Emotional 3rd Annual Veterans’ Day Assembly By: Christy Weaver, Bugle Editor

S E R V I N G T H E

W O O D R I D G E L O C A L

S C H O O L S C O M M U N I T Y

Kindergarten Information Night 2

Second Grade Visits McKinley Museum

2

Book Fair Diner at WPS 2

Gifted Corner 2

Cherokee Visits WIS 2

Shot Talk—Nurse’s News

2

A Seuss-Tastic Day at WPS 3

Calling All Hippies 3

WIS Students Reach Across the Globe

3

New Items in WHS Bookstore 3

History Comes Alive at WMS 3

WPS Students of the Month

3

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss 3

WMS Students of the Month

4

A Season to Remember

4

Latin Club Competes at JCL Convention

4

Lady Bulldogs Youth Soccer Camp

4

Hoops for Troops Raises Over $2700

4

6th Annual Baseball Reverse Raffle

4

Snow Club Wraps it Up 4

Notes from the Band 4

Inside this issue:

As of January 2010, Summit County’s unemployment rate is as high as 11.7%. In these tough economic conditions, the demand for food at area food banks is rapidly increasing. This year, as part of Woodridge’s efforts to help ease the burdens of our community, we have chosen to support the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank with our 6th annual “Dogs With a Cause” Walk-A-Thon. All donations will stay within Summit County.

The Walk-A-Thon will take place on Saturday, May 8 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM on the track at Woodridge High School. In order to make this year’s walk-a-thon a success, we need your help in registering teams for the event. Teams can be up to 15 participants. Registration is $30.00 and includes a t-shirt for every team member.

Team members are asked to gather donations toward the cause. All monies will be donated to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. The Foodbank will then distribute the resources to area food pantries in Summit County. Every donation can make a difference. The Foodbank is reporting an overall increase of 11.6% in 2009 in the number of people served at hunger relief programs. The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank provides food for an estimated 179,800 different people annually and can provide the equivalent of 3 meals for every $1 donated.

Registration ends Monday, April 12th so sign up now! Registration forms can be found by going to the district website at www.woodridge.k12.oh.us. If you cannot walk with us that day, please consider a donation to the charity. All checks should be made payable to Woodridge Local Schools and sent to Terri Sigler at Woodridge Local Schools, 4411 Quick Rd., Peninsula, OH 44264. Please note in the memo line of your check that it is for “Dogs With a Cause.” If you have any questions regarding the Walk-A-Thon, please contact Terri Sigler at 330-928-9074 ext. 591214 or tsigler@woodridge.k12.oh.us.

Join us for the 6th Annual Walk-A-Thon and Help Stomp Out Hunger By: Terri Sigler, Director of Curriculum

The BugleThe Bugle M A R C H 2 0 1 0

Maintaining a Tradition of Excellence By: Dr. Jeff Graham, Superintendent

Woodridge Local Schools will place Issue 13, a renewal levy, on the ballot on May 4, 2010. Issue 13 is the renewal of a levy first passed in 1992. It has been renewed three times since then to continue the collection of $1,055,000. This 2.03 mil levy will not result in any additional taxes to the school district.

Here are some quick levy facts:

• Supporting a renewal levy means no new taxes to the district.

• To continue to receive the funds generated from the type of levy Woodridge Local Schools needs, the state requires a district to “renew” it on a regular basis. This is what we are asking our voters to do on May 4.

• The money generated will be used for the daily operations of our schools.

• The 2.03 mil levy generates $1,055,000.

By supporting this renewal levy, voters will allow the district to continue to receive money that it began collecting in 1992. This is not a new tax. For the owner of a $100,000 home, it represents $71 per year or 19 cents per day and would allow the district to maintain its current budget. This renewal level will not add any additional taxes for the district. Because it is an operating levy, it cannot be used to fix buildings. It will be used for the daily operation of the schools.

Six years ago we made $500,000 in permanent cuts and promised the community that we would be fiscally responsible in every way possible. We have honored this commitment and because of parent support, a dedicated staff, and a remarkable student body, we have continued to grow and improve.

