A Day of Learning

Although last week included a few unanticipated snow days and the delay of several long-awaited Valentine's Day parties, Saturday, February 17 was a day filled with learning.

The day began with the Read-a-Thon at Parmatown Mall, which featured story-telling by several student groups, teachers, principals, and celebrities such as Seven Hills Mayor Bentkowski. High school mascots mingled with the crowd, the Parma Council of PTAs ran a wonderful book exchange, and information tables were operated by many community organizations. 

A special thank you goes out to all of the students who helped to coordinate this year's event. Volunteering time on a weekend is most commendable and appreciated. 

The Science Olympiad at Cleveland State University was up next.  Each year, twenty-five fifth and sixth-grade students from our Able Learner Program participate in this regional competition.  Eleven of our elementary buildings were represented this year, and twelve students came home with awards.  More details are provided in the ALP section of this newsletter.  Congratulations to all of the participants and winners, and also to their families and teachers.

Finally, the first annual Cleveland Regional Invention Convention took place at the Great Lakes Science Center. 115 elementary and middle school students from Cuyahoga, Lorain and Medina counties participated.  Three students from Greenbriar Middle School were awarded the grand prize of a $2,500 scholarship, and many more of our students were winners as well.  Congratulations to all of the students who entered the competition, the winners, and to our own staff member Polly Bowman for receiving the 2007 Cleveland Teacher of Excellence award.

So ended an exciting day that made me proud of our district, and those who work so hard to make it a better place for our students. Thank you to everyone involved for making it happen.

ALP TOO middle school students have been actively participating in a variety of competitions this winter. They have competed in the Reader’s Digest Word Power Challenge, The Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl, The Power of the Pen Writing Competition, and the Invention Convention.

The Reader’s Digest Word Power Challenge is a reading and vocabulary test. Our school champions have completed a written test for the Ohio competition. Results will be available in March. Congratulations to our grade level winners!!

Shiloh Middle School – WINNER 7th grade – Sean Bathgate WINNER 8th grade – Alexandra Predota

Hillside Middle School - WINNER 7th grade – Grace Markulin WINNER 8th grade – Joe Kovacs

Greenbriar Middle School – WINNER 7th grade - Rebecca Weber WINNER 8th grade - Brian Klosek

The Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl is a competition of general knowledge completed by teams of students working together on a computer. Shiloh Middle School's 7th graders took 4th place and 8th graders finished 16th, while Greenbriar Middle School 7th graders took 5th place and 8th graders finished 19th.

Thank you to all who participated!

Congratulations to the following students who participated in the Science Olympiad held at Cleveland State University on Saturday, February 17:

Lindsay Bailey, Sarah Carney, Andrea Ellison, Jeff Hlutke, Juli Holbert, Elias Kahwaji, Arlene Kostyack, Kristen Montalvo, Michael Nock, Becky Pasela, Thomas Potoma, and Avisi Shinde. 

These twelve students earned medals in seven different events; five are fifth-graders and seven are sixth-graders.  All events were team events with students working in groups of two, three or four.

Family Night at Greenbriar

Academic Services is proud to sponsor a Family Night of learning at Greenbriar Middle School on Tuesday, February 27 from 4:30-6:30 p.m.  The program will feature strategies for improved learning in the areas of math, science and reading.  Join us for a night filled with fun, prizes, activities and a raffle!

If you are interested in attending and have not filled out an attendance form, please contact Judi Slack of Dentzler Elementary at 885-2430 for more details.

The Mission Statement of the Parma ABLE program is to provide quality educational programming for adults as they strive to reach their goals in their roles as learners, family members, citizens, and workers. The Adult Basic and Literacy Education Program (ABLE) offers classes in:

ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)

GED Test Preparation

Citizenship Test Preparation

ABE (Adult Basic Education)

Adults are invited to attend ABLE classes free of charge since the program is grant-funded.

Classes are held at different times and locations in the area including:

Parma South Library, Parma Snow Library, Parma Heights Library, Brooklyn Library, Tri-C Western Campus, Divinity Lutheran Church, and Valley Forge High School.

Orientation/Registration sessions are mandatory for students before they begin attending class. These Orientation/Registration sessions are usually offered at the beginning of each month at each site. Please call 440-887-4877 for additional information. or visit our website at www.parmacityschools.org/able.

Please be careful!

We would like to remind everyone to use caution when walking or driving around our buildings during inclement weather.  Winter conditions are often unpredictable and ever-changing, so please be mindful of the safety of our students, staff and community members as well as your own.

