September 19, 2007

Quote of the week:

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is to try to please everyone.

       --Bill Cosby

District News:

• On Thursday, September 20 at 6:00 p.m. at Sawyer Point there will a "Light the Night Walk" to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Dr. Camille Nasbe will be walking in honor of Board member Cindy Emmert.  If you would like to donate, please make the check payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and send the check to Dr. Nasbe at Central Office, 1215 West Kemper Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45240.

• Winton Woods City Schools is proud to present PARENT TO PARENT, a program designed for parents raising children in today’s toxic culture.  The program will help inform parents about the hidden dangers of the Internet, today’s music, television, video games, drugs, alcohol, sex, and violence—everything we want to protect our children from. Ten half-hour sessions (6:30-8:00 p.m.) will cover topics like:

• Wealth Without Work
• Entertainment Without Conscience
• Education Without Character
• Love Without Limits
• Freedom Without Accountability
• Adulthood Without Childhood
• Life Without a Vision

There will also be a guest speaker from the Regional Electronics and Computer Investigations (RECI) Task Force on protecting children from criminal activities on the Internet.

Please complete the attached form and return it to one of the Winton Woods City Schools or sign up with Crisinda Puetz at 619-2320 or Chris Simon, lead parent facilitator, at 851-4575. Everyone is welcome so please share this information with friends, other family members or anyone raising a child or providing childcare.

This is FREE for any parent living within the boundaries of Winton Woods City Schools. Programs will take place at various schools in the district.

The first session begins the first week of October so register soon!

• Please see the attached flyer regarding before and after school child care, provided by the Powel Crosley, Jr. YMCA, in our schools.

Winton Woods High School News:

• Winton Woods High School will hold its annual College Information Night on Thursday, September 20 in the auditorium.  Parents can learn about the college application process as well as receive information about financial aid. 

The school’s annual College Fair will be held on October 11.
 
• Senior Counselor Kevin Jones and 17 Hispanic students traveled to the University of Cincinnati on Saturday, September 15 for the National Society of Hispanic MBA's Fall College Preparation Conference.  At the conference students were given ACT and SAT strategies and information about filling out college and financial aid applications.  They also heard about the importance of continuing their education.

 On Thursday, September 20, Jones will be taking 21 seniors to Northern  Kentucky University for a College Fair and Workshop that is sponsored by  the Urban League of Cincinnati.

On Friday, September 21, Jones will take the 17 students who completed the summer Chinese language class at Winton Woods High School to visit the University of Dayton.  UD conducted the class here, and the students earned college credit at UD for completing the course.

• Mark your calendars! Winton Woods High School's fall play, "It's A Wonderful Life," will be Thursday, November 15 - Saturday, November 17. 

• The Winton Woods High School Marching Band will be participating in the University of Cincinnati's Band Day this Saturday during UC’s football game against Marshall University.  This is a great opportunity for our students to experience the fun and excitement of a nighttime college game.  UC’s pregame show starts at 7:15 p.m. with kickoff at 7:30 at Nippert Stadium.  Our marching band will be playing during half time, right in front alongside the UC Band. Come check out the fun!

• The Winton Woods High School Varsity Ensemble will be performing at Family Day at Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 22.  The church is located at 9991 Wayne Avenue. 

Winton Woods Middle School News:

• Winton Woods Middle School will be conducting a Character Education survey on Monday, September 24 during Social Studies classes.  Students must have a completed permission slip to participate in this survey, which will be proctored by researchers from Marshall University.  Extra permission slips are available from your child’s Social Studies teacher.  This survey is part of the Character Education grant the district received last year. For questions or more information, please call Character Coach Mimi Gilmer at 619-2413.

• Congratulations to Winton Woods Middle School eighth grader Sam Rocklin who has been accepted to the Cincinnati Junior Strings (CJS). Sam has played bass for three years and is a member of the Winton Wood Middle School Orchestra. He studies with Debbie Taylor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

 The Cincinnati Junior Strings is a performing orchestra for students in  grades nine or below who play violin, viola, cello or string bass. It is  organized and conducted by Dr. Gerald R. Doan, Professor Emeritus of  Music Education at the College Conversatory of Music, along with Rachel  Bierkan of Loveland Schools. CJS has 50 members ranging in age from 9  to 15 and rehearses every Sunday as part of the CCM Preparatory  Department's broad offerings in music instruction. Since 1980, CJS has  been invited to perform, inform, recruit and entertain in some 85 schools in  southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky and eastern Indiana.

 In addition to its annual school tours and concert schedule, the ensemble  regularly appears by invitation at state and national conventions for music  teachers. The young musicians have also performed on tours to Ireland,  England, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and  Malaysia. The group will again tour Australia at the end of the 2007-2008  season.

