Stow Munroe Falls City School District A Word from the Superintendent

SMFHS Rated Nation's Best!

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:37:52 EST

Stow-Munroe Falls High School has been rated by US News and World Report as one of the nation's best!

According to the report, Stow-Munroe Falls High School ranks 72nd out of a total of 873 in Ohio. This ranking places the High School in approximately the top 8% within Ohio.

US News and World Report also reported high school ranking within the country. SMFHS ranks 1,428 in the USA out of a total of 22,000 high schools. This ranking places the High School in the top 6% in the country!

Congratulations to all! We are so proud of our district!

Stow-Munroe Falls High School 2012 Spring Sports and Academic Achievement

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:26:37 EST

Stow-Munroe Falls High School student athletes excel not only in sports but in academics. The Spring Sports 2012 Eligibility Report highlights the following:

25% of our students participating in a spring sport achieved a 4.0 GPA or better.
39% of our girls track participants have a 4.0 or better.
18% of our student body is participating in a spring sport.
3 students were ineligible for the Spring Athletic Season.

Out of a total of 342 participants, the average GPA is 3.38 with 86 students holding a 4.0 GPA or better.

For details regarding student participants per sport, click on the link below:

Click here to view the Stow-Munroe Falls High School Eligibility Report Spring Sports #2 - 2012 Report.

Advertising

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:31:48 EST

Local businesses can now advertise on our website as well as in the SMF district calendar. In addition to these media serving as great prospects for reaching a targeted audience, they are also great opportunities to support our school district. If interested in seeing your company's ad on our website, just send me an email and we'll get in contact with you.

Fishcreek Raccoon Run

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:58:18 EST

With Spring quickly approaching, now is a great time to get active outdoors and take advantage of the great weather we have been fortunate enough to have. Keeping kids and families moving is an important element of overall student wellness and healthy living.

This year, a community wide outdoor event will be hosted by our own SMF parents at Fishcreek Elementary School. The Fishcreek Raccoon 5K Run will maze throughout Stow on April 29, and all ages are encouraged to participate. The 3.1 mile course will begin at 8:00 a.m.at Heritage Barn and conclude an hour later. For more information, you can check it out at www.smfschools.org, click Schools then click Fishcreek. Whether you're an avid runner or planning your first 5K, the Fishcreek Raccoon Run is a great opportunity to get the whole family exercising together!

Community Corner

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:41:59 EST

We continue our efforts to make our district website a useful tool for parent information and current district news. If you haven't checked out www.smfschools.org lately, you might want to take a look - you'll see some new updates!

Our district quarterly newsletter, the Bulldog School Beat, is now online. You can find it under news and information. You'll find student profiles, school happenings and district-wide news.

We've also added a Community Corner section to the website homepage. From here, you can access current topics, submit a question to me directly, read my blog as well as that of local Mom Blogger, Anne White. Anne will address a variety of trending parent topics. In her blog posted this week, Anne offers tips for finding college scholarships.

Parent Information Night Scheduled for Upcoming Kindergarten Families for 2012-2013 School Year

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:54:14 EST

In preparation of the District's upcoming kindergarten class, Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools is hosting Parent Information Night for all six elementary buildings. Parents of new kindergarten students are invited to attend this welcoming event to enjoy an evening with the principal and kindergarten teachers. During the course of the evening, you will have the opportunity to ask questions and sign up for an appointment to register your child at the Board of Education office.

The following is the list of dates and times for each building:

Echo Hills Elementary Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Fishcreek Elementary Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Highland Elementary Thursday, March 1, 2012, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Indian Trail Elementary Thursday, March 8, 2012, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Riverview Elementary Thursday, March 8, 2012, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Woodland Elementary Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

For detailed information regarding kindergarten registration, please select the Parent and Enrollment tabs on this website. We look forward to meeting our new families and hope you will be able to attend Parent Information Night.

Kindergarten Registration for the 2012-2013 School Year

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:35:54 EST

The Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools are preparing to begin the registration process for the upcoming kindergarten class for the 2012-2013 school year. Principals and teachers, as well as myself, look forward to meeting our new families and greeting our returning families.

Our procedure for registration is designed to meet the needs of the parents. If your child will be five years old on or before August 1, 2012, you may register him/her for kindergarten. The district will host a series of Parent Information Nights to provide more specific and in-depth information. Registration details, sign up information, as well as a chance to meet the principal and teachers will be part of the evening at each elementary school.

Please watch our website for new and detailed information regarding kindergarten registration. This information can be found by selecting the Parent tab located above this blog, and then selecting the Enrollment tab.

