Blacklick Class

ABOUT OUR SCHOOL

BLACKLICK ELEMENTARY

Kristen Groves

Kristen Groves, Principal

GrovesK@gjps.org


On behalf of the Blacklick Elementary staff, it is truly my pleasure to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to you. My name is Kristen Groves and I am honored to serve as the principal of Blacklick Elementary. I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know your child and your family as we begin the school year. I will work diligently with you and our staff to continue to foster a learning community that promotes excellence for our children. I would like to personally invite you to become involved at Blacklick. I sincerely believe that educating students is a team effort and that by working together we can make a positive difference in your child’s life.

The staff at Blacklick Elementary believes in a child-centered philosophy. Teachers meet the individual needs of each child with a strong academic focus. Time on task is emphasized with the goal of using all instructional time as effectively as possible. Quality work is emphasized as students engage in hands-on learning experiences and work together cooperatively. These opportunities challenge them to be problem solvers and critical thinkers. The Blacklick pride expectation encourages all students to take pride in themselves and their school. Our parent/teacher organization, Pride Partners, is very active with parents being involved in and outside of the classroom.

Kristen Groves, Principal
Blacklick Elementary School

Links of Interest

Infinite Campus: 24/7 student data access and information.

District Calendar: For general information such as holidays and grade card dates.

School Event Calendar: Special events such as student activities and special school events.

Forms: Links to district information, as well as required and optional forms.

Handbook: Blacklick Student/Parent handbook.

Newsletter: Current Blacklick newsletter.

PTO: A list of meetings and officers for the current year, as well as PTO wellness guidelines.

Staff Information: Check the staff directory for a complete listing of Blacklick staff, including e-mail addresses and classroom portals.

Frequently Used Phone Numbers

Attendance Office: 614-759-5100
Absence reporting

Main Office FAX: 614-759-5110

WELCOME TO BLACKLICK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - WE ARE GLAD YOU ARE HERE!

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School and FACULTY INFORMATION

Blacklick Elementary has an enrollment of approximately 410 students in grades K-5. The school colors are blue and gold, and the mascot is the lion.

There are 35 teaching faculty and one administrator at Blacklick Elementary. The average classroom experience of Blacklick teachers is 11 years and 80% of the staff have a Master's degree or beyond. In addition, there are nine staff who serve in the areas of food service, custodial services, office support and health services.

Our Focus

An emphasis is placed on core academic areas at Blacklick Elementary. Our course of study is aligned with State of Ohio Content Standards and National Standards. Standards-based education clearly defines academic content standards providing the basis for content and process in instruction and assessment. It ensures that students learn what is important, and aims for a higher, deeper level of understanding in what students should know and be able to do. Our recent focus on quality approaches has enabled us to use the latest research methods in a systematic way to meet the needs of each child and differentiate the learning experiences for all. This includes appropriate intervention programs, individual instruction, after-school classes, enrichment courses or summer tutorials.

TRANSPORTATION and FACILITIES

School bus transportation is provided to students who reside over one mile (plus or minus one-tenth) from Blacklick. To determine if your household is within this school's boundaries, please visit the Transportation Department's Bus Routes page and enter your street address using Transfinder i. Results from the search will list the school(s) for your household or show "address not found," which indicates that the address is not in the Gahanna-Jefferson Public School's boundaries. For further assistance, contact the Transportation Office at (614) 751-7581.

Blacklick Elementary is a traditional classroom design. The building includes a library/media center, gymnasium, fully equipped playground, cafeteria and health clinic. Each classroom is wired for closed circuit television, Internet access and contains five computers.

Curriculum

At the elementary level, students are immersed in art, health, language arts (including reading), math, music, physical education, science and social studies. The curriculum meets and/or exceeds standards established for state-required achievement testing, which is administered in the third-, fourth- and fifth-grades. Extended Day Kindergarten for selected students provides intervention in the area of literacy. Identified students attend a regular kindergarten program in the morning and participate in a specialized afternoon session that targets reading, language and writing skill development.

At Blacklick Elementary, a competency for technology is stressed in the early grades. Cutting-edge technology is integrated into daily lesson plans, offering unlimited potential for customized learning. Using the Internet to retrieve information and utilizing PowerPoint and CD Rom applications help to build students' skills and comprehension in all courses of study. Technology standards for grades K-8 have been developed, which provide innovative benchmarks to build students' expertise.

Special Education, Gifted Education and Pupil Services

Special Education Services are available for students with learning, speech/language, physical, developmental, emotional and multiple disabilities; the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Program offers a variety of programs to appropriately meet the needs of academically gifted students; and Pupil Services provides trained expertise to meet students' individual needs in a variety of areas such as psychologists, counselors, English as a second language (ESL) and health care services. To find out more about the services offered under each of these areas, please click on the program's title.

Outstanding Programs and Services

Gifted and Talented Program (GATE) in grades 3-5 for math and reading; Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program in grade five; Principal and classroom newsletters; Reading Recovery; Supplemental Reading; Specific Learning Disability (S.L.D.) services; Intervention Assistance Team; author visits; integrated classroom technology; Extended Day Kindergarten; Publishing Center; Rocky's Report televised daily announcements; and assemblies.

For more information about our school or to arrange a tour, please contact the school office at (614) 759-5100 during regular school hours.