Upcoming Events

1/4 Classes Resume

1/9 Organizational Meeting of the Board of Education

1/11 Kennedy Elementary Open House

1/11 High School Post-Secondary Options Meeting @ High School Media Center

1/11 Grade 8 Parents’ Night @ Athletic Center

1/12 Obama Elementary Open House

1/16 No School—Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

1/18 2-Hour, District-wide Early Release Day

1/20 End of 1st Semester (Grade 1-8)

1/22 Community Open House at Kennedy & Obama Schools

1/26 Elementary Parent/Teacher Conferences

1/27 Report Cards Sent Home (Grades K-8)

2/3 Interims Sent Home (High School Only)

2/6 HS FAFSA College Financial Aid Meeting

2/15 2-Hour, District-wide Early Release Day

2/15 Grade 9 Community Selection Parent Mtg.

2/16 Interims Sent Home (Grades K-8)

2/16 Middle School Parent/Teacher Conferences

2/17 No School

2/20 No School—Presidents’ Day

2/22 Annual Pathfinders Assembly

2/25 High School Winterfest Dance

Visit our website for a complete listing.

A Message from the Superintendent We are very proud to be recog-nized as one of the top districts in the State for our academic growth this past year, and I hope this gives you a feeling of pride in our schools as well. Our district vision has been clear that we are here to raise stu-dent achievement and we have seen academic growth each and every year from our students. We are very thankful to be opening our two newest schools, Kennedy and Obama Elementary fol-lowing winter break. There is more information in this newsletter about the new schools, how we would like to partner with the community, and potential programs for residents to utilize our new facilities. Best wishes for the holiday sea-son to all Maple Heights residents and their families. We truly value your commitment to our community and to our schools!

Sincerely, Dr. Charlie Keenan Superintendent of Schools

Community Connection Maple Heights Board of Education 14605 Granger Road Maple Heights, Ohio 44137-1023 Board of Education Pamela Crews Robert Dober Nicholas Dorsey Dale Walter Michael White

Maple Heights Schools Are Top 10 in State in Academic Growth

District had 8th highest gains out of 609 Districts

The Maple Heights City School District had the eighth highest gains out of 609 Ohio Districts in yearly student academic growth for the 2010-11 school year. Superintendent Dr. Charles Keenan credits students and staff for this remarkable achievement. “This recognition is directly related to the hard work of our students and staff on a daily basis. We are obviously pleased with their performance and expect our students to show this same type of growth every year.” Director of Curriculum Henry Pettiegrew felt the work of princi-pals as instructional leaders had a significant impact on the results as well. “Our principals have made instruction their number one priority and it shows in these results.”

Director of Instruction Susan Jaroscak credits teacher innovation and flexi-bility as a key to this success. “Our teachers strive to provide engaging work for our students aligned with the state curriculum. Our best teachers have been willing to change their practices and teaching strategies to really meet the needs of our students. That’s not always easy, but it’s Why we are seeing such great growth.” The Maple Heights City Schools’ ranking is the highest in Cuyahoga County and all surrounding counties. Other Northeast Ohio school districts attaining high levels of student growth include Hudson (10th) and Rocky River (20th).

Mustang Sports Update

The fall sports season was once again a success at Maple Heights High School! The volley-ball team finished the season at 16-7 with a very young team.

The football team finished its regular season with a record of 8-1 and a third consecutive trip to the Division II State playoffs! Our cross country team, which was initially eliminated due to financial reasons, was able to have a great season due to the financial help of many alumni and friends of the program. Winter sports have just begun and our teams are off to a fantastic start. The wrestling team took first place at the Dover Invitational and junior Richard Robertson was named most valuable wrestler of the tournament. The boys and girls bas-ketball team look to defend their LEL championships from last year and are optimistic about the season outlook.

Please come out and support our sports programs. Our full sports schedule is listed at mapleschools.com.

G O M U S T A N G S !

For more information, visit our website at mapleschools.com or call 216.587.6100. DECEMBER 2011 Edition

LOCAL POSTAL CUSTOMER

New Obama & Kennedy Schools Open for Classes January 4!

Community Open House January 22nd

Students in grades two through five will receive their Christmas gift from the community when they return to school after the winter break! Kennedy and Obama schools will open for students on January 4th. The two schools are located at the Elementary Campus next to the new Lincoln Elementary which opened in August. Kennedy Principal Ms. Zelina Pames and Obama principal Ms. Dawn Besteder have been working hard to make the mid-year transition as smooth as possible for students and families.

