Bulldog Bark The Newsletter of Blendon Middle School

Bulldog Bark The Newsletter of Blendon Middle School FROM THE PRINCIPAL It is indeed a pleasure to welcome all of our returning students and our new students to the 2014-2015 school year. Our teachers and staff are excited and look forward to sharing many academic experiences with our students. This school year, 6 th grade students will take a new course called Literacy Skills for Career Exploration. The class will focus on writing, research, and speaking skills needed for college and career readiness. It also provides a foundation for considering paths of study as students approach high school. Our 7 th grade students will also experience a new class called Engineering and Design. This class addresses the interest and energy of middle school students while incorporating national Students may pick up schedules on Wednesday August 6 from 1 3 pm and again from 5-7 pm, and Thursday, August 7 from 10am noon. Orientation for new students will be held on August 6 at 6:00 pm. Instructional fees can be paid online prior to schedule pick up using the EZ Pay link at www.westerville.k12.oh.us but can also be paid at schedule pick up. Checks are to be made payable to the Westerville Board of Education. You must bring your completed Emergency Card (included in your mailed back to school packet) to schedule pick up. Please write legibly. standards in mathematics, science, and technology. This activity-oriented, cutting edge program shows students how technology is used in engineering to solve everyday problems. Finally, I want to welcome the following new teachers to the Bulldog Family: Valerie Lakes- Engineering and Design Tina Dunmoyer- 7 th Grade Mathematics Parents, we look forward to working collaboratively to help our students achieve academic success. Sincerely, Kendall Harris Principal FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IMPORTANT The first day of school will be Wednesday, August 13. All students in grades 6-8 are to report to school by the start of class at 8:00am. SCHEDULE PICK UP 2014-2015 FEES 6th grade $40.00 + $5.00 class fee = $45.00. 7th grade $40.00 + $5.00 class fee + $8.00 art fee = $53.00 8th grade $35.00 + $5.00 class fee = $40.00 We encourage you to use the EZPay link at www.westerville,.k12.oh.us and pay your school fees online in advance. This saves time for all of us. 1 V OLUME 8, ISSUE 1 J ULY 23, 2014 Pub. July, Oct, Feb & April INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Schedule Pickup 1 Transportation Info 2 Medication Procedure 3 Sports Participation 4 Library Link 5 Important Dates 6 Supply List 7 Blendon Middle School 223 S. Otterbein Ave Westerville OH 43081 Phone: 797-6400 Fax: 797-6401 Attendance: 797-6404 Principal: Kendall Harris Assistant Principal: Fred Tombaugh Counselors: Marcia Childs Joyce Lee PTO President: Beth Mulick

P AGE 2 V OLUME 8, I SSUE 1 SCHOOL DRESS CODE Each year there are many questions about the dress code. Here are a few suggestions to help with your purchase of school clothes. Clothing with profane or obscene pictures and/or lettering or which refers to alcohol, tobacco, chemicals, or related material is prohibited. Clothing relating to gang colors, symbols or clothing styles is prohibited. Pants will be worn at the waist. Sagging is specifically not permitted. Immodest or inappropriate clothing include but is not limited to: hats, hoods, bandanas, scarves and do-rags, except for religious and/or medically necessitated reasons, cut-off T-shirts, halters, spaghetti strap tank tops or any clothing exposing cleavage, the midriff or back. Sweatshirts are permitted, but hoods must be kept down. Students shall be required to wear shoes. Students who are not in compliance with the dress code will be allowed to call home for appropriate clothing or will be provided with clothing from the school. Repeated violations will result in disciplinary action. We hope this makes your school shopping easier and more enjoyable. We look forward to seeing you in August. SCHOOL PICTURES School pictures and ID photos will be taken at schedule pickup. HR Imaging is mailing information home detailing ordering pictures. Please look for this flier in your mail soon. Please dress appropriately for your photos. IDs will be used to check out library materials and for Internet access. Makeup photos will be taken August 21. TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION Student Drop-off in the mornings Students are to wait outside school until the 7:50 bell rings. The only students permitted inside the building before 7:50 are those eating breakfast in the cafeteria. (Breakfast begins at 7:35. See additional breakfast information on the next page.) Please be mindful of the area outside the building against the brick wall. Students are not permitted to stand in this area so that teachers and parents can more easily access the building before 7:50.. Student Pick-up in the afternoons Parents, I understand the need or desire some of you have to pick your children up at the end of the day rather than have them ride the bus or walk home. Please keep in mind driving around the buses can be very dangerous. If you plan to pick up your children from school, I encourage you to do so after 2:55. By that time, the buses are completely clear of the parking lot, leaving a much safer environment for you, your child and your car. Regardless of when you pick up your child, your utmost patience is appreciated. Blendon dismisses 750 students within a 10 minute period. Please help do your part to keep this as safe and orderly as possible. ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES The Ohio Missing Children Act requires that schools implement certain procedures for monitoring student absences. In the Westerville Schools, the parents or legal guardian of the student must notify the school to report a student as absent. At Blendon, we request that you call 797-6404 between 7:30 and 9:00 am to report an absence. If you fail to notify us, Mrs. Medovich will make every effort to contact you. If you need to pick your child up early, please call the school so we can send your child a pass to get out of class and be waiting for you in the office. BUS SCHEDULES The Non Transport Boundaries and Back to School links on the district website www.wcsoh.org list the current non transport boundaries for each school. Please check to see if your students will receive bus transportation. For those students who receive transportation, bus routes will be available through the Transportation section of the district website www.wcsoh.org August 1. You can access your student s transportation information by clicking the Infofinder icon on the Transportation page of the website and entering your address. 2

