PRM School Rocker March 2021

Greetings PRM Families,

Spring is in the air! Our school community is blooming with happy students and amazing staff here to support their needs. We are working to focus on essential skills and address unfinished learning. We are so grateful for the support and feedback we have received to inform our practice. We truly are in this together!

As our city begins to relax some of the safety measures that have been in place over the last year, let us not lose sight of our commitment to the health and safety of our family and school community. Please continue to use caution and be safe as you enjoy the beautiful weather and the awesome businesses in our region. We want all of our families to feel confident that our school is safe for students to attend in our blended learning model.

We look forward to sharing details about individual student progress during our 3rd quarter conferences on March 11th. If you have not already done so, please schedule a conference time with your child's teacher(s) to build on the important partnership that must exist between parents and the school to foster student growth and success. You may use the form included in this newsletter or contact the teacher directly to confirm your conference time.

Later this month we will have our spring break. Teachers will be providing enrichment activities for students to complete during this time that is not intended to intrude or disrupt the time away from school. We want to provide opportunities to stay connected to learning through fun and enriching options that correlate with spring break activities. We thank you in advance for supporting and encouraging your child to complete these tasks.

Thank you for being so incredibly thoughtful and supportive as we work through the challenges of this unique school year. It is our hope that you will enjoy time with your family and appreciate all of the things we have gained through our perseverance. This is the best school community and I am proud to lead us on the path forward. PRM, you ROCK!

Love,

Principal Simpson

Safe Arrival~7:45-8:15am

Safe Dismissal~1:50-2:30pm

All students learn remotely on Mondays

Students in Cohort A~Attend school every Tuesday and Wednesday

Students in Cohort B~Attend school every Thursday and Friday

PreK students~Attend school Tuesday thru Friday

• National Reading Month and Women's History Month-March 1st-31st

• Read Across America Celebration at PRM March 3rd and 5th
  

• No School Monday, March 8th - Teacher Professional Learning Day

• LSDMC - March 10th @ 3pm
  

• CPS Board Meetings - March 10th @ 4p, March 15th @ 6:30p
  

• PTO Meeting March 10th @ 6:30p
  

• Parent Teacher Conferences - March 11th 4-7p
  

• End of 3rd Quarter - March 12th

• Daylight Savings Time Ends - March 14th

• ILT - March 15th @2:45p

• Parent Equity Group March 16th @ 6:30p
  

• 3rd Quarter Report Cards Available - March 19th

• Spring Break - March 22nd-29th

• Benken Flower Sale! www.prmrocks.org/flowers

• Chipotle Restaurant of the Month, March 22nd, 4-8p, Promo Code 8JNL799

• Foundation - April 20th @ 7p

• Cookbooks still available!

• LaRosa's Buddy Cards available!

This update includes specific guidance for recess, cloth face coverings, and how to respond to a confirmed case or exposure to a confirmed case in your building. Please take the time to read the safety plan at the link below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17IRPdq6SPuhmldRJ_mJZ5X0njVDR_CRYhKT5NeRcqiE/edit

As part of the going back to school process Cincinnati Public Schools is aiming for 80% consent rate for Covid 19 testing at the school. Allow me to explain what this means. CPS, Cincinnati Health Department and Children's Hospital has a collaboration to have Covid-19 testing available at all of the Cincinnati Public Schools. I can test any CPS student (with symptoms) right here at school. The results almost always come back the next day by 6am. I don't know if you have had testing done elsewhere but this is very rare to get a result back the next day. As you might remember if your child has symptoms consistent with Covid while at school they will be sent home and cannot return until they either have a negative Covid test or isolate for a minimum of ten days. Testing at school can markedly cut down on the amount of time they have to stay out. Please know however, even if I have a consent I will not test unless I speak to you. AND, when I call you to ask permission you can refuse even if I have this on file. Also, we will not be randomly testing people. It is just for students with symptoms.

I know there are some parents who absolutely do not want your child tested at school and that is okay. If you do not want your child tested I encourage you to return the signed consent with some sort of bold marking that you do not want your child tested. This way I at least know that you have seen my pleas and will not pester you! Again, if you change your mind you can fill out another consent.

You can either print off this consent and bring it to school or you can print if off, scan it and email it back to me. I need a signed copy. My email is... and by the way, this one is correct!..If you have already turned in a consent, I do not need another one.

schroem@cpsboe.k12.oh.us

If you have any questions please call at 363-4421

If a student is identified as having symptoms in a building:

• Any student who displays symptoms of COVID-19 will go to the isolation room to be evaluated by the nurse.
• Based on the nurse’s assessment, the student will be tested, ONLY if the consent document is on file.
• Parent/guardian will be called to pick up their child regardless if they are tested or not.

