The Cougar Communicator is published weekly when school is in session. It is available here and is also delivered to email via School Messenger.
The newsletter includes a message from our principal, news and updates, upcoming events, and information from our PTO.
Click on the buttons below to follow the links.
Clough Families,
We had another great week with the students. I hope the kids enjoyed their day off this past Friday. The staff, here at Clough, was busy Friday with data analysis and curricular discussions. We have another busy week ahead. This week we are having a food drive so that we can supply our sharing shack for anyone needing food or personal items. Please consider sending in canned food items and/or personal hygiene products so that our school can support the community.
There is a fire drill tomorrow for the students. Picture day is Friday.
Teachers will begin signing up families for conferences. We are using Sign Up Genius this school year to organize conferences. Be on the lookout for information from your child's teacher.
Remember to look at all the information below.
Kevin S. Thacker
Fall elementary conferences will take place on October 5th and October 13th. Parents/Guardians will receive an email from their child's teachers with a link to sign up for conferences or you can click here to access a spreadsheet with teacher conference links. We are looking forward to seeing you!
Picture Day will be this Friday, September 30th.
Clough Pike has a food share shack on campus where we encourage those in need to take food. Our shack relies on donations so this week we will be having a food drive. Please consider donating non-perishable foods and/or personal hygiene products so we can support our neighbors and community.
Thank you!
If your child is a car rider to school in the morning, and you want them to eat breakfast here at school, please try to be early in the car line so they have time to eat. We try to close the cafeteria at 8:35 so the kids don't miss any class time.
Clough Pike library volunteers are needed! We are looking for parents or grandparents of Clough Pike students who have at least two hours per week that they could spend in the library. A training session is provided. Duties include scanning and shelving books. A background check and fingerprinting are required in order to volunteer. Interested? Email Tanny McGregor, West Clermont elementary library coordinator: mcgregor_t@my.westcler.org
Week 1: 9/13 & 9/15
Week 2: 9/20 & 9/22
Week 3: 9/27 & 9/29
Week 4: 10/4 ONLY (Conference week and start of fall break)
Week 5: 10/11 & 10/12 (Second Conference Week)
Week 6: 10/18 & 10/20
Week 7: 10/25 & 10/27
Week 8: 11/1 & 11/3 Practice 5k
Week 9: 11/9 & 11/10 (Election day- No School)
Week 10: 11/15 & 11/17
Saturday, November 19th: 5k!!!
Monday, November 21st: End of Season Celebration!
YMCA CAMP CAMPBELL GARD
October 26th-28th
Click on the following link if your child is interested in playing basketball or cheering this winter.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yavjj0_sw6CVLgB4vzDKXAUlz1tj7guc/view?usp=sharing
The PTO will be running a Book Fair at Clough Pike Elementary Oct 24-28th. PTO will send out more information as we get closer to the date.
If you would like to purchase the optional insurance for your child’s Chromebook, follow the link below by clicking the button. Kindergarten students do not take chromebooks back and forth from school to home, which is where most damages to the device occur.
Important: Free school breakfast & lunch will not be automatically offered for everyone during the 2022-2023 school year.
Breakfast Costs: 2022 - 2023 Breakfast will cost $1.20/student and $.30 for reduced if you complete the application below.
Lunch Costs: 2022 - 2023 Lunch will cost $2.70/student and $.40 for reduced if you complete the application below.
Please see the information below to apply for the free/ reduced breakfast & lunch program.
Go the following web address: https://family.titank12.com/
Select the “Apply for Meals” box.
Under the District box, as you begin to type West Clermont, the drop-down box will allow you to choose our district.
Type in your household address, daytime phone number and email address.
Choose the assistance program if applicable (Example- SNAP). It will ask for your SNAP number if you have chosen that program. You can obtain this number by calling your Case Work at the Clermont County Job and Family Services number.
Add each student enrolled in the West Clermont District. You will need their Student Identification Number. If you do not know the student’s ID number, you will need to contact your student’s school to obtain the number.
Choose your students' race and ethnicity.
Place the last four digits of your Social Security number in the boxes provided.
Sign the application by typing your full name and then hit Submit. The applicant will receive email confirmation upon receipt of the application.
The application is reviewed within 10 days and the applicant will be notified by email or by letter via US Mail.
You are able to pre-pay online, and check your balance, at the following:
PaySchools
Families have the option to pay their child's school fees and add money to their meal accounts using PaySchools.
To set up your PaySchools account, follow the steps in the parent user guides below:
For additional help, you can also check out these walkthrough videos for families.
Recent guidance regarding COVID for you to review. You can find this on the Wolfpack hub under "links".
Currently, schools are reporting positive cases but not contact tracing. If guidance changes throughout the year, we will forward information to you.
Bus Routes
Updated routes are expected to be posted by August 16 on the "Bus Route E-Link" system. However, we recommend you continue to check this site up until the first day of school to note any potential changes made to your child’s route. To access the E-Link system:
Visit the Transportation section of the WolfPack Hub, scroll to Transportation Links and Forms, and then click on Bus Route E Link
Username: Student ID
Password: Child’s birthdate (8 digits. For example: 08012018)
Changes in Pick-up/Drop-off Locations:
Transportation routes are based on the student’s home address. Therefore, any variations (such as picking up or dropping off at a babysitter's address or daycare) will require the parent to submit a Transportation Request Form.
