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| Members of the Shaker Heights High School group VocalEase perform the National Anthem during Convocation 2017. |
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The Shaker Schools Connection
A Message from the Superintendent
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Welcome back to another great year in the Shaker Schools! I hope that all of our families, faculty and staff have enjoyed a smooth transition into the 2017-18 school year and that our students are ready to be engaged and inspired learners. Our District-wide theme this year is "Shaker Has Heart." We've partnered with the American Heart Association to help guide us in taking care of our own personal health, and at the same time, each of us here at the District promises to work hard to show compassion and care for each other and our students.
Last month, we were reminded that not all teachable moments for our young people are created equal. Some require only a hug and comforting words. Others, a dinner-time conversation. But the acts of hatred, racism and violence in Charlottesville demand a commitment by us all to live our lives embracing all human beings and striving to be global citizens with good character.
I believe that it is our moral responsibility as educators to ensure we use our classrooms as a tool to learn as well as educate our young people about national and global issues. We must teach history in our classrooms without revision and afford our students the opportunity to sit with the discomfort of injustice and to discuss the emotions and concerns that stem from it. We must talk with them about the toxicity of hatred in all of its forms. We must always lead by example, because our children will model the behaviors we exhibit---both good and bad. Furthermore, we must emphasize what's appropriate and acceptable behavior, keeping in mind that sometimes, individuals that our young people look up to as leaders demonstrate behavior that's so clearly wrong.
Let's empower our young people to speak up without tearing someone else down; to advocate for themselves and defend their beliefs with grace and open-mindedness. We must encourage our young people to exhibit the ten International Baccalaureate learner attributes at all times and act accordingly because they are at the heart of what we do here in the Shaker Schools.
I challenge the community to hold me and our school community accountable for representing the IB learner attributes. I strongly believe that these attributes are right and good for all to possess. If you need support to embrace these "teachable moments" and show our young people how to be better citizens, please take a moment to review the following resources:
A community is known by the schools it keeps and our young people are counting on us to help make this world a better place for all of humanity.
Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.
Superintendent of Schools
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Completed Middle School roof
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Contractors completed both the Middle School roof and cafeteria ceiling projects before the start of school last month.
"Shaker students, staff and faculty were excited to see our new and improved roof and cafeteria when we opened our doors for the new school year. Our building now stays dry, even when it is wet outside," says Middle School Principal David Glasner. "Also, our cafeteria has a nice new ceiling, paint job and other improvements, which makes it a better space for our daily lunch periods. Thank you to our Shaker community and our District's facilities and operations teams for making this happen!"
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The first full month of school is filled with Picture Days, evening meetings and after-school events: Keep your schedules up-to-date with the free Shaker Heights Schools app or subscribe to our online calendar! It's the best way to get the most accurate when and where for all things Shaker Schools (because sometimes, dates change). Download the app at the
Apple App Store or on
Google Play. Learn more about subscribing to our calendar in the app or online by reviewing our
Calendar and App FAQ.
A limited number of printed District calendars are also available for pickup at all District buildings and both Shaker Heights Public Libraries.
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Be sure to log in to
PayForIt to pay any student fees and to add funds to student lunch accounts. Students in grades K-6 pay a $35 supply fee; students in grades 7-12 pay a $25 activity fee.
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Click on the items below to learn more about recent news from around the District:
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School Spotlight: Woodbury Students and Staff are Kinder than Necessary
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Woodbury principal Danny Young with WPBS team members, Stacey DeYoung and Carmelina Muttillo |
The Woodbury Positive Behavior Support (WPBS) team didn't have to put on the hard sell to principal Danny Young when they pitched their idea for the 2017-18 school year theme: "Be kinder than necessary." The 15-teacher team borrowed the phrase from Bald Benevolence, a kindness movement founded by Shaker parent Martha Mahoney, who passed away earlier this year after an eight-year battle with breast cancer.
"Besides knowing all the Mahoney kids, both Martha and her husband John just always had kind words to say to me and to everyone else here at Woodbury," explains Mr. Young. "When the team came to me with the idea, we just jumped all over it."
Mr. Young says the idea dovetailed neatly with the team's desire to build compassion among students and staff and to bring the word "empathy" to life. So to kick the year off right, Mr. Young and and WPBS committee members Carmelina Muttillo and Stacey DeYoung invited Gus Mahoney (SHHS '17) to speak to all students about Bald Benevolence and its mission to challenge people to extend an extra dose of kindness to everyone they meet.
Read more online about Woodbury's efforts to build empathy and the school's implementation of "Circles", which provide students a safe space to share, respond and reflect on what they've seen and learned.
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Shaker Schools Family Spotlight
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Ben Abelson and his daughter, Gabi |
When Ben Abelson (SHHS '04) left Shaker Heights to attend Amherst College in Massachusetts, moving back home wasn't specifically in his long-term plans. But life had a way of bringing him back: he attended medical school at the Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, got married and started a family. "Once I was back in Cleveland, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else," says Mr. Abelson, a fourth-year urology resident at The Cleveland Clinic.