A Sincere "Thank You"

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 08:58:46 EST

I wish to say a sincere "thank you" to the people of Stow and Munroe Falls for your support of our students, our school district and our community.

Your support of our request for additional funds for our district will allow us to maintain the Excellent level of academic achievement to which we all have become accustomed. I would like to thank the many, many volunteers who worked tirelessly in support of our district.

Again, thank you for your support. As always, we will focus on providing the best possible education we can deliver for every child who walks through our doors!

SMFCSD named a 2011-2012 Advanced Placement Honor Roll School by the College Board

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:56:33 EST

I am very proud to announce that our district has been honored to be named a 2011-2012 Advanced Placement Honor Roll School by the College Board! We are one of only 367 schools in the entire country to receive this outstanding distinction. The designation as an A.P. Honor Roll district is given to schools that make great progress in increasing the number of students who take A.P. exams while simultaneously increasing the percentage of students who score three (3) or higher on those exams. I am very proud of the hard work of our students, the dedication of our teachers and the leadership of our administrators in making this wonderful recognition possible! Please read the press release.

Please click here for College Board Press Release

Aviation and Forensics Chosen to Represent District at OSBA Achievement Fair!

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:06:00 EST

Congratulations to the students in our High School Aviation program and instructor Ed Borsuk, as well as our Forensic Science class taught by Carolyn Kurtz, for being selected to participate in the Annual Ohio School Boards Achievement Fair on Tuesday, November 15!

Both programs will be presented at display booths at the Columbus Convention Center in front of thousands of educators from around Ohio. This is truly a fine honor as only 100 nominations from across Ohio were selected to participate!

Please click on the links below to view the letters I received informing us of this honor.

OSBA Annual Capital Conference Program: Forensic Science

OSBA Annual Capital Conference Program: Aviation Careers Academy

Board Announces Additional Proposed Budget Reductions (resend)

st_lippert@smfcsd.org (Randi Lippert) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:59:46 EST

We understand that some may have had difficulty accessing the links at the end of this blog when it was originally sent. We have corrected the issues, and the blog in its entirety is below.

Our Board of Education has announced numerous reductions that will take place in the event that our November levy does not pass. These deep cuts represent a place none of us want to go and have been trying very hard to avoid. Unfortunately, after reducing our budget by $7 million dollars over the past five years and with no additional dollars since 2002, these reductions are necessary if the levy fails.

The reduction list includes:

Reducing bussing to state minimums
Closing buildings after school and on the weekends
Eliminating all field trips
Establishing a committee to recommend permanently closing one or more buildings
Doubling the pay to participate fee during the 2012-13 school year

If the levy passes in November, these reductions WILL NOT take effect. In addition, passage of the levy will allow us to reinstate high school bussing with neighborhood cluster stops.

All of these items will be in effect Monday, November 14, 2011.

We certainly hope that these reductions do not become a reality but I wanted everyone to be aware of the plan moving forward. Please click on the links below for additional information:

SMFCSD Cost Reductions 2006-2011

Actions Resulting in Failure of the November 2011 Levy

Board Announces Additional Proposed Budget Reductions

matt@joltcms.com (Matt White) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:16:21 EST

The reduction list includes:

Reducing bussing to state minimums
Closing buildings after school and on the weekends
Eliminating all field trips
Establishing a committee to recommend permanently closing one or more buildings
Doubling the pay to participate fee during the 2012-13 school year

If the levy passes in November, these reductions WILL NOT take effect. In addition, passage of the levy will allow us to reinstate high school bussing with neighborhood cluster stops.

All of these items will be in effect Monday, November 14, 2011.

We certainly hope that these reductions do not become a reality but I wanted everyone to be aware of the plan moving forward. Please click on the links below for additional information:

SMFCSD Cost Reductions 2006-2011

Actions Resulting in Failure of the November 2011 Levy

Board Announces Additional Proposed Budget Reductions

Schools Remember September 11th

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 09:35:02 EST

As the Nation stops to reflect upon that tragic day ten years ago, students in the Stow-Munroe Falls School District will participate in a number of events to remember those who lost their lives on that fateful day and honor so many heroes who bravely responded with unwavering determination when our fellow Americans needed them most.

Students and employees will be encouraged to wear red, white and blue on Friday, September 9, 2011.

Several elementary schools will hold assemblies to commemorate September 11th:

Indian Trail will observe a moment of silence after creating a human chain around the school composed of students, teachers and staff. In Art class, students will make "patriotic pinwheels" that will be placed in front of the school.

