School News January 2014

Put-in-Bay School News January 2014

School Teachers Paul Genzeman, Dan Kowalski and Craig Schuffenecker put down their razors again this year to raise money
for Stein Hospice. Students helped with the cause and collected over $230 in what is now known as the “Novembeard Challenge.”
The winning classes got the opportunity to ‘design’ their teacher’s beard! Thank you for supporting this fun and worthy cause!

Again this year, members of the Put-in-Bay School National Honor Society conducted a “coat drive.” Over eighty coats and pieces of clothing were collected and given to the Salvation Army in Port Clinton. Thanks to all the people who donated coats and clothing! As part of our Panther Pride Program, students Victoria Wertenbach, Anna Rence and Meredith Engel created handmade Christmas cards for the residents of the Providence Care Center in Sandusky. The residents expressed their appreciation for this thoughtful gesture. This helped everyone get in the Christmas spirit!

Weather permitting, we hope to have an ice rink set up on the basketball court again this winter. We appreciate those who volunteer their time to make this possible. End of Semester exams will be given on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, January 15 – 17. The end of the first semester is Friday, January 17th.

Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, January 22 and 29 from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. Parents are encouraged
to call the school to make an appointment to meet with their child’s teacher(s). Stay tuned to School News January 2014 for more details.

There will be a grade 5 thru 8 Spelling Bee in the multi-purpose room on Thurs., Jan. 23rd, at 1:45 p.m. Winners may be eligible to participate in the Ottawa County Spelling Bee on Feb. 6th.

On Friday, January 31st our grade 6 – 12 students will compete for the prestigious “Edison Award” in the annual Put-in-Bay School Science Olympiad. They will apply what they have learned in science classes to problem-solve, create and correctly answer science-related questions. K – 5 students have fun science activities planned for that day, as well.

The annual Verhoff Dinner will be held Friday, January 31st, at the Town Hall from 5 – 7 p.m. Donations for dinners continue to be $8.00 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, $5 for children between kindergarten and 8th grade, and free for children under five. Donations for the dinners support the Jeffrey Verhoff Scholarship Fund.

School News January 2014 Community Events

January is “School Board Recognition Month.” Our school and community are fortunate to have a Board dedicated to academic achievement, opportunities for children, open relations with the community, and fiscal responsibility. Under this Board’s leadership, Put-in-Bay School will continue to be a source of pride in our community. THANK YOU to Board Members Mike Byrnes, Bill Market, Scott Pugh, Joy Cooper and John Domer. Thank you, Scott, for four years of service on the board and welcome Dino Uszak who will begin a four-year term this month.

Guidance News – Mrs. Vicki Van Ness –Put-in-Bay School, as other districts in the state of Ohio, is required to assess students through a variety of standardized testing measures. Recently our third-grade students took the OHIO ACHIEVEMENT ASSESSMENT in Reading. Teachers and students are to be commended because all of our third graders passed their reading test. Well done, third grade!

Here’s a review of other testing measures students at Put-in-Bay engage in: KRA-L KINDERGARTEN READINESS ASSESSMENT LITERACY Pre-school age; (MAP) MEASURES of ACADEMIC PROGRESS Grades 1-8; OAA OHIO ACHIEVEMENT ASSESSMENT Grades 3-8; OGT OHIO GRADUATION TEST 10th grade; PLAN TEST – a practice ACT TEST 8th and 9th grade; ASVAB the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery 9,10,11, and 12 grade; PSAT a practice SAT TEST for 10th and 11th graders; ACT college entrance examination; SAT college entrance examination; and SAT II subject tests

As schools and students adjust to the testing systems in place to measure academic progress, it is important to remember tests are designed to track academic progress and to aid teachers to better help individuals in their classrooms. Teachers can use the testing information
to design lessons that accommodate student needs. Students can learn how to approach testing situations with minimal pressure and use the opportunity to “show what they know” and showcase their individual abilities