Statewide Ballot Initiative

Dr. Zatik informed Cabinet that she would like Mr. Jim Betts from the Alliance for Adequate School Funding to come to our district to discuss the latest issues concerning school funding and the ballot initiative.   Education advocates will be gathering support across the state as this will be a district-by-district campaign relying on teachers, parents and school administrators to begin the drive for a new amendment.

“STARS OF TEACHING” award

Dr. Dinklocker distributed information on “American Stars of Teaching Award.” Nominations are now being accepted for this award, recognizing exemplary teachers who raise student achievement, use innovative classroom strategies and make a difference in their students’ lives. One teacher will be chosen from each state. Nominations must be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education by March 31. The online nomination form and more information about the Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative are available at www.ed.gov/teacherinitiative. American Star recipients will be announced in the fall of 2007.

Congratulations!

On January 18, several students from the Visual Communications class at Valley Forge were recognized at the 29th annual Graphic Arts Council Awards celebration.  This event affords students the opportunity to display their skills and achievements.

The following students were honored: Tim Awalludin, Josie Bollam, Marc Lechlitner, Carrie Nunnery, and Dan Palmentera.

Congratulations to these students and their instructors, Kim Weber and Becky Wunderle!

The Parma City Schools has sponsored tuition-based childcare programs since 1983.  We care for children of working parents before school from 7:00 - 9:00 AM and after school until 6:00 PM in all elementary buildings.  We have three sites offering daily Kindergarten care from 11:45 AM - 6:00 PM.  We also provide care for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM in our Day Care Center housed in Normandy High School.

Our programs are licensed by the Ohio Department of Education and staffed by trained childcare providers.  Each program offers a variety of activities to support the healthy development of young children in an out-of-school environment. 

For additional information and tuition rates, please visit our websites:

http://www.parmacityschools.org/daycare

http://www.parmacityschools.org/edc

Read-a-Thon

C/B/S, the Community Business Schools partnership, was proud to present the eighth annual Read-a-Thon at Parmatown Mall on February 17. As always, the event featured readings by students, teachers and area civic leaders as well as costumed characters, magic by our own Rich Weeber of DIS, and several community information tables.

Thank you to the Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma Hospital, the VFW Post 7609 of Seven Hills, the Parma-Parma Heights Kiwanis Club, Parmatown Mall and everyone else who helped make this event so successful.

Invention Convention

February 17 marked the debut of the Cleveland Regional Invention Convention.  Judging took place at the Great Lakes Science Center and our district made a fine showing with 53 students receiving awards.

Justin Bacon (8th), Amy Butterfield (8th), and Brittany Hertalendy (8th) won the Grand Prize, a $2,500.00 college scholarship.  Justin Molnar (8th) was the grade level winner for the 7th/8th grade division and won a $500.00 scholarship.  Casey Heym (8th) won the Director's Choice Award for a $500.00 scholarship.

The following 49 students received $50.00 savings bonds:

Shiloh Middle School IC 2007     $50.00 Savings Bond winners

Joe                      Banker                 The Tangler Eliminator

Torie                    Mason                 The Spike Kepper

Amanda                Klemm                  Klemm Tool Tether

Jelena                  Lancar                  Pill Buddy

Selena                 Vlajic                    Pill Buddy

Sean                   Drown                   E.Z. Band

Becca                  Bastic                   E.Z. Band

April                    Miller                     E-Z Haul Tarp System

Hillside Middle School 2007     $50.00 Savings Bond winners

Mike                      Straky                The Desuffocater

Jared                     Petro                  The Hang Slider

Thomas                  Manco                The Xtreme Street Board

Cody                     Madar                  The Pucket

Shawn                   Jacklitch              Remote Never Lose

Casey                    Heym                  The Blind Guide

Kyle                       Karcher               The Pencillator 2000

Michael                  Morrow                The Pencillator 2000

Joe                        Kovacs                The Pencillator 2000

Samantha               Nousek                 De-Icing Scrapper

Bethany                 Bryant                  De-Icing Scrapper

Greenbriar Middle School Invention Convention 2007       $50.00 Savings Bond winners

