Welcome to the Springboro Schools' E-News District Newsletter
The Springboro Schools' E-News is Distributed Every Other Week
District Calendar

Oct 14 - Varsity Volleyball vs. Bishop Fenwick, 7:00pm (@SHS)
Oct 15 - End of 1st Quarter
Oct 15 - Varsity Football vs. Huber Heights Wayne, 7:00pm (@Wayne)
Oct 13 - Board of Education Meeting, 6:00pm (@SHS)
Oct 20 - 1-Hr. Early Release, All School Buildings
Oct 27 - Board of Education Meeting, 6:00pm (@SHS)
Oct 31 - Halloween
Nov 2 - Election Day

Clearcreek Township Donates Water Bottles

Following the National Night Out (2021) at Patricia Allen Park, Mrs. Kohls, 4th Grade Teacher at Dennis Elementary, reached out to Clearcreek Township to see if there were any extra water bottles that could be donated to the schools. Since then, the Clearcreek Township Government Center inquired with other community departments and have collected over 1,300 water bottles to be donated to Springboro Schools for student use while at school. 

Clearcreek Township Government Center, Police Department, Fire District, and Premier Health have donated, or are in the process of donating, 1,350 water bottles to Springboro Schools. The hope is that this donation will assist those students needing bottles at the water refill stations, which have replaced the water fountains. The district appreciates our community’s efforts to protect the health of our students. Thank you!
How Can I Get the Vaccine?
Springboro Schools and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) strongly recommend to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, if eligible.

Click the link below to find out if you are eligible to receive the vaccine.

Alternative Quarantine Pilot Program
The Springboro Schools' Alternative Quarantine Pilot Program is now in full swing for Grades K-12. This is in collaboration with Warren County Health District (WCHD) and assistance from the Ohio Dept. of Health (ODH).

Clearcreek Elementary Teacher Featured on Dayton 24/7 Now for ADHD Awareness
Contributed by Payton Marshall - Dayton 24/7 Now

October marks national Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) awareness month and a Springboro mom has made it her mission to unite more parents with resources.


“A lot of people think that kids with ADHD are just hyperactive kids but with my son at least there’s a lot of other things that go along with that,” said Beth Bryner, founder of the Dayton Parents of ADHD Children Facebook group. Her son Cameron is a first grader at Clearcreek Elementary School in Springboro. He was diagnosed with ADHD a few months ago, which is why she created a Facebook group to connect parents to valuable information and resources.
According to Dayton Children’s Hospital, “a person with ADHD has differences in brain development and brain activity that affect attention, the ability to sit still, and self-control.”

“Maybe you tap your foot or twiddle your thumbs when you sitting and it [ADHD} is like that—only for them [kids diagnoses with ADHD] they need it on a much bigger scale,” said Renae Bucklew, Cameron’s first grade teacher at Clearcreek Elementary.

Bucklew said students diagnosed with ADHD are often over stimulated by the classroom. She said each child is different and she makes adjustments dependent on their needs. For Cameron she offers movement breaks, incentives for focusing and a ‘wiggle chair.’

“That over stimulation that kids get—it gives them a chance to wiggle without drawing a lot of to her or himself from the other kiddos,” said Bucklew.
The chair is portable, which allows Cameron to carry it anywhere in the classroom.
“When they sit on them, the air kind of moves around so kind of gets that motion while he’s at his desk which is really nice and now we use them at home,” said Bryner.

-Inattentive. Kids who are inattentive (easily distracted) have trouble focusing their attention, concentrating, and staying on task. They may not listen well to directions, may miss important details, and may not finish what they start. They may daydream or dawdle too much. They may seem absent-minded or forgetful, and lose track of their things.

-Hyperactive. Kids who are hyperactive are fidgety, restless, and easily bored. They may have trouble sitting still, or staying quiet when needed. They may rush through things and make careless mistakes. They may climb, jump, or roughhouse when they shouldn't. Without meaning to, they may act in ways that disrupt others.

-Impulsive. Kids who are impulsive act too quickly before thinking. They often interrupt, might push or grab, and find it hard to wait. They may do things without asking for permission, take things that aren't theirs, or act in ways that are risky. They may have emotional reactions that seem too intense for the situation.

