What's New?
From the Desk of Mr. Drouhard
Amity Families,
Probably the toughest part of the return to school this year is trying to balance safety with extra aspects of the school day that students enjoy. We worked through this balancing act in how we are providing recess, and the students are doing a great job of playing together in a safe and responsible manner. Even though outside, our students are wearing their masks when playing on the playground equipment when in close proximity to each other and are sure to sanitize their hands when they come in.
As a building we are working to bring other fun aspects back to students as safety allows. This week we’d like to announce that we will allow non food item treats to be sent in to celebrate birthdays. We know how much each birthday means to our students and we want them to have their special day! If you need ideas of what type of treats these might be, please click the link for Non-Food Birthday Treats Document.
Take Care,
Josh
Weekly Photo Gallery
Back by popular demand: We're bring back the Amity Weekly Minute Photo Gallery! Click the link below to access photos from all around Amity Elementary during the week!
Virtual Students- MAP Testing Date
On September 16th we will be administering the MAP assessment to all of our students who have chosen the virtual option. The assessment will begin at 8:00 and our main entrance will be open at 7:45. All students must wear a mask in the building and will have their temperatures checked prior to entering. Students will need to bring their district-issued Chromebook with them fully charged. If you have any questions, please reach out to Michelle Ellis, Assistant Principal at 891-5995.
Chromebook Routines and Security
With sending Chromebooks back and forth between home and school, it will be important to build new routines with your child. Designate a place that they will be charged prior to coming back to school and add it to the checklist of things to pack in their backpack. It will be important to have a charged chromebook each day at Amity, as our teachers rely on Chromebooks coming back to school and ready to use.
Secondly, I want to assure parents that students will be able to use their Chromebooks at home and remain safe. Even though our Chromebooks are off of school property, they still have security features built into the device to block content and monitor searches to help our students make good decisions. We will reach out to you if an unsafe search occurs. Please make sure you remind students of these features. If you ever want to view your student’s search history, please type in “chrome://history” into the address bar or by hitting the keys, “Control” and “H” at the same time.
Amity Parking Lot In The AM
Please help us by not parking in the Amity parking lot in the morning prior to school. We want to reserve these spots for our staff as they arrive in the morning, and have just enough spots to hold everyone.
Deer Park Library
Deer Park Library is working to provide services to our students even during COVID19. Please click the link for recent information from them.
Cub Scouts Meeting
Join Cub Scouts on Wednesday, September 16th from 6-7 p.m. in the Amity Elementary School parking lot. Please wear a mask to this event. Here is a video that you can download that shows what Scouts do. This is for any youth in K – 5th grade.
In Case You Missed It
Virtual Curriculum Night
We have created a virtual curriculum night since we can’t meet in person this year. Every homeroom teacher has created a folder within their Schoology page that is titled, “Amity Special Events.” Within that folder they have created a folder titled curriculum night. If you have multiple children at Amity, you will need to visit each child’s schoology page to view that teacher's information. We hope you enjoy hearing about what your child will learn this year and how hybrid learning from home will work.
Amity Fall Pictures
This year, Executive Studio will be taking all pictures for Amity Elementary. Order information in the form of flyers and emails will be sent home as soon as they are ready.
Students attending in-school classes on our Thursday/Friday schedule will have their picture taken on Friday, October 9, starting at 8:00 a.m. This includes morning Kindergarten.
Students attending in-school classes on our Monday/Tuesday schedule, along with afternoon Kindergarten and morning and afternoon Preschool classes, will have their picture taken on Tuesday, October 13, starting at 8:00 a.m.
Retakes will be taken from 9 a.m.-12:15 p.m. on Monday, November 9 for Monday/Tuesday students, as well as morning and afternoon Kindergarten and Preschool.
Retakes for Thursday/Friday students will be taken starting at 9 a.m. Thursday, November 12.
Wednesday, November 11 - Fall pictures will be taken for interested Virtual students in the Amity Gym from 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Tuesday, February 23 - Spring pictures - hopefully, all of our students will be back in the building! Details TBD.