Petermann Bus Tracker App:
Petermann Bus Tracker is an application (app) developed to help improve communication with families. This app will securely allow parents/guardians to view the location of their child(ren)’s bus in relation to their assigned bus stop as well as provide information about their routes, in near real-time, including the scheduled arrival time of each stop.
Monday-Friday, September 26th-September 30th, Food Drive for Sharing Shack
Monday, September 26th - Board Meeting, 7:00 PM
Friday, September 30th, Picture Day
Wednesday, October 5, Parent/Teacher Conference Night, 4:30pm - 8:00pm
Thursday, October 6, No school for students- Professional Learning
Friday, October 7, Fall Break, No School
Monday, October 10, Fall Break, No School
Wednesday, October 12, PTO Meeting in Clough Pike library at 7 p.m.
Thursday, October 13, Parent/Teacher Conference Night, 4:30pm - 8:00pm
Thursday, October 20th West Clermont- Town Hall at Withamsville-Tobasco Elementary, 7:00 PM
Friday, October 21, No school for students - Professional Learning
Monday-Friday, October 24th-28th, BookFair
Tuesday, October 25, PTO Drive in to donate 15% at Swensons, 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday-Friday, October 26th-28th, 5th grade at Camp Campbell Gard.
Wednesday, November 2, PTO Meeting in Clough Pike library at 7 p.m.
November 10th, West Clermont - Town Hall at Merwin Elementary, 7:00 PM
Friday, November 11, Picture Retake Day
December 8th, West Clermont- Town Hall at WCMS, 7:00 PM
Jen Schaeffer-President
Sarah Simpson-Vice President
Ariel Casey-Secretary
Nicole Brown-Newsletter
Stephanie Daniels-Treasure
Click on the button to follow the link to the Clough Pike PTO page.
All meetings are scheduled on the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Clough Pike Elementary library.
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Wednesday, November 2, 2022
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
Wednesday, , January 4, 2023
Wednesday, , February 1, 2023
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Natasha Adams
West Clermont Superintendent
We are creating a courageous culture by focusing on our mission of committing to excellence with every learner, every day, every way. We strive to have a safe, caring, positive learning environment where all students have a sense of belonging.
The West Clermont Citizens Advisory Commission surveyed students, staff and parents last winter to better understand thoughts, and opinions, and measure the potential disruption of a later start time for West Clermont Middle School. Here are some key findings:
Parents
Overall, parents showed strong support for a later start time at WCMS.
71% of parents surveyed indicated that a later start time would not be disruptive to them, and 72% indicated it would not be disruptive to other children in the family.
WCMS Students
Among 1,338 WCMS students surveyed, 38% felt the current start time of 7 a.m. was way too early, and 36% felt it was a little early.
A significant percentage (63%) of WCMS students report waking up at or before 5 a.m. each morning. 66% of WCMS students surveyed indicated that they go to bed between 9 and 10 p.m. on school nights. 77% of students believe that an 8 a.m. start time would help them perform better in school.
WCMS Staff
42% of WCMS staff indicated a start time of 8 or 8:30 a.m. would be not at all disruptive/problematic, and 26% reported not too disruptive/problematic.
The CAC carefully considered research published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), National Institute of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and other academic and professional sources. The consensus of these organizations is that later school start times have clear benefits for students.
A later start time would lead to an increase in staff collaboration built into the workday. If the Board of Education decides to shift to a later start time, the West Clermont administration will work to minimize the effects on the private/parochial schools where bus service is provided.
The Operations Team plans to share a traffic and feasibility study at the October 12 Board of Education meeting.
We would like to thank CincyKids4Kids for their support to our families and community. The WolfPack Pantry will close its location at West Clermont Middle School and transfer services to Inner Parish Ministries after September 2, 2022.
The IPM location is located at 1075 W Ohio Pike (on K of C Drive) Cincinnati, OH 45245. If you have questions, please call (513)561-3932 or contact info@interparish.org Map and Directions
Visit our WolfPack Hub to find everything you need to know. The One-Stop-Shop for West Clermont Families!
We are listening to our students, families and community members and creating a path forward together to ensure all students are future-ready with a competitive advantage. Please attend one of our upcoming Town Hall Meetings.
Our public Town Halls are scheduled for:
September 22nd at 7 PM at West Clermont High School (4101 Bach Buxton Road)
October 20th at 7 PM at Withamsville-Tobasco Elementary (3950 Britton Blvd.)
November 10th at 7 PM Merwin Elementary (1040 Gaskins Rd.)
December 8th at 7 PM at West Clermont Middle School (1341 Clough Pike)
Seating is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot here!
Our district's annual notices can be found on our district website, located at westcler.org.
PowerSchool recently changed the West Clermont District Code for the PowerSchool Mobile App. The new District Code is PRMG to access your student’s information. Mobile App users must log out of the app and update the District Code to PRMG. If you need assistance with updating the District Code on the mobile app, complete the PowerSchool Parent Portal Support Form or call 513-943-5078. Please allow 2 business days for a response.
Click the link to download the app:
PowerSchool Mobile App for Apple Users
PowerSchool Mobile App for Android Users
*Reminder, report cards cannot be accessed through the PowerSchool Mobile App.
