Mark Your Calendar
February 2014
14 | No School-Inservice Day | 17 | No School-President's Day | 20 | Board of Education Meeting Meadowview 7 p.m. |
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District Receives State Audit Award
Deborah Caudle, treasurer of Milford Exempted Village School District, received the Auditor of State Award recognizing a clean audit report. Dave Yost, Auditor, presents the Auditor of State Award to local governments and school districts upon the completion of a successful financial audit.
"Our district is focused on being good stewards of the tax dollars entrusted to us by our school community, and I appreciate Mrs. Caudle's leadership and diligence with district finances," said Dr. Robert Farrell, Milford Superintendent.
A full copy of these audits are online at https://ohioauditor.gov.
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Elimination of Early Release and
Make-Up Days
The Milford Board of Education held a special Board meeting on Thursday, January 30, to discuss the addition of instructional time for the 2013-14 school year because of the amount of school missed this winter. The Board approved the elimination of early release days for the rest of the school year. The following days will now become full school days: February 7, March 21, April 11, and May 9. This additional instructional time will not be counted as a calamity make-up day.
"This is about doing what is best for our students and their education. Eliminating our remaining early release days will help us make up for the loss of instruction time this winter," Dr. Farrell said.
As of February 5, Milford has missed eight school days because of the weather. Currently, the state allots five calamity days and the use of "blizzard bags" to make up three days. Milford used its final "blizzard bag" for the snow day on February 5. Currently, June 2-6 are on the calendar as make-up days. This may change because Governor Kasich has proposed a law to give Ohio districts four more calamity days. Lawmakers will vote on the bill on February 11.
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Meetings Held for Parents of Incoming
Ninth Graders
An incoming ninth grade parent meeting will take place at Milford High School on Tuesday, February 11 at 6:30 p.m. Information regarding scheduling and the high school will be provided. Elective course teachers will be available from 6:45 p.m. until 7:15 p.m. to answer questions. Following the incoming ninth grade parent meeting, there will be another session at 7:30 p.m. for parents of private and parochial school students who will be enrolling in the Ninth Grade Community next year.
Both meetings will be held in Milford High School's cafeteria.
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State Nominates Seipelt to Become a National Blue Ribbon School! Seipelt Elementary has been nominated by the Ohio Department of Education to apply to become a National Blue Ribbon School in the 2014-2015 school year. This year, Ohio nominated just 14 schools in the state to apply for National Blue Ribbon status. National Blue Ribbon Schools are public and private schools that are producing outstanding results for all students. They have demonstrated excellence and made progress in closing the gaps in student achievement. "Without a doubt, Seipelt exemplifies the qualities of a Blue Ribbon School. This nomination truly reflects my staff's effort and hard work, teamwork, and the 'what's best for kids' attitude that we value at Seipelt," Principal Sarah Greb said. "This is a great honor, and I feel fortunate to be a part of the Seipelt staff!" The district will not know if Seipelt is chosen as a National Blue Ribbon School until next year. Both the completed application and this year's state standardized report card will be used to make the ultimate decision. |
Preschool Registration February 19
Milford Exempted Village School District is holding open registration for its Preschool program for the 2014-2015 school year. Registration will take place on Wednesday, February 19, from 4-7 p.m. If you are unable to make this day, registration can be done after February 19, by appointment on school days from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Milford Preschool is located at 1039 State Route 28.
Milford's Preschool offers four-day integrated program for three year olds and a five-day integrated program for four year olds. This program is a mix of eight special needs students and eight typically developing students to serve as role models. These classes follow the Ohio Department of Education's Early Learning Content Standards.
Registration details can be found on the Preschool webpage (www.milfordschools.org).
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5th Graders Take on Space
Mulberry Elementary teacher Steve Heck and the Milford Schools Foundation have helped bring the excitement of space and science to Milford 5th graders this school year.
A grant from Duke Energy has provided new resources and opportunities that include:
- Teacher training at iSpace in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
- iSpace mission visitation by all Milford 5th grade students (548 students)
- Formation of 137 student-design teams whose experiments may be selected to go to space
Throughout January, fifth graders visited iSPACE, located on the Scarlet Oaks Campus of Great Oaks. iSpace is designed for students in grades Pre-K through 12 with an emphasis on hands-on learning in the areas of STEM.
"The iSpace visit was to help motivate students in STEM, foster student team work, and develop inquiry-based skills in students. And, to have some fun with science too!" shared Heck.
