Parent Update – August 25, 2010
Emergency Contact Cards were sent home with students in grades 1-5 and grades 7-12 on the first day of school. (6th grade students received their Emergency Contact Cards at Open House on August 18th.) PARENTS: Please review all information carefully to confirm accuracy and return to your child’s building no later than this Friday, August 27th.
Please also remember to carefully verify that your e-mail address is correct on your student’s Emergency Contact Card(s). A current e-mail address in our database helps ensure you will receive notice of weekly District blog updates, as well as periodic building-specific information.
**IMPORTANT STUDENT HEALTH ANNOUNCEMENT: ANNUAL STUDENT MEDICATION ORDERS AND CARE PLANS
All student medication orders and care plans for illnesses must be submitted each school year. Health Clinic staff cannot give medications without a new physician order. Care plans went out to parents at the end of last year and replacements can also be obtained from your clinic staff. Medication forms are available on the district’s website. Please note the following:
- All medications must be sent in the original container.
- Only parents can bring medications, including over the counter drugs to the clinic. The only exceptions are inhalers and Epipens if the student has a physician signed “self-carry” order.
- Orders for prescription drugs must be signed by the physician and parent.
- Orders for over the counter drugs require only a parent signature if dosage is per package instruction.
Please call your child’s health clinic if you have any questions. Thank you for your cooperation.
IMPORTANT TRANSPORTATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Olmsted Falls Transportation Department would like to remind parents of the following as we begin the new school year:
* Scheduled pick-up times provided on bus postcards are approximate based on the student roster as of the time the routes were made.
* Pick-up/Drop-off times may vary during the first 2-3 weeks of school due to additional or withdrawn students (and therefore more or less stops).
* Weather conditions, road construction, traffic and train delays can also impact pick-up times.
* Routes can run slower for the first week or so of school.
* High School busing services have been reinstated. Beginning with the first day of school, August 24th, there will be 11 high school buses running for the morning pick-up/drop-off, and 8 high school buses running for the afternoon pick-up/drop-off. The morning drop-off time for students will be approximately 7:05 a.m.; the afternoon pick-up time will be approximately 3:00 p.m. Students with late arrival or early release schedules who chose to utilize school transportation will be assigned to a school study hall.
FALL 2010 OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULE
Tonight! Wed., Aug. 25th: 4th Grade 7-8:30 pm
Mon., Aug. 30th: Falls-Lenox West Learning Community 7 pm
Tues., Aug. 31st: Falls-Lenox East Learning Community 7 pm
Tues., Aug. 31st: 8th Grade 7-8 pm
Wed., Sept. 1st: 5th Grade 7 pm
Thurs., Sept. 2nd: Falls-Lenox South Learning Community 7 pm
Thurs., Sept. 2nd: 7th Grade 7-8 pm
Thurs., Sept. 9th: OFHS 7 pm
Wed., Sept. 15th: ECC – A.M. Preschool/Kindergarten 6:45-7:30 p.m.; P.M. Preschool/Kindergarten 7:30-8:15 p.m.
STUDENTS SETTLE INTO NEW CLASSROOMS AT MIDDLE SCHOOL
Thanks to the $7.7 million in State funding secured by the Olmsted Falls School District through the Ohio School Facilities Commission’s Exceptional Needs Program, Olmsted Falls Middle School opened its doors this week with 17 new classrooms, an additional choir room, two additional band storage areas, an expanded wellness/fitness room and expanded locker room areas.
All of the new expansion to the Middle School was completed on-time and on-budget – and without additional, local tax dollars. Pictured above: One of the 17 new classrooms. Pictured below: New choir room at the Middle School.
To view additional photos from opening day at Olmsted Falls Middle School, please click here.
GET INVOLVED! SEPTEMBER PTA MEETINGS
Thursday, September 9th: Olmsted Early Childhood PTA - 7 p.m. (@ Middle School)
Tuesday, September 14th: Middle School PTA – 7 p.m.
Tuesday, September 21st: Intermediate School PTA – 7 p.m.
Monday, September 27th: High School PTA – 7 p.m.
Tuesday, September 28th: Falls-Lenox/ECC PTA – 7 p.m. (@ Falls-Lenox)
EMPLOYEES HONORED FOR YEARS OF SERVICE
District officials recognized employees for their years of service to the District during the annual General Staff Meeting held Monday, August 23rd. Employees with 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 35 “Bulldog years” were acknowledged for their contributions to the District’s success. Pictured below are ”25 Year Bulldogs” Mrs. Mary Mariotti (Falls-Lenox), Ms. Chris Warren (High School), Mr. Bill McGrain (High School), Mrs. Cindy Bennett (Middle School) and Mrs. Nancy Gulden (Middle School).