• Winton Woods Middle School’s PTA fundraiser with the Yankee Candle Company has begun and will last until September 28.  Products will be delivered before the Thanksgiving holidays. The sale includes a wide variety of products ranging from $5.00 to $27.00.  Look for the brochure your child brought home. Questions? Contact Kim Sherman at 931-5212 or by email at wwmspta@hotmail.com.

• Winton Woods Middle School’s Band fundraiser has also begun.  This catalog sale will last until October 2.  

Winton Woods Intermediate News:

• Winton Woods Intermediate School has taken aluminum recycling to a whole new level.  The school is participating in the “Recycle Challenge” to recycle aluminum beverage cans, help fight litter, save valuable resources, conserve energy and earn money.  WWIS has a convenient container to recycle aluminum cans located at 825 Waycross Road in Forest Park.  District families and community members are urged to bring in their recyclables. The money earned will be used to purchase much needed materials for the school. 

“The Recycle Challenge is a fun and exciting project that teaches participants to use our resources wisely while also earning money for our school,” said Principal Tonya West-Wright.  “It is a great way to remind everyone of the importance of recycling, while at the same time challenging them to work together for a worthy cause.”

Winton Woods Elementary News:

• Monday, September 17 was Constitution Day.  WWES Social Studies teachers taught fun and engaging Social Studies lessons about the importance of the Constitution in our everyday lives.

• Winton Woods Elementary’s very own D.A.R.E. officer, George Huber, was honored on Monday, October 17 during Forest Park’s City Council Meeting for 20 years of service to our community and schools.  Huber, a Forest Park police officer, currently teaches the D.A.R.E. curriculum to WWES kids one day a week for a five-week session.  We appreciate Officer Huber's service and the great relationships that it builds with our kids and our community.

• WWES Progress Reports will be sent home on Wednesday, September 26.  Our students will be bringing home a copy of their progress, showing grades to date.  This very same information is available to all of our parents at any time using the district’s Progress Book.  The link is available through our school's website at www.wintonwoods.org. User name and password information was sent home last week.  If you did not receive your student's user name and password, you can contact the Technology Center at 619-2350 for that information.

• Parent-Teacher Conferences at WWES are Thursday, September 27 from 5:00 - 8:25 p.m. and Friday, September 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. There will be no school for students on Friday, September 28.  Please contact your student's teacher to request a conference during those times.

• Picture Day is September 27.  Students will be photographed in their school uniforms for fall pictures.  Spring pictures will be out-of-uniform.

• The Punt, Pass & Kick Competition is coming to WWES on Thursday, September 20 and Tuesday, September 25.  This will take place after school on the playground with Physical Education teacher Sheri Conrad and several other teachers.  Eight- and nine-year-olds will participate on Thursday, September 20. Ten- and eleven-year-olds will participate on Tuesday, September 25.

Information will be coming home soon about this.  If you are interested or have questions, please contact the school.  Thank you to Ms. Conrad and her team of volunteers for holding this fun event for our students.  Results for this nationwide competition must be submitted by October 1.  Go Warriors!

• The WWES Sprinters Running Club is almost 60 students strong and cutting up the running paths around the school.  They are gearing up for the “Run For the Nuns” 5K race coming in October.  We are proud of our young student-athletes.  Thanks to our coaches and their volunteer assistants as well--Ms. Conrad and Ms. T.James.

• Our first WWES Dad's Club was a success!  Thanks to those who came out to bowl this past Saturday.  A good time was had by all!  Our next Dad's Club will be Saturday, October 20 from noon to 2:30 p.m. and the activity will be miniature golf.

Winton Woods Primary News:

• Calling All Parent Volunteers:  The Primary North and South schools will be sponsoring a Scholastic Book Fair the week of November 5 - 9.  Media Assistants Karen Emmons and Stephanie Wheeler need parent volunteers to help coordinate this event.  Please contact your school if you are able to volunteer.  With your help we will have a very successful Book Fair. 

A coordinator is needed to schedule parent volunteers to help set up/tear down the fair and schedule parents throughout the week to help students during their library time as they visit the fair.  Primary North will also need parent volunteers on Wednesday, November 7 from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. for Family Night at the Fair for "early bird" holiday shoppers.

• Primary South is celebrating our Constitution with activities all week.  Kindergartners will be learning about authority and the Constitution.  Students in grades one and two will be playing an interactive game in the computer lab.  This game helps them fill in the missing parts of the Constitution by seeing how it is applied today.

Winton Woods Community PTA News:

• The Winton Woods Community PTA meeting is Monday, September 24 at WWPS at 7:00 p.m. in the multi-purpose room.  Everyone is invited!