Lower School

 Fall 2022

August 2022

Dear Lower School Families, 

Welcome Back! I hope you and your families enjoyed the summer, and your child feels refreshed and excited to start the new school year. This summer, I found myself diving into books about different historical events that I hadn’t read about before, such as the Dust Bowl, and places I hadn’t focused on before, such as WWII in Italy and Scotland. These books widened my perspective on how ordinary people did extraordinary things with the strength and support of the community that surrounded them during the challenges they endured. This year, I look forward to diving more deeply into this idea of the gifts our community brings us and our role as individual community members to lift others up to reach a common purpose. As stated by Coretta Scott King, “The greatness of a community is accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” 

As we near the start of school, please note that there is detailed, valuable information in the links below. We encourage you to read through the information carefully. I look forward to partnering with you all this year to support each student along her individual growth journey and elevating the spirit of community at CSG.

All my best, 

Betsy Gugle

Director of Lower School

Helpful Links
Lower School Rotation Calendar

2022-2023 Major Dates

What to Expect in Lower School This Year:
This year, we are excited to return to a traditional homeroom teacher model in the Lower School. This will allow your child to work primarily with one Form-level teacher for her core academics. The last two years during the pandemic, the Lower School transitioned into a departmentalization model where one homeroom teacher taught math to the entire Form and one teacher taught Language Arts to the entire form. During a time when our teachers took on additional protocol needs and expectations, this model worked efficiently as they prepared their lessons. However, components that were missed in this model for elementary age students are the ability for one teacher to fully know each student in her class, and for families to have one direct teacher contact. Additionally, in a departmentalized schedule, time constraints reduce flexibility to be responsive to the needs of the students within a given class. 

I know students are eager to know who their homeroom teacher will be. Please assure your daughter that the letters will be in your mailbox soon! 

  • Arrival time is between 8:00-8:15am. Students report directly to their homeroom classroom and class starts promptly at 8:20am.
  • At lunch, we will return back to a family style lunch with teachers joining student tables. Students will rotate tables every two weeks. 
  • Within our new schedule, Lower School students will have two recesses - 10:35-10:50am (before lunch) and 1:45-2:10pm (after snack).
  • Dismissal is between 3:20-3:35pm in the Drexel parking lot. You will receive car line signs with your family last name to put on your dashboard so we can connect students to their rides more efficiently.

Back-to-School Socials:
All Lower School Back-to-School Socials will be held at Columbus School for Girls in the courtyard on Saturday, August 20. We hope your family can join us for these fun and casual gatherings.

  • New Families: Meet on the veranda at the Lower School Doors by Meuse Circle; 10:30-11:00 am
  • All Lower School Families: Meet in the Courtyard;  11:00-12:30pm

Form I Orientation:
All Form I students will have orientation on Tuesday, August 23 from 8:30-12:00pm. Lunch will be included. You may walk your daughter to the Lower School doors or drop her off in the car line in Meuse Circle. There will be teachers present to help students get out of their cars and into the classroom.

Pick up will be at noon in the Lower School car line in Drexel Parking Lot.

Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures and Locations:
Lower School drop-off is in the Meuse Circle on Drexel Avenue between 8:00-8:15am Students go directly to their homeroom class when they arrive. To expedite dropoff, please stay in your vehicle while dropping off and have students exit the car via the door  closest to the sidewalk.

Lower School pick-up is located in the Drexel Parking Lot between 3:20-3:35pm. The queue starts by the Main Entrance Door and extends South and into Meuse Circle (which is a double queue lane). 

Before Care and After Hours:
Before Care is created for students who need supervision between 7:30-8:00am Students enter through the Main Entrance, walk to the Lower School, and sign-in in the Innovation Lab. There is no charge or advanced registration required for this program. Before Hours will begin on Wednesday, August 24. 

Registration for After Hours is required and can be located in Final Forms. Information about daily cost and other details can also be found in Final Forms. After Hours will begin on Wednesday, August 24. 

Illness and Appointments:
If your daughter is sick, please call the office prior to 7:45am and leave a voicemail (614-252-0781, ext. 111) or send an email to Jane Rudicel. Also copy your child’s homeroom teacher. If your daughter has an appointment that will require her to arrive late, leave early, or be gone from school for any part of the day, please email Jane Rudicel and your child’s homeroom teacher. 

Lower School Student Planner/School Supplies/Fees:
Lower School students will receive a student planner and all of school supplies on the first day of school. Your account will be billed for the supply kit. All Lower School families with a student in beginner band or strings will have a one-time fee of $135 for the instrumental program in addition to the rental fee for the instrument.