• Children directed to the isolation room due to displaying symptoms of COVID-19 will be sent home. This is out of an abundance of caution to keep everyone safe.
• All students will be given a letter to explain the next steps.
• Students who are not tested are asked to follow up with the primary doctor.
• The principal and building staff will work to identify any students that were in close contact with any student who has a positive test result. We go back 48 hours from the onset of symptoms.

In the event of a confirmed case in a school building:

• A temporary closure (1-5 days) of a classroom, grade, or entire building will be considered so we may thoroughly clean/disinfect and conduct a risk assessment based on the potential for viral spread.
• In the case of temporary closures, all students will shift to distance learning.
• When would a classroom switch to distance learning? This decision would be made with the Health Dept. based on factors such as multiple confirmed cases in one classroom or if 6’ distancing was not followed.
• When would a school switch to distance learning? This decision would be made with the Health Dept. based on factors such as a cluster of confirmed cases in one school and/or a high percentage of staff absences.

Blended Learning Meal Cooking Instructions and Nutrition Information

CPS Student Dining Services provides FREE meal packages that contain breakfast and lunch items for three (3) days to supplement the meals served in school the days students are learning from home. This is in no way a determination of economic status or need. Meal distribution takes place during dismissal on Wednesdays and Fridays. Staff will offer the meals to all students. Students who have been instructed by their parents to not take meals can simply say no thank you and keep moving. The decision to take or not take the food is up to the student and their family. Food Services has provided tan reusable bags for the take-home meals. Please write your child's name on the bag and send it back to school each week on Wednesday (Cohort A) or Friday (Cohort B).

Please support this process as an equitable opportunity for all students to receive meals that would be offered to them in school. If your child brings home food and you don't desire to use it feel free to repurpose it as you choose. Once the food is taken or touched safety guidelines prevent its return to the school. Our Food Service Department follows strict food safety guidelines for proper storage of food to prevent contamination and waste.

All nutrition info can be found on SchoolCafe. On your computer, visit schoolcafe.com. On your mobile device, visit SchoolCafe on the App Store or SchoolCafe — Apps on Google Play.

All products are thoroughly cooked and can be consumed cold or heated using the instructions in the links below.

For more information about remote meals, visit CPS Continuing to Provide Breakfasts, Lunches During Distance Learning.

BREAKFAST COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

LUNCH COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Conferences will be held on Thursday, March 11th from 4pm-7pm. If you have not already received scheduling information from your child's teacher, you may use the form below to submit your request via email or drop off in the main office.

We look forward to this time of collaboration as we support the growth of our students.

There are two surveys the District is generating to collect feedback from parents. One is regarding the 4th quarter and the fall outlook for school operation. The other is requesting input on summer learning.

The 4th quarter survey was sent home with Cohort A students on Tuesday, March 2nd. Cohort B students will receive the survey on Thursday, March 4th. We are asking that all of those surveys are returned to the school by 12pm on Friday, March 5th. An electronic version of the survey may be accessed using the link below.

The Summer Learning survey may be accessed below. Please share your thoughts as to what summer learning should look like to best address the needs of our students.

4th Quarter Learning Model Survey:

https://cpsk12.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4JEj7mLU9aduxUi

Summer Learning Survey:

https://form.jotform.com/210483755765060

**Please only submit one of each survey per family.

• Thank you to all the teachers and families who participated in our African American History Month Events. We truly saw some very creative designs with the quilt and some serious competition with our trivia night! I know we gained more knowledge this year and will continue to learn even more in learning the African American History.

• Thank you to everyone who purchased items from our Book Fair at Joseph Beth Bookstore. I know many people who were excited to jump into their new book adventure. Nice work to the committee for bringing the world of books to us virtually.

• What an AWESOME Job! To our students and parents with this year's READ-A-THON! The excitement around reading was very contagious and many of the students jumped on board and read their little hearts out. Good job to all the people who were involved in putting this together.

• Read Across America is upon us and we are so excited to have the opportunity to have some of our leaders and community leaders share the love of reading to our students at PRM. Don’t forget students to come to school dressed as your favorite book character or wear your favorite pajamas during your school days (Group A- March 3rd and Group B- March 5th)

• Are you hungry? See the flyer below to see PRM’s Breakfast and Lunch Menu.

• Do you want to learn Spanish? Children’s Classes and Adult Classes are starting up soon at the Cincinnati Spanish School. Click the link to access the registration https://cincinnatispanishschool.com/adult-classes/adult-group-classes

• Keep watch for the Possip Communication- The district will send out communication twice a month. We ask that you respond back to the question(s) that they are posing to us. This information is tabulated and comes directly to the CLC office and Ms. Simpson which helps us in making improvements to PRM.

