What's New?

From the Desk of Mr. Drouhard

Dear Amity Families,

It was a busy week at Amity Elementary!

We sent our 5th graders packing… literally… to Camp Kern! What an amazing experience for our students. They came off the buses with plenty of smiles and even more stories! Thank you to all our parents and high school chaperones that made the trip. I’d like to give a special thanks to our teachers; Jason Dopp, Melissa McNutt, Kevin Moulton, and Jenn Martin. What an awesome way to bond with your students. A final thank you to our Camp Kern Coordinator, Julie Sipploa. Her passion and energy for this trip is contagious and spreads to all that have ever gone!

We also had a wonderful Veterans Day Tribute this past Friday. Our second grade students did a terrific job of honoring our Veterans through their patriotic songs and presentation of materials. The students truly rose to this special occasion and had great poise in reading and reciting their passages in front of a packed house! None of them had the slightest nerves! Their singing was spot on, and obviously very cute!

It was amazing to hear from our Veterans when they shared where they served along with their job within the military. So many of our parents and grandparents hold this hidden secret that they served our country. I’m glad they shared, and grateful for their sacrifices.

A special thank you to Zoe Parker, Jackie Baker, Cherly Walsh, Charlie Vample, Nic Huster, and Chris Huster for all your organization and help in putting on such a nice tribute.

I always tell people how lucky I am to get to work with such great people and families!

Take Care,
Josh

Weekly Photo Gallery

Explore the exciting adventures of Amity Elementary's fifth-grade students at Camp Kern this week. Click the link for a glimpse into their unforgettable experiences!

Full Photo Gallery

Spirit Week 

Thanksgiving Break

Just a reminder that Thanksgiving Break will be held on Wednesday, November 22nd through Friday, November 24th. There will be no school during these days.

Inview Testing- 2nd and 5th Grade

This week our second and fifth graders will be taking the InView assessment on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The InView is a cognitive abilities test that measures students' current thinking skills in the following areas:

• Verbal Reasoning—Words
• Verbal Reasoning—Context
• Sequences
• Analogies
• Quantitative Reasoning

This assessment will provide teachers and administrators with helpful information about each child's areas of cognitive strengths and weaknesses. It can help schools and families determine whether individual students are achieving up to their potential. Additionally, this assessment is another method of identifying students who are gifted.

To improve the accuracy of the test, we ask that you ensure your child gets plenty of rest prior to the test. Please have them eat breakfast before coming to school or get some from the cafeteria. We do not want to put pressure on our students to perform perfectly, nor is this a test that they need to study for. However, we can encourage our children by explaining that, whether a question initially seems easy or difficult, thinking carefully about each one shows an accurate picture of their brain's power and how it can grow in the future.

November 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.

Visit the Website

Looking Ahead

Please mark these important dates on your calendar!

• Board of Education Regular Meeting (State of the Schools): Monday, November 20 | 6:30 p.m.
• Thanksgiving Holiday Break: November 22-24

In Case You Missed It

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 while getting some fresh air. Our recesses are 20-30 minutes so it is important that our students be comfortable while they are outside.

Sandy’s Closet Hours

If you are in need of a coat for your child, please make sure to check out Sandy’s Closet at Holmes Elementary. Sandy's Closet is open for families to shop for clothing items Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to-3 p.m.

Individuals can contact Pam Gilreath with any questions.

Sandy's Closet Donations

Please remember Sandy's Closet for your donations of clean, gently used clothing, shoes, boots, etc. We are always accepting infant, toddler, youth sizes and clothing appropriate for our high school students.

Items can be dropped off at the Holmes Building during school days between 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Thank you for your continued support of Sandy's Closet!

New Safer Ohio School Tip Line

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recently announced several enhancements to the state's free Safer Ohio School Tip Line (1-844-SAFEROH) that will make it easier for Ohioans to report school safety concerns. 

In addition to calling and texting the tip line, Ohioans anywhere in the state now can report school safety information through a new smartphone app and online web form.

The new Safer Ohio School Tip Line smartphone app, available both on iOS and Android devices, and the online web form include pre-populated prompts to help users quickly upload information.

Read the Full Release

Children’s Hospital Center for ADHD Clinical Services

I wrote in my opening about my visit to the Children's Hospital ADHD Clinic. If you are interested in the services they are currently providing, please click on the link below. They offer traditional services for students as well as strategies for parents.

View the Flier

Holiday Food Drive

With the leaves beginning to change, we’re reminded that the holidays will be here before we know it. If you and your family are in need of assistance this holiday season, fill out a Holiday Food Drive form. All the buildings have forms available and the forms were also sent home with students.

Please make sure you return your holiday food drive request form as soon as possible to any building in the district. One form per family. 

If you need assistance with this process or have questions, please contact Pam Gilreath at gilreath.p@dpccsd.org or 513-936-6286.

To print out a form:

Click Here

See You At School!

It's always tough to tell if you should send your student to school. As part of attendance month, we put together this flier to be helpful in making that decision.

Paying School Fees

Please remember to pay your student fees for the 2023-2024 school year. Fees can be paid in the front office during regular office hours or by using PaySchools. You will need a student ID to set up a PaySchools account. These are found on fee forms and are the same number your student uses for their lunch account. If your student doesn’t know this number, please feel free to reach out to us with questions at 513-891-5995. You can also email our secretaries, Diane Daily and Beth Teague for help.

Staying Connected

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

• 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”.
• 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.

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Inspiring & Empowering Lifelong Success
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