Page 1 THE STANDARD IS EXCELLENCE HOME HE UMMER OF T The S S ROVER Rootstown 2016 Communicator Rootstown Local Schools • 4140 State Route 44 • Rootstown, Ohio 44272 • (330) 325-9911 News From Around the District Congratulations to Kyle Barkhurst! By Terri Hrina-Treharn Middle School Intervention Specialist, Kyle Barkhurst, was recognized at an awards ceremo- ny on May 6 as an outstanding educator for his work in the area of “Systems Leadership.” Of the several teachers/educators nominated across Portage, Medina, and Summit counties, only ONE is awarded the top spot to represent our region and go to Columbus! Kyle was chosen as the one who received The Franklin B. Walter award which is given to an educator from each of the 16 State Support Teams across the state of Ohio who have made extraordinary contributions to the education of students with disabilities. He will representing Region 8 in Columbus this month. We are SO VERY PROUD of him and his contributions toboth our students and the district. Individuals who have increased building or district capacity to develop and implement multi-tiered systems of academic and/or behavior support or have been instrumental in creating building-wide change initiatives which have improved performance of children with disabilities and other at-risk children are eligible for the Systems Leadership nomination. In the classroom Kyle differentiates instruction for his students in a variety of ways to meet their needs. He utilizes leveled tasks and designs services such as “Functional Fridays” which require students to practice real-life tasks while utilizing the standards through problem-solving. Additionally, Kyle has volunteered for every level of the Ohio Improvement Process within the district. He facilitates his middle school teacher-based team (TBT), supports and coaches other grade level TBTs, serves actively on the building leadership team as well as the district leadership team. Kyle creates sustainable change by asking probing questions, serves as a voice of reason, and constantly supports and encourages teams. He has been instrumental in meeting regularly and discussing instructional strategies that can help close the achievement gap. Way to go, Kyle! Superintendent’s Message As I reflect upon the 2015-16 school year, I am extremely proud of the progress that our students have made. The students have made some impressive accomplishments both inside and outside of the classroom. I want to congratulate our students for their hard work, and I would like to thank the faculty and staff for their dedication to improving each student’s academic growth and for making a difference in their lives. Also, I would like to thank the parents and community for your continued support of the Rootstown Local School District. Andrew Hawkins Superintendent We are excited about our curriculum initiatives for next school year as we will be implementing a new K-12 Mathematics curriculum along with upgrades in our Physics and Computer Science courses. Furthermore, we will be unveiling a new district website as well as upgrading our technology infrastructure in the buildings. Finally, I also would like to congratulate the Class of 2016 and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors, and welcome our incoming Kindergarteners, the Class of 2029! Have a great summer! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding our school district. Go Rovers! ANDREW HAWKINS SUPERINTENDENT Page 2 News From the Treasurer’s Office In 2015, the average cost per pupil in Rootstown was $8,964.52, while the statewide average was $10,984.86. The majori- ty of the general fund (61%) was spent on instructional salaries and supplies directly in the classrooms. Pupil support at 4% includes such items as student counseling, psychological services, health services, library services, and some extra-curricular activities. Building operations totaled 20% and includes transportation, utilities, and expenses not covered by the Permanent Improvement levy. Another 12% was spent on administrative and secretarial salaries as well as the cost of the day-to-day operations of the school buildings and offices—27% below state average. Lastly, 3% was spent on staff support for classroom aides, curriculum services, and continuing education to improve staff effectiveness and productivity. With the average cost per pupil in Rootstown at $2,020.34 below the state average, I believe the Rootstown School District is committed to preparing students for their futures in a cost-effective manner. Connie Baldwin Treasurer (source: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Finance-and-Funding/Fi- nance-Related-Data/District-Profile-Reports/FY2015-District-Profile-Re- port) CONNIE BALDWIN TREASURER Rootstown District News Rootstown Foundation and Alumni Association By Denny Pickens, President RFAA The Rootstown Foundation and Alumni Association proudly presented a $1000.00 scholarship award to senior, Joshua Kaut, to be used for the 2016-17 collegiate academic year. Pictured left to right: Stephanie Farkash, Joshua Kaut, and Denny Pickens Industrial