An Important Message About School Bus Safety

In order to continually improve safety on Vermilion School Buses, this article is a reminder to parents and students about bus safety expectations. 

In the next few weeks the Transportation Department will provide all students and parents with an updated copy of safety rules which will include a description of penalties for disruptive behavior.  Bus rules are also stated in the Student Handbook at each school. 

The following behaviors are considered to be extremely disruptive to the driver, and create an unsafe environment for all students:

1.   Disrespectful behavior – bullying, hitting, punching, yelling, screaming, failure to obey the driver

2.   Vulgarity – inappropriate language or rude gestures to other students, drivers or the public

3.   Disruption at the railroad tracks – Ohio law requires students to be silent at railroad crossings until the bus is safely across the tracks.

4.   Inappropriate behavior, including, but not limited to throwing items within or outside the bus, using sprays on or near others, vandalism (writing on or damaging seats, floors, walls, etc.)

Principals and bus drivers will strictly enforce these rules.  Violations will result in immediate removal from the bus beginning with one day off the bus for the first offense, and progressive steps for additional violations up to and including expulsion from the bus.

The following behaviors are safety rules that are put in place by the Ohio Department of Education Transportation Section, and will be enforced by the driver and administration:

5.   Eating / drinking / chewing gum / littering

6.   Legs in aisles and/or arms, hands, etc. sticking out of the windows

7.   Sitting in an unassigned seat or standing while the bus is moving

8.   Violation of bus stop rules, including not remaining in the safety zone, repeatedly late to bus stop, and getting on or off at an incorrect bus stop without permission.

Violation of these rules will result in a letter being sent home.  Additional violations will be referred to the principal for action up to and including suspension from the bus. 

Safety continues to be the #1 priority of our Transportation Department.  We maintain a high standard of training and accountability for our bus drivers and mechanics.  Our goal is to work with students, parents and administrators to provide our drivers with as little disruption as possible as they navigate their buses throughout our community.  Enforcement of rules is one tool in reaching this goal. 

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation in keeping students and community safe. 

Philip M. Pempin, Superintendent

Vermilion Schools Welcome Therapy Dogs

Therapy dogs are being used in many industries to help comfort and support individuals with emotional or learning difficulties.  We are fortunate to be able to offer the services of two therapy dogs who are owned by our staff members.  Therapy dogs can provide a calming effect to young learners who are struggling, or who have emotional and learning difficulties.  This is partially due to endorphins that are released while petting a dog.   I wanted to take this opportunity to share some information about the dogs and the service they provide. 

Janelle Molenaar’s family pet, Jameson, was rescued from the Lorain County Dog Pound in April of 2014.  He was roughly 19-pounds underweight, and showed signs of depression due to lack of human interaction and affection.  After Jameson reached normal weight, he began working on basic commands. Within a few months, it was clear that Jameson had qualities that made him stand out from other dogs.  He naturally gravitated toward people with physical or emotional difficulties.  He leans his head on them for affection.  Friends and family often comment on how great Jameson makes them feel when he is around.  Many people experience this effect after interaction with a pet.

After seeing this response time and time again with friends and strangers alike, Mrs. Molenaar looked into canine therapy.  Jameson met with two trainers who did an evaluation on his temperament and energy level.  Jameson took the Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dog evaluation test in 2015, and passed with flying colors.  Prior to coming to Vermilion, Jamison worked with veterans at the nursing home who look forward to his visits, claiming he is the “best part of our day”.

Jameson began a new chapter in his therapy dog career in January, working at Sailorway Middle School one-to-two days a week.  He is available for students to read to, complete homework with, talk to, and socialize with.  In the school setting Jameson provides comfort and love to students via petting and affection.  The goal is for Jameson to help students build confidence, improve literacy skills, bolster self-esteem, increase self-confidence, reduce self-consciousness, and provide a nurturing friendship.  Below is a photo of Jamison at work helping to relieve test anxiety.

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Moose is a Husky/Golden Retriever mix owned by the Kurt Habermehl family.  He is enrolled in a two-year therapy training program.  Moose has mastered puppy obedience and canine good citizen courses and is still working to earn the therapy dog certificate.  Moose has been visiting Vermilion High School with Cara Habermehl approximately one day per week.  His job is to lift the spirits of students who may be down or are upset by something at home or school.  Mrs. Habermehl finds that the presence of Moose can help start conversations with students that often lead to more serious dialogue about school issues. 

Teachers Accepting the Challenge at Sailorway

Some of you may be aware that, for the past three years, Sailorway Middle School has had an ongoing Reading Challenge for teachers and students. As I have visited the classrooms at Sailorway Middle School, I have taken note of the title, and book display covers that indicate what our staff members have been reading on their own time. I am amazed at the diversity of the titles of books each teacher has read, as well as the number of books they have completed since the beginning of this school year. Each of the book titles and covers is prominently displayed at the entrance window or can be easily seen when walking into each classroom.

