Posted by OFMS 6TH GRADERS MET WITH CHEERS, FRIENDLY FACES @ ORIENTATION
The new 6th graders at Monday’s orientation at OFMS ran through a cheering receiving line in the gym, played games and learned their older classmates – and teachers – are willing to help them through every step toward their academic success.
About 70 WEB (Where Everybody Belongs) members greeted the 300 sixth-graders at the start of the 4 l/2 hour orientation session that begin with music, cheers and happy faces.
They worked in large groups and individually, learning the ins and outs of the school, their new educational environment and strategies to be successful students at OFMS. They were told it is OK to do things their way, to be different – and that teachers are there to support them.
To view a photo gallery, click here.
What a great way to start the new school year in a new school! Kudos to our Middle School staff and WEB leaders!
WELCOME BACK – FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Olmsted Falls School District staff members have been busy preparing for the start of the 2014-2015 school year. We look forward to the return of students beginning tomorrow, Thursday, August 21st.
The FIRST DAY of school is:
Thursday, August 21st for Grades 1-12
Monday, August 25th for Kindergarten
Wednesday, August 27th for Preschool (Special Needs Students)
Wednesday, September 3rd for Preschool (Typical Peers)
NEW SCHOOL MEAL REQUIREMENTS BEGIN THIS MONTH
There are additional new requirements for school news this school year due to the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.
The Olmsted Falls Food Service Department has already been gradually making some of these changes so it wouldn’t be such a shock to the students when they were finally required.
The Bigger Changes:
– Students now will be required to have l/2 cup of fruit or vegetables on their breakfast tray for it to count as a full meal. Anything less than a full mean is charged at a la carte prices. Purchasing items a la carte will be expensive, so we encourage students to buy the full meal as that is the best deal. We plan to offer a variety of fruits and vegetables daily to give students more from which to select.
– 100% of all grains offered must be whole grain rich. This means all bread, pasta, and cereal products must be whole grain rich. Due to this, you will see some changes in the menu offerings.
– The first sodium targets for both breakfast and lunch must be implemented this year.
Breakfast < 540mg
- Lunch K- grade 5 < 1230 mg. sodium
- Lunch grades 6-8 < 1360 mg. sodium
- Lunch grades 9-12 <1420 mg. sodium
Most entrees are anywhere from 400-1000 mg of sodium. White milk is 120 mg of sodium and chocolate milk, 240 mg of sodium. One slice of bread contains about 120 mg of sodium. Regular condiments contain anywhere from 100-400 mg or more of sodium
Keeping all this in mind, it was a juggling act to meet this requirement. Because of this new 2014-15 school year mandate on sodium, all condiments will be pre-portioned and the amount a student can take will be limited to keep within the new requirement. This applies to all salad dressings, mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, hot sauce etc.
To help meet this requirement we are also purchasing some low sodium products.
How You Can Help:
– Encourage your children to try new things at home and school.
– If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. We’re here to help! The Food Services Department phone number is 440 427-6440.
WELCOME NEW BULLDOGS!
Please join us in welcoming some new faces to our classrooms this year!
Front Row (L to R): Libby Elkhe – 2nd Grade Teacher; Laryssa Byndas – OFHS Math Teacher; Valerie Weimer – Falls-Lenox Tutor; Dawn Carlin – Technology Integration Specialist; Pam Madak – OFMS Tutor; Andrea Porte – Falls-Lenox Tutor; Lauren Kallevig – Speech Language Pathologist for Falls-Lenox, OFIS & OFMS.
Back Row (L to R): Aimee Caldrone – OFHS Guidance Counselor; Heidi Keppen – Falls-Lenox Music Teacher; Paul Faulkner – OFMS Band Director; Jordan Eaton – OFHS Physical Education Teacher; Danielle Hicks – OFMS Language Arts/Social Studies Teacher; Katrina Muzingo – OFHS Intervention Specialist; Kristen Crawford – 1st Grade Teacher.
BULLDOG STAFF MEMBERS HONORED FOR YEARS OF SERVICE
District officials recognized staff members for their years of service to the District during the annual opening day staff meeting to kick off the 2014-2015 school year. Employees with 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 “Bulldog years” were acknowledged in front of their peers for their contributions to the District’s success. Congratulations to all! They are listed in alphabetical order.
“35 Year Bulldog!”
