October 31, 2007

Quote of the week:

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. 
        ~Albert Camus

District News:

• The district will be honoring staff and community veterans at a Veteran’s Reception on November 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the high school library.  Following the reception, veterans and their guest will be given complimentary seating at the Winton Woods High School fall play, It’s a Wonderful Life.  All staff and community members who are veterans are invited to participate.  Please R.S.V.P. to Gina Burnett at 619-2301 by November 13.

• Winton Woods City Schools, the Dayspring Church Yellow Ribbon Support Group, The Thank You Foundation and Deals retail stores combined their resources in an effort to keep our troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Korea encouraged.  Over 70 care packages were put together on Thursday, October 25 at Dayspring Church in Forest Park. The packages included 2000 letters, drawings, and cards from students throughout the district. They were also filled with items donated by Deals, cards donated by The Thank You Foundation and other donated items.  Funding for the mailings is a combined effort of The Thank You Foundation, the Dayspring Church Yellow Ribbon Support Group and many area families. 

Students from Winton Woods City Schools have been writing thank you letters and cards to show their support for our troops in a project called "Operation Letter Storm." Students will continue to “storm” our troops with letters throughout this school year, in conjunction with various holidays. 

• Don't forget to "fall back" one hour this coming weekend.  Daylight Savings Time will end at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 4.
 

Winton Woods High School News

• Winton Woods High School junior Justin Hisle has been selected as a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Nouveau Chamber Players, a new group made up of six African-American high school string students.

The Nouveau Chamber Players is the CSO’s first initiative sponsoring a minority ensemble. The program hopes to be a springboard for minority students to have careers in classical music while attracting larger minority audiences to classical music performances. The students will receive free chamber music lessons and coaching by local violinist Marion Peraza de Webb.

Hisle won his spot in the Nouveau Chamber Players by auditions held in September by the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra. Hisle, who has been playing violin for six years, is concertmaster of the Winton Woods High School Orchestra and a violinist with the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra (CSYO) and the Southwest Regional Orchestra. He studies with CSO Violinist James Braid.  Hisle plans to attend CCM as a performance major. He is the son of Randall and Donita Hisle of Forest Park. 

• Winton Woods High School had three students make the Southwest Regional Orchestra, which marks the third consecutive year for a Winton Woods student to make the ensemble.  Justin Hisle (violin), Marika Gonther (cello) and Corey Stewart (trombone) auditioned for and were accepted into this honor group. 
 
 Southwest Regional Orchestra is an auditioned group that is comprised of the  best high school students from the Greater Cincinnati and Dayton areas.  The  top seated students are then chosen to make the All State Orchestra that will  perform at the Ohio Music Education Association's State Conference which will  be held in Cincinnati this February. 

• Congratulations to Winton Woods High School Sports Marketing students for their outstanding performances at the DECA Fall Competition.  DECA District 4 held its annual fall competition at Sinclair Community College in Dayton on Friday, October 5. Sixty-five students from six schools participated, including Centerville, Edgewood, Sycamore and Winton Woods High Schools, as well as  Scarlet Oaks Career Development Campus and Warren County Career Center.  There were six marketing events. 

Brianna Davis took first place in Job Interview and Antonio Etter in Sales Demonstration.  Chiamaka Okwumo took second place in Job Interview and Zipporah Tidwell in Sales Demonstration.  Jessica Rice took third place in Job Interview and Andrew Finnerson in Parliamentary Law.  Danielle Driskell took fourth place in Parliamentary Law and Brian Davis in Public Relations. Danny Clark placed fifth in Sales Demonstration. There were a total of six marketing events.

DECA Diamond trophies were presented to first through fifth place winners.  Winton Woods Sports Marketing students won a grand total of nine trophies.

DECA is an association of high school marketing students who are pursing careers in marketing and management. Ohio DECA has 5,322 members with 176 chapters. National DECA has a total of 170,000 student members for the High School Division.

The Winton Woods Marketing Programs is satellite program of the Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development.

• Congratulations to the Varsity Football team who qualified for the State Playoffs for the third year in a row with a convincing 42-0 win over Glen Este Friday night.  The Warriors will be taking on Turpin this Friday in the first round of the playoffs.  Tickets will be available starting Wednesday morning in the Athletic Office.  Turpin has limited seating, so make sure you buy your tickets early.  Pre-sale tickets will be $6.00 with all tickets at the gate sold for $8.00.

