eagle update - Liberty
Transcription
eagle update - Liberty
December 2014 / January 2015 EAGLE UPDATE Where Eagles Learn To Soar Superintendent Office: 419-422-8526 Elementary Office: 419-422-9161 Middle School Office: 419-422-9166 High School Office: 419-424-5351 Superintendent’s Desk = $1,694,985.10) These are dollars saved by the families of our graduates. Of course this amount is most likely much higher due to our students attending various institutions with higher costs. Jim Kanable, Superintendent Couple this with the fact that ACT reports college attrition rates to be at 64.2% (2014 Study). This means that just over 1 in 3 students leave college prior to the start of their sophomore year. We did an internal study of the graduates of the classes of 2008 and 2009. The result of this study indicates that students who participated in these opportunities at Liberty-Benton not only returned to school for their sophomore year, but completed their degree. (100%) Many did so early. College Credit Plus Explained In the November Eagle update, I opened the discussion on College Credit Plus. This program has become the umbrella of all college offerings in high schools. It replaces PSEO, Dual Enrollment, and other forms of college credit programs offered during attendance in high school. This includes the courses taken at Liberty-Benton, Owens, University of Findlay, and Millstream. This program has allowed many of our students to leave high school and reduce the amount of time spent in college by a semester or more and saved many of our families’ money on college. At Liberty-Benton, we have coupled this with an end of year test called CLEP (College Level Examination Program). These tests are designed by The College Board and are similar to AP tests. Based on student scores, many colleges or universities grant college credit to our students as they enter. From 2008-2014 Liberty-Benton students have earned a total of 1,176 college credit hours. This is just one opportunity available for L-B students. Couple this with PSEO and Dual Enrollment and that number grows to 5,173 credits. Why is this significant? This chart shows the most recent cost comparison of college cost per credit hour today. These are the six most attended colleges or universities that our graduates attend. The calculations add up quickly to see the benefit of these opportunities. A seven-year study of L-B students shows that 713 students have earned the equivalent of 5,173 credits from the programs that currently exist. This equates to a low end value of $1,694,985 if you were to use the University of Toledo figure. (5,173 x $327.66 Liberty-Benton Local Schools 9190 County Road 9 Findlay, OH 45840 Published by Liberty-Benton Local Schools Sent to all district and open enrollment households These programs not only save student and parents’ money, but they also save time. It is easy to conclude these programs greatly benefit the students and families of Liberty-Benton. It adds a great value to the K-12 education they receive. We look forward to add the accomplishments of the class of 2015 to these numbers. Jim Kanable Go Eagles! LIBERTY BENTON EAGLES Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Findlay, Ohio Permit No. 378 Page 2 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 HS Principal Update First Semester Ends January 16th Brenda Frankart, Principal LB High School As I write this article, I absolutely cannot believe we are nearly halfway through this school year already! Wow! This year has been flying by. Our first semester will end on Friday, January 16th. Very soon we will be starting to think about scheduling for next year. Right now, our departments are working to review their course offerings, and we are involved in lots of meetings with area colleges about the new changes in Ohio to the dual enrollment college courses and the post-secondary options program. Stay tuned with more details to come later. We hope to offer some new courses and some new partnerships with Ohio colleges. Our student council will be conducting a bloodmobile here at the high school on January 12th, and our dance classes will be showcasing what they have learned for parents on January 13th during the first semester Parents’ Social Dance Night at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Parents of seniors heading off to college should plan to attend the upcoming Financial Aid Night taking place on January 21st at 6:30 p.m. here at the high school. Also, our musical cast and crew is busily preparing for their performances of “Cinderella.” Please mark your calendars for March 20th - 22nd to bring the family to one of these shows. It is sure to be a great evening! LBHS Football Cheerleaders Stephanie Miller, Varsity Coach LBHS Salvation Army Food Drive Once again, Z-Club and LBHS STRIDES groups worked together to complete the annual “Food Fight” to collect donated food items for the local Salvation Army. Z-Club members took shifts each morning checking in the donated food items in the office before school, sorting the items, and boxing them up for the big pick up day. The LBHS STRIDES groups participated in a friendly competition in keeping with the “Food Fight” tradition, and each day had designated food items worth competitive “STRIDES” points. Overall, LBHS met their school goal and collected over 2,000 pounds of food, and as a result, student council is coordinating the Winter Fun Day activities for December 19th. This year, Mrs. Teders’ STRIDES group collected the most items, and Mr. Quisno’s group came in second. Mrs. Teders’ STRIDES group received a pizza party from the Salvation Army for their efforts, and Mr. Quisno’s STRIDES group received ice cream treats from Z-Club. We were all happy to make a positive difference for our local community! Well done! State-sponsored Resources Check out these resources available to teachers, parents and students: Career Connections offer practical ways for teachers and school counselors, families and community members to show students, as early as in kindergarten, the types of jobs possible for them. Visit education. ohio.gov/Topics/Career-Tech/Career-Connections to learn more. The LBHS Cheerleaders had an outstanding football team to cheer on this season! We cheered them on the whole way to regional finals! Coach Miller would personally like to thank her team for their hard work, enthusiasm and unity this fall…what an amazing group of girls to coach! OhioMeansJobs.com allows students to learn more about their career interests and in-demand jobs, build résumés, search for college and training programs, create a budget based on future expenses, and develop meaningful academic and career plans for high school and beyond.www. ohiomeansjobs.com. Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR Liberty-Benton High School Staff Member of the Month November: Mr. Richard LaFontaine Mr. Richard LaFontaine earned his undergraduate degree in English Education from Bowling Green State University and his master’s degree in Educational Technology from Marygrove College. He is currently in his 15th year of teaching at Liberty-Benton High School, and he is a 1982 graduate of LibertyBenton High School. Before coming to teach at LBHS, Mr. LaFontaine taught for four years at Tiffin Calvert. Rich is married to his wife, Dorothy, who taught for 13 years in Fostoria. Their oldest son, Matthew, is part of Project Search at the University of Findlay. Ethan is a junior at LBHS, Jessica is a freshman at LBHS, and Isaac is a fifthgrader at Van Buren Elementary. The thing that Rich enjoys most about teaching is being able to interact with students as they enhance their communication and analytical skills. Page 3 HS Guidance Update February 26 - College Credit Info Meeting Tracie Herr, Counselor LB High School High School Webpage: The High School Guidance page is now updated and a part of the new school webpage. This is a great way to stay informed, especially as new scholarships become available. As always, please do not hesitate to give me a call if you have any questions or concerns. Financial Aid Night: Senior parents, please mark your calendar for January 21 @6:30pm in the cafetorium for our annual Financial Aid Night. Lawrence Matthews will be presenting information to help navigate the financial aid process. Mr. Matthews has spent the last 21 years as director of financial aid at Bluffton University and is a leader in the Ohio Association of Student Financial Aid Directors. College Credit-Plus Parent Meeting: There have been state level changes Richard LaFontaine He is looking forward to vacationing in Georgia and spending time with his family. He also tries to squeeze in time for watching Ohio State basketball and football. Go, Bucks! made to the Post-Secondary Education Options and Dual Enrollment programs. If your son or daughter is planning on taking college courses either here at LBHS, online, or on a local college campus next year, mark your calendars for Thursday, February 26 @ 6:30 pm. Colleges and universities who have partnered with Liberty-Benton have been invited to attend, giving you and your child an opportunity to not only hear about the rules and regulation of the program, but also a chance to receive information directly from the colleges. If there is a conflict that you cannot attend, please contact Mrs. Herr at the high school to make other arrangements. Spanish Students of the Quarter 1 2 3 1) Spanish 1 Top Students : Abigail Heldman, Conner Johannigman, Jessica LaFontaine, Asa Baird, Olivia Christiansen and Conor Greer. 2) Spanish 2 Top Students: AJ Dobbins, Gabby Lyon, Maria Streacker, Lydia Mattingly, Lindsey Bishop, Jenny Fleck, Amanda Puthoff and Amaya Mars (not pictured) 3) Spanish 3 Top Students: Jeb Bishop, Andi Garver, Sydni Colchagoff and Remmington Rosenburger. Page 4 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 LB Baseball Players Sign NLOI LB Senior Baseball Players, Alex Harter and Caleb Russell, both signed their National Letter of Intent to continue playing baseball at the collegiate level. Alex, a two-time 1st Team BVC Pitcher, will continue his education at the University of Findlay. Caleb, a 2014 1st Team BVC 1st Basemen, will continue his education at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Caleb Russell Alex Harter Millstream Sophomore Visit The class of 2017 visited Millstream Career and Technical Center on Tuesday, December 9. Each student had the opportunity explore two of the 17 offered programs. There will also be an open house at Millstream on Sunday, January 11 at 1:00 for parents to visit the program their student considering pursing. If your sophomore has found a program they are wishing to attend for their junior and senior year, they need to complete Millstream’s online application and let Mrs. Herr know so a transcript may be sent. Below: LB students observing Auto Tech, Early Childhood, Culinary Arts & Cosmetology. Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR Liberty-Benton High School Students of the Month of November Senior K.C. Stower is active in student council, Stower Z-Club, National Honor Society, quiz bowl, tech crew for the musical, and is a STRIDES leader. She enjoys reading, sleeping (but not in class), watching tv and movies, and playing with cats and dogs. Her favorite class is college writing, and she is looking forward to traveling the world. Her personal goal is to just be happy. K.C. is the daughter of Carol and Craig Stower. Junior Derek Gupta enjoys reading, running, Gupta attending Gateway Bible Study, and listening to music, and his favorite class is CAD. Derek is involved in cross country, track, indoor track, musical (for the first time), Hancock Youth Leadership, National Honor Society, FCA, LB Bible Study, and serves as class treasurer. He is looking forward to outdoor track