You will notice that the front of our school has a circle area. This is the same spot the buses drop off and pick up each day. To avoid possible ticketing and towing, do not park in the fire lane at the front of the school as well as near the fire hydrant on the west side of our school. Please utilize parking in spaces only, on the side of our school and in the high school lot across the street. I appreciate your help with this.

Our front parking lot is busy at the end of the day. We have many students and parents traveling through the lot at dismissal time. Please follow the expectations below to ensure student safety:

• DO NOT double park or park along a curb. If there are no available parking spaces, you need to park in other locations (HS lot across the street, tennis court lot, west side of the school along Spring Grove)

• Bus dismissal is the priority. When we get the buses going early, traffic is light. Please do not criticize the safety guards on duty, they are focusing on crossing students and families.

• DO NOT leave cars running and unattended; this is unsafe.

• When buses are present at the front entrance of the school during the morning and afternoon, please do not drop off or pick up until the buses have left and there are no buses present.

• Animals of any type are not permitted during drop off or pick up. Please leave all pets at home or in your vehicle during this time.

Fenn families,

I hope all of our families had a great January. As we enter February, I know that we've had some snow days and delays, but hopefully, February will be a less "snowy" month with some nicer weather. It's hard to believe that next month is spring break and I know our students will be excited for this break.

We have had an awesome January and start to February with many fun events taking place. Thank you to those of you who have volunteered and joined us at our events. As you see the pictures below, you will notice the many smiles on the faces of students, staff, and families. This is what school should be and I hold the firm belief that we can have fun at school and still learn. There's nothing better! Enjoy the pictures and please take the time to read this month's newsletter. There's a lot of fun and important things here!

As I mentioned above, March is an exciting month for our students and families as spring break nears. March is equally important for our entire district as our school levy will be on the ballot on March 19. Our Medina community must understand the facts surrounding our levy and the importance of a successful campaign. I feel that every community member in Medina should understand the facts surrounding our upcoming levy. I also know the importance that every parent and family member of our MCS students should be aware of the purpose of our levy and the facts should the levy fail. While we do not want to think about the negative pitfalls of a levy failure, it's so important to speak to the facts so we are all informed.

One of the things I wanted to ensure I communicate is the misconception that our district receives more money from a levy when additional homes are built or home values increase. This can be a common question and one that is incorrect. Levies are established to collect a set amount of money over the life of the levy; property taxes fluctuate to account for this.

As a parent of two students who attend school, I love to be involved in any way with my children's school. Being connected in some way can show all of our families the wonderful things taking place at Fenn and our other schools. While volunteering is one way, another is to become involved at the district level. This is why I encourage you to join Kids First Medina in all the work they do and also become a partner with our PTO. Both Kids First and our PTO are on Facebook should you choose to reach out to them.

Thank you for all that many of you have done to support Fenn and our schools in Medina. Thank you also for the support you continue to provide and your commitment to Medina City Schools. Your support means everything and we do not take your involvement and passion for granted!

Some upcoming important dates regarding voting:

February 20 - Last day to register to vote

February 21 - Early voting starts

March 19 - Election Day

Here's to a fabulous February and a continued, amazing year at Fenn!

Remember...we are...Fenn Family!

Steve Perry

Impact of the November 2023

Bond/Levy Failure

• Loss of a year of collection
• The operating levy amount increased due to the loss of collection timing
• Facilities that would have been affected by the bond remain as-is throughout the District
• The District will not be placing a bond issue on the ballot this spring
• Cannot proceed with the Yellow Plan at this time
• Root 5/6 upper elementary school
• Claggett 7/8 middle school
• Redistricting will occur in the 2024-2025 school year regardless of the passage or failure of an operating levy

What’s Next?

• Medina City Schools has a 7.5 mill continuous operating levy on the March 19, 2024 ballot
• This will generate approximately $14 million per year
• The cost to taxpayers would be $263 per $100,000 of auditor-assessed value per year
• The District does not collect any additional tax dollars as property values increase or with new construction. The levy will only collect what was approved by voters.
  
• The District has not asked for new money since 2013.
  

