A Sidney City Schools Publication February 2016

On March15, 2016, SCS residents will be asked to vote on a 3.0 mill, five-year Permanent Improvement Levy. The history of this levy started back in 1969, with the school district deciding to let it expire in 2009. Permanent improvement refers to any property, asset, or improvement with an estimated life or usefulness of five years or more. By law, funds generated from a PI levy CANNOT be used to pay district operating expenses such as employee salaries and benefits. Examples of PI expenditures include school buses; textbooks; and roof, door, and window replacements. Since the PI levy expired in 2009, $1,450,000 has been transferred from the general fund to cover specific PI expenses. Thus, there is a need for a PI fund to pay for specific projects which continue to drain our general fund. The .8 mill PI levy that expired in 2009 resulted in an annual savings of $28 for a property value of $100,000. Also, the school board took action to reduce the millage being collected for the repayment of the Sidney Middle School Bond Levy by 1.2 mills (savings of $42 annually on a $100,000 property value). Thus, the proposed 3.0 mill PI levy on the March 15, 2016 ballot would result in a net increase of $35 per year when the expired .8 mill PI levy and 1.2 mill reduction are taken into account. Additional information about the PI levy can be accessed on the school district website – www.sidneycityschools.org.

John Scheu, Superintendent

Superintendent’s Message

Sidney High School is proud to announce it has four state champions in the American Legion Americanism and Government Test. Each has earned an all-expenses paid, week-long trip to historic Gettysburg, PA and the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. The American Legion Department of Ohio sponsors the yearly trip, taking the top three boys and three girls in grades 10-12.

From Sidney, senior Heidi Parker, daughter of Holly Parker and Michael Douglas, junior Erin Ivey, daughter of Teddy and Jennifer Ivey, junior Logan Johnson, son of Brian and Tammi Johnson, and sophomore Gabrielle Rice, daughter of Michael and Melissa Rice, are four of the 18 winners selected from throughout Ohio at the state level.

The Ohio American Legion Americanism and Government test is an opportunity for the high school student to evaluate him or herself in American government and history through this statewide test program. The initial field of 57,000 students who take the test is narrowed to 84 district winners, whose winning test papers are submitted to a State Judging

Committee. Though many students across the state finished with the same test score, winners were selected based on the essay question responses.

The 50 question, multiple choice test administered by the Ohio American Legion covers all aspects of Government and Americanism from Elected officials and the Constitution to Flag etiquette and federal holidays. Student winners are recognized at the post, county, district, and state level. www.ohiolegion.com.

“Heidi, Erin, Logan and Gabbi are the latest in a long line of state winners at SHS. Since 1970, Sidney High has had an impressive 29 state winners, with 16 of those winners since 2008,” says Brett Bickel, SHS Social Studies Chair. “We have had both a male and female winner quite a few of those years, and last year we had three winners for the first time. This is the first time we have ever had four students win. ”

Gerald White, Director for the Americanism and Youth Activities for the American Legion of Ohio, personally congratulated the three students on their accomplishments and invited them on the

Four State Americanism Winners

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Curriculum & Instruction - 3rd Grade Reading Guarantee, SHS Earns AP Award, Open Enrollment, Around the District, PI Levy Information, and Mark Your Calendars!

(Continued inside)

Curriculum & Instruction - 3rd Grade Reading Guarantee

SHS Earns AP Award

Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee is a program to identify students from kindergarten through third grade who are behind in reading. This program became part of state law beginning in the 2013-14 school year. The ultimate goal for such law is to ensure all our students are reading at grade level by the end of the third grade to avoid gaps in their education resulting from a reading deficit. The primary tool used to determine if our third grade students are reading at grade level is Ohio English Language Arts (ELA) test, which is given twice during the school year: fall and spring. Changes in state testing over the last couple of years have resulted in a change in this third grade ELA test.

One key change with this year’s 3rd grade Ohio ELA test relates to the scoring. There are now two separate scores: an overall performance level score and a reading promotion score. The first score takes accounts for how well our students performed on the test as a whole. This will be a score between 551 and 870. A score of 700 or above means a student is deemed proficient in Ohio’s English Language Arts standards for reading and writing.