meets and his musical performance. His personal goals are to improve his 1600 meter record in track and maintain a 4.0 grade point average. Derek is the son of Ajay and Danette Gupta. Sophomore Sydney Brown loves to read, and her Brown Christiansen J. LaFontaine favorite class is math. She is involved in indoor and outdoor track and serves as sophomore class vice president. She is looking forward to a successful future, and her personal goal is to be a four-year varsity letterman in track. Sydney is the daughter of Jim and Julie Brown. Freshman Olivia Christiansen is active in soccer, choir, Fermata the Blue, student council, and basketball, and she enjoys all of her classes. She also enjoys volunteering for The Arts Partnership, attending St. Michael’s youth group, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family. She is looking forward to continuing to learn and grow as a high school student, and her personal goal is to have a successful high school career. Olivia is the daughter of Brian and Andrea Christiansen. Eagle Update Feedback If you have feedback for this Eagle Update Newsletter, we’d love to hear it. Please email us at Eagle. Update@lb.noacsc.org. Page 5 “Fruits of Learning” Your Skills Could Help Our FFA Schelby Beach: Liberty-Benton FFA Chapter Reporter The FFA tradition, if you will, has always been the selling of fruit and various nuts. Each year we congratulate our top five sellers at our FFA Banquet in May. These top five winners receive a dollar amount to be used in the FFA Shop Online Catalog to pick out their own prizes. Our top five sellers for our 2014 Fruit Sales are: • Jade Sterling • Rachel Wehil • Hannah Holley • Kacey Durliat • Mason Greer In addition to those awards, Kacey and Hannah have earned personalized FFA Jackets for selling over 30 boxes of fruit. This year, our FFA Chapter decided to add OldeMan Granola to our fundraiser. This is a local business that makes granola offering six different flavors including two gluten-free flavors. The money we benefit from these fundraisers goes into the FFA Chapter account to help provide money for educational items. It also provides money for the CDE contests such as: general livestock judging, wildlife, equine, dairy, rural and urban soil judging, and tractor trouble shooting contests, in addition to scholarships to National and State Conventions and FFA Camp. The kids of the Liberty-Benton Chapter want to thank all of our customers and we hope you continue to purchase from our Chapter’s fruit fundraiser. It is contest time, (as always), and the Liberty Benton FFA would like to extend an invitation to anyone with expertise in any of the FFA contest areas to please volunteer as a coach. So, if you have great skills in Ag Mechanics, Tractor Troubleshooting, Dairy Foods, General Livestock, Small Engines, Equine, Natural Resources, Poultry, Dairy Cattle, or Agronomy and think that you could translate your skills to high school students, please contact the ag program at jblakley@liberty-benton.org or call the high school and leave a message so that we can set up some practice times for the contests. Page 6 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR LB Fairs Well In Fall Sports The Liberty-Benton Athletic Department would like to congratulate all of our Fall teams on their successful seasons. Thank you to all of our student-athletes and coaches for your hard work and effort this season. We are extremely proud of the product our coaches and athletes put together to share with our fans at all of our athletic contests. We want to take this time to recognize our coaches and athletes that received special recognition for their performances this Fall. As you can see from the list, we had a large group of athletes excel in their sport and also in the classroom. The Outstanding Performer, Most Improved, and Coaches Awards are the main 3 awards that all of our athletic programs give out at their awards nights. These award winners are picked by their respective coaching staff. The All-League and All-State awards are voted on by the media and/or league coaches. We hope to see our Eagle fans this winter as our new seasons begin. Please visit our athletic website for updated schedules. GO EAGLES! League Champions Boys Cross Country Boys Golf Football Girls Cross Country Girls Soccer BVC Coaches of the Year JoAnne Heaster - Cross Country Steve Williman - Golf BVC Players of the Year Alec Rhodes - Football Grant Kinsinger - Football Meghan Bartel - Cross Country Ty Gleason - Cross Country All State Alec Rhodes - 2nd Team Football Austin Combs - 2nd Team Football Justin Iott - 1st Team Football Sophie Norden - 2nd Team Soccer 1st Team All League Adam August - Golf Alec Rhodes - Football Austin Combs - Football B.J. Lawson - Football Carrigan Gray - Volleyball Devony Miller - Cross Country Eli Norden - Soccer Grant Kinsinger - Football Jaret Kern - Cross Country Justin Iott - Football Lindsay Bishop - Cross Country Logan Whitaker - Soccer McKenna Dire - Soccer Meghan Bartel - Cross Country Sophie Norden - Soccer Taylor Thomas - Cross Country Ty Gleason - Cross Country Ty Waltz - Soccer Tyler Vorst - Cross Country Outstanding Performer Adam August - Golf Austin Combs - Football Carrigan Gray - Volleyball Eli Norden - Soccer Genna Zachrich - Cheerleading McKenna Dire - Soccer Meghan Bartel - Cross Country Ty Gleason - Cross Country 2nd Team All League Allan Hartley - Football Andi Garver - Cross Country Austin Combs - Football Chase Conkle - Football Derek Gupta - Cross Country Griffin Rath - Soccer Griffin Rath - Football Jackson Logsdon - Golf Jensen Hiegel - Soccer Lauren Kotey - Volleyball Leah Recker - Soccer Nathan Craft - Football Remington Rosenberger - Cr. Country Tyson Neiling - Golf 3rd Team All League Allan Hartley - Football Alyson Hughes - Volleyball Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 Senior All Academic Winners Adam August - Golf Alexis