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August 12-16 Updates
August 11, 2019
 
Dear Montrose families and students,
 

It’s going to be a really exciting week as we start back to school on Tuesday with our students! Class lists were posted on Friday afternoon and it was an energizing moment for students that were eagerly awaiting!

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Popsicles in the Park with the Principal wrapped up this week.  It was wonderful to meet many of you!  A special thanks to our Montrose PTO for their support, and to Leisan Smith, Bexley City School’s Director of Student and Community Engagement, and Bryan Drewry from Bexley Minority Parent Alliance for attending. 

A helpful reminder to our little (and big) ones this week: reassurance goes a long way.  Saying things like, “You’ve got this!”, “You’ve done challenging things before and I know you can do it”, and “I believe in you!” to your child along with verbal validation will be a huge help as we head back to school.  Please continue to provide structure to your daily routines to help set our kids up for success (earlier bedtimes and earlier wake ups, routines at night like teeth brushing, reading books, etc.). These really help all of us!

 

Elementary Theatre Announcement from Becky Rhinehart

Upcoming Auditions and Crew Interviews for Bexley Grade 4-5 Fall Musical:  Disney's Cinderella KIDS.  Every year, the grade 3-5 production auditions are highly competitive, with approximately 100-150 students auditioning for 30-60 roles.  In order to lessen the amount of those who do not receive roles, the district has decided to make elementary productions for students in grades 4 and 5 only.   This keeps in line with the crew, which has always been grades 4 and 5. The week long theatre camp, which will be held in December 2019, will be expanded to include grades 1-3 so any third grader will be able to participate in theatre.

Auditions:  August 19 and 20 from 3:45-5:30PM in the Cassingham Theater.  Students should plan to stay the entire time during the two days.  Because HS and MS are in session, students cannot come earlier than 3:40.

Callbacks:  August 21 from 3:45-5:30PM in the Cassingham Theater. Again, plan to stay the entire time and do not come earlier than 3:40PM.

Please download and fill out the audition packet (found on the Production page) and bring it with you to auditions.  Students without completed audition forms and contracts will not be considered for the cast. Students do not need to prepare anything for auditions, and should wear clothing they can dance in.  Students will be acting, singing, and dancing songs/lines from the script. You can find audition forms, the audition schedule, and more audition information at www.bexleytheatrearts.com.  Just click on Auditions under the Students tab.

Crew Interviews:

Last Names A-L:  August 28 3:45-5:45  Schottenstein Theater

Last Names M-Z:  August 29 3:45-5:45  Schottenstein Theater

Students can attend the other interview date if they have conflicts with the assigned date. Students should show up at 3:45PM and can leave when their interview is over. Students should not arrive before 3:40PM as MS and HS classes are still in session. Please download and fill out the crew interview packet (found on the Production page) and bring it with you to crew interviews.  Students without completed crew interview packets will not be considered for crew. You can find out more information at www.bexleytheatrearts.com

 

PowerSchool Info (IMPORTANT)

Parents of students in grades 1-5, if you have not already done so this school year, please verify your child’s information in PowerSchool.  This verification process allows you as parents to update important medical information about your child, provide parent and emergency contact information, and agree to various policies and uses of data. Please sign into your PowerSchool parent account as soon as possible, and complete these forms for our records.

How do I get started?

  1. Sign into your PowerSchool parent account

  2. Select the student you wish to verify along the top

  3. Select “Student Information Verification 2019-20” on the left side of the screen

  4. Agree to the terms and conditions

  5. Click “Begin Forms”

Kindergarten parents and newly enrolled students, you have already done this in the enrollment process.  You will not need to do this again. Thank you!

 

Levy Information

This November, Bexley City Schools will have an operating levy on the ballot.  We will have more information and facts available to you throughout the first few weeks of school. Have questions like this? 

How much money will this operating levy generate for Bexley City Schools? Click here to find out more. https://www.bexleyschools.org/LevyInformation.aspx

Not registered to vote?  Click here to register. https://vote.franklincountyohio.gov/Voters/Register-to-Vote

 

Food Service

Students can bring their own lunches or purchase lunch. Breakfast will be available for students to purchase at 8:00 a.m.  Questions about lunch and breakfast information.  Visit this link for details. https://www.bexleyschools.org/FoodServicesEZpay.aspxRecess and lunch times are between these times for the following grades: 

11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Kindergarten and 1st grade

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 a.m. 4th & 5th grade

12:00-1:00 p.m. 2nd and 3rd grade

 

Clinic Information

If prescription medications need to be given at school, an authorization form should be completed. Non-prescription medications require a signed form or parental consent by phone before medication is administered. Please visit this website for specific questions, forms, and resources regarding your child’s health information: https://www.bexleyschools.org/HealthClinics.aspx

 

Personal Devices

Questions about Bexley City Schools’ personal devices expectations?  Click this link to find out more: https://bit.ly/2ZUp92W

 

Coffee on the 1st Day of School for Parents and Staff!!!

The Bexley Education Foundation is so kind!  Representatives will be serving coffee beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday on Remington side of our school.  Thank you, BEF!!!

Technology Update

Email addresses are changing for students and staff. 