Some notable academic accomplishments include:

• We have improved our rating on the state report card from Continuous Improve (a grade of C) six years ago to a rating of Excellent with Distinction (a grade of A+) in the 2008-2009 school year.

• We reduced our achievement gap for our minority, disabled, and socio-economically disadvantaged youth and continue to meet Adequate Yearly Progress for all of these subgroups in every building and as a district.

• Woodridge High School has been ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report.

• Value-added testing shows our students achieved more than a year’s worth of academic growth in one school year.

We have demonstrated fiscal responsibility in a number of ways: • After the passage of a new money levy in 2004, the district was

able to assure the voters that no new money would be needed until 2009. Because of conservative fiscal practices, we should not need new money until 2012.

• In the past four years Woodridge has earned more than $430,000 in competitive grants.

• In spite of federal and state unfunded mandates, we have been able to meet all requirements and still stay within our budget.

We want to continue to maintain a tradition of excellence in the Woodridge Local Schools, but we need voter support to do that. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at your convenience at (330) 928-9074 or jgraham@woodridge.k12.oh.us or Deanna Levenger, our treasurer at (330) 928-9074 or dlevenger@woodridge. k12.oh.us.

THIS IS NOT A NEW TAX!

Grade 5 Learns Native American History From Cherokee By: Sharon Flick, WIS Teacher

Edwin George, a full blooded Cherokee, brought some his art and shared stories of his culture with Ms. Flick's and Mrs. Cole's fifth grade social studies classes on March 16.

Mr. George is part of the Eastern band Cherokee who lived and then hid in the Great Smokey Mountains when Native Americans were being forced to leave their homeland and go to Oklahoma (The Tail of Tears). He is a self taught artist who at the age of 63 started painting to help people understand and preserve his native culture. All of his paintings are bordered with symbols of animals, Cherokee Syllabary (alphabet), plants, and always a mask hidden in each painting to honor his Uncle, a story teller who is like a historian.

He fascinated students with several stories, one being how the Milky Way came to be, told in his native language and interpreted by his friend Dona Green. Students also learned that a tomahawk was actually used for peace offerings. As it is passed, each person holds it to their heart and gives a blessing before passing it along. He shared a drum he made with deer skin and then painted the symbol of each Cherokee nation on it, a blow dart with a cattail dart used to hunt small game and a few other interesting games and books.

Mr. George has exhibited his paintings in many galleries and festivals in Ohio, Georgia, and North Carolina, including a mural on the side of a building in Kent. His work is also being featured at The Seiberling Nature Realm as part of the re-opening this month.

Kindergarten Information Night will be held at Woodridge Primary School on Tuesday, April 13 from 6:00 – 7:00 PM in the gym. This meeting is for parents of kindergarten-aged children (must be five-years old by August 1).

At this meeting, the overall kindergarten program will be explained and parent questions will be addressed. School registration packets will also be available for pick-up by parents that evening. This meeting is for parents, but babysitting services will be available if they are needed.

If you are unable to attend Kindergarten Information Night, the registration packets will be available at the Board of Education Office and you can enroll your child year round from 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call Mrs. Sykes, the building principal, at 330-928-1223, Ext 113 or Mrs. Terri Sigler, Director of Curriculum, at 330-928-9074, Ext. 591214.

Kindergarten Information Night Reminder By: Terri Sigler, Director of Curriculum

The surveys are in. Dr. Ocepek and Mrs. Rorrer are in the beginning phases for the planning of the field/learning excursions. These excursions are for the Challenge by Choice students who turned in a completed survey. One option we are checking into is a trip to University

Circle to see what Cleveland has to offer when it comes to world class museums. As of right now, it appears that the trips will take place in May. We will keep you posted on the possibilities for this learning opportunity as they become available.

It's Destination Imagination time again! Saturday, March 20th at Barberton High School several DI teams from Woodridge Intermediate, Woodridge Middle, and Woodridge High School competed for a place at the state tournament. The results were not available at print time but will be in the next Bugle issue. Stay tuned to see how we did!

