Shaker Heights Schools eNews | February 18, 2024

February 18, 2024

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.

Visit our District Calendar online for a complete list of upcoming activities, events and athletic competitions.

Please note the following upcoming important dates:

Schools & Offices Closed (President's Day) | Monday, February 19
Shaker Schools Facility Forum with the League of Women Voters | Thursday, February 22, 7 p.m.
Sankofa | Friday-Saturday, February 23-24
A Community Conversation on School Safety, Security & Belonging | Monday, February 26
Board of Education Work Session | Tuesday, February 27, 5 p.m.
District Kindergarten Information Night | Thursday, February 29, 7 p.m.
A Night for the Red & White | Saturday, March 2, 7 p.m.
Middle School Musical | Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3

Click on the appropriate link below for school-level and building PTO news:

Use these Quick Links to access the following District information:

Watch the Facilities Webinar from Tuesday, February 13

The recorded facilities webinar from Tuesday, February 13, is now available. Hear updates on the timeline, decisions to date, answers to attendee questions and receive information on the working process for this exciting and transformative project for the Shaker Heights Schools!

Watch the webinar here.

Community Conversation on School Safety, Security & Belonging

The Shaker Heights City School District, in partnership with the Shaker Heights PTO, invites all families, staff and community members to ‘A Community Conversation on School Safety, Security & Belonging’ on Monday, February 26.

The event, which will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Shaker Heights High School Upper Cafeteria, will include an overview of safety information and a review of the student supports available. Participants will also have opportunities for engagement during the event.

No Classes for April 8 Solar Eclipse; Faculty and Staff Report That Morning

The Shaker Heights City School District will be canceling classes April 8, 2024, during a full solar eclipse of the sun. Students and families are invited to join the Shaker Heights Recreation Department and Shaker Heights Public Library for a “Planetarium in the Park” Solar Eclipse Watch Party from 1-4 p.m. that day at Thornton Park.

Athletics and other after-school events will also be canceled or postponed. Teachers and staff should report to work in-person from 8:30-11:30 a.m. to work on building-level transition planning and other professional learning opportunities. More information will follow.

A Night for the Red & White, Comes Home to Shaker!

Saturday, March 2, 2024, Shaker Heights High School, 7 pm

Q. What’s Red & White and FUN all over?

A. A Night for the Red & White!

That’s right! Don’t miss the FUN as we host the biggest FUNdraiser of the year!

*Advance registration is required, so buy your tickets today

Our annual FUNdraiser will be held on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at the Shaker Heights High School at 7 p.m.! Enjoy appetizers, cocktails, a tapas bar, dancing, and spending time with your friends, neighbors, and alums. Join us as we raise funds to support Every Student, Every Grade and Every School.

There are so many different ways you can support:

Spread the word and purchase your tickets today! Deadline: February 23, 2024!
Purchase a raffle ticket! Win a trip to Paris or London or one of two Bourbon Barrels!
Become a Shaker Business Sponsor; three levels of sponsorship are available!
Bid on an item in our silent auction! *Opening a week before our event!

Our FUNdraising gala will also feature a Student Showcase with our jazz ensemble, a vocal ensemble, a string ensemble, theatre and Sankofa performances, and a K-12 Art Show.

Many of our teachers, students and staff personally invite you to join us in this FUN Video message.

If you have a child in K-6, please check your backpack mail for the flyers we sent out. We hope to see you there!

For more information, visit our website at shakerschoolsfoundation.org/redandwhite/

SAY Winter Forum on Recreational Marijuana

Shaker Heights Schools has joined in partnership with Bellefaire JCB to present a SAY Winter Forum on what parents need to know about recreational marijuana. The event is on February 21 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Shaker Heights Middle School. This free event is geared towards parents of teens, those who work with teens and teens. Free 1.5 CEUs are available for for counselors, social workers and psychologists

RSVP here.

Join the International Families and Friends for a Family Game Night!

The International Families and Friends are hosting a Family Activity Night event at Shaker Heights Middle School on Thursday, February 22 from 6:30-8 p.m.

Families can enjoy Bingo and other games in the cafeteria, as well as crafts and open gym play. All Shaker Heights Schools families are welcome and encouraged to attend. Attendees do NOT need to be an "International" family to attend.

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
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.

Shaker Heights Middle School Book Club Enjoy Reading Together

Students in the Shaker Heights Middle School book club have been enjoying a great year of reading so far! They began their year with nearly 50 students enjoying hot chocolate and a discussion about their first selection, Artie and the Wolf Moon.

At their latest meeting, students had the opportunity to hear from award-winning actor and activist George Takei after reading the book They Called Us Enemy. During this virtual visit, Mr. Takei shared about his childhood experiences in Japanese incarceration camps and answered student questions.

It's always great to see well-attended student groups in action, but especially so when that group fosters a love of reading! Well done, Raiders!

From the Margins to the Center

The Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement, Vol. 2

William Warren

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program Coordinator

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 has been described as one of the most significant legislative achievements in American History. Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964, the bill was the first of its kind to explicitly outlaw discrimination “on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin” in public accommodations and reaffirmed desegregation in public schools.

This year, this landmark piece of legislation will commemorate 60 years of existence. In the years since its signing, the bill has led the way for subsequent legislation to protect voting rights, mandate fair housing standards and practices, protection of LGBTQIA+ rights, protections and rights for the disabled and, famously, the Title IX clause that led to the establishment of equal funding for women’s sports in public school districts and colleges.

Several Black organizations were influential in making this bill a reality decades before its inception. The Black Cabinet was a network of nearly 100 Black government employees who counseled President Franklin D. Roosevelt on civil rights legislation during his presidency. The March on Washington Movement of the 1940’s saw A. Phillip Randolph, along with leaders from the National Urban League and the NAACP continue to pressure Washington for stronger civil rights laws. In June 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered his Report to the American People on Civil Rights, where he proposed a comprehensive civil rights bill, which was then sent to Congress after Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, when passing the bill finally became a priority.

In my position as DEI program coordinator, I interact with students daily who feel frustrated that the very rights protected under the 1964 Civil Rights Act are under threat of attack. It is important that I affirm the validity of their collective voices and actions, as my charge is to continue to immerse them in an educational experience that aims for inclusive excellence.

Additional Resources for African American History

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

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.

Fair Housing in Shaker Heights Video

Did you know that the City of Shaker Heights was one of the first cities in the Northeastern United States to pass its own set of fair housing laws that were deemed to be substantially equivalent to the federal Fair Housing Act? Watch this brief video featuring the City’s Assistant Director of Law Lisa Gold-Scott as she discusses Shaker’s fair housing laws.

City Establishing a Community Advisory Group

Shaker Heights is establishing a Community Advisory Group (CAG) to provide feedback to City leaders on topics that could include:

The implementation of recommendations from the community-wide Listening Project to start later this year;
Policing policies and practices;
The operation and expansion of the Mental Health Response Program; and
Community engagement efforts by both the police and mental health professionals.

The deadline for applications to serve on the CAG is February 29, 2024. Learn more here.