunds...oh my!

6-9: This quarter, we've been focusing on homophones, homographs, and homonyms...you could say these homo-sapiens are becoming homocentric (see what I did there?)

3-6: We're moving away from exploring how different cultures celebrate giving thanks and into the exploration of different holiday celebrations.

Spelling Bee tryouts will take place during library time the first week in December. Please encourage your child to participate. I've been discussing with them that the more they face their fears, the stronger they will be. As an incentive, extra credit will be given to all students who give it a try.

The Harry Potter theme continues to be a great success. Our second "Diagon Alley" is coming the week before the holiday break!

*With the holidays coming up, consider buying a book for the PRM Library in your child's name. Each book donated receives a 'donated by _____' sticker. The children who currently have books in the library donated in their name LOVE IT and talk about it with the other students all the time. Follow the link for the PRM Library Wish List on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/DYDG2II785NM?ref_=wl_share

December is a busy month with the Spelling Bee, field trips for 6-9 classes, Math & ELA testing for the 9-12 classes, various celebrations, the Leadership Assembly, and finishing the second quarter and first semester of the 24-25 school year.

Due to all of these events, some students might not attend an enrichment session this month, but parents should look for my December online newsletter, which will include updates and pictures from our November sessions.

Coming soon!

During this holiday season, we send warm wishes and a dose of December cheer to our entire PRM community! A huge THANK YOU to those who donated their time to make Grandparents ~ Special Friends Day a great success. It was a morning filled with student performances, heartwarming stories, and the hustle and bustle of proud visitors touring our space.

Thanks, too, for all the food donations to our Service-Learning Project boxes. This year, we collected shelf-stable food items to be shared at various times throughout the holidays. We are certainly blessed to have such a giving community at PRM.

On Wednesday, December 18, we will have a Gingerbread House Event at 6:30 or 7:15pm for those interested. You’ll need to pre-buy your tickets online through the PRM website. Questions can be sent to Ashlee Tuke at ashleetuke@gmail.com

And lastly, champions are needed for events in the new year! If you are interested in hosting or volunteering in 2025, please reach out to prmpto@gmail.com – we would love to be able to support Staff Appreciation Week in early May and host some type of spring dance.

Wishing everyone a merry winter break, and remember, the best way to stay connected is through the calendar at PRMRocks.org or by subscribing to emails at https://prmrocks.orgemailupdates/

On Wednesday, December 11th, the PTO/Equity Group will meet at 6:30pm. in the PRM library. Please enter through the back parking lot doors. The meeting will start with updates from parent leaders and PRM administration. The remaining time will be for community discussions about health and mental health and some available resources for us and our students.

Childcare, snacks, and drinks are provided. Everyone is encouraged to attend.

Questions should be directed to prmpto@gmail.com. Following the meeting, you may join us for continued socializing at Nine Giant’s Fermentorium on Ridge.

Save the date! The Foundation's virtual silent auction will take place January 20th-25th, concluding at the in-person, adults-only Silent Auction Party at the Nine Giant Fermentorium on Saturday, January 25th, at 7:00pm. We are looking for individual and business sponsors for the event. Check out the Sponsor Guide here! Questions? Contact prsfpres@gmail.com.

The next Foundation meeting will be at Community Happens Here at 6:30pm on Wednesday, December 18th. All are welcome!

All 14 (!!!) of our basketball teams are excited to start the season, and PRM will host home basketball games in December on the 7, 8, 15, 20, and 21. Watching the teams learn and grow throughout the season is always fun. Games will be played at home on most weekend days through February. Our cheer team will also be at several home games throughout the season. Admission to the gym is cash only and costs $2 for adults, $1 for kids, or $5 for a family. PRM students and teachers attend for free. More information about Boosters can be found at www.prmrocks.org/athletics, and any questions can be directed to prmathletics@gmail.com. Spring sports registration (baseball, soccer, track, and volleyball – including tee-ball, Little Roadrunners soccer, and a volleyball clinic for our youngest athletes) is slated to open on January 31, 2025. More information will be available on the website in the new year.

The Instructional Leadership Team meets on most first and third Mondays of the month at 2:45pm. At the last ILT meeting, these were the discussions:

• ILT needs more feedback from parents to sign the One Plan Google form published in PRM Rocker.
• Discussion on implementing interventions through the WIN (What I Need) block for interventions appropriate to skill, not grade.
• The preschool curriculum committee is considering adding grades. PRM teachers are working hard to prevent this, but if parents are passionate about this issue, they should let their opinions be known.

The Local School Decision Making Committee will meet virtually on Wednesday, December 11th, at 3:00pm. All interested stakeholders are welcome to attend using this Google Meet link.

