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 is published weekly on Sundays. | |
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Visit our District Calendar online for a complete list of upcoming activities, events and athletic competitions.
Please note the following upcoming important dates:
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Rising 9th Grade Information Night | Thursday, February 8, 7 p.m.
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Board of Education Meeting | Tuesday, February 13, 6 p.m.
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No School for Students (Conferences) | Thursday-Friday, February 15-16
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Schools & Offices Closed (President's Day) | Monday, February 19
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Sankofa | Friday-Saturday, February 23-24
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Click on the appropriate link below for school-level and building PTO news:
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Use these Quick Links to access the following District information:
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New Start/End Times for K-8 for the 2024-2025 School Year
New school start and end times for the District’s elementary schools and Shaker Heights Middle School
have been established for the 2024-2025 school year.
Start and end times for the 2024-2025 school year are as follows:
Preschool
These school day times are not changing. Full-day is 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Morning half-day is 8:45 - 11:15 a.m., and afternoon half-day is 12:45 - 3:15 p.m.
Grades K-5
SHTA Teacher Day: 7:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Student Day: 8:15 a.m. - 3:05 p.m.
Grades 6-8
SHTA Teacher Day: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Student Day: 8:50 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Grades 9-12
Shaker Heights High School is also examining its start and end times, and any changes to the High School schedule will be announced separately.
The District has received feedback from families, faculty and staff regarding the current start and end times for our schools. The implementation of Segment 1 of the Long-Term Facilities Plan provided an ideal opportunity to examine start and end times for K-8.
These times were created in collaboration with District and school administrators and the Transportation Department. The District also met with key stakeholder groups to review these changes and receive feedback. These groups included representatives from the Shaker Heights Teachers’ Association, the Shaker Heights PTO, the PYP Planning Committee and the District’s Facilities Advisory Committee.
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Facilities Webinar on Tuesday, February 13
Tune in to a District facilities webinar on Tuesday, February 13, at noon. Hear updates on the timeline, decisions to date, ask questions and receive information on the working process for this exciting and transformative project for the Shaker Heights Schools!
Join here: https://shaker.zoom.us/j/94524342669#success
This webinar will be recorded and shared via a facilities update email with all families and staff.
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Shaker Heights Schools Wants Your Feedback!
Shape your connection with the Shaker Heights City School District! All staff, parents and community members are invited to take part in the District’s communications survey. This survey, conducted by a respected independent team of researchers from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), will help guide the District’s communication practices. Your insights are crucial in shaping our future communication with you. To share your thoughts, go to https://survey.k12insight.com/r/c4cxtW. All responses will be anonymous.
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PowerSchool Now Available with New URL
The District has moved to a new PowerSchool hosting provider. This change will impact parent/guardian access to the PowerSchool portal.
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The PowerSchool Public Portal will be accessed via this new URL: https://ps-sh.metasolutions.net/public/
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You will need to update any bookmarks with this new URL. Your PowerSchool username and password will remain the same.
Accessing PowerSchool and the PowerSchool Mobile App:
If students or families experience any issues accessing the Portal, email powerschool@shaker.org for assistance. Please note that some information found on the web version of the Portal is not available on the mobile app, so it is always preferable to login via a browser on your laptop or smartphone.
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A Night for the Red & White, Comes Home to Shaker!
A Night for the Red & White, Comes Home to Shaker!
Saturday, March 2, 2024, Shaker Heights High School, 7 pm
Watch a video message here from Superintendent Dr. David Glasner inviting you to join him at the Red & White!
The Shaker Schools Foundation continues to raise funds that will be used to support every student, every grade, and every school! The entire community is invited to enjoy appetizers, cocktails, a tapas bar, dancing, and spending time with your friends, neighbors, and alums! We’ll have a fantastic night with fabulous student performances and student art you don’t want to miss. We will also feature an online Silent Auction and three Raffle packages!
Raffle Tickets on sale now! Online auction opens one week before the event so look for it soon.
Buy your tickets for A Night for the Red & White today!
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Shaker Heights High School Athletics Speaker Series
"Strength Training for the Female Athlete"
Tuesday, March 12, 6:30 p.m.
Middle School Auditorium
Join us on Tuesday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Shaker Middle School as the SHHS Department of Athletics and Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine partner for a free town hall meeting, Strength Training for the Female Athlete. Dr. Sami Rifat and Dr. Molly McDermott will discuss this important topic relating to female athletes of all ages and provide a Q & A session at the end of their presentation:
- Injury prevention and long-term health
- Improved on-field performance
- Stereotypes and misconceptions about female athletes and strength training
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Click here to learn more about this event's speakers, Dr. Rifat and Dr. McDermott
For more than 30 years, Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine has been the proud medical provider for Shaker Athletics. Many thanks to the Cleveland Clinic for their sponsorship of this program and continued support of Raider Athletics.
