PRM School Rocker

Greetings PRM Families,

May has arrived, and another action-packed, fulfilling school year will soon come to an end. We have had quite a busy year as we experienced an all-time high enrollment for PRM. We have been fortunate to continue growing our community and meeting new families. Thank you to our staff, families, and community members who contributed to an EXCELLENT 22-23 school year.

This year we made progress on the building expansion and piloted and implemented a Montessori Curriculum passed by the school board on April 24th. This is a big success!! Thank you to our teaching staff and community members who continued to fight for what is best for PRM's students and families.

Our students are finishing up the last of this year's state testing. We are so proud of our teachers and students. PRM has taken the time to create a testing environment that promotes success and empowers our students to learn about their academic strengths and areas of need. Our students are learning to be self-guided learners with an understanding of their achievements and ability to identify goals.

As we finish this year's academic journey, take the time to tell your children how proud you are of their accomplishments. They have formed relationships with many other children and adults throughout the year to find their way along this path. They are prepared and excited for the next step. Although change and fear are natural feelings, we will walk them through the next steps together as a community.

We sincerely thank our parents, community supporters, and teaching staff. It is our hope that our families enjoy the summer break and take time to rejuvenate for next year. We look forward to seeing you sooner rather than later.

Love,

Principal Simpson

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

7:45am-2:15pm

Ohio State Testing ~ April 3 - May 12th

Staff Appreciation Week ~ May 8-12
ILT Meeting ~ Monday May 1st @ 2:45 -4:00pm

Staff Appreciation Lunch ~ Thursday May 4th @10:00am-1:00pm

Parent Teacher Conferences ~ Thursday May 4th @ 3:00 - 6:00pm

LSDMC Meeting ~ Wednesday May 10th @ 3:00 - 4:30pm

PTO and Foundation Meeting ~ Wednesday, May 10th @ 6:00 - 7:00pm

PR Margs Fundraiser ~ Friday, May 12th @ 6:00-9:00pm at Community Happens Here

AAPI Heritage Month Celebration ~ Saturday, May 13th @ 11:00am - 1:00pm at Community Happens Here

ILT Meeting ~ Monday, May 15th @ 2:45pm

Strings Spring Concert ~ Tuesday, May 16th @ 5:30pm

Transition Day ~ Friday, May 19th @ 8:30am (Students Only)

Field Day ~ Friday May 19th @ 9:00am (Volunteers Needed)

6th Grade Recognition ~ Wednesday, May 24th @ 5pm

Last Day of School ~ Thursday, May 25th

*All events will be updated and available on www.prmrocks.org/calendar

Most schools have experienced a change in their start/end times to maximize the timing and efficiency of transportation. PRM is fortunate to announce that we have an altered start/release time of 5 minutes. We will begin our school day five minutes early and release five minutes earlier. See below for more information.

"Due to the bus driver shortage and late buses throughout the year, CPS considered many suggestions to improve transportation for students and families. After careful consideration of all feedback and discussions gathered from numerous roundtable community meetings, survey results, transportation consultants, bus contractors, and school leadership, Superintendent Wright proposed several options to the Board of Education during the recent Committee of the Whole meeting on April 19, 2023, to change some start times for the 2023-24 school year.

While maintaining policies, the Board came to a consensus to consider new start times for schools that reduce bus routes with the least impact. Please know these changes are necessary to ensure a more efficient transportation system for next fall. While some schools may have more walkers or car riders, the need to align start times throughout the district is necessary to reduce the overall number of bus routes."

For a list of new start times scheduled for the 2023-2024 school year, please visit https://www.cps-k12.org/newstarttimes2324

The PRM building expansion project will begin on May 29th. The first phase will focus on reconstructing the parking lot to accommodate more parking on our campus. The PreK playground will be relocated to prepared areas on the current large playground.

The final drawings for the construction project will be added to this newsletter the week of May 8th, so check back to see the drawings. The construction project is set to run from May 29, 2023, thru September 2024.