Suggested parent read: The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Malcolm Gladwell peers into the realm of success in this book and relates some modern theories and perceptions about success in layman's terms. This hard-to-put-down read will leave you pondering about what we all consider to be opportunity and how that just might be all the difference.

Check out the University of Connecticut's National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented at: www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt.html. There are several links to some of the most current research and trends associated with the education of our gifted population.

Laura Rorrer, Challenge by Choice Coordinator, WMS Terri Sigler, Director of Curriculum and Gifted Coordinator Sally Murphy, Gifted Intervention Specialist, WIS

The primary school library was transformed into a book fair diner as the scholastic book fair rolled in the week of March 8. The theme of “Book Fair Diner: All You Can Read” gave students a hearty menu of great books to buy. Students were able to guess how many deli-style giant pickles were in a jar to

win prizes, and they had an opportunity to contribute to Scholastic’s “One for Books” donation program that helps the primary school library as well as helping a needy library in another area of the U.S. The fair generated profits for the school library to purchase new books and gave lots of kids new books for reading at home.

Book Fair Diner at WPS By: Maureen Popa, District Library Media Specialist

On March 17, Woodridge second grade students took a fieldtrip to the William McKinley Museum in Canton. We learned a lot of things about presidents, space, weather, dinosaurs, animals and more. We saw many animals, including, turtles, catfish, mice, snakes, snails, crayfish, a bearded dragon and a rabbit. We even touched the bearded dragon!

One of the coolest things we learned was that a six-year-old girl found dinosaur bones, and we even saw the bones at the museum. We also learned how powerful a vacuum cleaner is, and we took turns sitting in a chair that was lifted off the ground by the vacuum cleaner. We visited a street of shops and saw what life was like in the olden days. We learned how to churn butter, and even slid down a fire pole! There was also a huge working train set that was very fun to watch. For many of us second graders, this was the first museum we have ever visited. We all loved it! We learned a lot and had a lot of fun!

Second Grade Visits the McKinley Museum in Canton By: Bella Chirakos, Emma Francis, and Owen Kline, Gr 2

P A G E 2

“Am I going to have to get a shot?” If you have a child going into the 7th grade for the 2010-2011 school year, the answer to your child’s question is “yes!”

The Ohio Department of Health is now requiring all incoming 7th grade students to have a DTaP (also known as DPT or Td) booster. This vaccine protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis,

3 very serious diseases. The Center for Disease Control has found that immunity to pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, decreases significantly 5-10 years after the last DTaP vaccine is received. Pertussis is a very contagious illness, so a booster is now required for children 11-12 years old in order to help prevent spread of the disease.

Students will need to provide documentation that the DTaP booster was received prior to entering 7th grade, or they may be subject to exclusion from school. A form will be going home with current 6th grade students that can be filled out by the physician giving the vaccine, and returned to the school clinic. Make an appointment with your child’s pediatrician to get this vaccine, or contact the Summit County Health Department at (330)926-5713 for Immunization Clinic locations and hours.

Shot Talk By: Terry Phillips, RN, Woodridge District Nurse

A Seuss-Tastic Day at WPS By: Tera Oyler, WPS Teacher and Jayna Treen, WIS Teacher

On March 2, 2010, the Woodridge Intermediate fourth grade and Woodridge Primary second grade students feasted on a Dr. Seuss Banquet. The banquet was a collaboration between parents, teachers and students that integrated science, math, reading, music, and art to demonstrate how all of the curricular areas occur in our every day lives.

The second grade read Dr. Seuss stories and made “Wockets In Your Pockets.” The fourth graders performed Dr. Seuss tongue-twisters and stories set to music. Following the musical performances, all students learned about the changes of matter involved in cooking such as how liquids turn into gas, how water freezes into solids, and how less dense liquids float on top of denser liquids.

