PRM School Rocker

Greetings PRM Families,

Happy Spring! We sincerely hope you enjoyed Spring Break with your children. As we return from our much-needed rest, the 3rd-6th grade students will take the Ohio State Test (AIR) from April 4th through May 12th. Students will test in ELA and Math (the test is assigned for two days per test). Students in 5th grade will also test in Science. This assessment is an excellent opportunity for our students to shine and showcase the wealth of knowledge they have gained throughout their academic year. You may also familiarize yourself with the assessment by visiting the Practice Tests - Ohio State Testing Portal. Cincinnati Public Schools sent a parent letter to all families the last week of March. If you have any questions about the assessment, please contact your child’s teacher; they will gladly explain more.

Please be aware of the testing dates your child's teacher shared so that you can support them. We also ask that you avoid scheduling appointments or absences during testing.

We are encouraging students to do their best and show what they know.

Spring also brings warmer weather and anxious students. Many activities are planned to celebrate our wonderful community as we bring this year to a strong finish. We appreciate your support and look forward to sharing our success.

Lastly, we need your help. We have a large number of students coming to school late every day. Please do your best to ensure your child is at school by 7:45 am. Every minute counts. Our school social worker Allie Quinter will contact families to support them with resources and create Attendance Intervention Plans.

Love,

Principal Simpson

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

ILT ~ Monday, April 3rd @ 2:45 - 4:15pm

April Meetings and Important Upcoming Dates:

Ann Spring Flower Fundraiser in partnership with Benken prmrocks.org/flowers ~April 2-14

LSDMC Meeting ~ April 12 at 3:00pm at PRM

PTO and Foundation Meeting ~ April 12 @ 6:00pm at PRM

ILT Meeting ~ April 17 @ 2:45pm at PRM

Midterm Week ~ April 17

Equity Group Meeting ~ April 27 @ 6:30pm at PRM

No School for PRESCHOOL ~ April 28

Spring Dance Luau ~ April 28 from 6:00-8:00pm outside at PRM

Pick up fundraiser flowers ~ April 29th

ILT Meeting ~ May 1 @ 2:45pm at PRM

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

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

PRM's assigned summer scholars' location is North Avondale Montessori. (615 Clinton Springs Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229. PHONE: 513-363-3900) We will be joining North Avondale Montessori and Sands Montessori at this site.

Don’t miss your chance to register for summer academic and enrichment programs to help your child continue their educational growth. This program is available to CPS students in 2nd-12th grade only. Students in 2nd-3rd grades may participate by invitation only. Students in 4th-8th grade who register are welcome to attend. https://www.cps-k12.org/summerscholars

While registration closes on April 12, 2023, the district may register students in Grades 2nd and 3rd after this deadline to support recovery for promotion.

Students in grades 2-12 during the 2022-23 academic year can register for full or half-day programs. Registration indicates interest in participating in Summer Scholars and does not guarantee enrollment. Families will be notified of enrollment status after registration closes on April 12. All students enrolled will receive breakfast and lunch. Transportation is available for students who live one mile or more from their Summer Scholars school. Students must register for the enrichment program to receive afternoon yellow bus transportation.

Students in 2nd-8th grades can register for a half-day or full-day.

• Full-days - morning academics and afternoon enrichment programming.
  • The second half of the day will engage students in enrichment activities unique to each site, such as fine arts, STEM, athletics, or civic engagement.
• Half-days - morning academic programs only. Students must be able to provide their own transportation.

The half-school day will be from 7:45am to 12:30pm, Monday through Friday, beginning June 5th and ending June 28th.

The full school day will be from 7:45am-2:45pm, Monday through Friday, beginning June 5th and ending June 28th. The schedule will be similar to previous years, where students will experience academics in the morning and enrichment in the afternoon.