Riverview will hold a schoolwide assembly "Remembering 911" and will hold a rally at the school flag on September 12, 2011 to honor first responders.

Echo Hills Students will rally around the flag pole and sing patriotic songs at 9:15 a.m.

Kimpton Teachers are utilizing the website "Teacher 911 in the Classroom" as a resource for individual students.

Lakeview will be viewing "Visit to the Wall" from "93 Cents for Flight 93" website on Monday, September 12. Students will also decorate and send messages to each of the 40 heroes' families on a personal page in which there is a picture of the hero.

High School is hosting a community remembrance at 2:00 p.m. in the auditorium on Sunday, September 11th.

I challenge everyone in the communities of Stow and Munroe Falls to wear red, white and blue to school or work on Friday, September 9, 2011! Please do your part to never forget!

Thanks to our Alumni!

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:11:13 EST

I wish to thank the Stow-Munroe Falls graduates who adddressed all district employees at our General Meeting Day on August 23rd! The four alums who addressed us shared many inspirational thoughts regarding the profound impact that the faculty and staff in the Stow-Munroe Falls Schools had not only on their education, but their lives.

It is often humbling for educators to realize what a significant influence they have on so many children on a daily basis! The presentations by these four graduates served as a clear reminder to that fact. A special thank you to our opening day speakers!

Katie Hill Class of 2011

Rachel Spiker Class of 2010

Kelly Gill Class of 1988

Harold Rowland Class of 1946

Thank you for your inspiration!

ACT Scores Outstanding!

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:31:31 EST

The American College Test (ACT) scores for the Stow-Munroe Falls High School Class of 2011 were the highest in the past five years!

In all testing areas which include Math, Reading, Science and English, last year's seniors set the bar high by scoring better than the last four classes at the High School. (Click here to view the report.)

My congratulations for this outstanding academic accomplishment!

Welcome to the 2011-2012 School Year!

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:39:02 EST

I wish to welcome everyone to another exciting school year! We sincerely look forward to welcoming all of our K-9 students for the first day of school on Wednesday, August 24 and all sophomores, juniors and seniors joining them on the following day.

I am proud to report that our district again has been rated EXCELLENT by the Ohio Department of Education as our district met 100% of the indicators on the Ohio Local Report Card. We have maintained that Excellent rating since 2006! In addition, our High School ACT scores were at a five year high this past year! The Class of 2011 recorded the highest ACT scores we have had in the last five years in all four subject areas (Math, Reading, Science and English). The ACT composite score from last year was also the highest in five years!

You are probably aware that we have new traffic patterns for the Lakeview-Highland campus as well as the High School. It is our hope that the new patterns will promote additional safety and alleviate, to every extent possible, the backup of traffic on busy roads. Please see the websites of these individual schools for more details as well as reference the below attachments.

I sincerely hope everyone has a wonderful start to the school year!

Please click here to view the Lakeview traffic pattern

Please click here to view the High School traffic pattern

Community Engagement Results in Elimination of HS Electives

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Wed, 04 May 2011 11:29:47 EST

The Community Engagement process resulted in the community identifying nine areas of cost reduction for our Board of Education to consider. As of this writing, we have implemented four of those suggestions including the elimination of high school bussing, adding pay to participate, re-configuring Kimpton Middle School and eliminating a large number of high school electives. The video on the left is a presentation from Stow-Munroe Falls High School Principal Susan Schur and I regarding these electives. For a complete list of the high school electives eliminated, please click on the link below.

Click here to view the complete list of High School Electives Eliminated

SMFCSD �Excellent� Rating and an Excellent Value

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Mon, 02 May 2011 08:50:48 EST

Over the last several years, our district has reached new heights on the Ohio Local Report Card. In 2006, for the first time, we were designated “Excellent” by the Ohio Department of Education and we have maintained that excellence ever since. I am also proud to say that we have done so while reducing costs and becoming more efficient in our operations. In fact, the Stow-Munroe Falls City School District is one of the best bargains in Summit County. Our administrative costs per pupil, instructional cost per pupil and total cost per pupil rank among the lowest in all of Summit County. Please take a look at the attached financial ratings for our county.
Please click here to view Summit County Education Cost Comparisons

District Cost Reduction Summary 2006-2011

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 10:18:22 EST

Since 2006, the Stow-Munroe Falls City School District has made major reductions every year. Recently, the Board of Education approved $2 million worth of cost savings bringing the total reductions since 2006 to over $7 million dollars. The Board’s wisdom in making reductions on a yearly basis, rather than all at once, allowed us to avoid the devastating one year reduction that many area districts are experiencing at this time.

