Thank you, thank you, thank you to the parents who have generously sent in gift cards in $5, $10, $15, $20, and $25 amounts to various local establishments to support the WOO HOO cart.

PLEASE . . . keep 'em coming!

We do NOT need anymore Giant Eagle gift cards to purchase the drinks and snack items. I believe I have enough at this time to cover the year in regards to the snacks and drinks.

Like I tell the students when I read the story "A Fine, Fine School" - We have fine, fine children and fine, fine teachers, and fine, fine parents . . . and I LOVE THIS SCHOOL. Ask your Kdg-2nd grade students about the story. The older students may remember it from when I read it to them as younger students.

I truly appreciate your partnership in all that we do at Whitney to BE THE BEST!!!!

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The State of Ohio requires all public school districts (city, local, and exempted village) to provide whole-grade screenings for the purposes of gifted identification in the areas of superior cognitive ability, specific academic ability reading/writing, specific academic ability mathematics, and creative thinking ability once during the K-2 grade band and once again during the 3-6 grade band. Districts must use assessments approved for gifted identification in order to meet this requirement. Your child will be taking these national standardized tests to gain information about his/her abilities in the classroom during the period of October 1 through October 15, 2021. You may contact your child’s principal for specific testing dates.

Second and fourth grade students will be taking the Cognitive Abilities Test, or CogAT. This test is used to measure overall cognitive and reasoning abilities that can guide classroom and instruction planning efforts based on students’ individual ability levels. The CogAT also provides a measure of cognitive ability that can identify students who meet the State’s definition of Superior Cognitive ability.

Additionally, students in grades two and four will take the Iowa Assessments. The primary purpose of this test is for instructional development so teachers can identify where the skills of individual students are most and least developed and adapt curriculum and instruction accordingly. The Iowa will measure content-specific skills in the areas of reading and math and also provides a measure of academic ability that can identify students who meet the State’s definition of superior specific academic ability.

These are not tests that students can study for, nor should they be nervous to take them. They will not count as a grade and will be used to better assist teachers in meeting the needs of students. After the results are returned to the District, each student/family will receive a copy of the scores with a report highlighting the student's strengths and areas on which to continue to build.

Thank you for your continued assistance and dedication to your child’s education. If you have any questions, please contact the building principal or me.

Sincerely,

Erin Green,

Director of Curriculum

Eringreen@scsmustangs.org

The Student Council Fundraiser is in FULL SWING! Keep selling those items. Orders are DUE Wed., Sept. 8th. Please make checks payable to Strongsville City Schools.

Whitney Student Council is about to Kick Off! First, we need to elect a President, Vice President, and a Secretary.

Election Rules and Dates:

• Students interested in running for one of the three executive offices listed above must state his/her intent by completing the *Bid for Candidacy form no later than 9:15 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 10. You are welcome to turn them in before then. NONE will be accepted after this time. *These were passed out in class.

• You must be able to attend ALL Student Council meetings and events as an executive board member. Meetings will be held in room 20 every other Friday beginning promptly at 8:30 am.

• The Bid for Candidacy must include signed referrals from two Whitney teachers (NOT including Mrs. Ambroziak or Mrs. Trimper) who know you and can vouch that you are an outstanding citizen and show Whitney PRIDE regularly. You also need a parent/guardian signature (by signing they agree that you can make it to meetings).

• The Student Council Advisors (Mrs. Ambroziak and Mrs. Trimper) will review all Bids for Candidacy and pick three candidates to run for each office. These students will be announced during Morning Announcements on Monday, September 13th.

• Once picked, you will need to prepare a 30 to 60-second speech that will be video recorded and published through our school website. Speeches should include your name, which position you are running for, the qualities that make you the best for the job, and any possible ideas you would like to pursue through student council that would serve our school or community. You may also create posters to hang in the school to persuade voters to elect you. Follow all campaigning rules (given once selected).

