November 15, 2020
The Shaker eNews is a weekly roundup of important information including District events, school newsletters and District, PTO Council, Shaker Schools Foundation and City news. Be sure to read the entire Shaker eNews each week to stay informed!
Visit our District Calendar online for a complete list of upcoming remote learning student activities, virtual events and athletic competitions.

Please note the following upcoming important dates:

  • Grades 5-8 B-Week Students | Attend Onsite Week of November 16
  • Board of Education Regular Meeting | Tuesday, November 17, 6 p.m. (Date Change)
  • Fall Conferences | Monday, November 23 & Tuesday, November 24; No School for Students
  • Thanksgiving Recess | Wednesday, November 25-Friday, November 27
District School Nurses Launch Stop the Spread Campaign
The District’s School Nurses have launched the Stop the Spread campaign to urge everyone in the Shaker Heights community to do their part to stop the spread of COVID-19. Be sure to wear a mask, wash your hands and maintain physical distance. Remember, your actions and choices impact the safety and health of our community! Thank you to our School Nurses: (top row, left to right) Boulevard School Nurse Janet Meinhard, Fernway School Nurse Louise Haffke, Lomond School Nurse Vanessa Exum, Mercer School Nurse Karen Tritt, (bottom row, left to right) Onaway School Nurse Paula Klausner, Woodbury School Nurse Stephanie Smith, Shaker Heights Middle School Nurse Iris Micochero and Shaker Heights High School Nurse Paula Damm! Read more about Stop the Spread.
Stay Safe and Healthy, and Plan Ahead
Families whose students are participating in onsite learning, please be aware that positive COVID-19 cases and exposures could result in the need for your student to switch to online learning as a result of required quarantines by students or staff. To that end, be sure that your student brings his/her Chromebook home every night along with the charging cord and any necessary books or frequently used school supplies. Families should also develop contingency plans for childcare, should a positive case or cases require your onsite student to temporarily move to online learning.

Unfortunately, due to Cuyahoga County Board of Health guidelines and the short notice we receive when we learn of a positive COVID-19 case, students and staff may be required to pivot to online learning with less than 24 hours of notice. 

Please continue to wear a mask, maintain physical distance, avoid large gatherings and wash/sanitize your hands frequently, no matter where you are—at home, at school or out in the community. The choices you make for the health and safety of yourself and others directly impact the spread of COVID-19 in our Shaker Heights community and in our schools. 

Also, as the holidays approach, keep in mind that large indoor family gatherings have been a significant source of spread in the state of Ohio. Please consider this as you make your own holiday plans. If your plans require travel or if you are participating in any indoor group gatherings or family events, we ask that you consider a 14-day quarantine. 

Thank you for your help and support in keeping students and staff safe as we continue learning and teaching for both onsite and online students.
November Board of Education Meeting Rescheduled for November 17
The November Board of Education meeting has been rescheduled to 6 p.m. Tuesday, November 17. 

The meeting will take place onsite at Shaker Heights High School. In accordance with the District's COVID-19 protocol, no visitors will be permitted at the in-person meeting. However, in compliance with Ohio Revised Code provisions, the Board meeting will be live-streamed to the public beginning at 6 p.m. and available at the following links:


Residents are encouraged to submit public comments or questions regarding items on the agenda by 5 p.m. Tuesday, November 17 through a comment form. Comments will be read into the record at the meeting.
Breakfast and Lunch Free for All Students
As a reminder, grab-and-go breakfast and lunch is available free of charge for all Shaker Heights Schools students—whether onsite or online—for the 2020-21 school year.

Please encourage your students to pick up a meal at school or at one of our 20 distribution locations!
Grades 5-12 Report Cards Available on ProgressBook and Abre
Woodbury, Middle School and High School families can view student report cards by logging into ProgressBook directly or through the Abre portal. In ProgressBook, select “Report Card” from the menu on the left.

Also, students can view their individual report cards by logging in to ProgressBook with their Shaker Heights Schools Gmail account.

Need Help with ProgressBook?
  • If you’ve already logged in to ProgressBook, but need a refresher on the portal or logging in, please view our ProgressBook Help page online.
  • If you have not yet logged into ProgressBook and if you no longer have this information, please email progressbook@shaker.org for your student’s ProgressBook registration key. 
  • If you have additional questions, please email progressbook@shaker.org. For specific questions about your student's grades, please contact your student’s teacher.
Shaker Heights High School Shares Hybrid Learning Details
Shaker Heights High School Principal Eric Juli shared these High School Hybrid Learning Details with all High School families. Families with students who will be onsite and online should review this information.

As a reminder, Shaker Heights High School families with students who wish to remain online must complete this Online Option Enrollment Form no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, November 16.
Shaker eNews Distribution Moves to Sundays
Distribution of the Shaker eNews, will move from Friday evenings to Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. 

The District is aware that the volume of weekday emails families receive from the District and from school buildings this year has increased. We hope that this shift to a Sunday Shaker eNews distribution provides our families with an opportunity to plan ahead and to review District and PTO information and school newsletters at a less busy time.

Previous issues of the Shaker eNews and school newsletters are always available online at the Shaker eNews archive.
Girls Raider Cross Country Takes Third at OHSAA State Championship
The Shaker Heights High School Varsity Girls Cross Country runners took an impressive third place at the OHSAA State Cross Country Championships on Sunday, November 8 in Obetz, Ohio! This was the team's highest place finish ever at the State Cross Country Championships. Junior Mia Compton-Engle led the Raider girls, placing 12th overall. She was followed by senior Avery Blaszak (22nd), junior Anna Carpenter (45th), freshman runners Darby Murlin (73rd), Cami Blaszak (81) and Elizabeth Murlin (87th), and senior Andrea Harrison (140th). Also, senior Deandre Hall finished 70th in the boys race. 

