State Assessment Infrastructure Trial on January 29th

Each building in the district will be conducting an infrastructure trial on Thursday, January 29th.  

The purpose of the trial is to confirm that our devices can successfully run the PARCC testing applications and our network can bear the full load of administration. The one hour "mock" testing sessions will give participating staff the opportunity to practice new online testing protocol and will familiarize our students with the computer-based tools and format. The Infrastructure Trial will take approximately 60 minutes to conduct and will occur at various times in each building.

Symmes Carnival is coming! Please save the date of
Friday, February 27^th for a great evening! Symmes Bug-A-Palooza will take place at Symmes Elementary from 5:30 until 9:00pm. Please bring your family and friends to school for this exciting event! Carnival is one of the most fun-filled nights of the year for Symmes’ staff and students. There will be lots of games, great food and wonderful prizes!

This is a great time for your family to come together for a fun filled evening and support your child's school.  Volunteers are still needed!  If you can help, please contact Kate Pinkert at katepinckert@yahoo.com.

Our carnival is also one of the largest fundraisers that our PTO organizes.

Don’t Miss the Fun!

Symmes Elementary Cultural Celebration

Friday, January 23 from 6:00 – 8:15 PM

Come celebrate the diversity of cultures represented in our school while visiting cultural exhibits, sampling international foods, and enjoying a multi-cultural fashion show and performances.

Program Agenda:

Cultural Booths                                                              6:00 to 8:15

Food Booths                                                                    6:00 to 7:00

Cultural Fashion Show                                                   7:00 to 7:15

Cultural Performances                                                    7:15 to 8:00 

Baskets Raffle with Principal Van Kirk                         8:00 to 8:15

We are looking forward to seeing you at 6:00 on Friday, January 23rd!

                                  

Dear Symmes Elementary Parents,  

                      

The Symmes Carnival Bid n’ Buy committee needs your help!  We would like to invite you or your company to donate items or services to help support our school and to be a part of this successful event.  Feel free to include marketing materials you would like displayed alongside your auction donation.  

This is what we are looking for:

Do you have any unused gift cards sitting around your home?

We can use any and all unused gift cards in our auction or baskets.

Do you have any items from your business that you can donate?

                For example: Tastefully Simple foods, specialty cupcakes, handmade jewelry, services.

Do you have any connections to any professional athletes?

                Autographed items are quite popular.  

Does your family have season tickets to any local sporting or cultural events?

                Donations for a select baseball game, football game, basketball game, Children’s Theater tickets,

                Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, etc… are always popular!  If you know your family can’t use one

                of the dates, we’d welcome the donation!

Do you have a connection at a local business in which you might be able to help us secure a donation (this could be a drycleaners, restaurant, hair salon, or other places that you frequent)?

                Our committee has been busy soliciting area businesses, so please contact us first as we do not

                want to duplicate our requests to the business community.

Let’s all help make this the most successful Bid n’ Buy year yet!  Be certain to mark your calendars for our Bug-A-Palooza Carnival, February 27th

***Please call or e-mail me and I will make arrangements to pick up your donations, as well as answer any questions you may have.

Thank you in advance for your help!
Shannon Gantzer (Carnival Bid n’ Buy Chairperson)  513-225-7949 or shantate@gmail.com

Sycamore Advisory Commission is a committee established and sponsored by the

Sycamore Board of Education (BOE). Its purpose is to support the BOE, its administrative staff

and the school district by: Conducting research and preparing reports on issues that impact the

school district on topics assigned and/or approved by the BOE, and serving as a communications

link among the BOE, school district administration, member organizations, and residents of the

district.

Sycamore Advisory Commission members also are kept up-to-date on Sycamore

programs and activities, and provide feedback from the community and member organizations to

the Board.

SAC members represent area civic organizations, government entities, parent-teacher

organizations, the Sycamore student body, Sycamore teaching staff and the community at large.

The SAC meets on the second Monday of each month, from September through May, at

7:30 p.m. at the Sycamore Board of Education offices located at 5959 Hagewa Drive, Cincinnati,

Ohio, 45242.

For an application to become a member-at-large, visit the Sycamore Board of Education

offices at 5959 Hagewa Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45242, call the district at 686-1700, or log on to

http://www.sycamoreschools.org/advisory-commission.html.

"Will you have a child who turns 5 by Sept. 30? Then it is time to register him or her for kindergarten! Sycamore Community School district held registration the first week of February.  If you need more information or to download a registration packet, visit www.SycamoreSchools.org and click the yellow "Kindergarten & Preschool Info" button on the home page."

Attention Third Grade Parents,

Your children are being taught Basic Aid Training (BAT) by our school nurse, Julie Ferron on the week of January 20th.   This is a Red Cross course designed for third graders.  Your children will learn the following:

            1.         Steps for an Emergency Action Plan.

            2.         How to treat for shock.

            3.         Where to call in an emergency.

            4.         What to do if someone chokes.

            5.         How to treat wounds.

            6.         How to treat animal bites.

            7.         What to do if someone falls.

            8.         What to do if electric shock is suspected.

The boys and girls will be asked to share their knowledge with you.  Please, encourage them to teach you what they know.

Sycamore GEAR invites you to a special presentation:

“PARCC Testing and the Gifted Student: A Look into the Future”

  By Kristen Rojas, Educational Consultant for Hamilton County ESC

Testing can be stressful for both students and teachers, especially when it’s done in a new format. The new PARCC and AIR Assessments use technology-enhanced items that will look very different to students as well as ask them to “construct their responses” vs. “selecting their responses”.  This presentation will provide an overview to question type and level of rigor on the new assessments. Participants will have the opportunity to review PARCC & AIR sample items in terms of curricular content application, Depth of Knowledge alignment, and technology skill requirements.  Participants will have a greater understanding of the challenge that is facing our students as they undertake the new assessments.

Kristen Rojas is an educational consultant for Hamilton County ESC with extensive experience in the area of gifted education. In addition to mentoring new teachers and administrators, Kristen also plans, facilitates and presents on various educational topics to districts throughout Ohio and Michigan. She has worked as an English teacher, Alternative High School Coordinator, Gifted Education Coordinator and Elementary Principal. Kristen has been an Adjunct Professor for Miami University teaching graduate level classes in curriculum and instruction for gifted students. She was chosen by Cincinnati Public Schools to start the first public magnet school for gifted students, Cincinnati Gifted Academy, now Hyde Park School.

Date: Friday, January 9, 2015 at 9.45 am

Place: The Multipurpose Room at Symmes Elementary School, 11820 Enyart Road, Loveland OH, 45140