Hello, and welcome to this edition of Cruiser Connections. Our goal is to keep our Cruiser community informed of the happenings, celebrations, and news of the school district, our students, staff, and schools. We’re excited to have you join us on this journey, and we look forward to your feedback.

While I thought last year would be one of the most challenging years for us all, I believe students, parents, and staff are all looking forward to this winter break more than any I can recall. 

I am incredibly grateful to our staff for all that they’ve done to remain focused on student achievement, but even more so, for their commitment and determination to helping our students confront a lot of social-emotional issues that have resulted from ongoing “COVID-stress.” We have put a lot of resources and training in place to ensure students' mental well-being is addressed so that they're ready and equipped to learn. We've also implemented programs to address the school climate and promote respect, acceptance, and kindness.

All of us are living in a time where everything we do matters. We leave a lasting impact on all of those we come across and often without realizing it. In a world where we can be anything – I challenge all Cruisers to be kind to one another.

As each of us spends time with family and friends over the winter break, I encourage you all to think about the new year and the possibilities that can come. As a school community, let's all work together to promote kindness through our actions and words. Kindness is a gift we can all afford to give – and possibly bring us all the greatest happiness we could ever want.

I wish you the best of holidays and a time of peace and serenity. 

District Groveport Madison Attains “C” Ranking on Revised State Accountability System

State Report Cards were released in mid-October for the 2020-2021 school year. Because of the impact of COVID-19 on schools, the report cards were significantly different from those of the past and did not include rankings for grades for schools or school districts. While the measures are different for the 2020-2021 school year (and will be different for the 2021-2022 school year), the Ohio Department of Education indicated Groveport Madison’s ranking as “Moderate – C” on the revised accountability system. 

While we know the pandemic isn't over and we still have much work to do, we are pleased that the efforts we're taking to keep students from losing ground are working. That's quite an accomplishment in itself during these challenging times.

After serving on the Board of Education for 12 years, Nancy Gillespie decided not to seek a new term in the November 2021 election. At the Dec. 8 BOE meeting, Gillespie said that it had been her distinct honor to have served Groveport Madison students, staff, and the community. She said that among her many proud moments as a Board member has been seeing the significant improvement in student academic performance and completion of the new high school. 

During Nancy’s time on the Board, she has twice been honored by the Ohio School Board’s Association (OSBA). For many years, she has served as the District's Student Achievement and Legislative Liaison to OSBA and a much-valued classroom volunteer at Asbury Elementary School.

Superintendent Ogden noted that Gillespie has been a strong proponent of expanding district-wide preschool education. She believes that a high-quality preschool program can help ensure all students begin school well-grounded in the basics and ready to start kindergarten prepared to become successful learners. That’s a dream we share, and we hope to be able to open expanded preschool offerings in the future.

Gillespie has been a tireless advocate for our students, staff, and community. Groveport Madison Schools greatly appreciates Mrs. Gillespie's dedication and support over these past 12 years, and we wish her and her family the very best in their future endeavors.

The Board of Education agreed to move our May 16 professional development day to Mon., Jan. 3, so that staff could better use the time for training and preparing for the start of the second semester. Staff will report back to work on Mon., Jan. 3, with all students reporting back to in-person classes on Tue., Jan. 4.

Beginning at 7:00 p.m. on Wed., Jan. 12, the Board will hold its annual organizational meeting. There, new Board member Seth Bower will take the oath of office, and the Board will elect officers for the 2022 calendar year and set their meeting dates for the year. The Regular Monthly Meeting will follow at 7:30 p.m. Both meetings will take place at the District Service Center and broadcast live on the Groveport Madison Schools YouTube channel.

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) recently recognized three Groveport Madison elementary schools in a virtual ceremony honoring 237 of Ohio’s 9,020 public schools. The schools were honored for their integration and implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) system. PBIS aims to establish and implement social, emotional, and behavioral supports and expectations to improve academic outcomes for all students. Schools being recognized included: Groveport ES, 2021 Ohio PBIS Gold Award Winner; Asbury ES, 2021 Ohio PBIS Silver Award Winner; and Dunloe ES, 2021 Ohio PBIS Bronze Award Winner. Congratulations to all three schools for this tremendous achievement!

