Streetsboro City Schools

The Rocket Review Superintendent - Michael Daulbaugh February 2015

Thank you for taking the time to read the second edition of the Rocket Review. It is difficult

to believe that the school year is more than half over and winter sports are all but in the books.

Similar to our fall sports, we've enjoyed some very successful winter athletic seasons. Additional-

ly, students are actively participating in many co-curricular and extra-curricular activities as well as

dedicating quality time to academics. We believe students are very engaged in all aspects of their

education so far this school year!

One of the questions I hear most when I am out in the community is in reference to the

building project and when the district will be breaking ground on our new facilities. As a quick

review, here is what our voters approved when the bond issue was passed in October of 2013:

New High School on the State Route 14 site complete with an 800 seat auditorium included in

the building with the projected completion to be in December of 2016.

New Stadium on the State Route 14 site complete with turf and an all-weather track.

Renovations and additions to Campus Elementary School in order to house all Pre-K to 3

students with the projected completion to be in December of 2016.

Demolition and significant renovations and additions to the current high school to create a new

Middle School to house grades 6 to 8 with the projected completion to be in July of 2018.

Demolition and abatement of Wait Primary School in order to repurpose or sell the property.

We also plan to convert the current middle school to a board and administrative office and

utilize the larger spaces for indoor athletic facilities.

As you can see from the scope of the project, much has to be done in a relatively short peri-

od of time. Even with this aggressive timeline, at this time we are still on target with our time line

and expect to bid the project this spring with a ground-breaking on both the Campus Site and high

school site this summer.

At Campus Elementary, a significant amount of work will be started in and around the build-

ing when school concludes for the year. Students and staff will come back to a building under

“active renovation” and will see a very different building on the inside and out. But be assured,

active renovations are very common and our Construction Manager and district team will place the

safety of our students and staff as the number one priority. Please plan to attend community meet-

ings this spring and late summer before school begins in order to know what to expect when every-

one returns to classes in the fall.

Finally, I am excited to announce we are now ready to present the plans and renderings for

the new high school and the new and renovated Campus Elementary School. Countless hours of

work involving many people has been dedicated to the design of these buildings and these designs

are almost complete! Tentatively, we have the community presentations scheduled for the follow-

ing two weeks in March:

Tentative Presentation of the Campus Elementary Renovation and Additions

Date: Week of March 2, 2015 Time: 6:30 P.M.

Location: Defer Intermediate School Cafeteria

Tentative Presentation of the New High School

Date: Week of March 23, 2015 Time: 6:30 P.M.

Location: Defer Intermediate School Cafeteria

The dates will be chosen soon and notification will go home with every student. We hope to see all

of our Streetsboro families at these two exciting presentations!

In closing, I hope you take some time to read this addition of the Rocket Review. Included in

the following pages are reports and updates from all of our schools and departments in the Streetsbo-

ro City School District. As always, thank you for your continued support of our school district. I be-

lieve the Streetsboro City School District is progressing in a very positive direction and will soon be

one of the top school districts in the State of Ohio. Go Rockets!

Warmly,

Mike Daulbaugh

Superintendent

Newsletter Contest Winners - Pizza Party! Mr. Daulbaugh was able to enjoy pizza with the 2 winning classes of the Newsletter Naming Contest!

They were Mrs. Gregrows Kindergarten class and Mrs. Betley’s 4th grade class. Pictured

below is Mrs. Gregrow’s Kindergarten class Colt Andrews, Gloria Anekwe, Ty Zipprich, Thomas

Germann, Carman Marcini, Jacob Windle, Zavannah Fineran, Aiden Farley, Christopher Roberts,

Elyse Mitchell, Alex Rogowski, Geoffrey Lankey, Kimberly Goodrich, Isaiah Tucker, Emily Gorecki,

Sara Koyan, Olivia Knepper, Smuel Collins & Amiah McGlothin

Also pictured below is Mrs. Betley’s 4th grade class Neave Bell, Colby Benjamin, Rachel

Boger, Sam Brunner, Zach Edgington, Kaleb Fisher, Nicholas Johntony, Zolsci Kassai, Kristina Ko-

yan, Mary Laudato, Josef Maragos, Sophia Marcini, Jaylen McCarty, Steve Mitchell, Trinity Mitch-

ell, Kevin Murphey, Karly Reger, Tori Robison, Michael Rogowski, Hayley Ross, Josh Schneider,

Alyssa Schofield, Hailey Shepherd, Alli Tandy, Heidi Timmons & Kaden Victor.