Today, Mr. Abelson and his wife, Jennifer, live in the Mercer neighborhood. And their daughter, five-year-old Gabriela, just started kindergarten at Mercer Elementary School last month, becoming the fourth generation family member to attend Shaker Heights Schools. Mr. Abelson's mother, Abby (Goulder) Abelson graduated from Shaker in 1970 and his paternal grandmother, Ruth Klausner Abelson, graduated in 1944.
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All Shaker alumni, community members and current Shaker students and families are invited to take part in a special Homecoming Celebration on Friday, September 22 through September 24. The festivities will include:
Raider Nation Night Out, The Dealership, 3558 Lee Road (Registration required)
Friday, September 22, 7-11 p.m.
Raider Nation Pre-game Festival, High School Oval
Saturday, September 23, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Shaker Homecoming Football Game
Saturday, September 23, Kick-off @ 1pm, Football Field
Brunch in the Audrey Stout Learning Garden (Tickets are $40, reservations required)
Sunday, September 24, 10 a.m. - 11:30 p.m., Shaker High School Courtyard
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Brooke Harville, Administrative Assistant
Brooke Harville, administrative assistant at the Innovative Center for Personalized Learning, spends her days advocating for Shaker students
who find their academic groove beyond the walls of the high school.
"Sometimes, it's not the subject matter that a student doesn't understand when they're in the traditional high school setting, it's that there's a disconnect in the learning piece," Ms. Harville, a District veteran of 17 years, explains. "Sometimes, they just need a different way to receive the information."
And Ms. Harville has seen first hand that when some students have the opportunity to experience a different environment, their capacity for learning grows.
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Karmi James, Fernway and Onaway Music Teacher
Fernway and Onaway music teacher Karmi James is a bit of a Renaissance woman when it comes to her interests outside of school. She's a mountain biker, rock climber, former organic farmer, professional musician, and global traveler who also just happens to be building her own wooden boat.
Ms. James' teaching friends joke that she accomplishes more in one summer than they do in a lifetime---for example, last summer Ms. James traveled to Romania, where she competed in a "really cool and terrifying" 100-mile mountain bike race, went backpacking and went rock climbing up a 500-foot canyon.
But the best part about James is that she doesn't keep her adventurous spirit and her passion for music, movement and travel to herself: she shares it every day with her students.
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Community Engagement
Students Transform Lee Road Warehouse with Public Art Project
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Thirty-six Shaker students participated in a public art mural project last spring, which is now on display at the Shaker Schools warehouse at 3620 Lee Road. An anonymous community donor funded the project, which includes 25 panels, each 4- by 8-feet. High School art teachers
Karen DeMauro, Kris Walter and Meryl Haring supervised the project and the participating students. After the art was complete, a panel of judges selected the winning designs:
Olivia Forsyth's (SHHS '17) tree panels and
Tino Ponce DeLeon's flag panels (SHHS '17). Both students worked on their panels as part of their senior projects. Ms. DeMauro estimates that Forsyth spent approximately 70 hours on her murals, which she painted almost exclusively on her own.
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Timothy Krevinko Hired as Long-term Substitute Administrator for Curriculum and Instruction
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Timothy E. Krevinko, a veteran educator with extensive teaching and administrative experience in Ohio and Florida, has been named curriculum and instruction long-term substitute administrator for the 2017-2018 school year.
In his new role, Mr. Krevinko will support the development of a unified curriculum that provides continuity of instruction, aligns with the new state academic content standards, and leverages the benefits of the International Baccalaureate Programme for all students in grades PreK-12.
An Ohio native, Mr. Krevinko brings to his new role broad experience in all of the core academic disciplines. He also has strong experience in areas such as assessment, intervention and professional learning. He served as Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Assistant Principal for Student Services in the School District of Lee County (Florida), a county-wide system with 121 schools and more than 92,000 students. While there, he assisted in the development and implementation of an instructional framework that aligned with state standards, effective instructional practices, student learning needs and assessments. He also was responsible for the high school-level advanced studies program.
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FROM THE CITY OF SHAKER HEIGHTS
Fire Department Open House is September 23
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Come celebrate the 100th year of fire service in Shaker Heights at the annual Fire Department Open House at 17000 Chagrin Blvd., from noon-3 p.m., Saturday, September 23. The event will feature activities for the entire family and the unveiling of the Fire Centennial Pocket Park Mural.
Shaker Heights hired artist Augusto Bordelois to create a large-scale mural for the brick wall of the building located at 16700 Chagrin Blvd., which borders a pocket park. The mural highlights the connections between the community and the Shaker Heights Fire Department, and reflects the historical significance of 100 years of firefighting and emergency service to Shaker residents. Funding for the mural came from individual donations from residents and current and retired firefighters.
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Have a comment, suggestion or concern? Share it with us using our new Feedback form on the District's website,
www.shaker.org
. Simply choose the "Contact" drop-down menu at the top of the website and click on "Feedback." You can select the particular department you want to receive your message.
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15600 Parkland Drive, Shaker Heights OH 44120
shaker.org ยท 216-295-1400
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