Shoffstall - Soccer Ashleigh Carpenter - Volleyball Ashley Frankart - Cross Country Chase Conkle - Football Colbi Colchagoff - Soccer Devony Miller - Cross Country Griffin Rath - Football Griffin Rath - Soccer Jacob Rozelle - Football Jake Bixler - Soccer Kiera Robinson - Golf Lauren Marshall - Soccer Logan Whitaker - Soccer Madi Greiner - Cross Country Nick Streacker - Golf Olivia Newman - Volleyball Tara Roeder - Cross Country Ty Gleason - Cross Country Most Improved Allie Hunter - Cross Country Alyson Hughes - Volleyball Ashlee Eley - Cheerleading Jacob Schimmoeller - Football Jake Bixler - Soccer Kaiden Robinson - Golf Lily Johnson - Soccer Remington Rosenberger - Cr. Country Coaches Award B.J. Lawson - Football Colbi Colchagoff - Soccer Derek Gupta - Cross Country Devony Miller - Cross Country Logan Whitaker - Soccer Molly Pickett - Cheerleading Nick Streacker - Golf Olivia Newman - Volleyball Quiz: Who’s Who....Name these teachers! Answers Left to Right: Laurie Collier, 7th Grade Reading; Tony England, 8th Grade Social Studies/ AD; Brittany Haas, Third Grade; Mary Jo McFarlane, Music; Lance Stevens, CAD/ Comp/Art; Kelley Foltz, History. Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR MS Principal Update Testing...Testing...1, 2, 3.... Bruce Otley, Principal LB Middle School If there has been one prevalent theme in public education over the last 5 years, that theme is change. The middle school staff has been working very hard to prepare your students for success over the last two years in transitioning to the new Ohio standards for education and in preparation for the Common Core. This spring, the Ohio Achievement Assessment, which measured student achievement against the Ohio Teaching Standards adopted in 2003, is being replaced by two distinctly different assessments. These assessments have been developed by the Partnership for Assessment for Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and will be more rigorous than the old OAA. The first is the Performance Based Assessment or PBA and the second is the End of Year Exam or EOY. These tests together are commonly referred to PARCC assessments. Below is some information from the PARCC website about each test. What are the components of the PARCC assessment system? Performance-based assessments (PBA) in ELA/literacy and mathematics. All students will take this summative test toward the end of the school year to show what they know. In ELA/literacy, this will involve analyzing literature and a narrative writing task. Students will read texts and write several pieces to demonstrate they can read and understand sufficiently complex texts independently; write effectively when using and analyzing sources; and build and communicate knowledge by integrating, comparing and synthesizing ideas. In math, students will be asked to solve problems involving the key knowledge and skills for their grade level, express mathematical reasoning and construct a mathematical argument, and apply concepts to solve model real-world problems. Page 7 Nat Geo Geography Bee Andrew Grimm is 4X Champion Students in grades 4-8 competed in the National Geographic Geography Bee. A written qualifying test was given on November 20. The top 27 students went on to compete in round one held on December 4, and the top 10 went on to compete in round 2 on December 12. Congratulations to Andrew Grimm is our National Geographic Geography Bee Champion. Andrew has been competing in the bee since he was in fourth grade and has been our champion since grade 4 each year. Round 1 Participants Andrew Grimm, Brayden Todd, Luke Sunderman, Ryan Bell, Lauren Guo, Chloe Heidlebaugh , Cameron Criblez, Lincoln Ebert, RJ Coldron, Claire Kreischer, Jackson Smith, Jason Alford, Luke Broerman, Gina DeMarsh, Michael Kotey, Chase Collert, Iain Osborne, Luke McDonald, Chloe Kern, Ally Micheal, Joe Gerken, Kevin Rickle, Riley Irwin, Laura Reed, Aly Carpenter, Jessica Tremains, Greg Musselman. Round 2 Top 10 Participants Aly Carpenter, Andrew Grimm, Brayden Todd, Gina DeMarsh, Kevin Rickle, Luke Broerman, Luke Sunderman, Claire Kreischer, Cameron Criblez, Chloe Heidelbaugh. End-of-year assessments (EOY) in ELA/literacy and math. All students will take this at the end of the school year. The results will be combined with the performance-based assessment to produce a student’s summative assessment score. For the end of-year assessment, students will demonstrate their acquired skills and knowledge by answering computer-based, machine-scorable questions. Below are the dates that LBMS students will be taking the PBA and the EOY. Please make sure your student is in attendance for these important assessments. • PBA Grades 6-8 ELA and Math Week of February 23 • PBA Grade 6 Social Studies March 5 • PBA Grade 8 Science March 5 • EOY Grades 6-8 ELA and Math Week of April 20 • EOY Grade 6 Social Studies May 7 • EOY Grade 8 Science May Left to right: Four time champion Andrew Grimm, runner up Luke Sunderman, and third place Gina Demarsh. “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” - Mark Twain Page 8 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 LB Middle School Holiday Concert: The middle school annual band and choir concert was held on December 16. The event was well attended, with an estimated attendance of over 1,000 people. Students in all three grade levels performed various Christmas and holiday music and got us all in the holiday mood. Students Learn to Write Code LBMS Students Make Their Own Video Games Students in Mrs. Stanton’s iPad 6 and iPad 7 class learned how to write computer programs to create their own video games as a part of the iPad 6 and iPad 7 class. On December 18, both classes held a “Code and Cookies” day to showcase their games, and other creations. Sixth and seventh grade teachers, Mr. Otley, and Mrs. Pickett were invited to try out the games and view the animations that students created. The students did an outstanding 1 job designing, creating, and 2 presenting their games on their iPads. 