Chagrin Falls PTO

The Gurney School report was presented by Joanne Mychenberg.

• Thank you to all the parent volunteers who helped make our valentine parties a big success.
• A blog has been created on the Gurney web page.  We encourage parents to please join in the discussion.
• Kindergarten Registration – Saturday, February 27^th from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm at Gurney Elementary.
• 3^rd Graders testing week:  March 22 – 26, 2010 – for gifted identification for 4^th grade programming
• Gurney is piloting two new reading/writing programs at each grade level for a couple months and will hopefully have a new program to present to the Board at the end of the year.
• We had guest artist, David Kadas, visit Gurney this month.

The Gurney School PTO report was read by Gwenn Klose.

Recent Events/Updates:

• Not much has happened since the last meeting except for Valentine’s  Day parties and they were a success.
• Did not have a meeting with Rachel Jones this month due to her illness on our scheduled meeting day.
• Set Teacher Appreciation Lunch for May 5. (Editor’s Note:  This is provided by classroom fees paid to PTO room parents.)

• Upcoming PTO Related Events
  • K Registration – Feb 27
  • K Kick-off – March 18
  • Both events are running well and have sufficient volunteers and staff.

• Approved Requests
  • Grant Request for Nancy Lodge for professional development has been approved.
  • Grant for weather station is still pending.
  • Receipt has been received for the glass shelves and check request is forthcoming.

• Miscellaneous
  • Help is desperately needed for Tiger Tutors.
    • PTO suggested that that Hamlet be contacted for additional resources.

Although there was no report from the Intermediate School this month, Chuck Murphy supplied this information:

• IS Night at the Basketball Game-Friday, February 5, was Intermediate School night at the boys basketball game. Student council helped to promote the event.  Ms. Shoenfelt led a group of fifth and sixth grade band students in playing the National Anthem.  Students and teachers played “knockout” during halftime. 
• Progress Book- It is our hope that all parents will use Progress Book as an aid in communication about assignments, homework and student grades.  Please take the time to look at Progress Book on a regular basis.  If you have any questions, please contact your teacher or Mr. Murphy.
• Family Movie Night-Friday, March 5, will be the Family Movie night at the Intermediate School Auditorium.  This is a change from went originally home with students on the first day of school.  Student council will be picking the movie and organizing the event.  It is a lot of fun and we hope to see you there. 
• Conferences-Spring conferences will be in February 22 and 24.  We moved them up this year so that students would have more time to use the information from conferences to make improvements in the year.  It is up to the teachers and parents if a spring conference is needed.
• Book Fair-Book Fair will be from March 1-8.  Barb Graham will be running the book fair through the library and a schedule will follow.  Thank you in advance for any parents willing to help.
• Thank You-Thank you to the PTO for all your help and support.  It is a pleasure to work with you.

The IS PTO Report was read by Gwenn Klose.

• The Intermediate School will hold a second spirit wear sale in March/April.  We will be advertising in the school newsletters and at lunch periods.  Check out the Fall Order Form (44) to see what will be offered.
• The committee for the 6^th grade talent show is currently being formed.  There will be an informational/organizational meeting on Feb. 26^th at Amy O’Neil’s home.  If anyone is interested in helping with this event, contact Amy through our PTO email .
• Mr. Murphy expressed his gratitude for the cleaning service that has been provided courtesy of the Murphy Fund.  Per discussions with Mr. Murphy, this service will continue throughout the next year and will again draw from the Murphy Fund.
• A grant was approved for the 4^th grade.  The grant request was for materials that would be used to design a science day in which all 4^th graders would participate, completing several different science experiments throughout the day.

The Middle School report was presented by  Todd Thombs.

• PAW Pack Winners:The middle school is rewarding four students each week.  These students show a strong work ethic.  They are kind to peers and respectful of adults.  They are positive role models for all the students in the building.  Students who earn their PAW Pack card earn privileges in the building and discounts from participating community businesses.  We treated our January PAW Pack winners to a lunch of pizza and dessert on February 5th.   February winners will have their luncheon  the first Friday of March.

• Pancake Breakfast:  The middle school student council is hosting their first pancake breakfast on Friday, February 19.  Students may pay $1.00 or a can of food to gain admission.  All donations will go to Haiti relief efforts.
• Student Development Days:  We will hold our second student development day on February 19.  The theme for this day will be diversity/tolerance/preventing bullying.  Students will attend workshops throughout the day.  We have follow-up activities planned with the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio.  We are planning a career day in March and a literacy day in May.  The team decided not to have a day in April due to OAT testing.
• 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony: The eighth grade awards ceremony committee is continuing to work on this program with input from parents.  They will continue to communicate through the newsletter and appreciate any feedback from parents.  Please contact us.
• Shakespeare Festival: Our eighth grade Honor’s English classes hosted a Shakespeare Festival on February 10.  The Honors students led classes through different aspects of the time period.  The program ended in the PAC with the introduction of Shakespeare’s family as well as some acts from Romeo and Juliet.
• Mardi Gras Celebration: The seventh and eighth grade French students celebrated Mardi Gras on February 16 by researching the origination of Mardi Gras.  Students brought a variety of refreshments as part of Fat Tuesday.

The Middle School PTO report was presented by Laura Fricke.

• PAW PACK Luncheons
  • PTO to provide chips, desserts & drinks
  • Held monthly in  the library for new members
  • Next date: Friday, March 5, 2010

• Ohio Acheivement Tests (April 26th-30th)
  • Attempting to find donated prizes to be awarded the week of testing.

• 8^th Grade Promotion
  • Organized in conjunction with John Abbott & PTO Chairs by Karen Eagle and Margaret Dishong.
  • Schedule to be confirmed – currently planned for 4PM Monday June 7th.

