Saturday's weather forecast looks great for a Nature Trail Work Day! Come Join Us!

                                     SAVE THE DATE!
                             SATURDAY,May 2, 2015

                                                     “Invasive Species BUG Me!”

                                                 Some pictures from our last work day!  

                                       Working hard, but having a lot of fun along the way!

                                                                Clearing the way!

                                                            Our students love to help!

Working on the trail is a great way to spend the day with your family!

     Saturday, May 2nd,  is our next Symmes Nature Trail work day!  9:00 am - 4:00 pm

                                        Come anytime and stay as long as you can!
What should I bring?

Please bring your work gloves, pruners and loppers if you have them!  We will be clearing some areas of invasive plants. 

Who can come?

Parents, grandparents, students, neighbors and friends!  We welcome ALL help!
(High school students can earn work hours.)

The following activities will also take place:

•          All kids will receive a Nature Trail bracelet!
•          All kids are invited to a scavenger hunt! Find some bugs ~ but make sure they are plastic!
•          The class with the most students here will win a class treat!
•      There will be 2 fossil hunts for students at 11:00 and 1:00 (weather permitting)  
•           Students will be given EXTRA credit for working!    
•      Baked goods will be on sale to raise funds to support our Nature Trail!

Sycamore Junior High School is the place to be this weekend for Symmes Players!

Get your tickets now for the Symmes Players' production of Disney’s "My Son Pinocchio, Jr.," onstage May 1-3 at Sycamore Junior High School.

Show times are Friday, May 1 at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 2 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 3 at 2 p.m. Admission is $7 per person.

For information about tickets, contact Anna Hartz at symmesplayers@yahoo.com.

View the full news release here.

KINDERGARTEN ONLY: NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY, May 1st!!

This Friday, May 1st, will be an exciting day for our INCOMING Kindergartners!  There will be NO school for our current kindergartners on that day.....our teachers will spend some time with our new little ones, showing them what to expect in school and taking a ride on the bus!  The parents will meet our principals and get information about our school.  This is an exciting time for our new Symmes Stars!

SUMMER TENNIS!

SUMMER TENNIS!
 

Games! Learning! Fun!  

For grades 3 - 8, Sycamore will be having a 3-day summer tennis camp
on June 8th, 9th, and 10th.  

For grades 6, 7, 8 there will also be a four-week clinic.

For information, please contact Coach Mike Teets at teetsm@sycamoreschools.org.

A Fond Farewell

The end of the 2015-14 school year will be bittersweet for Symmes Elementary.  We will bid a fond farewell to our Assistant Principal, Shawn Rosekrans.  Mrs. Rosekrans has accepted a position as Principal, with Kings Local School District, at Kings Mills Elementary.  We know she will be a fantastic addition to Kings Local Schools, although we will miss her greatly.  We wish Mrs. Rosekrans much success on her new adventure!

Nature Trail workday POSTPONED one week

Due to the wet trail conditions we have decided to postpone the Nature Trail Work Day until Saturday, May 2....same time!  We are sorry to do this and hope it does not inconvenience anyone, but we feel the weather would greatly interfere with our work on the trails.  We hope you can come on Saturday, May 2, 2015!  Thanks for your understanding!

Earth Day! 4/22/2015

HAPPY EARTH DAY!  Visit Meijer today and bag your groceries in beautiful bags decorated by our Symmes students!




       

Symmes Players Tickets orders are due BY Friday, April 24

Symmes Players is a theatrical group of third and fourth grade students from Symmes Elementary School.  Symmes Players was created to provide a true musical/theatrical stage experience for these students and is run completely by parent volunteers.

To reserve your tickets for the show, please send your completed form, along with payment in an envelope marked ATTENTION SYMMES PLAYERS TICKETS by Friday, April 24th.  Checks should be made to Symmes PTO. You will receive an email to confirm your seats.  Tickets will be at Will Call to pick up at the performance.

Performances are at Sycamore Jr. High School on:

Friday, May 1st  7:00 pm
Saturday, May 2nd  7:00 pm
Sunday, May 3rd   2:00 pm

Symmes Players ticket order forms went home through back pack mail.  If you need a new form, please call the school office or email Anna Hartz at symmesplayers@yahoo.com or call 200-8483.