The second score, a reading promotion score, exists for the sole purpose of determining if students are reading at grade level. This reading promotion score determines if third grade students face retention. Ohio has determined that our students must meet a reading promotion score of 42 or higher in order to advance to the fourth grade for the 2016-17 school year. At the end of February, our third grade parents can expect to see an official parent report issued by the state of Ohio.

What are we doing to help our students who may face retention in the third grade?

Our educators continue to design instruction around our ELA standards. Our educators are communicating with parents and guardians to let them know how we are supporting each student. Each elementary building has a team of support wrapped around our students who may face retention.

Additionally, we offer specifically-designed reading programs with our qualified staff targeting our students’ areas of reading improvement. These programs vary from one elementary to the next and may be offered before, during, or after school. We evaluate the progress of our students who face retention and determine how and when they may benefit from taking an alternate assessment in order to offer another chance to avoid retention. In the summer our district also creates an opportunity for students who need to meet the reading promotion score a chance to get more reading intervention before taking the state test again.

We do all that we can to make certain all our third grade students are promoted to the fourth grade and are academically prepared for the fourth grade from the time they walk through the doors of our elementary buildings in August. Any parents who have questions about the Third Grade Reading Guarantee are encouraged to contact our third grade teachers, building principals, or Curriculum Director Brooke Gessler at the Board of Education at 937-497-2210.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to educate your children!

Sidney High School was one of 425 school districts across the U.S. and Canada, 25 of which were from Ohio, recently named to the 6th Annual Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Roll by the College Board for expanding opportunity and improving performance for Advanced Placement students.

The AP District Honor Roll is a list of districts being honored for increasing access to Advanced Placement course work while simultaneously maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of three or higher on AP Exams. Reaching these goals, districts are successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are likely to benefit from rigorous AP course work.

Inclusion on the 6th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the examination of three years of AP data, from 2013 to 2015, for the following criteria.• Increased participation/access to AP by at least 4% in large

districts, at least 6% in medium districts, and at least 11% in small districts;

• Increased or maintained the percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native students, and;

• Improved performance levels when comparing the percentage of students in 2015 scoring a 3 or higher to those in 2013, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70 percent of its AP students are scoring a 3 or higher.

Student Name:_______________________

Reading Promotion Score:______________

Student will take:

Grade 3 ELA Test April 2016

*Student will need to

score at least a 42 on the reading sub score in order

to be promoted to Grade 4.

All students take: Grade 3 ELA Test

December 2015

Student receives a reading sub score of

42 or higher. Student has met the promotion

score and requirement of the Third Grade Reading

Guarantee.

Student receives a reading sub score

below 42. Student has NOT met Third Grade Reading Guarantee

requirement and will take the Grade 3 ELA test

again in April 2016.

Student will take: Grade 3 ELA Test

April 2016

Third Grade Reading Guarantee Flow Chart

Americanism, Cont’d.Open EnrollmentStudents leaving SCS on Open Enrollment and attending county schools continues to

be a financial issue for the district. 615 students leaving equals a $3.6 million annual loss in revenue.

Despite the misperception that our class sizes are larger than surrounding schools, this fact is worth noting: Of the six area schools comprising the greatest number of SCS students, Sidney ranks in the top half for smallest class sizes. Ranked in order from smallest to largest class sizes: 1) Jackson Center 2) Hardin-Houston 3) Sidney 4) Botkins 5) Fairlawn 6) Piqua 7) Anna. (Source: ODE Financial Data)Reasons cited by families of area schools for choosing Sidney City Schools:

• Award-winning band, orchestra, and choir offerings

• Most College Credit Plus (CCP) offerings in the area where high school students receive dual high school/college credit

• Nationally-ranked Academia team that has been the Shelby County champion for the past eight years and was runner up in the state of Ohio in 2015

• Partnership with area businesses (Workforce Academy) – provides training for students and helps them acquire the necessary soft skills for entering the work force before or after furthering their education

• Safest schools in the area with school security officers and First Responder Teams of educators in all seven school buildings

• Long-term financial stability of the district

• Commitment to significantly increasing technology offerings in the district, including the purchase of over 600 Chromebooks this school year

It is important to note that changes in OHSAA bylaws now permit a student to return to his/her home school one time and face no athletic penalties.

Student in grades kindergarten through 6th participated in the Sidney Cheer Clinic and performed during half time of the varsity boys basketball game on Tuesday, January 26.

