Milford Exempted Village School District
Eagle eNews
www.milfordschools.org
January 2014
In This Issue
Calamity Make-Up Plan
MHS AP Honor Roll
Parent Notifications
Board Names President/VP
Parenting Workshops
New Voices' Exhibit
2014-15 Proposed Calendar
Boosters' Pancake Breakfast
Construction Update
Cook for America Grant
Athletes Finding Success in College
Tobacco-Free Policy
Support Milford Athletes!

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Upcoming Dates

JANUARY 2014
10Early Release Day for All Students (90 minutes)

End of 2nd Quarter
15Free Parenting Workshop
"Cyberbullying"
6-7 p.m. BES
20NO SCHOOL-Martin Luther King Day

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Plan for Make-up of Calamity Days

As of January 7, 2014, Milford School District has used five snow days/calamity days. Schools in Ohio are permitted to use five calamity days for circumstances such as hazardous weather conditions or other emergency situations. At the Board of Education meeting held on January 9, the Board approved the use of what the state has termed "blizzard bags" or take-home assignments. The Ohio Department of Education has approved this measure to allow schools to make up three days (beyond the allotted five calamity days). 

 

Make-Up Plan for Calamity Days
  • Each classroom teacher (K-12) will develop a sufficient number of lessons requiring, in the judgment of the teacher, the amount of time equal to or greater than the amount of instructional time the student would receive for three school days in his or her class.
  • Teachers will update or replace such lessons as necessary throughout the school year based on the instructional progress of students. 
  • On the day of the school closing, a lesson will be posted in the morning for each course that was scheduled to meet on that day. 
  • For elementary students, the lessons will be placed on each school's website at www.milfordschools.org. For junior high and high school students, the lessons will be placed in Calamity Day folders on Progress Book and/or Schoology based on the platform used by the teacher.
  • Students are encouraged to complete these lessons as soon as possible because most lessons are timely for the current area of study and students do not want to fall behind in their classes.
  • Students must complete their assignments within a two-week period from the date of posting. If the student does not complete the lesson within this time period, the student will receive an incomplete or failing grade unless a reason sufficient to the teacher is provided.
  • Students without access to a computer will be able to complete the posted lessons at school after the reopening of school. Students using this option will be granted two weeks from the date of reopening to complete these lessons.
  • The district will provide access to district computers before, during, or after the school day or will provide a similar paper lesson in order for students to complete the assignments.

Milford High School Selected for 

Advanced Placement Honor Roll

Milford High School has been selected to College Board's 4th Annual AP Honor Roll. Only 477 districts from across the U.S. and Canada received this distinction for increasing access to AP� course work while simultaneously maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP Exams.  

MHS Principal, Mark Lutz, and 
Assistant Principal, Tom Willson 
 
Using results from national tests including the PSAT, EXPLORE and PLAN, Milford High School identifies and encourages students who have the potential to be successful in an AP class to take on the challenge.  
 
"By creating an environment of equity and inclusion while maintaining high expectations, Milford High School has experienced a significant increase in the number of students enrolled and achieving success in one or more AP courses," said Nancy House, Director of Secondary Curriculum. "Students who enroll in rigorous coursework, including courses leading up to AP class, achieve more success in college."

Milford High School has increased the number of AP course offerings to 16 courses, which include a balance of science and math courses with humanities courses.

Inclusion on the 4th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the examination of three years of AP data, from 2011 to 2013.
Delay and Closing Notifications
When the call is made to delay or close school, a message will be delivered to our parents/guardians through School Messenger via phone, email, and SMS (text).  Updates will also be posted immediately on the school website (www.milfordschools.org), Facebook (Milford_Schools), Twitter (Milford_Schools), and through the local media (TV and radio). 

 

We have had some issues with texts not being delivered and we are working to resolve this issue. If you have changes to your contact information or if you are not receiving the notifications that you signed up for, please notify your child's school. 

Board Names President/Vice President
 
At the annual organizational meeting held on January 9, the Board elected Mrs. Andrea Brady as President and Mr. Gary Knepp as Vice President to serve for the 2014 calendar year. The Board also set the 2014 meeting dates and locations for the regular monthly meetings. 
 
2014 Board Meetings-All meetings begin at 7 p.m. 
January 23Pattison
February 20Meadowview
March 20Seipelt
April 17Mulberry
May 15MJHS Cafeteria
June 19MHS Auditorium
July 24 MHS Auditorium
August 21MHS Auditorium
September 18Boyd E. Smith
October 16McCormick
November 20MHS Auditorium
December 18MJHS Cafeteria
 

 

Milford School District is offering a series of free Parenting Workshops through Beech Acres Parenting Center. A variety of topics are offered throughout the school year at each of our elementary schools. The sessions are relevant for parents of all students--preschool through high school. 

 

Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Boyd E. Smith Elementary 6-7 p.m. 
TOPIC: Bullying/Cyber bullying
A parent's workshop to understanding the bully, the bullied, and the bystander.

 

Click on the flyer below for details on all the Beech Acres workshops offered this year.