I want to provide everyone with a complete breakdown of those items. It is one thing to hear a number. It becomes so much more real when one sees the lists of positions eliminated and the cost savings moves put in place to get a true picture of the Board’s work in making our district solvent.

For a list of the reductions since 2006, please click on the link below:

SMFCSD Cost Reduction Summary 2006-2011

Explanation of Budget Reductions Video

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:50:19 EST

Please view the Explanation of Budget Reductions video to the left of this blog as an addition to my communication of Sunday, April 10, 2011 regarding the recent Budget Reductions as recommended to the Board of Education at the April 11, 2011 meeting.

Reductions Recommended to Board of Education

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 09:22:50 EST

On Monday, April 11, Treasurer Catherine Bulgrin and I will be recommending to the Board of Education $2 million dollars in reductions for the 2011-12 school year. In the last four years, the Board has reduced our operating budget by $3.5 million dollars. The action on Monday will raise that figure to $5.5 million dollars. Our mantra has been to keep the cuts out of the classroom and that has become exceedingly difficult as the reductions continue to mount.

The recommendations for Monday include:

· Eliminating 10 teaching positions through attrition

· Eliminating one administrator

· Eliminating 9 teaching positions at Kimpton Middle School

· Eliminating 1 teaching position at the high school

· Eliminating ½ pre-school teaching position

· Eliminating 4 classified positions at the high school

· Eliminating 1 classified position at Kimpton and 1 at Lakeview

· Eliminating ½ pre-school aide position

· Reducing the contract length of the high school receptionist and central office assistant

The Community Engagement process revealed nine areas that the community asked us to look at in terms of reducing our expenses. Up to this point, we have implemented three of those suggestions including pay to participate, eliminating 28 high school electives and eliminating high school bussing. The changes indicated at Kimpton represent the fourth of the nine suggestions made by the community. The “re-configuration” of Kimpton maintains the “middle school concept” as we know it, but does result in the elimination of a number of positions.

While these reductions are regrettable, they are necessary as the district continues to deal with our difficult economic situation.

Board of Education Listens to Community and Responds

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:22:50 EST

District Takes Action Steps Following Community Engagement Process

Please click here for additional information regarding the District's actions on the community engagement process.

DECA District IX Spring Competition

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 08:32:54 EST

Congratulations to the Trophy Recipients of the DECA District IX Spring Competition:

Lindsay Amerman & Regina Bonfiglio - 1st Place - Hospitality

Olivia Alexander & Lauren Schneider - 3rd Place - Hospitality

Nicole Andrick & Rebecca Myers - 5th Place - Hospitality

Amy Curcio & Ali George - 2nd Place - Sports

Cara Lucarell & Sarah Schneider - 1st Place - Business Law

Kasidy Cintron & Maddie Devore - 4th Place - Business Law

Courtney Reginald & Michelle Vaughan - 1st Place - Travel & Tourism

Julia Mizda & Emily Proper - 3rd Place - Travel & Tourism

Meg Merlene & Rebecca Landin - 4th Place - Travel & Tourism

Kayla Raines - 5th Place - Food Marketing

Logan Chapman, Jessica O'Day & Kelly Vitt - 2nd Place - Fashion

Kerry Bukosky, Brooke Mariola & Lexi Stefanov - 4th Place - Advertising

Chloe Moore - 2nd Place - Retail Merchandising

Abigial Sanderbeck - 3rd Place - Apparel & Accessories

Nykell Smith - 4th Place - Sports

Vincent Frohnapfel - 4th Place - Food Marketing

Congratulations Academic Challenge

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:43:06 EST

Congratulations to SMFHS Academic Challenge for placing 2nd in competition at KSU on January 31, 2011. Varsity members are: Seniors - Zach Halasz, Caleb Morgan, Varun Narayan, Taylor Rising, Billy Thorsson and Junior - Maia Marchetti, who was chosen for the All Star Team.

Junior Varsity members are: Seniors Tori Galoway, Kevin Princic & Ciara Robinson; Juniors Sarah Brown & Jen Martin; & Sophomores Brett Bejcek & Michael Walsh.

The team went 6-1 in their matches. Outstanding job!

Congratulations to Kimpton's Power of the Pen Contestants

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:37:13 EST

Congratulations to all of Kimpton's Power of the Pen contestants who competed at districts this month!