3 4 5 1) Jayde Bailey and Sophia Aschmeier display their work. 2) Mrs. Stanton conferences with Dalton Holley and Mia Siferd; 3) Alexis Rickenbacher and Kadan Ebert showcase the programming screen for a game. 4 & 5) Students in grade 6 and grade 7 Ipad class display their certificates of achievement. Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR LBMS Upcoming Dates Visit liberty-benton.org for a complete list of all LB related activities. January 8 January 16 January 19 January 23 January 29 School Wide Spelling Bee 1:30 p.m. Scoliosis Screening Grades 6 & 7 End of the Second 9 Weeks No School—MLK Day Grade Cards Mailed Home 2 Hour Delay Day Page 9 MS Staff Ugly Sweater Contest The faculty at LSMS had some holiday fun with an “ugly sweater contest” on December 8 at our staff breakfast. Both the students and faculty had a chance to vote for their favorite “ugly sweater”. Staff Vote Winners: Winner: Ray Wolfe---Texas Roadhouse gift certificate Second Place: Jill Harmon—Delicious homemade cheesecake baked by Tony England Third Place: Mary Garcia—Cold Stone gift certificate Student Vote Winner: Mary Garcia-- Delicious homemade cheesecake baked by Tony England, and awesome elf trophy. Flu Prevention In-State College Tuition Prices The flu is a virus that is spread by droplets through coughing, sneezing, sharing personal items and by contamination of one’s own hands. It is contagious within the first few days of illness. Some symptoms include: Below is a sample of the cost of one year, in-state tuition for some Ohio universities for the 2013/2014 school year. To view the full list: http://www.collegecalc.org/lists/ohio/most-affordable-in-state-tuition. • Rapid onset of fever, Headaches, Muscle Aches, Fatigue, Cough 1. Remind your student to wash their hands frequently, especially before eating. This is probably the single most important thing you can do to help prevent the spread of the flu and other viruses. 2. Remind your student to cover their mouth/nose when sneezing and to use tissues. 3. If your student is running a fever, please keep them at home. Treating the flu: The best way to treat children who have the flu is to make sure they have plenty of rest. It is also important that they have plenty of fluids. Youngstown State $7,670 Toledo$7,864 Bowling Green $9,096 Cincinnati$9,124 Ohio State Main Campus $9,168 Ohio University $10,446 Miami of Ohio $11,443 ITT Technical Institute $17,748 Tiffin University $20,700 University of Findlay $28,894 Ohio Northern $36,470 Page 10 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR Seventh Grade Greek Olympiad On November 21, students in grade seven participated in the culminating event of an interdisciplinary unit on Ancient Greece. As a part of the unit, students dressed the part of the fictitious “god” or “goddess” they created and participated by organized city state in a series of fun and educational Olympic games. Students worked collaboratively to create their own unique city state banners, 1 motto, and speeches. Motto’s banners and speeches were given during the lunch time feast in the gymnasium. A medals ceremony in the gym at the end of the day concluded the Olympiad, where bronze, silver and gold medals were received for the various competitions. 2 Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 Dale Lauck, Custodian Retires 20 Years of Dedicated Service Our long time middle and elementary custodian, Dale Lauck, will be retiring at the end of the month of December. For most of his career, Mr. Lauck worked as the middle school night custodian but his most recent position has been the day custodian for both the middle and elementary school. According the Miriam Webster Dictionary online, a custodian is one who is entrusted to watch over or take care of things. For the last 20 years, Mr. Lauck certainly took very good care of our facility and our faculty. Dale was known for always taking care of the little things to help our teachers and our kids. A retirement reception was held in the LibertyBenton Middle School cafeteria to celebrate Dale’s retirement on December 17. Congratulations Mr. Lauck! Thank you for your many years of dedicated service 1) Kaige Knight presents the speech for Sparta. 2) Micah Todd, God of Legos, won the Golden Goblet for Argos, and it magically filled with sour gummy worms all day! 3) The winning city-state of Athens; 4) Lexi Sutherland and Emma Otley are beautiful women of Corinth; 5) The toga winners were Max Curry, Jackson Smith, Amanda Tremains, Emma Otley, and Michael Kotey. 6) Megara marches to Olympic Fanfare. 4 3 5 6 Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR Page 11 Middle School Guidance News Stacy Pickett, Middle School Counselor As the middle school guidance counselor, I wear a lot of different hats throughout the year. One is that of a teacher teaching 6th Grade Study Skills. It is so enjoyable seeing the students take the skills they are taught and applying them to their academic lives. Two students of mine did an amazing job when asked to speak with Mrs. Shivers’ 5th grade Study Skills class. Those two students were Justin Madsen and Kyler Wright. They went to the different sections of her 5th grade classes and shared about their own personal experiences as to what they have learned in their Study Skills class that helps them succeed in school. Both boys encouraged the 5th graders to stay organized and focus hard on their academics. Wonderful job boys! Middle School Student Council Stacy Pickett, Advisor The middle school student council was very busy this holiday season. First off, in November they held their annual Salvation Army Food Drive. The middle school collected over 2,000 items for the families in our community. The homeroom that brought in the most items won a pizza party. That homeroom was Mr. Homburg’s 8th grade homeroom. Instead of taking the party for themselves, they donated their pizza to families that were being helped by the Salvation Army. Then in December, student council held their annual Peppermint Post Office and sold over 2,000 candy canes during lunch. The money raised was used to purchase Christmas gifts for six children from the Angel Tree at Walmart. All of the student council members would like to thank everyone in the middle school that helped make both of these projects a success. It’s wonderful how supportive Liberty Benton is in helping our community. Sixth graders, Justin Madsen and Kyler Wright, from Mrs. Pickett’s Study Skills class present to 5th Grade Study Skills class. 