Director of Business Affairs Tim Atkinson helped honor OFHS Cleaner Rose Cortimilia for her 35 years of service to the Olmsted Falls School District during Wednesday morning’s Opening Day Meeting for all staff. Congratulations and thank you to Rose Cortimilia!
“30 Year Bulldogs”
Susan Magnone (OFIS) and Tim Tygart (OFHS)
“25 Year Bulldogs”
Tom Gibeaut (OFHS); Blake Johnson (OFHS); John Klembarsky (Falls-Lenox); John Mercer (OFHS); Michael Moore (OFIS); Michael Schafer (OFIS); Charles Smith (OFMS/OFIS); Maria Tessier (OFIS); Donna Tindera (Falls-Lenox); Elaina Tzolakis (OFIS) and Nancy Womack (OFMS).
“20 Year Bulldogs”
Kristen Gillespie (OFMS); Suzanne Gross (OFMS); Trisha McGhee (OFIS); Diane Metzger (ECC); James Munchick (OFHS); Brian Reid (Transportation); Jayne Reitz (Falls-Lenox); Rhonna Smith (Falls-Lenox); Irene Stoyka (OFHS/Transportation); Teresa Tantanella (OFMS); Lisa Topolski (OFHS) and Marjorie Vormelker (Falls-Lenox).
“15 Year Bulldogs”
Susan Chaplin (OFMS); Michelle Cifranic (Transportation); Robert Coxon (OFHS); Tom Dipert (Central Office); Robyn Eidam (OFIS); Debra Lackey (OFIS); Laurie LaGruth (OFHS); Suzanne Maddocks (OFHS); Janet Messinger (OFHS); Sean Pellerite (OFHS); Debra Pojman (OFIS); Cathy Rachid (OFIS); Kristina Robertson (Falls-Lenox/OFIS); Lucinda Serrani (Falls-Lenox/Transportation); Martin Simon (Falls-Lenox); Jim Smith (OFMS); Mark Tabar (OFIS); Denise Tabar (Central Office) and Kimberly Urban (OFMS).
“10 Year Bulldogs”
Patricia Binggeli (OFHS); Shannon Chichester (Falls-Lenox); William Davis (Transportation); Yvonne Frieg (OFIS); Mark Harbison (OFHS); Diana Hill (OFHS); Heath Krakowiak (Transportation); Dr. Jim Lloyd (Central Office); Breanna Milligan (OFMS); Jamie Myers (OFIS); Martha Pickenheim (OFHS); Benjamin Ricci (OFIS); Robin Scott (Falls-Lenox); Stacie Ware (OFMS) and Erika Wyman (OFMS).
ATTN: PARENTS OF RETURNING STUDENTS – REQUIRED BACK-TO-SCHOOL FORMS / UPDATES MUST BE COMPLETED ONLINE
Olmsted Falls School District uses the online InfoSnap portal for parents to verify information we have on file for their child(ren), make changes if necessary, and submit all required start-of-the-year forms electronically (Emergency Medical Authorization, Acceptable Technology Use Policy, Permission to Photograph, etc.). IMPORTANT CHANGE: This year, parents of RETURNING STUDENTS will access the InfoSnap information for their student(s) via your existing PowerSchool parent accounts. To get started, simply log-in to your PowerSchool account and then click on the new “InfoSnap” link located on the left side of the page. (No “Snap Codes” will be needed this year due to the integration of InfoSnap directly into PowerSchool.)
More than 2,000 returning students have already been updated/submitted online – THANK YOU! If you have not yet had an opportunity to complete the online registration for your returning student(s), now is the time. Please plan to log-in to your PowerSchool parent account to review/update the information for your student(s) and submit the required forms for the 2014-2015 school year electronically BY THURSDAY, AUGUST 21ST.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. IF YOU HAVE LOST YOUR PASSWORD OR HAVE NEVER ACTIVATED YOUR POWERSCHOOL PARENT ACCOUNT, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL BUILDING FOR ASSISTANCE. (See phone numbers below.)
2. PLEASE DO NOT RE-REGISTER YOUR STUDENT THROUGH THE “NEW STUDENT” REGISTRATION LINK ON THE DISTRICT WEBSITE; THIS WILL CREATE A DUPLICATE STUDENT DATA FILE INSTEAD OF UPDATING YOUR RETURNING STUDENT’S EXISTING INFORMATION.
