SCHOOL ZONE 8-22-13

GRADE 8 ORIENTATION

Vermilion High School will host orientation for students entering 8^th grade tomorrow, Friday, August 23 from 9:00 AM to Noon.  Counselor Cara Habermehl selected and trained a group of 11^th and 12^th grade students to mentor and assist their younger peers.  The mentor group is known as “Link Crew”.  Each 8^th grader will be assigned to a mentor group led by two upperclassmen.  The purpose of the program is to welcome new students to VHS, and help them feel comfortable with their new school.  Following the introduction of mentors and an information session, students will be provided with lunch sponsored by Student Council and served by Vermilion police officers.  All students entering grade 8 are welcome to join the activities. 

STUDENTS ARE BACK TO SCHOOL NEXT WEEK

School begins on Tuesday, August 27.  Students will be traveling to and from school between the hours of 7:00 to 9:00 AM and 2:30 to 4:00 PM.  Please slow down and drive carefully in areas where students are traveling, and be cautious when approaching school buses.  Drop off and pickup areas for Vermilion Elementary and Sailorway Middle School will remain the same this year.  Parents who transport their children are reminded to remain in the designated pickup and drop off areas for the safety of their child.  Every effort is made to keep traffic flowing around the schools, but we do experience heavy traffic on some days, especially at the beginning of the year, or on bad weather days.  Please allow enough time in your schedule to safely navigate the traffic in school zones both before and after school. 

LAPTOP DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of student laptops began this week.  We are very appreciative of the cooperation and assistance of our parents and students as they picked up their equipment.  It is important to get laptops out to students early so that they are ready to begin classes on the first day of school.  Alternate pickup times are scheduled for those who were not able to attend the scheduled roll out date.  Please check the VHS and SMS web pages for details.

COUNSELORS HELP

Vermilion High School counselors are available to work with students on any schedule changes or concerns.  VHS counselors will be placing a greater emphasis on career and college readiness planning this year.  They will be working with students on an individual basis, and going into classrooms to speak about important career and college options. Some of the many topics that will be reviewed are scholarships, ACT prep, making school schedules compatible with career planning, weighted grades, PSEO and Vermilion Academy workforce development options.  Parents or students who wish to meet individually with a counselor should contact the VHS Student Services office to schedule a convenient appointment time.

CONSTRUCTION SITE

Preparation of the site for our new facility is well underway.  The area is fenced off for safety, but interested residents can view the progress from outside the fence.  Throughout the year we will be incorporating the construction project into classroom lesson plans and activities.  Projects will include science, engineering, architecture, use of folcrums and levers, equipment used in construction, water retention, where water will go, and how the site will be improved to avoid problems for neighbors.

TIME CAPSULE

Please begin thinking of ideas for items that should be included in the time capsule that will be placed in our new facility.  We would like your input on what to include in the capsule, and whether they should represent only school related items or all of Vermilion.  If you have ideas or items that you would like to include in the time capsule, please contact Cindy Akers at 440-204-1723.

MEMORABILIA COMMMITTEE

In response to requests from the community we are in the process of creating a memorabilia room at Vermilion High School.  The room is located at the gymnasium end of the building, and is connected to the Library.  Our plan is to house all of our memorabilia in this room, including class photos, trophies, awards and the like.  We will be honoring sports, music, academics, clubs, drama – any activity that has been a part of Vermilion Schools history.  Hall of Fame plaques and photos will be also be included in the collection.  Input from residents, former employees and alumni is needed to determine how the room should be organized and decorated.  We invite your participation on the committee that will oversee the completion of this project.  If you are interested in participating, please contact Denise Zielske at 440-204-1700, ext. 125.

BUSINESS ADVISORY MEETING

Each year we have hosted a meeting with our local businesses to share information and discuss ways we can help each other.  This year we hope to offer some new advertising opportunities within our stadium and gymnasium.  Business owners will receive a postcard invitation to the meeting soon after school begins. 

