Walnut Springs Middle School

Walnut Springs Middle School 888 E. Walnut St. 614-797-6700

Our mission is to prepare students to contribute to the competitive and changing world in which we live.

Walnut Springs Middle School Newsletter No. 31

Upcoming Dates May 3 No School (Waiver Day) May 6-7 Drama Club performances of "Around the World in 8 Plays" May 7 Community Walk-a-Thon for Sudan clinic (see below) May 13 Spring Dance (7:00-9:00 p.m.) May 19 Last PTSA meeting (6:30 p.m., media center) June 3 8th Grade Dance

ATTENTION 6th GRADE PARENTS! New Immunization Requirements for the 2011-2012 School Year The State of Ohio is REQUIRING an additional Tdap booster for your child to start 7th grade. Please Prepare Now:  Check your child’s immunization record.  Last Tdap or Td booster must be given on or after 8-17-2006 IN ORDER TO BE CURRENT.  If not current, plan a doctor or clinic visit before the start of school in the fall (8-17-11).  As soon as your child is current, provide the date of Tdap booster to the School Nurse.

Teacher Appreciation Week: May 2-6 The PTSA will be honoring our Walnut Springs teachers, who we appreciate so much, in various ways throughout this upcoming week. We hope you will join us showing appreciation for all that they do! Please consider helping in one or two ways this week: 1. On Wednesday, May 4: Bring in a breakfast item for our teachers to enjoy throughout the morning. Items can be brought to the office between 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. 2. On Friday, May 6: Bring in a dessert for our teachers. Contributions can be brought to the office between 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. Thank you!

Support a Clinic in Sudan -- Join a Community Walk-a-Thon: May 7 Walk in the footsteps of the Lost Boys of Sudan—though you can certainly wear your shoes & won’t have to walk over 1,500 miles!

Eighth grade students of Walnut Springs Middle School are hosting a community walk-a-thon on Saturday, May 7th to benefit a health clinic in Piol, Sudan . This health clinic was created by Jok Dau and Bol Aweng, two Lost Boys of Sudan, who have recently graduated from OSU and currently live in Columbus, yet still want to help the people of their hometown by providing vaccines for children there.

At age six, Jok, Bol, and many other Lost Boys were separated from their parents by civil war in their country. The boys were forced to walk over 1,500 miles on their own, facing many dangers like lions, crocodiles, lack of food and water, and violent forces. Walnut Springs students became involved in this project when they were studying about the impact of war around the world in their Language Arts and Social Studies classes, and had the opportunity to learn more about Bol and Jok’s experiences.

The students encourage everyone to attend this 2.5 mile community walk-a-thon & learn a little more about the Lost Boys of Sudan. Registration will be open between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., so

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participants can start their walk any time during those two hours (we know middle school students may join us in the Walnut lobby closer to the 10:00 a.m. time & that’s fine). Jok and Bol will walk with the first group though, leaving at 8:30 am.

The registration and donation forms can be printed from the Walnut website’s “Links/Downloads” tab on the left-hand side of the screen or directly at http://www.wcsoh.org/docs/Sudan%20Donation%20Form.pdf and http://www.wcsoh.org/docs/Sudan%20Walkathon%20Registration.pdf as well as picked up in Walnut’s front office. Completed registration forms should be returned to the labeled box in Walnut’s front office or brought with you on Saturday, May 7th, which is when you’ll receive a map of the route.

For community members unable to attend the walk-a-thon, donations can be made directly to the clinic at www.sudanclinic.org and/or you may still join us at Walnut on Saturday, May 7th to buy a book about the Lost Boys of Sudan’s journey that is illustrated by Bol Aweng, who will be there to sign your copy. Also, there will be raffle & refreshment sales in which you may partake. Thank you for supporting this worthwhile cause!

Get Your Tickets for "Around the World in 8 Plays": May 6-7 The Walnut Springs Drama Club is presenting "Around the World in 8 Plays" on Friday, May 6th @ 7:00pm, and on Saturday,May 7th, @ 2:00pm. Tickets are available at Lunch Time for students for $2.00 and for Adults $3.00 at the door. The play is about a band of Gypsies that come to town, and they are street performers. They tell and act out little known and often absurd stories from around the world. The students are also singing and dancing, to add to the fun. We have a cast of 38 students.Hope to see you there.

Spring School Dance -- Volunteers Needed! May 13 The last school dance of the school year will be on May 13, from 7:00 - 9:00. Volunteers are needed! Please consider helping out, with ticket sales, decorations, food, chaperoning, and/or planning! Let's make this dance the best one yet! Contact Tiffany Thompson at [email protected] if you are interested in helping.

8th Grade Dance: June 3 Our 8th graders are ready to celebrate the end of their middle school years, and one of the traditional ways Walnut Springs helps them celebrate is by throwing a big FREE dance party just for the 8th graders of our school! This year's 8th grade dance is going to have a beach theme, so 8th graders can come in fun beach attire -- no swimsuits (school dress code still applies) -- such as sun dresses, Hawaiian shirts, sunglasses, flip flops, beach hats, etc. DJ Matt Ryan will spin the tunes, and our food committee will be lining up lots of free food for the night. For a successful and safe evening, we need lots of parent volunteers, for set up, for clean-up, at the door, serving food, in the gym, taking tickets, etc. Please call Tammy Roberts (895-7340) if you would like to get involved in this special evening for our 8th graders.