• PRM After-School Care is still taking applications. Stop by the office for an application or stop by the CRC for an application.

• Imago Rangers are still going strong through our virtual unit. Please stop by and enjoy the activities that they have developed for your child. Many of the activities can be done with the entire family. This month we will focus on investigating the signs of Spring in the garden. What will you find in the garden? Click here to see: https://imagoearth.org/virtual-lessons/

• Kennedy Heights Arts Center will be offering in-person Art Summer Camp this year! They are offering a variety of one-week camps for youth exploring visual arts, media arts, dance, music, theatre, and so much more. Register by April 1st to get our Early Bird Discount for 10% off camp tuition with the code SUMMER21. Visit their website at www.kennedyarts.org or call 513-631-4278 to learn more. Camp descriptions and registration will open March 1st, 2021.

Community Resources:

• Are you interested in attending Dater Montessori? Well you are in luck, they have a Virtual Tour just for you. Click on the link to see what Dater has to offer. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1i3ctF9UGEFa9pILr9ydQgy0OabIvp-RYwBhCptVzYNA/edit?usp=sharing

• Cares Act Rent and Utility Assistance- If you or someone you know is in need of financial assistance due to Covid-19, you can click on the link below to fill out an application https://hcjfsonbase.jfs.hamilton-co.org/AppNet/UnityForm.aspx?key=UFKey or you can contact myself- Monique Johnson by phone at 513-363-4429 or through email at johnmon@cpsboe.k12.oh.us.

• Do you Need Assistance with your Taxes? United Way of Greater Cincinnati is offering free service and so is the Cincinnati Public Library.

• For the United Way information click on the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kkWVAyQg1tbeSYHP9LI0grMYk7PuCGRR/view?usp=sharing.

• The Library link has not come out yet, but check on their website for more information.

• Fresh Produce and Food Drive Thru Distribution at Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church, every Wednesday from 4:30-6:30 pm. Let them know that you are PRM

• Frozen Meals for any age from La Soupe can be picked up every Monday from 3-6 pm at Deer Park Library (3970 E. Galbraith Rd.). For more information call 513-369-4450

• Meal Boxes for youth from UMC Food Ministry can be picked up every Monday from 3-5 pm at Pleasant Ridge Library (6233 Montgomery Rd.). For more information call 513-369-4488

• Cincinnati Recreation Commission (CRC)- Summer Camp is coming soon. This is a day camp that will run from 7 am-6 pm. If you need financial assistance don’t worry, they are offering scholarships. Be on the lookout for the registration forms.

• Fun in the Pool- the CRC pool will be open this summer. You must log-on or stop by to reserve a day and time.

• Need a Job? - The CRC is currently taking applications for the summer. If you are interested in having fun in the sun then this could be for you. See the flyer below for more information or go to their website or location for an application..

• Community Happens Here doors are open and ready to welcome you. For more information about their programs or events, check out their website at https://thecommons-pr.org/ or just pop on in at 6238 Montgomery Rd between the hours of 9 am-1 pm (Tuesdays- Saturdays) or 11 am-3 pm (Sunday)

• March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day- Enjoy your day

• Are you ready for some Baseball…….Reds Opening Day is Thursday, April 1st at 4:10pm. At this time I am sorry to announce that the parade has been postponed until 2022.

PRM welcomed students back this month into the Blended learning model. The community celebrated Afican American History month with a special Read-Aloud, Dress-up day, trivia night and diversity quilt. Students traveled to far away places during the Read-a-thon which moves us into March, National Reading Month and Read Across America celebrations!

Happy March! I feel like I say this in every update, but we are LOVING our time with your children. The 3-6 team is very busy this month. We have a lot of good work planned for this short month. In geography, we are headed to Africa. We will learn about several African countries and their flags, several animals who live in Africa, and we will be taking a deep dive into Egypt. In science, our animal classification of the month is reptiles. We will learn several characteristics that make an animal a reptile as well as several different types of reptiles. In math, we will continue to work on our teen numbers. 11-13 can be the most difficult because they do not follow the typical teen pattern. In language, we continue to work on handwriting, word building, and sentence writing. Thank you for sharing your sweet children with us.

It has been amazing listening to the student's laughter and watching the students run outside while they are enjoying this beautiful weather! Each classroom watched a virtual presentation of The Snowy Day during the last week of February and most classrooms followed up the performance with a writing prompt! Our students have completed their African American Quilt squares and are excited to see the final product. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders have completed their middle of the year math and language assessments! Your classroom teacher will share this new data with you during parent teacher conferences coming up! Please check your calendars and make sure to mark the days that we have no school in March. As always, if you have any questions, needs, or concerns please reach out to your learner's teacher!