Cook's Night Off!

Don't forget to eat at Jet's Pizza this week-end!  Symmes will get 30% of your full menu price purchases!!  Please take the flyer that was sent home or mention Symmes Elementary when you order.  This offer is good at Symmes and Montgomery Jet's Pizza!  Thanks for supporting Symmes Elementary!

Nature Trail Eagle Scout Project

We have been so honored to have several Eagle Scouts earn their Eagle Scout award by contributing to our Symmes Nature Trail.  Max Hill, a Sycamore High School student and former Symmes Elementary student is working on his Eagle Scout award by creating an outdoor reading garden  that will include an amphitheater and a paved walkway.  Please click on the link below to read about Max's project!  Thank you for your support!

If you are interested in purchasing a brick, please place your order by May 5, 2015.

http://www.bricksrus.com/order/hilleagleproject

Symmes Players coming soon!

MY SON PINOCCHIO JR. IS A ‘WHALE’ OF A TIME

Disney’s MY SON PINOCCHIO JR.

Presented by Symmes Players

Playing at Sycamore Jr High in Blue Ash

Cincinnati, OH. (April 8, 2015)- Symmes Players proudly presents Disney’s MY SON PINOCCHIO JR., playing at Sycamore Jr. High on Friday, May 1^st at 7pm, Saturday, May 2^nd at 7pm, and Sunday, May 3^rd at 2pm. The 60-minute musical, designed for elementary-school aged performers, is based on the 2000 made-for-television movie Geppetto with original music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a few tunes from the 1940 Disney classic Pinocchio. The 3^rd and 4^th grade Symmes Elementary cast contains approximately 70 students led by Rachelle Penilla and Carina Henry.

“I am so impressed with these Symmes students.  Their hard work, talent, and ‘can do attitude’ is going to yield an entertaining performance.” Carina Henry, 2015 Assistant Director

Seventeen years ago, Kathy Wenning, a parent at Symmes Elementary, had the idea to create a theater program where every 3^rd and 4^th grade student, regardless of abilities, could participate in a theatrical experience.  Symmes Players was born!  Since then, hundreds of students have participated in Symmes Players.  The program is completely run by parent volunteers who devote their time and energy to the actors and production.

In this twist on the traditional Pinocchio story, things don’t work out exactly as expected. The Blue Fairy is satisfied that she granted Geppetto’s wish perfectly, but the toy maker is less than thrilled with his new son Pinocchio. Geppetto tries to convince the Blue Fairy of Pinocchio’s defects, and he begs her to take him back. The Blue Fairy refuses, but later agrees to give Pinocchio to a greedy puppeteer, Stromboli, who wants the stringless puppet for his show. When Pinocchio saves them both from the mouth of a whale, Geppetto realizes he has grown to love his new son. Upon returning home, he is forced to persuade Stromboli and the Blue Fairy that he deserves to keep Pinocchio.

Performances of Disney’s MY SON PINOCCHIO JR. are open to the public at Sycamore Jr High on Friday, May 1st at 7pm; Saturday, May 2nd at 7pm; and Sunday, May 3rd at 2pm. Admission is $7 per person.

For information about tickets, contact Anna Hartz at: symmesplayers@yahoo.com.

For more information about licensing MY SON PINOCCHIO JR. or other Disney shows, please visit www.DisneyMusicals.com.

Sycamore Board seeks public's help with budget fight - Posted 4/15/2015

Board seeks public's help with budget fight

APRIL 10, 2015 05:00PM

The Sycamore Board of Education is seeking the help of the community to join the fight to save a significant portion of the district's budget from possible phase-out.

A critical portion of Sycamore's state funding is in serious jeopardy with the Ohio governor's budget proposal, which would phase out $9 million in tangible personal property (TPP) tax reimbursement, equivalent to 12 percent of the district's budget.

This loss, which amounts to approximately $1,745 per student when phase out is complete, would require a 5.65-mill property tax levy to recoup the funds lost due to this proposal.

Last month, Sycamore Treasurer Beth Weber testified at a House panel hearing on the K-12 portion of the budget, urging lawmakers to reconsider the TPPR phase-out. 