Sidney High School senior Darryl McNeal dunks during a recent basketball game.

Sidney High School students took part in Mock Trial district competition. Pictured is the Sidney Gold (varsity) team.

The SMS 8th grade girls basketball team finished their season undefeated!

Around the District

trip. White noted, “The American Legion, especially in Sidney, is a cornerstone for community in schools. Sidney is lucky to have such a strong and enthusiastic post to keep the community aspect strong.”

Past SHS winners include: Samuel Pellman (1970), Jeffrey Motter (1981), Alan Holtslander (1986), Robert Strayer (1991), Jeremy Hutchinson (1993), Geneva Serrer (1995), Nathaniel Cook (1998), Andrew Thompson (1999), Jennifer Randolph (1999), Andrew Holt (2000), Damon Barhorst (2003), Steven Billups (2005), Matthew Casey (2006), Beth Hull (2008), Chad Neikirk (2008), Conor Kleman (2009), Elizabeth Winks (2011), Jon Bowers (2011), Neal Dev (2012), Ryan Stallings (2013), Aaron Jensen (2014), Emily McCroskey (2014), Logan Shultze (2015), Alex Willman (2015), and Ian Humphrey (2015.

“The fact that SHS has produced so many winners of this test throughout the years is extraordinary! This is a true testament to the strength of our outstanding social studies program and the quality of teachers leading the way,” says SHS principal, Jon Geuy. “We wish Heidi, Erin, Logan, and Gabbi all the best on their trip and look forward to hearing all about it!”

The group tours the battlefield of Gettysburg en route to D.C. While in D.C., they make visits to many monuments and memorials such as the Lincoln, WWII, Iwo Jima, and Vietnam Memorials. A special component of the trip is the presentation of the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which the American Legion has done every year since their inception in 1936. In years past, other tours have included the State Department, Washington Cathedral, and Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. They have also visited Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia where the students saw Marine Helicopter Squadron One, the helicopter that flies the President and staff.

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

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

FEB 16 School Board Meeting - 6PM - BOE Office

FEB 24 SHS Orchestra Pre-Contest Concert 7PM - SHS Auditorium

FEB 25 Freshman Orientation (for current 8th graders) - 6:30PM - SHS Auditorium

MAR 1 SHS Choir Pre-Contest Concert 7PM - SHS Auditorium

MAR 7 School Board Meeting - 6PM - BOE Office

MAR 8 SHS Band Pre-Contest Concert 7PM - SHS Auditorium

MAR 15 Presidential Primary Election Day

MAR 21 School Board Meeting - 6PM - BOE Office

MAR 25-28 No School - Spring Break

APR 1-2 SHS Musical - The Sound of Music

APR 4 School Board Meeting - 6pm - BOE Office

Mark Your CalendarPermanent Improvement Levy - Ballot Issue

NON-PROFIT ORGU.S.POSTAGE

PAIDSIDNEY, OH 45365

PERMIT #457

Residential CustomerECRWSS

On Tuesday, March 15, 2016, Sidney City Schools will be asking the community to vote on a 3.0 mill Permanent Improvement (PI) levy for five years to maintain current facilities and equipment. Monies collected from the PI levy can only be used for facility repairs and upgrades; they cannot be used for salaries, wages, or benefits.

Sidney City Schools strive to educate all students to achieve academic excellence, be responsible citizens, and become prepared for further education and future employment. A significant contribution to a student’s success is a quality learning environment. Ensuring such requires facility maintenance, security enhancements, transportation upgrades, and technology and textbook upgrades.

By maintaining our current facilities, most buildings built in the mid-1950s and early-1960s, the district has been able to continue to provide quality learning environments without asking voters to fund new schools.

As a result of the absence of a PI levy, which expired in 2009, PI expenses have been funded through the general fund. Since 2012, $1.45 million has been transferred from the general fund to cover specific PI expenses. Pending and known PI expenses over the next five years average $1.18 million per year and include expenses such as bus purchases, boiler replacements, roof repairs, etc.

Through solid financial decisions and reduced costs in key areas, the district has a positive cash balance; however, it is imperative that a permanent improvement levy is reestablished.More information can be found at www.sidneyschoolslevy.org.

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