3. PLEASE BE SURE YOU ARE LOGGING IN TO YOUR POWERSCHOOL PARENT ACCOUNT; ACCESS TO THE INFOSNAP RETURNING STUDENT REGISTRATION LINK IS NOT AVAILABLE THROUGH YOUR STUDENT’S POWERSCHOOL ACCOUNT.
4. IF YOU ARE LOGGED INTO YOUR POWERSCHOOL PARENT ACCOUNT AND RECEIVE AN ERROR MESSAGE WHEN YOU CLICK ON THE INFOSNAP LINK FOR YOUR STUDENT, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL BUILDING RIGHT AWAY. (This is a rare problem that has impacted only three families to dat
While several of our main office staff have been participating in training sessions / district-wide meetings on and off this week, all offices will be open with all key office staff ready to assist those parents still in need of help.
If you are actively using your PowerSchool parent account and are ready to access your returning student’s information, please click HERE to download more detailed instructions, if needed.
To proceed directly to the PowerSchool parent account log-in page, please click HERE.
Please Note: Olmsted Falls School District no longer uses paper forms. Any parents/guardians needing access to a computer or assistance with the annual online registration process are encouraged to contact your child’s school building for assistance.
If you have any questions, need assistance with accessing your PowerSchool parent account, or need to schedule a time to come to the school for computer access, please contact your child’s school building directly:
Olmsted Falls High School (440) 427-6100
Olmsted Falls Middle School (440) 427-6200
Olmsted Falls Intermediate School (440) 427-6500
Falls-Lenox Primary School (440) 427-6400
Olmsted Falls Early Childhood Center (440) 427-6360
Thank you in advance for your time and attention to this important task.
IMPORTANT BACK-TO-SCHOOL DATES, BY BUILDING
HIGH SCHOOL (Grades 9-12)
August
21 First Day for Students*
28 Open House (7 pm)
September
11 Underclass Picture Day
MIDDLE SCHOOL (Grades 6-8)
August
21 First Day for Students*
September
2 7th Grade Parent Night (7 pm)
4 Picture Day
4 8th Grade Parent Night (7 pm)
INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL (Grades 4-5)
August
21 First Day for Students*
27 Picture Day
27 4th Grade Open House (7 pm)
September
3 5th Grade Open House (7 pm)
FALLS-LENOX PRIMARY SCHOOL (Grades 1-3)
August
21 First Day for Students*
25 3rd Grade Open House (7 pm)
26 2nd Grade Open House (7 pm)
28 1st Grade Open House (7 pm)
September
12 Picture Day
EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER (Grades: PreK – K)
August
21 Kindergarten Orientation A.M. / A-L (8:30-9:30 am)
21 Kindergarten Orientation P.M. / A-L (12:30-1:30 pm)
22 Kindergarten Orientation A.M. / M-Z (8:30-9:30 am)
22 Kindergarten Orientation P.M. / M-Z (12:30-1:30 pm)
25 First Day for Kindergarten Students
26 Preschool Orientation – A.M. Classes (9-10 am)
26 Preschool Orientation – P.M. Classes (1-2 pm)
27 First Day for Preschool Special Needs Students
September
3 First Day for Preschool Typical Peers
9 Open House for A.M. Preschool/Kindergarten (6 pm)
9 Open House for P.M. Preschool/Kindergarten (7 pm)
If you have questions about any of the above back-to-school activities/events, please contact the building office directly. For your convenience, below please find the main line phone numbers for each building:
Olmsted Falls High School (440) 427-6100
Olmsted Falls Middle School (440) 427-6200
Olmsted Falls Intermediate School (440) 427-6500
Falls-Lenox Primary School (440) 427-6400
Olmsted Falls Early Childhood Center (440) 427-6360
WHAT’S FOR LUNCH?
Printed 2014-2015 Breakfast and Lunch menus will be available to students beginning on the first day of school. The 2014-2015 menus (for K-5; 6-8; and 9-12) are also available online.
To view the menus online or download a pdf to print yourself, please click HERE. Printed menus will be sent home with all students (K-8) this week.
Printed menus will be available in the high school cafeteria for all OFHS students.
BACK-TO-SCHOOL ISSUE OF OUR SCHOOL REPORT
To view the current Our School Report, click here.
It has important start-of-the-school-year information and highlights P.I. projects that were completed around the district over summer.
DOWNLOAD UPDATED 2014-2015 CALENDAR
Please be sure you have the current 2014-2015 School Year Calendar for Olmsted Falls School District by downloading a PDF file HERE.
