What's New?
From the Desk of Mr. Drouhard
Dear Amity Families,
We hosted our Amity Spelling Bee this past Wednesday. I’d like to congratulate our 2022 Champion, Riley Miller, on winning the event by spelling “moppet”! I’d like to also congratulate our runner up, Molly Wermuth, for putting up a valiant effort! It's always great to see students engage in a competition which is academically driven!
My interesting observation from the spelling bee, wasn’t necessarily from inside the competition itself. It was actually from what was happening in the classrooms as the spelling bee was live streamed out. If you walked the halls with me during the spelling bee, you would hear the cheers and “ooh’s” and “ahh's” like you would hear at any sporting event. Our students were fully behind their classmates in the gym, just like those hometowns cheering for their competitor in the Olympics. It was a cool thing to see and hear!
Take Care,
Josh
Weekly Photo Gallery
Click the link below to access photos from all around Amity Elementary during the week!
Spring Conferences: March 3rd and 4th
Spring parent teacher conferences will be held March 3rd and 4th. Conferences are a great time to connect with your child’s teacher to check on their academic and personal growth this year. Conferences will be held Thursday, March 3rd from 1:00-8:00 PM and Friday, March 4th from 8:00-3:00 PM. We will be sending out a digital conference sign up document in next week’s Amity Minute. We look forward to seeing you on one of these days!
No School: February 21st and 22nd
There will be no school on Monday, February 21st due to Presidents Day. There will also not be school on Tuesday, February 22nd, as teachers will be in professional development.
AP Corner: Notes from the Assistant Principal on additional happenings around Amity
You may have heard your child come home saying that they have been taking the MAP test at school. At Amity, students take the MAP assessment three times a year, focusing on reading (K-6th) and math (1st-6th).
What is MAP?
MAP is a nationally normed computer based assessment that gives our teachers additional information on the standards that our students have mastered and what they are ready to learn next. MAP is unique in that it is an adaptive test. If your child answers a question correctly, the next question may be a bit more difficult. On the other hand, if your child answers a question incorrectly, the next question may not be quite as challenging. This helps us zero in on where they are currently performing.
What do we do with the data?
Teachers use this information to help inform their instruction, personalized instruction, and analyze individual student growth. It helps teachers identify groupings for instruction, identify who might benefit from additional interventions and identify who might be ready for enrichment. Building administrators are also able to use this valuable information to track grade level and building performance.
For more information on MAP, here is an introductory video.
Special Person-Daughter Dance
SAVE THE DATE for Friday, February 11th from 7-9 p.m. Currently the printed school calendar has this on Friday the 18th, but we're MOVING this to the 11th. Please see the flyer below for the details about how to sign up for tickets.
Mask Requirement Expired Friday
Effective last Friday, January 28, we have adjusted our policies, removing the mandatory requirement of masks in our buildings moving forward and we will be strongly recommending masks for all students, staff, and visitors. Below, you can find the policy in its entirety.
February Lunch Menu
Due to supply issues, lunch menu options change frequently based on availability. The most up-to-date menu is below, however, please continue to check the Deer Park Food Services website for the latest information.
Looking Ahead
Please mark these important dates on your calendar!
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Girls Varsity Basketball vs. Reading HS: Monday, January 31 | 7:30 p.m.
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Board of Education Work Session: Tuesday, February 1 | 4:30 p.m.
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Boys Varsity Basketball vs. Mariemont HS: Tuesday, February 1 | 7:30 p.m. (Senior Night: Boys Basketball, Bowling, Cheer, Dance, Wrestling)
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Girls Varsity Basketball vs. Indian Hill High School: Wednesday, February 2 | 7:30 p.m.
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Co-ed Varsity Bowling vs. Norwood High School: Thursday, February 3 | 4 p.m.
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Girls Varsity Basketball vs. Finneytown High School: Saturday, February 5 | 12 p.m. (Senior Day)
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Special Person-Daughter Dance: Friday, February 11 | 7 p.m.
In Case You Missed It
Deer Park Soccer League
Registration for the Deer Park Soccer League is open. Deer Park Soccer has age groups for everyone starting as young as 4-year-olds who turn 5 this year. You can find more information and register your child at the link below!
Booster Seat Reminder
Please see the attached document regarding booster seat reminders for children under the age of 8 or 4 feet 9 inches. As a reminder, children under these measurements are required by state law to use a booster seat. See the flyer for more information.
Please Help Reduce Tardies To School
I recognize that as the school year rolls on, our ability to get our students up in the morning becomes harder. We need to renew our efforts in the morning to get our students up and out the door. School starts at 8:00, and our teachers are starting the educational process at that time daily. While it may not feel significant to be a couple minutes late, if done daily it will add up to a lot of educational minutes! Thank you for your help!
Champions Program At Amity
Champions offers before and after school programs at Amity Elementary to help working parents. Please see the attached flyer for more information.
Recess During Cold Weather
With a return to colder temperatures, please remember to send your child to school with appropriate outdoor attire for recess. We will be 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 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, by 9AM 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!
School Nurse
Moving forward, all student COVID-19 cases occurring outside of school hours (evenings/weekends) should be submitted in one of the following ways:
A district nurse or administrator will reach out within 24 hours of the reported case to collect further details.
Deer Park PTO
Become a PTO Member! The PTO needs you to share your ideas, volunteer at events, plan fundraisers, and so much more! Use the link to become a member and stay up to date on all the PTO information.
Staying Connected
There are multiple ways to stay connected to Amity Elementary School.
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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 https://www.deerparkcityschools.org/ and click on the button on the bottom of the page that says “Subscribe to District News”.
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Twitter: Follow Deer Park Schools for the most up-to-date news and happenings at @DeerParkSchools or @DeerParkAmity
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Facebook: Follow us at Deer Park Community City Schools.
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Inspiring & Empowering Lifelong Success
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