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September 19, 2019
Welcome
Welcome to
FRONTRUNNER
, Groveport Madison Schools' community
e-Newslet
ter. Our goal is to provide parents and community members with news, accomplishments and u
pdates associated with our students, schools, staff and school district.
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2019-2020 School Year is Off to a Great Start
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Superintendent
Garilee Ogden
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Wow! It's hard to believe that we're a month into the new school year. I'm delighted to say that things have gone exceptionally well.
We worked hard over the summer to be ready for the new school year. Our maintenance staff completed more than 300 work orders, and our custodians made sure that our buildings were clean and shiny for opening day.
We worked with Petermann Transportation to streamline bus routes to be more efficient. We also implemented a new system to assign bus routes and allow parents to more easily identify their child's bus stop and pick-up and drop-off times. The new system has enabled us to have bus assignments within 24 hours of a student being enrolled.
Student enrollment continues to increase. While that presents challenges for us with overcrowding issues at several buildings, we're pleased that so many new families (and families with children in private and community schools) are choosing our school district. To me, it's further indication that we are moving in the right direction.
The District had a number of teachers retire or leave this past year, leaving a large number of vacant positions for the 2019-2020 school year. To fill the vacancies as well as increases in student enrollment, the District hired 47 new teachers for the start of the school year. I can honestly say that our recent hires are some of the best I've seen. Our human resources director began new-teacher recruitment much earlier than most of our surrounding districts, so we were able to secure some of the best new teachers available. They are smart, excited, and from what I've seen when visiting our schools, they are doing an excellent job for your children. Collectively, we have an incredibly talented and dedicated staff. I'm looking forward to seeing the progress our students will make throughout the year as a result of the work being done by our principals and teachers.
Few things are more important to a child's academic success than having a strong partnership between the child's teachers and his/her parents or caretakers. I encourage parents to remain engaged with their child's school throughout the school year. Stay connected and ask questions. We're here to serve not just your child, but also you as a parent/guardian.
If we can be of assistance in any way, please let us know.
Have a great year, and Go Cruisers!
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The Impact of Issue 7 - a Message from District Treasurer, John M. Walsh
Providing a quality education for our students is the heart of what we do. Beyond academics, we believe that being efficient and maintaining a stable and responsible operating budget for taxpayers is also vital to our success.
Now, on Tues., Nov. 5, voters in Groveport Madison Schools will have the opportunity to vote on a 6.68 mil renewal levy that will allow our schools to remain on a stable fiscal path. Best of all, the renewal levy will generate the same amount of taxes as it generates today.
We have a strong story to tell when it comes to finances. After years of deficits that resulted in budget reductions, we were able to make important investments in our schools that are resulting in increased student achievement. This is because voters supported a 6.18 mil five-year operating levy and the .5 mil permanent improvement levy in 2014.
Funds from the 2014 levy allowed the District to invest in facility improvements and address deferred maintenance needs. It also provided resources for staff, programs, materials, and equipment to improve student achievement and enhance their educational experience.
At the end of calendar year 2019, the District's five-year operating levy will expire. Without the renewal of the operating levy, the District will again run into a deficit situation that will require budget cuts. To maintain current operations, the District has placed Issue 7 on the ballot - a renewal levy that will preserve the investments made in current programs, technology, and opportunities for students. Since it is a renewal levy, it will generate the same amount of taxes in 2020 as it does in 2019.
Whether you have children in Groveport Madison Schools or not, the success of our schools impacts the entire community. I encourage residents to study up on Issue 7 and to reach out with any questions. We appreciate your consideration regarding this important issue.
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District Continues to see Steady Improvement on the State Report Card
While looking forward to the results of the 2019 State Report Card, we somewhat expected that a change in how the state calculated graduation rates this past year might impact our overall report card grade.
While the overall report card grade may not be what we were hoping for we know from looking at the individual report card components and other data, our student achievement has steadily increased over the past five years. Since 2014, despite increased standards and increases in cut-score thresholds, the District has improved its performance in three of the key state indicators (Gap Closing, K-3 Literacy, and Student Progress). We also have maintained the same report card letter grade on the Performance Index Score and on our graduation rate measures.
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Student and Staff Safety: Our Top Concern
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| Paul Smathers |
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The only aspect of our mission that's more important to us than seeing our students achieve at their highest potential is ensuring their safety and well-being.
All Ohio school districts are required to file annual safety plans with the State of Ohio, and they are to have regularly-scheduled safety drills. Superintendent Garilee Ogden felt that while these actions are necessary, the District needed to be more proactive to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and our facilities.
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Creating a Positive and Successful District Culture
Creating a safe and positive culture and climate in all of our schools is extremely important to us. We are working to create an environment where students feel safe and well-cared-for and where they believe in their ability to take the necessary action to accomplish the tasks before them.
Mindset training focuses on helping students and adults develop attributes such as persistence, resilience, optimism, flexibility, and empathy. These attributes directly affect a student's sense of well-being and his/her academic success.
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Free Breakfast Program to Support District's Student Achievement Efforts
The research is clear; students perform better in school and behave better when they start the day with a nutritious breakfast.
Realizing that many of our students haven't eaten breakfast before arriving at school, the District decided we needed to take action.
Last year, with the assistance of a grant from the No Kids Hungry Foundation, the District launched a "Free Breakfast for All" pilot program at Asbury, Dunloe, and Madison Elementary Schools, and Middle School North. The program went so well that it has been expanded to include all 10 of the District's schools this year.
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Share Good News About Groveport Madison Schools!
We know that great news occurs every day. We invite you to share positive news items with us via our social media outlets as well. News and information can be shared via personal messaging on the District's Facebook page (Groveport Madison Schools). You can also email us at
gm.communications@gocruisers.org, or call us at 614-492-2520.
Thank you,
Office of Communications & Community Relations
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Office of Communications & Community Relations
gm.communications@gocruisers.org
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