(Please note this calendar was updated with changes in April 2014, so versions downloaded prior to that will not have the most up-to-date schedule of dates for the school year.)
IMPORTANT TRANSPORTATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
Bus cards have been mailed out. Any family who has not yet received their bus card(s) in the mail should contact the Transportation Department at 427-6350.
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.
OFHS MARCHING BAND PRESCHOOL PREVIEW – THIS FRIDAY, AUGUST 22 EVENT
Young Bulldogs aged preschool to grade 5 are invited to join the OFHS marching band on the practice field at 6 p.m. Friday, August 22. Bring your own instrument from home to play along with the Bulldog musicians! After this initial time, participants are invited to march with the band to the football stadium where the Pride of Olmsted Falls will perform a special preview show at 7 p.m.
All are welcome to attend.
HERITAGE DAY PARADE HIGHLIGHTS
In the annual tradition, Olmsted Falls Board of Education members and District administrators joined the OFHS Marching Band and Bulldog athletes on the parade route in the Heritage Days Parade held August 14th. Building principals had an opportunity to say “Welcome back” a few days early, as they waved to their many students along the parade route. As always, students, families and community members lined the streets for the annual event…and for the candy.
Please click HERE to view our Heritage Parade photo gallery. Also, click HERE to view local media coverage of the event.
JOIN HELPING HANDS TAILGATE @ THE SEPTEMBER 5 VARSITY FOOTBALL GAME
Help cheer the Bulldogs varsity football team to victory at the 2014 Helping Hands Tailgate for the September 5 game at our Charles A. Harding Memorial Stadium. The group will gather from 6-7 p.m. for food and fun, then sit in a designated set of bleachers at the south end of the stadium for the 7 p.m. game.
Please RSVP for this event by clicking here. Contact Mariel Krakowiak with any questions at mkrakowiak@ofcs.net.
IS YOUR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS INTERESTED IN DRAMA?
An informational parent meeting for the Bulldog Theatre Company, OFMS’s drama club, is set for Thursday, August 28th from 7-7:30 p.m. in the OFMS cafeteria. The meeting will include information about the company’s two shows for this school year, as well as free after-school workshops for students in grades 6-8.
Any questions? Contact Eric Bartkowski, ebartkowski@ofcs.net. We hope you are able to join us!
OLMSTED FALLS HOCKEY INVITES ALL TO HIT THE GREENS SEPTEMBER 20
The 22nd annual OF Hockey Golf Outing is September 20 at Emerald Woods Golf Course, 12501 S. Boone Road, Columbia Township. The four person scramble shotgun event includes continental breakfast, lunch at the turn, steak and potato dinner and refreshments for $75. The games pay out all funds paid in – $20/team skins, $1/closest to pin, $1 longest drive.
For more details/tickets, contact Brian Thompson, 216-470-2822 or email brianethompson@sbcglobal.net. To view a flyer of the event, click here.
OFAB TO BENEFIT FROM USP GOLF OUT SEPTEMBER 20
An Olmsted Falls Athletic Boosters golf outing that United Parcel Service will sponsor is set for Sept. 20 at the Springvale Golf Club, 5871 Canterbury Road, North Olmsted.
The cost is $80 a person or $25 for dinner only. It includes a four person scramble 18 holes of golf with cart, lunch, dinner, contests for the best score by a foursome, longest drive (women and men) closest to the pin and basket raffles. All money is due Friday, September 12.
Contact Brian Fritz, 216-337-4422 or b6fritz2003@yahoo.com to reserve your foursome or to sponsor a hole. This UPS-sponsored event also will benefit United Way.
OFAB NEEDS HELP AT CONCESSIONS
Volunteers are needed for the fall football concessions. The funds help keep Olmsted Falls void of pay-to-play fees. All SWC schools, except OF, have these fees. The boosters soon will send out e-blasts about fall high school and middle school football schedules.
The OFAB is raffling off a Chevy Cruze! Tickets are $10.
COMMUNITY
3rd Annual Robby’s Voice Race IV Awareness 5K Run/1 Mile Walk with Pancake Breakfast – Sunday, September 14th at Olmsted Falls Intermediate School – For additional information,
please click HERE to download the event flyer, or visit http://www.hermescleveland.com/roadracing/events/robbysvoice.asp
to register online.
OLMSTED FALLS SCHOOLS Bulldog Blog 