Before the day of the banquet, fourth grade students prepared special foods to bring to the banquet, using standard math measurements such as cups, gallons, teaspoons, and tablespoons. Fourth grade students taught a science lesson to the second grade classes, demonstrating the science behind the cooking they had done. In the second grade classrooms, students partook in a banquet feast with recipes based on foods that Dr. Seuss mentions in his writings including Pink Yink Ink Drink, Finney’s French-Fried Freshest Fish, Flapjacks, Nice Ice, Scrambled Eggs Super-Dee-Dooper-Dee-Booper, and Snack With Brown and Black.

This year, the fifth grade global service project “Coins for Kids” raised funds for school supplies and yearly student fees for students in a rural village in Mali, West Africa. Woodridge students saved spare change to make a difference in the lives of fellow students a world away. These are

children of rural farmers whose average yearly income is about $250, making education a luxury that some cannot afford. The $363 raised by the project will ensure educational opportunities for these families who cherish the opportunity for an education for their children. The students met anthropologist Dr. Scott Lacy last year though Mrs. Hampshire’s Social Studies class, where they learned about African culture and life in the village. They worked through Dr. Lacy to get the funds directly to the school.

WIS Students Reach Across the Globe By: Christine Lacy, WIS Paraprofessional

The middle school is displaying items from a Lincoln Educational Trunk made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. This exhibit for our school was made possible with the help of the Peninsula Valley Historic & Education Foundation in Peninsula. We are grateful to trustee Rebecca Huddle and archivist Rebecca Urban for making this happen for us. It is on loan from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation and contains replicas of artifacts from the time of Abraham Lincoln.

The exhibit will be on display in February and March as 8th grade American History students study this period in our nation’s past. Additionally, the exhibit marks the beginning of an exciting new relationship between WMS and the Peninsula Valley Historic & Education Foundation. Students will be preparing multimedia presentations about Peninsula to be shown during the Foundation’s presentation of “Abraham Lincoln: Self Made in America” traveling exhibit. Some students will also receive docent training to lead visitors on tours of historical spots in Peninsula. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring history to life for our students!

History Comes Alive at WMS By: Lauren Witsaman, WMS Librarian and Teacher

Come and see the new items we have in the bookstore. We have “Alumni” hoodies and “Alumni” crewnecks. We also have 1/2 zip hoodies. “Distinction” hoodies are only $25.

The Bookstore is open during lunch Monday—Friday 10:45 a.m. - 12:05 p.m. Hope to see you there!

New Items in the WHS Bookstore By: Jessica Williams, WHS Bookstore Staff

Congratulations to the Woodridge Primary School Students of the Month for February. These students were chosen from their classrooms for doing an excellent job showing cooperation; our Building Character Word of the Month.

Back row: Isabella Dolciato, Gabriella Holan, Bryan Griffin, Andrew Keller, Kennedy Albert, Harley Dean, Josh Mally. 2nd row: Hayley Roenigk, Cameron Gazdacko, Alexis Lower, Noah Caffelle, Grant Buzzelli, Mya Lathem, Angelo Biondo. Front row: Max Schneckenburger, Annie McIlroy, Lilly Raines, Will Duve, Claire Duber, Mihail Donici, Emma Lahoski.

WPS Students of the Month By: Pat Kennedy, WPS School Counselor

Calling All Hippies! By: Shannon Travise, PTO

The PTO would like to announce our 2010 Spring Dance. This family event is for the students, siblings, and parents of K-5 students. It will be held on Friday, April 23 from 6-8pm in the Middle School gym. Tickets are $2 per person or $5 per family.

This year’s theme is “1960’s” so break out your peace symbols, bell bottoms, and tie-dye shirts and join in the fun! Don’t worry if you don’t have any, we will be selling 60’s style necklaces and slap bracelets to keep you in the groove. There will be a DJ, refreshments, and a photo backdrop where you can take pictures of your family. New this year is a door prize! We will have lava lamps being used as decorations. Each person attending will receive a ticket upon entering. At the end of the night, three lucky people will take one home!

