A Publication of Oregon City Schools
www.oregoncityschools.org
THE OREGON ORACLE
5721 Seaman Rd., Oregon, OH 43616
Save The Date: Clay High School Class of ‘79 Friday, Oct. 10 Gathering at Football Game/ Alumni Band
Saturday, Oct. 11 Dinner/Dance @ St. Michael’s Contact: Terri Hook 419-693-3994 or 419-509-0542 thook@oregoncs.org
This Is For The Birds Clay High School Environmental and Agricultural Technologies student Austin Fisher spent the past weekend in Columbus, Ohio, at the Midwest Veterinary Conference (MVC). The MVC is the third largest veterinary conference in the United States. Austin attended lectures on veterinary medicine, including advanced fluid therapy, anesthesia/analgesia in rabbits and small animals, and an update on adrenal gland disease in ferrets. Austin, who works at the Bird and Exotic Pet Wellness Center in Toledo,Ohio, also assisted Dr. Susan Orosz, PhD, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian), Dipl ECZM (Avian), with her lectures on Sunday afternoon. They taught veterinary technicians on different subjects of avian medicine. Austin demonstrated proper restraint of different sized parrots for physical exams and helped the technicians learn the difficult job of parrot restraint.
Local Author And Illustrator Visit Jerusalem Jerusalem students were treated to an exciting program last week. Genoa native, Diane Terry, author of The Happy Faced Spider and The Bubble Gum Fairy, shared with the students “ways with the students to be bored no more.” Her presentation focused on ways to look at the world with a different perspective. She encouraged classes to use their imaginations and creativity to develop new ideas. Accompanying Mrs. Terry was Rachel K. Ackerman, illustrator. Ms. Ackerman, a Jerusalem alumnus, shared with the children how she developed artwork for the stories from start to finish. Both Mrs. Terry and Ms. Ackerman inspired students to explore possibilities in the world around them through writing, art, music, and creative thinking.
Volume 13 Number 3 — April 2014
Superintendent’s Message
Thinking Big, Taking Action, Expecting Results Dear Oregon and Jerusalem Township Residents, I would like to begin by saying thank you to all of our parents, faculty, and staff for their patience and support during this very tough winter season. From the bottom of my heart, Thank You! OREGON SCHOOLS FOUNDATION + STRATEGIC PLANNING = ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES On March 24, 2014, The Press ran an article entitled, “School Board looks at strategic planning.” The information used to write this article was taken from our March 18th board meeting, where I discussed how important it is for our district to deepen our connection with the private sector to discover new funding opportunities. This is where the Oregon Schools Foundation can play a major role. By definition, a foundation is a non-profit entity that exists to help fund projects and programs for a specific organization. The Oregon Schools Foundation has been in existence for over 23 years, and was founded by Michael Armstrong, Larry Vrizelaar, Thomas Bashalske, Helen Lybarger, Theodore Jenkins, Jack Murphy, and Robert Millen. In the past, the Foundation has predominately awarded classroom grants that support innovation and creative learning in every subject reaching every school in the district in addition to various project support. The goal of the district and the foundation is to
continue funding these items while also expanding to other projects and programs. The vast majority of “statefunded” universities have well-established foundations. More and more, K-12 public schools are Dr. Lonny J. Rivera developing their Superintendent own foundations, as they have become keenly aware of the success that has been experienced by higher education. Most, if not all, of the large universities within the U.S. have foundations that have accrued over a billion dollars in total assets. The vast majority of these dollars did not come from the business sector as one might think. A recent statistic provided by Aly Sterling Philanthropy states that over 80% of donations come through private individuals and alumni. As you are well aware, our school district relies heavily upon revenues that are generated through property tax. We could not operate our district without the continued support of our residents. As a relatively new superintendent, I have quickly learned that the loss of state funding, decreased valuation of real estate, and the increased costs of operating a district make it very difficult to provide our students with the educational opportuni-
ties they deserve. A strong and vibrant foundation can become the mechanism by which we can supplement academic programs, expand the fine arts, and improve our athletic facilities. Brent Shimman, President of the Oregon Schools Foundation said, “The Oregon Schools Foundation is ready and eager to assist the district in moving forward toward excellence. We believe through collaboration with the administration, Board of Education, and Aly Sterling Philanthropy, we have the right pieces in place to put together a strategic plan that can help take the district to the next level.” As stated in The Press article, our district is going to partner with the Oregon Schools Foundation and Aly Sterling Philanthropy to update our district strategic plan. In the very near future you will be receiving a series of surveys and questionnaires that will help us determine what priorities our students, parents, staff, and community would like addressed. Based on this feedback, the district will align our resources and put together a comprehensive plan that will assist us in reaching these goals. I encourage everyone who reads this letter to respond to our surveys and questionnaires to ensure that all voices are heard. Over the next few months, I will be giving updates on our strategic planning process. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me at 419-693-0661, or by email lrivera@oregoncs.org.
Jump Rope/Hoops For Heart
Students preparing to jump on heart disease using jump ropes
Students at Jerusalem jumped all over heart disease and stroke by participating in Jump Rope/Hoops for Heart. The students raised more than $1,300 for the American Heart Association, which funds research, programs and education to fight heart disease and stroke, our nation’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. “I’m so pleased with the success of this year’s event,” Ms Rossler, Jump Rope for Heart coordinator, said. “We all had a lot of fun, and the kids enjoyed learning about the importance of physical activity and how they can play a role in saving lives.” Jump Rope/Hoops for Heart is a program that promotes physical activity and heart health through jumping rope and shooting hoops. It is co-sponsored by the American Heart Association and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. A huge shout out goes to all those participating and/or encouraging involvement in this worthy cause. Way to go JETS!
Meet Your Child's Most Important Teacher Who is your child’s most important teacher? You, of course. No matter how experienced, gifted, and hard working your child’s classroom teachers are, their influence over your child is small compared to yours – even during the school day. In any given classroom, some children have greater success than others. Part of the reason, certainly, is ability, but there is much more to it than that. Studies have clearly shown that children of low and average intelligence can consistently outperform brighter children. Most children who succeed do so because they come to school every day with advantages other than natural ability. They are more eager to learn, they’re willing to work harder, and they’re less likely to give up at the first sign of trouble than their lower achieving classmates.
These are advantages that they’ve gained at home, and that parents can give to their children. You are being watched. Much of what children learn at home comes to them simply by watching their parents respond in different situations. It pays, then, to think of the time you spend with your child as teaching time. Not in the formal sense, where you are lecturing and directing and asking questions and testing your child. But in a relaxed, casual sense, where you are setting examples, modeling behavior and sharing experiences with your child. When you start a project, for example, keep in mind that your child is watching and learning. Perhaps you can talk to him or her about how you read the directions all the way through first so you know how the entire job is supposed to go
and can plan for the time, material, and tools needed. Even projects that are botched can teach good lessons. You could, for example, think out loud as you try to analyze what went wrong and what you could do differently to succeed next time. The attitude you demonstrate can help your child learn how to bounce back after falling short. Also, draw your child’s attention to the times you use skills that he or she is learning in school – proofreading a letter that you wrote, for example, or adding fractions for a remodeling project. For a youngster, the best reason for learning is to know how to do what Mom or Dad does. THE LEARNING LETTER To Parents Helping Their Children Learn