A Sidney City Schools Publication May 2016

As the school year comes to an end, our senior class looks forward to graduation. The Class of 2016 should be proud of their hard work and amazing accomplishments. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

The 2016 graduation ceremony will take place Saturday, May 21, 2016, at Sidney Memorial Stadium. Special music will begin at 10:00am, the processional will begin at approximately 10:20am, and the formal ceremony will begin at 10:30am.

Family, friends, and members of the community are invited to attend the ceremony. Tickets are not required for the outdoor ceremony; however, should the ceremony be moved indoors due to inclement weather, seating is limited to those with tickets only.

Should inclement weather arise and the ceremony be moved indoors, the ceremony will take place in the Sidney High School Gymnasium and will be simulcast in the auditorium. An announcement will be made on TAM 105.5 FM and a message will be sent out to all graduates via School Messenger.

Class Motto: “Together, we have experienced life. Separately, we will pursue our dreams. Forever, our memories will remain.” - Unknown

Class Flower: Carnation

Class Song: “Time of Your Life” - Green Day

Other important senior dates:

May 12 - Senior Awards Night

May 17 - Senior’s Last Day & Clap Out

Baccalaureate - 6:30PM

As graduation is fast-approaching, I would like to congratulate the Sidney High School Class of 2016 on all of their accomplishments and wish them all the best as they move forward in life.

On August 2, 2016, a 3.0 mill Permanent Improvement (PI) levy for five years will be on the ballot. Despite having a healthy cash balance, transferring money each year from the general fund to cover specific PI expenses continues to be a concern in the near future. Since 2012, $1,450,000 has been transferred from the general fund to pay for such expenses as bus purchases, boiler replacements, roof repairs, etc. As costs for everything increase, the school district’s cost do likewise. Just fifteen years ago a school bus cost $80,000 with 50% state assistance. Today that same bus costs $100,000 with no state assistance. Funds generated from a PI levy cannot be used for salaries or benefits.

In 2009, the Board of Education allowed a long-standing .8 mill PI levy to expire. In 2015, the Board of Education reduced the millage being collected for the repayment of the Sidney Middle School Bond Levy by 1.2 mills. As a result of the combined PI levy expiration and bond millage reduction, homeowners have seen an annual reduction of $70 per $100,000 property value on their property taxes. The difference to the homeowner, per $100,000 property value, as a result of the 3.0 mill PI levy on the August 2 ballot will be an additional $0.096 cents per day ($35 per year) when the expired .8 mill PI levy and 1.2 mill bond millage reduction are taken into account.

Additional information about the levy can be found at www.sidneycityschools.org.

John Scheu, Superintendent 937-497-2200

Superintendent’s Message Class of 2016 - Commencement Ceremony

More Inside: Pride of Sidney in Disney, InfoSnap Student Registration, Avoiding the Summer Slide, 2016 Kindergarten Screening, SHS Career Fair, SMS Celebrates Arbor Day, Back to School Open House, and Mark Your Calendar

The Pride of Sidney Disney TripThe Pride of Sidney Marching Band made their way to Orlando, Florida in April to spend time at Walt Disney World, where they marched as the opening act for the world-famous Electric Light Parade.

The trip, which took place in April, included park visits to Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios.

The band spent time on Friday working in-studio with a professional Disney clinician. The workshop culminated with a special recording of the Pride of Sidney performing music along with a portion of a Disney animated feature film.

The Pride of Sidney wrapped up their magical Friday marching down the Magic Kingdom’s Main Street as the opening act for one of Disney’s premier events, the Electric Light Parade. In front of an international audience of thousands, the Pride of Sidney represented our community to the fullest, sounding better than ever and looking stylish in Mickey ears!

This trip was one for the books! Here are a few photos from various chaperons and students from the trip.

IT’S A SNAP! InfoSnap RegistrationBeginning August 1, 2016, all Sidney City School students will be required to register online. No longer will there be a need for filling out the massive amount of paperwork on a yearly basis. The Board of Education has approved the new online student registration program InfoSnap. Integrated with our student database, PowerSchool, InfoSnap will allow families to input student registration data online. Once entered, families can connect that data to other family members within the system, and easily update information as it changes. At the start of each new school year, families can simply confirm information if it is unchanged. The use of InfoSnap will greatly increase efficiencies for all parties - families and schools. Computers will be made available to those without access during back to school open houses, as well as various dates once school has started. More information will be sent home in August regarding the online registration process using InfoSnap.

O-H-I-O at the Animal Kingdom with Hannah Wiford, Donald Duck, Laura Brady, and Aliviya Schulze.

The chaperons had some extra fun while the band was in studio working with the Disney music clinician.

Collin Freisthuler, Bryce Henry, Jenna Beremamd, Ayaka Machimura, Kristin Brunswick, Lucas Finke and Evan Burden

Derek Brady, Quentin McKenzie and Cole Cartwright at the Haunted Mansion, Magic Kingdom.

The Pride of Sidney marching through the Magic Kingdom.

Avery Voress and Gavin Miller at the Magic Kingdom. (Photobomb by Kelton Moore)

Avoiding the Summer Slide

Class of 2029 Kindergarten Screening 2016

Learning never stops, and though the year may end for our students attending our school buildings, we want to encourage them to keep their minds engaged! Here are some great ways to keep skills sharpened and minds active:

• Keep reading! Find something to read every day whether it is a book from the local library, a comic book, a magazine, a newspaper, or online resource.