7th Graders: Sam Croy, Kevin Kunz, Hannah Laubach & Anna Nyszczy

8th Graders: Noelle Boyd, Lane Hedler, Brittany Lytton & Rachel Pokelsek

Anna Nyszczy placed seventh among all 7th graders and Lane Hedler placed fifth among all 8th graders. Both Anna and Lane automatically qualified for the Regional Tournament at KSU in February. Other students from Kimpton may also advance to the Regional Tournament based on overall tournament rankings forthcoming.

Congratulations Spelling Bee Students

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:33:24 EST

Congratulations to the following students representing Lakeview Intermediate and Kimpton Middle School advancing to the District Spelling Bee Saturday, February 12 at the Akron Downtown Library. Way to go on your outstanding accomplishment and Good Luck on the 12th!

Lakeview students: Austin Donovan, Andrew Schockling, Hayden Baer

Kimpton students: Schuyler Morris, Lauren Dangel, Skylar Baim, Chris Shorter, Blaise Marchetti

Happy Holidays!

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:57:41 EST

Happy Holidays from the Stow-Munroe Falls City School District! Have a safe and happy holiday season and we will see everyone in 2011!

Highland Elementary School Emergency Notification

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 15:40:22 EST

After the last lunch period at Highland Elementary today, an electrical burning odor was detected and all students and staff were temporarily moved to Lakeview as a safety precaution. Highland Principal, Mrs. Meghan Graziano, pulled the fire alarm to notify everyone in the building. The Stow Fire Department arrived and after inspection and air quality tests were completed, permission was granted to return to the building. The source of the smell was determined to be a smoldering coffee pot. All students and staff are safe, there were no injuries, and have resumed their regular afternoon schedules.

BOE Meeting December 20th

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 08:34:40 EST

The December 13th Board of Education Meeting has been re-scheduled for Monday, December 20th. The meeting will be held at Kimpton Middle School and begin at 6:00 p.m.

Board of Education Meeting Cancelled Due to Weather

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:38:48 EST

The Board of Education Meeting for this evening has been cancelled due to poor weather conditions. A notice regarding the reschedule is forthcoming.

Lakeview Intermediate School Emergency Notification

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 12:06:31 EST

A small kitchen fire occurred at Lakeview Intermediate School this morning. As a safety precaution, all students and staff were temporarily moved to Highland Elementary. 911 was called immediately and the Stow Fire Department was dispatched. After all was clear, permission was granted for students and staff to return to the building. Everyone is safe; there were no injuries and all students and staff have returned to their normal schedules. Food service will be limited; however, pizza is on today’s menu and all students will eat without interference to their regular schedules.

I would like to commend the students, staff and administration at Lakeview for handling this situation in such a professional and orderly manner.

Two-Hour Delay Notice

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:45:20 EST

Due to the fact that we are in the midst of the inclement weather season, we may need to implement the two-hour delay. As with school closings, the two-hour delay to the start of the school day will be announced through the local media and our telephone message to parents.

Great Holiday Shows!!!!

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:06:16 EST

Throughout the month of December, numerous holiday shows will be taking place in our buildings. Hopefully, you are able to attend!

December 6:   High School All City Orchestra Concert, 7:30 p.m.
December 8:   Kimpton Band Concert, 7:30 p.m.
December 9:   High School Choir Concert, 7:00 p.m.
December 15: Riverview All School Holiday Concert @ Lakeview, 6:00 p.m.
December 15: High School Winter Band Concert, 7:00 p.m.
December 16: Lakeview Singers and Orchestra Concert, 7:00 p.m.
December 20: Echo Hills All School Holiday Concert @ Lakeview, 6:00 p.m.
December 20: Indian Trail Winter Concert, 6:00 p.m.
December 21: Lakeview Grades 5 & 6 Winter Band Concert, 7:00 p.m.

District Safety Drill November 22nd

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 13:42:39 EST

On Monday, November 22nd, our school district will participate in a practice safety drill in cooperation with all local police departments. This state mandated drill will allow all of our buildings to practice their lockdown procedures so that we are prepared in the event that an actual emergency occurs that would necessitate the use of this procedure.

As always, the safety of our students and staff is our number one concern.

Ohio School Boards Video

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:06:03 EST

Hi Everyone!

Please check out the video below. It is a nicely done promotion of public schools in Ohio by the Ohio School Boards Association. Please forward it to anyone you would like. It would also be great for you to share with students, parents and community members!

We really DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Thanks!

Russ

http://www.ohioschoolboards.org/ohio-public-schools-speak-video

Levy Thank You

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 08:49:16 EST

I would like to thank everyone in the communities of Stow and Munroe Falls for the overwhelming passage of Issue 3 this past Tuesday.