1) The Middle School Student Council brings in over 2,000 items for the Salvation Army Food Drive. 2) The Middle School Student Council sells candy canes to help make Christmas brighter for six children. 3) Twelve Middle School Student Council members shop at Walmart to purchase Christmas gifts for six children from the Angel Tree. 4) Mr. Homburg’s homeroom wins the food drive contest and donates their pizza party to families. 2 1 3 4 Page 12 Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR PTO Update Many Ways to Support the PTO Cherie Hocanson, PTO Vice President (volunteer) The Liberty-Benton PTO is working hard to help provide necessary funds for our students and teachers! Here are some ways you can help support the PTO on a regular basis: Shop PTO: Purchase gift cards at the Elementary School Office. You can purchase gift cards for your groceries, gas AND Christmas gifts. It is one-stop shopping and gives money directly back to LB! Market Day: Place your order each month at Marketday.com and a portion goes to LB PTO! Box Tops: Save your box tops, clip them and send them into school. Our goal this year is to raise $7,000 from Box Tops! Collect them from family, friends and neighbors! Eatery Nights: LB PTO Sponsors nights to eat out at several local restaurants. A portion of each sale goes back to PTO. Restaurants include Bob Evans, Beer Barrel, Stevie B’s and Texas Roadhouse. Liberty-Benton PTO Carnival All for FUN and FUN for all! Saturday, February 7th Great Scot Receipts: Save your Great Scot grocery receipts and turn in to the elementary office. Each time we collect $2,000 in total receipts, Great Scot donates a portion back to our school! Families enjoyed the free Breakfast with Santa at the school on December 13. Illness - General Guidelines for Returning to School 1. Child should be fever free for 24 hours. A child’s temperature is lowest in the morning, so a low temperature on awakening is not a true indicator. If you have given your child Tylenol or Motrin at night, the medication could still be affecting your child’s temperature. A child should be fever free without the assistance of medication for 24 hours before returning to school. 2. A child should be free of vomiting/diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to school. A child who has been ill during the night may feel slightly better in the morning and even ask to go to school. However, the child will likely experience Upcoming PTO Events: PTO Carnival is Saturday, February 7 from 11:00 - 3:00 p.m. symptoms of illness later, will also be tired from loss of sleep, and will still be contagious to other children. 3. A child with thick or constant nasal discharge should remain home. Very few younger children can effectively blow their noses and wash hands afterwards. A child with these symptoms will quickly spread the illness to other children. 4. A child diagnosed with strep throat/scarlet fever should remain home for the first 24 hours of antibiotic treatment. A child remains contagious until he/she has been on antibiotics for 24 hours. 5. A child diagnosed with conjunctivitis may attend school after 24 hours of treatment. There should also not be any drainage from the eyes. Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR ES Principal Update Important Test Dates - Mark Your Calendar Brian J. Burkett, Principal LB Elementary School Happy New Year! By the time you read this, we should be into a new year…2015. It is so hard to believe that the year is fast approaching the halfway mark. As busy as it has been in our first semester, I am confident our next semester is going to be packed with lots of activities, events, and programs. Here are a couple of the “bigger” events that you will want to mark your calendars for in advance: PTO Annual Carnival Right to Read Week Spring Break MORE Play The Adventures of Lewis & Clark Saturday, Feb. 7th 11:00a.m.-3:00 p.m. March 5th – March 13th March 30th – April 3rd April 14th 7:00 p.m. Of course, there are lots of other events and activities including skate nights, movie nights, PTO meetings, etc. that will be occurring each month, too. Please make sure to consult the calendar on our school website for a complete list of events each month. Testing has expanded this year to include the new State tests called the PARCC tests. This year, we will be in the process of switching to these tests while phasing out the Ohio Achievement Assessments (OAAs). Student attendance during these times is very essential to the success of our students and our school. It is important to remember that students will not be excused for vacation leave during testing periods. Below is a list of test dates based on this new format. I’m including these dates below to aide parents in their planning for the remainder of the school year. DATES Feb. 17-20 GRADES Grade 3 & 4 Feb. 23-27 Grade 5 Mar. 3 Mar. 16-20 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 5 Mar. 23-27 Apr. 20-22 Grade 3 & 4 Grade 3 & 4 Apr. 27-29 Grade 5 May 5 May 6 Grade 5 Grade 4 Mar. 4 TEST English Language Arts & Math Performance Based Assessments English Language Arts & Math Performance Based Assessments Social Studies Performance Based Assessment Science Performance Based Assessment