Principal's Corner

Dr. Kiena Hughley

Principal of Barack Obama Elementary School

December 1, 2024

Dear Families,

We believe that creating a positive reading environment at home can greatly support your child’s development. Here are two strategies that can make reading an enjoyable experience:

Reading Together. Spending 15-20 minutes reading with your child each day can help build strong reading skills. Taking turns reading aloud can also support fluency.
Discussing Stories. Asking questions about the story and discussing favorite parts can help with comprehension.

In a few weeks, students will be taking the iReady diagnostic test. This test will score students in the areas of reading and math. Students previously took this diagnostic in August/September. Families can help by making sure our students get a good nights rest and by trying one of the above mentioned strategies. With the help of our teachers and our families, we hope to see improved scores.

Please make sure that your contact information is up to date. You can do this by completing Final Forms. Make sure to sign digitally at the end to submit.

https://mapleheights-oh.finalforms.com/

Yondr Pouches Have Arrived

Please click here to view the state of Ohio mandate for cellphone and personal communication devices.

Visitors & Guests: We would like to welcome you to Barack Obama Elementary school. The procedures for our guests and visitors to the building are to arrive at the main entrance of the building (Glenwood Ave.), visitors will press the buzzer to gain entrance into the main office. Guests/visitors who visit classrooms or provide services will have their IDs scanned to create a visitors pass. All of this is to ensure the safety of our students and staff. As a reminder, photo IDs are required when signing students out for the day before 2:45 p.m.

Meetings: We understand that your time is valuable, to ensure that we are able to meet your family’s needs, schedule a meeting with Dr. Hughley (Principal) or Mrs. McCrystal (Assistant Principal) 24 hours in advance. We will make every effort to meet and/or return calls between 24 to 48 hours.

Ms. Stephanie Chandler

School Counselor

INFORMATION STATION

OhioKan Kinship & Adoption Navigator

If you are parents that have adopted a child or if you are a grandparent or someone that has guardianship of a relative’s child, there may be resources available to assist through organizations that are not income-based. OhioKan can direct you to such resources and help walk you through the paperwork. You may reach a representative at 1-844-OHIO-KAN.

Military Families

If you are a military family please let us know. We would like to help you access available resources as well. We also thank you for your sacrifice as a family that has served our country.

Barack Obama’s Parent Advisory Group (BOPAG)

Parents interested in participating as part of Barack Obama’s Parent Advisory Group (BOPAG), the next meeting will be held Monday December 16th, 5:30 PM in Obama’s cafeteria. Please come in through the Dunham Road parking lot entrance. As part of BOPAG, you will represent parents of Obama as we all strive to create a safe environment that is both nurturing and respectful in which all students have the ability to be productive members of society.

DECEMBER IS A MONTH FILLED WITH HISTORY AND HOLIDAYS!

TIS THE SEASON FOR MANY HISTORIC EVENTS!

December 7, 2023

Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, (also called Chanukah and Hanukah) celebrates victory from Greek religious persecution. The Jewish victory was led by the Maccabees in the year 167 B.C. Upon returning to the temple to rededicate it and relight the Menorah, the Maccabees found only one small flask of oil, enough to light the Menorah for just one day. However, the flask of oil lasted eight days, Hence the celebration lasts eight days. This is also why it is called the Festival of Lights.

Chanukah is a happy and joyous festivity. There is no fasting, no eulogies, and no sacrifice. Small gifts are given to family and friends each of the eight days of Chanukah.1

December 25th

Christmas Day, commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Although the exact date of his birth is not known, it has been celebrated on December 25th by the Western (Roman Catholic) Church since 336 A.D. 2

December 26-January 1

Kwanzaa, an African American family observance established in 1966 celebrating traditional African harvest festivals, focusing on family unity, with a community harvest feast on the seventh day. Kwanzaa means "first fruit" in Swahili.2

December 31st

New Year's Eve, the final evening of the Gregorian calendar year, traditionally a night for merry-making to welcome in the new year.2 This night is also known as “Watch night”.