Checklist for Back-to-School:

  • Check uniform inventory for regular uniform days and official uniform days
  • Complete forms in Final Forms (this is where you will indicate After Hours needs)
  • Sign-up for a mini-conference with your daughter’s homeroom teacher. Jane Rudicel will email you the sign up form the week of August 8.
  • Complete ordering form for picture day
  • Mark your calendar for August 30 at 7:00pm via Zoom for Instrumental Info Night for all Form III parents/caregivers or families new to Forms IV or V, or if your daughter is planning to switch from Strings to Band in Form IV
  • Mark your calendar for Lower School Parent Night-Thursday, September 1 at 7:15pm
  • Register for fall Unicorn Sports if your daughter is in Forms III-V and interested in participating

  • First Day things to remember: 

    • Official Uniform

    • Water Bottle

    • Backpack 

    • Note in the backpack indicating how your daughter will be going home after school

    • Complete the Bus Information Survey if your daughter is planning to ride the bus this year. This is extremely helpful information to ensure that students get on the right buses, especially when things are new at the beginning of the year.

Unicorn Sports:
CSG Athletics is excited for the Unicorn Sports offerings this fall for Forms III-V! CSG sport offerings will be two to three weeks in duration with five to six practice opportunities. The participation fee for each CSG offering will be $125 and is charged to your student account.  A more detailed outline is on the Unicorn Sports Fall Flyer and Swimming and Diving Sports Flyer.

We have added an additional partnership with Girls on the Run, a national nonprofit “dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.” This program will run in the spring of 2023. 

To register, click here to navigate to our Unicorn Sports page. Please feel free to reach out to Unicorn Sports Coordinator Todd Fizer with any questions.

Welcome New Lower School Teachers:

  • Mrs. Abigail Braun - Form III Homeroom Teacher
  • Ms. Chauntelle Folds - Form II Homeroom Teacher
  • Mrs. Emily Ho - Lower School Mandarin (Forms III-V)
  • Mrs. Katy Reis - Form I Homeroom Teacher

Save the Date for Special Events Involving LS Families:

  • Form I & II Family Breakfast - Wednesday, September 28, 7:45am
  • Form III Moth Ball for Form V Families - Friday, September 30, 6:30-8:30pm
  • Form III & IV Family Breakfast - Thursday, October 13, 7:45am
  • Form V & VI Family Breakfast - Wednesday, October 19, 7:45am
  • Parent/Teacher Conferences - Friday, October 21 (no school for students)
  • Forms I-II Social/Emotional Parent Coffee -Thursday, November 3, 8:15am
  • Forms III-V Social Emotional Parent Coffee - Thursday, November 10, 8:15am
  • Forms IV-V Winter Concert - Thursday, December 8, 5:30pm
  • Transition Night (for Form V to VI) - Thursday, January 19, 6:30pm
  • Form II Caldecott Prediction Celebration - Tuesday, January 24, 8:15-9:30am (Families invited to attend)
  • Parent/Teacher Conferences - Friday, February 3 (no school for students)
  • Lower School Dance - Saturday, April 15, 6:00 pm (LS student with parent or special guest)
  • Lower School Arts Night - Thursday, April 20, 4:00-5:30pm
  • Lower School Music Concert  - Thursday, May 11, 5:30pm
  • Lower School Day Celebration - Friday, May 26, 10:00am 

Summer Work:
Students received summer work before the last day of school, which included a summer reading assignment and math packet. Please have your child continue to work on these assignments before August 24. She can return her math packet to her new homeroom teacher.

Family Bingo Boards (optional):
We hope your family has enjoyed the summer Family Reading Bingo challenge over the last few months! If you have completed one bingo column or more, please have your daughter bring in her Bingo card and drop off in the basket outside the Lower School library the first week of school. Deadline for turning in the completed card is Friday, August 26.

Continue to Send in Postcards (optional):
Thank you to those who have sent postcards of your summer trips and experiences. Please continue to send postcards or photographs to the attention of Annie Ruefle so that she can add them to the hallway bulletin board display at the beginning of the year. Students can also bring in their postcard during the first week of school. 

Electronic Device Reminders:
As a reminder, students in Forms I-III should not bring any electronic devices to school. If a student in Forms IV-V needs to bring a phone to school to use after school, they need to keep their phone in their backpack, turned off throughout the day. Gizmo watches and Apple Watches are not allowed in Lower School. 

Columbus School for Girls Student Handbook:
Please view and/or download the student handbook here.

Allergy Reminders:
With increased food allergies in our community, please remember that all snacks/treats brought into the Lower School for birthday treats and class parties must be tree nut and peanut free. Additionally, lotions and lip balms brought to school need to be approved through the Lower School office to ensure they do not include tree nut ingredients (e.g. shea butter). Students should not bring scented hand-sanitizer to school.

