Greetings PRM Families,

What an exciting February we have in store for our community and our city! Who Dey! Our spirit, love, and support go out to the Cincinnati Bengals as they make their way to Super Bowl LVI (56th). I hope that all of our PRM families and friends enjoy watching the Bengals on February 13, 2022, at 6:30pm.

Our PRM community has lots of wonderful events happening as well. We are celebrating Black History Month which includes highlighting and celebrating the valuable contributions of African-Americans. Staff members read African-American literature for our students to watch at school or at home. There will be various opportunities to acknowledge the importance of African-American people in our history and everyday lives throughout the month.

Next week will mark the midterm of the third quarter. Our staff and students continue to work diligently towards academic success regardless of remote or in-person learning. Our team here at PRM is committed and passionate about the success of this school community. We continue to look for ways to provide the highest quality instructional experience for our students. Most recently we began the piloting of our Montessori Scope and Sequence which further enhances the true Montessori experience. We want to thank you for all of the support we have received from our teachers and community to make this happen.

Thank you families and community for the continued support of our students and school community. May you have a safe and healthy February. Go Bengals! Go PRM!

Love,

Principal Simpson

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

7:45am-2:15pm

• No School ~ Monday, February 7th
• LSDMC Meeting ~ Wednesday, February 9th @ 3:00-4:15pm
• PTO Meeting Virtual ~ Wednesday, February 9th at 6:30pm http://meet.google.com/xam-xkvg-fqw
• Super Bowl Fundraiser ~ prmrocks.org/superbowl
• Bengals Day Celebration-No School ~ Monday, February 14th
• CPS Board Business Meeting ~ February 14th @ 6:30-7:30pm
• Foundation Meeting (Virtual/In-person at CHH) ~ Wednesday, February16th 6:30pm
• PRM Equity Group (Virtua/In-person at CHH) ~ Thursday, February 17th @ 6:30p Google :https:// meet.google.com/pem-dmon-ktm
• Midterms Go Home ~ February 18th
• President's Day No School ~Monday February 21st
• LSDMC District Wide Meeting ~ February 23rd @ 6:00-7:30pm https://meet.google.com/yvi-anxx-inu
• 3rd Quarter Conferences ~ February 24th @ 4:00 - 7:00pm
• CPS Board Business Meeting ~ February 28th @ 6:30-7:30pm
• ILT Meeting ~ Tuesday March 1st @ 2:45-4:00pm
• Read-A-Thon ~ March 2nd - March 9th - prmrocks.org/readathon
• Spring Dance for All ~ April 22nd 6:00 - 8:00pm
• Staff Appreciation Week ~ May 2nd - May 6th

Severe Weather Procedure — Information for Students & Families

At Cincinnati Public Schools, we want to make sure our students and staff are safe when severe weather or extreme temperatures occur, while maximizing students' time in class.

CPS may close for snow, or for extreme cold or hot temperatures.

When severe weather is predicted, parents should check the CPS website, cps-k12.org, or local television or radio stations, for announcements about school closings or delays.

CPS rarely will dismiss schools early, but it does happen occasionally. Please make sure your child's school office has correct emergency contact information.

We know that start delays and no-school days for snow or extreme temperatures represent an inconvenience to parents, so we do our best to declare them only when necessary.

Schools Closed —

• Decisions to close schools are made only after analyzing much data and consulting various authorities.
• After reviewing all information available, the superintendent consults with senior staff, bus company operators and City of Cincinnati road maintenance authorities, and makes a decision as soon as possible (usually by 5 a.m.).

Two-Hour Delay — Yellow Bus Pick Up ONLY:

• Yellow buses will pick up students at morning bus stops two hours later than normal.
• Students who are driven to school by parents should try to arrive at schools when it is safe. Walkers should arrive when it is safe. No new material will be covered during the two-hour delayed start; teachers will use this opportunity for review and enrichment.
• Afternoon dismissal will occur at each school's normal time.
• No preschool bus service will be available.

