It's hard to believe, but October is here and Homecoming is right around the corner! We hope you'll take a few minutes to catch up on news from around the District.

Join us for Homecoming 2023! From Spirit Week activities and a parade, to our traditional Chili Supper and the big game, it's going to be a great time to show your Hurricane pride!

-Thursday, 10/5/23, at 6:30pm - Homecoming Parade followed by a Community Pep Rally at Alumni Field

-Friday, 10/6/23 from 4:00-6:30pm - 67th Annual Chili Supper in the WHS Auditeria. The Wilmington Band program is proud to host one of the longest-running traditions in Wilmington. We welcome everyone to join us for our traditional Band Chili Supper as WHS celebrates Homecoming 2023.

• Each meal is $7 and includes a Bowl of Chili, Hotdog, Applesauce or Coleslaw, a Dessert, and a Drink
• Tickets available from current WHS Band members, at the door, or online at wilmingtonbands.ludus.com .

-Friday, 10/6/23 at 7:00pm - Homecoming game vs Goshen

-Saturday, 10/7/23 - WHS Students will hold their Homecoming Dance

NOTE: We are also inviting Alumni Band members to play with the Marching Band during halftime! They can register using our online form here.

Go Cane!

We're excited about the changes to our entrances that will greatly increase security at Denver and Holmes Elementary buildings. The offices at both Denver and Holmes have been relocated to the front of the building, limiting visitor access to the main office area only. Construction is now complete and staff are moving into the new spaces. We are currently in the design phase for the window film similar to what has been done at the middle/high school buildings. The projects at Denver and Holmes were funded with ESSR/ARP grants.

Check out our recent Board Corner Report (doc) for a quick summary of recent BOE Regular Meetings. The next regular meeting of the Board is October 23, 2023 at 6:00 PM and will be held at Wilmington Middle School.

BTW: Please be aware that minutes from a Board meeting are not published until they are approved at the next regular Board meeting. September BOE minutes will be published after they are approved at the October 23, 2023 regular meeting.

Did you know that we’re moving on up in the ratings! The District has received an overall 3 star rating (“Meets state standards”) on the 2023 report card, showing improvement in multiple areas. This is especially significant coming off 2 years of pandemic impact when most schools were expecting declines.

Components that showed improvement for the District were:

• Achievement: Increased 2.1 percentage points from 2021-22

• Progress: Earned an additional star over 2021-22

• Gap Closing: Our score more than doubled!

• Chronic Absenteeism: Improved, but we remain concerned. 29.7% of our students were chronically absent last school year.

Components that held steady with 2021-22 and are comparable to the overall state averages:

• Graduation Rates: Our ratings were holding steady with 2021-22 and are in line with the state averages, but we want more for our WHS students. In this newsletter we’ll share just a couple of the programs we’ve implemented to improve the overall graduation rate.

• Early Literacy: Our ratings were very similar to 2021-22 and comparable to the current state average. This continues to be an area of concern across the state and the Governor has several initiatives in place to help improve literacy.

It is the District’s goal to keep the momentum going. In this newsletter, you can learn more about just a few of the programs we have implemented at WCS to address challenges. We hope to continue successful and impactful programs as funds allow.

... but it matters just as much. While truancy relates solely to unexcused absences, schools are also concerned with the total number of absences - excused and unexcused. Chronic Absenteeism is missing 10% of the school year (regardless of the reason) or just a couple of days each month. Chronic absenteeism is also a metric used in our state report card rating since it has a profound impact on student learning, especially in the areas of early literacy and graduation rates.

Check out “10 Facts About School Attendance” from attendanceworks.org to learn more about the impact of chronic absenteeism on student achievement.

Extra Time Extra Help is offered at the Middle School on most Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays after school until 4:00pm. The purpose of Extra Time Extra Help is to allow time for students to work with teachers after school on their school work. Families will need to provide transportation for students staying for Extra Time Extra Help. Just reach out to the Middle School if your child would like to participate in this program.

Millions of hours of school are lost each year due to poor dental health. To improve student dental health and student attendance, we have partnered with Mobile Dentists (Smile Program) and the Clinton County Health District to host dental clinics during the school day in our buildings.

Learn more about this program and our progress here…

Keeping students engaged and in school is key to helping them graduate on time. Check & Connect is a research based program from the University of Minnesota that has a 30 year history of success in improving student achievement.

"In Check & Connect, the ‘Check’ component refers to the process where mentors systematically monitor student performance variables (e.g., absences, tardies, behavioral referrals, grades), while the ‘Connect’ component refers to mentors providing personalized, timely interventions to help students solve problems, build skills, and enhance competence.” - checkandconnect.umn. edu .

Read more about this program here ...

It's not just reading, writing, and arithmetic any more! In addition to core subjects, public schools in Ohio are required to teach/provide the following:

• CPR/AED use
• digital citizenship
• information, media, and technological literacy
• vision/hearing screenings
• suicide awareness
• drug abuse prevention
• sex education
• intruder lockdown training
• financial literacy
• internet safety
• health/psychological services
• state testing
• special education services
• credit retrieval programs
• career-technical education
• College Credit Plus program
• transportation for resident students to our schools and area private/charter schools
• meals
  
• instruction on proper interactions with peace officers during traffic stops and other in-person encounters
• and more!

The school day has not changed in 100+ years and public school funding is constantly embattled in the legislature at the State level. These are challenging times for public schools and the communities they serve.

The Board of Education voted on July 25, 2023 to place a new levy on the ballot this November. The levy will be a 1% EARNED Income Tax for 5 years. To learn more about District finances and how this tax differs from the standard income tax levy we have had in the past, please visit wilmingtoncityschools.com/Levy

Check our October 2023 Events (doc) and grab your calendar! Please remember to double check the building calendars on the website before heading out in case there are updates.

October 2023 Events (doc)

Looking ahead…

11/10-12 WHS Theatre - “The Diary of Anne Frank”

We will be having a combined Family Night for Holmes and Denver Elementary families. We are excited to have everyone in one building and enjoy the evening.

When: Thursday, October 26, 2023

Where: Holmes Elementary

Time: 5:30-7:00 PM

What: You will be able to attend sessions to learn about topics such as Literacy & Math Connections between Home and School

RSVP using our online RSVP form

October 16th-20th is National School Bus Safety Week. At WCS, safety is top of mind each and every day. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to review some safety tips from the National Association for Pupil Transportation (pdf). And please, watch out for the flashing bus lights/sign when you’re out on the roads. Getting on and off the bus is the riskiest time for our students.

Thank you to our transportation department and bus drivers for ensuring the safety of our students!

October is Ohio School Safety Month. Visit our Safety and Security page (under Parent Resources) the District website to learn more about what we do at WCS to ensure the safety and security of our students and staff.

The following articles from other sources are provided for our WCS families and community. Links and content from external sources are not under the control of the District.

Election Day is just around the corner. Here are a few reminders for our community:

-October 11, 2023 - Early/Absentee voting begins. Visit boe.ohio.gov/clinton/election-info/early-voting-hours/ for the dates/times.

-November 7, 2023 - General Election Day. Vote at precint.

-Valid Photo ID is now a mandated requirement for voting in Ohio. Visit ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/id-requirements for identification requirements.

If you’re looking for great activities for your kids and teenagers, check out our local public library. You’ll find their Teen Clubs and Activities here. We encourage you to check out the rest of their website for loads of clubs and activities for kids and adults, too.

November is just around the corner and Main Street Wilmington is planning another great Holidazzle Parade weekend for the community. The date for this year’s event is November 25th at 7:00pm. Registration for parade participation/floats is November 8th.