School Boards Make a Difference

School board members are ordinary people who have an extraordinary dedication to our

public schools. It is time we thanked them for their untiring efforts.

Too often we forget about the personal sacrifices school board members routinely make.

Too often we forget about the important role school board members play in assuring local

control over our public schools, control that is in the hands of people we know … people who

are our neighbors.

Too often we forget that, in the tradition of a representative democracy, school board

members are our connection to influencing how our public schools are governed.

Too often we are quick to criticize school board members without really knowing all the

details that went into any given decision.

Too often the efforts of school board members go unrecognized and unrewarded.

We can begin to correct these oversights by recognizing our Board Members. This is a time

to show our appreciation and to begin to better understand how school board members work

together to provide leadership for our schools.

The school board works closely with parents, education professionals and community

members to create the educational vision we want for our students. It then formulates goals,

defines results and sets the course for an adequate and equitable educational program for all

students.

The school board is accountable to the public. It is responsible for assuring the public that

the money allocated to the public schools is providing a good return on the investment. Thus,

the board oversees regular assessment of the district’s students, staff and programs.

The school board also is a strong advocate for public schools and is responsible for

communicating the needs of the school district to the public and the public’s expectations to

the district.

Please make a special effort to tell each school board member his or her hard work has been

noticed and is very much appreciated.

Brian Violi

Proudly Serving

the Board Since

2007

John Kelly

Proudly Serving

the Board Since

2012

Denise Baba

Proudly Serving

the Board Since

2006

Kevin Grimm

Proudly Serving

the Board Since

2004

Andrew Lesak

Proudly Serving

the Board Since

2007

Substitutes Needed!! Certified, Classified and Bus Driver substitutes are needed. Anyone interested please contact the

Board of Education office at 330-626-4900. Thank you!!

Care with Coats The Portage County Insurance Board recently collected coats and donated them through the

schools to students throughout Portage County. Streetsboro Schools was one of the schools that

received coats, hats, boots and mittens.

Curriculum Department - Aireane Curtis

The curriculum department has been busy the first half of the year. Teacher teams have been

working to update assessments and curriculum maps based on the new state testing. Third and fifth

grade students were all assessed for potential giftedness in November. This information gives all of

our third and fifth grade teachers’ information to help best meet the needs of all students.

The high school principals and guidance counselors have been working with the director of

curriculum to map out the new College Credit Plus offerings. This replaces our current Post

Secondary option. A parent information night will be held second semester for interested families to

attend.

Second semester will bring about all new state testing for the district. Please pay close

attention to communication coming home from your child’s school with dates of testing. Students in

grades three through nine, as well as high school American History and Government will experience

the new state testing with the rest of our state. The district has been given defined testing windows

from the Ohio Department of Education that we must follow when testing students. Most of these

tests should take one to two hours for each given subject. Unlike past years, students will take two

tests. A performance based assessment will be given between February and March and an end of

course assessment will be given between April and May. Test results will not be made available until

fall of 2015 since this is the first year the state is administering these tests. Please be patient and

know that the district will notify you of your child’s results as soon as we know them.

Transportation Department - Beth Kinder

Signal for Safety Motorists around school buses need to know the signals and the laws that concern school buses to help

keep children safe:

Do not pass a school bus that has red alternating flashing lights on. This is the signal that the

bus is stopped to load or unload children. Traffic should not move until the bus resumes

motion or the driver signals traffic to proceed.

When a bus has alternating flashing amber (yellow) lights on, it is preparing to stop to load or

unload children. Be ready to stop and watch for children in the roadway.

Parents are very important in helping to keep children safe on the school bus. Here are some ways in

which parents can help:

Review the safety rules with children. Help them to understand why each rule is important.

