January 22, 2024
Important Dates…
Monday, January 22-Friday, January 26: Class Options materials for the 2023-2024 school year published.
Tuesday, January 23: Kindergarten/1st/2nd/3rd Grade Information Meeting, 6:00 p.m. in the Gathering Place. This meeting is open to all current or prospective K-3rd grade parents interested in sending their child to Overfield K-3 for the 2024-2025 school year.
Monday, January 29: Toddler/South Side/North Side Coffee Chat, 8:30 a.m. in the Gathering Place. This informal meeting is open to all current parents interested in sending their child to Overfield preschool for the 2024-2025 school year and who have questions about the program or placement for their child.
Monday, February 5: Current/Alumni Family Registration for the 2024-2025 school year opens at 8 a.m. online.
Saturday, February 10: Open House for Prospective Families for the 2023-2024 school year.
Monday, February 12: New Family Registration for the 2024-2025 school year opens at 8 a.m. online.
Friday, February 16: School CLOSED for Parent-Teacher Conference Preparation.
Monday, February 19: School CLOSED for Presidents’ Day.
*Please note: the date has changed for this meeting from 1/23 to next Monday, 1/29 due to concerns with inclement weather/ice in the forecast for tomorrow.
Total Solar Eclipse, Monday 4/8/24
As most of you are likely aware, there is going to be a total solar eclipse on Monday, 4/8/24, and Troy is in the path of totality for this unique celestial event. This is the first time since 1806 that Ohio will be the site for a total solar eclipse, and this event is expected to attract a large number of visitors to our state, and particularly to our area, since Troy is near the centerline of totality. As the Ohio Department of Education has communicated to schools, there are many facets to consider because of this. As they write, “The event could impact schools as the timing of the eclipse will occur during most end-of-day dismissal windows. In addition, traffic is expected to be extremely heavy Monday and extending into Tuesday, and communication capabilities such as cell service and internet bandwidth could be diminished or unavailable in places.”
Due to these considerations, we will be following the lead of many local school districts–including Troy, Dayton, and Cincinnati–and closing school on Monday, April 8, 2024. This will allow families to safely view the eclipse and share in this once in a lifetime event together, prevent traffic issues for both families and teachers, and ensure that this is a positive memory for all involved. We are happy to convey that we will provide solar viewing glasses for each Overfield student to use at home to safely observe this special occasion.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Kind Regards,
Beth Poronsky, Program Lead
Erin Johnston, Finance Lead
Overfield Leadership Team
Thank you to everyone who came to the Overfield Family Skate Party this past weekend! What a fun way to raise $180 for our school!
Cold Weather Guidelines
The campus at Overfield is rich for play, exploration, and adventure. Children are outside on a daily basis if the temperature is 20 or above. If the temperature is below 20, adjustments will be made for the length of time of outdoor play.
In order to ensure that play is fun and safe for children, we ask that children come suitably dressed for outdoor play with warm outdoor clothing including coats, gloves/mittens, and hats. When there is snow or very cold weather, children should also have snow boots and snow pants. Even if there is not snow on the ground, snow pants and boots help keep children warm and comfortable, and so should still be sent to school. Please label all clothing items! As we say at Overfield, there is no bad weather, just bad clothing! Thank you for helping us make sure children can enjoy nature in all types of conditions.
Also, with chances for ice in the forecast, we wanted to remind everyone to please use caution when driving on the hill to or from school. This is pre-treated when winter weather is anticipated, and plowed and salted as soon as possible. Even when treated the hill can be slippery, so please be aware and take the proper precautions when driving in snow or ice.
Overfield families will be notified via One Call Now by 6:30 a.m. if classes are delayed or canceled due to inclement weather. Information may also be found by watching or logging on to the local news, WHIO Channel 7. If we are delayed, it will be a 2 hour delay. In this case, Before Care will be closed. School would open at 10:30 a.m. and morning classes would still dismiss at noon, as usual. For Toddlers, in an event of a delay the Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday classes will begin at 10:45 and dismiss at noon, and the Wednesday class will be canceled.
We encourage you to use your own discretion when needed. Your safety is always our first priority. Bundle up and stay warm, everyone!
Primary Program State Charter
Thank you to the families who came to discuss the next steps in the process of our establishment of our Primary grades. We had a very productive discussion about the history of our expansion into first, second, and third grade. We touched on the process of obtaining a charter to become a chartered nonpublic school recognized by the state of Ohio, and what the potential benefits and drawbacks of that would be, as well as what questions we are still looking to answer about that process and designation.
Linked here is a survey for anyone who is interested to have an opportunity to share their questions, concerns, or opinions about this aspect of our program. We will also discuss this topic again at our K-3 Information Night, which will take place on Tuesday, 1/23 at 6 p.m. in the Gathering Place. Please don’t hesitate to reach out in the interim if you would like more information, or have any immediate questions or concerns.