The Amity Weekly Minute: November 13, 2022
What's New?
From the Desk of Mr. Drouhard
Dear Amity Families,
We 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 Taylor McNally, Jackie Baker, Cherly Walsh, Charlie Vample, Katie Estep, and Chris Huster for all your organization and help in putting on such a nice tribute.
Please make sure you check out the link below for pictures from the day.
View the Gallery
Take Care,
Josh
Weekly Photo Gallery
Click the link below to access photos from all around Amity Elementary during the week!
Full Photo Gallery
PTO Meeting
Please join our PTO on Wednesday, November 16th at 7:00 in the Amity PDC.
Thanksgiving Break
Just a reminder that Thanksgiving Break will be held on Wednesday, November 23rd through Friday, November 25th. There will be no school during these days.
Inview Testing
This week our second and fifth graders will be taking the InView assessment. 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 check with your homeroom teacher regarding their testing date. 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.
Sandy's Closet Clothing Room Open Nov. 19
On Saturday, Nov. 19 Sandy's Closet will be open from 9-11 a.m. to Deer Park residents looking to shop for FREE clothing for children of all ages. We will also be accepting donations of gently used children's clothing and shoes, infants through high school age, at that time.
No appointment is needed. The entrance to Sandy's Closet is along the Southeast side of the Holmes Building toward the back of the parking lot.
Sandy's Closet is also 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.
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: Tuesday, Nov. 15 | 6:30 p.m.
- Thanksgiving Break (No School): Nov. 24-26
In Case You Missed It
Candy and Gum
We understand that our students just received bags full of candy on Halloween. If you could help us by making sure students don’t come to school with pockets full of candy, that would be helpful to our teachers. This will help eliminate a distraction during our academics, and hopefully cut down on sugar intake throughout the day. We appreciate your help!
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 30 minutes so it is important that our students be comfortable while they are outside.
Sandy’s Closet Donations
Deer Park Schools owes a big thank you to our community for supporting Sandy’s Closet this past spring and summer. The clothing room has seen a significant increase in family use since the beginning of this school year. Your donations have been greatly appreciated by our shoppers.
As you begin to change over your own children’s clothing for fall and winter, please keep us in mind for any clothing your children can no longer wear that you are looking to donate. We accept gently used children’s clothing, shoes, boots, coats etc. - sizes infant through clothing appropriate for our high school students.
Donations can be dropped off at the front desk of the Holmes Building M-F from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We are grateful for your continued support of our families.
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:
Wednesday, November 30 and Thursday, December 1
More Information
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.
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:
Click Here
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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