Dress children in light colored clothing or jackets on dark mornings.

Help children to be ready at the stop before their bus arrives.

Take turns supervising bus stops for smaller children.

Bus drivers help to keep children safe in a number of ways:

Drivers watch surrounding traffic closely to keep school children safe.

Drivers will signal to children that need to cross the street only when traffic has stopped.

In case an emergency vehicle approaches while loading or unloading, the driver will get the

children to a place of safety until the emergency vehicle passes.

What should you do when approaching any school bus that is stopped for the pur-

pose of loading or unloading school children? If a bus is stopped on a street or road that has fewer than four lanes, all traffic proceeding in

either direction must stop.

If a bus is stopped on a street or road that has four or more lanes, only traffic proceeding in the

same direction as the bus must stop.

You must not proceed until the school bus resumes motion, or until signaled by the school bus

driver to proceed.

If you fail to stop for a school bus, your error will not go unnoticed. Bus drivers will report the li-

cense plate number of any vehicle that fails to comply with the law to a law enforcement agency,

and an investigation will be conducted to identify the driver for enforcement purposes.

Food Service Department - Darlene Wheeler

High School

Melony Brunn, Director

Terri Scharton

Pat North

Sharon Fisher

Michelle Brewster

Middle School

Lisa Welch, Director

Chrissy Milliken

Lisa Robinette

Billie Coverdale

Defer

Eileen Simmons, Director

Fran Motz

Bridget Teece

Petrina Twigger

Campus

Beth McDowell, Director

Sherry Moore

Jamie Brown

Wait

Debbie Conrad, Director

Janet Solomon

Our goal is to provide healthy meals with choices that your

child will eat.

Lunch Menus for each month are posted to each school

building’s page.

Low-fat or Fat-free milk is served with every meal.

All bread items are Whole Grain enriched.

We serve approximately 4,600 breakfasts a month.

We serve approximately 14,000 lunches a month.

A parent can put money on their student’s account by sending

in cash or check to the school.

We also offer a point-of-sale system, MealPayPlus, which

allows you to add money to your student’s account through an

online service. There is a fee involved with using the

MealPayPlus system.

Athletic Department - Randy Tevepaugh The athletic department has 159 student-athletes participating in winter sports at the high school and

middle school. There will be 234 athletic events for district teams this winter season. The athletic

department will host half of these events.

Wait Primary - Amy Cruse - Principal Integrated Preschool Program Registration Information for 2015 - 2016 Join us for an Information and Screening Session on Friday, February 20th at 9:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.

Call the office at 330-422-2400 to register for a session. Registration packets will be distributed at

these sessions. Registration packets should be turned into the office starting Monday, March 2nd.

Who attends Streetsboro’s Preschool? Streetsboro’s Integrated Preschool Program is available to Streetsboro residents ages 3 - 5. Our inte-

grated preschool services students who are delayed in one or more areas of development. Research has

shown that students grow and learn when participating in an environment that includes both disabled

and non-disabled students. Typically developing children serve as peer role models because of their

communication skills, age-appropriate behavior, and positive interactions with students and adults.

When do students attend Preschool? Our preschool offers a morning and an afternoon session Monday - Thursday for 2 ½ hours each day.

The AM session is 8:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. The PM session is 12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Is there transportation available for students? Yes, bus transportation is available. However, if using bus transportation the student’s AM or PM

session is determined by location. All students riding in the AM live North of the turnpike and all

students riding in the PM live South of the turnpike.

Specifically, it is the preschool morning drop-off location at the end of AM session that must be north

of the turnpike. The preschool afternoon pick-up location at the beginning of PM session must be

south of the turnpike.

AM session is 8:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. The PM session is 12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

What are characteristics of the typical students who serve as role models? *Strong communication skills *Interacts well with other children *Age-appropriate behavior

*Easily separates from parent *Potty-trained

If my child demonstrates these characteristics, how do I enroll him/her as a role

model in the program? Interested families need to call Wait’s office to schedule a screening time for Friday, February 20th at

either 9:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. Our teachers will meet with the children in a preschool classroom and

parents will meet with the principal. It is important that both parent and child attend the session.

