What`s Up Willowville? - West Clermont Local Schools

What's Up Willowville?
January 2015
Willowville Elementary School
4529 Schoolhouse Road * Batavia, OH 45103 *
513-943-6800
513-752-9181 fax
Dear Willowville Parents and Students,
The Almanac predicts a shivery January! However, whenever we have the opportunity to go outside for
recess, we would like to take students outside to burn off their energy and get some fresh air! We
have had the nasty “flu bug” in our building and have been doing our best to clean desks, tables, chairs
and door knobs. We always encourage hand washing and covering our mouth when coughing or sneezing.
Donations of Clorox/Lysol wipes, Kleenex and hand sanitizer are always welcome!
We have completed our winter DIBELS testing for fluency and accuracy. I’m very pleased that many
of our students made the winter benchmark for their grade level! Please continue to encourage your
child to read every night, either independently or with you. Ask your child about the other resources
they use to increase their reading, vocabulary and comprehension; such as, the fresh reads from our
Reading Street program, pearsonsuccess.net website, starfall.com, MobyMax, and Study Island just to
name a few.
Our Library Stars program will continue through the end of April. It’s easy to participate; register at
the front desk in the Union Township Library, check in each time you visit the library, and every month
we will tally the visits for your child to receive a prize. Additionally, each time you visit the library,
your name is written on a ticket and placed in a grade level container for a chance to win the grand
prize at the end of the school year which will be a $25 gift card to Scholastic Books per grade level.
We are fortunate to bring back a few of the clubs for this school year. I would like to congratulate
our Student Council members for this year; Lucy Hale, Brady Glass, Lilly Hosler, Conner Kasten, Melanie
Burns, Logan Shaw, Trinity Powell, Landyn McEvoy, Charlize Jones, Paxton Dunford, Mallory Henderson,
Koury Warren, Izzy Stone, Nick Keating, Gween Retes, Caleb Reynolds, Abby Miles and Jackson Fite.
All students who ran for Student Council will be part of the whole group meetings and have responsibilities to fulfill. Please see Mrs. Flanigan for all the paperwork. Additionally, our Yearbook and Walk
Clubs will begin soon. Information and details will come home at a later date.
Yearbooks are now on sale for $20. You will not want to miss the memories from the school year!
Thank you Willowville Families for your support!
Sincerely,
Michelle Kennedy
Michelle Kennedy, Principal
The Mitten Tree
YEARBOOKS ARE COMING!!
Thank you so much
REMEMBER THE TIMES!
to everyone who donated.
Order online at ybp.lifetouch.com with
We collected:
order code 2361715
150 items
Order forms also available in the office.
to go to the Batavia YWCA.
$20.00 due by March 6.2015
THANK YOU!
MARCO’S PIZZA CHALLENGE!
Winning classroom for the December challenge………
Marco’s Pizza Day-all day!
Mrs. Sears 1st grade class!
Your class will win a pizza party from Marco’s!
Father / Daughter Dance
Watch for more information about
January 13th!
Anytime this day when you order
from Marco’s, mention Willowville
and your child’s teacher.
Not only will Willowville receive a
percentage of profit from sales, but
the class with the most
referrals/sales will win a pizza party!
The Father/Daughter dance!
coming home soon!!
You may contact Mrs. Prewitt by e-mail:
prewitt_k@westcler.org
Important Numbers:
Office
943-6800
24 hour Attendance Line
943-6804
Willowville Fax
IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO START!
752-9181
Health Aide
943-6803
Transportation
752-4020
Registration Office
943-5000
“BE A LIBRARY STAR” IS GOING ON THRU THE END OF
APRIL AT THE UNION TOWNSHIP LIBRARY. PRIZES WILL BE
AWARDED MONTHLY BASED ON THE NUMBER OF TIMES YOU
VISIT THE LIBRARY AND A GRAND PRIZE DRAWING WILL
HAPPEN AT THE END. MAKE SURE YOU ARE STOPPING AT
THE DESK AND GETTING CREDIT FOR YOUR VISITS.
