SCHOOL ZONE 11-14-13

WINTER WEATHER = WARMER CLOTHING

Principals at Vermilion Elementary School and Sailorway Middle School would like to remind parents that outdoor recess is scheduled every school day, except in extreme weather conditions.  All students are expected to go outside for recess, and proper dress is important to keeping kids safe.  Please make sure your child comes to school with a coat, hat, gloves and leg coverings, if necessary, so that they can feel comfortable on the playground.  For parents who may be struggling financially, local community groups are distributing coats, hats and gloves for young children.  Please contact your school counselor, or check the parent resource section of our website for more information.

ATTENDANCE INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

Attendance at school is important to the success of every student.  This year Sailorway Middle School and Vermilion High School have been offering Attendance Incentive Programs to students, with rewards for perfect attendance. 

Sailorway students who have a full week of perfect attendance earn tickets for weekly prizes and a chance to win the Grand Prize.  The grand prize each quarter is a bicycle!   Bicycle Bill's Bike Shop is cooperating with Sailorway on this project.  At the end of the first quarter 138 students had perfect attendance for the entire quarter, with over 2,000 entries for the bike. 

The Vermilion High School attendance incentive program is aptly named “SAILORS”, which stands for “Success, Attendance, Importance, Leadership, Opportunity, Respect, and Self-discipline”.  There are two parts to the program.  Students can earn attendance incentives through the “Sailor Card” part of the program.  Each teacher is given six Sailor Cards at the beginning of each month.  Teachers will distribute the cards to students they see demonstrating one or more of the “SAILOR” characteristics.  The student is responsible for placing the card into a box in the office.  A card is also placed in the box for any student earning perfect attendance that month.  At the end of the month a drawing is held for attendance prizes.  Prizes so far are gas cards, gifts cards from local vendors and waterpark passes.  The second part of the program started on November 1.  Each day attendance is calculated and charted by grade level and gender, with the winning group posted on the office window.  The grade level and general with the most points at the end of the grading period will win a pizza party during lunch.  The Vermilion Teacher’s Association is seeking grant funds through the NEOEA Community Involvement fund to help cover the cost of the SAILORS incentive program.

NEW SALAD BAR AT SAILORWAY IS A HUGE SUCCESS! 

Sailorway cafeteria manager Evelyn Hess reports that SMS students love the new salad bar option offered on Tuesday each week.  The cafeteria staff has also added additional nutritional choices daily as a second choice.  Some of the new second choice options are assorted vegetarian salads, chef salads, and assorted wraps.  Students continue to have options of assorted cold sandwiches, including lean turkey, lean ham, tuna, egg salad and subs.  On Thursdays the cafeteria offers DOMINOS PIZZA DAY.   This pizza is different, as it is made just for schools.  The sauce has 35% less sodium, the crust is the Dominos Smart crust with 51% whole grain, the cheese contains 1/2 the fat and the pepperoni is reduced fat and reduced sodium.  This pizza has the approval of the School Nutrition Association and the National Dairy Council.

Last year Mrs. Hess organized the SNAC Team (Student Nutrition Advisory Council), a group of students who work with Mrs. Hess to choose salad bar items and sample other nutritional choices.  Team members get together to try new recipes and healthy lunch items offered by vendors, then vote on whether the new choices should be added to the school menu.  This team has proven to be a great way to get students involved in nutritional planning and making healthy food choices every day.  Mrs. Hess is very involved with the School Nutrition Association and has been a leader in keeping our district compliant with new State and Federal nutritional guidelines for schools.