GENOA MIDDLE SCHOOL
Volume XII, No. 2
October, 2009
Message From The Principal
Dear Parents and Students,
It is good to have everyone back and have Genoa Middle School active with students, teachers and parents. There is
nothing more rewarding than a building filled with students actively learning. I want to thank our PTSA and parent volunteers that
assist us and permit us to stay focused on our daily mission—educating all children. Extra hands are always appreciated.
Genoa Middle School was recognized by THE LEAGUE at a ceremony held September 22nd at the State House. The
League encourages the concept of service learning. A few of the activities that earned Genoa recognition included Pennies for Patients, Westerville Service Day, food drive for W.A.R.M. and our support of the troops by filling boxes of supplies.
An excellent way to stay up to date of your child’s progress is by using Progressbook. You can find a link to Progressbook on the district’s web page. If you have misplaced your password, please e-mail your child’s guidance counselor. Another
way to stay in touch with your child’s progress is by contacting teachers through e-mail. There is a list of teacher’s e-mail addresses on the Genoa web page under building staff. The morning announcements are also posted to the website, permitting you to
stay up to date with Genoa news.
All of our non-athletic extracurricular activities are up and running. A list of activities, advisors and e-mail addresses may
be found on our web page. Activities are an excellent way to learn leadership roles or just make new friends. I strongly encourage
students to participate in school activities.
Student led conferences will be Wednesday evening, November 11th and Thursday, November 12th. There will be no
school for students on Thursday or Friday, November 13th. For those new to middle school conferences, your student(s) will present to their parent(s) a portfolio of work done in each class. Students and parents may show up during designated blocks of time
and visit each class at their convenience. Some teachers may contact you to set a specific time frame within your chosen block of
time so there will not be overcrowding.
If you would like an in-person conference with some or all of your student’s teachers anytime during the school year,
please call the school at 797-6500 and ask to speak with your child’s counselor to make arrangements. Although a counselor may
still be involved, conferences with individual teachers should be arranged by contacting that teacher directly.
Sincerely,
Barry Ackerman
We Are Here to Help!
614-797-6500
GENOA MIDDLE SCHOOL
5948 S. Old 3C Highway
Westerville, OH 43082-9251
Office Hours
7:30 AM-3:30 PM
Telephone
Fax
Homework Hotline
Attendance Office
614-797-6500
614-797-6501
614-797-8888
614-797-6521
Principal
Asst. Principal
Secretaries
Attendance Clerk
Counselors
Gr. 6
Gr. 7
Gr. 8
Nurse
Health Aide
School Resource Officer
Athletic Director
PTSA President
Barry Ackerman
Rodney Johnson
Corinne Kelley
Dawn Sherman
Anita Liao
Dave Wolfrom
Kathy Kosinski
Tim Allen
Amy Loehnis
Joyce Speakes
Officer Sara Rath
Tawnya Holman
J.R. Yeater
Chris Gartner
Conferences
On the evening of Wednesday, November 11
and all day and early evening of Thursday, November 12, Genoa Middle School will be conducting Student Led Conferences. Below is
the schedule, showing the time blocks available
for conferences. You will be receiving a signup sheet from your student during the following
week asking you to indicate the time you would
prefer to come. This will help the teachers plan
out their time. Some teachers may contact you
to assign a specific time during the time frame
you indicate you would like to come for the
conference.
Block A:
Block B:
Block C:
Block D:
Wed., Nov. 11
Thurs., Nov. 12
Thurs., Nov. 12
Thurs., Nov. 12
5:00-7:50 PM
7:30-10:40 AM
1:00-2:40 PM
4:40-7:30 PM
Genoa PTSA Organization
The Genoa Parent Teacher Student Association provides a tremendous amount of
support to our school. The greatest contributions come from their time as volunteers
in the building or helping with activities
away from the school. We are always looking
for new ideas to support our students, parents, and staff. General meetings are at
7:00 p.m. in the media center on the third
Thursday of every month.
Middle Years Newsletter
Please have your student return the RSVP form
to their Language Arts teacher no later than Friday, November 6.
The Department of Academic Affairs is publishing a Middle Years monthly newsletter with tips
and ideas for working with your child for success
in school. This publication is available on the district website for printing/copying at any time, in
both English and Spanish.
BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
http://www2.westerville.k12.oh.us/Curriculum/
Middle%20Years.htm
Clip box tops—Earn cash for our
school!
Genoa Middle School participates in the Box Tops
for Education program. Our school earns cash for
each box top that is turned in. Please continue to
clip and save these box tops throughout the year.
