Whitney's Rockin' Review

Mr. Stacho's Newsletter - September 24, 2021

Reading Rocks at Whitney!

APTT Conferences/Student-Led Conferences 9/30 and 10/6

Our goal is to strengthen partnerships with parents and also help build the community of parents within our school.


From the Superintendent: As a courtesy to those teachers that would like to follow a more cautious approach, we ask that each parent attending in person conferences bring a mask with them to conference nights. We will have signs posted (click here) outside of a classroom where a teacher is requesting parents to wear a mask. If you see this sign on a teacher’s door, we are asking for your consideration in wearing a mask for that conference. Additionally, teachers will be required to have a mask available if they have elected to not wear a mask for parent/teacher conferences. If parents would like to take a similar approach as has been outlined above, parents can request a teacher to wear a mask.


For Kdg -3 - There will be two sessions on each of the conference nights. One session from 5-6 and one session from 6:30-7:30 p.m. If you haven't already, you will be receiving an invite from your child's teacher to one of these 4 sessions being held. We are trying to keep the number of parents in the building to a minimum, so one parent per child is preferred.


For Grades 4-5 - Conferences will be on a 15 minute schedule to be able to accommodate all of the families in the time we have available. PLEASE be on time for your child's conference. Conferences will be "student-led" which means your child will be sharing information with you with the teacher as a "guide on the side".


Our goal is to have 100% of students represented at conferences. This is a VERY important night and sends a clear message to your child and your child's teacher that you value their education and want to be partners with us to help them learn and grow.


As an added incentive, I will be raffling off 4 Strongsville Football Coupon Cards with discounts to numerous Strongsville businesses. These cards sold for $20, but the value is significantly higher. Every family that is represented at conferences will receive a raffle ticket and then we will draw 4 winners each conference night. Winners will be notified by phone the following day and the coupon card will be sent home with the student.

September "Hard Rock Cafe" Winners

PRIDE at Whitney

At Whitney, and all the schools in the Strongsville City Schools, we take a positive approach to addressing behavior expectations. Linked here is our school-wide behavior matrix that aligns with the acronym PRIDE. P=Prepared, R=Respectful, I=Inclusive, D=Determined, and E=Engaged.


To reinforce positive behaviors, we issue students PRIDE Tickets. When a student gets a PRIDE Ticket, they get immediate recognition, then they come to the office and get a secondary recognition from the office staff and/or me, as well as a Starburst candy, and then their ticket is entered into a drawing to have lunch at our "Hard Rock Cafe" which has staff serving lunch to two students from each class to recognize and encourage positive behavior.


Pictured below are our September Hard Rock Cafe winners. Their pictures are prominently displayed in our main hallway as examples for others. Normally, we would take a group photo of each "Hard Rock Cafe" session, but in light of covid concerns, we took individual photos to be posted in the main hallway instead.

A Message From Mr. Stacho:

We wanted to do a better job of letting all of our students and parents know a little more about our staff, so each week, I'm going to share a few video introductions so you can get to know us a little better. We are all a TEAM at Whitney, so we want you to be part of our team and know who we are. Our first set of videos highlight our Kindergarten Team: Mrs. Dlouhy, Miss Morris, Mrs. Schmersal, and Mrs. Soja

Student Council Fundraiser Pickup

The Student Council Appletree Fundraiser items will be ready for pick up on Wed., Oct. 6th beginning at 3:00 PM in the GYM.


Parents picking up: Enter through the main office doors, buzz to be let in, and go right into the GYM.


IF your child's items are small enough for them to carry home, we will bring it to their classroom and call you to let you know.


If you have conferences on this night, you can pick them up then.


IF you are picking up during bus dismissal, you will need to park in the lot. You may take your child at this time (BUT if it is BEFORE dismissal OR a change in transportation for them, PLEASE let the office know ahead of time).


Thank you all for helping our school to raise funds for our students!

Levy Renewal Information! Please read!

Did you know that earlier this year our Board of Education approved several new clubs and after school activities for our elementary schools? Each elementary school has been given an opportunity to develop extracurriculars based on student interest and feedback. Whether it be service learning, arts, athletics, STEM, or other creative offerings, students now have more opportunities to discover new interests and talents outside of the school day. Elementary activities add to the existing clubs and organizations found at SMS and SHS. Issue 68, the renewal levy for Strongsville City Schools on the November ballot, helps to support these extracurricular opportunities for our students. Clubs, organizations, and activities provide important growth opportunities for our students to develop life skills outside of the classroom.

WOO HOO CART Week of 9/13/21

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Free Books For Children Birth To Age 5

Ohio has taken Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which previously was only offered in certain counties, and now offers it to all families with children birth-five. Using this gives families access to free books so they can develop their own in-home libraries. Click on the link below to register to receive FREE BOOKS!

Ohio Imagination Library

Mr. Schibley's September Guidance Newsletter

Please click here to view Mr. Schibley's guidance newsletter.
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Important Updates You MUST Make! (Repeat Item)

The following is information from district offices regarding updating your online account. It is vital that you update ALL information in this site, including up to date phone numbers for emergency contact and the form regarding photos. Please be advised that if you say "no photos," this means your child will not be included in class photos or the yearbook. We'd love for all of our students to be included in school photos, so please compete this form carefully.