Every year, the grade representatives create wonderful baskets to be raffled off at the dance. This year’s themes are Nintendo DS, iPod, Band Hero with Wii Accessories, Twilight/New Moon, Zhu Zhu Pets, Boys Legos, Girl’s Overnight, Summertime, and Build-A-Bear. A detailed list of what is included in each basket will be available at our website, www.woodridgepto.com. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. Winners do not have to be present to win. If you would like to purchase tickets or make a donation, please contact Shannon Travise at rtravise@earthlink.net. We hope you can join us for our 1960’s Spring Dance. Please remember this is a family event and children must be accompanied by a parent to the dance. On March 2, Woodridge Middle School

celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday at lunch. Students had a choice of Green Eggs & Grinch Toast with Horton's Hash Browns or Spaghetti with Seuss and Thidwich Moose Meatballs & Roll. For dessert students had a birthday cupcake.

Students picked a colored fish out of a fish bowl at the register. Depending what was on the fish, they won Cheeze-it Scrabble Crackers, Cinnamon Giant Goldfish Graham Crackers or nothing. If students bought the Green Eggs & Grinch Toast with Horton's Hash Brown or Spaghetti with Seuss and Thidwich Moose Meatballs & Roll, they won a prize if a colored fish was on the bottom of their plate. The prizes were journal notebooks, pens, pencils, and notepads. There were also Moose Tunes playing to go along with the Dr. Seuss book called Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose. A big Thank You to Food Service Manager Diane Mellinger for organizing this fun event and providing all of the exciting prizes.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! By: Linda Ocepek, WMS Principal

Jessica Stone, cafeteria manager, and Amy McCarthy show off the baked

goods.

P A G E 3

In the Classroom and on the Field

P A G E 4

This summer, the Woodridge High School Girl’s soccer team will be hosting the first annual youth soccer camp the week of July 12-16th from 9-11 a.m. The camp is for all girl soccer players Age 5-13. The cost of the camp will be $50.00 per player. If you would like more information you can e-mail Coach Allenspach at Jallenspach@woodridge.k12.oh.us. There will a registration form sent home later in the school year and distributed to the Woodridge Soccer teams.

Lady Bulldog Youth Soccer Camp—July 12-16 By: Jason Allenspach, Lady Bulldogs Soccer Coach

Woodridge Snow Club is wrapping up another wonderful season of ski ing and snow boarding. Students learned or improved their snow sport skills through lessons provided by Boston Mills Snow School programs. The students participated in 5 weekly lessons that teach the basics of skiing or

snow boarding to beginners and encourage students to improve or learn more advanced skills as they continue. Best of all students get to reap the benefits of living in a very snowy Ohio region. What a great year!!

Woodridge Snow Club Wraps it Up By: Nicole Thompson, WMS Teacher

On Wednesday, February 24th, the high school held the 4th annual "Hoops for the Troops" basketball game between the high school staff and middle school staff. The lobby was lined with items that had been donated for the raffle and the gymnasium was filled with students, staff and parents cheering on their teams.

The evening was a great success. Thanks to all who participated, donated, or attended the event. We raised $2782.25 to be used to purchase items that will be sent to our soldiers in Iraq. This year the high school staff won the game for the first time, but this is not the first time we can be proud of what Woodridge does for our soldiers serving out of the country. Over the past 4 years we have raised over $10,000 to support our troops! Thanks again to everyone involved in helping us to let the soldiers know they are in our hearts and in our thoughts as they serve our country.

Hoops for Troops Raises Over $2700 By: Mary Neff, WHS Secretary

A congratulations goes out to the Woodridge 8th grade boys basketball team for winning the PTC Championship and finishing the season with an impressive 14-1 record. All season long, the Bulldogs did it by turning relentless defense into instant offense. The Bulldogs averaged 48 points a game and beat opponents by the average of 25 points a game.

The defense held two opponents to 0 points in the first quarter. The team consisted of Alex Jenkins, Lemontre Smith, Tomas Pyle, John Harry, Armad Richey Conrad, Dalevon Davidson, Michael Strongoli, Robbie Lemke, Tommy Morehouse, Devonte Fellows, Austin Fite, Charkym Bonaparte, and Timothy Faiken. Congratulations and best of luck at the next level!