Alaina                     Redlin                  Perfect Paws

Alex                       Haffner                Perfect Paws

Amira                     Julien                   Remote Finder

Lesya                     Konets                 Remote Control Finder

Nina                       Kunish                 Kunish Koat Warmer

Gloria                     Bazilevich             Off the Floor Doggy Dishes

Radu                      Spinant                Magnetic Motor

Frank                     Hendershot           The Book Divider

Christopher             Ross                    The Pick Pocket

Katelyn                  Petronick              Painless Fashion

Ryan                     Kniola                   Wire Organizer

Vito                      Colombo                The Bulb Rite Pliers

Kevin                     Hanna                  Rinsebrush

Mark                     Torres                   Rinsebrush

Neil                       Kyser                   Rinsebrush

Shazeb                  Khan                    Quite Tap

Andrew                  Steingass             Quite Tap

Taylor                    Lajko                   The Scarf-A-Sage 3001

Dana                      Ironwing              The Scarf-A-Sage 3001

Crystal                   Hrabak                 The Scarf-A-Sage 3001      

Adam                     Wirkus                 The Winter Sleeve

Erik                        Mild                     Winter Sleeve Tissue

Shane                    Page                    Winter Sleeve Tissue

Pavandeep              Singh                   De-Ice Scraper

Inna                      Tira                      The De-Ice Scraper

Christina                 Sparks                  The De-Ice Scraper

Brittani                   Daughtery             Business Card Organizer

Megan                    Stang                  Business Card Organizer

Jessica                   Fitch                    Mag-Nail Holder

Giorgiana                Lascu                   Mag-Nail Holder                                                 

Power of the Pen

The district was proud to host the 2007 Northeast Ohio District Power of the Pen competition at Shiloh Middle School on January 20.  Once again this year, the event was sponsored by General Motors of Parma.

The next phase of the competition, the regional tournament, will take place at Wiley Middle School on Saturday, March 10th.

Members of the Greenbriar seventh grade team were: Kim Tretiakow, Megan Beradinis, Savanna Roldan, Alexandra Costanzo, Celina Sarkes, and Rebecka Weber.

Members of the Greenbriar eighth grade team were: Abbey Kish, Katelyn Petronick, Emily Rossborough, Jessica Fitch, Neil Kyser, and Giorgianna Lasku.

Members of the seventh grade Hillside team were: Olivia Clark, Arianna Hester, Andrea Hofer, Neil Golias, Amanda Frederick and Jordan Strange.

Members of the Hillside eighth grade team were: Holly Belasco, Svetlana Knezevic, Nik Majerle, Becca O'Donnell, Joanna Kudla and Kyle Serenas.

The members of the seventh grade Shiloh team were: Margarita Guyduy, Melanie Missig, Sarah Nicklas, Breahna Phillips, Lynn Tancak, Adrienne Wheeler, Katie Wright, and Lauren Zollars.

Members of the eighth grade Shiloh team were: Steven Benz, Nettle Bowman, Christine Kindel, Jelena Loncar, Jennifer Maslach, April Miller, Erin Olds, and Alexandria Predota.

Names in boldface indicate students who are moving on to the regional competition.

Points of interest - The Shiloh eighth grade writing team placed fourth out of 17 schools. Alexandria Predota, 8th grader, placed tenth and Christine Kindel, 8th grader, placed twelfth--both out of 94 writers. Each received a medallion for their individual awards.

The Hillside seventh grade team was widely recognized.  Neil Golias received 15th place, Andrea Hofer took tenth place, Jordan Strange was eighth, Amanda Frederick placed fifth, and Olivia Clark received first place out of the 94 writers present. Olivia also received an award for being the Best of Round II writer. Overall, the Hillside seventh grade team was awarded first place.

Individual awards on the Hillside eighth grade team went to Svetlana Knezevic, who took fourth place, and Kyle Serenas who received second place. Svetlana also was also presented with an award as the Best of Round I writer.

Pierogi Dinner

The Back the Schools Committee will present this year's Pierogi Dinner fundraiser on Friday, March 9 from 3-7 p.m. at the Parma High School cafeteria.  Cost is $7 for a pierogi dinner with cole slaw and $4 for a pizza dinner.  All meals include applesauce, beverage and dessert.  Carry-out service is available as well as dine-in.

Entertainment will be provided throughout the dinner by the following groups:

The Parma High Jazz Band from 3:30-4 p.m., The Parma High String Ensemble from 4-4:30, the Normandy Jazz Band from 4:30-5, the Valley Forge Chamber Strings from 5-5:30, the Normandy String Ensemble from 5:30-6, the Parma High cast of "Aida" from 6-6:30, and the Hillside Jazz Band from 6:30-7 p.m.

Tickets are available at all school buildings and will be ADVANCE SALE ONLY.  No tickets will be sold at the door.

All proceeds support the students and programs of the Parma City School District.  We'll see you there!   

