Amity Parents: Welcome to the 2021-22 School Year

Dear Amity Family,

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer and that you filled it with great memories. As you’ve read in our newsletters we have been preparing for the first day of school since our students left us back in May.

Just as in years past, there continues to be exciting things happening at Amity to start the school year. We recently adopted a K-5 writing program called Being a Writer and a 6th-8th grade program called Into Literature. Our language arts teachers will be going through training to start the year and implementing pieces of these programs as the year progresses. We are excited to see the growth our students make using these two programs!

We are also excited to introduce the newest members of our Amity staff! These are hardworking individuals that look forward to supporting our students and seeing them grow and learn.

• Julia Schroer- 3rd Grade Teacher

• Kara Gummel- ELA Gifted Teacher

• Brandon Cooper-6th Grade Health

• McKenzie Wills- Speech and Language Pathologist

• Pat Smith- Instructional Aide

• Kyle Levier- Instructional Aide

• Alanna Haas- Instructional Aide

• Amber Meece- Instructional Aide

• Rick Green- Custodian

• Brent Kahle- School Security Officer

• David Bruce- Technology Support Expert

We also have some familiar names and faces that are in new roles.

• Michelle Lemmon- Math Gifted Teacher

• Katie Estep- 2nd Grade Teacher

• Rita Stahley- 3rd Grade Teacher

• Emily Upton- 4th Grade Teacher

• Conner Singleton- 4th Grade Teacher

• Kevin Moulton- 5 Grade Teacher

• Anabel Rust- Instructional Aide

The newsletter below outlines much of the information that parents need to know for the start of the school. Please don’t hesitate to reach out via email or phone with any questions you might not have had answered!

Please enjoy your last weeks of summer and we’ll see everyone on August 17th for the first day of school!

Take Care,

Josh

Homeroom Teachers

Postcards with student’s assigned homeroom teachers will be mailed on Friday, August 6th. Please check your mailboxes for this exciting information!

Amity Elementary Kindergarten Staggered Start Information

Dear Kindergarten Families,

We are excited to return to all-day kindergarten at Amity Elementary School for the 2021-2022 school year! 

The first day of school is an exciting time for our teachers, students, and families, especially our kindergarteners.  In order to best serve our students, and help them become acclimated to their teacher, classroom and new school, we will have a "staggered start" for only our kindergarten students.  

Students with last names beginning with A-L will report to school on Tuesday, August 17, but stay home on Wednesday, August 18.  Students with last names beginning with M-Z will have their first day on Wednesday, August 18.  All kindergarten students will report to school on Thursday, August 19th.  

We hope that by doing this, we will get our Kindergarten students off to a great start to the year! 

Thanks,

Josh

2021-22 Amity School Times:

Arrival Times:

• Students eating breakfast can arrive between 7:30am-7:45am at the cafeteria entrance.  

• All doors open at 7:45am.  

• School starts at 8:00am.  

Dismissal Time: 

• All students will be dismissed at 3:05pm.

Preschool Arrival and Dismissal Times:

• Morning preschool starts at 8:30am and dismisses at 11:00am.

• Afternoon preschool starts at 12:00pm and dismisses at 2:30am. 

Drop Off and Doors Open for Arrivals:

Breakfast: Enter through the open cafeteria door facing Linden Avenue.

Car Riders: Car Riders can enter through either our East entrance which are the main office doors, or through our West entrance off the playground. We recommend kindergarten students be dropped off at the East entrance for easy access to their classrooms. 

Walkers: Walkers not attending breakfast can enter through any of our three open doors.

*** We ask that parents say goodbye to their students in the car or at the doors of Amity. We will have plenty of staff members to help get them into their correct classrooms daily. Check in conversations with teachers can be scheduled through email or phone calls to the school.  

***1st Grade students will report to the courtyard for the 1st week of school so that teachers can help get them into their classrooms. The courtyard can be accessed by the student by entering the East entrance of the building.***

Breakfast Entrance To Amity That Is Open From 7:30-7:45 Map

Morning Entrances To Amity That Open At 7:45 Map

Kindergarten and 1st Grade Dismissal 

• Kindergarten and 1st grade will be dismissed to the East Parking lot off the main office entrance.   

• Car Riders- We ask that parents have a Student Pick-Up Card to help speed car rider pick up. Please remain in your car during pick up and your student will be brought to you. 

• Walkers- Parents walking to pick up their students need to wait in the designated walker pick up zones to help ease congestion. Your student will be brought to you in this area. 

• Shuttle Riders/Daycare Buses- These students will be taken to designated areas within the building and loaded onto the buses for dismissal. 

• Kindergarten and 1st grade students with an older sibling in grades 2nd-6th will be brought to their older sibling and exit using the 2nd-6th grade dismissal process described below. 