“He [Cameron] is not good with understanding other people’s emotions because there’s so much going on in his own head. He’s not good at reading body language,” said Bryner. She added that the journey with the ADHD diagnosis for both the parents and the kids has a lot of ups and downs, which is why having a group for parental support, is essential.
Springboro Schools Featured on WKRC Local 12's Story on Staff Shortages
Contributed by Cassy Arsenault - WKRC Local 12

School districts across the Tri-State are experiencing a substitute teacher shortage caused by the pandemic. Assistant Transportation Supervisor Kathy Sacha and District Communications Coordinator Scott Marshall were interviewed by WKRC Local 12 on staff shortages and how it affects Springboro Schools.


At Springboro Schools, it’s raising concerns that the thinned available work pool is going to jeopardize students’ education. More than that, the school district isn’t worried COVID-19 will shut its doors, but, more likely, a substitute shortage that has them scrambling on any given day to keep the school district running.
Teachers, cafeteria workers and bus drivers are the three jobs that make Springboro Schools run.

“Every day it feels like we are robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said Scott Marshall, Springboro Schools' communications coordinator.

With 700 staff across six buildings in Springboro, anywhere from 10 to 30 substitutes are needed per day to cover vacations, sick calls or personal days.
“In terms of challenges regarding staff, I would say it’s worse than last year,” said Marshall.

Previously, Springboro Schools was able to have an 80% fill-in rate for any sick calls on any day. This year, that’s cut in half to about 40%, sometimes as low as 30%.
“It’s taken away the instructional time from the students in one way or the other,” said Marshall.

Kathryn Sacha is the assistant transportation supervisor, but now, she’s pulling double duty. She’s in the office and driving the bus to help get kids to school.
“Trying to get more done with less, and that’s really what the game has been for a while, and it’s not an easy trade-off when you are constantly trying to figure out how can you get it done today,” said Sacha. "Very often I have to stay beyond my regular time to complete what might need to be completed.”

Teachers are instructing their classes and giving up their planning period to substitute. In a year where free lunch is extended to all Ohio students, there are barely enough cafeteria workers to meet the demand.

“That’s something that could have a steamroll effect if that continually happens several days during the week,” said Marshall.

If something doesn’t change, Springboro Schools isn’t sure how long this model can survive. They can only stretch the staff so thin before something has to give.
“Staff shortages will be something that would shut us down quicker than COVID would,” said Marshall.
JH Students Dissect Brains
Our Warren County Career Center (WCCC)/Springboro Junior High (SJHS) students recently served as Medical Detectives dissecting and labeling different parts of a sheep’s brain. Thanks to Instructor Travis Bridges!
Springboro High School Earns Gold Standard for Financial Literacy

Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF), a non-profit with a mission to ensure every HS student in America takes a personal finance course by the year 2030, has awarded Springboro High School (SHS) its Gold Standard School award.

Montana State University researchers teamed up with NGPF to evaluate thousands of high school course catalogs and graduation requirements on the following scale:

· Bronze Standard Schools
Offer some personal finance instruction in less than one continuous semester, often by embedding it into other courses.
· Silver Standard Schools
Offer at least one semester of personal finance as a standalone elective OR offer a standalone personal finance course as one option among multiple that can fulfill a one semester graduation requirement.
· Gold Standard Schools
Ensure all students take at least one standalone semester course in personal finance before graduation.

Outside the six states (AL, MO, UT, MS, TN and VA) that currently guarantee every high school student will take a personal finance course, researchers identified 1,591 Gold Standard Schools, Springboro High School among them. You can see the entire state’s data on NGPF’s Got Finance? Map.

“Springboro High School has offered financial education courses for quite some time, but was one of the first to require it as a course to graduate,” said SHS Business Teacher Aaron Barker. “We provide financial literacy education to over 500 students a year and hope to continue to provide quality financial education courses to help students make responsible financial decisions. While the course is only a semester-long, we believe we can provide a foundation to help protect our students and set them up for financial success.”

K-12 financial education has recently found the spotlight with 26 state legislatures introducing bills to expand access to financial education in public schools in 2021.

NGPF co-Founder Tim Ranzetta said, “Gold Standard Schools show remarkable leadership, surging ahead of state progress on financial education instead of waiting for a mandate. The teachers, parents, students, administrators, and community leaders in these schools show what can happen when a coalition commits to build the financial capability of the next generation.”
 
Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF) is on a mission to ensure all high school students get guaranteed access to a full semester class in personal finance. NGPF has become the "one-stop shop" for more than 53,000 financial educators looking for high-quality, engaging curriculum to build the financial capability of their students. NGPF's curriculum, teacher professional development, and advocacy tools are provided at no cost to schools.
SHS Biology Class
Mrs. Andrews' Honors Biology class at Springboro High School (SHS) is learning the steps and vocabulary necessary for experimentation. These students put their newfound skills to good use outside of the SHS campus.