We will have two collections, one in the Fall and
one in the Spring. Listen to the announcements or
visit the Genoa Middle School website under
“Announcements” for more info on collection dates
and prizes. Also visit boxtops4education.com for a
list of participating products and great ideas to earn
cash for Genoa MS. Thank you all in advance for
your participation in this program.
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Westerville Parent Council invites
you to check them out!
The Westerville Parent Council is a group of
Westerville School District parent organizations organized under the Ohio PTA for the
purpose of promoting conferences, communications, leadership development, and the coordination of efforts of local parent organizations.
You can learn more about the WPC and their
various programs by checking out the website
www.wcsoh.org and following the Quick Link
to the Parent Council page.
Dates to Remember
Open Enrollment Procedures
Westerville City Schools is currently accepting open enrollment applications for the
2010-11 school year. Applications for middle school students must be submitted prior
to May 1, 2010 to be considered for the May,
2010 lottery. Applications are processed on
a first come first served basis, space availability in the school and grade being requested. If you are currently attending
Genoa Middle School on an open enrollment,
please be advised that your application is
good for the current school year only. If
you wish for your student to remain at Genoa
Middle School for the 2010-11 school year,
you must submit a "new" open enrollment
application. Your student will be returned to
their "home" school of attendance in June,
2010 unless they have been approved for
open enrollment. If you miss the May 1st
lottery deadline, applications will be accepted until August 1, 2010.
Homework Requests
We are happy to accept requests for
homework when your student is out
for 3 or more days, Please contact
Mrs. Liao in the attendance office by
8:45 a.m. to make the
request. The attendance
office will e-mail your
student’s teachers asking
for assignments to be
brought to the office by
3:00 p.m. You can stop in the office
and pick up the homework from the
basket. Parents may also check the
homework hotline or Progressbook.
PTSA Meeting
Volley for the Cure
Last Day of Classes, 1st 9 weeks
Waiver Day, No School
Grade Cards Distributed
School Picture Retakes
Parent/Teacher Conferences (Evening)
Parent/Teacher Conferences, No School
Theatre Production
Thanksgiving Break
Interim Reports
School Dance
7th and 8th Grade Choir Concert
Winter Break, No School
Classes Resume
Martin Luther King Day, No School
Last Day of Classes, 2nd 9 weeks
Teacher Professional Day, No School
Grade Cards Distributed
Early Release
President’s Day, No School
School Dance
Interim Reports
Early Release
Grade Cards Distributed
Spring Break, No School
Interim Reports
Early Release
Last Day of Classes
Grade Cards Mailed
October 22
October 27
October 30
Nov. 3
Nov. 6
Nov. 6
Nov. 11
Nov. 12 & 13
Nov. 18 & 19
Nov. 25-27
December 4
December 11
December 14
Dec. 21January 1
January 4
January 18
January 21
January 22
January 29
February 11
February 15
February 19
February 26
March 25
April 1
April 2-9
May 7
May 20
June 8
June 23
Bus Information
Due to the crowded conditions on middle school buses, students
may only ride their assigned bus to and from school. Notes sent
in requesting permission to ride another bus will be denied.
If an emergency situation arises where your student needs to go
home with another student, it must be approved by the Transportation Department. The number for Transportation is 797-5950.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT ISSUE 48:
THE WESTERVILLE CITY SCHOOLS
NOVEMBER 3, 2009, OPERATING LEVY REQUEST
The Westerville City School District Board of Education has placed Issue 48, a replacement operating levy, on
the November 3, 2009, ballot. This ballot issue will be a defining one for our school district as more than 10
percent of our operating budget – approximately $14 million dollars – is dependent upon the outcome. Passage of Issue 48 would take an operating levy from 1972 and one from 1979 and restore them back to their
original voted millage. The amount of revenue that the district receives from those issues has essentially been
frozen because of an Ohio law passed in 1976 called House Bill 920. Every three years the county auditor determines the value of taxable property for each school district. If inflation has caused the value of the property
to increase, the auditor reduces the millage approved by voters so schools do not receive additional money.
HB920 makes it difficult for school districts to meet inflationary cost increases and is one of the primary reasons why they must return to voters on average every two to three years to request additional revenue.
The 1972 levy was approved for 1.6 mills and the 1979 levy was approved for 9.8 mills. When added together,
the total voted millage for these two issues was 11.4 mills. Because of HB920, these issues have been reduced to 3.43 mills. The district is asking residents to restore those two issues back to their originally-approved
voted millage totaling 11.4 mills. This will provide enough new revenue to fund district operations for two years
through Fiscal Year 2012. Though the required ballot language will state that the district is seeking 11.4 mills
of tax, it is important to note that homeowners already are paying 3.43 effective mills on the issues to be restored to their original value. As a result, the net increase is only 7.97 mills, not 11.4 mills. The cost works out
to $244 a year per $100,000 of property value, or about $1 per day for a home valued at $150,000.