Meal-Trac! is here

In January 2007, the Parma City School District's Food Service Department began installing a new computerized system in the cafeterias. Installation is scheduled to be completed in August 2007. This new system is called a point-of-sale.

The basic description of a point-of-sale is a computerized replacement for a pre-existing cash register. This system uses innovative technology to provide the capability to more quickly process transactions, resulting in quicker meal payment, better tracking of items children eat and the accounting of all transactions.

The new point-of-sale, Meal TRAC!, will enable parents and students to pre-pay for cafeteria food purchases through the student’s designated food service account. Pre-paid accounts in the middle and high schools will save time spent in the cafeteria line, giving students more time to eat. Pre-paying students accounts will save parents, students and cafeteria staff time, and allow on-line payment. Parents will be able to view (only) their own child’s food purchases on line. Meal TRAC! will ensure greater confidentiality of student pay status, resulting in more students taking advantage of the school lunch program.

As always, our goal is to offer our children nutritious meals. With Meal-TRAC!, we will be able to continue to provide meals for children efficiently, accurately, and confidentially. The Food Service Department will continue to keep you informed as we proceed with the installation of Meal TRAC!

Reflections Contest

The Parma Council of PTAs would like to direct everyone to the February 22 edition of the Parma Sun Post for a look at some of our district's submissions for the annual Reflections contest. Thank you to Linda Kramer and her staff at the paper for publicizing this worthwhile program.

Kindergarten Registration

Kindergarten registration will take place at Parmatown Mall on March 21 and 22.  A site will be located across from Dick's Sporting Goods near Wal-Mart.  Open times are 7:30 a.m. - noon and 2-7 p.m. each day.

Children who are five years or older by September 30, 2007 are eligible to register for kindergarten for the 2007-08 school year.

Parents or guardians registering a child are required to provide the following documents:

- Child’s certified birth certificate, immunization record, and Social Security Card or number.

- In case of parental divorce, the parent with legal residential custody MUST bring a CERTIFIED COPY of court order awarding legal custody of the child.

- Proof of residency to mean:

- If the parent owns a home - a current utility bill

- If the parent rents in a large apartment complex, the lease and a current utility bill

- If the parent rents a private home or lives with someone, an owner/tenant form must be obtained from the Student Services Department, which must be filled out by the owner (who must provide proof of ownership) and the parent must also verify their residency with a utility bill, pay stub, or bank statement in their name.

If you are unable to attend these dates, please call 440-842-5300 for more information on registering your child for kindergarten.

When a school bus is on the road with you, do you know what the traffic laws are?

When a school bus is stopped on a roadway to pick up or drop off passengers, the following regulations apply to other drivers on the roadway:

1. When a school bus driver is preparing to stop the bus, he or she activities four amber lights - two on the front and two on the rear of the bus. These lights continue to flash until the bus is fully stopped. Other vehicles are not required to stop during this preliminary stage of the eight-light warning but should be prepared to stop as soon as the bus comes to a full stop. When the bus comes a complete stop, the amber lights stop flashing and four red lights - two in front and two in back - start flashing while the children enter or leave the bus. In addition, a stop arm with flashing red lights is automatically extended beneath the window on the left side of the bus.

2. If the bus is stopped on a street or road which has fewer than four lanes, all traffic approaching the bus from either direction must stop at least 10 feet from the front or rear of the bus and remain stopped until the bus begins to move or the bus driver signals motorists to proceed.

3. If the bus is stopped on a street or road which has four or more lanes, only if traffic proceeding in the same direction as the bus must stop.

School bus drivers believing a motorist has unlawfully passed the stopped bus will, if possible, report the license plate number to the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the area where the alleged violation occurred. The law enforcement agency will attempt to determine the identity of the driver, and if the identity is established, the reporting of the licence plate number by the school bus driver establishes probable cause upon which to issue a citation. Failure to establish the identity of the driver will result in the enforcement agency sending a warning letter to the registered owner stating that a motor vehicle registered to the owner was reported as having unlawfully passed a stopped school bus.

Notes from the treasurer's office

Insurance Benefits:

Please notify the Benefits Coordinator at X8777 if there are any changes or updates to your insurance benefits (such as adding a child or removing a child who is no longer eligible).

Accounting Deadlines:

Entering Requisitions: Auxiliary Services - March 30th

Other Grants - April 30th

All other requisitions (general fund, athletics, student activities, principal accounts) - June 6th

Building principals may alter the "other" requisitions date to an earlier date so that secretaries and high school treasurers have time to enter them by the deadline.