Cuts for the 2024-2025 School Year

• Based on the current five-year forecast, even with the passage of the levy, the District will make $8 to $10 million in permanent cuts over four years beginning in the 2024-2025 school year
• This is due to the loss of collection dollars due to the failure of the operating levy in November
• Initial proposed reductions will be implemented in an attempt to have a minimal impact on student programming.
• Reduction through attrition will be utilized whenever possible. Proposed reductions include:
• Administrative Staff
• Certified Staff
• Classified Staff
• Supplies and Materials
• District Operations

What happens if a levy does not pass in calendar year 2024?

Based on the current five-year forecast, the non-passage of an operating levy in calendar year 2024 will result in additional cuts to programming and services for students beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. Reductions potentially could include but are not limited to the following:

• Busing to the state minimum of two miles and no busing to Medina High School
• Increase in the average class size at the elementary level
• Increase in Pay-to-Participate fees
• Reduction of school counseling services
• Reduction of gifted services
• Reduction of middle/high school electives
• Reduction in AP course offerings
• Elimination of middle school teaming
• Further staffing reductions, including administration, certified, and classified

Sign up now for the Virtual Lunch with the Superintendent series. To be one of the first 25 to register, click on the link or links below. Sign up for one or all of them. Don't forget to bring your lunch.

Thursday, March 7, 2024: Aaron Sable, Tina Cassidy, Director of Instruction & Craig Komar, Director of Technology

Friday, April 5, 2024: Aaron Sable, Mine Pazitka, Director of Pupil Services & Ryan O'Cull, Director of Business Affairs

Thursday, May 2, 2024: Aaron Sable, Kris Quallich, Assistant Superintendent, & Jim Shields, Director of Human Resources

February 6th through 27th--Tri C Distributing fundraiser--packets will come home Feb. 6

February 6th--PTO meeting 6 p.m.

February 9th--PTO movie night 6-8 p.m.

February 16th--no school due to staff inservice day

February 19th--no school due to President's Day

February 20th--PTO Chick-fil-A Dine to Donate 5 to 8 p.m.

February 23rd--2nd trimester ends

February 24th--Talent Show rehearsal 4 to 7 p.m. at MHS middle stage

February 25th--Talent Show 2 p.m. at MHS middle stage

February 26th--no elementary school due to staff work day--early release at MS and HS

February 27th through March 1--2nd gr. Terra Nova/InView testing

March 1st--report cards go home

Pre-School

Helping Hands Preschool is currently accepting applications for peer models for the 2024-2025 school year. A peer model is a role model student, aged three to five, who demonstrates age-appropriate language, behavior, and social skills, and does not have special needs.

Helping Hands Preschool runs Monday through Thursday from August to May. We offer two half-day preschool programs each day. Our morning session runs from 9:00am to 11:40am, and our afternoon session runs from 12:40pm to 3:20pm. Tuition and transportation are the responsibility of the family.

For more information, please contact Helping Hands Preschool at (330) 636-4601.

To apply, please fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/e8sixxxaVqPzkS9n7

Math Mania Week

Throughout the week of January 22-January 26, Sidney Fenn Elementary School hosted a Math Mania Celebration! We had a spirit week, where students were able to wear something with numbers on it, something with patterns on it, green if your birthday is an even-numbered date and wear yellow if your birthday is an odd-numbered date, wear something with shapes on it, and dress like you are 100 years old. Our Estimation Stations had students guessing the number of marshmallows to win a hot cocoa party, the number of popcorn kernels to win a popcorn party, the number of Legos to win extra Makerspace time, the number of Jolly Ranchers to win the entire container of candy, and the number of pepperoni slices on the World's Largest Pizza to win a pizza party.

At home, students and families were able to complete a Winter Math Bingo Challenge and participate in Family Game Night together. The whole school created a birthday bar graph to compare the month with the most birthdays to the month with the least birthdays. We completed Math About Me posters, went on scavenger hunts, participated in cooperative learning activities, enjoyed Munchy Math activities with different foods, and created a whole school Human Number Line, with each student representing one number.

