SCHOOL ZONE MAY 22, 2014

REMINDER:  LAST DAY OF SCHOOL IS JUNE 9

Parents are reminded that the last day of school has been changed due to the calamity day makeup rule.  Graduation for Seniors will be held on Sunday, June 8.  The last day of school for students in Kindergarten through Grade 11 will be Monday, June 9.

VHS FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULED FOR MAY 23

The 3^rd annual student film festival will be held at Vermilion High School on Friday, May 23.  The public is invited to come out and see the excellent work our students have been doing in the field of filmmaking.  The event starts at 7:00 PM in the auditorium.

SAILORWAY WALL MURAL PROJECT

Award winning local artist Augusto C. Bordelois will supervise construction of a tile wall mural in the cafeteria of Sailorway Middle School.  On Saturday, May 24, Sailorway students and their parents are invited to work side-by-side with Mr. Bordelois to create the mural.  Refreshments will be provided for this family event.  Next week, selected students will work with Assistant Principal Beth Bartlome and staff members to complete the project.  The finished mural will be unveiled to the public at the “Sailorway Salutes Academics” program on Wednesday, May 28.  Augusto Bordelois graduated from the University of Havana with a major in English Language and Literature. He has also studied sculpture, ceramics, costume design for theatre and cinema, classical drawing and painting. His visual artwork has been received recognition in Cuba and in U.S. competitions. He has participated in more than 120 national and international group shows and 27 solo exhibitions. Some of his works are in private collections in Cuba, the United States, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Ecuador, Japan, Greece, Germany, Chile, Switzerland, England and Norway.  This is a great opportunity for our students, and an exciting project for our school.  We hope many of our families take the opportunity to learn from a master artist.

RELAY FOR LIFE COMMUNITY EVENT

I felt it was important to remind the community once again of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event that will be taking place in the stadium on May 30 and 31.  This event traditionally brings many visitors to our community, and the public is invited to participate.

PREPARE FOR LAPTOP ROLL- IN

Parents please note:  Laptop collection will begin with the Senior class on Thursday, May 29, following the completion of final exams.  Collection of laptops for grades 6 through 11 is scheduled for the week of June 2.  The schedule for laptop return is:  Grades 6 and 7 - June 3; Grade 8 – June 4; Grade 11 - June 5; and Grades 9 and 10 on June 6.  Please make sure that your child returns the carrying bag and all power cords to avoid being charged for missing parts.

SCHOOL ZONE 5-8-14

SMS 7TH GRADER ADVANCES TO NATIONALS IN NATIONAL HISTORY DAY COMPETITION

Sailorway Middle School is proud to announce that 7th grade student Dale Saunders was chosen as a National finalist in this year’s National History Day competition.  Dale’s project is a creative exhibit board based on the topic, “George Washington Carver: More than Just the Peanut Man.”  Each year more than a half million students compete in National History Day competitions nationwide.  Topics and projects entered into the competition must follow the national theme of "Rights and Responsibilities."  Dale’s project advanced through regional competition to State competition, and will now move to the National competition being held at the University of Maryland from June 15 through June 19, where he will compete against students from all over the United States and U.S. territories. 

SUMMER SCHOOL SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

Students attending Vermilion High School and all neighboring districts are eligible to enroll in summer school courses being offered this year.    All classes will be held at the Vermilion Academy located at 1230 Beechview Drive, Vermilion, OH 44089.  Classes are scheduled Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon.  Please note the following important dates: 

Registration period:   May 1 to June 16

First day of class:     Monday, June 16

Last day of class:     Thursday, July 3

Cost for students enrolled at Vermilion High School is $75.00 for 1/2 credit and $150.00 for full credit.  Students attending schools outside Vermilion will pay $80.00 for 1/2 credit and $160.00 for full credit.   Please see our website for a list of available courses and additional information.

RELAY FOR LIFE

Each year our staff and students join the Vermilion community in support of Vermilion’s Relay for Life.  The event will be held at the VHS stadium this year on May 31 beginning at 12:00 Noon.  This annual community-wide event supports the American Cancer Society.  Each year more than 4 million people in 20 countries participate in Relay events to support cancer research.  Several Vermilion student groups sponsor fundraising campaigns throughout the school year in support of Relay-for-Life.  If you, a friend or family member have been touched by cancer, please consider joining us at the American Cancer Society event in Vermilion this year.    

OPEN ENROLLMENT NOW AVAILABLE STATEWIDE

We are excited to announce that our district will offer open enrollment to students throughout the State of Ohio for the 2014-2015 school year.  Admitting new students through open enrollment brings revenue to the district. We believe that we are in a position to offer Ohio students a variety of learning opportunities that may not be available in other districts.  We hope our new focus toward online learning, blended learning, co-teaching and center based instruction will prove to be attractive, and will help our school district grow.  Families of students who experience success through open enrollment may later choose to relocate to Vermilion, helping our community grow also.  The District Leadership Team continues to evaluate our progress toward the district goals and make changes as necessary to drive our district toward an “A” rating.  We will carefully analyze the success of the new open enrollment option to determine if it will continue in future years. 

CALAMITY DAY MAKE-UP PLAN

I would like to thank the teachers and administrators for the extra time that was spent preparing the “blizzard bags” and helping students get work completed.  We also thank the parents and students who took this requirement seriously and completed all of their work.  We are pleased to report that on the whole, the blizzard bag plan was successful.  Our district must still make up one additional day of school.  The last day of school for grades K through 11 will be June 9, with the last teacher day being moved to June 10.  Seniors will complete their year on May 29, and graduation will be held June 8, as scheduled.

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHTS

This month we would like to spotlight two outstanding employees at Vermilion Elementary and Sailorway Middle School.  The Vermilion Elementary spotlight is on school nurse, Mrs. Jennifer Konrad.  With infinite patience and an ever present smile, she treats each child as if they were her own.  From bumps and bruises experienced in the gym or playground to more serious health concerns, her clinic is a safe, quiet haven for our students.  Mrs. Konrad has a challenging and (in her words) rewarding job, combining her desire to work with children with her dedication to the field of nursing.  We are lucky to have found such a dedicated nurse to help brighten the day for everyone.  The Sailorway spotlight is on 5th grade teacher Mrs. Julie Zelina.  Mrs. Zelina has gone above and beyond this school year to ensure that all 5th graders were provided with a rich hands on experience in her class. For example, she built a terrarium so the students could watch a biome develop.  Julie works well with her co-teachers and took on the added responsibility of hosting a student teacher from Baldwin Wallace this year.  Julie is dynamic in the classroom and is constantly searching for new and exciting projects for her students.  To learn more about these two employees, please visit our district website, www.vermilionschools.org, or like us on Facebook.