Registration packets will be distributed at the meeting. It is crucial to call as soon as possible to

register for the screening.

What is the next step in enrolling in the program? Submit the registration packet to the office starting Monday, March 2, 2015. As registration packets

are turned in they will be numbered in the order in which they are received. We have limited

availability for our peer role models. If spots are filled, we will keep registrations on file and students

will be on a waiting list.

Campus Elementary - Kristen Cottrell - Principal

Ms. Lomis’ Second Grade Class to Attend the AT&T Learning Lab

Ms. Annette Lomis’ second grade class has been given an exciting opportunity to participate

in the RCET – Research Center for Educational Technology - AT&T Learning Lab at Kent State

University. The classroom was established in 1998 through the generous support of the AT&T

Foundation. Since this time, over 155 classes from 22 school districts across the Northeast Ohio

region have come to the lab to learn more about effective ways to integrating technology into the

classroom.

Ms. Lomis’ class will attend the lab each day for six weeks for a portion of the regular school

day. While at the lab, students will work on their regular curriculum in an enhanced 1:1 technology

environment. The students and Ms. Lomis will be supported by Dr. Annette Kratcoski and Mr.

Thomas McNeal during their time at the lab. Dr. Kratcoski has an extensive background in

curriculum and PreK-12 technology integration. She has led teacher professional development in the

AT&T Classroom for the past 12 years. Mr. McNeal has worked with teachers and students as a

teacher, educational in-service instructor for a PBS television station, and as a computer and

applications instructor for an educational service center. In addition to the technology and support

students receive at the learning lab, each will be provided with an iPad Touch to use to access

educational apps while they are in transit to and from the lab.

Last year, Campus Elementary sent our first class of students to the lab. Due to the

overwhelmingly positive response from the parents, students and the classroom teacher we asked to

be allowed to participate again this year.

For more information about the lab and the technology-learning environment please go to:

http://www2.kent.edu/ehhs/centers/rcet/workandresearch/index/aboutclassroom/aboutclassroom.cfm.

Third Grade Testing Information

Due to new legislation in Columbus the testing landscape for third grade has undergone some

recent changes. This year’s third grade testing will be comprised of the new Partnership for

Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, commonly referred to as the PARCC assessments,

for math and the OAA for reading.

The new third grade math PARCC assessments are made up of two sets of tests. The

Performance Based Assessments (PBA) will be given on Tuesday, February 24th and Wednesday,

February 25th. Each test is approximately 50 minutes long and will be taken as a computer based

assessment. The second set of math PARCC testing, called the End of Year (EOY) assessments, will

be given Tuesday, April 28th and Wednesday, April 29th . This test will also be online and will be

comprised of one 50 minute test each day. The reading OAA is a paper and pencil two and a half

hour test completed in one sitting. The testing date for the spring reading OAA is scheduled for the

morning of Tuesday, April 21st.

This past October all third grade students participated in the fall Ohio Achievement

Assessment (OAA) reading test. While this test was originally intended to give third grade students

practice taking a state achievement test, it has become an important opportunity for students to meet

the testing mandates of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Under the Guarantee students must

score at least 394 on the Fall or Spring version of the reading portion of the OAA to move on to

fourth grade.

We ask that all parents of our third grade students mark these dates in their calendars.

Henry Defer Intermediate - Bill Basel - Principal Lindsay Zenker - Assistant Principal

As it happens every year, the first semester has gone by extremely fast! Within that time there

have been many exciting events & happenings that have had a positive impact on our students &

staff. I invite you all to keep up with our happenings at Defer through Twitter (@SCSC_DeferIS)

or via our website (http://www.streetsboroschools.com).

From our family to yours, we wish you & your families joy, health, & happiness in 2015!

Defer continues its partnership with Kent State University

Students and staff were excited to work with the Kent State University from September

through the beginning of December this year! 29 education majors, under the direction of their

professors, Dr. Danielle Gruhler, Dr. Steven Turner, Dr. Ken Cushner, and Ms. Irving planned lessons

that aligned with the common core and reinforced or frontloaded what is being taught in the

classrooms. They introduced concepts to the whole class, and then worked in small groups helping

students apply the concepts. We were so fortunate to be able to take advantage of this partnership &

look forward to these opportunities in the years to come!