Your continued support of our Excellent school district is appreciated by our entire school population, from students and staff to fellow community members. Since arriving in the SMF district almost five years ago, many people have shared with me that they moved to Stow or Munroe Falls because of their great respect for and reputation of the school district. It is clear from the election results that people truly believe in our schools.

I sincerely appreciate your support of this renewal levy--of our schools. We will continue to be good stewards of your tax dollars and provide an excellent education for each and every one of our students.

Renewal Levy November 2

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:55:37 EST

Our school district has a renewal levy on the ballot Tuesday, November 2nd. Issue 3 is not a new tax. Issue 3 provides $4.6 million annually for our district and will allow us to continue to provide our current excellent level of programs and services for our students. For more information, please click on the link for frequently asked questions about Issue 3.

Issue 3 Frequently Asked Questions

Homecoming Week Celebration!

st_shaheen@smfcsd.org (Diane Shaheen) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 11:00:30 EST

This is Homecoming Week at Stow-Munroe Falls High School! The High School will be a very exciting place this week as they prepare for the weekend festivities.

On Friday, October 8th, the weekend begins at 5:00 p.m. with the annual Homecoming parade. After the parade, there will be a variety of activities taking place at the school leading up to the kickoff of the homecoming football game against Elyria at 7:00 p.m. The 2010 Homecoming king and queen will be announced at the game on Friday and the 2010 Homecoming dance will take place on Saturday at the High School beginning at 8:00 p.m.

Have a Coffee Break with the Superintendent

st_shaheen@smfcsd.org (Diane Shaheen) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 08:55:56 EST

Have a question about Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools? Stop by for an informal coffee talk with me any Tuesday throughout September and October at Crooked River Grill, located at 403 N. Main Street in Munroe Falls. I will be available, along with a representative from the Board of Education, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. to discuss any questions or concerns from community members.

I look forward to seeing you!

November 2

st_shaheen@smfcsd.org (Diane Shaheen) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 09:31:23 EST

On Tuesday, November 2, Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools will be on the ballot for a renewal levy, Issue #3. This is not a new tax and does not bring any new money into the district, but its passage is vital.

Passage of Issue #3 will allow the district to continue to receive approximately $4.6 million per year. Its failure will result in a $4.6 million deficit that will have to be balanced with further reductions.

The passage or failure of Issue #3 will not impact the elimination of high school busing or the recent increase in pay to participate fees. Because this renewal levy will not generate any additional revenue for the district, we do not have the option of modifying the current status of busing or activity fees regardless of the voting results in November.

Issue #3 will allow us to continue to provide our students with the best education possible!

Thanks for Your Support!

st_shaheen@smfcsd.org (Diane Shaheen) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:59:38 EST

I would like to thank everyone for your patience, support and understanding with the transportation changes that we have made this year.

For the 2010-2011 school year, the district eliminated high school busing as a cost savings measure. This made it necessary for our transportation department to create all new routes for our K-8 students in order to be efficient as possible. Beside new routes, many new bus stops were created.

The change has enabled the district to realize an estimated $240,000 in transportation costs. I sincerely appreciate your support in helping us work through this change.

High School Parking Guidelines in Place to Assist with Traffic Flow and Student Safety

st_shaheen@smfcsd.org (Diane Shaheen) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 08:20:35 EST

When the school year begins, parents and students can plan for a safe arrival in accordance with the major changes to traffic flow at Stow-Munroe Falls High School. There will be an increase in car and foot traffic with the elimination of high school busing. In order to ensure student safety, timeliness and efficiency, drivers should take note of the following guidelines:

Please be cautious of pedestrians, especially at the parking lot entrance and exit and bike trail entrance to the parking lot.
Two lanes of traffic will form entering the parking lot from Graham Road. Faculty, staff and students with parking permits should enter in the left lane only and proceed to the parking area.
The right lane is designated for student drop off. When dropping off students, please pull forward as close to the commons entrance to the building as possible. A sign will indicate the drop off spot. Students should be ready to exit their vehicle.
Please plan accordingly for delays by arriving early to ensure students are in class on time.

Police and faculty members will be onsite to monitor guidelines and ensure flow. Only students who have parking permits are authorized to park at the high school. Violators are subject to tow at owner's expense.

For more information, please call 330.689.5300.

New Item Added to Website - SMF District Calendar for 2010-11

matt@joltcms.com (Matt White) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:46:49 EST

The Stow-Munroe Falls City School District calendar which is received in the Stow Sentry is now available online! The calendar details school events, Board of Education meetings, holidays, PTA information, testing schedules and many other dates you may find important.

