Maple Dale Milers Update: Week 4

 Maple Dale Milers:

Milers Week 4: Total # of Miles School Completed- 990
                          Top Grade- 3rd  300 miles
                          Top Class- Mrs. Cooks
                          Top Walkers- Eugene Harney 4th grader 8 miles
                                                 Sydney Skinner 4th grader 8 miles

PTO Minutes- October 9, 2014

PTO Meeting

October 9th, 2014

Call to Order and Welcome at 9:35 AM by Kassi Eckert

Pledge of Allegiance led by Kassi Eckert

Approve September meeting minutes Approved

GUEST SPEAKER- Melinda Briggs, Sycamore’s Chief Information Office

She is the ‘district storyteller’. Uploads information on district website, FB, Twitter. Creates district mailings, staff newsletters, videos and district wide phone messages/ texts. Asked for feedback from parents present at meeting. Discussed forms of communication and frequency.

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT- Ron Brooks

Maple Dale is a large school. Went from 400 to 555 students. Went from 8 buses to 13+ (4 for preschool). Discussed parking issues. No easy solution. Shuttle buses from Montgomery Presbyterian Church will be available for some school wide afterschool/ evening events.

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S REPORT - Shawn Rosekrans

Testing:

STATE: In Fall, Ohio requires all students to be assessed in reading before September 30th- for 3rd grade guarantee. Elementary Schools must assess all students 3rd grade and under for on track for reading. Kindergarteners required to have KRA (Kindergarten Reading Assessment)- individual, time consuming.  3rd graders had OAA (Ohio Achievement Assessment) this week.  Come spring students will be required to take the PARK Assessment instead of OAA.

DISTRICT: Sycamore invests in MAP (Measure of Academic Performance) testing done on laptops. It is a good tool that is geared towards individual student assessment. It is done 3X/ yr for benchmark and progressive. It provides a standard on consistent measurement.

GREEN TEAM- Miss Georgia

Wasteless Lunch Day: Done once a quarter district wide. Next day is Tuesday October 14th. If your child packs lunch that day garbage will be sent back home.

Composting/ Recycling Center: District now does commercial composting with Rumpke. Kids need constant reminders about separating. * Needed 1 parent volunteer 1X/ week 11:20am - 1:15pm

Green Team Committee: Anne Berg is Chair. Watch for upcoming meeting.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

State of the district- Meeting

Membership: Numbers are lower than last year. Currently only 188 parents have joined. Only $5 to join. *You will not receive student directory unless a PTO member.

Monthly ‘Lunch Bunch’: Chance to meet/ converse with other parents in your child’s grade. Kassi Eckert organizing 1st grade, Pam McCallen 2nd grade, Diane VanderBrink 3rd grade. Still looking for parent to run K and 4th.  Good opportunity for networking.

Lunch Carts: Request from some teachers for new lunch carts. About $20 each. Need 5+?

VP PROGRAMS REPORT

Language: begins week of Oct 6th. Offered to 1st-4th graders.

Vision & Hearing Screening- Week of October 13th-17th

Nominations: Positions still open- Eating with the Stars Chair and Carnival Chair. Carnival already has strong sub-committees formed with Chairs☺

VP FUNDRAISERS REPORT

Pipkins: Submit your itemized receipt in box in office and school gets 4% back.

Walkathon: Thu October 23rd. Chair Christy Banke. Sponsorship form will go out Oct 10th. Need volunteers for Oct 23rd   9:00am-12:00pm or 12:30- 3:30pm .  Students can place new book suggestions in box in Media Center.

GAO Fundraiser: >20% of school participated. Met goal of $3,000. Money earned will go towards programs offered by PTO. Delivery will be Tues Oct 21 3-6pmin Cafeteria. Need 6 volunteers Tuesday Oct 21st 2:00-4:00pm or 4:00-6:00pm to divide up & distribute orders.

