September 5, 2021
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!
The Shaker eNews for the 2021-2022 school year will release weekly on Sundays.
Visit our District Calendar online for a complete list of upcoming activities, events and athletic competitions.

Please note the following upcoming important dates:

  • Labor Day Monday, September 6 | Schools and Offices Closed
  • Rosh Hashanah Tuesday, September 7 | Schools and Offices Closed
  • Curriculum Nights (held virtually):
  • Wednesday, September 8 | Boulevard, Fernway, Lomond, Mercer, Onaway
  • Grades 1-4 only; see school newsletters for times
  • Thursday, September 9 | Shaker Middle School
  • Tuesday, September 14 | Shaker High School
  • Monday, September 20 | Woodbury
  • Wednesday, September 22 | Boulevard, Fernway, Lomond, Mercer, Onaway
  • Kindergarten only
Schools and Offices Closed

As a reminder, all schools and offices will be closed on Monday, September 6 in observance of Labor Day and Tuesday, September 7 in observance of Rosh Hashanah. School will resume on Wednesday, September 8.
COVID-19 Notifications Protocol

As school resumes, we would like to take this opportunity to remind families of the COVID-19 notification protocols that are in place. The District's online COVID-19 Dashboard will continue to be updated weekday evenings when new cases are reported or when cases are removed. The District will continue to notify families and staff of positive cases of COVID-19 in their same classroom, bus or extra-curricular activity if the individual who tested positive was contagious when onsite. Phone calls also will be made to individuals identified as close contacts.

The District has updated its 2021-22 Health & Safety guidelines regarding timing and procedures for reporting positive cases and contact tracing. Families and staff should make every effort to report positive COVID-19 cases before 4 p.m. each day. Please review the updated guidelines here.
International and ELL Family Information Night

Please join us virtually for an information night for all new International Families and Families of English Language Learners (ELL) on Thursday, September 9 from 6-6:45 p.m. Shaker's ELL teachers Jill Lasheen, Monica Triozzi, Michael Wells, Kara Fagan and Fancine Lasley will host this meeting to provide information about the ELL program, International Families events and school and community resources.

For more information and the link to attend, please see this flyer.
Free/Reduced-Price Lunch Applications

We encourage all families to submit an application for free- or reduced-price meal eligibility regardless of family income. While the USDA has announced that all students will continue receiving free meals throughout the 2021-2022 school year, it remains crucial to the District that families still submit applications for free- and-reduced-price eligibility. The percentage of students qualifying for meals is a data point utilized by the federal government to provide the District with certain funds that benefit all students. Families may also qualify for fee waivers for the ACT, PSAT, SAT and AP tests if qualified for free and reduced-price meals.
Shaker Heights Livestream Athletic Schedule:

This week's schedule of livestreamed athletic events includes:

  • Thursday, September 9 | Freshman Football, 4:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, September 11 | Girls Soccer, 1:00 p.m.

All livestream events can be found on the Athletic Department website.
Note from the PTO Council Co-Presidents

The school year is off to a great start and it is so nice to be back in person, seeing one another and enjoying our community. We encourage you to check the PTO newsletters for your school to find out what events and activities are taking place. 

The PTO council will hold our first meeting on Monday September 13th at 7:00pm on zoom. We hope that you will join us! We will be talking about what will be happening throughout the year and will be going over our budget for the school year.

Feel free to reach out to us with any questions at ptocouncilpres@gmail.com

Randi and Michelle
Stay Connected with the PTO

Shaker Heights PTO uses the Membership Toolkit portal and app for family directory, volunteer signups, and email communications. It’s secure, easy to use and free to families.

Instructions on how to sign up 
  • Go to: shakerpto.org
  • Click on the Login button or the Registration button.
  • If you already have an account with another organization that uses Membership Toolkit, you can use the same email and password to login. 
  • If you do not have a Membership Toolkit account, select “Create Account” and fill in your name and email, and create a password.
  • Click “verify my email” and then check your email for a link to complete the process. The link expires in 2 hours. If you do not receive the email, check your spam or junk folders.
  • After you have verified your email address, log back in and finish the registration process.
  • Complete the Parent/Family and Student Information forms.
  • Complete the Directory/Publish Preferences. (You control the info you want everyone to see and also don’t forget if you want an email and push notifications to set that option as well.) Once these forms are complete, you will be connected.
  • Once the Primary Account is set up, the Primary User can “invite” other email addresses to access his/her account. This allows a Secondary User (such as a spouse or co-parent) to have their own login information, but still have access to the family account.
 
How will the Shaker PTO use Membership Toolkit? 
The PTO will use the email you give us as the primary method of communication between the PTO and parents. We will send out emails about events (Speaker Series, fundraisers, school events), our needs (opportunities for volunteers), as well as resources for parents.   

What is the Directory? 
The Shaker PTO Online Directory is for use by the families of the school, compiled by the PTO. If your child wishes to socialize with classmates outside the classroom (play dates, birthday parties), this directory is an essential source of contact information. We have decided to put our directory online to save on volunteer time, costs, and paper. We are using MTK to accomplish this task. The online database gives you and us the ability to have information automatically updated each year and allows families to change information easily. 
Helping Students Grow: Opportunity Scholarships for Shaker Students 

In keeping with the District’s focus on equity and access to opportunity for our students, the Shaker Schools Foundation offers opportunity scholarships so that more Shaker students can participate in enrichment activities and youth sports outside of the District’s offerings. 
Beyond the Desk Enrichment Scholarships

Beyond the Desk Enrichment Scholarships provide financial assistance for students in grades 5-12 to engage in extracurricular activities, leadership training, visual or performing arts classes, and more. Learn more.
Level the Playing Field Scholarships

Level the Playing Field Scholarships provide financial assistance to students in grades 1-12 to participate in youth team sports affiliated with the Shaker Heights Recreation Department and Shaker Youth Sports. Learn more.

To apply for scholarships, or to donate in support of these initiatives, please visit our website.

Level the Playing Field Scholarships can be used on a variety of youth sports found here.
Residents Invited to Volunteer for DEI Committee

The City is working to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in our community, particularly as these issues intersect with the work of the City. To accomplish this goal we are forming a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee as well as several subcommittees to help focus our work. If you are interested in volunteering or would like to learn more, read the Volunteer form. The deadline to apply is Friday, September 3.
Labor Day Parade

Everyone loves parades, and The Labor Day Parade (rescheduled from Memorial Day) kicks off Monday, September 6 at 9 am. The route begins at the intersection of Van Aken Blvd. and Lee Rd. and proceeds east to the Van Aken District in the westbound lane of Van Aken. Visit bit.ly/ShakerParade for more information.