Have questions?
Please reach out to me, Betsy Gugle, at 614-252-0781, ext. 110 or Jane Rudicel, Lower School Administrative Assistant, at 614-252-0781, ext. 111. 

 

all-school BACK-TO-SCHOOL INFORMATION

All-School Details
(Divisional details are linked at the bottom of this page)

Health: Staying Healthy and Maintaining Continuity of Learning
A vital part of our health and safety measures continues to be the mitigation of the COVID-19 virus. We are fortunate to have a beautiful campus, which has been modified to support enhanced ventilation throughout to provide more fresh air to our classrooms and common areas. In addition to enhanced ventilation, hand sanitizer and masks are readily available throughout campus for community members and visitors. Classes also have the ability to utilize our outdoor spaces when weather permits. These mitigation efforts are supported by the high percentage of students, faculty, and staff who are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations. If you or your daughter are not up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations, we encourage you to visit your local clinic so that you, too, can benefit from this added layer of protection. We will open this school year with masks remaining optional for everyone, including visitors. Should national, state, or local agencies mandate any changes throughout the course of the year, we will be in touch with you to communicate any adjustments to our protocols. During periods of high transmission, testing may be required for overnight trips and high-risk activities such as indoor sports and co-curricular programs. Please review the details below for additional information related to masking and quarantine.

Masking:

  • Masks remain optional for all community members and visitors. As a community, we will respect individuals’ decisions related to mask wearing.
  • Masks should fit snugly over the nose, mouth, and chin. Avoid single-layer cloth masks, or those made of thin fabric that don’t block light. To learn more, see this guidance from the CDC. 
  • Masks are required for community members returning to campus during days 6-10 of their recovery from COVID-19.
  • Masks are recommended for those who have been in close contact with a positive case of COVID-19.

Vaccinations:
Vaccines are the best layer of protection against severe illness from COVID-19, and they are widely available. We encourage everyone to make sure they are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations as eligibility allows. 

Illness & Reporting of Positive Cases:
Please test your daughter if she is symptomatic and report positive cases via our COVID-19 Online Reporting Tool located on our COVID-19 dashboard. Following your submission, Nurse Jen Scheiderer (formerly Nurse Price) will contact you to clarify isolation and return dates. If your child is out ill with symptoms that last longer than 24 hours, a negative test result or an alternative diagnosis must be provided. Test kits are widely available at your local pharmacies and grocery stores. CSG maintains a small inventory of tests; please contact Nurse Scheiderer if you are unable to obtain a test from your local stores, and she will supply you with one depending on availability.

If your daughter is symptomatic, please keep her home until a negative test result or an alternative diagnosis is received.

If your daughter tests positive for COVID-19, she must:

  • Isolate at home for five days from the date of the onset of symptoms (day 0) or from the date of the positive test if she was symptom free.
  • If she has been fever free for 24 hours, she may return to school on day 6, wearing a mask through day 10. Nurse Scheiderer will work with your family to help you determine these dates as well.

Since those testing positive for COVID-19 may still be contagious during their five-day return period at school, they will be provided with a separate dining space during mealtimes when they need to be unmasked. Teachers will provide students who miss more than three days of school due to isolation with class materials on Canvas for Middle and Upper School students and learning activities on the parent portal or Seesaw/Canvas for PYC and Lower School students.

Decision-making:
Our COVID-19 Response Committee, consisting of school administrators and Nurse Scheiderer, meets regularly to discuss local, national, and international trends to plan for any surge or change related to the virus. The information collected by the committee is shared during regular meetings with the full administrative team to determine whether or not adjustments are needed to our protocols. The team is also in regular contact with other local schools, the Ohio Department of Health, Franklin County Public Health, and Columbus Public Health.

Communication:
COVID-19 cases on campus are updated weekly every Friday during the school year via our COVID-19 Dashboard. In alignment with Franklin County Public Health guidance, we will also continue to communicate via email if we have two or more cases within a cohort group, such as a classroom, club, or athletic team.

General Health and Wellness:
As always, we will continue to monitor other health issues as they arise. Families can help us in these efforts by ensuring that students stay up to date on all vaccinations and wellness visits. Please also remember that wellness forms need to be completed in FinalForms by August 21. 

Safety and Security:
Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff takes many forms here at CSG, and we are prepared to act quickly and decisively to keep our community safe on all three of our campuses: Main Campus, Kirk Campus, and Cynthia’s Woods. We plan, practice, and prepare for unforeseen events on an ongoing basis, and we are prepared to mobilize quickly to respond to any emergency situation that could affect our students, faculty, or staff.

