What's New?

From the Desk of Mrs. Warman

Dear Amity Families,

It’s been another busy and exciting week here at Amity! As we kicked off the second quarter, Mrs. King and I have been visiting classrooms to review our Amity expectations with students. As we move forward, our focus is continuing to be treating one another with respect and kindness.

In the month of October, Amity Elementary will put an extra emphasis on Unity! We will celebrate acceptance, inclusion, and kindness through weekly activities that students and staff are participating in. Each student and staff member will create a link in our school-wide Unity Chain. Each link represents our unique and special individuality — but when we connect them together, we show the power of kindness, inclusion, and strength as one community.

Our Student Council will also visit classrooms to lead a read-aloud and discussion about unity and acceptance of one another. We’ll wrap up our celebration on Tuesday, October 22nd, when the whole school is encouraged to wear orange to show their support for Unity Day!

We remind our Wildcats that everyone comes to Amity Elementary to have a great day — a place where we all learn, grow, and build each other up. Together, we can continue to make Amity a safe, caring, and fun place for every student to succeed.

Thank you,
Laura Warman

October 22: Scoop with the Superintendent

Deer Park Community City Schools invites all families, homeowners, and community members to attend “Levy Talk: Scoop with the Superintendent,” an open forum to learn more about the district’s upcoming 6.9-mill operating levy.

The event will take place on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, from 7:00–7:30 p.m. in the Amity Elementary Professional Development Center (PDC). The conversation will be hosted by Superintendent Jim Stoll.

This informal discussion aims to provide clear and transparent information about the proposed levy and its impact on the community. Attendees will learn about:

• Levy Millage (6.9)

• Impact on Homeowners

• What the Levy Pays For

• Open Q&A Session

Community members are encouraged to attend, ask questions, and engage in an open dialogue about how the levy supports Deer Park students, staff, and schools.

Sandy's Closet Clothing Room Closed During Day Oct. 20

On Monday, October 20, Sandy's Closet will be closed to the public during regular hours in order to change over to winter clothing. It will be re-open during the evening of October 20 from 4:30-7 p.m.

No appointment is needed. The entrance to Sandy's Closet is located along the Southeast side of the Holmes Building, toward the back of the parking lot. For Deer Park residents only.

Beginning October 21, Sandy's Closet will be re-opened for families to shop for clothing items from Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Enter through the front doors and sign in at the office. Shopping at Sandy's Closet is for Deer Park residents only, please.

For any questions, individuals can contact Pam Gilreath.

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When:
Monday, October 20
4:30-7 p.m.

Location:
Holmes Building
8688 Donna Lane

Questions:
Contact Pam Gilreath at 513.936.4698 or gilreath.p@dpccsd.org.

Amity Elementary Community Resources

Click Here

Amity Halloween 2025

Amity will be having its annual Halloween parade on Friday, October 31st. Parents will only be able to view the parade if the weather cooperates and we are able to do it outside. The parade will start at 2:15 and will include Kindergarten-3rd grade.  Parents will be on the recess blacktop and will stand behind the yellow lines painted for the car pick up. Here is a map of our parade route to show where parents will stand.   

If the weather is questionable and the parade is moved indoors, we will communicate that switch using our district email at 1:00 p.m. on Halloween. Unfortunately, parents will not be able to view the indoor parade. 

Halloween Costumes Information

All Students will be allowed to dress in costumes for school on Friday, October 31st.

• Here are some of the guidelines for costumes:
  • No makeup/face paint
  • No masks 
  • No weapons
  • Violent or offensive costumes may be asked to be modified at teachers’ discretion

If your student is not purchasing a costume this year, they can wear orange and black, wear crazy socks for “Sock-Tober”, or dress in a costume they create from home as they do on our spirit days (Cowboy/girl, doctor, person on vacation, Superhero, etc.).

Please have students wear the costumes to school that day, as we will not be changing into them.   

Please make sure students are able to wear the costumes comfortably for the entire day. We still want students focused on their academics.   

Please leave at home any small pieces of the costume that could be lost.

Third Grade OST

We will be administering the Ohio State Tests to 3rd grade on Tuesday, October 21st and Wednesday, October 22nd. These tests will focus on English Language Arts skills. Please make sure that your child is well-rested and has a great breakfast. The testing will be in the morning, so please make sure that they are on time. Our teachers have been working hard to prepare our students and we are excited to see what they know!

Deer Park School Lunch

Reminder each school year families have to reapply for Free and Reduced Lunch. There are applications in the front office at Amity. Please reach out to Diane Daily with any questions 513-936-6275.

Student Safety Training 

As part of the district’s ongoing focus on school safety, we continue to review, update, and practice our school building crisis plans and procedures. Meant to help guide staff and students in the event of an emergency, these plans and procedures offer instructions on a multitude of safety issues, natural disasters, inclement weather, and building security.

In an effort to improve the safety of students and staff at Amity Elementary, our teachers will be training our students on procedures to use in the event of school lockdown.  A school lockdown can be used for a variety of situations. An active intruder inside or outside the building is the most intense and will be the focus of the training.

To train our students, our teachers will be using a script that is designed for grades K-6 to introduce and discuss what the class would do in an intruder lockdown situation. I want to assure you that this script does not go into specific detail regarding the violence that has occurred in schools from intruders, but rather enforces the lesson of listening to the teacher in the event of an emergency. Listening to the teacher is the same practice used in fire drills and tornado drills.    

The script will introduce students to the terminology recommended by the Department of Homeland Security of “Run, Hide, Fight” and can be used in community situations as well. Following “Run, Hide, Fight” in that order helps students to keep themselves safe. The last measure—“fight”—describes barricading doors or throwing items to disorient the intruder as a last case measure. We are not teaching students to seek out or take down an intruder within the building. Students will be taught they should always look to run and hide with the help of their teachers in this situation. 