In addition, Avery Blaszak became the first runner in Shaker Heights High School history to compete in four State Cross Country Championships.

Way to run fast, Raiders! Congratulations to our runners and to Head Coach Dave Englander on an amazing season!
Onsite Before- and After-School Child Care to Begin January 11
Champions, the school division of Kindercare, is planning to offer before- and after-school child care for students in Grades K-6 beginning Monday, January 11. Currently, before- and after-school child care is not being offered as students return to onsite learning. The Champions fee per student will be $45 weekly for before-school child care and $55 weekly for after-school child care (these amounts exclude any military or multi-member family discounts). 

K-4 child care hours will be: 
  • 7-8:15 a.m. before-school child care
  • 2-6:30 p.m. after-school child care
  • Woodbury child care hours will be: 
  • 7-8:25 a.m. before-school child care
  • 3-6:30 p.m. after-school child care

Space will be limited at each site to adhere to health & safety standards, so register early. For questions and to learn more about enrolling, please go to Champions Before- and After-School Programs. 
Download the District App for Daily Health Assessment/COVID-19 Screening
All families should complete the District’s daily health assessment/COVID-19 screening each day prior to coming to school onsite. To access the health assessment tool:

  • Download the app in the App Store or Google Play. If you already have the app on your mobile device, please update it.
  • Families who do not have a smartphone can access the app online. 
  • Follow these instructions to create an account and to register your student. You will need your student’s ID number, available in your student’s ProgressBook or Abre account.
  • Complete the COVID-19 screening daily when your student returns to onsite learning.

Please contact your building office if you have questions. 
Student Health & Safety Guidelines
All families with students who will participate in onsite learning should review these Student Health and Safety Guidelines with their students. 

Students should be familiar with the District’s mask-wearing policies and hand washing/sanitizing and physical distancing guidelines so that they understand the positive role they can play in minimizing transmission of COVID-19 in our schools. 

We encourage families and students to review this information together and to discuss/address any questions before returning to school for onsite learning.
Flu Vaccine Reminder
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone six months of age and older should get an annual flu vaccine.

Any licensed, age-appropriate flu vaccine is an option for vaccination. These include:

Flu vaccines will not prevent COVID-19, but they will reduce the burden of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths on the health care system and conserve scarce medical resources for the care of people with COVID-19. Read more about flu vaccine benefits.
District Hiring Lunch Aides and Daytime Cleaning Staff
The District is hiring lunch aides for PreK-8 buildings as well as two daytime cleaners to assist with additional cleaning and sanitizing duties. 

Interested applicants can apply online: 
FACE Resources: CMHA Housing Choice Voucher Program
The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) is now accepting pre-applications for the Housing Choice Voucher Program tenant-based wait list lottery. 
Adults age 18 and older can submit a pre-application online to obtain a place on the waitlist. The pre-application is online only; paper pre-applications will not be available. Only one application per person is permitted. CMHA provides rental assistance to help low-income persons afford privately owned rental housing in Cuyahoga County. 
Seniors and persons with disabilities can call 216-271-2632 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. for assistance with submitting a pre-application. Learn more here.
Help Create Cards of Gratitude and Care
Join us in thanking the over 1,000 Shaker Heights Schools faculty and staff who have worked so hard on behalf of our students. All are welcome to create cards and drop them off by November 18 to one of 8 Little Free Libraries. Click here for more information, and please spread the word!
Family Resources Page

Visit the Family Resources Page for updated community information for all families, including library resources, ways to give and receive support in Shaker, youth programming and more.
Join us for an Interactive Online Workshop:
YOU Are an Entrepreneur! (You Just Don’t Know it Yet)
Featuring Danny Warshay, Class of 1983
Tuesday, December 1 at 7 p.m. via Zoom 

Professor Danny Warshay, Executive Director of the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship at Brown University (and self-described “tortured Cleveland sports fan”) will lead a spirited online workshop that demonstrates how to apply the Entrepreneurial Process to the world's biggest problems as well as those we face in everyday life. Danny will explain how to break down the process into phases, starting with “bottom-up research,” the first step in the three-step Entrepreneurial Process that Danny teaches to aspiring entrepreneurs at Brown and all over the world.

Current students, alumni, parents, teachers, staff, and community members are all encouraged to attend. This event is FREE, but space is limited so you must register in advance to receive a Zoom link to attend. In order to get the most out of this workshop, Danny requests that all attendees watch this video in advance of the workshop. (Prepare to be intrigued!) 

Says Danny, “As opposed to the myth that entrepreneurs are creative geniuses from birth, The Entrepreneurial Process is a skill set that anyone can master and apply.” No matter your age, interests, or background, you’ll come away from this interactive workshop with a new way of thinking and approaching opportunities in your life. Learn more about Danny.
Free COVID-19 Testing in Shaker Heights

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health and MetroHealth are offering free COVID-19 testing for individuals age two and older on November 18, December 2, December 16 and December 30.

Testing will take place at the Shaker Heights Fire Station at 17000 Chagrin Blvd. You must pre-register to be tested. Click here to pre-register online or call 216-957-3939, Tuesday to Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Learn more.

 
Drive-through Flu Shot Clinic November 24

A drive-through Flu Shot clinic will be held Tuesday, November 24 at the Shaker Heights Fire Station, 17000 Chagrin Blvd. from 3-6 p.m. Open to the public; all ages welcome. Please remain in your vehicle, wear a mask and short-sleeved shirt to the event. If insured, please bring the card. Walk-ups also accepted. Registration is appreciated but not required by texting “Shaker” to 216-406-2345. Email questions to ccbhnurse@ccbh.net.