House Bill 99:
This June, Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 99 allowing local boards of education to authorize school employees and teachers to carry firearms in schools. CSG will remain a weapon-free campus. Our approach to safety and security relies on regular threat assessments, training, and close partnerships with local first responders—namely, the Bexley Police Department. Teachers are well trained to keep our students safe during any threat and will continue to take a defensive approach to ensuring the safety of our students. You can help us in this effort by speaking with your daughter and reinforcing the need to maintain a secure building by not propping doors or opening them for strangers, and by letting the school know of any threatening behavior.

Our Partners:
In addition to close partnerships with first responders in central Ohio, we maintain a contract with Armada, a leading provider of preparedness solutions worldwide, to continually evaluate and elevate safety procedures throughout our three campuses. Armada also supported the development of our emergency operations action plan, which we regularly audit and revise to most effectively handle any situation. 

Training & Emergency Operations:
We work with our faculty, staff, and students to ensure everyone is prepared in the event of an emergency. We partner with Armada and CSG’s Operations and Facilities Director, Brian Botzman, to provide training for our faculty, staff, and Emergency Operations Team. Trained to proactively plan for, respond to, and communicate about crises, our Emergency Operations Team (EOT) is charged with carrying out our action plan in the event of an emergency on any of our campuses. Emergency operations plans are available to all faculty and staff through our emergency notification app. Students regularly participate in tornado, fire, lockdown, and auxiliary drills throughout the year. Division Directors will also share safety-related, age-appropriate best practices with your daughter as we start the year. Some of the best ways to ensure campus security are to never prop open doors and never open doors for strangers. Students who have a concern should immediately report all information to their teachers, division director, or any trusted adult on campus. Your help reinforcing these best practices during conversation with your daughter is greatly appreciated.

Communication:
In the event of an emergency, we will use our emergency communication system to provide you with accurate and up-to-date information related to the situation. Once the situation is resolved, you will receive an all-clear message through the same system and, if available, additional information about the situation through email. The emergency notification system uses your preferences set in MyBackpack to notify you via phone, email, or text. If you want to update your preferences at any time, please login to your MyBackpack account to make the change(s).

2022-2023 Major Dates:
Please click here for this year’s major dates calendar. Below we have highlighted important dates for the opening of school:

  • August 22: PYC Orientation, Group A
  • August 23: PYC Orientation, Group B; New Student Orientation for Forms I, VI, IX
  • August 24: Official First Day for All Divisions

School day schedule including early drop-off and after hours: Early drop-off and after hours care will be provided starting August 24. Early drop-off is available to all students and is complementary for PYC and Lowers School families. PYC students who use early drop-off will enter Columbia House directly, and Lower School students who use early drop-off will enter through the main entrance at 65 S. Drexel Avenue, not the Lower School entrance. For those who use buses to get to and from school, please reference this page for bus pickup and drop-off times.

Emergency Notification Test: 
You should have received an email, call, or text from our emergency notification system at 12:00pm on August 11, 2022. This system is used to notify you of any time-sensitive information related to emergencies or school closures. If you need to update your contact information, please log in to MyBackpack to make changes. If you did not receive the test or are having trouble logging in to MyBackpack, please email communications@columbusschoolforgirls.org.

Back-to-School Socials: August 20 at CSG’s main campus
We can’t wait to see you and join in community during our divisional back-to-school socials! This is a time to connect with teachers, administrators, and other families and students. Each social will be hosted on our main campus in the Spirit Courtyard. Please enter through the main entrance at 65 S. Drexel Avenue. See you there!

  • PYC: 9:00-10:30am
  • LS: 11:00am-12:30pm
  • MS: 1:00-2:30pm
  • US: 3:00-4:30pm

School pictures for all divisions: August 24 
Students are required to be in Official Uniform. You can order prints here with picture day code: EVT9G8MBW. Retakes will take place on October 3.

FinalForms: Required school forms for the 2022-2023 school year
FinalForms is our system for completing required school forms related to health, transportation, school policies, and other related topics. Please log into: https://columbusschoolforgirls-oh.finalforms.com/ to access your account. If you have not logged into Final Forms before, please follow the online prompts to establish your profile. If you have forgotten your password, please follow the online prompts to reset your password. Students in Middle and Upper School will also receive a confirmation email once parents and guardians have registered and completed the forms. Students will also be required to digitally sign forms such as the Student Handbook and the Acceptable Use Policy. 

Transportation:
Please click here for current information related to school transportation including pickup and dropoff times. Should you have any questions related to transportation, please contact Brian Botzman, Director of Operations & Facilities. Registration for bus transportation is located within FinalForms.

Important Contact Information:
Our Division Directors and program leaders are eager to hear from you with any questions you may have. You can reach them at anytime using the details below:

Lower School Resources

Library & Technology Helpful Links