The newsletter, as well as many
important links, is available on the
WV website.
www.westcler.k12.oh.us
Page 2
Mark your calendar.......
Looking Ahead……..
Jan. 5- School resumes/ Specials Week
FEBRUARY IS HEART HEALTHY MONTH!
Jan. 12- WV Skate Night 6:30-8:30 Beechmont Rollarena
Feb. 5- Evening Conference Night 4:30– 8:00
Jan. 13– Marco’s Pizza Day– All day
Feb. 6– Chuck E Cheese Night
Jan. 14- PTO Meeting 6:30pm @ WV
Feb. 10– Evening Conference Night 4:30– 8:00
Jan. 14- Market Day Pickup 6:45 @ WV
Feb. 10- Marco’s Pizza Day– All day
Jan. 15- Warrior Warehouse during lunches
Feb. 11- PTO Meeting 6:30pm @ WV
Jan. 15- End of 2nd quarter
Feb. 11– Market Day Pickup 6:45 @ WV
Jan. 16- NO SCHOOL– Professional Day
Feb. 12– Warrior Warehouse during lunches
Jan. 19- NO SCHOOL– MLK Day
Feb. 13– NO SCHOOL– Professional Day
Jan. 29- Warrior Warehouse during lunches
Feb. 16- NO SCHOOL– President’s Day
Jan. 30- Box top collection
Feb. 17– Skate Night 6:30-8:30 Beechmont Rollarena
Feb. 26– Warrior Warehouse during lunches
March 1-Yearbook sales end
SNOW DAY OR DELAY??
When Willowville is delayed or closed for weather, you will receive a phone call
from our District Office. You may also call our School Closing Information line at
943-6898, or look on the District Website www.westcler.org under
“announcements”.
On television or on radio, it will be announced as West Clermont Local Schools.
Please do not call the school office or transportation as we need to keep the line
open for emergency information.
WV SKATE NIGHT!!
January 17th!
6:30-8:30pm
Beechmont Rollarena
Cost is $3.00 admission,
$2.00 skate rental….
OR bring your own
skates!
Page 3
District Board
Meetings:
January 8, 2013
7:00 p.m.
at the Civic Center
(Suite 200)
2015 Spelling Bee
Congratulations to our 4th/5th grade finalists for the 2015 Spelling Bee!
The finalists will compete on January 9th at 9:30am.
4th grade finalists
5th grade finalists
Mrs. Flanigan’s room
Ms. Hickey’s room
Gracie McNeal, Mallory Henderson
Nick Keating, Kaden Buckman
Ian Keeley, Kaden Bradburn
Izzy Stone, Marcus Smith
Devin Annis
Jackson Pawlowicz
Ms. Balmos’ room
Mrs. Crane’s room
Will Fryman, Jackson Miller
Abby Miles, Kailey Shull
Adam Miller, Julia Vernier
Conrad Hale, Sydney Taylor
Myles Locher
Logan West
Mrs. Arnold’s room
Mrs. Steven’s room
Landyn McEvoy, Olivia Wroblewski
Joey French, Dylan Castle
Trinity Powell, Mitchell McGraw
Kylee Gillman, Caleb Reynolds
Jeffrey Morris
Ben Murray
December Student of the Month
KG
3rd
Noah Poynter
Billy Hanks
Joseph Reuss
Noah Emery
Braudrieck Collins
Mason Campbell
1st
4th
Sophie Fahey
Trinity Powell
Jayla Maldonado
Morgan Myers
Hailey Moore
Jackson Wahl
2nd
5th
Kylie Holmer
Xander Jump
Jayden Combs
Isabel Griner
Bryson Trego
Emily Ayers
Congratulations!
The West Clermont School District is planning to increase services for the 2015 – 2016 school year.
Earlier this year, several factors improved the overall health of the district’s five-year financial forecast: Employees
agreed to salary freezes and benefit concessions; Retirees were replaced with lower salaried employees; An increase in
state funding; and, several one time events such as the Medicare settlement, tax appeal settlements, and Tax Increment
Finance (TIF) revenue. “The improved forecast allows the district to improve services,” said West Clermont Superintendent Keith Kline.