• Band Director Dani Ashbrook will be taking some of her percussionists to a clinic at the University of Cincinnati on Sunday, November 4.  “This is an opportunity for our students to work with some of the best percussionists in the country,” said Ashbrook. Instructors include Thom Hannum, Colin McNutt, and Nick Angelis.

• The Winton Woods High School KEY Club will sponsor a canned food drive for Thanksgiving, with all donated goods going to Hartwell Baptist Church to replenish their food pantry. For Christmas, the group plans to collect hats, gloves, and mittens for Crayons to Computers. These items will then be distributed to local students in need. 

”KEY Club has been overwhelmed with requests for volunteer services,” said KEY Club sponsor Lisa Dye. “Our students have volunteered at the WWCS PTA Market Day one time per month and were servers at the Habitat for Humanity Spaghetti Dinner. They were child care workers for Primary South’s Math Night and for Primary North’s Reading Program. The students continue to provide child care one day a week for the parent education classes going on at the Community Building.

• Winton Woods High School honored its senior band, football, soccer, golf, tennis and cross country students and their families during before game and halftime ceremonies on Friday, October 26.

• Many members of the Winton Woods High School Marching Band donated their time to participate in the second annual Mutt March in Greenhills on Sunday, October 28.  The Mutt March is held in memory of Winton Woods graduate Jennifer Miley and benefits the Stray Animals Adoption Program.

• Rehearsals have begun for the Winton Woods High School fall play, It’s a Wonderful Life.  Performances will be November 15, 16, 17 at 8:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium. 

 
Winton Woods Middle School News

• Winton Woods Middle School is proud to announce its Students of the Month for October 2007. These students were nominated by the teaching staff because of the quality of their work, their efforts in class, their responsibility level and behavior at school, their attitude, and their relationship to their peers and teachers.  Students of the Month for October are seventh graders Rodney Glaze, Martha Pande, and Caleb Riffle and eighth grader Samantha Fishwick.  The students will be treated to a pizza lunch on Friday, November 2.
 

Winton Woods Elementary School News

• Check out our classrooms' decorated fall pumpkins at bigg's at the Cincinnati Mills Mall.  Each of our classrooms decorated or painted pumpkins to participate in a competition in cooperation with bigg's, one of or business partners.  You can stop by anytime to vote for your favorite pumpkin.  You may vote once per visit between now and October 31.  If you spend up to $50 in groceries, you get two votes per visit, and if you spend more than $50 in groceries, you get three votes per visit.  Just ask for a copy of your receipt.  Our kids did some great pumpkins—check them out at bigg's!
 
• Phase I of Operation Letter Storm is now complete.  The letters the students wrote to our nation's troops are amazing.  Thanks to each of the students and teachers involved in this. 

Principal Steve Denny has even started to hear back from our men and women in uniform.  Here's a brief quote:  "I am a soldier overseas right now. I just received a care package from The Thank You Foundation that had several letters from your third and fourth graders in it. I would like to send a thank you letter to them or to their class. Is there a way I can send them to the school office and have you send them to them? I would sure appreciate it as that was just the nicest thing around.  Thank you for being involved. Staff Sergeant M. Luna D. Co. 1-168th GSAB, Kuwait." 

”This reinforces to me that one can never underestimate the impact that someone can make--especially not in the case of kids,” said Denny. “A big thank you to Staff Sergeant Luna for his service to our country.” 
 
• Fall Harvest parties were held on October 26.  WWES would like to send to a huge thank you to each of our dedicated room parents.  The parties were very much enjoyed by all, and our students learned a bit about how various peoples around the world celebrate the coming of autumn and the traditional harvest time.  We are very thankful to our many volunteers and room parents. 

• Fun Friday for third grade for the month of October is scheduled for Friday, November 9 during our school-wide Intervention & Enrichment time.  Fun Friday for our fourth grade students will take place on Friday, November 16 during the same time frame. Fun Fridays are intended to recognize and thank those students who do exactly what they are supposed to do each and every day—many times even exceeding our expectations (as we recognize through the “V.I.W. Brag Book”). 