Check Out What Our Tech-Savvy 7th Graders Are Doing! 7th Grade Technology Class students are presenting their Photoshop CS3 Freedom projects in class. Students can save their projects as a JPEG so that you can see them at home if you wish. Many of their projects are outstanding! Next the classes will begin to learn basic programming skills with Scratch 1.4. Scratch is software program developed by MIT. It is a free download. Go to www.scratch.mit.edu to check it out.

Adjustments to the Middle School Attendance Boundaries Dear Westerville City School District Community: The Board of Education on Monday night approved temporary adjustments to middle school attendance boundaries as a means to address capacity issues at the middle school level. After weeks of discussion and the collection of community input (more than 641 e-mails and feedback gathered during six meetings), the Board approved the administration’s recommendation to select “Option I” as a short-term solution to be implemented for the 2011-12 school year.

Fifth-grade students in several communities that historically have attended Genoa Middle School will transition to either Blendon Middle or Heritage Middle School :  Fifth-graders who live in the Hill & Dales, Huber Village , Westerwood Village , Springborough, and Brook Run communities will attend Blendon Middle School .  Fifth-graders who live in Edmonton Commons , Northland Park Estates, Scotland , Glenview Apartments, and Northland Square Apartments will attend Heritage Middle School . th th  Current 6 & 7 grade students from these neighborhoods that attend Genoa Middle School will be permitted to stay at Genoa to finish middle school.

One of our goals during this process was to minimize the number of families impacted by this temporary adjustment. As a result of the approved plan, approximately 2 percent of the 2011-12 middle school population will experience a change in their school of attendance next year.

In all of the e-mails and telephone calls received, and during all of the public meetings held since the introduction of options F, G, H and I, we heard an overwhelming desire for current middle school students to remain at their current school of attendance. The approval of Option I allows us to meet that request while maintaining middle school enrollments that are manageable according to building capacities and anticipated scheduling needs. We also heard a consistent message suggesting that those families being impacted by this initial boundary adjustment should not be impacted by any long-term boundary changes that may be proposed by the district in the near future. We will do our absolute best to honor this suggestion.

Open enrollment requests would be considered for any families that, as a result of this short-term boundary change, may have children attending different middle schools. We have identified 13 such families and will consider an open enrollment request for the older child to move from his or her current middle school to attend the new middle school that a younger sibling would be attending next year.

In the coming days and weeks, we will be reaching out to all middle school families and those families that will be impacted by this change. We will work closely with our principals, teachers and support staff to make their transition as smooth as possible.

Thank you for your participation in this process. We truly appreciate your involvement. Sincerely, Mark Hershiser Assistant Superintendent

Parents, Beware of Product Called "Lazy Cakes"! From the laid-back Lazy Larry character to the colorfully-packaged sweet chocolate, this product screams of youth appeal. Lazy Cakes, at a glance, appear to be a single-serving, kid-friendly, gourmet-type brownie; the kind of special treat you might even toss into a child's school lunch bag. But parents beware, this is no typical brownie. When you take a close look at the label, you will see this product contains a variety of herbal ingredients along with the caution, “recommended for adults only.”

What kind of brownie isn't made for kids? The kind that contains a potent mix of herbs, like Valerian Root Extract, Passionflower and Melatonin, to name a few. How is it a brownie that is unsafe for children and teens can be marketed and sold to them legally? The herbal ingredients in this product are not considered food products, and therefore have not undergone FDA approval.

But just because they are legal does not mean they are not dangerous. In fact, according to the National Poison Control Center, more calls come in related to Melatonin use than any other herb or supplement. Commonly reported side effects include fatigue, headache, irritability, disorientation, confusion, sleepwalking, vivid dreams and nightmares.

Lazy Cakes contain an adult-sized dosage of Melatonin, which according to medical experts, is enough to cause seizures in youth.

Parents: Read labels and beware of any product that contains Melatonin or other herbal ingredients. Consult a physician before using supplements of any type to help you or your child relax or sleep.*

* There is currently no recommended "safe‟ dose for Melatonin supplements. Side effects are likely to increase with higher doses, and will differ among individuals. * Healthcare providers warn that Melatonin can adversely interact with other medications. Do not begin use without first talking with your doctor.

Summer Food Service Program for Children, at Ridgewood Park The Westerville Area Resource Ministry (W.A.R.M.) will be offering free lunch through the Summer Food Program at: Ridgewood Park Shelter House 5402 Buenos Aires Blvd. Westerville, OH 43081 Weekdays, June 13th thru August 12 (closed July 4th) 11:45 am until 12:30 pm First come, first served basis Rain or shine All children 18 years of age and under are eligible to receive FREE lunch. No need to sign up or apply for the program - just bring yourself and enjoy tasty & nutritious meals. Learning does not end when school lets out. Neither does the need for good nutrition - which is crucial for children to have safe and productive summers. The summer food program provides an opportunity to continue a child's physical and social development while providing a nutritious meal.

Summer Food Service Program for Children, at Pointview Elementary Westerville City Schools announces the sponsorship of the Summer Food Service Program for Children. Free meals will be made available to all children 18 years of age and under, or persons over 18 who are determined by a state or local public educational agency to be mentally or physically disabled. The meals will be provided without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Lunch will be provided at the site(s) listed below between 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily: Pointview Elementary School 720 Pointview Dr. Westerville, OH 43081-3435

Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any USDA –related activity should write or call immediately to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave. S. W. , Washington DC 20250-9410 ; or call, toll free (866) 632-9992 (voice). Individuals who are hearing impaired or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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