East Parking Lot Dismissal Map- Kindergarten and 1st Grade

2nd-6th Grade Dismissal 

• 2nd-6th Grade walkers and car pick up will be brought to the West side of the building off the playground.     

• Car Riders- We ask that parents have a  Student Pick-Up Card to help speed car rider pick up. Please remain in your car and pull all the way up to increase the number of cars we can get in our parking lot. Students will be staged by grade in these areas. 

• Walkers- Parents walking to pick up their students need to wait in the designated walker pick up zone outside the southwest corner of the building by the big tree. Students will be brought to you in this area. 

• Shuttle Riders/Day Care Buses- These students will be taken to designated areas within the building and loaded onto the buses for dismissal. 

West Parking Lot Dismissal Map- Grades 2-6 and Younger Siblings

2nd-6th Grade Walking Routes Map

Shuttle Bus and Transportation: 

On July 12th, the district sent communication to our families that we will be bringing back the shuttle bus for this upcoming school year.  You can find out more information about our shuttle as well as a link to the shuttle bus application here:

Shuttle Bus Registration Information

I want to remind everyone that there is still currently a federal health mandate in place requiring anyone riding public transportation, including school buses, to wear a mask while on the bus. As of right now, this mandate is in effect until September 13th, 2021. Please be aware of this requirement if you plan on riding a school bus this year for any reason.

Lunch/Recess Times: 

Below are posted lunch and recess times for the 2021-2022 school year.     

Amity School Supplies

Please be sure to check out the school supplies necessary for each grade by using this link:

Click Here

Non-Food Birthday Treats At Amity

We know how much each birthday means to our students and we want them to have their special day!  If you plan on sending in treats for your students class, please make sure they are non-food related.  We have students with a variety of allergens and we want to keep everyone safe.  If you need ideas of what type of treats these might be, please click the link for Non-Food Birthday Treats below:

Click Here

Back to School Bash

We’re starting the school year off right with FOOD, FUN, and FRIENDS! Come join the Amity staff at Deer Park Jr./Sr. High School for the Back-to-School Bash on August 13!

Once again, community volunteers will be grilling up hot dogs, hamburgers, and brats! For $2, you will get a ticket for one grill item, one bag of chips, and a cold drink! Afterwards, enjoy a tasty treat from Kona Ice! This is a cash only event.

Come show your Wildcat pride on Friday, August 13 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.!

Amity Meet and Greet

We will have an “Amity Meet and Greet” for all of our students to meet their teachers on Monday, August 16th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. This will be a great time for families to get into the building to say hello to their teachers, see their classrooms, and drop off school supplies before the first day. We look forward to welcoming you back into Amity this school year!

Final Forms

We will continue to utilize Final Forms in an effort to help simplify your life!  Please login to Final Forms at https://deerpark-oh.finalforms.com to update any new information or to confirm that there are no changes for the 2021-2022 school year. If you do not have a home computer, please use one of Amity’s computers during the Meet and Greet or visit your local library where computers are available for public use.

Schoology

The Schoology Learning Management System offers a tremendous amount of information in a user friendly version.  You will be able to communicate with your child’s teachers, check homework and grades, and find teacher resources through teacher Schoology pages. All midterm reports will be accessed via Schoology for the 2021-2022 school year.

Communication

There are multiple ways to stay connected to Amity Elementary School.

• E-Mail Newsletter: All parents who have completed FinalForms should receive Amity Weekly Newsletters. If you are not currently receiving them, please register for the e-mail communication. To register, simply go to www.deerparkcityschools.org and click on the button on the bottom of the page that says “Subscribe to District News”. From there, you will send an email requesting that you be added to future email communication from the district.

• Twitter: Follow Deer Park Schools for the most up-to-date news and happenings at @DeerParkSchools or @DeerParkAmity

• Facebook: follow us at Deer Park Community City Schools.

Looking Ahead

Please mark these important dates on your calendar:

• Back to School Bash: Friday, August 13th| 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

• Amity Meet and Greet: Monday, August 16 | 4-6 p.m.

• 1st Day of School: Tuesday, August 17, 7:30 AM (Breakfast), 7:45 AM (No Breakfast), 8 AM-3:05 PM (School Day)

• Curriculum Night (K-3): Wednesday, September 8th, 5 PM (Pre-School & Kindergarten), 5:30 PM (1st Grade), 6 PM (2nd Grade), 6:30 PM (3rd Grade)

• Curriculum Night (4-6): Thursday, September 9th, 5 PM (4th Grade), 5:30 PM (5th Grade), 6 PM (6th Grade)

• Fall Pictures: Wednesday, September 22nd

I look forward to working with you this school year to help your student become an inspired and empowered learner! If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Josh Drouhard

Amity Elementary Principal

drouhard.j@dpccsd.org | (513) 891-5995

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Inspiring & Empowering Lifelong Success

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