Blue & Gold Assemblies

Also for the 2nd consecutive year we have held our monthly Blue & Gold Assemblies, which

recognize students in each grade level for their incredible academic achievements, outstanding

character traits, & various community service endeavors. Teaching teams nominate a Student of the

Month in each of the following areas: Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Specials, Most

Improved, and Streetsboro PROUD (Polite-Responsible-Outstanding-Understanding-Dependable).

Those students are recognized in front of their classmates at a grade level assembly & presented with

a certificate, Defer Student of the Month t-shirt, coupons from Sonic, and a pizza party with Mr.

Basel & Ms. Zenker. We have recognized over 80 different students over the months of August,

September, October, November & December! To learn of the latest winners & see pictures of the

past winners, please visit our website!

Jim “Basketball” Jones

On September 26th, Defer students were treated to a fantastic assembly from Jim "Basketball"

Jones (www.jimbasketballjones.com). This was by far one of the most entertaining & engaging

assemblies Defer has had in recent memory. Teachers & students were active throughout the hour he

spent with us, as Basketball Jones (a Cleveland-area native & resident) shared his message of

applying kindness by being an “upstander” rather than a “bystander” & to understand & accept the

differences in others so we can treat others the way they would want to be treated. Along the way we

were dazzled by basketball tricks by Basketball Jones, as well as some of our students & staff. We

are looking forward to the next time we are able to invite him back to Defer!

6th Grade to Mohican Camp – Outdoor Education

During the week of October 13th , about 150 of our 6th grade students took part in the annual

6th grade trip to Mohican Outdoor Education School. We spent 3 days engaged in outdoor

education that tied into the traditional common core educational experience students receive at

Defer. Examples of classes that students participated in were Aquatic Studies, Ecology,

Dendrology, & Geology. Students also developed a sense of leadership, responsibility, and

teamwork through their experiences in the cabins & mess hall. I’d like to publically thank the

following organizations that made donations to Defer in order to sponsor students who would not

have been able to attend for financial reasons – Defer Tire, the American Legion, and the

Streetsboro PTA. Also thank you to the Board of Education for your continued support & backing

of this memorable experience!

A quick story to share with you all that sums up how awesome our 6th graders are…at the end

of the camp experience, students receive whatever money they took to Mohican that was not spent at

the Mohican store. There is a donation center in which money goes to the Animal Care Fund. Our

students really had a blast with a variety of animals - turtles, snakes, owls, rabbits, and even a pig!

They were so moved as to donate $277.25 collectively to this fund! What's even better is that

through a grant, that money is matched. So those animals our students had so much fun in helping

to care for will continue to be fed for a very long time…

Educational Foundation Grants

In October, two of our teachers were awarded funding for technology used in the classroom

through the Streetsboro Educational Foundation. Katie Spence, a 5th grade Science teacher, earned

$2500 to fund the use of www.explorelearning.com. The funding will be used to pay for the site

license, professional development, and user name/passwords for staff & students to have in

accessing “Gizmos”, which are simulations for Math & Science lab instruction. 4th grade teacher

Megan Beverly earned $1600 to use for the “Ohio as America” e-textbook. This resource will

supplement the 4th grade Social Studies state curriculum by providing students with interactive

maps, timelines, videos, and other multimedia to make Ohio history “come to life”. Congratulations

to these teachers for using our available resources in continuing to provide quality & meaningful

educational opportunities to Defer students!

5th & 6th Grade Band - Holiday Concert

On December 18th our 5th & 6th grade bands played to a packed gym during our annual

Holiday Concert. Under the direction of Mrs. Gretchen Weaver our first year band members in 5th

grade played material they have been working on since August. Our 6th grade band played selected

holiday & traditional favorites together. The 6th grade band also featured many talented solos, duets,

and groups performing more holiday arrangements, along with hit songs from TV & movies. A

shortened version of the concert was held for the entire Defer community on December 19th to kick

us off into our holiday break. A tip of the hat to Mrs. Weaver and both bands…you were nothing

short of outstanding!

