August 2024 District Newsletter

The school year flew by and summer break is here! We have a lot to catch up on so keep reading. In this newsletter:

• Board News
• Message from our new Superintendent
• NEW for 2024-25!
• Cell Phone/Device Policy
• Free Breakfast and Lunch For all WCS Students
• NEW School Schedule Reminder
  

• Back to School Information
• FinalForms Reminder
• Elementary Pick-Up Placards
• Get Ready for Kindergarten
• Attendance Information

You can catch up on our summer Board meetings in the Summer 2024 Board Corner Report (doc). The full minutes from the meeting will be posted on the district website after they are approved the next regular meeting on August 26, 2024 at Wilmington High School at 6:00 PM.

I am so excited to be your new Superintendent of schools. Opening day is just around the corner. Our administrative teams and summer staff have been working hard to ensure the buildings are ready, new staff are hired, and the board-approved new curriculum resources are ready for our teachers and students.

Spreading the news that Wilmington City Schools is a great place to teach and learn will be a focus this school year. You will see regular messages from the schools highlighting the classroom achievements and academic gains made by our students.

Another focus for the school year will be ensuring our students are learning in a safe environment. We have made many improvements in our culture and climate over the past couple of years. We have plans to do more, such as the recently approved cell phone use policy now in the student handbooks.

Input from the community is critical for any school to improve. You may receive surveys and possible invites to district committees. We hope to involve as many community members as possible in our school improvement efforts.

I look forward to meeting you, and I thank you and the Board of Education for this opportunity.

"It's a Great Day to Be a Hurricane!"

-Tim Dettwiller, WCS Superintendent

If you've been following the news, you know that Ohio recently passed a law requiring schools to address (and limit) cell phone/device use during the school day.

Like most districts in the region, we have seen the increasing negative impact of cell phone use during the school day - from constant classroom distractions to cyberbullying. It's important for us to partner with parents in reinforcing to our students that while they are at school, their job is to participate and engage in their education - not scroll through social media, post on TikTok, play games, bully others, or text friends. Our Student Handbooks contain our expectations regarding cell phone/device use during the school day.

Below you'll find some resources and info from the Ohio Dept of Education and Workforce that may help to answer some of your questions and alleviate your concerns.

• Cell Phones in Schools: Supports for Families
• Cell Phones in Schools: School Safety
• Cell Phones in Schools: Supports for Students with Disabilities and Special Considerations

If you're interested in learning more, we encourage you to watch the news story linked* below. The Today Show interviewed staff and students at Dayton's Dunbar High School on their phone ban for 2023-24. In just their first year, they are seeing a decrease in bullying and an increase in test scores.

Today Show News Clip (youtube video)

*Linked sites are not under the control of the District.

New for 2024-25: The District is participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for this school year. What this means for our WCS families is that every enrolled WCS student is automatically eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch meal at no charge on school days. For details visit wilmingtoncityschools.com/foodservice. Please note that the program covers a full breakfast and lunch meal. Extra food or á la carte items will incur a charge.

No forms or applications are required to participate in this program. However, to determine eligibility for various additional state and federal program benefits that your child’s school may qualify for, we encourage you to complete, sign, and submit our Assistance Form if your income falls within or below the guidelines. Forms will be available at Open House and will be sent home with kids in the 1st week of school.

As we described in our June Newsletter, we made some small changes to the school schedule. Below are the revised start/dismiss times for 2024-25.

• WMS and WHS: 7:40-2:30
• Holmes Elementary: 9:10-3:35
• Denver Elementary: 9:25-3:50

Visit our website news article for more information on why we made this change. We are excited about the potential postive impact that can be made from making small changes to the school schedule and our transportation/foodservice processes.

August is a busy month as we all gear up for another great year at WCS. Here are some important dates for our WCS families:

- 8/2 & 8/5 WMS "Walk Your Schedule" days (see WMS Newsletter for details)

- 8/5 Holmes Scavenger Hunt 10:30am-Noon

- 8/9 Meet the Teams at Alumni Field 5:30-6:30pm

- 8/12 Open House Night at each school from 5-7:30pm (Elementary sign-up links will be sent via email and Dojo)

- 8/12 WHS: Freshmen Orientation 5-6:00pm, 10th-12th Orientation 6-7:30pm

- 8/14 First day of school for 1st-12th Grade (see below for Kdg and Preschool)

Preschool and Kindergarten Staggered Start by Last Name

8/14 - Prek and Kdg students with last name starting with A through L attend on 8/14 (M-Z stay home)

8/15 - Prek and Kdg students with last names starting with M through Z start on 8/15 (A-L stay home)

8/16 - All Kdg students attend! There is no Preschool on Fridays.

Watch your mailbox next week for our Back-to-School flyer! The flyer has our school calendar, district contacts, and other school information for your refrigerator.

Check out the WMS and WHS newsletters below for additional back to school information for our secondary buildings.

WMS Newsletter (doc)

WHS Newsletter

You can find our event calendars online at wilmingtoncityschools.com/calendars. It's a good idea to double check the calendar before heading out to an event in case there are updates. Remember that Holmes and Denver Elementaries share an online calendar - just watch for the school name before an event.

2024-25 Academic Calendar (pdf)

Parents, don't forget to log-in to your FinalForms account to sign important documents and update your contact info for 2024-25 so that we can reach you in case of an emergency.

• Emergency contact information
• Media Opt-Out
• Student Handbooks (now in FinalForms this year!)
• and more!
• NOTE: If you completed FinalForms before July 31st, please go back in to sign off on the student handbooks that were just uploaded.

If you need help with FinalForms, visit our FinalForms Information page here.

New this year: Student Handbooks were added to FinalForms on 7/31. If you did your annual update prior to 8/1, please go back in to sign off on the handbooks. Parents are asked to view the handbook in FinalForms, review it with their child, and acknowledge receipt before the school year starts. Handbooks are also available online at wilmingtoncityschools.com/handbooks. If you need to request a printed copy, please contact your child's school.

Elementary Parents: If you plan on picking up your child after school (car/cab riders), please make sure you sign up for a Pick-Up Placard.

• Please complete this form for your own children if they are being picked up after school. (This is not required for students riding the bus or walking.)
• By completing this form you will have 2 placards available.
  
• Please Complete the Form by August 6th.
• Information regarding the process for Placard pick-up with be shared at a later date.

Elementary Pick-Up Placard Request Form

We can't wait to meet the Class of 2037! If you have a Kindergartener this year, check out the great tips from AttendanceWorks.org.

Not enrolled yet?

No problem, there's still time to get them enrolled if your child will be 5 on or before August 1st. You can request a Kindergarten Enrollment Packet here.

The start to your child's journey as a Hurricane is just around the corner!

Ohio's attendance law can be confusing, especially those with children just starting out in elementary. We've added a lot of information to our District's website (wilmingtoncityschools.com/attendance) for parents, including new FAQs. You'll find information on:

• Impact of Absences and Tips for Families
• What to do if your child needs to miss school
• Types of absences explained (excused, unexcused, medically excused)
• Our vacation policy
  
• How tardiness is handled
• Excessive Absence and Notification Letters
• Truancy and Absence Intervention Plans

Why does attendance matter?

AttendanceWorks.org shared the following facts from decades of research:

• Poor attendance can influence whether children read proficiently by the end of 3rd grade.
  
• By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
• When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating.

Visit wilmingtoncityschools.com/attendance (nested under Parent Resources) for more resources.