Technology Class By Jess Hluch During the second semester, students in the middle school’s Industrial Technology class attempted and succeeded in accomplishing some diverse and challenging projects. Several students demonstrated creativity in producing their projects. Carvings, wood- bendings, musical instruments, and chairmaking are but a few of the projects students made this semester. Three girls in the fourth period class turned 3 large wooden bowls, well-advanced and beyond the average woodworker. Tech Club will be moving to a new area of study next year with the addition of a robotics program. Students will continue to be exposed to advanced projects but more Owen Buckel, Alex Smethers, and Sydnee Smith present Mrs. emphasis will be geared toward more technical endeavors. Tech Club will be more Wright with a handmade child’s windsor chair for all the work STEM-oriented (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). As always, Tech Club she does for students and staff at the middle school. will have the same flavor of fun, creativity, and learning. Calling All Travelers! By Cara Craig Mrs. Eaton and Mrs. Craig are excited to announce the next travel opportunity for any student attending the high school for the 2016-2017 school year. They will be hosting a trip to Peru. This 9 day trip over Spring Break 2017 will take students to the amazing land of the Inca. Students will have the opportunity to visit the ancient capital of the Inca, Cuzco, as well as the iconic Andean citadel, Machu Picchu. In addition to the awe-inspir- ing historical sights, travelers will also visit remote villages, authentic markets and ce- ramic factories, try their hand at weaving alpaca wool, as well as tour the modern capital, Lima, several museums and a Spanish colonial monastery. This opportunity is extended to any parent who would wish to travel with his or her child, as well as recent graduates. To obtain more information about this once-in-a-lifetime trip, please contact Mrs. Eaton ([email protected]) or Mrs. Craig ([email protected]) for more information. Page 3 Curriculum and the Office of Special Education Terri Hrina-Treharn - Curriculum Director, (330)325-2014 • Lynn Fatica - Director of Special Education, (330)325-4144 Textbook Adoptions for the 2016-2017 School Year! Rootstown has adopted various textbooks and upgraded some programs for the coming school year. New programs at the high school include a Google class replacing Computer Apps, Advanced Google replacing Advanced Computer Apps and an additional class offering. The new course, Coding and 3D Video Game Design, through CTE Learning is a hybrid style course that will be offered to students. For K-5 mathematics, we will be using the Investigations series, grades 6 through Integrated III at the high school will use College Preparatory Mathematics (CPM), and also new at the high school will be Pearson’s Walker Physics book. All are aligned with the new standards and include the increased rigor that is being called for and that we are seeing on the state assessments. Additionally, students will have access to online e-texts as well as physical copies of the texts. All series adopted work from the same philosophical constructivist approach. This approach is very student-centered and Terri Hrina-Treharn collaborative, requires higher-order thinking and conversations that deepen ones’ conceptual understanding of the content. Curriculum Director Students will be active and engaged participants in the classroom to construct their own meaning and learning. Various approaches to problems are both encouraged and expected as we know not all students learn the same way. The Pearson Investigations series works to build a strong foundation of both conceptual understanding as well as procedural skills. Pearson cites six goals that the curriculum is designed to accomplish: • Support students to make sense of mathematics and learn that they can be mathematical thinkers • Focus on computational fluency with whole numbers as a major goal of the elementary grades • Provide substantive work in important areas of mathematics—rational numbers, geometry, measurement, data, and early algebra—and connections among them • Emphasize reasoning about mathematical ideas • Communicate mathematics content and pedagogy to teachers • Engage the range of learners in understanding mathematics. I encourage you to visit their website at https://investigations.terc.edu/families/ as there is a host of information for families. Such things include information about the series, homework, how to do math together at home and questions you can ask your child to support what they are learning at school, as well as games and activities (on and offline) and a list of math literature books. The CPM series is actually a teacher written curriculum with the support of college professors. It involves a very collaborative, group-based approach to learning. Students work in teams on a daily basis and take on roles of being the facilitator, resource manager, recorder and task manager.
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