The issue does not include program or staffing expansion. Rather, it is an issue that will allow the district to
maintain current curricular, co-curricular and extra curricular offerings; continue to address critical areas of
academic and operational need; and meet state-mandated academic requirements, such as the Ohio Core.
Other important facts about the district’s need for additional revenue include:
FACT
Without passage of the issue, the district will need to reduce approximately $14 million from its operating budget.
• The district already has made nearly $11 million in financial adjustments to address revenue shortfalls
caused by the nation’s weakened economy.
• Reduction of another $14 million will negatively impact direct classroom instruction and the services that
are available to students, families and the Westerville-area community.
FACT
The district’s promise of Quality Education and Fiscal Accountability has been fulfilled.
• WCSD is one of Ohio’s “Excellent” school districts, is realizing all-time highs in academic achievement and
is making progress toward meeting its vision of becoming “the benchmark of educational excellence.”
• The district requires additional revenue in order to maintain that excellence, meet future requirements and
build upon its positive momentum.
FACT
The Westerville City School District has always run a lean organization with an even leaner budget.
• The district has stretched tax dollars and trimmed operations even more to address an unpredictable economy and the unforeseeable challenges that it has created.
• Of its total operating budget, the district spends less toward salaries and benefits (81.80%) than the average of its state similar school districts (84.33%). (FY08) The district’s student-to-teacher ratio ranks 14th out of
16 Franklin County school districts and its student-to-administrator ratio ranks 15th out of 16. In fact, the district’s student-to-administrator ratio ranks 598th out of 609 Ohio school districts for which this ratio is calculated.
• Even with a growing enrollment that transformed Westerville City Schools into the 10th largest district in
the state, as well as rising costs such as utilities, fuel and insurance, the district has kept the promise it made
to taxpayers more than three years ago to maintain a balanced budget through June 30, 2010.
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Additional information about Issue 48 can be found on the district web site at http://www.wcsoh.org.
Westerville City Schools
In 2006, Westerville City Schools’ Board of Education appointed a committee consisting of
students, parents, teachers, and local business personnel to study “community engagement”
opportunities for our students. One of the committee’s recommendations which the Board eagerly accepted was to encourage students to participate in community service activities - activities that a person performs for the benefit of his or her local community without pay; for
example volunteering at community events such as Westerville’s Fall Fest and Leadership
Westerville’s Service Day, picking up trash at a neighborhood park or playground, working at
a community food bank such as Caring & Sharing or Westerville’s Area Resource Ministry
(W.A.R.M.), taking food to people who are homebound and visiting with them, assisting an
elderly neighbor with chores, helping at a local animal shelter or beautifying our community
by planting flowers or trees.
Consequently, the Board is requesting each student in the district in grades 3-12
complete at least three (3) hours of community service by May 14, 2010. The actual
activity performed will be up to the student and parents.
Enter information on any/all community service activities used to fulfill the three hour commitment, making sure to complete all sections of the form. Once finished, the form should be
returned to your student’s school as indicated:
Elementary students, grades 3 – 5, should return the form to their classroom teacher,
Middle school students, grades 6 – 8, should return the form to their guidance
counselor, and
High school students, grades 9 – 12, should return the form to their guidance
counselor.
******************************************************************************
Student Name: ___________________________________________________________
Grade Level: _____ Classroom/Homeroom Teacher_______________________________
Date
Site
# of
Hours
Student’s
Signature
Parent’s
Signature
Site Supervisor’s Signature &
Work Number
Why is this activity an example of community service? ______________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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Library Notes
Genoa Library Access from Home
Over the summer, the Westerville School District updated the library system. You and your student
can now browse the Genoa library from home by going to the following web site:
http:\\destiny.westerville.k12.oh.us
Westerville Library
The Westerville Library has a new homework help center that is staffed by a retired Worthington
high school teacher and her husband, a retired engineer. The center’s hours are Tuesday and
Wednesday from 3:30-6:30 and serves K-12 students. For “kids” there is online help at
www.westervillelibrary.org/kids and for teens there is online help at http://
blog.westervillelibrary.org/teens
Kroger Rewards for Genoa!
The PTSA has arranged for community rewards with Kroger’s . If you are a Kroger’s shopper and have a Kroger
Plus Card, you can contribute every time you shop just by enrolling! Here are the steps:
Go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com, select Ohio for the state and click on Enroll. Follow the steps on the site
to enroll. Genoa’s NPO number is 84610. Make sure you save your changes and you will be enrolled to help out
Genoa every time you shop at Kroger’s!