B ULLDOG BARK P AGE 3 FROM THE CAFETERIA Students may purchase their lunch in the cafeteria. The daily plate lunch is $2.75, including milk. A La Carte items are available daily and the prices vary. Students may purchase pizza, sandwiches, salads, fruit, snacks and milk from the A La Carte line. Many students bring their lunch from home and just purchase a drink. The school does not lend lunch money to students who forget to bring money or a lunch to school. If the student has time to call a parent and have money or a lunch delivered to the office before their scheduled lunch time, we will allow them to use the office phone. We will again be using the EZPay system so parents can load money into their student s account for several days lunches. You may make deposits into student lunch accounts by using your debit/credit card. Visit www.spsezpay.com/spsezpay/nt/login.aspx or www.westerville.k12.oh.us or you may send in cash, checks, or money order to the school. Please be aware that money deposited using EZPay will take 24-48 hours to be available for your student to use. Free or Reduced Lunch Program You may begin applying for free and reduced lunch beginning Sunday, July 13. You may access the website directly at www.lunchapplication.com or by visiting the district website at www.westerville.k12.oh.us and following the appropriate links. A new form needs to be filled out each year. Those approved from last year may continue to participate in the programs until this year s applications are processed. Of course, the earlier you apply, the sooner your application is processed and your status determined. Please apply early. Breakfast is served at all Westerville schools. Serving times are: Elementary: 8:45 9:10 AM, middle school 7:35 8:00 AM, and high 7:00 7:25 AM. The cost of breakfast at middle school is $1.50. Food Service questions should be directed to Wanda Myers at 797-5993. FROM OUR SCHOOL NURSE Our clinic is covered by the school nurse, Mrs. Rudik, on Thursday and Friday and by our health aide, Mrs. Dorne, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. If your student becomes ill at school, they must come to the clinic so someone may evaluate them. Please do not have your student call or text home from a classroom or a cell phone. (Students using their cell phones during instructional time are subject to discipline consequences, regardless of who they are contacting and why.) Blendon s nurse or health aide will contact parents. Westerville City Schools Medication Policy: When medication is stored and/or administered through our school clinic, appropriate forms need to be signed by parents and the student s physician. These forms are available from the clinic. Please contact our clinic if it becomes necessary for your student to take medication during the school day. EMERGENCY CARDS The student emergency cards are included in the back to school packet mailed to each student s home. Please make all corrections as legibly* as possible and return it to us when you pick up your child s schedule. You must bring the completed form when you pick up your child s schedule. *The information on the emergency card is what school personnel will use if it is necessary to contact a parent during the school day. It is very important that it is as complete and as readable as possible. CURRICULUM NIGHT Blendon s Curriculum Night will be Thursday, August 21, 2014 at 6:00 pm. Parents will follow a shortened version of their child s schedule. This will allow parents to meet each teacher and find out about the curriculum students will be learning this year. This format does not allow for one on one conversations with teachers. If you have specific concerns or comments regarding your child, you can call the school (797-6400) to speak to individual teachers or your child s guidance counselor. 3