Sycamore Board Vice President John Mercurio recently wrote a newspaper column about the budget proposal, urging district residents to "remind Ohio lawmakers that TPP taxes were levied locally and went to local schools."

"This tax structure was critical in helping build Sycamore into a first-rate district with one of the lowest tax rates in Hamilton County," he said.

Sycamore Board members are encouraging the community let their voices be heard by local lawmakers regarding the proposed TPPR phase out. Visit Sycamore's State Funding web page for a sample letter and a list of email addresses of key lawmakers.

SHREK the Musical

Opening THIS FRIDAY, Aves Theatre presents the hilarious stage spectacle SHREK the Musical at Sycamore High School Auditorium, playing for two weekends with special EARLY 5:30 shows both SATURDAYS! This TONY Award-winning fairy tale adventure is sure to delight audiences of ALL ages. Fridays at 7:30 (April 17 & 24); Saturdays at 5:30 (April 18 & 25) and Thursday at 7:30 (April 23). All tickets $10, assigned seating, so purchase early for best seats. Tickets available online at www.avestheatre.org, in the SHS Commons during lunch, Wednesday – Friday, April 15-17 and 22-24, 11:00-12:30, or at the door on show nights, if still available (box office opens one hour before the show time). Follow us on Facebook: Aves Theatre-Boosters. Questions? ContactAvesBoxOffice@gmail.com

Cook's Night Off!

You will receive a flyer this week for Cook's Night Off!  Jet's Pizza will donate 30% of your full menu price back to Symmes PTO!  You must take the flyer for Symmes to get credit!  The offer is good all day long for this weekend, April 17, 18 and 19!  Good at Symmes and Montgomery Jet's!

The Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon

The Cincinnati Flying Pig Kids’ 26th Mile Run Opportunity

Does your child want to be part of the Flying Pig Marathon? The Wednesday Symmes Steppers Team has linked up with the Cincinnati Flying Pig Kids’ Marathon! Symmes students can run in the 26th mile run (a one mile walk/run) at the Flying Pig Marathon in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, May 2nd at noon. Any Symmes student who is interested in running with the Symmes Elementary group can sign up online at www.flyingpigmarathon.com by THIS SATURDAY, April 18!!! Cost is $10 per participant which includes a t-shirt, race bib, poster, medal, and postrace goodies at the finish line. Parents or guardians are highly encouraged to join their child in the race. While ideally, participants would have logged a total of 25 miles worth of running or walking over the weeks prior to the race day, given the late registration, that is not a requirement. Any miles walked or run can be documented in a Hog Log. Note that Symmes Steppers resumes this Wednesday, April 15. What’s a Hog Log? The Hog Log program allows kids to track their mileage for up to 25 miles, and then run their final mile on a course that is part of the Flying Pig Marathon downtown. The program also encourages healthy eating, hydration, and keeping your brain fit with reading. Hog Logs are available online at www.flyingpigmarathon.com or during Symmes Steppers (while supplies last).

Wee Deliver

April 2015

Dear Parents,

Symmes Elementary is participating in the exciting program put out by the U.S. Postal Service called "Wee Deliver."  This program is designed to provide children with real-life experiences through participation in an intra-school post office. The opening ceremony is April 30 at 2:30 p.m. in the gymnasium. The Symmes Post Office will be run by the students in Mrs. Wuebbolt’s third grade class during the month of May.

In order to make this experience as real as possible, your child will need to buy a stamp to send a letter. The stamps will be sold for a penny each. The stamp we are using was selected by our stamp review committee from many designs submitted by interested students. The money we make from the post office will be donated.

It is possible for you to write a letter to your child during the time the post office is running. You can buy stamps in the main office or send in a penny with a completed letter with your child. To make things simpler this year, everyone will have the exact same address:

Student name

Room # Symmes Lane

Loveland, Ohio 45140

There are three main ways you can help us. First, we would appreciate it if you would give your child the opportunity to earn the money he/she needs to purchase his/her stamps.  Secondly, please encourage your child to write letters.

Last, please send in extra envelopes and/or stationery.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the PTO for covering the cost of printing the stamps.

Sincerely,

Amy Wuebbolt