A Season to Remember By: Jason Ciocca, Coach and WIS Teacher

The 6th Annual Woodridge Baseball Reverse Raffle and Silent Auction will be on Friday, April 9th at Stow Youth Baseball Party Center at 6:00 PM. Tickets are $110 for two meals, drinks and two chances to win the $1500 Grand Prize.

For ticket information please contact Coach Dever at 330-929-3191 x592314 or ddever@woodridge.k12.oh.us; Molly Morgan, 330-929-3557 or ohiomolly@msn.com; and Staci Westren, 330-929-3557 or 330-289-7625.

6th Annual Baseball Reverse Raffle By: Dennis Dever, Coach and WHS Teacher

WMS Congratulates Their Students of the Month By: Linda Ocepek, WMS Principal

January—Grade 6: Matt Strongoli and Danyelle Jackson. Grade 7: Gloria Castillo and Matt Tannous. Grade 8: Brendan Henderson and Sydney Myers.

February—Grade 6: John Hyche and Taylor May. Grade 7: Michael Walter and Katelyn Mencer. Grade 8: Tommy Morehouse and Lily Manis.

Woodridge High School band members were busy this winter. Starting in January, Junior Miranda Stockton and Sophomore Rebecca Stickle at-tended and performed at Hornapaloza, a workshop and performance con-ducted by the Cleveland Orchestra’s French Horn section. They worked with some of the worlds best French Horn players and performed in Severance Hall, a premiere performance venue.

In February Freshman Daniel Lozinak participated in the Ohio Music Education Association’s Solo and Ensemble event where he performed both a Clarinet solo and Baritone Voice solo. Daniel earned top ratings for both of these well prepared and inspiring performances. Then in March the Woodridge High School Concert Band performed at the Ohio Music Education Association’s Large Group Adjudicated Event. The band received a rating of II, the second highest possible. To prepare for this performance the band was privileged to work with Dr. Gene Milford, Music Education Professor from the University of Akron and Mr. Galan Karriker, Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Akron. The band member’s efforts paid off and parents said the band sounded better than they had heard them in the past 7 years! Way to go everyone, and thank you for representing Woodridge well.

Notes from the Band By: Kyle Krstolic, Band Director

Latin Club Competes at JCL Convention By: Tom McCaffrey, WHS Teacher

The Latin Club placed 13 out of 32 at the annual Ohio Junior Classical League Convention, held February 26-28 in Columbus. The OJCL Convention featured competition in academic, artistic, and dramatic categories, with points being awarded for places one through ten. The Latin Club scored 235 points to finish 13 overall and 9 in Academic Per Capita reckoning.

The team was led by Latin III student Alex Frederick, who totaled 47 points, including a pair of firsts in Roman history and in mythology. Other double-digit scorers included Mikayla Johns, Taylor Suchan, John Slocum, and Katrina Folk. Woodridge also competed successfully in group projects. The Club Service Project, a group effort to clean the Arboretum at the Intermediate School, was given the highest award of Superior. The Club Scrapbook, designed by club historian Megan O’Leary, earned an Excellent rating, as did the Public Entry (a newsletter composed by club president Hanna Rounds) and the Audio-Visual film “The Twelfth Labor of Hercules”. Finally, a rating of Good was awarded to the Club Banner, constructed under the leadership of Rounds.

The Latin Club was chaperoned by Mr. Thomas McCaffrey, teacher of Latin at WHS, and by Mr. and Mrs. Greg Sexton and their daughter Brittani. The club would also like to express their appreciate to Mr. Mic Becerra, principal of WHS, who was instrumental in providing a school bus for transportation to Columbus. Commented president Rounds, “We were so glad that Mr. Becerra was able to get a bus for our trip. Everyone had a great time at the convention and enjoyed the competition.”

Leading JCL scorers Alex Frederick and Taylor Suchan with two of their awards.