FOR INCOMING 7TH GRADE STUDENTS AND PARENTS June 5, 2014 Dear Parent/Guardian This letter is to let you know that your incoming 7th Grade Student is required by the Ohio Department of Health to have a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccine within 5 years of beginning 7th Grade. This means that they must have received the booster dose either on or after 8/13/2008. To comply with this requirement please contact your child's physician to see if they have already received this booster. If they have please get an updated copy of their immunization record and send it to me at school or have the doctor s office fax to me at (614) 797-6401. If they have not received the booster dose please arrange to have this done before the beginning of school this fall and have the same information sent or faxed to me. Students who do not have the required immunizations by the 14th day of school may be excluded from attending school effective Thursday, September 4, 2014 until documentation is received. I would encourage you to follow up on this to make sure I have received the documentation. Notice of the requirement will be in every newsletter and a few reminders were sent home with your student during their 6 th grade year. You will receive a notification of Intent to Exclude via mail if I have not received the information about a week before the exclusion date and this means they CANNOT attend school starting 9/4/14 until I receive the needed documentation. If they are sent to school, then you will be called to pick them up. Please plan ahead to meet this requirement and please contact me with any questions, concerns or if your student has been previously exempted from immunizations Thank you. Tressa Rudik R.N. School Nurse (614) 797-6406 (614) 797-6401 fax rudikt@wcsoh.org DOES YOUR STUDENT NEED IMMUNIZATIONS? See the next page for Nationwide Children s Hospital Care Mobile coming to Westerville. Sixth grade parents it s not too early for your student to get the Tdap booster. Be sure to send documentation to the Blendon clinic. 4

Cherrington Elementary Hosts Nationwide Children s Care Mobile on August 6 On Wednesday, August 6, during the week of back-to-school registration and schedule pick-up, Nationwide Children s Hospital (NCH) will be providing a convenient opportunity for Westerville City Schools students to get required immunizations and other medical services through its Care Mobile. The vehicle will be parked in the lot of the hosting school, Cherrington Elementary, which is located at 522 Cherrington Road in Westerville, from 9:00 a.m. - noon; and from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. A full-time doctor, nurse, and registration specialist from NCH will be on board to provide immunizations and other healthcare services. Scheduling appointments in advance is encouraged, and can be made now by contacting NCH staff member Trisha Strader at 614/722-4957, or by e-mailing Trisha.Strader@NationwideChildrens.org. One of the school district s primary goals is to help parents keep their children s immunizations up-to-date according to state law requirements. The Nationwide Children s Care Mobile offers a full range of immunizations including DPT and MMR vaccines for children entering kindergarten to the latest Tdap immunization required for current and incoming middle school students. Students should contact their primary care providers and medical home for these services. Although the Care Mobile is not designed to take the place of the student s primary care physician, it is a place where students medical needs can be addressed on an as-needed basis, and is there for all others who may not have a medical home or need a service. The cost of healthcare services on the Care Mobile are comparable to a typical doctor visit. Parents must present their insurance or Medicaid card at the time of service. Sliding fees and other financial resources are also available to eligible families. No child will be turned away due to a family s inability to pay. There are also consent and release information forms to be completed by the parent at the time of the visit. If a student has previously received services at a Nationwide Children s Hospital or any of its clinics, the child s information is already in the network. Don t miss this opportunity to schedule an appointment time to get your child s updated immunizations or schedule well-checks. The mobile unit will also address any current illness concerns as time allows. Please bring any vaccine records you may have, if possible. All students within the Westerville School District are invited to schedule an appointment time to receive services from the NCH Care Unit on August 6. The Nationwide Children s Hospital Mobile Care Center has been serving the children of Central Ohio for more than 12 years including more than 30 Columbus Public Schools and the YWCA Family Shelter. It is a pediatric clinic on wheels, fully staffed with a doctor and a nurse from Nationwide Children s. The Center is designed to bring a doctor out to the kids and eliminate geographical barriers. Pediatric primary care services may include: Immunizations Well-Child and sick visits Body Mass Index calculations and nutrition counseling Developmental screenings Vision, hearing, and lead screening Blood collection and point of care testing Childhood health education and injury prevention education Specialty care referrals including mental health and social service referrals 5