Boyd E. Smith teacher, Bridget Moore added, "My students and I LOVED the field trip to iSPACE! I have never been on a field trip where 100% of the students were engaged 100% of the time and LEARNED so much!"
The next STEM-related project for 5th graders will be the formation of student-design teams. A total of 137 teams will be formed throughout all elementary schools and then given the task to create an experiment. For their experiments, students will only be given a 10-centimeter cube and the rest is up to them.
"The experiments can be whatever they want - anything they can imagine," Heck said.
The ultimate goal is to select the 10 finalists whose experiments will be flown into space by XCOR Aerospace on-board their LYNX spacecraft. The winners will be announced on May 28, 2014 from 6-8 p.m. in the Milford High School Cafeteria where all teams will have their experiments on display.
Funding for this project has been made possible through the Milford Schools Foundation and the generosity of local businesses including: Siemens, 3M, ITI, Duke Energy, WalMart, and McDonalds to name a few.
Special thanks to Jim Parker, Milford Schools Foundation; Andy McCreanor, Executive Director/CEO of Executive Service Corp of Cincinnati; and Steve Heck for coordinating this program. Steve Heck is a retired Lieutenant Colonel, United States Air Force and an astronaut for Citizens in Space. In addition, he is in the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame, a NASA Endeavor Fellow, and serves as the national K-12 Education and Public Outreach representative for the Commercial Spaceflight Federations' Suborbital Applications Researchers Group.
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Milford Students Boasts 72 Regional Winners in Art and Writing Contest
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One of 15 Gold Key Winners from MHS. Photo by Amanda Bauer, MHS sophomore
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Congratulations to Milford High School's Art Department and its talented teachers and students. Milford High School had 72 works of art and writing that were awarded Gold Key, Silver Key, or Honorable Mention at the regional level of the annual Scholastics Art and Writing Awards. Milford's 15 Gold Key winners will go on to compete at the National level and the opportunity to be recognized at Carnegie Hall.
"We have such a talented group of young people and dedicated teachers who have the ability to bring out the best in our students. We are proud of this great achievement," shared Milford High School Principal, Mark Lutz.
The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers identifies teenagers with exceptional artistic and literary talent and brings their work to a national audience through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Milford's students were honored in 8 different categories: photography, digital art, printmaking, mixed media, design, painting, sculpture, and writing (poetry).
Gold Key Winners
Amanda Dominique-Photography (3 Gold Keys)
Laurel Hilliard-Photography
Haley Freund-Printmaking
Jocelyn Karch-Digital Art
Amanda Bauer-Photography
Mackenzie Kern-Mixed Media
Sydney Pachta-(2 Gold Keys)
Rachel Pound-Photography
Chelsea Sick-Mixed Media
Benjamin Snyder-Photography
Mahlea Widner-Photography
Blake Juras-Design (Milford 2013-2014 Yearbook Design)
Click here for a complete list of the 72 Scholastic winners.
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MHS Drama Performs Musical "Working"
Milford High School has 33 students in the cast of the musical "Working" to be performed February 27-28 and March 1. A musical exploration of 25 people from all walks of life, the production includes songs by all-star composers including James Taylor. Check out the poster below for details. Hope to see you there!
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Kindergarten Registration in March Milford Exempted Village School District will begin kindergarten registration for the 2014-2015 school year in March. In order to be eligible for kindergarten, the child must be 5 years old on or before September 30, 2014. Registration is by appointment only. Please call Mr. Jay Batterson at 576-4178 to schedule your appointment. Office Hours: 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Appointments are held at the Board of Education Office, 777 Garfield Avenue, Milford. Details of information required and the kindergarten information packet are located under Central Registration on the district website at www.milfordschools.org. If you have any questions, contact Milford School District's Central Registration Department at (513) 576-4178. |
Milford Science Challenge Winners
Twenty-two Milford High School students competed in the Clermont County Science Challenge on February 4. Students were divided into five different teams, representing each grade level with two teams of seniors. The junior team placed third overall!
The team of juniors that earn 3rd place is made up of Caroline Moore, Jacob Dobrowolski, Sam Cain, Simon Anthony, and Anna Anbalagan. This team earned a spot in the regional competition to be held at University of Cincinnati Blue Ash on March 1. They also won top honors in three other categories: 1st place in the Nature of Science Category; 2nd place in the Physical Science Category; and 1st place in the Life Science Category. Congratulations and good luck at regionals.
