What's New?
From the Desk of Mr. Drouhard
Dear Amity Families,
It was great to see our students smiling faces as they walked through our doors this week. For our students that returned from the virtual setting, it was like they never left, other than how much they had grown since the last time we saw them! Our staff and students rolled up their sleeves and got back to working hard on their academics! We transition to 5 days of in person learning this week which is exciting!
We have several events on the calendar for our students in early January. We will be hosting a spelling bee and also a semester awards program. Both of these events look much different from years past, but believe they can be done in a safe manner. Unfortunately we can’t have parents attend, but will work to keep you informed of how they went and who was recognized!
Take Care,
Josh
Weekly Photo Gallery
Click the link below to access photos from all around Amity Elementary during the week!
Weekly Spotlight
This week Kindergarten learned about adjectives and used them to describe snowmen. We came up with a lot of creative words to tell about our snowman. We then used these adjectives to create poems and a snowman craft.
Spelling Bee
Our spelling bee will be held on Wednesday, January 13th at 1:30. Participants from grades 4-6 will compete in the gym, while being socially distanced. We even have students attending our virtual academy participating! We will be streaming this event so parents can view the event using this link.
Semester Awards
We will recognize our students that received a semester award on Wednesday, January 20th. Unfortunately we can’t invite parents into the building to view the awards ceremony due to COVID19 safety measures. We are working to provide an individual picture of the students who receive an award. Following the ceremony, teachers will be reaching out by phone, email, or a note to inform you of why the awarded student received the honor.
MAP Testing
We will begin our winter MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) testing for grades 1st-6th grade this week. MAP testing allows us to measure academic growth in our students in the areas of Reading and Math. While it is not a high stakes test, we want our students to do as well as they can on it.
6th Grade Remote Learning Academy Information
Please remember that to be counted as present in school, you must be working 5.5 hours per day in Apex or have green progress bars in all classes. You can see the progress bars on your Apex dashboard.
Apex emails "Coaches' Reports" to parents/guardians/coaches every Sunday evening. Please make sure these are not going to spam or junk mail. The reports let you know how much time students are spending and how they are progressing.
Completing all study guides AS you are learning the material will help you to pass quizzes the first time. Plus, you can refer to the guides as you are taking quizzes and tests!
Please consult the following document every week for helpful links and access to fun weekly activities and help sessions:
Amity Grade Cards
In person students- Grade cards will be distributed on Friday, January 8th. Please look for them in your child’s backpack.
Virtual students- Grade cards will be mailed home on Friday, January 8th.
K-5 Virtual Students: Accelerate Workbook Pick Up
If you were unable to pick up your Accelerate workbooks prior to winter break, please stop in to the Amity front office to pick them up. The office will be open for book pick up from 8:30-2:30.
No School on Monday, January 18th:
Martin Luther King Day
Just a reminder that there will be no school for grades PreK-12 on Monday, January 18th as we celebrate Martin Luther King Day.
In Case You Missed It
January Lunch Menu
Outdoor Recess
With a return to cold temperatures, please remember to send your child to school with appropriate outdoor attire for recess. We are currently going outside whenever the “feels like” temperature is 25 degrees or above. This gives our students time to burn some energy and 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.
Attendance
Please remember to call our attendance line (513-891-2414) or email Betty Jung (jung.b@dpccsd.org), our attendance secretary, if your student is going to be out.
This is especially important with the number of people that are either required to quarantine by the health department, or quarantining on their own accord. We need to be aware of these situations outside of school so that we can appropriately mark the attendance and provide guidance from the district if necessary. Thanks for all your help!
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
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.