Throughout the week, our classes battled it out to collect the most cereal boxes for a chance to pie Mr. Perry in the face. Mrs. Kelly's 2nd Grade Class was the winner! We collected a total of 467 cereal boxes, which we used to create a Cereal Box Domino Challenge. All 467 cereal boxes will be donated to Feeding Medina County. The videos are below. Enjoy!

Congratulations to Amy Lloyd as the latest recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. Mrs. Lloyd was surprised in her classroom by the board of education, central office staff, and her family. It was also great that some of her students were able to see the amazing accomplishments of their teacher. Amy was definitely surprised.

You are most deserving Mrs. Lloyd! Thank you for all that you do EVERY single day for our students, staff, and families.

PLEASE make sure your child is coming to school with a coat and appropriate clothing. We will be going out for recess anytime the temperature is over 20 degrees or the windchill is over 20 degrees.

Fenn families,

Please check out the link below for information regarding assistance with home weatherization assistance.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health. When implemented with fidelity, PBIS improves social-emotional competence, academic success, and school climate. It also improves teacher health and well-being. It is a way to create positive, predictable, equitable and safe learning environments where everyone thrives.

At Sidney Fenn and all of our Medina City Schools, we use a matrix to help teach students the importance of the 3 Rs. Being respectful, responsible, and ready are the daily goals for all of our students. Students earn PBIS points that they can then use in our school store, a teacher's classroom store, or in other areas around the school. Attached is our PBIS matrix for parents to see and review. These same expectations are referenced each morning on our announcements and modeled throughout the day by students and staff.

If your child is going to be absent, please get in touch with our office. You can call the attendance line at 330-636-4104. Please call by 9:00 if your child is going to be absent or tardy. Our office staff does reach out to all families if a student is absent and we have not received notification from parents.

• Do kids have to stay home if someone in the family has COVID? In general kids can come to school as long as they are feeling well unless they have tested positive for COVID. If a student tests positive for COVID, they have to stay home 5 days from symptom onset (symptom onset is day 0). On Day 6, as long as the student is feeling well, and has been fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication, they may return to school. Are masks required days 6-10? No, they are recommended and encouraged. Per the CDC, individuals should wear a well-fitting mask if they have symptoms of COVID-19, if they had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test in the past 10 days, or if they had recent exposure to someone with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

In this section, you will see a map of the specific entry door locations for grades K-5. These are the doors students will use when they enter the building each morning. Some teachers may use a different door for dismissal, so please check with your child's teacher if you need to know this information.

Please call by 9:00 a.m. if your child will be absent or tardy. Our late bell rings at 8:50 am each day. Students entering the building after the late bell will be directed to the main office before going down to their homeroom teacher.

Attendance Line: 330.636.4104

Office Hours: 8:00 a.m.--3:45 p.m.

School Hours 8:50 a.m.--3:25 p.m.

You will notice that the front of our school has a circle area. This is the same spot the busses drop off and pick up each day. To avoid possible ticketing and towing, do not park in the fire lane at the front of the school as well as near the fire hydrant on the west side of our school. Please utilize parking in spaces only, on the side of our school and in the high school lot across the street. I appreciate your help with this.

Our front parking lot is busy at the end of the day. We have many students and parents traveling through the lot at dismissal time. Please follow the expectations below to ensure student safety:

• DO NOT Double Park or park along a curb. If there are no available parking spaces, you need to park in other locations (HS lot across the street, tennis court lot, west side of the school along Spring Grove)

• Bus dismissal is the priority. When we get the buses going early, traffic is light. Please do not criticize the safety guards on duty, they are focusing on crossing students and families.

• DO NOT leave cars running and unattended; this is unsafe.

• When buses are present at the front entrance of the school during the morning and afternoon, please do not drop off or pick up until the buses have left.

• Animals of any type are not permitted during drop off or pick up. Please leave all pets either at home or in your vehicle during this time.

Principal,

Sidney Fenn Elementary

Email: perrys@medinabees.org
Website: https://www.medinabees.org
Location: 320 North Spring Grove Street, Medina, OH, USA
Phone: 330-636-4100
Twitter: @SidneyFennElem

Instagram: Mr.perryadmin