 

Beech Acres Parenting Workshops (pdf)

Photography Students Showcase Work
Two different worlds through the lens of a camera. Every Tuesday afternoon during the first semester, Milford photography students and their teacher, Janelle Schunk, worked side by side with the Drop Inn Center's female residents photographing Over-the-Rhine. Their work will be showcased in an exhibit, open to the public, on January 19. Details can be found below.

This photography project is part of the New Voices program that also enabled students to work with City Gospel Mission residents last school year. The New Voices program has been so successful that it is earning national attention! In April, Mrs. Schunk and two students will travel to Washington, D.C. to present at the 25th Annual National Service-Learning Conference. Milford is the only Cincinnati-area school to be selected to present at this prestigious conference. 


Proposed School Calendar for 2014-15

Prior to the December Board meeting, a public hearing was held on the adoption of the Milford school calendar for the 2014-2015 school year. Based on House Bill 59, the school calendar is now required to be based on a set number of hours rather than days. The hearing was held to enable the public to give input on the proposed calendar. 

 

A draft of the proposed calendar can be viewed at the link below. The final 2014-15 calendar will be approved at the regular Board meeting held on January 23, and posted after the meeting on the district website at www.milfordschools.org.

 

Calendar Highlights...

  • The proposed calendar has students starting school on August 19, 2014 with the last day on May 22, 2015. 
  • School is starting early to allow students time to complete curriculum objectives before testing in May.
  • Instead of early dismissals for staff development, the district is proposing two full-days of development during the year (September and November).
  • One early dismissal will still be held in November for elementary school conferences.
  • Based on input from the public hearing, high school exams will be given before the winter break. 
*Official calendar will be adopted at the January 23, 2014 Board of Education meeting

If you have any input or questions about the calendar, please contact Dr. Robert Farrell, Superintendent, at (513)831-1314 by Thursday, January 16. 

Boosters' Pancake Breakfast Coming Soon! 

The second annual Milford Pancake Breakfast, presented by the Milford Athletic Boosters and the Milford Band Boosters, will be held Saturday, February 1, from 8 a.m. - 12 noon in the Milford High School cafeteria.  Come enjoy pancakes, sausage and beverages, plus entertainment!

Elementary Construction Project Update
At the December Board of Education meeting, Jeff Johnson, Milford School District's Operations Manager, announced the final team members on the elementary school construction project funded through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.

  

Four Seasons Environmental has been selected as the commissioning agent, which is required by the state of Ohio. Their role is to complete a design review and ensure the project is getting the best value for the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Four Seasons environmental has worked with the district in the past and helped to cut energy costs. 

 

Turner Construction was selected as the Construction Manager at Risk. Turner has successfully worked with Milford on the High School/NGC project. As the Construction Manager at Risk, Turner will be in charge of hiring and managing all of the contractors and Turner will in turn will report to the District.

 

The architectural firm of SHP was selected for the elementary school building project at the November Board meeting. 

 

"Having all three firms on early is a great additional service to the district and allow us to get the best bang for our buck and greatly enhances the product we deliver to the community," said Johnson. 

The district has already held two public forums on the project and the new construction team is planning additional community engagement. Dates and times will be publicized in the near future.

Nutrition Department Selected for Cook for America Grant

 

 

Milford Nutrition Services Department has received a grant to participate in Cook for America, a local program designed to deliver high-quality food that meets both state and federal regulations and that kids enjoy eating. Milford is one of three local districts to receive the grant sponsored by Interact for Health, formerly The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. 

 

The Cook for America program includes a food assessment that will provide the Nutrition Services Department with a clear and objective snapshot of existing operations and a specific blueprint for moving to a cooked-from-scratch operation. Next, Cooks for America will host a 5-day Culinary Boot Camp to provide school food service directors, kitchen managers, lead cooks, and support staff with concentrated and comprehensive culinary education related to proteins, grains, legumes, vegetables, sauces and baked items. The Boot Camp will be held this summer with the three local school districts that were selected for the grant. Milford is in the running to host the Boot Camp. If selected, the district will receive kitchen equipment valued at approximately $20,000! 

  

"The Nutrition Services team takes pride in our program and is enthusiastic about the opportunity to participate in a movement to improve school meals. Our focus is on developing nutritious, made-from-scratch, menu specialties that appeal to our students and utilize cooking methods that lower fat, sugar, and salt," said Gerry Levy, Milford's Director of Nutrition Services. 

Student Athletes Find Success in College
Cincinnati.com recently featured several local athletes who are finding success at the collegiate level. Congratulations to the following Milford graduates who were recognized. Click on each name to see a photo and read their featured story.
 
Kayla Byrnside in action at Marshall University
 
 
Milford Passes New Tobacco Policies
Milford Board of Education recently approved new policies regarding tobacco and nicotine use by students. Any type of nicotine products including the new vapor pens/e-cigarettes are not permitted. Further, no smoking and/or nicotine use is permitted on any part of the school district property, which is a change from the previous policy permitting designated smoking areas.
Go Eagles!
Come out and cheer on our student athletes! Visit www.milfordathletics.org for our winter sports' schedules.