SCRIPS: Purchase gift cards and school get s percentage. Starts after Thanksgiving. Will receive before Winter holidays.

Krogercard and Target REDCard: Enroll your cards online then free money goes to school. Our school code for Kroger is 80834

TREASURER’S REPORT

Approve August and September Financials: approved

SECRETARY PROGRAMS REPORT

Wellness Update: Maple Dale achieved Healthy Schools Program Bronze Award. Wellness Committee meeting scheduled for Friday Oct 31st 9:30am. Request to PTO Staff representative for some Maple Dale staff as a liaison.

Directory: Draft completed. Must pay $5 PTO membership fee to receive a directory.

Assembly T-shirts: Offered every other year. Off year but preschool, K, Montgomery and new students will receive in time for October field trips.  Parents of 5th graders! We will be having a shirt collection to recycle their good condition assembly shirts for redistribution.

Online Communication:  We were using Constant Contact. Had to pay a fee and we had to upload email addresses. This week switched to Blackboard Connect because free, consistent with other Sycamore schools format, updated nightly so no need to enter new contact info. Emails should be received Tuesday mornings, every other week.

Next Meeting: Thursday November 913th 9:30 AM

Guest Speaker: Mike Miller, Sycamore’s Transportation Manager

**Minutes submitted by PTO Secretary, Diane VanderBrink on Friday October 10, 2014

Nurse Note: Substitute Nurses Needed

Substitute Nurses Needed: The Sycamore Community School District is currently looking for registered nurses who would like to be employed as substitute nurses. Applicants must have current nursing experience, preferably with children,​special needs,​​ and diabetes and an active nursing license.  If you qualify and are interested, please call Susan Murphy, R.N. at 686-1773 or email at murphys@sycamoreschools.org

GAO Fundraiser Order& Prize Pick Up

Great American Fundraiser Pick Up:

PRODUCTS and PRIZES are in from Great American Fundraiser sales this fall.  Parents can pick up items sold via paper orders on Tuesday October 21 until 6:00pm in the Cafeteria. For students who sold 2 or more items you can pick up your Prizes at school on Tuesday October 21 after 3:00pm. Thank you for all your support.

Spotlight: Mrs. Williams

Mrs. Williams could not be happier about working at Maple Dale Elementary as the new English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher this year. Mrs. Williams earned her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from The Ohio State University and her Masters of Art in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Ohio Dominican University. Over the past ten years, Mrs. Williams has taught English to students of preschool age to adult from over 40 different countries. She herself speaks English and Spanish, but she always enjoys learning bits and pieces of other languages from her students and their parents. Outside of Maple Dale, Mrs. Williams loves to spend time with her friends and family. She goes horseback riding almost every weekend and competes in local horse shows during the summer. She is thrilled to be working in such a supportive and friendly community, and she wishes everyone a fantastic school year!

Maple Dale Elementary PTO private Facebook group

Want to stay more connected? Send a request via Facebook to join our private Maple Dale Elementary PTO group. Forms/ Flyers will be saved under Files. 

Join the PTO!

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Maple Dale Directory is available only to PTO members that have paid their $5 membership dues! Click for PTO Membership Form 

The MD PTO is a vibrant and committed group of volunteers composed of parents, school staff, and
administrators who share time and talent for the welfare of all our children. Through fundraisers, we help provide equipment, resource material, entertainment, and learning opportunities.

   

Fundraising: Eat at City BBQ

Eat at City BBQ  in Blue Ash and raise money for our Sycamore Community Schools! 

25% of your purchases on Thursday October 9th and/ or Sunday October 12th will be donated

Message from District Office

Sycamore Community Schools to share “State of the District”

Sycamore Community Schools are offering an opportunity for the public to hear an update on the current state of schools.

On Oct. 15, Sycamore Community Schools Superintendent Adrienne C. James, Ed.D., Treasurer Beth Weber and Board of Education President Ken Richter will host the State of the District Address at 6:15 p.m. at Edwin H. Greene Intermediate School, 5200 Aldine Drive.