This past week, the District's middle schools and high school moved to 100% remote learning so that Petermann Transportation could use the week with few students and the time during winter break to implement several changes designed to improve bus service. They are in the process of:

While there are no plans to change the location of bus stops, it is likely some busing assignments (the bus number) and pick-up and drop-off times will change. We will communicate any changes to families as soon as possible before returning from winter break.

Groveport Madison students have the opportunity to earn college credit – at no cost – through Ohio’s College Credit Plus program. Sign-ups for Columbus State’s spring semester classes are taking place, but participation in one of the student/parent virtual information sessions is required. The information session dates are:

Mon., Jan. 10, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Click here to register

Sat., Jan. 15, 10:00 a.m. – noon - Click here to register

The information sessions will cover:

·        College Credit Plus overview

·        College success strategies

·        How to access Columbus State student success resources

·        How to utilize Columbus State technology resources (Blackboard, Collaborate, CougarWeb, etc.)

·        Columbus State Library resources

If you have any questions about CCP Kickoff, please email ccpevents@cscc.edu. 

In November, the District received word from the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) that its application for the third round of the Elementary and Secondary Education Relief (ESSER III) federal stimulus grant had been approved. While initially expecting to receive approximately $18.9 million, the District was awarded $18.8 million. The funds must be used by September 2024.

ESSER III funding is available to help safely reopen schools and address the impacts of the pandemic on students' academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs, including interventions to address "learning loss" – delays in students' academic progress related to the pandemic – and support equity with services and supports for student populations that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted.

We are thankful to receive these one-time federal funds to invest in critical areas to help students safely return to school on-site five days a week and address our schools' and students' needs emerging from the pandemic.

A complete list of funds received and used through ESSER I, ESSER II, and ESSER III grants can be found at https://www.gocruisers.org/ESSERFederalStimulusFunds.aspx.

In the coming months, many GM staff members will be participating in training designed to prepare them to address the needs of students following a traumatic event. An unexpected death or a catastrophic disaster has significant potential to adversely impact academic achievement and inflict pain, turmoil, confusion, and heartache on both students and staff. With this recognition, the primary purpose of this two-day course is to introduce a flexible, proactive Traumatic Event Crisis Intervention Plan (TECIP)® that can be readily implemented following exposure, either directly or indirectly, to a traumatic event.

Indoor Playground Constructed at Lil’ Cruiser Campus

Preschoolers need lots of physical activity and skills development, and when inclement weather prevents them from releasing all of that energy outdoors, you've got to have a backup plan.

Using some of the federal stimulus (ESSER) funds the District received, we contracted with Penchura, LLC to install an indoor playground in the warehouse behind Lil' Cruiser Campus. Playgrounds and other adaptive equipment help the preschoolers develop gross motor skills and social skills.

The company's sales representative was so impressed with our special needs preschool program that he joined some of our volunteers to help install the equipment, saving us thousands of dollars in installation costs.

The preschoolers love the new equipment, and we are grateful that the federal stimulus funds were available to assist with this investment.

Consisting of community members, parents, and GM staff, the District’s Technology Committee recently held its second meeting this year. The committee is working to evaluate the progress on the District’s Technology Plan, as well as helping with the suggestions about future purchases. The committee focuses on five key areas: infrastructure and security, student success, professional development, classroom equipment, and digital citizenship.

The committee will soon be reviewing the equipment needs at the high school to determine what will be needed to support staff and students. The District plans to use federal stimulus (ESSER) funds to cover new equipment needs.

We know that great news occurs every day. We invite you to share positive news items with us via our social media outlets as well. News and information can be shared via personal messaging on Facebook (GroveportMadisonSchools). You may also email us at gm.communications@gocruisers.org, or call us at (614) 492-2520.

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