“Just Between Friends”
The PTSA has joined with a new website titled “Just Between Friends” to assist with communication. When you
sign up for your PTSA membership, your e-mail address will go into the Just Between Friends online account. You
will receive an e-mail that will ask you to confirm your information. You can either accept or delete the invitation.
Accepting it will give you a school based directory of the students of Genoa Middle School. You can use the website
to contact like groups, for example the football team, cheerleaders, student council, etc. If you have any questions
about this website, please e-mail Stephanie Wesson at [email protected].
Cross Country Team News
The Genoa Cross Country team had a very interesting
season. The team fought through much opposition and overcame
many obstacles. Members battled the flu, terrible rains, cold race days
and muddy hills to show they could endure through anything. Runners
showed their dedication every step of their two mile race, every time.
The girl’s team was extremely successful winning meets against Delaware Dempsey and Mount Vernon. The boys showed their strength
winning against Westerville Heritage and Olentangy Orange. Genoa
hopes to wrap their season up by ruling the “Ville”, by defeating all
Westerville middle schools at Three Dogs and A Cat held on the Otter-
Yearbook Orders
It is now time to order a
2009-2010 yearbook. To order a yearbook, visit the website
www.jostensyearbooks.com No orders
are being taken at school. Jostens will
be mailing ordering information to your
home beginning October 19th. If there
are questions or concerns, contact Ms.
Stimer by e-mail at
[email protected]. Don't miss out! Be
sure to order a yearbook today.
Runners and coaches would
like to give a HUGE THANKS to Westerville’s
City Barbeque and Olive Garden Catering for
providing the food for their Banquet.
bein Cross country course.
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Troubadour Literary Group
Congratulations to all our Genoa fall athletes
on your terrific seasons!
Just a reminder that winter sports are getting
underway. Tryouts for boys and girls basketball
teams will start on Nov. 2nd and wrestling will begin on Nov. 9. All students trying out for a team
must have a current physical on file. Check with
Mrs. Holman if you are unsure about your physical.
Also, athletic participation fees for middle school
are $50.00 per student per sport.
Keep up to date with all the happenings by checking out the announcements on the Genoa website.
Schedules may be viewed by going to
www.highschoolsports.net
Also a friendly reminder to all parents that according to board policy, it is recommended that
middle school students who attend athletic events
at the high school be accompanied by a parent.
Unsupervised middle school students are becoming
a problem, particularly at the home football
games.
Flu Season Update
As flu season approaches and there is concern about
the H1N1 virus, please remember to keep your student home if they have a fever. They should be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. If
you have questions about the H1N1 virus, the Ohio
Department of Health has an information line that is
currently being answered by a live person. The line
is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through
Friday. The number is 1-866-800-1404.
Support the Troops!
We are continuing to collect items to send
overseas to the troops. What we may think of
as an everyday item may just be what your
soldiers overseas need today. Check out the
list posted on the Genoa website and bring
something in today!
Troubadour is still accepting people to
participate. We are currently working on a minimagazine dedicated to Dr. Seuss. Anyone who is
interested in joining the group should be interested in photography, art, or creative writing.
Meetings take place in Lab 101 on Mondays from
3 until 4 PM. Contact Mrs. Shew for more details.
Junior National Honor Society
The Genoa Chapter of the
Junior National Honor Society is up
and running. Our first project is to make pink
tie-dye shirts to raise money for the Komen
Foundation Race for the Cure. We will also be
helping with the Volley for the Cure, October
27.
If your student is eligible, meaning a 3.75
GPA for all of seventh grade, they have received
a packet inviting them to join. We already have
enrolled members from last year. The next inductees will be invited to join in 2010. Membership will be based on grades on record the end
of the first semester. Please encourage your
student to do their very best...we need members! Please e-mail questions to Mrs. Paolini at
[email protected]
Volley for the Cure
Volley for the Cure will be held in the
Genoa gym on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 3:00 p.m. The
7th & 8th grade girls volleyball teams will take on
some brave staff members as they compete to raise
money for research to help find a cure for breast
cancer. The cost of the game is $2.00 in advance
and $4.00 at the door. Tickets will be sold during
lunch. You may also make a donation in the form
of a check payable to the Susan B. Komen Foundation. Breast cancer has affected many in our Jaguar family. Hope to see you there!
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WESTERVILLE CITY SCHOOLS
GENOA MIDDLE SCHOOL
336 SOUTH OTTERBEIN AVE.
WESTERVILLE OHIO 43081
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit #236
Westerville, Ohio
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