PRM community, The CLC Center is here to provide various services you may need. Contact our Resource Coordinator- Ms. Monique Crosby, at johnmon@cpsboe.k12.oh.us. **Mrs. Crosby is on maternity leave until March 2025**

We have to send out a HUGE THANK YOU to all of our wonderful volunteers who participated in many of the activities at PRM during November. You all truly ROCK!

PRM community, I want to send a huge hug to you all! We provided 80 Thanksgiving Boxes to our families and community members at PRM. If you helped, thank you for your time, dedication, commitment, and service. It has not gone unnoticed. I also want to thank our many partners who also assisted in making this happen: PRM Foundation, PRM PTO, Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church, Seven Hills Church, YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, M.O.R.E (Mr. Drew-Church), PRM Paras and Teachers, Kroger, and all the many volunteers.

• Countdown to Winter Break- Winter Spirit will take over PRM, and we want to ensure that all our students can enjoy this week. So check out the flyer and jump in on the Countdown- December 16-20, 2024.
• Coat Drive—We have collected coats for our Annual Coat Drive. The committee has been working hard to ensure the coats are ready for distribution this week. If you want a coat or know someone who needs one or winter accessories, let your child's teacher or the front office staff know. Our students are picking out their coats this week, and our families can shop on Thursday, December 12th, during our 2nd Quarter Parent/Teacher Conferences.
• M.O.R.E. Can Food Drive—The Men of M.O.R.E. are gearing up to conduct its annual canned food drive. They will collect food from December 2nd through December 16th. If you would like to donate any food or canned goods, please drop them off in the designated food boxes at the school.
• Lost and Found- Our lost and found area is overflowing with items. If your child has misplaced or lost any of their items, we want to encourage you to come by the school and retrieve any of the items. All unclaimed items will be donated on Friday, December 20th.
• Classroom Holiday Parties and Events—Your child's teachers will contact you about upcoming holiday parties and festivities. Be on the lookout for upcoming activities and volunteer opportunities.
• Winterfest—We are excited about this year's program, which will be held on Thursday, December 19th, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Our students have been preparing for weeks for this big performance, and we would love for each and every one of you to join us in this holiday celebration.
• Free Swim Lessons- The YMCA of Blue Ash is partnering with PRM again to offer more swim lessons. This year, we will have 2- 6 week sessions (Jan/Feb) and (Mar/Apr.) The sessions are every Friday from 3:30-4 pm and 4:15-4:45 pm. You will pick between the two sessions. There will be a Parent Meeting on Friday, December 13th, at 3:30pm in the Media Room. Any parent/guardian that attends the parent meeting will have priority over sessions and times. If you have any questions feel free to contact Ms. Bea Gork through email at baswimlessons@myy.org.
• PRM Handmade Market—It's Back Bigger and Better! The market is Saturday, December 14th, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Over 40 or more vendors will sell all types of items, and many of our students will sell their items as well. So stop by and grab some items!
• PRM Gingerbread House Making Party—Who is ready for this special annual holiday celebration? This event will take place on Wednesday, December 18th, 2024. There are two time slots: 6 pm or 7 pm.

• Help is Available for you! -If you need assistance with food, housing, health care, utilities, jobs, childcare, or other expenses or needs, feel free to contact Ms. Allison Quinter, the School Social Worker, or Ms. Danyelle Burton, the School Nurse.

• Looking for something to do- Check out Michaels. They have free in-store and online classes for the entire family. Click on the link and see what you can get into. Link: https://www.michaels.com/classes
• Skating + Bumper Cars are Now Open-November 1-February 22- Click the link to reserve your skating time. Ice Rink Link: https://myfountainsquare.com/ice-rink/

• Festival of Lights- Cincinnati Zoo- The zoo has transformed into a beautiful light show for all to enjoy. The show runs from November 18, 2022, through January 8, 2023. The activities start at 4 pm and end at 9 pm on the weekdays and at 10 pm on the weekends. Click on the link for tickets and more information. https://cincinnatizoo.org/events/festival-of-lights/

Pleasant Ridge Community Council Meetings- This takes place every 1st Tuesday of the month at 7pm at the CRC Building on Ridge Ave.

Please keep the electronic link to the Code of Conduct handy for your records. There will not be paper copies printed this school year.

We must be consistent in acknowledging and enforcing our school uniform policy. Our uniform policy is liberal enough to include several options for families. All PRM Spirit Wear is considered part of the school uniform.

While we don't like to take time away from instruction to deal with uniforms. We must all be consistent to ensure this doesn't become a major issue as we close out the school year.

Please see the policy below and in the PRM Student Handbook.

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

Email: simpsoa@cpsboe.k12.oh.us
Website: www.prmrocks.org
Location: 5945 Montgomery Road
Phone: 513-363-4400