Ozona Elementary

It has been another great week at school. We are all getting back into the groove no matter the learning platform you have selected for your child. It is wonderful to see so many happy faces learning each day. I have included information in this email for all students. Please take a few minutes to read over all of the information including the attached documents so that you are up to date with everything happening at school.

MyPCS families, thank you for all you are doing to support the learning of your children. We know there have been bumps but you have stayed the course and things have gotten smoother. Our MyPCS teachers are working hard to support their virtual students and we appreciate your patience and support as everyone acclimated to this new platform.

A few reminders:

• Please ensure that your child has their mask with them everyday before leaving the house. We have seen an increase in the number of students needing a mask when they arrive and we want to ensure that we do not run out.

• Please review the dress code on page 38 of the Student Code of Conduct. I had included specific information in last week's parent update. Teachers will address the expectations for dress code during their virtual Open House on Tuesday evening

We hope you have a restful weekend! We look forward to seeing everyone bright, early and on time Monday morning.

We wanted to take a moment to celebrate all of our Sutherland grandparents as Grandparents Day is Sunday! While we were not able to host our annual event this year, we did not want the day to go by unnoticed. Even though we honor our grandparents every day, take an extra moment to appreciate all of the joy and wisdom that grandparents provide. We hope all of our grandparents have an extra special day!

Ozona Elementary will once again participate in Start with Hello week as part of the Sandy Hook Promise initiative. Attached you will find a note from our School Counselor, Ms. Repetosky, sharing the different ways our entire student body can participate each day from September 21-September 25th!

The School Advisory Council (SAC) is a team of people representing various segments of the community -- parents, teachers, students, administrators, support staff, and other interested community members.
Each Florida school must have a SAC. This requirement fits well with Pinellas County public schools since our district always has encouraged parent and teacher participation in strategic planning. As required, each SAC includes the principal and an "appropriately balanced" number of "stakeholders." These stakeholders are individuals representative of the ethnic, racial, and economic makeup of a given school's community. Each SAC is responsible for strategic planning for the school improvement plan for its school. The organization works jointly with the principal and staff after analyzing relevant data.

Would you like to serve on our School Advisory Council (SAC) for the 2020-2021 year? We will be meeting on Monday evenings at 5:30 pm via Zoom. If you are interested, please complete the Form below. We are still accepting applications. Please send in your completed application no later than September 18th!

Our MyPCS Ospreys learning from home are able to pick up a weeks worth of breakfast and lunch for home. The curbside pick up time is on Friday mornings at 9:00 in front of the school. Please visit http://pcsb.org/mypcsonlinefood for more information. Please let us know if you would like to pick up food for your child so our food service staff can plan accordingly by clicking on the link below. All orders must be received no later than Wednesday at 3 pm.

Our PTA is hard at work organizing and planning! Be on the look out for the following which will be coming out soon:

• PTA Membership......How you can join and what your PTA membership does for our school
• Spirit Wear....We are excited to offer an opportunity for our Seahawks to purchase some very cool spirit wear! Friday's are our spirit days and we love to see all of our students in their Sutherland gear
• Board Positions...All board positions are very important in supporting our school. Look for open board positions in the coming days and how you can submit your interest in filling one of these roles
• Partners In Education...This is a wonderful program that allows direct donations for use in teachers classrooms. We are currently finalizing the process and information will be forthcoming

Research has shown that attendance habits established in September persist over the whole year.

• Students who missed fewer than 2 days in September continued to average fewer than 2 days absent each month.
• Students who missed 2 to 4 days in September were 5 times more likely than those who missed fewer than 2 days to be chronically absent for the year.
• Nearly 9 out of 10 students who missed more than 4 days in September were chronically absent that year.

Chronic Absences (or missing 2 or more days of school a month, whether excused or unexcused) as early as Pre-K is associated with poor reading skills and retention in the 3rd grade. By the 6th grade, it is considered an early warning indicator that a student will drop out of high school.

Due to the current CDC guidelines and district expectations, we will be facilitating our annual Open House virtually this school year via Microsoft Teams. Parents can download Teams to their phones or tablets.

The date and times for our virtual Open House are listed below. Teachers will be sending classroom specific links to their families a couple of days before the scheduled date. A recording of the open house will be available for parents who are unable to attend.

We appreciate your understanding as we adjust to this alternate format for our open house. The good news is that you can enjoy learning about your child's classroom from the comfort of your home!

September 15th

5:00-5:30---ESE/ELL/Gifted

5:30-6:15--Pre-K-2nd Grade

6:15-7:00--3rd-5th Grade

There are many ways to stay connected with all the things happening at school. Consider following and visiting the links below.

Ozona Elementary Facebook

Ozona PTA Facebook

Ozona Elementary Website https://www.pcsb.org/ozona-es

Email: freemanl@pcsb.org
Website: https://www.pcsb.org/ozona-es
Location: 401 Tampa Road, Palm Harbor, FL, USA
Phone: 727-724-1589