Student Activity Budgets for 2007-2008:

The Treasurer's Office will send an instruction memo to all building secretaries and high school treasurers. Deadline for submitting the Activity Fund Budget forms for the 2007-2008 school year will be May 11th.

Grants:

Any questions regarding grant deadlines and final expenditure reports, please contact Grants Coordinator at X8321.

Dag Hammarskjold has an ongoing goal of promoting school citizenship. To do this well, Dag students support a number of service projects and civic organization initiatives as representatives of the Parma City Schools, Dag Hammarskjold, and the community in general. Many of our fifth grade students took part in the recent Parma Elks essay contest. The theme was "Why I am Proud to be an American." Our school produced three winning essays at the local level. These students are Emily Bratz, Jacob Hajnosz, and Jennifer Latsko. Emily's essay was also selected to be submitted to the regional level for further consideration. Congratulations to all students that took part in this contest, and particularly to our three winners. Good luck to Emily at the next level!

Dentzler School planned many events for the month of February, including the following:

Accelerated Reader Reward Assembly – “The Dazzling Mills Family” provided a juggling and

unicycle performance for second through sixth graders who had achieved their AR goals for the

second grading period.

Our Community Business Schools (CBS) Partner Parma Hospital’s Elder Care Center

Visitation. Student Council decorated cookies and played games with residents at the center

as a community service project for Valentine’s Day.

Math Town – The Dentzler gymnasium is being transformed into a Math Town on three Fridays in February.  Students are visiting the following learning centers:  Football Stadium, Construction Site, Doctor’s Office, Post Office, Ice Cream Parlor and Airport.  The hands-on math activities at these learning centers included activities such as designing a club house (Construction Site), predicting students’ height with ice cream scoops (Ice Cream Parlor) and measuring the distance paper airplanes traveled on a runway (Airport).  Many parents and community members volunteered to help with this outstanding event which was planned by seven Dentzler teachers.

Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter – Our afternoon kindergarten and fifth grade classes will have

visit with one of the dogs from this shelter.  After the visit students will write letters and one will

be placed in the Adopt-A-Pet section of the Sun News’ Parma Post to encourage adoption of this

pet.

International Fair – This event is held for our ELL (English Language Learners) and Title I students in addition to all of our Dentzler students.  Dentzler School has the highest population of ELL students of all 15 elementary schools in the Parma City School District and our students’ ethnic diversity will be celebrated.

Green Valley Scientists

Each year, our fourth graders participate in a Science Fair. The Science Fair, under the leadership of our outstanding fourth grade science teacher, Mrs. Bridget Sizer, began in early December when informational packets were sent home. Students chose a topic found in the fourth grade State of Ohio Science Standards, which falls into the categories of physical, earth, or life sciences. Students wrote a project proposal and had it approved by Mrs. Sizer before the project was begun. Students developed hypotheses, conducted research and experiments, made a display board, and wrote a report. The report included the purpose, hypothesis, materials, procedures, results, and conclusions. Students were provided with a detailed rubric of how the reports would be graded as well as a second rubric on how the display boards would be graded.

On February 8th, Normandy High School's advanced science students judged the projects. Community celebrities such as Parma's Mayor Dean DePiero, Seven Hills' Mayor David Bentkowski, School Board President Mrs. Rosemary Gulick, and School Board Vice President Mrs. Karen Dendorfer visited the fair. In the afternoon of February 8th the rest of the Green Valley student body had the opportunity to visit the Science Fair with their teachers. On February 9th parents of the fourth graders were invited to the Science Fair. We had a wide range of projects this year in the following categories: Plant Life Cycles, Earth Systems: Weather Processes, Processes that Shape the Earth, Physical Changes, and Chemical Changes.

First, second, and third places were awarded in each category.

Plant Life Cycles - 1. Anthony Chmura, 2. Mekenzie Franks, 3. Yazan Odeh

Earth Systems/Weather Processes - 1. Kyle Smith, 2. Joshua Penko, 3. Madison Stacho

Processes That Shape the Earth - 1. Michelle Rock, 2. Marko Susak-Heil, 3. Kelsie Fisher

Physical Changes - 1. Logan Stacho, 2. Billy Szabo, 3. Petey Draganic

Chemical Changes - 1. Jason Morabito, 2. Peter Toth, 3. Nick Kafantaris

Green Valley students each year produce fabulous projects, this year was no exception. Congratulations to all of our fourth grade students for continuing the fine Green Valley tradition of a great Science Fair!