2019-20 Yearbooks
The Amity 2019-20 Yearbooks have arrived and will be sent home with your students the week of September 7th. Virtual students will be given their yearbooks when they come to Amity for Map Testing on September 16th.
Students who ordered a yearbook and have since moved up to the 7th grade, can now expect to receive their yearbook from their 7th grade homeroom teacher. Virtual 7th grade students may contact Mrs. Jung at Amity (513) 936-7024 to make arrangements to pick up their copy.
Free Lunch for All Students
Great news! A nationwide waiver has been published offering free breakfast and lunch to ALL students, regardless of income. This will apply to both in-person and virtual learners and includes both cafeteria lunches and the weekend lunch pass out! The waiver will be in effect from now until December 2020.
The USDA and the state of Ohio have determined that all students, regardless of your financial situation, may participate in school breakfast and lunch programs for free through December 31, 2020. Beginning on Tuesday September 8th, 2020 no child will be required to pay for breakfast or lunch meals at any of our schools. Extra entrees, snacks, individual milk, and other a la carte items that are not considered complete “meals” in the school lunch program are not covered by this waiver, but will be available for purchase just as they have been in the past.
***Note: Free and Reduced documentation still must be submitted in order for students to qualify for school fee waivers.***
Student Pick-Up Cards For Car Riders
Just a reminder that we have created student pick-up cards to help speed the process to pick up students in the afternoon. Please fill out your child’s name as well as their grade and post it so it can be seen by our teachers when you pull in. We appreciate your help! Here is a link to the Student Pick-Up Cards.
Some Notes From the Nurse
- Please remember to wash your child’s mask regularly.
- Please have your child try on their mask to make sure it fits appropriately. Masks that don’t fit can become distracting to the student in the class as they are constantly being pulled up over the mouth and nose.
- Please remember to send your child with a water bottle daily as drinking fountains have been disabled. Water bottles can be filled at bottle filling stations above the water fountains.
Information For Parents Regarding Hybrid Work Days From Home
When will our students start getting work for hybrid learning at home?
We will start our hybrid learning model, where we expect students to work at home as well as at school, the week of September 8th.
What type of work should I expect for my student to complete?
Our hybrid model of work at home will look differently than the completely remote model we used in the spring. The in class time allows teachers to set the groundwork for students to work at home and then check in on this work the following week. Students will complete paper worksheets as well as online work using Schoology as the hub of academic tasks.
How much work should I expect for my student?
Our goal, even with going on a hybrid plan, is to provide the appropriate amount of work for students to progress through their grade level academic curriculum. This could cause an increase in work from our remote learning experience in the Spring, as students are expected to progress following state guidelines. I understand that hearing an increase of work may increase anxiety in parents, but we will be able to better support our students in setting up lessons and executing them through our time in the classroom each week.
What will Wednesday’s look like for my student since the teachers don’t have students at Amity?
Wednesday morning affords us the opportunity for our teachers to meet with students digitally. Teachers will publish a schedule that has time in the morning for individual, small group, or whole class Googlemeets. In the afternoon students will continue working on their assigned work at home. Teachers will spend the afternoon uploading lessons onto Schoology for the rest of the blended days that students are learning from home.
Tips for parents and students:
- Build your own three day routine. Set up your Wednesday schedule with virtual meeting times or teacher office hours built in. Set up your blended learning days with academic times, breaks, and lunch.
- Check into Schoology first thing in the morning to refresh your mind on the work you have to complete for the day.
- Establish a common place where work will be done. Work to find a place away from the TV or other electronic devices to eliminate distractions.
Below is the link to the Updated Hybrid Calendar for when students will be reporting to school in person. Please note some adjustments around holidays, conferences, and election days.
6th Grade Remote Learning Academy Students
Students taking courses in Apex, please consult the following document for fun activities that count as class time and for important links:
Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) Information Page
A page on the Deer Park website has been created which is dedicated to bringing you the most up-to-date information on all things affecting Deer Park Schools. It includes several quick links to local, state, and national health organizations, along with a frequently asked questions section. Please visit the page to stay up to date with all COVID-19 information.