Go Panthers!
FPE Celebrates Stories
Second graders in Mrs. Page's class at Five Points Elementary celebrated stories they authored with family and friends. These personal narratives were shared live through Google Meet.

This experience ended a writing unit that focused on personal narratives, or what students referred to as writing "small moments" in their lives.
Aircraft Control Surfaces

After studying Aircraft Control Surfaces, center of gravity, and airfoils, Mr. Broderick's Aerospace Engineering students were tasked with designing balsa wood gliders.

The Springboro High School (SHS) students spent a week modeling, cutting, and then sanding every edge of their glider before launch. Then, after slight modifications, most student gliders were able to double their initial flight distance.

The students launched their gliders for flight outside of SHS.
Bus Drivers Needed - Apply Now
Paid Training

As a district, we are committed to providing high-quality, safe transportation services that accommodate the various academic and extracurricular needs of our students. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a bus driver, please visit our Transportation Dept. webpage.
 
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the district's Central Office at 937-748-3960.
District's Week-to-Week COVID-19 Data Dashboard

Springboro Schools will be posting the number of confirmed, positive COVID-19 cases for both students and staff, throughout each school building, within a one-week time frame (this is not a rolling total), as is required to be reported to the State of Ohio. Each week's data, for the current school year, will be archived.

The district data dashboard listed here reports positives and quarantines for the students/staff directly related to a school building case. New this year (during weeks when the data is able to be collected), the dashboard also lists those students/staff who do not have to quarantine, as a result of being mask and/or vaccinated (Based on Quarantine Guidelines). This means, any student/staff member that was considered a close contact, based on a positive case, but was masked and/or vaccinated, would not need to quarantine. This data is now being tracked and added to the dashboard.

This dashboard does not include cases resulting from community spread, which is traced via the Warren County Health District - Click Here to View This Data as Reported by Warren County.

PLEASE NOTE: Students/Staff who are listed as quarantined are NOT considered a confirmed, positive COVID-19 case. The district is required to follow State of Ohio and Warren County Health District (WCHD) guidelines, in regards to quarantine protocols. Any student/staff that has met state and county health guidelines on possible exposure, will be quarantined. Any student/staff member listed as quarantined, is NOT a confirmed, positive COVID-19 case.
COVID-19 Health & Prevention Guidance
for Ohio K-12 Schools

Springboro Schools is committed to protecting the health and safety of our community. The steps we are taking, as a district, are guided by the recommendations of the State of Ohio, the Ohio Department of Health, the Warren County Health District, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are in the best interest of the students, parents, and staff of Springboro Schools, as well as our surrounding community.

Visit the district's COVID-19 Updates page to learn more about the district's protocols, COVID-19 resources, parent guides, dashboard, as well as the latest guidance from the Ohio Dept. of Health (ODH) and Warren County Health District (WCHD).

Student Health Services

As a reminder, Springboro Schools has a dedicated Student Health Services Web Page. Each of our schools has a Registered Nurse (RN) in the school clinic. Their goal is to promote health services and education for all students. Educational outcomes for students are impacted by physical, social, and emotional health, and our school nurses serve as liaisons between education and health care, linking the school, home, and community. 

Healthy children make better students and better students make healthy communities. You can find all school health forms under the Student Health Forms page, as well as parent guides and resources on our COVID-19 page.

Student Health Services Staff:

District Nurse
SI Clinic Nurse
(937) 748-6054
SHS Clinic Nurse
(937) 748-6025 

Junior High Clinic Nurse
(937) 748-3953 Ext. 2401

SI Clinic Nurse
(937) 748-6052
Five Points Clinic Nurse
(937) 748-6093 

Dennis Clinic Nurse
(937) 748-6073 

Clearcreek Clinic Nurse
(937) 748-3958
Area Eligibility On Free/Reduced Meals
for 2021-2022 School Year

A statewide update regarding area eligibility, from the COVID-19 pandemic, has been issued as it relates to meal distribution in school districts throughout the State of Ohio. This is for the 2021-2022 school year.
 
This policy provides guidance to a) National School Lunch Program (NSLP) School Food Authorities operating under the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) or b) Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsors about expanding area eligibility during the meal distribution process.