December 1, 1955- Montgomery Bus Boycott

Called "the mother of the civil rights movement," Rosa Parks invigorated the struggle for racial equality when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. Parks' arrest on December 1, 1955 launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott by 17,000 black citizens. A Supreme Court ruling and declining revenues forced the city to desegregate its buses thirteen months later.3

December 6, 1865

The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified abolishing slavery, stating, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, save as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."2

December 7, 1941

The U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was attacked by nearly 200 Japanese aircraft in a raid that lasted just over one hour and left nearly 3,000 Americans dead.2

December 8, 1941

A day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States and Britain declared war on Japan.2

December 15, 1791

The Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution) became effective following ratification by Virginia.2

December 17, 1903

After three years of experimentation, Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first powered, controlled airplane flights. They made four flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the longest lasting about a minute.2

December 21st – Winter Solstice

Winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere today is the beginning of summer.2

Citations

All information copied from:

1 https://www.holidayinsights.com/jewish/chanukah.htm

2 https://www.historyplace.com/specials/calendar/december.htm

3 https://www.nps.gov/features/malu/feat0002/wof/rosa_parks.htm#:~:text=Called%20%22the%20mother%20of%20the,Boycott%20by%2017%2C000%20black%20citizens

Ms. Deanne Thurman

21st Century Coordinator/Rising Stars

Hello families!

The 2024 Winterfest that was scheduled for Friday December 20, 2024 has been cancelled. We hope to have more family events scheduled in the future. We will keep you all informed on all upcoming endeavors. Have a wonderful holiday!

Mrs. Emma Young

School Secretary

Showcase of the Arts

Hello Obama Parents,

Our Showcase of the Arts program that was scheduled for Tuesday December 10, 2024 has been postponed. We will inform all families when we have a new date that is tentatively scheduled for January 2025. We are excited and cannot wait to share with you how hard our students have worked to contribute to this outstanding showcase. Stay tuned!

Mrs. Crystle McCrystal

Assistant Principal

As the school year has progressed, we have seen an increase in disruption/disorderly conduct and horseplay/pestering. Disruptive behaviors are physical and verbal actions that interfere with the learning environment of the classroom, peers, and/or daily school procedures and routines. This includes minor infractions such as being out of one’s seat without permission or talking at inappropriate times to major infractions such as horseplay, use of inappropriate language, or verbal altercations.

Disruption/disorderly conduct has many negative impacts on the learning environment. For instance:

Loss of instructional time and student focus
Lowered academic achievement
Decreased student engagement and motivation
Increased stress and frustration for on-task students
Increased teacher stress and burnout

The good news is YOU can help! We encourage parents/guardians to reach out and partner with your student's teacher to address rules and any misbehavior in the classroom. If your student is displaying disruptive behaviors, conference with your child’s teacher for an explanation of what is happening and identify the time of day that the inappropriate behavior occurs. Talk with your student to identify and address underlying issues that are leading to disruptive behaviors. For example, is your student experiencing any social, emotional, or learning challenges in the classroom? If the root cause is identified, we can work together to provide targeted interventions for your student if necessary. Finally, it is important to acknowledge good behavior when you see it. The majority of our students are consistently doing the right thing. It is recommended to provide students with the opportunity for praise and celebrations to encourage positive behavior.

Ms. Jules Wilder

Student Wellness Coordinator

CASEL and SEL at Obama

CASEL is an organization that works to bring high quality standards to social and emotional learning. The organization has identified 5 major focuses of SEL instruction: self-management, responsible decision making, relationship skills, social-awareness, and self-awareness. Many of the activities and lessons that students receive include many of these focuses in one lesson.

Self-Management

Self-management, often referred to as "self-control" or "self-regulation," is the ability to effectively regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in various situations. Students may learn about this by learning, practicing, and using stress-management and calm down strategies. Self-awareness also focuses on organizational skills, goal setting, self-motivation.

Additional Resources:

Some easy ways to build self-management skills include practicing coping strategies, discussing pros and cons when problem solving, organizing goals, and using positive self talk to encourage yourself when things get hard!

If you’d like to know more about the work that the Wellness & PBIS team and its partners are doing, you can check out our website here. You will find information and details about all the wellness initiatives occurring both at the district level and here at Barack Obama Elementary! If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me (juliana.wilder@mapleschools.com)!

Ms. Erika Sorrell

Student Support Coordinator

Hello parents/guardians,

As winter break approaches many families go on vacation during the holiday season. When planning trips, try to plan them during school scheduled breaks. Days missed due to being on vacation does not excuse the absence and may negatively affect student attendance as well as their academics so let’s finish out 2024 with strong attendance. Wishing you and your family a happy and safe holiday. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me at (216) 438-6020 ext 4015.

Principal's Corner

Dr. Kiena Hughley