Important Dates…
Thursday, May 28: Socially distant reverse parade; 4-5 pm for families with the last name beginning with A-J, 5-6 pm for families with the last name beginning with K-Z.
Tuesday, June 2: Optional meeting for parents/caregivers of children enrolled for 2020-2021 school year, 7 pm on Zoom. We will dialogue together about where we are as individuals and as a community in our thinking related to the COVID-19 virus as it pertains to school in the fall.
Wednesday, August 19: New Parent Orientation, 6 pm in the Gathering Place.
Thursday, August 27: Ice Cream Social and Open House for enrolled families, 6 pm on the main playground.
Monday, August 31: First day of school for the 2020-2021 school year.
Hello Overfield Families,
It’s hard to believe that this is the final week of the school year! Though it definitely ended in a different way than any of us would have ever imagined, I can’t thank you all enough for your patience, kindness, care, and participation. I feel truly lucky to be a part of such a special community.
We hope that all of you will be able to join us this Thursday, May 28th for a socially distant goodbye. More information about this event can be found below in this newsletter. We can’t wait to see all of you, even if it is from a distance–we have missed you so much!
With the formal conclusion of the school year upon us, we know that many of our minds are now turning to the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. We know that there are many questions about what this time will be like for us as a society and for us in particular at Overfield. Erin and I have already begun thinking through various scenarios in preparation for whatever the fall brings us. We are a school built on relationships, and united in our belief that children learn best through play. We know the vital role that community and socialization play in young children’s education and well-being. With these guiding principals in mind, it is our greatest desire and prime goal to be able to return to in-person schooling in the fall. Our expansive campus and buildings and low ratios work to our advantage, and we remain hopeful that will can be both creative and diligent regarding whatever guidelines we may need to follow in August.
As a school that highly values parents’ thinking and participation, we would like to continue this conversation about next school year with you. You will be receiving an email later this week with a link to a survey asking about your thoughts, expectations, and questions about school in the fall. We hope this information will help us understand more about where we as individuals and as a community are in our thinking about COVID-19 and returning to school. We will also be hosting a Zoom meeting at 7 pm on Tuesday, June 2nd for all parents of children enrolled for the 2020-21 school year. This will give us another format in which to dialogue, consider, and listen. The login information for this meeting will be sent along with the survey link this Friday; we hope to hear from all of you through one or both of these formats.
This has been a memorable and unique school year. None of us ever knows what tomorrow may bring on the road of life, but we can choose the people who we walk that road with; thank you deeply and truly for walking the road with us, on behalf of children and meaningful education.
Best wishes, Beth Poronsky – Overfield Program Lead
We are excited to see you all this Thursday, May 28th for a socially distanced goodbye and pick up time for portfolios/belongings from lockers. We invite you to Overfield to drive down the lane and around the circle, where all of the teachers and staff from Overfield will be stationed at socially distant intervals. We hope that all of our Overfield families will drive by us and be able to say goodbye from their cars–kind of like a reverse parade!
We ask that families with the last name beginning with A-J come from 4-5 pm, and families with the last name beginning with K-Z come from 5-6 pm. This will hopefully help alleviate some of the potential congestion. Thank you in advance for being patient, and for staying in your cars during this parade.
We will have a parting offering for every child, which we would like to give you as you come through the parade route. Your child’s classroom teachers will pass these out to you. We will also have children’s belongings from their lockers for those of you who did not pick them up at the previously designated time. Children who are not returning to Overfield will receive their portfolio, as well as any art work that was remaining at school.
Per the recommendations from the state, all teachers have been encouraged to wear face coverings, though we will of course be doing this in our own Overfield way! There is nothing we would love more than to be able to give each of you a big smile and a hug, but as always, the safety and well-being of our children, families, and staff is our first priority.
We can’t wait to see you all this Thursday!
Nature News
Some things are just like clockwork. Every spring the groundhogs return, the weather warms up, the birds migrate north, and trees and plants come back to life. Mother Nature in all her wisdom also christened spring as the best time for local flora and fauna to re-propagate. This year is considered even more special with the arrival of the 17 YEAR CICADAS! The southeastern United States shall get the full effect of their emergence by the billions, but Ohio will also receive lots of company, according to Cicadamania.com.
Not everyone is able to live next to a preserve, a meadow, or woodlands like we have at the Overfield School. It is truly amazing what is happening right outside our back doors. Listen in the morning as birds start their day; there is often a constant commotion coming from a nesting site, with parents working to feed their demanding young–wrens and their brood are the noisiest. There is an abundance of wild rabbits spotted foraging in and around the edges of lawns more often in the month of May. One reason we see them is a wild mother rabbit only feeds her kits once or twice a day, often at night, in order to protect them from predators. If you observe a wild rabbit that appears frozen like a lawn ornament in your yard, that means they saw you before you saw them. If you ever notice white tail deer, they also have this ability to help protect themselves.
If there are no cats living nearby, there could be a young family of acrobatic squirrels, or a burrow of chipmunk pups bouncing about your patio. I believe our deck is considered the neighborhood Magic Kingdom/playground/amusement park. Hopefully due to this year’s spring quarantine many of us have been able to witness this annual ritual.
Our Overfield gardens are taking off with, or without us. Need I say more. The Bird Hide has a fresh new look, thanks to Casey-our resident maintenance guru and friend of the Overfield School. It is ready and waiting for our young ornithologists this fall.
I would personally like to thank the Overfield Family Partnership for the gift of kind words, original artwork, and DOORDASH. I am so lucky to be a part of all your children’s life adventures. We are all in this together.
Deb – Overfield Naturalist
Registration for the 2020-2021 School Year
Thank you to everyone who has registered for the 2020-2021 school year! We are thrilled to be planning for our 60th year at Overfield.
Completed enrollment paperwork is due by May 1st, 2020. Please feel free to mail in your registration documents. We are checking the mail and will be able to receive your paperwork through this format despite the school closure.
Please do not hesitate to email office@overfield.org if you have any questions. We are looking forward to a wonderful year!
Have a wonderful summer, everyone!
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