Middle School - Steve Hatch - Principal 8th grade band members: Jackie Beaver- French horn, Mac Kobie- Tuba, and Matt Mitchell-

Trumpet were selected for the Ohio Music Educators Association District 6 Honors Band. These

students traveled to the college of Wooster on November 20th and rehearsed with approximately 80

other top middle school musicians from twenty schools. On November 21st they performed in a

concert under the direction of Dr. John Packard, Director of Bands, Mt. Vernon Nazarene University.

Congratulations to Jackie, Mac and Matt for earning this very prestigious for young musicians, and

congratulations to Mrs. Ellsworth for nominating and having her students selected for the Ohio Music

Educators Association District 6 Honors Band.

High School - James Hogue - Principal

Vincent Suber - Assistant Principal

Streetsboro High School, Mayor Broska, Ms. Susan Truby, and the local corporations of

Streetsboro including Viking Forge, Delta Systems, Permco, and Seles have been working together

to create the S.M.A.R.T. Initiative. S.M.A.R.T. Initiative stands for Streetsboro Manufacturing and

Related Trades. The objective of S.M.A.R.T. is to work collaboratively with local businesses to

provide experience and job training skills for high school students when they graduate. This

initiative is currently a work in progress and is slowly being implemented this year. Next school

year, it is expected to be fully implemented starting at the middle school.

Rocket Radio Cybercasts were launched with a varsity basketball game featuring the Rockets

hosting the Rootstown Rovers. For the fans listening and the play-by-play team of Jake Wagner and

Brandon Peterson, it was an exciting and intense game with the winner uncertain until the closing

seconds. The opening night stats for the Cybercast were quite acceptable for an initial broadcast. It

had a good listenership and the numbers will likely go up as more people become aware.

The National Honors Society recently inducted new members. The new members are Sydney

Campbell, Faith Carey, Alexis Detoro, Hannah Schuller, Emily Ekron, Mason Mordue, Maddie

Zupko, Andrea Fernandez, Brittany Kline, Casey Bacon, Elizabeth Boyer, Grace Rohaley, Alaina

Fischer, Josh Reyes, Taylor Donovan, Ewelina Siwik, Auliah Kendall, Kaela Howard, and Philip

Lago. Currently members include Devon Klein, Julia Sanders, Dahman Singh, Dylan Bertka,

Thomas Benson,, Brionna Reynolds, Alex Hahn (President), Tara Crouso, Melissa Wilkinson,

Tomlin Burgess (Treasurer), Zack Breen, Corrine Braynard, Amber Glenn, Brooke Bolyard, Taylor

Tuma, Quintin OBoyle (Secretary), Allison Benci, Jasmine Sandhu (Vice President), Justis Harden,

Elizabeth Maxwell, Emily Fernandez, Alison Targosky, Lauren Swim, and Patrick Adkins.

Seniors Emily Fernandez and Quintin O’Boyle were honored as the Aurora Rotary Club’s

Students of the Month. These students are very hard working, involved in a variety of school clubs

and activities and very deserving of this award. Congratulations to them both!

The Streetsboro High School Band recently performed during the Cleveland Cavaliers

basketball game at Quicken Loans Arena. Congratulations to Mrs. Weaver and the Marching

Rockets on this great achievement.

The Streetsboro High School Treble Ensemble recently performed The National Anthem for a

men’s basketball game at The University of Akron on Dec 4, 2014. They have performed at The

University several times and also previously performed The National Anthem for The Cleveland

Cavs. The Treble Ensemble will be attended the Choral Festival at the University of Akron in January

2015.

Community Christmas started out 11 years ago and serviced 96 children according to Pam

Danner, the program facilitator. This year the program held at St. Joan of Arc Church, will assist 110

Streetsboro families and 350 children, who otherwise may not be able to experience the joy of

Christmas. Streetsboro High School students and staff have been an integral part of making those

wishes comes true for so many local families. The generous donation of time, talent, and treasure are

witness to some of the great things happening at SHS.

Streetsboro City Schools

Board of Education

Administration

Important Dates