The following Milford High School teams were also recognized:
11th place overall - Seniors Corbin Hooker, Connor Marshall, Chandler Cooper, Brennan Perkins; and junior Tristan Hudson
16th place overall - Seniors Ryan Barringer, Max Hartley, Alex Jofriet, and Britney Chin.
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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, February 26, 2014 Seipelt Elementary 6-7 p.m. TOPIC: Raising Responsible Kids Teaching kids more by doing less.
Beech Acres Parenting Workshops (pdf)
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Extended Day Summer Camp
Milford's Extended Day program will be hosting its annual Summer Camp. Registration will be held March 3 - 28. Details at www.milfordschools.org.
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College Signings Congratulations to the follow student athletes who will be continuing both their academic and athletic careers in college!
MILFORD HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT | SENIOR COLLEGE COMMITMENTS 2013-14 | | | | | | | Sport | University/College | Logan | Bartsch | B Soccer | Cincinnati State | Kiley | Buchanan | G Soccer | Capital University | Kayla | Gregory | Softball | Bowling Green State University | Ty | Helton | Baseball | Olivet Nazareth University | Caroline | Hester | G Soccer | Capital University | Mackenzie | Kern | G Soccer | Centre College | Hunter | Losekamp | Baseball | University of Cincinnati | Andrew | Minton | Baseball | Tiffin University | Austin | Taylor | B Golf | Cincinnati Christian University | Thomas | Moore | B Soccer | US Naval Academy | Alyssa | Severns | G Golf | Mt. Vernon Nazarene University | Grant | Miller | B Soccer | Tiffin University |
Go to www.milfordathletics.org for details and our winter sports' schedules. |
School Calendar for 2014-15
The final 2014-15 school calendar was approved by the Board on January 23. According to House Bill 59, the school calendar is now required to be based on a set number of hours rather than days. Milford's calendar for next year has a significant amount of time built in over the state minimum, which will eliminate the need for make-up days/calamity days if there is a winter like this year. Next year, the junior high and high school will be 17 days over state minimum; the elementary grades 31 days over state minimum; and kindergarten, 14 days over.
Calendar Highlights...
- School starts on August 19, 2014 with the last day on May 22, 2015.
- Primary reason for starting early is based on parent, student, teacher, and administrative input that it was important to complete the first semester prior to Christmas break. To make both semesters comparable, we needed to start earlier than in the past.
- 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 October for elementary school conferences.
2014-15 calendar (pdf)
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BAC Advises Board to Sell Milford Main
At the Milford Board of Education meeting held on January 23, a presentation on the future of Milford Main was given by Tom Rocklin, chair of the Milford Business Advisory Council (BAC). The Milford Exempted Village School District charged the BAC with the task of studying Milford Main and the current and future business potential of its space.
According to the BAC's report, the cost to maintain the 100-year old building is currently being offset by revenue from several tenants. The revenue from the tenants does not accommodate any major maintenance need. Should that occur, funds would have to be diverted from the district's general operating fund. Currently, there are roof repairs needed at Main with an estimated price tag of $15,000.
"Given that continued ownership of the Milford Main site is a financial risk to the school district, the Milford BAC recommends that the Board of Education begin the process to sell the property," Rocklin said.
According to Rocklin, the first step as required by state law is for the property to be presented at auction. If not one of the bids is acceptable, the Board then has the opportunity to directly sell the property, which opens the door to determine developer interest. If the Board decides to put Main up for auction, they could do so with restrictions, including how the building is going to be used in the future.
After the BAC report, the Board directed Dr. Farrell to get an appraisal of Main and to make plans for the removal, relocation, and preservation of the Rookwood fountain, as well as, the removal and relocation of the mural located in Main. The Board also plans to schedule a community forum to receive public input on the future of Main. No timeline was established by the Board for the decision on Main, but Dr. Farrell plans to host a public forum in February or March.
BAC Recommendations for Main (pdf)
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Opiate Forum Offered in March
Learn more about how opiates, such as heroin and prescription drugs, are impacting our community. The Milford Miami Township Drug-Free Coalition is offering a forum on opiate abuse and addiction. Free and open to the public.
Thursday, March 6 6:30-8:00 p.m. Wyler Automotive Family 401 Milford Parkway
Click on the flyer for details--Opiate Program
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