Spring has sprung! Some of our classrooms will be getting some live caterpillars so that we can watch the caterpillar's life cycle. Thanks to Miss Jenn for ordering them for us. On Tuesday, April 18, the kindergarteners are going on a field trip to the Taft Theater to see The Children's Theater's production of Moana Jr. There is no school for preschoolers on Friday, April 28. All families, please continue to check your student's blue folders and empty them each Wednesday. We are learning and growing daily, so please do your part to ensure your student is at school on time and for the full day. Please contact the office if they are sick. And as always, let your student's teacher know if you have any questions or concerns.

Hello! The 6-9 team is looking forward to another field trip to Green Acres throughout April. Communities are going on different days and times, so check in with your learner’s teacher for the exact date and time. Many communities have ordered caterpillars and will be observing the life cycle of a caterpillar. Once they have turned into butterflies, they will be released!

Ohio State Testing (OST) for third graders is occurring the week of April 17th. Students will be taking both the math and ELA parts this time. The 1st-grade students are working on meeting requirements for Every Child Reads (ECR), and information about it recently went out in Wednesday folders with more details.

The 9-12 team is preparing for the Ohio State Test in the coming weeks. Testing dates differ by homeroom. Please check with your child's teacher for specific dates and times. As with all testing, we ask that you speak with your child and ensure they understand the importance of these assessments. Please ensure their devices are in working order and fully charged every night. We have requested that all devices be left at school during testing with the charging cord, so we can have them ready each day. A good night of sleep is necessary for each child to be successful. Lastly, please ensure your child has breakfast at home or is in time to get breakfast at school. Many teachers have requested mints and other snacks for testing. If you can contribute any donations, please send them to school with your child. We look forward to meeting with families during Quarter 4 conferences on Thursday, April 27th. Look for emails from your child's teacher with signup information.

Updates from our Parent Organizations:

PTO/Foundation

Everything is starting to look a lot greener this month, and Earth Day at PRM is coming early! Ready your gardens for the parsley seed packet coming home with each student in their Wednesday folder. Experts from Queen City Pollinator Project (QCPP) suggested growing parsley to help support the local pollinators. Details on how to grow Triple Moss Curled Parsley can be found here. Triple Moss Curled Parsley is a host plant for the Black Swallowtail Butterfly. The butterfly will lay eggs on the plant, and when the eggs mature into caterpillars, the caterpillars will eat the parsley plant. We are sending a lot of seeds

so if you want parsley just for eating, you might want to grow a separate plant indoors. If you are looking to create a butterfly haven in your area, find more information here.

You can also grow your garden and support PRM with the Annual Spring Flower Fundraiser in

partnership with Benken. All selections, including pictures, can be found at prmrocks.org/flowers Deadline to place orders is Friday, April 14th. Quantities on some items are limited, so order early. Pick up your order on Saturday, April 29th, at PRM.

The PTO would like to thank everyone who is considering how to “Be Present” by stepping into a volunteer role for next school year. PRM is a large unique school that benefits from people who are willing to champion roles, projects, and events. If you are considering being a part of PRM in this way we are excited to support you. There are several roles that will be available. PTO Meetings are on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 6:00pm in the school cafeteria. The next meeting will be on April 12 th . Childcare is available and everyone is asked to enter through the back playground doors. The Foundation meeting takes place immediately following PTO at around 7:00pm. Any PTO questions or inquiries can be directed to PTO President Antoinette Moore atgrayac1012@gmail.com

Foundation is also looking for new board members to serve for the next school year. The Pleasant Ridge School Foundation is a 15-20 person board that meets monthly to make fundraising decisions. Foundation discussions include fundraiser planning as well as approval of spending of those funds to support the students and staff at PRM. Being a part of this group is a great way to support a big idea that makes a meaningful impact. In the past, there have been large initiatives, such as mindfulness training and materials and outdoor education projects and spaces, as well as smaller initiatives, such as fulfilling

staff requests for continuing education funds or purchasing classroom materials and musical equipment needs. This is truly important work that does make a difference. If you think you could support the foundation next school year, please reach out to the current Foundation president Sara Bourgeois at prsfpres@gmail.com