PHYSICAL EDUCATION Your child will need the following for their Physical Education class this year: Shorts or sweat pants plain grey, blue or black Blendon shirt or sweat shirt/ jacket (can be purchased from the Blendon PTO during schedule pickup or throughout the school year.) Comfortable tennis shoes that he/she can run in a forward direction and move sideways in without turning his/her ankles. The 2 inch thick soled tennis shoes are not appropriate for Physical Education class. Please make sure your child s first and last name are on their clothing. It is much easier to assist them when they lose their clothes if their name is on their clothes and readable. ATHLETIC INFORMATION Blendon offers opportunities for 7th and 8th graders to participate in a variety of sports throughout the year. In general, fall sports begin in early August, winter sports in late October and spring sports in late February. Fall sports include football, girls volleyball, golf and cross country; winter sports include basketball and wrestling and spring sports include girls softball and track and field. Cheerleading squads perform during the fall and winter seasons. There is a selection process for students wishing to participate in volleyball, golf, basketball, softball and cheerleading. There is an athletic fee of $120.00 due to the athletic office before the first game or match for all athletes. All students must have current physicals on file in the athletic office before they may participate in any team activities, including tryouts. Physicals are good for one year from the date of the doctor s examination and must be renewed each year. The OHSAA physical form is available from the Blendon office or Westerville City Schools website www.westerville,k12.oh.us and must be signed and dated by the doctor s office. Be sure to schedule your student s physical well in advance of the start of the season, so the student does not miss tryouts while waiting for an appointment. PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS Football -Football practice for 7th and 8th grade students begins August 4 from 5:00 7:30 PM. Students should come dressed appropriately with tennis or football shoes for the first practice. Students may go out for football up until the beginning of school. Game and practice schedules will be handed out by the coaches. Golf The Blendon golf team is open to 7th and 8th grade boys and girls. Tryouts are August 5 & 6 at 3:00 pm at Sunbury Golf Club. Golfers need to come to Sunbury Golf Club on the first day of tryouts with a completed physical form and emergency card. They will also need to bring their own clubs and golf balls. Students are encouraged to play Sunbury Golf Club over the summer. Students should already know how to play golf and the etiquette of the game. Volleyball - Open gyms are held throughout the summer. Please see the Athletic page of the Blendon website for dates and times. Tryouts for 7th and 8th grade volleyball will be August 4 &5 from 12:00 2:00 PM. You must attend all sessions of tryouts to be considered for the team. You must also have a current physical and emergency medical card on file. Please be sure to dress appropriately (including kneepads) for each open gym and tryout session and be sure to bring a water bottle! Remember, you must have a current physical on file to try out for any sport! 6

LIBRARY LINK The Library Link service began in 2004 and has been growing ever since. The Link delivers materials to all 23 Westerville City schools, St. Paul s Catholic School, Oakstone Academy, and Central College Christian Academy five times a week during the school year. The program is wonderful because it turns the schools into mini branches of the library, allowing students of all ages to safely and easily obtain resources from our library. Students and staff can sign up for cards by filling out a library card application provided at each of those schools or the Westerville Public Library. Once those are signed by a parent or guardian, a card is sent to them via US mail. Then, you can simply go online and start ordering from there. Be sure to specify your school (Blendon Middle Students) as the pickup location. Each school has their own designated pick-up location (Blendon s is in the main office) where students pick up their materials. When done, materials can be returned to pick-up locations to be returned to the library. ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS ARE HERE AGAIN! Blendon will once again be selling Entertainment Books at the beginning of the school year. They re only $30 each and full of great deals from a large variety of local restaurants, stores and fun places to go. Entertainment books will be available during schedule pickup and your student will get credit for any books that you purchase at that time. Details about purchasing additional books will be sent home with your child at the beginning of school. We only sell these for a short time, so don t miss out! Hint: they also make wonderful holiday gifts! It s not too early to start your holiday shopping. Blendon PTO brings Spirit wear, Directory, Dances The Blendon PTO organizes and manages school dances, pays for incentive activities, offers scholarships to collegebound graduating seniors who attended Blendon MS, supports teacher and staff requests, and provides volunteers for many school events. We support the students, staff, and school as much as we possibly can both financially and through volunteer efforts. Please Visit the Blendon PTO at Schedule Pickup to Order your Blendon Bulldog t-shirt, hoodie, or string bag. Spirit wear is one of our major fundraisers. Get added to the Student Directory (no cost/no membership requirement; printed directory is given to all students and staff in late September). Business card-size advertising space is available for $10. Sign up to volunteer for future events/activities. We always need a baking committee! Also, remember you do not have to be a member to help the PTO support school events. If you have a desire to help, we can hook you up. Or, join the PTO ($5 per person). Members get voting privileges at meetings, and your entire membership fee stays with Blendon PTO to support school activities. We will be managing a mum sale this fall as well as another event in November for our scholarship fund. We earn funds all year long with Kroger Community Rewards, Target Red Card, Giant Eagle Apples for Education, and Meijer Rewards. We also collect Boxtops for Education and Campbell's Labels to support the library. Every little bit helps! Get more information at our website (www.wcsoh.org > Our Schools >Middle Schools > Blendon > PTO or http:// www.wcsoh.org/olc/teacher.aspx?s=3360) or our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/blendonpto. Thanks for your support! STUDENT HANDBOOK The 2014-2015 Blendon Parent-Student handbook is on our website: www.westerville.k12.oh.us/blendon under Links/Downloads. It should answer most of the questions concerning school programs, policies and procedures. Each student is responsible for following the rules and regulations as explained in the handbook. We encourage parents and students to read and study it before the first day of school. If you have any questions about anything in the handbook, please call the school office. 7