DRUG TESTING OPT-IN REMINDER

Students who participate in extra-curricular activities, purchase parking passes or qualify for special privileges are required to participate in the VHS student drug testing program.  Parents of students who do not qualify for drug testing can request that their child be added to the program.  Complete details on how to “opt-in” to the drug testing program is available on the Parent section of our website.  Visit www.vermilionschools.org and click on “Parents”. 

SCHOOL ZONE 7-25-13

NEW SCHOOL GROUNDBREAKING

Thank you to everyone that attended the groundbreaking for our new school building. We were honored to have Senator Randy Gardner and Senator Gayle Manning join us.  I would like to thank all of our speakers and attendees for their participation in this special event. 

In the coming months we will be asking students and residents to participate in additional activities to  celebrate the construction and opening of the new school.  Some of our plans include a naming contest and a “beam signing” event.  A time capsule is being created and will be buried during the ribbon cutting ceremony.  As we get closer to the opening of the building we will ask the community for suggestions about items to place in the capsule.  Please continue to watch our website, Facebook page and the Photojournal for more information.   

BEST TEACHERS- WHAT THE STUDENTS SAY

The following is a motivational excerpt from an article by Karmi Gross on the “School Matters” blog. It is an important and motivational lesson for both parents and teachers. 

“I was recently visiting a school in Toronto where I serve as an educational consultant. One of my roles is to observe classroom teachers and provide feedback and guidance. I walked into a sixth grade class and experienced one of most amazing classes I had ever witnessed. As I began to leave the classroom, I felt that I simply had to say something. I stopped and asked the students if they appreciated what they had just experienced. Without waiting for their answer, I asked them all to stand and clap for their teacher and for the opportunity to have encountered true excellence. The teacher’s red face told me that they did not clap very often.  While I do not possess a clap-o-meter, it did interest me to know who would get the loudest applause. While not the most scientific of ways to gauge teacher success – and possibly the very worst determinant of such – the meter was running.

For the nine years I had served as principal of the school, the salute played out in pretty much the same way. Each teacher rose, received a hearty round of applause, and sat down. But one teacher was different. When her name was called, the needle went off the charts. At first I was shocked, but by the second or third repetition of the same phenomenon, I learned an extremely valuable lesson.  If you had asked me to predict which teacher would bring down the house and be voted ‘best teacher,’ she would not have topped my list. After all, there was the very popular seventh grade social studies instructor, whose spirited discussions about current events and the world around us always led to an extremely interesting class. Or, I would have nominated the guitar-playing fourth grade teacher, whom students loved for his creativity and for making learning so much fun. And indeed, the teacher recognition needle did move further north for these two teachers compared to the rest. But who would have guessed that it was our math teacher who would bring down the house?

To fully appreciate my surprise, one must understand who this teacher was. She spoke with a heavy Russian accent so that students only first began to understand her around November time. One to two hours of nightly homework were the norm, not the exception, and nothing but a death in the family – and only for very close relatives – could serve as an excuse. She was tough as nails, unforgiving, expected each student to perform at the top of his or her capabilities, and she let them know very clearly when they did not. Let me put it this way: If she was governing the USSR it never would have collapsed. And yet, it was in her honor that the entire auditorium gave a standing ovation, every year. 

So what did I learn? I learned that students love to have fun, but more importantly that they love to learn. At the end of the day, students realize which teacher will impact their future the most. They will not care how hard you make them work or how incredibly demanding you are. If you give them something valuable that will make them significantly better in the future, they will forever cherish that gift. They may even come to realize that the insistence on hard work, the long hours, the refusal to accept excuses and the complete disdain for whining somehow contributed to their success.  They know that they have been given the tools to achieve great things in life, and their teacher appreciation applause speaks volumes.

BACK TO SCHOOL

All of our school buildings are back to work and gearing up for the new school year.  Many of our music and athletic activities began practicing this week, and the students seem excited to return to school.  Please remember to visit our website, Facebook page and the Photojournal for updated information about transportation, open house dates and other back-to-school activities.