I believe this has been one of the most valuable initiatives that our middle school teaching and administrative team at Sailorway could have provided for our students. This is true modeling and a demonstration of love for reading in action! When students know that our staff have interests outside of school, and those interests are reflected in the title of the books they are reading, it opens up a whole new avenue and possibility to get to know students on a more personal level. Sharing thoughts and ideas about books with students make reading more relevant for them. Reading can bring such pleasure and comfort into our lives or can make us think about life differently.

Looking back at my school life, I am now so grateful for having been “taught” by my teachers the importance of reading. Without this basic knowledge, my life would have been totally changed. By gaining knowledge through reading, we can solve problems and make sense of a chaotic world. At first we “learn to read”, then later, as we become older and hopefully wiser, we begin to “read to learn.” Our students have embraced the reading for pleasure initiative at Sailorway and have been reading books for the past three years in record numbers.

The book circulation in the Sailorway library has dramatically increased for all three years! Recently the SMS library was awarded a generous grant from James Patterson through Scholastic. This allowed our library to offer several new and updated titles to our students. Next time you visit Sailorway, please take a moment to notice the books that our staff is reading. Our teachers are doing a wonderful job of proving that “for our children the road to happiness is usually paved by our example”. I challenge you, too, to get involved and model reading for the children in your life. Talk with them about the books they are reading, and encourage them to learn more. Reading opens up so many doors to our imagination, passions, and dreams. Without this valuable skill, life would certainly be less fulfilling.

All Are Welcome!

Over the last couple years, the Vermilion School District has undergone some massive improvements. One of the most recent being the completion of our field house, which was dedicated to local veterans this fall.

Our field house includes a weight room, gym, and a large storage area that can be utilized in the future for expansion if needed. The weight room is 3,020 sq. ft. and is outfitted with top-quality, high-end weight equipment that rivals most small college weight rooms. The gym is over 9,000 sq. ft. and features a 100m walking track, college size basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts, six retractable and adjustable basketball hoops, and two retractable batting cages.

If you have yet to go see the field house, you really should. It is as impressive as it is useful. Virtually every athletic team at VHS has had the opportunity to utilize the field house. In the short time it has been open, it has already become a significant asset to our athletic programs and will no doubt aid in the ongoing development of our student-athletes.

VHS athletes aren’t the only ones benefitting. Several community organizations including the YMCA have started using our gym space. The YMCA has used it for their youth basketball program, and will continue to use it for their winter basketball program as well as their volleyball program.

Making the fieldhouse accessible to the community is a significant priority to the district. We are excited the YMCA has been able to expand their programs by using our building, and we welcome other organizations to do the same. Any organization or group interested in using the field house can contact the Vermilion High School Athletic Office to get more information and availability.

We have also worked with the coaches to create a schedule that allows community members to take advantage of our wonderful indoor walking track. You can access the open gym schedule through the Vermilion Schools Website HERE We have open gym hours 4-5 days a week most weeks, and we have worked to provide both morning and evening open gym hours to accommodate as many people as possible.

We can’t talk about the field house without taking a minute to thank Pat O’Brian and The Vermilion Athletic Booster Club for their generous support. Pat O’Brian donated $50,000, which was used to purchase weight room equipment. The Booster Club has donated $25,000 ($5,000/year) over the course of 5 years to purchase equipment. They’ve also donated $5,484.68 for the engravable brick pavers in the main walkway and $4,239.92 for upgraded flooring in the weight room. In total, the Booster Club has donated $34,724.60.

This past fall, our field house was officially names The Veterans Memorial Field House with complete support of our board of education, the athletic boosters, and Pat O’Brien! This wonderful facility could never be possible to use or even talk about if it had not been for the bravery and valor of Vermilion Veterans!! 

School Board Members Make a Difference

 

Boards of Education are a mature and tested institution in Ohio. School board members make policy; approve contracts with employees; choose curriculum; adopt budgets; and select a superintendent, treasurer and business manager to administer the district. They do all these tasks with the emphasis on what’s best for the children they serve.

Pictured above are Vermilion Board members (left to right) Michael Stark, Nancy Oates, Chris Habermehl (president), Sara Stepp and Shelly Innes (vice president). 

Being an effective school board member is no easy task, particularly in today’s climate of change and challenge. School board members need to be knowledgeable about many complex education and social issues, and carry out initiatives and directives from both federal and state governments. To face these demands of governing our public schools, they give countless hours of personal time.

A public board of education is a legislative body of citizens elected locally by their communities.  Our school board consists of five members who serve four-year terms of office.  As co-partners with the General Assembly, which created boards of education, school board members are designated to carry out the constitutional mandate to administer the school system of each district. 

Through dedicated, responsible endeavors, school board members serve the public interest in public education — and serve the needs of our kids. They ensure that decisions about public schools are made as close to the needs of our communities as possible. Their public service is an excellent example for young and old alike of the tradition of volunteerism that is a hallmark of American society. 

Each year in January the Ohio School Boards Association encourages communities to honor the contributions and dedication of local school board members — the locally elected citizens who make decisions that affect, influence and direct the education of our youth.  Our school board is just one of the more than 700 boards across Ohio.

Please join us in saying “thank you” to those who participate in what is perhaps the purest form of the grassroots democratic principles upon which our republic was founded.  Our school board members do make a difference in our community, for every child, every day.