3-6 News:

Wow, it is hard to believe that the end of the 2022-23 school year is now upon us. Kindergarteners begin this month with spring assessments (iReady diagnostic and MAP). Each 3-6 community will do their celebrations to close out the school year – please communicate with your child’s teacher if you have questions. On May 19th, the Kindergarteners will participate in Transition Day, and all students will participate in Field Day. The last day of school for students is on May 25th. Thank you for your partnership this school year to support your students and our 3-6 communities.

6-9 News:

Hello from the 6-9 Team! During the week of May 1st, the 1st and 2nd-grade students will either be taking the MAP assessment or their I-Ready benchmark. Some 3rd-grade students who have not yet been deemed promotable will also be taking the MAP assessment. The following week, students will take whichever assessment they have not yet completed. Throughout the month of May, teachers will also be administering final Acadience assessments to determine reading progress from throughout the year.

During the weeks of May 1st and May 8th, the 6-9 communities will be attending a field trip to the Cincinnati Museum Center. On May 4th, teachers will be hosting conferences; contact your child’s teacher if you still need to schedule. On May 19th, students will participate in field day as well as transition day. And on

On May 22nd, all 6-9 communities will go to the zoo for a field trip. Some teachers are looking for extra chaperones not paid for by the school, so if you have a zoo pass and can attend, I know your classroom teacher will greatly appreciate the extra support; reach out to them. May 25th is the last day of school for students.

The 9-12 team is looking forward to wrapping up the math portion of the Ohio State Test in the coming weeks. Please make sure your child is coming to school well rested, with their devices fully charged (and with their chargers), and with breakfast or in time to get breakfast at school. Let's work together to finish the year strong! We are all looking forward to the end-of-the-year traditions at PRM. Transition Day, Staff vs Student basketball game, and Field Day are coming up, and everyone is so excited! Check out the PRM Calendar for dates and times! The 6th Grade Recognition Ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, May 24th. More details will be coming from the 6th-grade team. The 9-12 team wants to thank our families for a wonderful school year.

Strings Update from Ms. Castle

The PRM Strings Spring Concert will be on Tuesday, May 16th, in the PRM gymnasium (enter through the back gym door at the school.) Students must report at 5:30pm (parking is limited, so be prepared to come early or drop off your student before you park.) The concert presentation is at 6:00pm. Pieces being performed will include D Major Scale, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Bile ‘Em Cabbage Down, and Ode to Joy. Students must bring their instrument, music, folder, and pencil. Performers should wear black or navy dress pants/skirt, white or black dress shirt/blouse/top, and black, navy, or brown dressy or casual shoes. Questions, please email Ms. Castle at castleg@cpsboe.k12.oh.us.

Field Day Update from Mr. T

PRM will celebrate the school year's end with Field Day on Friday, May 19th! This is always a student favorite and will again involve water! Students should wear clothes that can get wet (and may be out of uniform). They are also encouraged to bring dry clothes to change into afterward.

3D printed Montessori movable alphabet letters!

Part of the original GCF grant included printing Montessori materials for our school. We hope to be able to print more materials in the future to support our Montessori program!

3D Design using Tinkercad Program

Our 4th & 5th grade students designed personalized bookmarks using the Tinkercad program and we were able to print over 200 bookmarks in different colors because of our additional 3D printers. Two of the new printers were purchased with a grant from the Albers Foundation, and the other two were purchased with funds from Mr. David's Handmade Market!

Updates from our Parent Organizations:

May is the homestretch of the school year and always brings up bittersweet feelings for all involved. Students and staff members have worked hard over the past nine months to build relationships and to learn and grow toward many common goals. The PTO and Foundation are thankful to be a part of strengthening these relationships, building community among our stakeholders, and raising funds to help support our school. Thank you to everyone who has chosen to “Be Present” in some way this school year to support PRM.

If you are looking to get involved next year, please consider coming to our last PTO meeting of the year, which will be on Wednesday, May 10th at 6:00pm in the school cafeteria. Childcare is available, and everyone is asked to enter through the back playground doors. The Foundation meeting will take place immediately following PTO at around 7:00pm. Any questions can be directed to PTO President Antoinette Moore at grayac1012@gmail.com or current Foundation president Sara Bourgeois at prsfpres@gmail.com.