Please visit the Main page to download and view the 2010-2011 SMF calendar.

Update on Budget Changes for the 2010-2011 School Year

st_shaheen@smfcsd.org (Diane Shaheen) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:50:39 EST

Hello to everyone and I hope you are enjoying the summer and spending some quality time with your family!

As the 2010-2011 school year approaches, we will continue to keep you updated on the latest news. Many of you are already aware the Board of Education has implemented changes due to the impending budget crisis the school district faces.

The major changes which will be implemented beginning next month include the elimination of high school busing and increased pay to participate fees. The elimination of busing for high school students will reduce expenditures by an approximate $245,000 annually.

Pay to participate fees have increased by $50 per sport to a current fee of $150 and $25 per activity with the current fee of $100. The yearly family cap will be $450. The savings for increasing pay to participate will reduce expenditures by an additional estimated $30,000.

Although these decisions were difficult, we continue to do the best that we can to stretch the resources that the community has so generously given us to provide a school district rated “Excellent with Distinction”. We will be providing further information as the summer unfolds regarding the new pay to participate schedule and the reduction of high school busing.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at 330.689.5412.

Two-Hour Delay In Effect for 2010-11 School Year

st_shaheen@smfcsd.org (Diane Shaheen) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:14:52 EST

House Bill 1 passed by the state legislature reduces the number of calamity days commonly referred to as “snow days,” from five to three beginning with the 2010-11 school year. Any calamity days beyond three must be made up by the school district. The make up schedule we have on our calendar is for any such days to be added to the end of the school year. Due to the reduction in the number of calamity days permissible by the State of Ohio, we will be implementing a “two-hour delay” when appropriate beginning with the 2010-11 school year. This option will be selected when the weather conditions are such that an additional two hours of work by road crews would make roadways safe for travel. By using the “two- hour delay” we will be able to have school and avoid using as many calamity days.

Two-Hour Delay Procedures

The Stow-Munroe Falls City School District plans to use a two-hour school opening delay in the event of inclement weather.
Under a two-hour delay scenario all schools will begin the day two hours later than the normal starting time. For example, under a two-hour delay the high school will start at 9:30 a.m. rather than 7:30 a.m. All other buildings will begin the school day two hours after their regular start time.
All morning pick-up times from our transportation department will be two hours later than normal.
Transportation WILL NOT be provided for the Six District Educational Compact career programs.
All-day kindergarten students will be picked up two hours later than normal.
PM kindergarten and PM preschool students will be picked up at normal times.
There will be no AM kindergarten and no AM preschool.

As with school closings, the two-hour delay to the start of the school day will be announced through the local media and our telephone message system to parents.

June 3rd Community Engagement Meeting

st_shaheen@smfcsd.org (Diane Shaheen) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:08:28 EST

On June 3rd, the Stow-Munroe Falls Board of Education held a meeting at Kimpton Middle School to share the next cost reduction proposal based on the feedback obtained from the community engagement process.

The Board met on May 18th to review all of the feedback received and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each of the nine cost reductions on the table. After careful consideration, the Board is proposing to eliminate high school bussing for next school year and increase the cost of pay to participate. While the board understands that both of these measures will cause numerous issues for a significant number of people, they are also keenly aware of the difficult financial situation that the district is facing and with no additional money coming into the district, must continue to reduce costs. The specific increase in pay to participate is not known at this time. The Board will continue to have discussions about this topic and will announce the new rates once they have been determined.

Click Here to View the June 3 Community Engagement Meeting Presentation

Community Meeting Scheduled for June 3

st_shaheen@smfcsd.org (Diane Shaheen) — Fri, 28 May 2010 08:45:03 EST

A Community Meeting has been scheduled by the Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools Board of Education for Thursday, June 3rd, at Kimpton Middle School beginning at 7:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to share with the community the results of the Board’s May 18th meeting in which the nine areas of potential cost savings were discussed. The Board is considering eliminating high school bussing and increasing the costs of Pay to Participate for next school year.

At the meeting, we will review the year and one-half Community Engagement process that included 43 meetings in the community. We will also share the results of the survey that was a part of the Community Engagement process and was seriously contemplated in the decision making. In addition, we will update the community on the status of the other seven items that were under consideration but will not be implemented immediately. These items do, however, remain as potential cost savings measures for the future.

Please consider attending the important informational meeting. A question and answer session will follow the presentation.

STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK

st_shaheen@smfcsd.org (Diane Shaheen) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:52:28 EST

May 3 - 7

Please join me in saying a big Thank You to all of our faculty and staff members next week during “Staff Appreciation Week!"