• The entire student body will watch your videos and be able to vote.

After electing Officers, a classroom representative will also be selected from each 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom.

• These students will also attend meetings and participate in Student Council activities. In addition, they will report information to and from their classrooms (and an assigned primary classroom for Student Council.

Please join our PTA. They do so much for our students. Click here for the membership form. "Make a copy", print it out, complete it and send it to school with the membership dues and you'll be helping PTA out greatly . . . and your kids, too! To join PTA, please click this link.

Whitney PTA 2021-2022 PTA Chairman

We are currently looking for volunteers to fill positions for 2021-2022 PTA Board. Please look through the list of chair positions and their descriptions. If you see any that may interest you, indicate this on the Sign Up Genius. If you are new to a position, we have plenty of documentation to get you started and help with your event and are working towards streamlining the process even more. ***Please note, many of these positions allow for the majority of the work to be done from home AND have the option (even if not listed) of co-chairs. Thank you so much for considering a position.

www.signupgenius.com

To stay update on all the latest news and events from Whitney PTA please follow our Facebook at Whitney Elementary PTA | Facebook

Whitney's Guide To Policies and Procedures

All fifth grade students have the opportunity to learn to play an instrument and become a member of the Strongsville City Schools Band and Orchestra team. Our band and orchestra teachers will be meeting with the fifth grade classes to demonstrate the awesome instruments students may choose to learn. They will also be providing information on how to become a Musical Mustang. All fifth grade students will be invited to join a special Beginning Band and Orchestra Google Classroom; be sure to check your school email. The beginning band and orchestra parent meeting will take place in the Strongsville High School Auditorium, on Wednesday, Sept. 8th at 7:00 pm. The meeting will be livestreamed for those who can not attend. Beginning band and orchestra lessons will start the week of Sept. 13th. We are looking forward to meeting you!

If you have any questions, please email your specific band/orchestra teacher. Thank You.

COVID-19 prevention strategies remain critical to protect people, including students, teachers, and staff that may not be vaccinated. As we want to provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone, we will continue to implement the following preventive measures for the 2021-22 school year in consideration of the recommendations provided by the Ohio Department of Health.

1. Vaccination. We will continue to share vaccination opportunities/locations for eligible students and staff.

2. Wearing Masks. Per the CDC, masks must be worn by all students and staff when riding on the school bus. When at school and indoors, masks are optional for students and staff, yet strongly recommended for those who are unvaccinated. When outdoors, masks are not necessary, but still are optional based on individual/family preference.

3. Ventilation. We will continue to implement our ventilation protocols to bring in as much outside air as possible and provide air filtration at the highest level possible for our existing HVAC units.

4. Social Distancing. We will strive to maintain 3 feet social distancing within classrooms, cafeterias, and learning spaces. Cooperative grouping opportunities for students may be phased throughout the fall based on COVID trends in the school district.

5. Additional Mitigation Strategies. We will continue to provide opportunities for regular hand washing / hand sanitizer use and educate students on proper respiratory etiquette (i.e., covering coughs and sneezes.)

6. Cleaning / Disinfection. We will continue to implement the same cleaning / disinfection procedures as were implemented last school year.

7. Health Screenings. Families/Staff continue to be required to perform daily health screenings and must stay at home when feeling ill and/or exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms (CLICK HERE).

8. Contact Tracing, Isolations, and Quarantines. We will continue to perform regular contract tracing in combination with isolation or quarantine mandates as set by the Ohio Department of Health or other state/local mandates.
   

Note. The Superintendent may enact further restrictions, such as mandatory masking and increased social distancing by classroom, grade-level, or building based on COVID-related data and trends.

For additional information on the prevention strategies listed above and COVID-related restrictions in our buildings for the 2021-22 school year, click on the link below.

PREVENTION STRATEGY DETAILS

SCHOOL BUILDING OPERATING PROCEDURES / RESTRICTIONS