High Schools — Operate on Normal Schedules during Two-Hour Delays:

• High school students ride Metro buses (public transportation) to and from schools. Metro bus schedules cannot be adjusted to accommodate CPS' two-hour delay, so high schools will open at the normal times with school staff in the building to supervise students.
• Metro buses will run as close to normal schedules as weather and road conditions permit.
• Afternoon dismissal will occur at each school's normal time.

Please support us by honoring our school uniform policy. We have a very liberal uniform policy that offers a variety of choices and encourages school spirit. We are noticing many students who are coming to school out of uniform each day. All students in grades K-6 are required to be in uniform every day unless a special dress day has been communicated to families.

During the winter months, classrooms may be cool. Students are not permitted to wear coats in the classroom. Solid color sweatshirts or PRM sweatshirts are permitted.

Please refer to the attachment below for pictures of what is and is not allowed. You may also refer to the full uniform policy on pgs. 3-6 of the Student Handbook.

Cincinnati Public Schools is now a one-to-one device district. Every student has been assigned a device for use to support and enhance instruction. Students need to have these devices every day. They also need to make sure they are charged and bring the charging cord with them to school.

The devices are the property of Cincinnati Public Schools. The Acceptable Use Policy is reviewed with students and has been included below. All activity on the devices is monitored for content and safety. Please support us by monitoring student use at home to ensure that it is school-related. Personal devices should be used for leisure and game playing.

Students are being charged for damages and lost chargers this year. Chargers for both laptops and iPads are $50. Damages to screens, spills on the keyboard - any damage that is determined to not be accidental, will be charged to their student fees. Please refer to the AUP/MDA that all students sign at the beginning of the year.

AUP/MDA Agreements:

PreK-3 https://schoology.cps-k12.org/course/1312713696/materials/link/view/5207016827

4-12 https://schoology.cps-k12.org/course/1312713696/materials/link/view/5207018503

• Conferences are on Thursday, February 24th from 4-7pm. Your child’s teacher will send a sign-up.

• We, along with all of PRM, will be celebrating Black History Month and learning more about all types of heroes and legends that have impacted our country and our world.

• We will be finishing up our Winter testing with the MAP ELA and iReady Math (note: some classrooms may have already finished).

• We are continuing to implement the Montessori curriculum according to the pilot launched by the district. This means in ELA we will continue to study sentences and talk about key ideas and details in stories. In math, we will continue to work on counting, shapes, addition, and subtraction, and teen numbers (including place value in teens).

• We had our first field trip of the year to Green Acres Farm where students learned about Sugar Maple Trees and explored maple tapping to create maple syrup.

• 6-9 will enjoy an in-school presentation from Biokoto, a Western African Drum & Dance Group, on Feb. 25th in the gym.

• We are finishing up MAP, i-Ready, and Acadience testing.

• We continue to follow the Montessori Scope & Sequence guide. In Cultural studies, we are covering passage of time (timelines, reading/writing digital and analog clocks), In our physical geography studies we continue to explore volcanoes and other land formations. In political geography, students are learning about the boundaries and territories of different continents and countries. In biology, we are studying leaf parts, conducting experiments, and learning about reptiles.

• In ELA, we are focusing on writing mechanics, different types of writing, and developing skills to help our students become better writers.

• February is Black History month, which provides a wonderful platform for children to see themselves as history makers in progress. Students are learning about activists, academics, athletes, and musicians who have impacted our world.

• We want to remind parents to send your child to school with their water bottles. As we dive deeper into winter, students are forgetting to drink water and finding themselves dehydrated with headaches.

9-12 is finishing up winter MAP and iReady testing this and next week. We are excited to start celebrating Black History Month, the Lunar New Year, and the Winter Olympics. Each team is incorporating these topics in unique ways. Ask your children to share how their communities are celebrating.

We are working on encouraging peaceful problem-solving and restorative practices. This is another great topic of discussion to continue at home with your child.

Older kids need to be dressed appropriately for the weather too. We know at this age they think they're too cool for a coat, but please send the coats to school anyway. Please reach out if you need support getting cold-weather wear.

Our wonderful reading specialist Sarah Kleymeyer has put together a short video explaining the Every Child Reads initiative as well as a slide deck with resources parents may utilize to support their readers at home. Our goal is to have 100% of our first graders reading by the end of their first grade school year.

