OTSEGO LOCAL SCHOOLS
Superintendent's Weekly Update - January 22, 2021
Check these numbers out! Thank you for continuing to follow safety protocols to keep us moving in the right direction! The dashboard represents the numbers as of the end of the day today and what we will start next week with.
Important Information from the Wood County Health Department
Please find the talking points we’re focusing on this week, and consider sharing the attached PDFs with your contacts.
- COVID-19 vaccines continue to be a scarce resource across the United States, and it will take time to provide vaccines to everyone who wants to receive them.
- We’re beginning to vaccinate people 80 or older during the start of Phase 1B this week. We will begin serving individuals 75+ and adults with certain medical conditions next Wed., 1/27. Anyone who is eligible may be vaccinated in Wood County, even if they live in another county.
- For vaccines administered by Wood County Health Department, a mobile application and website called ArmorVax is being used for registration.
- For more information on phases of vaccine distribution and how to schedule appointments, go to Vaccine.WoodCountyHealth.org
- This website will be updated regularly with vaccine provider availability as the Health Department is notified that a location has appointments available, or has no more available appointments.
- Alternatively, if you would like to speak to someone to schedule an appointment, you can call 419-352-8402 and choose option 1. In our initial launch, we are partnering with the Wood County Committee on Aging and 2-1-1, who are providing support for our vaccination scheduling.
- Wood County Health Department has received additional COVID-19 vaccine doses and is partnering with Meijer to provide 450 additional appointments this week for people age 80 and older
- Scheduling for these appointments will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20 and the vaccines will be administered from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22 at Meijer in Bowling Green. VisitVaccine.WoodCountyHealth.org and look for the scheduling link for Meijer
- Wood County Health Department is continuing to serve people included in Phase 1A as Phase 1B distributions begin. If you believe you are in the 1A category, fill out the form found on the Health Department’s website (https://forms.gle/Lju4xWNgkTzYT2rX7). Do not schedule an appointment.
- Wood County Community Health Center is offering rapid curbside COVID-19 testing.
- For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 419-354-9656.
Avoid scams related to COVID-19 with easy-to-remember tips
Public health workers will not ask for your financial information or social security number
The below news release will go out today, promoting ways to avoid potential fraud related to COVID-19. We also created a video that you can view here: https://youtu.be/bBTIpN8DNRI
BOWLING GREEN — Public health workers and law enforcement in Wood County are cautioning people to avoid potential fraud related to COVID-19.
“During these times when we have a lot of outreach and information regarding COVID-19 vaccines, contact tracing, etc., there are some basic rules we want you to be aware of,” said Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn.
Wood County Health Department representatives may reach out via phone as part of COVID-19 response activities such as vaccine distribution and scheduling, testing and contact tracing. They will leave a message if they’re unable to reach someone.
Wood County Health Department may call and request some personal information as part of its response activities, including a person’s birthdate, address, and contacts with other people, if they have COVID-19 or may have been in contact with someone who is positive. Health Department representatives will not ask for any sort of payment in order to register for a COVID-19 vaccine or be placed on a list to receive a vaccine. Some vaccine providers may request health insurance information.
Health Department representatives will not ask for your bank account, credit card number or Social Security number. If you have concerns that a call you receive is not legitimate, ask for the caller’s name and phone number, hang up, and call Wood County Health Department at 419-352-8402 to verify their identity.
You can also make sure that you access legitimate information online by directly visiting the websites for trusted sources, such as Wood County Health Department (www.WoodCountyHealth.org), the Ohio Department of Health (www.odh.ohio.gov) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov).
Wood County Health Department’s website will continue to be the best place to obtain local information on COVID-19 vaccine availability, Wood County Health Commissioner Benjamin Robison explained.
Reliable vaccine information is available from the main page of the Health Department’s website by clicking on COVID-19 Vaccines. You can also go to Vaccine.WoodCountyHealth.org.
“By taking a few simple steps to safeguard your information and relying on only trusted sources, you can give yourself the best chance to get access to vaccine quickly when you are eligible, as well as protecting yourself from being a victim of potential fraud,” Robison said.
For more information on avoiding consumer fraud and scams, go to the Ohio Attorney General’s website at www.OhioProtects.org or call 1-800-282-0515.
Food Pick up for ONLINE STUDENTS ONLY: Monday, January 25th
Food pick-up is Monday, January 25th from 4-5 pm in the back of the high school near the football stadium. Please make sure you come pick up the food if you signed up.
Food Service Reminder - Breakfast and Lunches are FREE all year for ALL students. Even if your child packs every day have them try our lunches. We are ok with that. It would be a great opportunity for them to try out our food service program.
Adam Koch
GO KNIGHTS!
Dimes for Donuts
Dear Friends, Family, and Acquaintances,
Hello, I am Madeline (Maddie) Berry and I am a senior at Otsego High School. This year I have been gifted the opportunity to run for Students of the Year (SOY) for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). In a brief summary, SOY is a friendly competition among multiple students from various high schools in NW Ohio. The competition is a quick yet strong seven-week fundraiser/campaign from Jan. 21st thru Mar. 12th. I have gathered a multi-generational team of high school students, parents, and family friends whose goal is to raise a large sum of money for patients with leukemia and lymphoma, their families, research as a whole, and to bring more awareness to our community. This campaign has become a large part of my life and has impacted me in only positive ways. I have two inspiring ladies before me, Madison Dzierwa (2019) and Brynne Limes (2020), who have represented Otsego and have paved the way for me to strive and succeed in this campaign.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society can be reached at https://www.lls.org for facts, statistics, and other additional information. This website is a great resource/tool to even take a few minutes to look at. LLS has had a great impact in the lives of those who battle various cancers. You can help my team make a substantial difference in their efforts. For example, LLS invests nearly $1.3 billion dollars into cancer research. Personally, I believe there would be no better feeling than to know that I, along with the strong community and people behind me can help this cause that has affected so many over the years.