I know that these are heavy teaching lessons for our students to start learning at a young age. Our teachers know our students best, and will go through this script in a way that is tactful and informative.   I wish we didn’t have to teach our students these things. The reality though is that as a school, we need to prepare our students to react and follow teacher directions in the event of any emergency.   

Our students will be trained the next two weeks by their homeroom teachers.  Following these training sessions, we will practice a safety lockdown once during the month of October.  It will be announced over the PA that we are conducting a lockdown drill prior to the drill occurring, and will consist of the students locking down within the classroom.  The drill will only last 5-10 minutes and then we will resume with our academics as usual.   

Please feel free to reach out to our teachers or members of the administrative team should you have any questions.

Deer Park Holiday Food Drive

The 2025 Deer Park Holiday Food Drive Sign Ups are now open.

If your family will need assistance this holiday season please follow the QR code to a sign up.

Please see the attached flyer for more information or contact Patty Hadden @ 513-936-5937. 

Help for the Holidays-Sign Up

Deer Park Youth Basketball Registration

Counselor & Social Worker Newsletter — October

We’re thrilled to launch our brand-new Counselor & Social Worker Newsletter, crafted to keep our Amity community informed, connected, and empowered! Each edition will bring you valuable insights, updates on school programs, mental health tips, and resources tailored for students and families. Whether you’re seeking strategies to support your child’s emotional well-being or curious about upcoming wellness initiatives, this newsletter is your go-to source. Be sure to check it out and stay tuned for the latest from our counseling and social work team.

View the Newsletter

“SOCK”-tober

During the month of October, the Amity staff and students will be collecting NEW socks for the Deer Park Clothing Room located in the Holmes Building.  Students, staff and community members are invited to drop off new pairs/ packages of socks.  We are in need of infant, child and adult sizes. 

We are looking for… sports socks, fun socks, fuzzy socks, any kinds of socks.

If you would like to donate please send the socks in with your child, they will then drop them off in the 4th grade ELC.

To end the “Sock”-tober collection, students and staff will have a “CRAZY SOCK” day on October 30th.   

Our Commitment to Student Growth:
MTSS in Action

Our district uses the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to make sure every student has what they need to succeed. MTSS is a proactive way we monitor academics, behavior, and social-emotional progress so we can offer the right support at the right time—whether that’s extra help, skill-building, or enrichment.

If your child is invited to a support or intervention group, it simply means we’ve identified an area where additional instruction or practice could help them grow. These supports are flexible and can change as student needs evolve. 

We appreciate your partnership as we work together to provide the best possible learning experience for every student.

October 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, October 21 | 6:30 p.m.
• Amity Halloween Parade: Friday, October 31
• Camp Kern: Monday, October November 3-Wednesday, November 5
• Election Day (No School For Students): Tuesday, November 4

In Case You Missed It

Arrival & Dismissal Reminder

Just a quick reminder to please be mindful and respectful of our neighbors during arrival and dismissal. Our shared goal is to make sure every student gets to and from school safely. Thanks for helping us keep things running smoothly!

Interested in Dance?

Deer Park Schools is sharing a great opportunity from the Deer Park Dance Program! While registration has ended, you can still visit www.deerparkdance.com for more information. You can also reach out to the program directly at thedeerpark.danceprogram@gmail.com with any questions.

Classes are available for students in Preschool through 12th Grade.

View the Flier

Registration for Student Wildcat Packs

Wildcat Packs is a Joshua's Place program that gives food to kids to take home on the weekends. To qualify for a weekly Wildcat Pack a student must be signed up for free and reduced lunches and elect to receive the pack by filling out the linked form. The Wildcat Pack is given at no cost to your child.

Students will receive their packs on Thursday’s from their teacher.

The first Wildcat Weekend Packs will be sent home on Thursday, October 9th.

Learn More

Cell Phone Policy

We understand that students are starting to get cell phones in the later grades within Amity. Please help us in talking to your student about the following expectations prior to the start of school. This year Amity Elementary students will be expected to turn their cell phones off when they get to Amity in the morning and keep them off until the end of the day. This is a change from last year. We believe this will help eliminate distractions throughout the academic day. Because all students are issued a chrome book at the beginning of the school year there is not a need for students to access their cell phones during the school day for academic purposes. If students need to connect with you during the school day, they are welcome to use the phone in the front office to call you.

FinalForms

We will continue to utilize FinalForms in an effort to help simplify your life!  Please login to FinalForms at https://deerpark-oh.finalforms.com to update any new information or to confirm that there are no changes for the 2025-26 school year. If you do not have a home computer, please use one of Amity’s computers during the Meet and Greet located in the PDC or visit the local library where computers are available for public use.

Schoology

The Schoology Learning Management System offers a tremendous amount of information in a user friendly version. You will be able to communicate with your child’s teachers, check homework and grades, and find teacher resources through teacher Schoology pages.

Schoology Link

2025-26 PDF District Calendar

Each year, the Deer Park Board of Education approves the district's yearly calendar, which can be found on the Deer Park Schools website. This calendar includes official school dates, holidays, and breaks. Additionally, a printed event calendar will be sent home with your student during the first week of school. For your convenience, you can access the PDF calendar using the link provided below.

View the Calendar

Staying Connected

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

• Email Newsletter: All parents who have completed FinalForms should receive Amity Weekly Newsletters. If you are not currently receiving them, please register for the email communication. To register, simply go to www.deerparkcityschools.org and click on the button on the bottom of the page that says “Subscribe to District News”. From there, you will send an email requesting that you be added to future email communication from the district.
• X: 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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