What's New?
From the Desk of Mr. Drouhard
Dear Amity Families,
The doctor was in on Thursday for our Amity 6th graders. Dr. Stephen Becker, a psychologist from Cincinnati Children’s hospital, was in to share how sleep impacts the brain and bodies of our students. While you might think this is a topic that students might daydream through, our students were zeroed in to Dr. Becker’s every word.
Dr. Becker shared that to perform at your best in anything you do–academics, a musical performance, or athletics–sleep plays a vital role. When a sleep expert tells you that you need 10-11 hours a night, it holds a little more weight than coming from mom or dad.
He compared staying up late on the weekends, and then sleeping in three hours to the jet lag you experience when you travel to California on a plane. You and I know that it takes a day or two to recover from these travels! He shared the immense importance of routines, which create cues in our bodies that it is time for bed. Students were challenged with the simple task of reserving their beds for sleep only, (No video games, homework, etc.) so that when they lay down, the brain and body relaxes and knows it is time for sleep.
Overall, our 6th grade students were great in learning from Dr. Becker. They gained a lot of knowledge in a small amount of time! We were excited to have Dr. Becker, along with all of the experts, in on Thursday to speak to our students. If you missed the full article, please see it here.
Take Care,
Josh
Weekly Photo Gallery
Click the link below to access photos from all around Amity Elementary during the week!
Professional Speaker: Building Resilience in Students
On Thursday, October 6th, Deer Park Schools is excited to welcome Dr. Brooks Gibbs to the district. Dr. Gibbs is a social psychologist and one of the top speakers across the country on raising emotionally resilient kids and teaching students to live by the Golden Rule; treating others how you want to be treated! Dr. Gibbs has a humorous and engaging way to help students learn how to regulate their own emotions while also teaching them how to solve social problems.
Throughout the day on Thursday, October 6th, Dr. Gibbs is going to speak to all of our students in grades K-12 and then we will be holding a parent session at Crawford Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. for any and all parents in the district.
We hope that you all consider attending this important and informative session on Thursday, October 6th at 7:00 p.m. in Crawford Auditorium.
Details
What:
Dr. Brooks Gibbs Parent Session
Raising Resilient and Emotionally Strong Children
When:
Thursday, October 6
7 p.m.
Where:
Crawford Auditorium
Deer Park Jr./Sr. High School
Who:
Any and all Deer Park parents are invited to attend this FREE session!
OST Testing Reports
Ohio State Test Reports came home in backpacks for students in grades 4-6 on Friday. Please look for those reports from your students. If you have questions regarding anything shared on the report, please share them with your teachers during conferences this week.
Parent Teacher Conference Sign Up
Please mark your calendars for Amity Parent Teacher Conferences at the end of the month. Conferences are Thursday, September 29th from 1:00-8:00 PM and Friday, September 30th from 8:00 AM-3:00 PM. These conferences will be offered in person, by phone, or virtually. There will be no school on these days because of conferences. Please see the link below to sign up for conferences.
Smile Program Coming to Amity Elementary
Great news! Deer Park Community City Schools has again partnered with the Smile Programs…the mobile dentists to offer in-school dental care!
The mobile dentist will be coming to both Amity Elementary and the Jr./Sr. High School on:
September 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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Conferences: Thursday, September 29th and Friday, September 30
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Camp Kern: October 10-12
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Fall Picture Day: Wednesday, October 19
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Amity Harvest Night: October 20
In Case You Missed It
Lunch Charge Policy
This is a reminder to parents that once a student reaches $30 of charges on their account, they will be provided with a minimal lunch which includes a peanut butter sandwich (or equivalent for those with allergies), a fruit, a vegetable, and a milk. Once they pay their charges, students can resume purchasing a lunch of their choice. For questions on your student's lunch charges, contact the main office.
Deer Park Youth Basketball Registration
If you're interested in playing Deer Park Youth Basketball this year, you have until Oct. 17 to sign up! Visit http://www.dpbasketball.org for more information or to sign up today!
Harvest Night
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting our Fall Harvest Night on Thursday, October 20th. Harvest night runs from 6:00-7:30 with a variety of events spread throughout Amity Elementary. From 6:00-7:00 there will be literacy games and activities at each grade level run by our teachers. Our book fair will also be open that night for purchases which benefit our Amity Library. At 7:00 the 3rd grade class will hold a performance in the gym. This event is free for all, so please mark your calendars.
Breakfast at Amity
Just a friendly reminder that students must purchase breakfast to enter the cafeteria between 7:30-7:45. With the expiration of the USDA’s Free Meals for Students initiative, breakfast will no longer be free for all students. I just wanted to put this on parents' radars so that charges from breakfast don’t pile up. If you believe you might qualify for free breakfast and lunch due a financial hardship, please see the information below.
Free and Reduced Lunch Updates
As you may recall, the past two school years all public schools, including Deer Park Schools, took advantage of the USDA free meals waiver for students. Unfortunately, this program expired on June 30, 2022. This school year, Deer Park families will once again have to pay for their school meals.
For Deer Park families who may continue to qualify for free or reduced meals based on income or other qualifying factors, please complete the free and reduced meal application form online through FinalForms. If, for some reason, you are having trouble accessing the form through FinalForms, you can print off a hard copy and email the completed hard copy to Brianna Listermann at listermann.b@dpccsd.org. You may also turn the hard copy into Betty Hollander at the Board of Education office located at 8688 Donna Ln., Cincinnati, OH 45236. The hard copy of the free and reduced application form can be found here:
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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