“Putting together a plan to move 1,200 students, staff and materials in the middle of the year over a holiday break has been challenging, but we owe it to our community and students to utilize our new buildings as soon as they are completed,” says Pames. “Moving to a new site in the middle of the year will create a lot of changes that our staff, students and parents will need to face, but when you see the type of learning environment where our students will be working, it will be all worthwhile.”

Parent Open House at Kennedy will be Wednesday, January 11, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. while the Obama Open House will be Thursday, January 12, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. A Community Open House Open for all Maple Heights residents will be Sunday, January 22, from 12:00-2:00 p.m.

Schools Partner with Community

Host Various Events & Activities The Maple Heights Schools are committed to finding ways to provide op-portunities for our community members to be involved in our schools. Here are a few activities that have been established and an opportunity we would like to explore:

Senior Movie Night On October 25, Lincoln Elementary held it’s first “Senior Movie Night.” Many seniors citizen took part in the program to explore the new school and enjoy at no-cost the movie “Zookeeper.” Human Services director Linda Vopat arranged for transportation and popcorn to be provided while the schools supplied drinks and cookies.

City Officials’ Swearing in Ceremony Milkovich Middle school will host the swearing in ceremony for newly elected city officials on January 4. There has been a wonderful relationship and cooperation between the city and the schools over the past several years!

Parenting Classes The schools will continue to support “Parenting Skill Building” classes for interested parents in the district. This successful program has been run for the past several years by Diane Harris. Although Mrs. Harris has stepped down due to relocation, the Program will continue under the di-rection of parent Annette Blackwell. Thank you to Mrs. Harris and her family for the years of dedication to our parents and the Program, and to Mrs. Black-well for her commitment to keep the program running! For more information about participating in the classes, please call 216.587.6100, ext. 3401.

Computer Classes Residents have expressed a desire for introductory computer classes; and the schools would like to be a resource to provide these classes. If you are interested, contact Holly Vaughan at 216.587.6100 ext 3002. Once it is determined if there are enough interested participants to hold classes, a schedule will be arranged and a program cost determined. Middle School Students Earn Honors

in Power of the Pen Competition

Two Advance to Regional Competition

The eighth grade Power of the Pen team placed 4th at the December district Power of the Pen competition. Over 200 students from 20 local schools throughout the area partici- pated in the event. Seventh grader Mikayla Gulley and eighth grader Diamond Howard both placed in the top 7 individually, in their grade-level competition. Gulley and Howard,

along with several other students, will advance to district level competition which is to be held

March 23. Congratulations to all the students who participated and good luck to advancing students!

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT MAPLESCHOOLS.COM OR CALL 216.587.6100

High School Art Student Recognized by Cleveland Clinic

Jasmine Sibbley Receives Honorable Mention

Maple Heights High School art students, along with over 1,000 other local students, participated in the Cleveland Clinic eXpressions Program this fall. The program links scientific research with artistic ex-pression. Senior Jasmine Sibbley’s project received an honorable mention recognition! Jasmine created a collage focusing on patient surgery and how impor-tant communication is to help the families through

this rough time. Congratulations Jasmine!

Lincoln Hosts Polar Express Night

“Lincoln Express” - A Success!

Over 350 students and par-ents took part in Polar Express Night at Lincoln Elementary. Stu-dents dressed in pajamas, enjoyed cookies and hot chocolate as they and their families got to spend quality time viewing the movie, Polar Express. Principal Alicia Lenczewski was thrilled with the turnout. “It was such a great feel-ing to see so many parents here tonight. We have had such a great turnout by our parents for all our after-school activities this year. It really makes a big impact on our students’ success in school.”

Workers complete the gym floor

Diamond Howard

Mikayla Gulley

8th Grade Power of the Pen Team

Lincoln Elementary Students visit with Santa at Polar Express Night

Classroom in the new schools

New Schools Contact Information Abraham Lincoln John F. Kennedy Barack Obama Milkovich Middle School Grades PK-1 Grades 2-3 Grades 4-5 Grades 6-8 6009 Dunham Rd. 5933Dunham Rd. 5800 Glenwood 19800 Stafford Ave. (216) 438-6030 (216) 438.6010 (216) 438-6020 (216) 438-6000

Jamine Sibbley

Opens for classes January 4