Incentives are a critical part of WWES’s overall school-wide discipline plan and help to shape the culture of our building in a positive fashion.  Students must meet all of the fairly stringent criteria to qualify for Fun Friday.  These include all homework turned in, no unexcused tardies to school and no disciplinary referrals to the office, detentions or other disciplinary actions during the past month (e.g. card turns or check marks).  “We have so many great kids here and good things going on. It is critically important that we take time to recognize them,” said Principal Steve Denny.
 
• Friday, November 9 is “Eat Lunch With a Hero” Day at Winton Woods Elementary School.  WWES will celebrate some of our community's heroes in this special Veteran's Day Observance. “Eat Lunch With a Hero” will take place during lunch time from 11:15 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.  A special lunch will be served and our students will have the opportunity to sit down with a real-life, modern-day hero and share and ask questions.  Veterans, retired or active military personnel, police officers and firefighters from Forest Park, Greenhills and Springfield Township are invited to attend this very special lunch.  This is an open invitation. You do not need to have children in our school system to attend this event.   

• WWES is again honoring veterans with a Veterans Wall that’s being erected in the school lobby.  The wall is made-up of paper "bricks" with a photo, name rand and branch of service for each of the school’s veterans on it.  We'd love to post your brick as well if you are a veteran.  Please call 619-2490 for further information.
 
• The WWES Dad's Club will meet on Saturday, November 17 from 12:00 - to 2:30 p.m. for skating.  Information will travel home soon.
 
• First quarter ended on Friday, October 26. Report Cards are going home with students on Wednesday, October 31.
 
• The October Student of the Month luncheon is planned for Thursday, November 1 at 11:30 a.m. in the library.  Family members are more than welcome to attend if your child is nominated for this honor. 
 
 
Winton Woods Primary News:

• Primary North and South are excited about their upcoming Book Fairs which are scheduled for November 5 - November 9.  Each child will visit the fair with his or her class and will have the opportunity to purchase books. The Family Event will be Thursday, November 7 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. It’s the perfect time to start your early-bird holiday shopping.  Parents can also select books for their child’s teacher to help build their classroom library from the Teacher’s “Wish List.”  Don’t miss this opportunity to light up a child’s face with the excitement of reading a good book!

• Report Cards will be sent home with students on Friday, November 2.

• A special "thank you" you to the parent volunteers for the successful Halloween and harvest parties last week. 

Winton Woods Community PTA News:

• New enrichment classes are starting soon. Registration forms, which include additional information, are available in all school offices or through email. Just contact Eileen Mannira, WWC PTA After-School Programs Chair, at tmannira@cinci.rr.com or 851-3369.

Classes offered are:
SPANISH – 6 week sessions, 5-6 p.m., $20.00
WWES – Tuesdays (October 30, November 6, 13, 27, December 4, 11)
 PRIMARY SOUTH – Wednesdays (November 7, 14, 28, December 5, 12, 19)
  PRIMARY NORTH – Thursdays (November 1, 8, 15, 29 December 6, 13)
 
CREATIVE ART – November 4- week session, $32.00
“Building Buildings:”  Learn to construct an amazing fortress out of colorful clay and other found objects.  Create a surprising landscape to improve the look of your castle.
PRIMARY NORTH (grades 1-2), Mondays, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.           
PRIMARY SOUTH (grades 1-2), Tuesdays, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
WWIS (grades 5-6), Wednesdays, 3:00 – 4:45 p.m.                 
WWES (grades 3-4), Thursdays, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.

MAD SCIENCE – 6 week session begins at WWIS on November 2
  WWIS – registration open
Class dates - November 2, 9, 16, 30, December 7, 14
 
Upcoming Mad Science class schedules (registration not open yet) -
PRIMARY NORTH - January 25 February 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
PRIMARY SOUTH - March 7, 14 April 4, 11, 18, 25
 
TAEKWONDO – Monthly Enrollment - $30 per month
Grades 3-6, Mondays and Wednesdays at WWES, Kingsbury Drive, from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
 
Grades K-2, Tuesdays and Thursdays at Primary SOUTH, Lakeridge Drive, from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
 
• The Winton Woods Community PTA is looking for Market Day volunteers for Friday November 2 to help pack and double check over 100 orders.  If anyone can help, the times are 4:30 - 7:30 p.m., but the crucial times are between 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.  Please contact Yvette at 293-5254 or Jackie at 460-1746 by Thursday, November 1 if you can help.  Thank you!