Important Dates August 13 September 1 September 12 September 15 September 25 October 13 October 14 October 17 October 22 October 23-24 October 30 November 21 November 26-28 December 19 December 22 Jan. 1 January 2 January 5 January 7 January 19 January 29 February 6 February 9 February 16 February 26 March 6 March 9 March 17 March 30 April 3 April 16 May 21 May 22 June 4 First Day of Classes First Grading Period NO SCHOOL Labor Day Waiver Day No School First Quarter Interim Grades Available* Early Release for students Last Day of Classes First Grading Period First Day of Classes Second Grading Period NO SCHOOL OEA/NEA Day Grade Cards Available* NO SCHOOL Parent/Teacher Conferences Early Release for students Second Quarter Interim Grades Available* NO SCHOOL Thanksgiving Break Last Day of Classes Second Grading Period NO SCHOOL Winter Break NO SCHOOL Teacher Professional Day First Day of Classes Third Grading Period Grade Cards Available* NO SCHOOL Martin Luther King Jr. Day Early Release for students Waiver Day No School Third Quarter Interims Available* NO SCHOOL President s Day Early Release for students Last Day of Classes Third Grading Period First Day of Classes Fourth Grading Period Grade Cards Available* NO SCHOOL Spring Break Fourth Quarter Interims Available* Last Day of Classes Fourth Grading Period Teacher Professional Day Grade Cards Mailed (also available on PowerSchool)* *Interim and quarter grades will be available online via the Parent Portal of PowerSchool on these dates. Please check Parent Portal for this information. The final grade card will also be mailed home. 8

Westerville Middle Schools Basic Supply List for Grades 6,7,8 2014-15 General List Spiral Notebooks or 3 ring binders that work for your student. (3 inch or 2 inch that can accommodate 4 subjects) and notebook paper subject dividers (pkg 8) pencil pouch #2 pencils (package of 12) blue or black ink pen colored pencils scientific calculator Grades 6 & 7: none Grade 8: TI-30 (preferred) or TI-34 Algebra I & Honors Geometry: TI-84 plus flash drive (1 GB or more) book covers standard and metric ruler (12 / 30cm) Log books (Log books are sold during schedule pick up) Classroom wish list box of tissues hand sanitizer Items that you may find helpful index cards post its large erasers glue sticks folders markers pencil sharpener BAND and ORCHESTRA 1 three-ring binder plastic page protectors mechanical pencil combination lock P.E. School PE shirt (usually sold at schedule pick up or first week of school) plain gray or plain white athletic shorts (any color) and/or sweat pants tennis shoes (laced) socks combination lock (if needed) Additional supplies may be requested by specific teachers and will be approved by building principal. 9

WELCOME TO BLENDON MIDDLE SCHOOL'S PTO!! 2014-15 PTO Membership and Student Directory Form Blendon's PTO relies on members to provide support to its students throughout the year. Rest assured there are many ways to participate as a parent that can require little time or effort but make a huge difference in your child's middle school experience. PTO provides support for teacher classroom grants, scholarships, dances, staff appreciation, Renaissance, Career Day and much more! Membership fees for the 2014-2015 school year are $5.00 YES! I would like to be a member of the PTO: Name of Student: Cash or Check Name of Parent(s): Address: E-mail address: Phone Number: If you would like the above information placed in the Blendon Student Directory please check here: (Note that we will only publish the e-mail and telephone numbers of parents not students). Also, you DO NOT have to belong to the PTO for your contact information to be listed in the directory. IF you would like to volunteer, please check any opportunities that you might be interested in! Baked Goods: Fundraising: Hospitality: Scholarship: Career Day: Dances: Assisting w/ Clubs: Staff Appreciation: 10