Next week (May 8th – 12th) is Staff Appreciation Week… let’s take this opportunity to say a giant THANK YOU to ALL of our favorite people at PRM. Remember the specialist teachers, intervention specialists, and the office, custodial and lunchroom staff- they would all love to hear from you!

Choose one or more ways to express your appreciation:

Monday: “You Say it Best” – Send a personal email or post a message online to say thanks!

Tuesday: “You Help Us Bloom” – Bring a flower (fresh, fake, or homemade) to show your love.

Wednesday: “You are Noteworthy” – Write a note or draw a picture to show gratitude.

Thursday: “You Deserve Treats” – Send in a special treat (a favorite snack, drink, or gift card!

Friday: “You Show School Spirit” – Wear PRM gear or school colors (blue & yellow) to represent your recognition for ALL our staff visually!

Another way to say thanks is by helping support our last Staff Appreciation Meal taking place on Thursday, May 4th. Consider signing up as a way to show your gratitude:

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/20f0a44a8ae22a1fa7-staff1

The PRM Foundation would like to sincerely thank those of you who purchased flowers as well as those that volunteered and most especially our organizers, Tami Kauffman and Lindsey Felder.

Foundation will again offer school supply kits for the upcoming school year as a fundraiser. If you ordered through First Day School Supplies in previous years, you will notice that you are already getting emails. For those that are new, you will receive information soon about ordering kits by teacher name or grade level, and supplies will be delivered to classrooms just before the first day of school. Prices are comparable to most stores and the Foundation receives ~$5 per kit. Ordering is open now through June

30th .

Hard to believe, but registration for fall will be opening online later this month. In the fall, PRM will again offer soccer (both league teams as well as Little Roadrunners) and volleyball. Our Little Roadrunners soccer program is for students in preschool and kindergarten to start learning about the sport in a fun community-building way, while teams that play in the SAY East League are typically made up of students in 1st through 6th grade. Our volleyball teams in the fall will be for girls in grades 4 th through 6th. All registration information as well as links to sign up online through Team Snap, will be available on the PRM website later this month at prmrocks.org/athletics. Please contact prmathletics@gmail.com with any

questions.

The Instructional Leadership Team meets twice monthly at PRM on Monday afternoons. ILT will meet again this month on Monday, May 15th at 2:45pm. ILT continues to discuss important issues that affect our students during the school day. The PBIS Plan (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) was reviewed and voted on, and the staff handbook was approved. ILT is currently reviewing cell tower fund applications (which are mostly for field trips). An updated start time has been approved for next school year. The doors will open at 7:30am, school starts at 7:40am and students will be marked as tardy starting at 7:55am. Dismissal will begin at 2:00pm with the school day officially ending at 2:10pm. On Friday, May 12th the last Blessing Bags will go home with students and on Wednesday, May 17th, letters from teachers who are leaving PRM will be going home to notify the affected families.

The Local School Decision-Making Committee comprises school, community, and parent

representatives acting as the primary governing body of PRM within CPS. There will be two

parent representative openings at the end of this year, and we are looking for new individuals who would like to volunteer to fill a two-year term. If you would like to learn more about how the LSDMC works, please observe our next meeting on Wednesday, May 10 th at 3:00pm in the Media Center and contact one of our current parent representatives for more information. At our April meeting, the LSDMC heard from the principal regarding the budget, state testing, building expansion updates, and the announcement of the Montessori Curriculum adoption. At the April Ad-Hoc Boundaries Board Meeting, representatives of the LSDMC presented a plan to change the online enrollment process to allow incoming families to choose PRM among other traditional neighborhood schools. The board was amenable to the suggestion and requested an implementation be completed through the district administration/IT groups.

For our final PRM Equity Group meeting of the school year, we are collaborating with Community

Happens Here to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month on Saturday, May 13th from 11:00am -1:00pm.

We are looking for individuals and families who want to share something about an AAPI country that is important to their family - food, music, artifacts, or information! If you are interested in sharing or have questions, please email Amanda Bennett (AmandaABennett@gmail.com) or Marissa Rowley

(marissarowley@gmail.com).

