OTSEGO LOCAL SCHOOLS
Superintendent's Weekly Update - February 1, 2019
We have lost a dear friend and valued board member this week. Judy Snyder passed away peacefully at Bridge Hospice on January 30th. Judy was starting her 10th year as a Board Member. She loved everything about Otsego and supported our students, staff, and community more than anyone can imagine. We are all going to miss her support and love for Otsego. Please keep her family in your thoughts. Judith-A-Snyder Obituary
Board of Education Vacancy - The Board of Education is required by law to fill the vacancy within 30 days. The Board of Education is requesting anyone interested in this open seat to send a letter of interest/bio to the Central Office in the attention of Steve Carroll. You may also email your letter to Steve Carroll at scarroll@otsegoknights.org The deadline to apply is February 15th. The Board will be required to fill the position by February 28th, so that is why there is such a quick turn around on the application date.
The person selected for this vacancy will fill this position for 2019 and then if they would like to run for the remaining two years of the position, they will have to run for a seat in the November 2019 election.
The Board will discuss and hold interviews at their regularly scheduled Board of Education Meeting on February 21st at 6 pm in the High School Library. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Board President, Brad Anderson at banderson.otsego@gmail.com or Adam Koch at akoch@otsegoknights.org.
Musical Instruments: Does anyone have old musical instruments in their attic or basement and would like to find a new home for them? Our special education department would love to have them. If you are willing to donate them to the school, please send me an email. Thank you in advance for any donations! We greatly appreciate it! akoch@otsegoknights.org
School Calendars:
GO KNIGHTS!
Adam Koch
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program of Wood County
Grandparent Support Group - G.R.G.
G.R.G. meets in a casual and welcoming environment, offering education and support to grandparents who are raising grandchildren. Grandparents have the opportunity to meet other caregivers, develop a network of support, and receive information about resources and services available.
Meetings take place on the second Wednesday of each month during the school year, at the Wood County Educational Service Center, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Dinner is served at 6 p.m., and the program begins at 6:30 p.m. Child care will be provided for children who are preschool-age or older. Free - no registration required.
For additional information, please contact:
Felicia Otte
419-308-9010 ext. 237
fotte@wcesc.org
OTSEGO ELEMENTARY STEAM CAMP - SAVE THE DATE
Weston Library Information
Otsego Endowment Foundation
Otsego Endowment News:
The Otsego Endowment Foundation is looking for actively engaged people who care about our school system and want to make a difference. We are working on a new and exciting event to raise money for innovative school initiatives. In the recent past, we have funded extraordinary projects like the Robotics Lab, STEM Curricula materials for the elementary, the Community Garden, reading and language arts materials, drones, virtual reality equipment and more, providing $168,472 in funding for school initiatives, and $14,000 in education awards to graduating seniors since 2012. We want to continue to grow the foundation so that we can continue to provide stimulating opportunities that elevate the education of our students where the school budget is unable to do so. We hope to launch a new fundraising event that will engage more people in the community. We need your help to do so! Please consider getting engaged with our group. We meet the second Monday of the month in the high school library at 6:30 pm, eight times a year. We are using our March meeting as a launching pad for event planning and new members. Won’t you consider coming and seeing how you can make a difference for our kids?
Mark your calendars now: Monday, March 11, 6:30 pm, Otsego High School Library.
Preschool Registration
Preschool Registration for 2019-2020
We will begin accepting registration paperwork for NEW preschoolers on Tuesday, February 19th at 8:00am. Paperwork will be online to print out or available for pick up in the Elementary Office beginning February 19th. We will NOT be accepting or distributing paperwork prior to February 19th. Classes are on a first come, first serve basis, so be sure to register early as classes fill up quickly.
*Please note: You will need your $210 deposit as well as the $40 supply fee with you when you register. If you qualify for free tuition with the required paperwork or are placed on the waiting list, your deposit/check will be returned.
*Students must turn 3 on or before August 1st, 2019, and be completely potty trained (unless on an IEP), to attend preschool. Also, 3-year-olds may ONLY attend 2 or 3 days per week and are not eligible to attend more days.
IF YOU HAVE A RETURNING PRESCHOOLER, PAPERWORK TO CONTINUE IN THE PROGRAM WILL BE SENT HOME BY FEBRUARY 4TH WITH YOUR STUDENT.
Kindergarten Roundup
On Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 6:30pm, Otsego Elementary School will be holding a Kindergarten Round Up Meeting. This meeting is for all parents of incoming kindergarten students for the 2019-2020 school year. Students must be 5 years of age on or before August 1, 2019 to enter kindergarten.
Kindergarten Round Up will include basic information about kindergarten, explanation and distribution of registration forms, and an opportunity to sign-up for your child's Kindergarten Screening time slot in June of 2019.
Feel free to bring proof of residency, certified original birth certificate, photo ID of parent/guardian, immunization record, and complete court file-stamped custody papers (if applicable) to the meeting and we can make copies and add them to your student's file following the meeting. If you are unable to bring them at this time, please plan to have them at your screening appointment in June.
If you are unable to attend this meeting, but have a student entering kindergarten for the 2019-2020 school year, please stop by the Otsego Elementary Office anytime starting March 13, 2019 to pick up a registration packet, or you can download and print the forms from our school website (otsegoknights.org) under the Parent tab on the Elementary Page.