Contact Mike Babinec (Athletic Director) at babinec_m@shaker.org for more information.
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Mercer Students Have Their Day in Court
Larissa Martin’s fourth-grade students at Mercer Elementary had their day in court Thursday.
At issue: The constitutionality of a hypothetical school rule that allows girls to go outside and enjoy recess on the playground while boys stay inside and clean the room and prepare snacks for them.
The litigants: Even though the rule benefited them, the girls argued against it. Conversely, the boys supported it.
The jurist: The Honorable Judge J. Philip Calabrese of the U.S. District Court in Cleveland.
The mock trial was arranged by Matthew Gurbach, a trial lawyer and the father of fourth-grader Josephine, who is in Martin’s class. As the judge listened, all 18 of the students in the class took turns approaching the bench and presenting arguments they had prepared for their side.
The girls in the class attacked the rule on the grounds of the 14th Amendment. The boys in the class cited the unfair treatment of women as a reason to preserve the perk of enjoying recess.
After they were done with their own presentations, the students had a flood of questions for Calabrese, who was happy to spend time with such an enthusiastic group. “People usually aren’t very excited about appearing before me,” he said.
Martin said her students worked hard on their presentations. The experience required them to do research, writing and public speaking.
As for the verdict? “It’s under advisement,” Calabrese said before leaving. “I’ll issue a ruling in due course.”
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From the Margins to the Center
Celebrating and Acknowledging African American History, Vol. 1
Lawrence Burnley, PhD
Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer
The existence and Creation of Black/African American History Month is a direct result of the efforts, struggles and sacrifices of many people over time. When thinking about Black history, we tend to think about the teaching, research and sacrifice of educators and scholars from K-12 to college and university education. Their work was, and continues to be, aimed at bringing the history of Black people in the U.S. and around the world From the Margins to the Center of curriculum requirements at every level of educational discourse.
Perhaps the most notable and celebrated champion of African American History is Dr. Carter G. Woodson (see also here). His efforts played a crucial role in African American History Month achieving national recognition. Dr. Woodson was fierce in his criticism of the manner in which formal education advanced racist ideas by the omission and distortion of Black history and its impact on Black children. In his classic book, The Mis-Education of the Negro, first published in 1933, he wrote, “This crusade [studying and teaching Black History] is much more important than the anti- lynching movement, because there would be no lynching if it did not start in the schoolroom.” Again addressing the impact of distorted and omitted history and culture of Black people, he writes, “As another has well said, to handicap a student by teaching him that his black face is a curse and that his struggle to change his condition is hopeless is the worst sort of lynching.”
A less recognized and celebrated aspect of African American history is the activism, organization and voices of youth within and beyond the U.S. who played a critical leadership role in the advancement of racial justice and human rights for all people. Examples of student-led activism resulting in significant achievement in civil rights and educational equity include the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; the establishment of America's First Black Studies Department; and the Soweto Uprising in South Africa, where students peacefully marched - and were met with a violent response - for the right to have their first language as the primary language of instruction.
Driven by Shaker Heights City School District’s commitment to Inclusive Excellence and Educational Equity we celebrate, commemorate, acknowledge, recover and remember the history, culture and heritage of Black people in the U.S. and throughout the world past and present.
Additional Resources for African American History
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Nominate a Deserving Alum Today!
The nomination period for the 2024 Shaker Schools Alumni Hall of Fame is open through April 8, 2024! Anyone may nominate a Shaker alum for this meaningful honor. Please start working on your nomination today!
NOMINATION FORM: https://bit.ly/3RSJaD6
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PTO Council Meeting
Mark your calendar for the next PTO Council meeting on Tuesday, February 27, 2024! Links to meeting notes and the approved budget from the previous meeting on November 12, 2023 can be found below.
Approved Budget 2023-24
Notes
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Staying Connected
We want you to stay connected. In order to receive PTO emails and access to the directory, faculty/staff and families are asked to create an account on Membership Toolkit. There are no fees to join the PTO. A Membership Toolkit account will give you access to the district family directory. Once you are registered, you will have the opportunity to decide what, if any, of your family information is included in the directory. Visit www.shakerpto.org to register.
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Ohio High School Figure Skating Championships February 3, 4
Hosted by the Shaker Figure Skating Club, this annual competition, held at the Thornton Park Ice Arena, features high school figure skating teams from throughout the state, including the SHHS figure skating team. Check out the schedule. There is no charge for spectators. Note: There will be no public skating, youth hockey practices, Learn to Skate classes, or other ice arena programming on the days of competition.
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Applications accepted for Shaker Heights Firefighters/Paramedics through February 11
Do you know a paramedic ready to work with a solid team? Do you have friends or family interested in a career as a firefighter? The Shaker Heights Fire Department is hiring! Application open through February 11; mandatory Firefighters Entrance Exam on March 2. Learn more and apply.
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