All spring sports are now underway. Teams have started practices and games/matches will now be happening on most weekends. If your student is participating in volleyball, soccer, track, and field, or baseball please know that there are many volunteers working hard behind the scenes to make sure that all teams have a successful season. If your child is still considering a sport, please know that registration for fall soccer and volleyball will take place at the end of the school year. Check prmrocks.org/athletics for

updates and 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 April 17 th at 2:45pm. ILT discusses important issues that affect our students during the school day. A reminder that the parent input forms for students who are transitioning are due by April 7 th . Students will learn about their placement during transition meetings that will take place from 8:30-9:00am on Friday, May 19 th . Summer Scholar invitations for 2 nd and 3 rd graders have not gone out to PRM families yet. The deadline for teachers to request funds from our cell tower budget is on April 28th. The

final Parent Teacher Conferences will now be on May 4 th from 3:00-6:00pm.

The Local School Decision-Making Committee is composed of 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, April 12 th at 3:00pm in the Media Center and/or reach out to one of our current parent representatives for more information. At our March meeting, the LSDMC reviewed the proposed budget for our school's Title I dollars and approved the budget as recommended by the district accountant and Principal Simpson. In addition, we completed our annual evaluation of our Community Learning Centers Resource Coordinator, Monique Johnson. Conversations with board members continued regarding our request to change the online

enrollment process to allow incoming families to choose PRM among other neighborhood schools. And we were given a building expansion update that included an upcoming meeting to develop a groundbreaking timeline.

The next Equity Group meeting is on Thursday, April 27th from 6:30-7:30pm. The discussion will be about students experiencing homelessness and our role as a school. For questions, contact Amanda Bennett at amandaabennett@gmail.com

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.

• PRM Read Across America Day was a two-day event filled with a lot of reading and fun activities that the committee out on. The students and our staff got into the book character parade. It was a nice day for a character parade. Thank you to our parents, community, and partners who participated and helped.

• Community Connection Day, held on Monday, March 13th, was a huge success. The students who participated in this event had the opportunity to work with four of our partners (CRC, Kennedy Heights Art Center, Ladies of Leadership, and New Leaf Kitchen). It was a fun-filled day for all. The students didn't want to leave and even asked if we could do it every month. The Community Learning Center wants to thank every parent who signed their student up for this beautiful program.

• We want to send a massive round of applause to Missy Kyrlach for doing a fantastic job at our March Equity Group Session. Mrs. Kyrlach presents “The Voices of PRM” a picture gallery of over seven years. The pictures were very captivating and brought up so many questions. This program helped us see other people's perspectives of what they think might be happening and its impact on our school and community.

• Earth Day- April 22, 2023, is the official Earth Day, but since it is on the weekend, we want to ensure everyone participates. Students will go home with a packet of seeds they can plant and watch grow.

• Spring Luau Dance- On Friday, April 28, 2023, from 6-8 pm in the back of the school. PTO is hosting the spring dance, and we want to see every one of you there. That’s right; the dance is for everyone in the entire school building PK-6th grade. There will be so much for you and your family to enjoy!

• Needing Assistance- The Community Learning Center (CLC) assists our students, parents, and community. If you need help with rent, utilities, housing, employment, tutoring, food, clothing, etc., feel free to contact us, and we will be happy to help to assist you.

• Tax Day is coming, Tuesday, April 18th- The United Way of Greater Cincinnati provides free tax services. Click on the link to sign up for assistance. Tax Service Help: https://www.uwgc.org/get-help/free-tax-prep

• Free Laundry Services- Laundry Love offers free laundry services at select locations on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month and every 3rd Saturday. Check out the flyer below for more information.

• 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- The Reads Opening Day was Thursday, March 30th, and I hope you got a chance to check it out. If you did not, don’t worry; some pretty good games will occur during the season. Check out the schedule below and enjoy the day at the ballpark with your family.

• 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

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