May 2023

Hello everyone, The CLC Center is here to provide various services you may need. Feel free to contact 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 want to give a HUGE round of applause to our PTO! Our fantastic PTO has blown things out of the water this year with even more events coming for May. Thank you to every one of you for playing a role in ensuring that our students and teachers have an amazing time and enjoy the entire school year. You all ROCKED IT out this year! We can't wait to see what is in store for us next school year.

• Blessing in a Backpack (Blessing Bags)- We gave out over 5,000 blessing bags this school year for students to have meals over the weekend to eat. This is amazing! My team was great and it could not have been done without them. A Huge Thank you goes to Mr. Greg Partin- Woodward and his I-Can students, Ms. Sandra Sedmak, Ms. Esperanza Tovar, Ms. Birgit Hooker, Mr. Fred Burnett, and the Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church members, out PRM custodial crew, and last but not least Meijers.

• PRM Tutoring- has been a huge success this year. We were able to tutor over 150 students in Math and Reading. Many of our volunteers are from the local colleges and universities, and their sessions are wrapping up this month. If you have questions or concerns about tutoring, please contact Ms. Jamie Donaldson.

• 6th Grade Recognition Ceremony- Our 6th-grade students are preparing to say goodbye to PRM and Hello to their new High School, but before they leave, we want to make sure that they are celebrated for all they have done and brought to PRM. The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at 5 pm in the gym.

• Webby Dance- What an incredible ride these students have embarked on in this program. They are gearing up for their end-of-the-year showcase. The Tuesday class students will perform on Tuesday, May 16th at 2:30 pm in the cafetorium. The Thursday class students will perform on Thursday, May 18th at 2:30 pm in the cafetorium.

• Field Day- What an exciting time to be a student! PRM is ready for Field Day on Friday, May 19th, from 8:30 am-1:30 pm. We are currently looking for volunteers who are able to assist in making this the BEST Day of school! If you are interested in volunteering, please get in touch with Monique Johnson through email at johnmon@cpsboe.k12.oh.us.

• Experience Halo Halo- Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islanders month during the month of May. On Saturday, May 13, 2023, Marisa Rowley and Community Happens Here partnered to put on a celebration for the culture. Come on out and experience the culture. This event is from 11 am until 1 pm.

• Summer Scholars Program- This year, the summer scholars program will not be here at PRM. We are heading to North Avondale Montessori (NAM). The program is for 2nd-12th grade students. Summer Scholars is from June 5-28, 2023. Our school time is from 7:45 am until 2:45 pm. If you have any questions or need additional information, feel free to contact the school’s main office.

• CRC- “I Can Swim!” Program- This partnership with CRC and the American Red Cross is designed to help swimmers of all ages begin, develop, and refine their swimming skills. The CRC staff teaches swimming and water safety and helps children and adults to be safe in and around the water – regardless of the ability to pay. This program is being offered at all CRC centers with a pool. Click on the link below to sign up: https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/recreation/programs/aquatics-home/play-in-the-water/swim-lessons-i-can-swim-program/

• Summer Camps- There is so much to do around Cincinnati for students of all ages. Check out the websites; they have a host of camps/programs and activities to get involved in.

• Special Needs Summer Camps in Ohio: https://www.veryspecialcamps.com/Ohio/Special-Needs-Summer-Camps.shtml

• The Cincinnati Summer Camps Guide 2023:

https://365cincinnati.com/cincinnati-summer-camps/

• Camps on College Campuses 2023:

https://www.awlclci.org/summer-camps

• Cincinnati Summer Camps:

https://cincinnatisummercamps.org/

• Su Casa Spanish Summer Camps:

https://www.ccstudents.org/youth-education/

• Stepping Stones Summer Camp (People with Disabilities):

https://steppingstonesohio.org/stepping-stones-summer/

• The Children's Theater Summer Camp 2023:

https://thechildrenstheatre.com/tct-academy/?dm_i=6UOF,70OG,3JSBR8,ZIYP,1

• CRC Summer Camp and Scholarship Information:

https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/recreation/programs/camp-crc1/summer-day-camps/

• Financial Assistance Needed- United Way and the Freestore Food Bank are 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.

• Cincinnati Reds- You and your family can catch so many games. Check out the schedule below and set up a day at the ballpark. Every Friday night during home games, there is a firework show.

• 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

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