At the time of my acceptance into the LLS SOY campaign, I did not realize how personal this would become. My family has been greatly impacted with the loss of my aunt and my mother’s sister Angela (Angie) Rankin at the age of 49 due to colon cancer. Cancer as a whole has taken so much away from so many different walks of life in different communities. The loss of my aunt has inspired me even more to participate, fundraise, bring awareness, and excel in the SOY campaign.
I respectfully ask your thoughtful consideration of supporting my team’s campaign with a financial gift/donation that is meaningful to you, your family, and/or your workplace. Your support would mean the world to me and anything you are willing to give is a meaningful gift. To make an online donation, visit my website, https://events.lls.org/noh/ToledoSOY21/mberry. If you wish to donate through the mail, please make your check payable to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (noting SOY Maddie Berry in the note line) and mail to: 216 Earl North Drive, Haskins, OH, 43525. All donations are 100% tax-deductible. LLS´s Tax ID # is 13-5644916.
Of course, feel free to contact me at 21mberry@otsegoknights.org or 419-270-1072 for any questions, comments or concerns. Thank you for your time and consideration in making an impact with the fight against blood cancers!
Sincerely,
Maddie and the rest of the team
Knight In Shining Armor Nominations
Knight In Shining Armor Nominations
Please use the following form to inform OHS Student Council about a family in need within the school district. While the family does not need to have students in the district, we do ask that they are a member of the Otsego Community. Please use this form to share information about their current situation as well as how they can best be assisted.
Please be sure to understand that while Knight in Shining Armor (KISA) would love to help all community members in need, we are still a new program, and may not have the funds to do so. With that being said, we will consider each request on a case by case basis. Filling this form out does not guarantee that we will be able to assist the family, but we will try our hardest to do so!
These funds are not for routine expenses such as utilities, bills, rent, etc. It is designed for assisting community members in an emergency situation. This can include but is not limited to unforeseen medical expenses, medical-related travel expenses, and household emergencies such as a fire, water leaks, etc. Please keep this in mind when submitting a nomination.
Please refer to this link at any point during the year as a need arises, and KISA will do their best to help out!
Otsego Food Pantry
The Otsego Food Pantry is always willing to help those in need. This service is by appointment only. Please call, text, or email to schedule.
Otsego Food Pantry
c/o Lisa Hatfield
PO Box 261
17700 Beaver Street
Grand Rapids, OH 43522
Phone: 419-830-1051
Email: otsegofoodpantryoh@gmail.com
Housed in the Grand Rapids First Presbyterian Church – Supported by our Community!
Athletics
Saturday, January 23
9:00 - JH WR @ NBC Championships *Rossford
12:00 - HS WR @ Whitmer *Whitmer Fieldhouse
6:00 - JV/V GBK (H) Springfield
Monday, January 25
4:15 - JH GBK @ Woodmore
4:15 - JH BBK (H) Woodmore
Tuesday, January 26
5:30 - JV/V BBK (H) Rossford
Wednesday, January 27
4:30 - JH WR (H) Rossford
5:30 - JV/V GBK @ Fostoria
6:00 - HS WR (H) Rossford
Thursday, January 28
5:30 - JV/V GBK @ Elmwood
Friday, January 29
4:45 - 9th/JV/V BBK @ Woodmore
5:30 - HS WR @ Thunderbird Inv. *Lima CC
Saturday, January 30
9:00 - HS WR @ Thunderbird Inv. *Lima CC
10:00 - HS WR @ Van Buren Duals
4:45 - 9th/JV/V BBK (H) Patrick Henry
Youth Soccer
COMMUNITY EVENTS SECTION
Questions, Concerns, Comments, or Rumors
SPONSORS
Otsego Board of Education
President: Brad Anderson banderson.otsego@gmail.com
Vice President: James Harter jameslharter@gmail.com
Board Member: Mark Tolles mdt814@cs.com
Board Member: Jessica Mehl jmehl.jd@gmail.com
Board Member: Gordon Digby gdigby44@gmail.com
Adam Koch, Superintendent
Email: akoch@otsegoknights.org
Website: www.otsegoknights.org
Location: 18505 Tontogany Creek Road, Bowling Green, OH, United States
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @AdamKoch_Otsego
Lisa Austin, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent/EMIS Coordinator
Email: laustin@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Lauri Dunham, Special Education Director
Email: ldunham@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Stephen Bihary, School Psychologist
Email: sbihary@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Luke Swartz, Technology Director
Email: lswartz@otsegoknights.org
Website: www.otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Katrina Baughman, Elementary Principal
Email: kbaughman@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @KBaughman723
Becky Buchman, Assistant Elementary Principal
Email: bbuchman@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @buchman_becky
Kevin O'Shea, High School Principal
Email: koshea@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @KosheaOHS
Jon Rife, Junior High Principal
Email: jrife@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @OJHS_Principal
Tom Ferdig, High School Athletic Director and Assistant Principal Grades 6-12
Email: tferdig@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Eva Vasher, Director of Transportation, Custodial, and Maintenance
Email: evasher@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Emily Bires - Director of Food Service
Email: ebires@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @Otsego_Cafe