What's New?
From the Desk of Mr. Drouhard
Amity Families,
I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday. We have three weeks before winter break, so there is plenty of time to put the finishing touches on 2nd quarter assignments and grades! Please continue to encourage your student to finish the quarter on a strong note!
Thanks,
Josh
Hybrid Learning Continues Week of Nov. 30th
It was announced on Tuesday, November 24th that Amity would remain on a Hybrid Learning schedule for the week of November 30th-December 4th. This means that “A Day” students will report to in person learning on Monday and Tuesday. “B Day” students will report in person on Thursday and Friday.
Amity Safety Training
As part of the district’s ongoing focus on school safety, we continue to review, update, and practice our school building crisis plans and procedures. Meant to help guide staff and students in the event of an emergency, these plans and procedures offer instructions on a multitude of safety issues, natural disasters, inclement weather, and building security.
In an effort to improve the safety of students and staff at Amity Elementary, our teachers will be training our students on procedures to use in the event of school lockdown. A school lockdown can be used for a variety of situations. An active intruder inside or outside the building is the most intense and will be the focus of the training.
To train our students, our teachers will be using a script that is designed for grades K-6 to introduce and discuss what the class would do in an intruder lockdown situation. I want to assure you that this script does not go into specific detail regarding the violence that has occurred in schools from intruders, but rather enforces the lesson of listening to the teacher in the event of an emergency. Listening to the teacher is the same practice used in fire drills and tornado drills.
The script will introduce students to the terminology recommended by the Department of Homeland Security of “Run, Hide, Fight” and can be used in community situations as well. Following “Run, Hide, Fight” in that order helps students to keep themselves safe. The last measure—“fight”—describes barricading doors or throwing items to disorient the intruder as a last case measure. We are not teaching students to seek out or take down an intruder within the building. Students will be taught they should always look to run and hide with the help of their teachers in this situation.
I know that these are heavy teaching lessons for our students to start learning at a young age. Our teachers know our students best, and will go through this script in a way that is tactful and informative. I wish we didn’t have to teach our students these things. The reality though is that as a school, we need to prepare our students to react and follow teacher directions in the event of any emergency.
Our students will be trained December 3rd-December 8th by their homeroom teachers. Following these training sessions, we will practice a safety lockdown drill on Thursday, December 10th. It will be announced over the PA that we are conducting a lockdown drill prior to the drill occuring, and will consist of the students locking down within the classroom. The drill will only last 5-10 minutes and then we will resume with our academics as usual.
Please feel free to reach out to our teachers or members of the administrative team should you have any questions before or after the training has occurred.
No School On Friday, December 18th
There will not be school on Friday, December 18th for any students grades Preschool-12th grade in Deer Park, as it is a teachers records day. Teachers will be grading and inputting grades for the 2nd quarter grade cards.
Florida State Twin Study
Florida State University and Florida Center for Reading Research are conducting a project on reading and math development in elementary school aged twins across the U.S. They reached out to us at Amity to see if we had any parents that were interested in participating in this study. If you are interested, please contact Josh Drouhard, drouhard.j@dpccsd.org and he will mail you a packet about the study and how to get involved.
Deadline for School Choice Changes
Beginning at the start of the second semester, students and families will have the choice to remain with their current schooling option (virtual or in-person) or make the switch to the other opportunity. Students in grades kindergarten through 5th grade will have the option of online learning through Accelerate Education. Students in grades 6-12 will have the option of online learning through APEX Learning. This choice can be made by selecting either in-person or online learning in FinalForms under the "School Choice" tab. A decision only needs to be selected if a change is being made.
Families that choose online learning will be asked to commit for the entirety of the second semester. This decision to change MUST be made on FinalForms by Monday, November 30. If a choice is not made on FinalForms by November 30, the student will remain in his or her current option.
UPDATE! AMITY PICTURE DAY
Retake picture dates have been revised due to the return of Amity’s Hybrid Schedule.
Monday, November 30 - Retakes for Hybrid Schedule A students, including PS and KG morning and afternoon classes.
Friday, December 4 - Retakes for Hybrid Schedule B students.
Please be sure to bring the packet of pictures you wish to replace. If your student missed having his/her picture taken earlier this year, you’ll want to order pictures online (see below) and ask their teacher to be sure they make their way to the PDC that day.
Virtual Learners
Wednesday, November 11 from 9 AM-Noon - Fall pictures for Virtual Learners will be taken in our PDC room. You’ll want to complete your photo order online before picture day.
To pre-order student photos, please choose one of the two options below:
- Go to https://ritchiephoto.simplephoto.com/ and enter Amity’s code: AMIE21U into the "Private Gallery Search." Then, enter the information requested (Student Name, Grade, Homeroom) and confirm. You must select a background before choosing a picture package.
OR
- Print and complete this order form ahead of time. On picture day, your student will hand his/her form to the photographer, along with cash in the correct amount, or a check made out to Richie Photography. Payment is required on picture day when placing orders in paper form.
NEW OFFER! If you would like a class picture, Richie Photography will create a composite of your students’ classmates. You can order a class picture from the Richie Photo site, using code: AMCP21. Note: class pictures can only be purchased online.
Safety/Questions?
Our new photographers have assured us that every precaution will be taken to keep our students safe while having their pictures taken. Ritchie Photography will clean and sanitize surfaces between uses and work with our students to maximize social distancing. If you have any questions about picture day, please refer to the order form above for more information or call Ritchie Photography at 513-941-6120.
In Case You Missed It
Amity Cat News
The Amity Cat News is up and running. Our student led morning announcement is scheduled to post every morning at 7:45 so your student can stay connected with what is going on whether they are at school or at home. The link to the youtube channel is below
ATTENTION AMITY 6TH GRADE BAND MEMBERS:
We are now holding weekly Zoom meetings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays first thing in the morning. Music is a great way to start your day! Please see our schedule below AND login to Schoology to access the links to sign on when it's time for your class.
Amity Virtual Band - Weekly Schedule (Fall 2020)
For Group B students:
8:15-8:45am Tuesdays: Flutes/Clarinets/Saxes w/Mr. Vetter
8:15-8:45am Tuesdays: Trumpets + Percussion w/Mr. Bauer
8:15-8:45am Wednesdays: Trombones + Baritone w/Mr. Vetter
For Group A students:
8:15-8:45am Wednesdays: Trombones + Baritone w/Mr. Vetter
8:15-8:45am Fridays: Flutes/Clarinets/Saxes w/Mr. Vetter
8:15-8:45am Fridays: Trumpets + Percussion w/Mr. Bauer
NOTE: No Virtual Band November 23-27 (Thanksgiving Week)
Please contact Mr. Vetter via Schoology OR email if you need help or have questions. Thanks!
Holiday Food Drive
Due to the current covid-19 restrictions, we have to organize our annual food drive differently this year and are asking area families and businesses to help by donating “bundles” in lieu of the traditional variety of canned goods. Please mark which bundle you are collecting by circling one area of the flyer below and attaching it to your donation! Thank you for helping keep this Deer Park holiday tradition alive during these trying times!
Outdoor Recess
With a return to cooler temperatures, please remember to send your child to school with appropriate outdoor attire for recess. We are working hard to go out to recess daily, especially as it allows for a time that our students can take a socially distanced mask break. Our recesses are 30 minutes in length this year so it is important that our students be comfortable while they are outside.
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.