The address will provide an overview of the district’s goals and finances for the coming year.

All community members are invited to attend the Address, as well as stay for the regularly-scheduled Board of Education meeting, which will follow at 7 p.m.

Attendance Update

Attention to School Attendance Is Vital to Academic Success

Sycamore’s principals and teachers always talk about the importance of student attendance, but did you know that what they say is backed up by research? Research has proven that there is a high correlation between school attendance and academic performance, while absence from school is often the single greatest cause of poor achievement. Student participation in class demonstrations, guided practice of new concepts and teacher interventions are learning opportunities that are difficult, if not impossible, to replicate through make-up work given after an absence. In fact, students with good attendance records generally achieve higher grades and enjoy school more. Over time, regular school attendance patterns encourage the development of other responsible patterns of behavior, which ultimately helps students prepare for life beyond the classroom.

The State of Ohio recognizes the importance of school attendance and is clear about schools’ responsibility to follow a set of compliance guidelines when students are absent.  In addition, state funding is no longer determined by a count of student membership during one week in October, but rather by daily counts of each district’s daily attendance.  

For all of the above reasons, Sycamore asks parents to partner with us to promote excellent daily attendance for each of our students. Parents can model the value of education, including the importance of regular attendance, by making sure that your child goes to school regularly and arrives on time every day. You can be sure your child understands that you do not approve of him/her missing school by refraining from taking students out of school for any reason other than illness, religious observations, or family emergencies.

If it is necessary for your child to be absent from school, please be sure to notify the school the same day by phone (see your school’s absence line below) or in writing when your child returns, indicating the reason for your child’s absence.

Schools are obligated by state law to follow-up with written correspondence when students are chronically tardy or have multiple unexcused absences and to report to the court system when a regular pattern of attendance cannot be achieved. This information is spelled out in our student handbooks http://www.sycamoreschools.org/district/resources.html#student-parent-handbooks

and must be followed by the school to be compliant with Ohio Revised Code.

We sincerely appreciate your attention to your child’s regular school attendance and look forward to partnering with you for a successful, well-attended school year.  

Please note new Attendance Line numbers for each building.

Blue Ash Elementary 513-686-1714 EH Greene Intermediate 513-686-1756

Maple Dale Elementary 513-686-1726 Sycamore Junior High 513-686-1762

Montgomery Elementary 513-686-1736 Sycamore High School 513-686-1777

Symmes Elementary 513-686-1748

Wellness: Healthy Schools Program Bronze Award

This past school year, Maple Dale Wellness Chair- Diane VanderBrink, assessed our school’s current status and created a customized action plan to work towards Alliance for a Healthier Generation's Healthy Schools Bronze Award.  The Alliance, founded by the Clinton Foundation, creates and sustains a healthy environment with a proven, positive impact on students’ health and academics.

Are you aware that the state of Ohio does not have any health education standards?  The Alliance does require health education in grades preschool- 4^th grade. Sycamore was lacking. District Assistant Director of Academic Affairs, Ann Marie Reinke, created a health curriculum for each grade. Teachers have begun implementing.

Since budget cuts back in 1998 our district’s Staff Wellness Coordinator position was eliminated. To help promote Wellness among staff the 4 elementary schools held a month long Intra- and Inter- school pedometer challenge, March Fo(u)rth. Local businesses: Kroger, Pipkins, Venus, Chipotle, Balanced Café, Yoga Alive donated incentives. Unfortunately Maple Dale did not win. Principle, Mr. Brooks had to speak on the announcements at the winning school- Montgomery Elementary. The Maple Dale staff member with the most miles walked was Dan Penny of Maintenance. He won a variety of prizes donated by our community businesses including Fleet Feet and a food basket from Trader Joes. He stated, “I never knew healthy food could taste so good!” Dan Penny has since lost 15 pounds!

