January is school board member appreciation month. At Patrick Henry, our board members are performing their duties with an emphasis on what is best for the children they serve. I would like to recognize school board members Eric Bostelman, Mike Knueven, Kris Kryder, Konnie Meyer, new member Mark Feehan and former member Sara Dishong, for their dedication and commitment to our school district. Your service makes a positive difference in our school district!Kindergarten clinic and preschool screenings are approaching. Anyone with a child that will be attending kindergarten, or considering attending kindergarten during the 2018-2019 school year, should stop in at the Patrick Henry Elementary office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. during February to pick up a registration packet. You will need to fill out the registration packet and return it to the elementary school. Once the registration packet is returned, you will be able to schedule a time for the kindergarten clinic, which will be held Wednesday, April 11th and Thursday, April 12th. The following information is needed:
1. Child’s immunization (shot) record.
2. Certified copy of the child’s birth certificate (the birth record from the hospital is not acceptable). You may obtain a copy from the health department in the county and state where the child was born.
3. Custody papers, if applicable
4. Copy of a physical completed after August 1, 2017, if available.
I want to remind residents that we started a new kindergarten opportunity this year that we call Early 5 Kindergarten. The goal of this program is to provide an opportunity for the younger five-year-old students that are not quite ready for kindergarten to start school. The students would then attend the traditional kindergarten class the following year. To enable more students to participate in this Early 5 Kindergarten program, our district moved the date back to September 30th in which students must turn five to enter kindergarten. We encourage parents of all students that will be five years old by the deadline to participate in the kindergarten screening.
Preschool screening dates have been set for parents interested in having his or her child attend preschool next school year. The screenings will be March 12th at the Holgate United Methodist Church from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and on April 16th at Crossroads Church in Napoleon from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Anyone interested in having his or her child screened should call 1-567-444-4818 to schedule an appointment. Screenings are free for children three to five years old that live in Henry County. The screenings are designed to inform you how your child is developing when compared to his/her peers of the same age. Children are checked in the following areas: vision and hearing, speech and language skills, small and large muscle movement, personal-social emotional development, and problem solving abilities.
Feel free to share this preschool information with anyone in the community that has a child meeting the appropriate age range. Please remember that the preschool for students with disabilities housed at Patrick Henry is managed by the Northwest Ohio Educational Center and all screening questions need to be directed to the phone number provided above.
I would like to remind PH residents age 60 and over that this Thursday, February 1st, is the next lunch with the superintendent at noon in the high school cafeteria. The cost is $2.00 and includes a beverage. Please plan to attend and bring a friend!
If ever you have questions about our school district, feel free to contact me at 419-274-4853.