Every Child Read By the End of First Grade Video

Every Child Reads Resource Link

The PRM Equity Group has started some important work and would love your voice! The PRM Equity group will be meeting in a hybrid format, virtual and in-person. The next meeting will be February 17th @ 6:30pm.

Community Update: Thank you to the whole PRM community for persevering and working together through a short sprint of remote learning! Who dey! Everyone wore their orange and black for Bengals day on Friday January 28th and will also on Friday, February 11th! Also, to celebrate, there is no school on Monday, February 14th! Who dey!

Students and staff showed their support of the Cincinnati Bengals divisional playoffs by sporting their orange and Bengals' gear. The Bengals went on to win against the Kansas City Chiefs 24 to 21 in very exciting overtime.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/165g4sdeG7u0JzwyLZitannNK7dzFRTPianZiAuX2mLc/edit?usp=sharing

Parent Group Updates: Looking ahead, the wrap up of this school year will be here before we know it! Before we get there, we have some great ways to help support PRM and for the community to come together! First, in honor of our Bengals, we are going to do a Super Bowl Split the Pot Fundraiser! For details to win and support, go to prmrocks.org/superbowl. Next, it's reading time! We will celebrate and encourage reading with the 4th annual PRM Read-a-thon, March 2nd through March 9th, prmrocks.org/readathon! Other upcoming fundraisers to look for are the Spring Benken flower fundraiser, silent auction and the summer flamingo fundraiser! Community events will wrap up the year with the Spring Dance for All on April 22nd. Shrek the musical by PRM students is coming at the end of April. Details coming soon! As we approach the end of the year, we will need to look forward to next year to elect parent group officers and ask for champions to volunteer to head up community events next year! WE NEED YOU! Please consider coming to PTO and hearing about the different opportunities! They can be small things on your own or bigger things with a group of people putting on an event! We work together! Also, consider becoming part of the fundraising arm of PRM, the Pleasant Ridge School Foundation!

The PRM Equity Group has started some important work and would love your voice! The PRM Equity group will be meeting in a hybrid format, virtual and in-person. The next meeting will be January 20th at 6:30p.

Boosters:

Spring sports REGISTRATION happening NOW thru FEBRUARY 18th

• Register at this link:.

• sports.bluesombrero.com/prmsports

• Spring sports include: soccer for boys and girls (grades K-5), tee-ball (grades K & 1), baseball (grades 2-6), track & field (grades K-6) and volleyball for girls (grades 3-6) as well as Little Roadrunners (preschool soccer).

• Starting this spring all soccer players will be purchasing their uniforms and NOT returning them at the end of the season.

• Please direct any questions about this to Booster Co-President, Allie Goodman at prmathletics@gmail.com

Basketball continues through February, Cheer continues as well

• CPS is currently allowing 4 spectators per athlete as well as continuing to require masks for everyone entering the building.

• We have three sixth grade basketball teams playing this year and we would like to honor them with a 6th Grade Send Off event during their last home basketball games (Feb 12 and 19)

February 2022

Hello everyone, The CLC Center is here to provide you with various services that you may need. Feel free to contact either our Resource Coordinator- Ms. Monique Johnson at johnmon@cpsboe.k12.oh.us or our Asst. School Community Coordinator- Mrs. Jamie Donaldson at donalja@cpsboe.k12.oh.us.

• We have to send out a HUGE THANK YOU to Mrs. Antoinette Gray- Vice President of PRM PTO who came and helped me decorate the school for our Bengals Spirit Day. The school looked amazing and it really got everyone excited about cheering our Bengals on. As well as the YMCA for purchasing the wonderful balloons and decor. Check out the collage of pictures from our Spirit Day.

• In-Person and Virtual Tutoring is back up and running for the 2nd semester. If you are looking for tutoring services for your child(ren) or would like to become a tutor feel free to contact Jamie Donaldson here at the school at 513-363-4445.