Maple Dale incorporated these 2 programs along with demonstrating implementation of specific best practices of the School Health Index’s 6 modules (School Health and Safety Policies and Environment, Health Education, Physical Education and Other Physical Activity Programs, Nutrition Services, Health Promotion for Staff, Family & Community Involvement). In April 2014 Maple Dale applied and achieved the distinction of a Healthy Schools Bronze Award winner. All the Sycamore schools were recognized at the Alliance’s Leadership Summit in Washington, DC.  Diane VanderBrink and 6 other Sycamore Wellness Leaders attended. Only 250 schools were recognized for their accomplishments this year in achieving these National awards. Highlight of the event was the speaker at the Welcome Ceremony, former President Bill Clinton.

Sycamore was the only district with Parent Leaders. All the other schools had Administration/ Staff Leaders. Our district has strong parent involvement but we also need staff support as a liaison.

What’s next for Maple Dale? We are going for GOLD! We can’t do it alone. We need more staff and parent support. Consider helping make an impact in our children’s lives and work towards a Healthier Generation.  Contact Wellness Committee Chair click to email Diane  

Nurse Note: Third grade dental health survey

ODH Dental Health survey- 3rd grade parents- Please read and remember to send back the Dental Screening consent form in the envelope, ASAP. Third grade students at our school have an opportunity to receive a dental screening through the Ohio Department of Health’s 2014-15 “Make Your Smile Count!” program, this school year.   Our school is one of only six schools in Hamilton County chosen to participate this year.  Students will be checked for cavities, fillings and dental sealants.  The screening is voluntary and only children with parental consent will be screened.  The screening will be done by a dental hygienist who will send home a letter informing you about your child’s oral health.  Each child receives a new toothbrush for participating.  All 3rd graders are strongly encouraged to have their teeth checked, even if they have recently seen a dentist.  The information gathered from the screening will help the health department measure dental disease in the state and plan future dental health programs.  

To learn more, you can view a 2-minute video about the screening: http://www.odh.ohio.gov/odhPrograms/ohs/oral/oralfeatures/OHS.aspx.

Volunteers Needed: Vision &Hearing Screening

Vision and Hearing Screenings will be done on the week of October 13th-17th for Pre-K, K, 1st and 3rd.  We welcome parents who are interested in helping with the screenings. 

We need Volunteers

Monday Oct 13th  1pm-3:30pm

Thursday Oct 16 th   9:15am-11:30am and 1:15-330pm

Friday Oct 17th  9:00-11:30am and 1pm -3:30pm

    click to volunteer with SignUpGenius

If your able to volunteer please sign up via Signup Genius or contact Vanessa Shafer  click to email or 513- 850-3022

Fundraising: Walkathon

The Walkathon is Thursday, October 23 (raindate October 27). This unique Maple Dale fundraiser encourages fitness, school spirit, and community! All students participate. Each student is asked to collect donations to “sponsor” their participation. This year, the funds will be used for books, books, books! Did you know that books have a “life”? The books at Maple Dale have a short life because our students love them to death! Every dollar raised will go straight to Maple Dale.  Your student’s donation packet and more information will arrive Friday, October 10. The Walkathon needs the “next in line” chairperson. Christy Banke has led a great Walkathon for 4 years now and next year the reigns will change. Please call Christy (513-891-4158) if you have interest.
Click to Email Christy to let her know you can volunteer on 10/23 and/ or 10/27 (raindate)

Spotlight: Mr. Schneider

Mr. Schneider is very excited to be working at Maple Dale Elementary as the new music teacher. Mr. Schneider received his Bachelors and Masters of Music Education at Miami University Oxford and is certified as a Level 2 Orff educator. He is very active in Community theatre as well as directing and vocal directing different shows. Mr. Schneider's favorite color is green, he loves Starbucks, and he always wants the best for his students. He feels very blessed to have been given the chance to teach with such wonderful staff, students, parents, and administrators. He wishes for everyone to have a wonderful school year!