Under this new guidance, lunches served to ALL students will be at no cost for the 2021-2022 school year. Details are listed below, as to the specifics on what constitutes a school lunch under this policy.
 
Lunch at No Cost Includes:
Grades 1 – 8:  Entree, grain, choice of 2 different vegetables, 1 fruit & milk
Grades 9 – 12: Entree, grain, choice of 2 different vegetables, choice of 2 different fruits & milk.
 
Students must select a minimum of 1 fruit or vegetable + 2 other items to be considered a lunch meal. Students are encouraged to take all 5 components (entree, grain, fruit, vegetable & milk). All students will be charged for ala carte purchases, just as they always have been.
 
Families are still encouraged to submit free/reduced meal applications to ensure that they do not lose their free/reduced status at the conclusion of this statewide policy. This is very important, as there is no guarantee when funding for this statewide policy will expire.
 
This policy is effective immediately and remains in effect until June 30, 2022, or until expiration of the federally declared public health emergency or until funding is depleted, whichever is earlier.



 Kathleen Poor, Food Service Director
937-748-3950 (x4664)

Lost or Misplaced P-EBT Cards: If a family has accidentally thrown away the P-EBT card or has lost the card, the family should call Conduent (the P-EBT card vendor) at 1-866-386-3071 to request a replacement if the card is lost, stolen or damaged.

It is the same process SNAP customers do to replace the Ohio Direction EBT card. When the family calls, their old card will be locked, and a new card will be mailed to them. If the family finds their lost card, they will not be able to use it once they have reported it lost or stolen.

The family will have to wait to receive the replacement card in the mail, which can take 7-10 days. Additional information to share with families on how to replace a lost or misplaced card is available on the P-EBT website.
SCAC Continuing to Help Community Families In Need

Springboro Schools will continue providing meals to families on a routine basis, during the school year. Students who are on Free/Reduced Lunch or apart of the “Boro Backpack Program” will still be able to receive food thanks to the Springboro Community Assistance Center (SCAC). Springboro Schools has been in contact directly with these families, regarding details on food pickup and distribution.

Free/Reduced Lunch with Springboro Schools:

Mondays (3:00 - 4:00pm)*
Springboro Community Assistance Center (SCAC)
1629 S. Main St. Springboro, OH 45066
Perishable, Meats, Dairy, Cleaning Supplies, & Boxed Food Only

*Check SCAC Website for Specific Dates/Times


Please know the SCAC is here to help all families that are in need. We understand there are a lot of families that have not used a food pantry before, and this can be uncomfortable, at first.


Also, the Springboro Community Assistance Center (SCAC) will provide further details on their Facebook page. 
Springboro Schools Featured in Springboro Neighbors Magazine

Each month the Springboro Neighbors Magazine releases a new edition. Springboro Schools will have an advertisement and article in each edition, in order for the community to learn more about the great stories happening in Springboro.
Student Safety Reporting App
The district Student Safety Reporting System now has an App, "Stay Safe. Speak Up!"

This is tied to the same safety reporting system used by Springboro Schools.
Share Your Story Idea

Have a story idea? Share it with Springboro Schools!
 
While we prefer to know about events or activities before they happen, we still encourage you to share your story afterwards. Please send us a summary of what occurred and any photos you may have taken by e-mail to the Communications Coordinator, or by filling out a Story Idea Submission Form.
 
Cell phone photos are acceptable, however we prefer them to be horizontal and at least 1024 x 768 pixels. Low quality, or out-of-focus photos, run the risk of not being usable. Please note, if you send the district photos, any students visible in the photos must have a signed media release on file for the current school year. The main office in any school building will have this information.
 


Did You Know?
This section will share facts from our Treasurer's Dept.
Did you know? Springboro Schools implemented a Cost Containment plan during Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20), that is projected to save nearly 5 million over 4 years.

Reductions include; overtime, staffing, contracted services, and supplies. The reductions are in response to anticipated annual deficit spending.

The District currently spends 27% less per child than the state average, and 40% less than similar Districts. Even with continued cost containment efforts, the district anticipates deficit spending annually. 
Interested in viewing more?
Student Safety Reporting
If you believe your child is being bullied, harassed, or you suspect any type of suspicious behavior, contact your child’s principal or report the incident through our Student Safety Reporting System.

PeachJar is an electronic flyer communication tool that will send you emails regarding important PTO information and other district and community updates.
Springboro Schools
1685 S. Main Street
Springboro, OH 45066
P: 937-748-3960