• PRM Spirit Day for the Cincinnati Bengals- The students and staff truly got into the spirit of the Bengals. We had a blast from walking into a school with football and balloon decor to throwing footballs around, to creating pennants and cheers. You could really feel the excitement we had as we cheer our Bengals to victory. Click here to check out our excitement.

• Black History Month- the committee is geared up and ready to celebrate BHM with our students and community. There will be special book reading by our wonderful teachers and staff members, a morning spotlight on many African Americans, and the students will get to dig in deep about them during their morning meetings along with a host of other things. Check out the flyer below for more information.

• High School Lottery- The lottery is open until March 11, 2022. The CPS Early High School Montessori Lottery (In-District Residents-students who already attend a Montessori school and would like to continue on the Montessori track) has already taken place and is now closed and you should have received your results. If you did not do the early lottery you can still do the open High School lottery by clicking on the link below. Once you submit your application you will receive your results by April 29, 2022. (Approximately 30 after the lottery has closed. If you have any questions or need any additional information feel free to contact CPS District Office 513-363-0123. High School Lottery Link: https://www.cps-k12.org/enroll/7-12highschool

• PRMRocks.org we would like to make sure that everyone knows about our PRM Rocks page. You can find kind information about the school, meetings, sports, and so much more. Make sure you head on over and check them out. You truly don’t want to miss what PRM is doing.

• YMCA of Blue Ash is offering Before School and After School Child Care with transportation to and from school. Looking for more information contact the Resource Coordinator or the Front Office for an application.

• Financial Assistance Needed- United Way and the Freestore Food Bank is geared up to help assist any family in need during the winter months. Feel free to reach out to our Resource Coordinator for more information.

• COVID-19 Vaccine & Testing- The Ohio Department of Health has partnered with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital as a community provider. Any person aged 5 and up is eligible to receive the vaccine. They are providing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

Walk-ins are welcome or you can make appointments at one of the

three vaccine clinic locations listed below

Vaccination & Testing Locations:

• Any CPS school Nurse

• Walgreen

• CVS

• Little Clinics in Kroger

• Health Department

• Rite Aid

• Doctor’s office

• Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

• Other locations can be found by clicking on the link below. Testing Sites: https://healthcollab.org/testandprotect/

• Looking for something to do- Check out Michaels. They have in-store and online free classes for the entire family. Click on the link and see what you can get into. Link: https://www.michaels.com/classes

Safety Reminders:

• Stay home if you are feeling sick and call the COVID hotline

• Wear a mask

• Wash hands frequently

• Maintain 3-feet minimum social distancing

• Don’t share food or drinks

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing when not wearing a mask

• Wash face mask daily

General Reminders:

Community-Based Health Clinics:

● All clinics are currently open; check the CPS website https://www.cps-k12.org/families-students/health-wellness/school-based-centers/locations for the most up-to-date information.

Updated Quarantine Guidelines for Staff and Students:

● The CDC has reduced quarantine times for some individuals with COVID-19.

• 5 day quarantine period from onset of symptoms
• Students and employees may return to school/the workplace on day 6 if they have no symptoms
• Masks are highly recommended by the CDC on days 6-10 and already required as part of CPS protocol

Masks are required to be worn in all Cincinnati Public School buildings. They are also recommended during outdoor school events where social distancing is not able to be accommodated.

Be sure that your child has a mask that covers the mouth and nose. Please support us by teaching your child to wear the mask properly covering the mouth and nose except for when eating or during an individual mask break provided by the teacher.

Students who must Quarantine during the 2021-2022 Academic School will follow their teacher’s procedures to make up work similar to as if they were absent because of an illness.

Teachers will post at least every two weeks to their Learning Management System, Schoology* in Student Friendly Language:

• Learning Outcomes

• Materials if available

• Assignments

• Due Dates

It is important to note that students absent due to general illness or appointments will receive make up assignments when they return to school. This Schoology access is not intended to reflect virtual learning or full access to the curriculum. Those seeking a virtual learning option may enroll in the Cincinnati Digital Academy.

See video with reminders of how to access District Schoology Materials, click here.

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: https://pleasantridge.cps-k12.org/about
Location: 5945 Montgomery Road
Phone: 513-363-4400