Online "Information Update" for the 21-22 school year is now available! This task must be completed by September 20, 2021. The Information Update form must be completed prior to your child receiving report cards, transcripts, parking permits, participation in any extra-curricular activities, school dances and field trips, as well as participation in commencement activities. This process replaces the paper forms sent home at the beginning of each school year. You will use the NEW PowerSchool UNIFIED CLASSROOM (formerly referred to as (PASS) Parent Portal) to access the 2021-2022 information update form. Even though the forms are "pre-filled" please check all information and you have to submit for each form and you must do it for each child that you have in the system even if all the information remains the same.


How do I get started?
Visit the Strongsville City Schools and click on the PowerSchool icon in the middle of the page and log into your POWERSCHOOL Parent Portal account.


  1. Select the student you wish to register along the top
  2. Click on the "Quick Links" icon in the left hand menu
  3. Choose the Link "2021-22 Information Update" within the Custom Links section
  4. Enter the birthdate for the selected student
  5. Complete the form and submit.

I can’t remember my login for the PowerSchool Unified Classroom Parent Portal.
If you aren’t able to retrieve your login credentials using the Forgot Password or Username link on the PowerSchool Sign In page, please contact your school directly for assistance logging in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal.

I don't have a PowerSchool Parent Portal (PASS) account.
Contact your school directly for instructions on setting up your account, and your credentials.

Do I have to answer all the questions?
Questions marked with a red asterisk (*) are required.

What if I make a mistake?
If you would like to make a change prior to submitting the form, you can either navigate back to the page using the “< Prev” and “Next >” buttons or if you are on the Review page click on the underlined field. If you have already submitted the form you will need to contact your student’s school so they can make the changes for you.

I’ve completed the form, now what?
Once you have finished entering your information click “Submit.” This will send all of the information you’ve entered to the school. If you cannot click on this button you will need to make sure that you have answered all required questions.

What if I have more than one student in the district? Do I need to do this for each child?
Yes you will need to provide information that is specific to each child. We recommend that you complete and submit one form and then start another. This will allow you to “snap” (or share) selected family information, which saves you time.

Help! I’m on the Information Update form and I’m having technical difficulties.
For technical support, visit our PowerSchool Community help center or click “Help” from any form page.

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Would you like to follow Whitney Elementary on Twitter.... (Repeat Item)

For up to date highlights on Whitney Elementary, follow @WhitneyElement1 on Twitter!

HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS (Repeat Item)

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

Strongsville Public Library

***Please note the following September 2021 events being held on ZOOM virtually and presented by the Strongsville Branch Library. Registration and an email address are required for all events in order for us to send you the Zoom invitation. Please call (440) 238-5530 to register or for more information. Customers may also visit www.cuyahogalibrary.org to register and to see more library event information.

***Please note all branches of Cuyahoga County Public Library and the Administration Building will be closed on Sunday, September 5th and Monday, September 6th for the Labor Day Holiday. We will resume normal hours on Tuesday, September 7th.

Cuyahoga Works – Need help with your resume or interview skills? A Cuyahoga Works Career Counselor will be at the Strongsville Branch on Thursdays from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. to meet with individuals in need of job search assistance. For more information, visit https://cuyahogalibrary.org/Services/Cuyahoga-Works.aspx To schedule an appointment, please call (216) 475-2225.

English as a Second Language. IN PERSON Thursdays & Fridays from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Aspire Greater Cleveland is once again teaching IN-PERSON classes to help non-native speakers learn English and validate their skills. Students must attend an ESOL/Citizenship orientation session before beginning ESOL or citizenship classes. If you are interested in attending these ESOL classes, please call Aspire at 833.277.4732 to register.

Computer Classes
Cuyahoga County Public Library offers computer classes for beginners to advanced. Classes are currently being held VIRTUALLY using the program Screenleap which requires a web browser and an internet connection. There is no additional software to download. Google Chrome is the recommended browser. A valid email address is required for registration. Registrants will receive an email with a link to join the class at least an hour before the start time. Registration opens 30 days before the start of the class and closes prior to the start of the class. To see a full class list, descriptions, and to register, please visit
https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/Events/Computer-Classes/Virtual-Classes.aspx

Zoom Virtual Preschool Storytime. Tuesdays, September 7th, 21st, and 28th from 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Join us for rhymes, songs, fingerplays, and stories. You must register online to receive the Zoom link.

Zoom Virtual Toddler Storytime. Wednesday, September 22nd and 29th from 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Join us for rhymes, songs, fingerplays, and stories. You must register online to receive the Zoom link.

Zoom Virtual Storytime Baby & Me. Wednesday, September 1st, 8th, 22nd, and 29th from 3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Join us for rhymes, songs, fingerplays, and stories. You must register online to receive the Zoom link.

Zoom Virtual Family Storytime. Thursdays, September 2nd, 9th, 23rd, and 30th from 7:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Join us for rhymes, songs, fingerplays, and stories. You must register online to receive the Zoom link.

Virtual Studio Orientation. Saturday, September 11th from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. or Monday, September 27th from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Have you ever thought about recording your own music, making a video, digitizing memories and more? The Strongsville Branch Library is home to both Audio and Video Recording studios that can help you do just that! You must go through an orientation in order to use the spaces. These orientations will be held VIRTUALLY ONLY. Patrons 11 & up can participate in the orientation and must turn in the User Agreement form at the branch in order for the orientation to count. Register online to receive the Zoom link.