9-12 is greatly enjoying having students back in the building. Students are adjusting well to the classroom learning environment. We are excited to be back in-person and are excited to see what the rest of the year has in store!

Many communities have started Spring Planting this week. Students are planting either Kale or Swiss Chard seeds through the partnership with Imago. They will be observing their growth over several weeks and then transferring them to the garden.

We are completing the iReady winter diagnostic for math, and beginning our work on multiplying decimals in 5th grade and division with whole numbers in 4th grade. Our 4th and 5th grade students have also started attempts to make it into our King Size Club. This prestigious club tests multiplication fact fluency and awards inductees with a king size candy bar of their choosing. Students will be working on a variety of activities that will encourage fact fluency in a fun and engaging way. Some of the activities include Fly Swatter Multiplication, Fitness Fluency, Guess Who?, and Connect Four.

We are diving deep into our novels through the Wit and Wisdom curriculum in ELA. 4th grade is reading Woods Runner, 5th is reading The River Between Us, and 6th is reading Ramayana.

4th and 5th grade students are digging deep into the history of slavery and resistance. Mrs. Anderson’s and Mrs. Hauser’s community got to explore ancient cultural objects from Ohio through the Great Parks virtual field trip this week. This experience was provided at no cost to us through the PNC and Jergens Foundation! Check out the pictures below.

It's been a big week for science with Perseverance landing on Mars. Students had an open invite to watch this exhilarating event real time, in a virtual meet after school on Feb 18. Students then applied what they know about force and motion to a Landing challenge activity designed by NASA /JPL. Their goal was to create a lander that would land upright, and stay intact, without breaking or spilling the inside contents. We had many winning engineering solutions!

Ms. Wagner’s and Ms. Haven’s communities have been reviewing the engineering process by learning about their heart and how it works. Students used coding robots to model how the blood moves through the heart. Check out our awesome work!

Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Hauser want to give a special shout out and big thank you to Barbara Wallin. She provided us with many decorations and gift bags for students to celebrate the Lunar New Year, the Year of the Ox! She also took time to visit us virtually and teach us all about the holiday and traditions. The students really loved and enjoyed it!

In a year where nothing seems constant, but the constant change, parent groups are focused on building community and supporting PRM students, staff and teachers. We would love to see you at the parent meetings and hear your contributions! Check PRMRocks.org/calendar for links to meetings!

The first Parent Equity group meeting will be March 16th @ 6:30pm that came out of the first ever Parent Town Hall that focused on diversity, inclusion and anti-racism. This meeting is open to caretakers of all backgrounds to increase racial awareness, grow in cultural competence, and empower change within our community.

The last week of February, the PRM Read-a-thon inspired students to read over 21,000 Minutes with more totals being entered this week. We raised over $5700! The final totals and the rewards will be coming soon - once we tally up the results, we will make an announcement! On March 3rd and 5th, PRM celebrates with Read Across America Day dressing up as their favorite book character or favorite PJs! March is National Reading Month!

Sports will be starting with track and field, soccer, and baseball in March while Lil' Roadrunners soccer and volleyball will get going after Spring Break. Please keep an eye out for emails and updates from coaches and let us know at prmathletics@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Restaurant of the Month! Chipotle!! March 22nd, 4pm to 8pm, Norwood Chipotle: 4402 Montgomery Rd, Norwood, OH 45212. Order online and pickup Chipotle for the fundraiser by using the Promo Code 8JNL799 on the Chipotle app or website. Pick up ONLY.

Benken Flower Sale is back this year! Go to www.prmrocks.org/flowers for details and to place your order! Pick up will be May 1st!

Quick Summary of Current and Upcoming Meetings, Events and Fundraisers:

• Benken Flower Sale! www.prmrocks.org/flowers
• Chipotle Restaurant of the Month, March 22nd, 4-8p, Promo Code 8JNL799

• CPS Board Meetings - March 10th @ 4p, March 15th @ 6:30p
  

• Read Across America Celebration at PRM March 3rd and 5th

• Parent Equity Group March 16th @ 6:30p

• PTO Meeting March 10th @ 6:30p

• LSDMC - March 10th @ 3pm

• Parent Teacher Conferences - March 11th 4-7p

• ILT - March 15th @ 2:45p

• Foundation - April 20th @ 7p
  

• Cookbooks still available!
  

• LaRosa's Buddy Cards available!

Questions or need support from the Parent Community? Reach out to Elizabeth Johnson, PTO President at elizabethjohnsonedd@gmail.com, Missy Kyrlach PTO Vice President at mkyrlach@gmail.com.