Iowa Test of Basic Skills & CogAT Assessments Iowa Test of Basic Skills & CogAT Assessments English Language Arts and Math End of Year Assessments English Language Arts and Math End of Year Assessments Science End of Year Assessment Social Studies End of Year Assessment Page 13 Although this may appear to be a considerable amount of new testing occurring, it is only slightly more than previous years. The previous Ohio Achievement Assessments (OAAs) provided 2½ hour period of assessment time per content test. The new assessments (PARCC) include 50-60 minute periods of assessment per test completed. It therefore becomes more spread out with approximately a total of two to three hours of increased testing time over the sum total of all the tests between February and May. I would encourage you to explore the new test protocols and practice tests available on-line at www. parcconline.org . The new tests are designed to be administered digitally; however, we have elected (with State approval) to have all tests completed via paper and pencil for these new tests just this year to give us additional time to prepare for this new online testing format. If you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to contact either Mrs. Gazette, our school counselor, or myself at school at (419) 422-9161. My Parent Advisory Committee had its first meeting on Dec. 3rd with twentytwo parents present. On our agenda, we covered our literacy coach position, balanced literacy, our language arts textbook adoption process, and PARCC testing. It is not too late to join this on-going group. Our next meeting is scheduled for January 22nd at 7:00 p.m. in the Middle School Computer Lab (across from the Library). This next meeting’s agenda will focus heavily on the new State testing (PARCC). Although most meetings are designed to last one hour, this meeting will last approximately until 8:30 p.m. as I am providing guided experience for parents in the PARCC on-line assessments. If you are interested in attending, please send me an email at bburkett@liberty-benton. org. Our first half of the year has gone very well and I look forward to a busy, yet rewarding second half of the year. As always, a big thank you goes out to all our parents and members of our community for helping make our students and school experience the success that it does. Your support, time, and commitment in many ways makes a huge difference! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at school either by email or by calling the school office (419-4229161). Again, I sincerely wish everyone the best in the upcoming new year… hoping 2015 will be a year that is filled with much success and many wonderful memories for everyone!!! Take care! Reminder - Call the School! If your child is going to be absent or late arriving to school, please remember to call and let us know. Elementary: 419-422-9161 Middle School: 419-422-9166 High School: 419-424-5351 Page 14 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 Elementary Guidance Kids Care Club Give Blankets for Christmas Barbara Gazette, LB Elementary Guidance Counselor Kids Care Club: In December the Kids Care Club made blankets for Open Arms and Hope House and wrapped Christmas/Winter books in them to bring cheer during the holiday season. We will continue with this project and finish it up with some nice throws for elderly residents and local nursing homes. The students showed much talent and dedication with this project. Going forward, we plan on bringing back the very popular Pet Photo Contest to raise funds and supplies for Teddy’s Rescue. More details to follow. Individual Counseling Requests: I love working with the students in this manner and utilize this to help with current problems that can be rectified. It is used also to screen students for counseling through our community resources. Please call me if your student needs this service. Classroom Visits/Lunch Bunch Groups: These are both ongoing and Students in the Elementary Kids Care Club (KCC) make blankets with wrapped books inside for families at Open Arms and Hope House during December as one of their service learning projects. “Every artist was at first an amateur.” - Ralph W. Emerson help me to reach students on many levels. Please let me know if you have any questions about this part of counseling services. State/District Testing: We have our testing dates on our district calendar. 3rd-5th grades have many windows of state testing beginning in February. Please check for these dates. Requests for vacation days are subject to principal approval and limited during state testing. Any questions or concerns, please contact me at 419-422-9161 or bgazette@ lb.noacsc.org. Staff Team Players of the Month – December Tonya Gierke & Tami Karhoff In the elementary school, we typically recognize one staff member each month for being a “Team Player” in our building. This month, we had almost 40 different nominations come in from our staff. So, we are awarding two for this month. Our first “Team Player” for this month is Mrs. Tonya Gierke, 3rd grade teacher. She is often jumping in and helping not only her third grade team, but others in our school. This month, she also took an extra recess duty on a really cold day when we didn’t have a substitute for one of the aides that is normally out on duty. Congratulations and thanks for being such a team player, Mrs. Gierke! Tonya Gierke Tami Karhoff Our second “Team Player” for this month is Mrs. Tami Karhoff. She is an outstanding aide that provides our fifth grade team with instructional support with our special education inclusion classes. She was nominated for jumping in and helping put extra apps on iPads for IEP students. Another teacher also nominated her for always being willing to lend an ear, giving advice, and just helping in every way she can in the fifth grade. Congratulations and thank you for being a great team player, Mrs. Karhoff! As a team player of the month, Mrs. Gierke and Mrs. Karhoff will receive a complimentary pass for a free dinner at Texas Roadhouse and a movie at Carmike Cinemas. Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR Literacy Corner There’s an App for That! Page 15 Elementary Students of the Month Ronda Smith, Literacy Coach LB Elementary Technology is forever evolving around us. Students are engaged with interacting devices. It is amazing to watch students interact with Ipads or tablets. These devices can be utilized as a valuable teaching tool for children and it mobility means it can go anywhere a child does. Here are some top apps for elementary school learning. The following is a list of apps!! Math: 10 Frame Fill, Math Bingo, Coin Math, Math for Kids, What Day, Kids Clock, Nutty Numbers, Math Mix-up, Kids Mathlete, AB Arithmetic, MAD Math, Lobster Drive ABC/Easy: ABC Phonics, ABC Lite, 1-Letters, ABC Free, Dr. Kids Life, Phonics Spelling: Spelling Bee, Spelling Bug, Spelling Tree, Spelling Cat, Spelling Farm, Spelling Magic, Hangman (Hard), Letter Hunter, Spell and Fill, Spell It Rite2, Grade1 Words Back row: Jacob Elchert (Gr.3), Kameron Garlock (Gr.4), Xavier Bailey (Gr.5); Front row: Karissa Worstein (Gr. K), Reid Irwin (Gr. 1), Gabe Rader (Gr. 2) Sight Words: Fry Sight Words, Primer, Sight Words, Sight Touch, Sight Words Lite Handwriting: ABC Tracing, 123 Writing Alphabet Tracing, Handwriting Reading: Read Me Stories, Toy Story, StoryChimes, 3 Pigs 2, A Story B4 Bed, Time Reading, Stanza, Wolf ’s Story, Ocean Friends, Alice ABC, Story Kit, StoryRobe Music: ShelMovies, SingNSend, Grammar Jammers Primary, KidsSongs, Singing Fingers Science: Leafsnap, BrainPop, Google Earth, Learn Sharks, Stellarium, Cosmic, HubbleSite, NASA, SkyORB, Space HD, Space Images, DinoMatch, Animal Fun, Dinos, Planets, Moon, Weather Eye, Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs for Kids Social Studies: Stack the States Life, Trains, World History Maps, French for Kids, French for Kids, Kids Chinese, iTheaurus, Spanish LE, WordPower Lt, Translator, Dictionary Above, Miss Vaupel's 2nd grade class enjoys a "Pajama Day" for a little holiday fun! Baby - It’s COLD outside! The Student/Parent Handbook states that students will go outside for -Zig Ziglar recess when the temperature is above 20 degrees and the wind chill is above 15 degrees. Please dress your child accordingly. If your child needs a coat, gloves or hat, please let your teacher know. Page 16 LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS - WHERE EAGLES LEARN TO SOAR LB Volleyball Season Recap Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 Meet the Teacher: Mrs. Jennifer Stillings Coach Cristi Gray How long have you been a teacher? I am in my 15th year of teaching. Season 21-5 How long have you taught at LB? This is my first year. All BVC 1st Team – Carrigan Gray 2nd Team – Lauren Kotey 3rd Team – Alyson Hughes Honorable Mention – Olivia Newman and Brooke Hoehne All Academic – Olivia Newman, Ashleigh Carpenter All District: 1st Team – Carrigan Gray All Senior All-star Team – Alyson Hughes, Olivia Newman, Lauren Kotey All-Ohio: Carrigan Gray – Honorable Mention School Awards: Outstanding Performer- Carrigan Gray Coaches Award – Olivia Newman Most Improved – Alyson Hughes New School Records: Olivia Newman – Most Aces in a Season (66), Most Career Aces Carrigan Gray – Most Assists in a Season 650, Highest Setting % in a season 99.8% LB Boys Soccer Season Recap Coach Greg Norden NCOSA 1st Team: Eli Norden, Ty Waltz, Logan Whitaker 2nd Team: Griffin Rath Honorable Mention: Brendon Wolford NORTHWEST OHIO ALL-DISTRICT 1st Team: Eli Norden Honorable Mention: Ty Waltz, Logan Whitaker NWOSSCA (Northwest Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association) Academic Awards: Jake Bixler, Griffin Rath, Logan Whitaker NWOSSCA ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE TEAM AWARD Team GPA - 3.51 The 2014 LB boys soccer team advanced to district semi-finals. NCOSA Record - 4-2-1 Season Record 6-8-3. Degrees earned, from where and for what: I earned my bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Findlay, Master’s Degree in Mathematics 6-8 from Walden University, and my Teacher’s Specialist Degree in Teacher Leadership from Walden University. How old were you when you wanted to become a teacher? I was in 7th grade when I wanted to be a teacher. I had three amazing middle school teachers that inspired me to go into teaching. They showed the true definition of what a teacher represents. If I can be half of what they were to me then I can consider myself as an accomplished teacher. What do you teach (grade/subject): I am teaching 5th grade science and social studies. What’s on your current playlist? An assortment of many different styles, country, rock, r&b, hip-hop, Who’s your favorite actor/ess? Sandra Bolluck, Julia Roberts, Nicholas Cage, Mel Gibson Where did you grow up/go to school? Findlay, Findlay High School What is your favorite quote? Be better than your average… This is what I tell my students. No matter how good you are at something, you can always do better and be better. What are your hobbies: Watching my sons in their sporting events, running/ working out, and spending time with my family What do you love most about LB: The students and staff! I feel like I have been here for years the way that the community, staff, and students have accepted me and openly welcomed me. The support that I have received in my first few months here has been so appreciated. I am blessed to be at such an amazing district. Chat Acronyms Kids are always texting. Do you know what those acronyms mean? We checked out www.netlingo.com to learn some: IMHO - In My Humble Opinion TTYL - Talk To You Later -or- Type To You Later ISO - In Search Of ASL - Age/Sex/Location KPC - Keeping Parents Clueless MOS - Mom Over Shoulder PIR - Parent In Room LMIRL - Let’s Meet In Real Life