I would like to publicly thank all of our teachers, tutors, aides, monitors, cafeteria staff, secretaries, bus drivers, custodians, maintenance workers, support staff and administrators for what you do for our children EVERY SINGLE DAY!

We sincerely appreciate all that you do!

Community Engagement Update April 15

st_shaheen@smfcsd.org (Diane Shaheen) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:50:22 EST

The Community Engagement process is going very well and I wanted to provide an update on our progress. Here are a few items of interest:

We have held 19 community engagement meetings since December. We have several more scheduled in the coming weeks.
At the community engagement meetings, we have been collecting “cost reduction” surveys in an effort to obtain feedback on the nine possible areas of reduction from the community. We have also posted the survey on the district’s website. As of today, we have collected 404 surveys from the community.
The on-line portion of the survey will end on Friday, April 23rd.
The Board plans to meet in May to review all of the data we have collected and make a decision about our next steps. Those plans will be announced shortly after we meet in May.

Thank you for your support of our school district!

Key Communicator Announcement

st_shaheen@smfcsd.org (Diane Shaheen) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:01:27 EST

Hello Key Communicators! Due to the large number of people who have signed up to the Key Communicators list, we are having difficulty sending information via our email system as significant numbers of addresses are returned as undeliverable when we send a correspondence. Consequently, we have registered all Key Communicators to my blog. When a new blog is posted on the district website, you will be notified through email. Simply, click on the link and you will be redirected to our website’s main page. The blog will be under “A Word from the Superintendent”. We hope that this will enhance the efficiency of our communication! You have the option of unsubscribing by following the directions on the main page of the district web page.

In addition, you can receive news about our district by becoming a Facebook fan at: http://www.facebook.com/smfschools. You can also follow us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/home and following st_jones4.

Thank you for your support of our schools!

Thanks to the SMFHS Alumni for TVs at the High School!

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:37:40 EST

A special "Thank You" to the SMFHS Alumni for their generous donation of three 65" televisions to the high school. The televisions are currently mounted in three different locations in the commons and will serve as an excelllent communication tool for our students as well as to visitors to the building. Thanks again to the SMFHS Alumni for this wonderful donation!

State Testing is Here!

st_shaheen@smfcsd.org (Diane Shaheen) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:27:53 EST

The state mandated Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) and the Ohio Academic Assessments (OAA) will be administered to our students over the next several weeks. The OGT will be given at the high school the week of March 15-19. The OAA will be taken by third through eighth graders during the weeks of April 19-22 and April 26-30.

Here are a few helpful suggestions to maximize performance on these tests:

1. Practice on Study Island!

2. Read each question carefully and be sure you know EXACTLY what is being asked.

3. Review each answer carefully and select the BEST answer.

4. For reading passages, review the questions BEFORE reading so you know what to look for.

5. Get plenty of rest the night before the test.

6. Have a good breakfast the morning of the test.

7. If you have any extra time review your work!

Best of luck to everyone!

Community Engagement Summary

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:08:07 EST

On Tuesday, December 8th the district held a meeting at Kimpton Middle School to share with the Key Communicators the results of the first phase of the Community Engagement process. After twenty-three meetings with members of the community, we have summarized the potential cost saving measures that were suggested. On the main page of the district website,you can view a video that summarizes the cost saving measures under consideration. In addition, we have posted a written summary of those nine items for you to review. Please consider providing your thoughts about the summary on this blog!

See a Holiday Show in our Schools!

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:16:50 EST

The holiday season is upon us and so are the many wonderful holiday performances in our school distirct. Please plan to attend one or more of these outstanding shows and see the truly talented young people we have in the Stow-Munroe Falls Schools!

Click here to see a schedule of all of the events.

Letter to the ACLU of Ohio

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:48:14 EST

There has been a good deal of conversation and debate around the School District's recent decision regarding the Stohion, the school newspaper of the Stow-Munroe Falls High School. The District has responded to a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio related to this decision. Click here to view the District's response to this letter.

Communication

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:13:55 EST

One of the goals of our school district is to communicate well with parents and community members. In order to accomplish that goal we use a variety of methods including newsletters, emails, progress book, this site, phone "blasts" and the local media to name a few. What works best for you? What suggestions do you have to help us enhance our communication with you?

New Website!

st_jones@smfcsd.org (Russ Jones) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:39:50 EST

We are pleased to launch our new website! We sincerely hope that this new site will allow you to find all of the information you are looking for as well as give us the opportunity to communicate more effectively Tell us what you think!