As part of our use of Google Apps for Education, staff and students will now be using bexley.us and student.bexley.us email addresses:

Staff email - [email protected]

Student email - FirstName.LastName@student.bexley.us

A news article with more information on the email change is posted on our website. You can find it here.

 

School Hours and Our Students’ Safety

Question:  What time does the school day start this school year?

Answer:  This year, all three elementary schools will open their doors to students at 8:10 a.m.  The tardy bell will ring at 8:15 a.m. Our morning News Show will start at 8:20 a.m.

 

Question: Can I walk into the building with my child and walk with them to their classroom?  

Answer: Yes! We understand that there are times where you would like to walk your child to their classroom.  You can certainly do this! Please enter the front entrance of our building on the Main St. side. Staff including Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Tyson will greet you.  You will sign in and put on a “Visitors” sticker. Then you can walk your child to class. 

We really want to set our students up for success from the moment they enter our doors.  We want children to become confident, competent, and independent learners and some of that starts even as they begin their school day. We encourage you to drop your children off at any of the three entrances (front door on Main St., Remington Rd. entrance, and Montrose Ave. entrance) and let your child walk to their classrooms with their friends while our staff look out for them and supervise them.

Special Note: On the first day of school (and the staggered kindergarten days for kindergarten parents) families can enter the classrooms without signing in to the office.  We know many of you will have school supplies and will be carrying them. 

Question:  Can my child enter the Montrose and Remington sides of the school? 

Answer: Absolutely! Staff will be standing at all three entrances (front door on Main St., Remington Rd. entrance, and Montrose Ave. entrance) to greet students each school day.  Staff will ensure students’ safety and the security of our building.  All school doors will lock promptly at 8:15 a.m. and will remain locked until 3:00 p.m. 

Question: What time does school end and when should I pick up my child?

Answer:  At the end of the day, the dismissal bell will ring at 3:00 p.m.  All students, except students attending After Care Program on that specific day, are expected to head immediately to their home or their caretaker’s designated area.  Students should be off school grounds by 3:05 p.m. unless they are accompanied by their parent or come back to school for an evening event and are supervised by a parent. This is to maintain the safest environment and supervision for our students/children.  If you have questions, please contact me and I'll be happy to talk with you. Thank you.

 

Bexley Be Well: A Community Conversation about Wellness

The mental health of our students is an important topic and one that is addressed on our Bexley Blueprint. Over the last school year, we assessed and searched for tools and partners to help us assess our students’ mental well-being and put programming in place to support them. But we can’t do this work alone. Through multiple conversations with partners, I am pleased to announce that in the fall we will engage our community in Bexley Be Well: A Community Conversation about Wellness. We have invited over 30 community partners to join us as we seek to create a dialogue about this important topic.

Key dates and events are below under “Upcoming Events”. More information will be provided in future communications.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Monday, August 12th from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. - Welcome Back Open House at Montrose Elementary for grades Kdg - 5.  The purpose of this time will be for students to come to the building before school starts, walk the halls, meet their new teacher, and drop off supplies.  This time is not for a parent-teacher conference but rather an introduction to their new teachers and a time to refamiliarize themselves with the building. It helps to alleviate a little of the nerves that come with the beginning of the school year.

Tuesday, August 13th - First day of school for students in grades 1-5 AND for our staggering kindergarten students who have been assigned their first day as 08/13/19.

Launch Wednesday for Bexley Be Well, September 4th

Schottenstein Theater 6:30-8:30 p.m. Bexley City Schools will provide a screening of the film Angst followed by a panel discussion with experts in the field of mental health.

Community Book Read, September 5th - October 5th

Bexley CSD is inviting our community to engage in a reading of the book What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan. Staff and community members may read the book as individuals, families, or join a book club. Books may be purchased at the launch event, at Gramercy Books, or borrowed from the Bexley Public Library.

Parent Institute Sunday, September 22nd

Our first Parent Institute of the year will feature multiple sessions on topics related to our community conversation as well as other topics of importance to our parents.

Author Visit Sunday, October 6th

Schottenstein Theater 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Kate Fagan is the author of the instant New York Times bestseller, What Made Maddy Run, which spent a month as the No. 1 New York Times bestseller on the sports list. What Made Maddy Run was long-listed for the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing. Fagan is also the author of the coming-of-age memoir, The Reappearing Act, about her experience coming out while playing basketball at the University of Colorado.

Monday, October 7th - Voter registration deadline

Tuesday, October 8th - Early voting begins

Tuesday, November 5th - Election Day

More events to come as we get our school up and running! 

 

Staff Highlight

Montrose Elementary could not be up and running without the kind efficiency of our dear secretary, Mrs. Katie Anderson!  Mrs. Anderson returned to work on the 1st and has been working diligently to ensure our systems are in place, class lists are accurate, mailings are sent out, and communication is clear. She has been a gem to get to know and  I am looking forward to having this great team member by my side this year! Montrose staff are so thankful for Mrs. Anderson!  Also, a very special thank you to Kelly Salmon who volunteered her time this week to help us get up and running.

  

 

Warmly,

Ms. K-L

 

 

Melissa Klosterman-Lando

Principal at Montrose Elementary, Bexley City School District

614-237-4226

Montrose Elementary's website

Follow Montrose Elementary on Twitter at @BexleyMontrose

Engage. Empower. Equip.