If you have any questions regarding Kindergarten Round Up, registration and/or screening please call the Otsego Elementary Office at 419-823-4381 Option 4.
Edward C. Byers Jr. Awards for Exceptionalism and Heroism
Master Chief Edward C. Byers Jr. is starting two awards for our students in Grades 6th through 12th. Please take a look at the attached video and letter from Master Chief Byers. Please use the nomination form in the letter to nominate our students. You may turn in nomination forms to the Central Office any time before April 1st. We will mail them to Master Chief Byers. The awards night is May 9th and Master Chief Byers will be in attendance to hand out the awards.
Message from Master Chief Byers
Career Discussion Opportunity
Otsego Community -
We are excited to offer new and innovative experiences for our junior high and high school students. We are inviting professionals such as yourself to come interact with our students as an opportunity to engage them in real-world work experiences through the eyes of an expert. This will be a forty minute experience for our students in which you can present information that would be beneficial as they begin to explore their careeroptions. Things to consider during the presentation would be educational requirements, expectations as they enter the workforce, experiences they can anticipate in your career field. What we are aiming for are real conversations between working adults and our students. We are so excited to share our students with you so that you might be able to inspire a few and not only educate students about their career interests but to also maybe inspire them to follow your career path! We want to give our students an idea of what your job entails, but also to tell them how you got to where you are. What the future job market looks like? What certifications and credentials are needed? I have included below a list of suggested essential questions that can be used to guide your discussions but please do not think that you are limited to these. The groups will be smaller in size. Sample questions that may be asked by students: Describe your typical workday and workweek. Is it 40 hours? More? What skills are most important to you in your work? What interests did you have which led you to this field of work? What education, training, certification, licensure, advanced degrees or credentials do you need to do your work? What employment path did you take that led you to where you are now? What is the employment outlook for your line of work? What challenges do you face in your work? We have put a calendar together for you to choose a date that works best for you. You may choose to talk to Junior High Students (grades 6-8) or High School Students (grades 9-12). Simply click on the building below that you would like to share your experiences with and select a date that fits in your schedule. You will enter in the front of the High School and someone from the office will walk you down to the room. Junior High Success Period Presenter Sign Up Link
Town Ball Registration
Otsego PTO EVENTS
ATHLETICS
Otsego Youth Softball Camp
Youth Otsego Baseball Camp - Walk-ins welcomed
Junior High and High School Sporting Events
Friday, February 1
4:45 - 9th BBK (H) Elmwood
6:00 - JV/V BBK (H) Elmwood *Little Knights Cheerleader Night
Saturday, February 2
9:00 - V WR @ Genoa - State Duals
12:00 - JV/V GBK (H) McComb
4:45 - 9th BBK (H) Patrick Henry
6:00 - JV/V BBK (H) Patrick Henry
Tuesday, February 5
4:15 - 7th/8th BBK (H) Lake
4:45 - 9th BBK @ Genoa
6:00 - JV/V BBK @ Genoa
Thursday, February 7
4:15 - 7th/8th BBK (H) Genoa
6:00 - JV/V GBK (H) Rossford
Friday, February 8
4:45 - 9th BBK @ Fostoria
6:00 - JV/V BBK @ Fostoria
Saturday, February 9
10:00 - Hoover Duals (Springfield HS Field House)
6:00 - JV/V GBK @ Swanton
COMMUNITY EVENTS SECTION
Sonlight Church and Community Center Winter Schedule (Jan-Mar)
Sunday, 6:30-8: basketball grades 6-12
Monday, 6-8: Youth group/ dodgeball
Tuesday, 6:30-8: basketball grades 5 and under
Wednesday, 6:30-8: TeamKID, ages pre-school to 6.
Thursday, volleyball, grades 6-adult
CALCULATE FUN ON STEM NIGHT: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 WITH THE WALLEYE
Join us for Toledo Walleye STEM Night presented by Penta Career Center, supported by RMF Nooter, on Friday, February 1. Beginning at 5 p.m. we’ll have STEM activities provided by Penta Career Center, with Toledo taking on Tulsa at 7:15 p.m.
- Check out a Formula Student race car built by students and experience speed control using die-cast toy cars.
- Learn what it’s like to be a welder using a virtual welding training system.
- Use hand-held controllers to program and operate Motoman robots just like those used in area manufacturing facilities.
- Experience how chefs use safety techniques in the kitchen with pH testing experiments.
- Fly a drone through an obstacle course and play Socketball using VEX robots.
STEM Night tickets are discounted to just $15!
Questions, Concerns, Comments, or Rumors
Sponsors
Otsego Board of Education
President: Brad Anderson banderson.otsego@gmail.com
Vice President: Judy Snyder jasnyder715@gmail.com
Board Member: James Harter jameslharter@gmail.com
Board Member: Mark Tolles mdt814@cs.com
Board Member: Elizabeth Gorski jegorski@frontier.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
Mike Wiley, Assistant Elementary Principal
Email: mwiley@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @PrincpalWiley
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 and Custodial
Email: evasher@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Jeanne Jeffers, Director of Food Service
Email: jjeffers@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @Otsego_Cafe
Rick Haskins, Director of Maintenance
Email: rhaskins@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381