• Conference Dinners – March
  • Hospitality Committee will provide food for teachers

Chagrin Falls High School

The High School Report was presented by Barbara Cymanski.

• Eight Grade Parent Orientation – The Counseling Department met with eighth grade parents on January 28, where they distributed the Course Selection Guide and gave an overview of the high school administrative processes.  Counselors will meet with individual eighth grade students and their parents for half-hour sessions February 16 – 24 to finalize course selections for next year.

• Scheduling – Counselors have finished scheduling students for next year. Course verifications will be mailed this Friday, 2/26.

• Tiger of the Semester – Thirty students were recognized as our “Tigers of the Semester,” January 26.  The Tiger of the Semester Award is presented to students who exemplify a positive attitude, work ethic and service to fellow students and teachers at Chagrin Falls High School. These young people are difference makers and have an impact on the culture of our building.

• Parent Teacher Conferences – March 10.  Letters and Conference Request Forms (54)will be mailed home with the course verification forms.  Information will also be on line under High School, under Forms, and also under News.

• Academic Recognition – We mailed home 165 letters of congratulation to parents of students who achieved a 4.0 or higher (Principal Distinction Award) and 175 letters were mailed to parents of students who achieved a 3.5 (Principal Merit).  Academic Distinction/Academic Merit Awards are based on all subjects in which a student is enrolled.  Grades are weighted accordingly.  In determining Academic Distinction, any grade below a B- (including Honors) disqualifies students from this honor.

• Sixteen students were notified that they will be inducted into the Chagrin Falls Chapter of the Cum Laude Society. The Induction Ceremony is Wednesday, February 24 at 7:00 in the Performing Arts Center foyer.

• Each Chapter may elect student members (not more than 20% of the graduating class) who have academic excellence in the college preparatory curriculum, choosing the whole number toward the end of the Senior Year, or up to 10% of the number at the end of the Junior Year or early in the Senior Year, and the remainder near the end of the senior Year.

• POST SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS PROGRAM.  Students who are interested in participating in PSEOP next year either semester must sign a form of intent and submit it to the Counseling Department no later than March 30^th.  If there are questions, please see your Counselor.  PSEOP is the program through which high school students can attend college and take courses for both high school and college credit.  The fees are paid for by the state of Ohio and the Chagrin Falls Board of Education.  Students must also apply to college, pass placement tests in English and mathematics, be accepted by the college, and register for classes.  Students can attend college part-time or full-time.

• OHIO GRADUATION TEST. The OGT will be administered to sophomores and any upperclassmen who still need to pass one or more of the tests.  Passing the OGT is a requirement to receive a diploma in the state of Ohio.  It is referred to as a “high stakes” test for that reason.  The OGT will be administered during the week of March 15^th with makeups as needed the following week.  While the sophomores are taking the OGT, freshmen will be taking a practice OGT so that they become accustomed to the testing format.  For more information on the test, click here.

Upcoming Events

2/24 Cum Laude Induction 7PM PAC

3/5  HS Choir Contest 7PM PAC

3/5 Drop Course Deadline

3/9 Prof. Dev./Early Release 1:25 PM

3/10 Parent-Teacher Conferences

3/15-19 Ohio Graduation Testing (Delayed Start 11/12)

3/16 Athletic Awards 6 PM

The High School PTO report was presented by Julie Andrews.

• Bingo Night was Friday, January 29^th.   Many thanks to Kelly Clegg and her group of volunteers who did such a great job.  The fundraiser was lots of fun and successful although attendance was a bit lower this year.

• High School Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on March 10^th.  Beth Judge is coordinating dinner for the teachers and staff.

There are lots of positions opening up in the district this year.

Board of Education Report

The Board of Education Report was presented by Mary Kay O’Toole.

• The Board wishes to thank the PTO for the $5,123.81 in donations for November, December and January (Editor’s note:  Disbursements are noted in the Treasurer’s monthly reports; available as needed.)
• Negotiations with the Chagrin Falls Education Association (Teacher’s Union) will resume on February 25th.
• We accepted the resignation of Kert Boedicker  (High School Principal) effective at the end of the school year.
• We have also accepted the resignation of Ed Martin (High School Math Teacher)  effective at the end of the school year.
• Dan Ehrenbeit (High School Social Studies Teacher)  is retiring at the end of the year.
• Unless otherwise noted, all Board of Education meetings will start at 7 PM.  This is a change from the 7:30 PM time printed in the PTO calendar.  The online calendar at both the school and PTO websites have been updated.
• The new school calendar for the year 2010-2011 has been approved by the board and is now available on the school website.

School District Report

The Administrative Report was presented by Bill Holzheimer.

With the resignation Of Mr. Boedicker and the replacement of Lenny May as the Athletic Director, we will be interviewing to fill those jobs. Here are the time lines:

• HS Principal:
  • Posting:                  Feb 15^th- March 8^th
  • Posting will include targeting mailers and postings on all major education administrative websites.
  • Electronic Survey: Feb 23- March 5^th
  • Purpose-To gather input from Community and provide staff an additional opportunity to provide input.
  • Screening Interviews: March 18-19
  • Initial Screenings of applications conducted by administrative committee
  • Committee Interviews- March 23
  • Committee will be compromised of community members, staff, administration, and BOE representative.
  • ^o BOE Approval- April 5^th

• Athletic Director:
  • Posting: March 15^th- April 15^th
  • Electronic Survey Feb 23- March 5^th
  • Screening Interviews April 8-9
  • Committee Interviews- April 15
  • BOE Approval- April 19

Transportation Department Update:

We are looking into Computer Software Programs that will help us maximize the efficiency of our bus routes. Eliminating even one route, result in savings in our transportation costs.  Right now, we are comparing pricing vs. possible savings.