DISTRICT FINANCIAL NEWS:
DISTRICT TREASURER REQUESTS INCREASE IN PERSONAL INSURANCE CONTRIBUTION
Olmsted Falls School District Treasurer Mark Hullman
Olmsted Falls School District Treasurer Mark Hullman has requested a voluntary increase in his personal contribution to his health insurance premium from 10% to 15%. The Board of Education has made the requested revision to Mr. Hullman’s contract, and expressed appreciation for Mr. Hullman’s demonstrated leadership in helping the District cut costs.
OLMSTED FALLS AND NORTH OLMSTED SCHOOL DISTRICTS WORK TOGETHER TO RESOLVE ERROR IN TAX REVENUE COLLECTIONS
Olmsted Falls City School District and neighboring North Olmsted City School District have been working together to resolve a tax error in the County Auditor’s office that resulted in the erroneous collection and payment of approximately $300,000 in taxpayer dollars to Olmsted Falls Schools, which should have been collected and paid to North Olmsted Schools.
District officials on both sides have been working to ensure due diligence in understanding where the error occurred, and verifying the correct collection and payment of the dollars moving forward. It has been determined that a clerical error by the County Auditor’s office, which occurred during file maintenance, inadvertently shifted a page of properties from North Olmsted Schools to Olmsted Falls resulting in the inaccurate collection/payment of funds for calendar years 2009 and 2010. Olmsted Falls School District will be repaying the funds back to North Olmsted School District over a period of two years – the same period of time during which the error occurred. Olmsted Falls School District Treasurer Mark Hullman also continues to work with the County Auditor’s office to consider whether Olmsted Falls School District should be reimbursed for expenses incurred related to the error (i.e. collection service fees, legal expenses).
OLMSTED FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT 5-YEAR FORECAST TO BE UPDATED AND APPROVED IN OCTOBER
The Ohio Department of Education requires all school districts across the State to submit current 5-year forecasts of district finances. Olmsted Falls School District Treasurer Mark Hullman, administrators and Board of Education members, will continue to work together in the coming weeks to finalize the latest 5-year forecast for the District.
Current projections indicate that District officials should be able to stretch revenues from the recently passed 8.7 mill levy for the three years promised during the operating levy campaign last February. This new levy will begin generating revenue for the District beginning in January 2011. However, uncertainty regarding the upcoming State budget (with currently more than an $8 billion deficit to be covered), growing foreclosure and delinquency rates, and a still struggling economy, will continue to keep the financial security of our District in an extremely fragile position.
HERITAGE DAY PARADE
In the annual tradition, Olmsted Falls Board of Education members and District administrators joined the OFHS Marching Band, Bulldog athletes and mascot on the parade route in the Heritage Days Parade held August 19th. Students, families and community members lined the streets for the annual event…and for the candy. Please enjoy the Heritage Day Parade photos below, and click here to view a complete photo gallery:
kudos to the volunteer moms!!
I’m right with you on the class size concerns. My son started 4th this year at the O.F.I.S and there are 28 students in his class. Not sure what your thoughts were on the levy but the only thing that came out of that is that busing was restored. After what happened with my son this morning with a rude bus driver , I’d rather drive him myself. Check out my post on citysearch under Olmsted Falls Bus Garage.
Class sizes have been an issue for the entire time that I have been superintendent OF school district. It is not uncommon for many of our classes in grades 1 – 8 to be in the high 20′s. Unfortunately, the District occasionally has classes exceed 30 students.
In the past, the constraint that kept us from adding additional sections (in order to lower class sizes) was the lack of classrooms. As you know, we had multiple classes housed in modular classrooms (trailers) at all of our school facilities. Now that the bond issue has passed (May 2007) and the new OFIS and middle school construction projects have been completed, adequate classroom space is only lacking at our High School.
Unfortunately, the current constraint is the operating budget for the District. As a result of the 3 failed levies, 10 1/2 teaching positions were eliminated throughout the District. It was a pledge that if the levy passed, 4 additional classroom teachers would be rehired (2 in 2010/11, 1 in 2011/12, and 1 in 2012/13).
With the passage of the levy in February 2010, the District hired two additional teachers. Additionally, with the retirement of a librarian, the District chose not to replace the librarian, but rather add a 3rd new teacher.
While this helped with class sizes, unfortunately, it is not enough. As you noted, there are still areas where class sizes are larger that what we would like.
With the present financial uncertainty (and please remember that while the levy passed in February, no additional revenue will flow to the District until January 2011) at the state level, and further funding cuts predicted next year, the District is being extremely cautious with adding any new expenditure that is not planned in its current budget.
Congratulations to Olmsted Falls School District for retaining the state’s Excellent with Distinction rating! We are one of only 7 districts in the county with this highest rating under the new rules.
(Note: commented edited by Moderator based upon content submitted in follow up comment)