• Visit the local library and Ross Historical Society to learn about many different topics, including local history.

• Look for crossword puzzles, brain teasers, and other games that keep us thinking.

• Look for summer recipes to make that will use reading and math.

Here are some online resources that may be of interest:

• Science Printables for All Ages: http://bit.ly/SciencePrintables

• Printables for 1st & 2nd Grades: http://bit.ly/FirstSecondGrade

• Printables for 3rd - 5th Grades: http://bit.ly/ThirdFourthFifth

• Printables for 6th - 8th Grades: http://bit.ly/SixthSeventhEighth

• Great site for Parents: http://bit.ly/ScholasticActivities

• Beach Bags & Camp INFOhio: http://bit.ly/NoSummerSlide

“Learning never exhausts the mind.” - Leonardo da Vinci

Curriculum team member Deb Kaufman, elementary principals, kindergarten teachers, PE teachers, Speech & Language Pathologists, hearing and vision screeners, school counselors, and Shelby County Health Department nurses put in many hours to mark another successful year of kindergarten registration at Connection Point Church of God. We appreciate and are grateful for the contributions of our parent liaisons who helped each day with our registration: Jael Wethington, Cheyenne Childs, Stacey New, Mandi Fridley, and Joan Holiday.

“I would like to extend an additional thank you to Mike McRill, Sidney Police Department Community Resource Officer, for spending time with our Class of 2029,” said Sidney Curriculum Director Brooke Gessler. “We also extend our gratitude to Connection Point for donating the space for another year.”

Without the combined effort and work of all these people, screening over 200 children would have been very challenging.

Our SCS Class of 2029 who were screened were given a cinch bag filled with donated items from members of Connection Point and the Workforce Partnership of Shelby County. Some of the donated goodies included crayons, playdough, coloring books, little readers, pencils, stampers, magnifying glasses, and a Sidney t-shirt. As our school year is coming to an end, we are encouraged by the future of our community and energized to see the future faces of Sidney City Schools!

If your child was not able to attend screening, please contact the Sidney City Schools Board of Education at 937-497-2200 to schedule a time to screen, as this is required for all incoming kindergarten students.

SHS Career Fair

SMS Arbor Day

Sidney High School, Upper Valley Career Center, Workforce Partnership and the Sidney High School CBI Club (CBIP) recently hosted a career fair at Sidney High School. More than 40 employers, 16 of which are Workforce Partners, as well as military, and college reps attended. 325 Sidney High School students filtered through the Sidney High School gymnasium to meet with these representatives.

One of the businesses that attended said, “This was a great chance to speak with students about our company, advancement opportunities, and career paths.” Another added that it was a great way to get students thinking about their futures.

Sidney Middle School was honored to be chosen as the site for the City of Sidney’s honorary Arbor Day tree this year. SMS Student Council worked hard to raise funds for additional new trees planted on the west side of the building. Thanks to Councilman Hamaker, the City of Sidney Tree Board and other City of Sidney representatives for the honor.

Sidney City Schools Administrative Offices 750 S. Fourth Avenue Sidney, OH 45365 937-497-2200 www.sidneycityschools.org The JACKET JOURNAL is published and distributed three to four times a year by Sidney City Schools for the purpose of keeping district residents informed.

Board of Education Bill Ankney, President Paul Heins, Vice President Mandi Croft Chip Hix Bob Smith

Connect with us! Facebook: SidneyCitySchools Twitter: @sidneyschoolsInstagram: @sidneyschools

Sidney City Schools 750 S. Fourth Avenue Sidney, OH 45365

MAY 16 Board Meeting – 6:00PM BOE Office

MAY 17 Baccalaureate – 6:30PM Connection Point Church of God

MAY 20 Last Day of School

MAY 21 Graduation – Processional 10:20AM Sidney Memorial Stadium

MAY 23 Physical Day – 5:30-7:30PM Lehman HS

JUN 20 Board Meeting – 5:30PM BOE Office

JUL 1 SHS Football Alumni Challenge – 8:00PM

JUL 18 Board Meeting – 5:30PM BOE Office

AUG 15 Board Meeting – 5:30PM BOE Office

AUG 17 Sidney Alternative School Open House – 4:00-5:30PM Sidney High School Open House – 6:00-8:00PM

AUG 18 Sidney Middle School Open House – 4:00-6:00PM Elementary School Open Houses – 5:30-7:00PM

A complete calendar can be found at www.sidneycityschools.org **All dates subject to change**

First Day of School

Back to School Open HousesSidney High School August 17, 6:00-8:00PM

Sidney Middle School August 18, 4:00-6:00PM

Sidney Alternative School August 17, 4:00-5:30PM

All Elementary Schools August 18, 5:30-7:00PM

Grades 1-12 Friday, August 19, 2016

Kindergarten Parents of incoming kindergarten students should note that kindergarten will start on a staggered schedule. You will receive notification of which group (A, B, or C) your child falls in later in the summer. Start dates for groups are as follows:

Group A - Friday, August 19, 2016

Group B - Monday, August 22, 2016

Group C - Tuesday, August 23, 2016

All Kindergarten - Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Mark Your Calendar

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