According to Kline, the district will phase in educational programming. “It’s important that we remain conservative and
responsible with our resources,” said Kline. “We need time to carefully analyze initiatives that will have a high impact on
learning. Some of those will take significant planning and prep time to be ready for the start of school this fall,” he added.
“Designing curriculum, staffing, facility usage, necessary equipment, and staff training are critical elements of increasing
or changing services to meet the needs of our students and community.”
Phase One initiatives to be implemented in 2015 -16 include summer school, services for gifted students, one additional
Arts team at the elementary level, the addition of a technology teacher to each elementary “Arts Team,” and additional
transportation services.
According to Kline, summer school is a cost neutral program that will satisfy the need for credit recovery opportunities for
students in grades nine through 12. Summer school also provides an opportunity for students in grades eight through 12
to fulfill the required high school physical education credit outside of the regular school day. Additional cost $ - 0.
Schools in Ohio are required to identify gifted students. Two Gifted Intervention Specialists will be hired to facilitate a
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, (S.T.E.M.) Center. Though the Center will be housed at Glen Este High
School, services will be provided to third through fifth grade students from all over the district, who are identified as gifted. Students will be transported from their elementary school, on a rotating basis, for enhanced educational opportunities. “We also plan to use the S.T.E.M. Center as a professional development resource for all elementary school teachers,” Kline commented. “Such a resource will benefit all of the elementary students in West Clermont,” he said. Additional
cost - $100 thousand.
Currently, the district offers Art, Music, and Physical Education to elementary students on a limited basis. The addition of
another “Arts Team” will increase services for every elementary student in West Clermont. As a result of parent input, the
district will address the need for 21st century skill development and digital citizenship, by adding one technology teacher
to each “Arts Team.” Next year, elementary students will not only experience Art, Music and Physical Education, but also
technology classes. Additional cost $332 thousand.
Transportation service is back on the table. An additional $1 million allows the district to bring back full transportation for
students in grades Kindergarten through eighth grade. Students in grades nine through 12 will be offered the opportunity
to Pay-to-Ride for a nominal fee. The district’s current transportation provider, (Petermann) will offer both services, which
will start in the fall of 2015. According to Kline, Petermann needs six months of lead-time to purchase buses, and hire
and train drivers.
The important Phase Two initiatives are scheduled for analysis after the state biennial budget is approved in
2015. “We cannot buy everything at once,” said Kline, “Employee compensation, all day-every day Kindergarten, and more community access to elementary buildings are on hold until we see what the new biennial
budget looks like in late spring.”
Here are a few frequently asked questions and answers. Please share.
Why are you returning K-8 busing and not doing so for high school students?
Great question. When we add back busing for students grades 9-12, it must be provided for both West Clermont students as well as all parochial students who live in the district. We estimate that would put 1,500 students on buses at a cost of $2.3 million over a year. While the district is making good strides fiscally, we simply cannot afford to spend that much to transport high school students at this time. While we would love to put
every student on a bus, it is not financially responsible for us to do so.
How many students will have transportation now that K-8 busing is coming back?
We have estimated that approximately 3,800 additional West Clermont and parochial students will have busing starting with the first day of school in August. The total cost for the return of K-8 service is approximately
$1 million.
What does the Pay-to-Ride for 9-12 graders look like?
We have been working with Petermann, our bus service, to provide a pay-to-ride service for high school students who are in need of transportation. Parents would work with Petermann to register their student in late
spring so that Petermann can schedule pickup spots and determine a final rate. We do expect the rate to be
somewhere around $3.00 a day. More information on this will be sent out by Petermann before this school
year ends.
- See more at: http://www.westcler.k12.oh.us/districtNewsArticle.aspx?artID=12109#sthash.wSd6RWqv.dpuf
Santa Breakfast 2014
Willowville Elementary
Walk-A-Thon Prize levels!
DANCE PARTY!
Cotton Candy Party
Movie/Popcorn
FOOT PRINTS
on the wall!
Hot Chocolate/P.J. Day
Skallywag Tag
Spin the Prize Wheel
LIMO RIDE