February '25 Newsletter
FROM THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT
Scott Reeves, Assistant Superintendent, Teaching & Learning
Wow! What a bunch of power packed days we’ve crammed into the short month of February! First of all, I’d like to thank teachers Ms. Bush at Minerva France, Ms. Paff at Alcott and Ms. Diehl at Minerva France for allowing me to read to their classes and participate in BizTown interviews. Talk about bookends, I went from a graduation planning meeting to reading to Kindergarteners. (Kindergarten was more fun!) I love being in your classrooms and taking part in the amazing work that you do! Please keep inviting me!! As we do every year, we celebrate Black History Month and all the other cultural events that you celebrate in your schools. Of course we have OELPA testing and secondary Parent/Teacher Conferences coming up. We also have wonderful Black History Month programs at each of our high schools, and this particular year, we’ll have the Ramadan observance from our Muslim students begin at the end of the month. There are BizTown activities, choir and orchestra concerts along with theatrical musicals, and for the sports enthusiasts, it’s Winter Sports Tourney Time!! We’ve even snuck in a Grow & Glow event, WE Day and a President’s Day holiday! So much greatness happening everywhere, everyday! Thank you for your standard of excellence!
Summer Learning Update
We will be offering High School Summer School only this summer for rising 9-12 students. We are finalizing the location, dates, and payment structure for credits and will be sharing that information in the coming weeks. We will still offer the same courses that we did in recent years and offering the courses will continue to be based on enrollment.
We will not be offering elementary or middle school Summer Academy. A key factor that impacted this decision was the cost to offer all three programs and our current budget, which decreased significantly because of the expiration of ESSER funds.
STUDENT SERVICES
Tami Santa, Executive Director, Student Services
Jessie Martin, Director, Student Well-Being
Ja'Niece McAlpine, Director, Educational Equity
Megan Orlowski, TOSA, Educational Equity
Rachel Pinto, District Nurse Coordinator
Educational Equity
While history is vital to understand the strides that Black Americans have had to overcome in this country, it is imperative that we begin to move from solely teaching about overcoming the constant struggles, although still relevant, and more towards highlighting and exposing students to the triumphs and excellence that come from the culture. Check out this amazing video: It focuses on Black Futures and the desire of students and their hopes of how Black History Month can evolve beyond its common practice.
Ramadan. As we approach the month of Ramadan, please take a few minutes to review this video for helpful tips and gain a better understanding of how you can support your students. If you need any support or have further questions, please see your building administrator.
We would love outpouring support for our Black History Month shows at each high school. Please share with your school communities in your family communication as you feel led and possibly attend any yourself!
- Westerville Central’s “Flip the Script” program casts a spotlight on life as a Black teen at WCHS. Performance February 26th at 7:00pm
- Westerville North’s program, “Family Ties,” explores tensions between the African American community and the African immigrant community. Performance February 20th at 7:00pm
- Westerville South’s “Echoes of Silence” program raises awareness on issues Black teens face, from their fears to misperceptions about mental health to cultural identity. Performance February 26th at 7:00pm
Clinics & Health Services
February holds special significance as both Black History Month and National Heart Month, offering an opportunity to honor the legacies and contributions of Black Americans while also raising awareness about the critical health challenges they face. This includes highlighting the disproportionately high risk of heart disease among Black children. According to the CDC, African American youth are more likely to develop conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes, which contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The history of barriers to healthcare access for Black Americans is deeply intertwined with systemic inequalities, including factors such as genetics, socioeconomic disparities, and environmental influences. These factors contribute significantly to heart health disparities, leading to alarmingly high rates of hypertension, a major risk factor for heart disease (American Heart Association). Black youth have the highest rates of hypertension among all racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. According to the CDC's Vital Signs report (2020), nearly 1 in 4 Black children between the ages of 8-17 have elevated blood pressure, which puts them at high risk for future cardiovascular diseases.
As educators, we have a vital role in nurturing student health by creating a culturally supportive, healthy school environment. Offering access to nutritious meals and snacks, encouraging physical activity throughout the school day, and prioritizing mental and emotional well-being can help mitigate these risks. Collaborating with school nurses to monitor student health, removing barriers to accessing care, and engaging families in prevention efforts are essential strategies in addressing these challenges early. In doing so, we not only support the heart health of all students but also honor the history, resilience, and strength of Black Americans during this important month.
Click HERE for the American Heart Association Heart Healthy student infographic.
Student Well Being
Recent data highlights a troubling trend: Black youth have the fastest-growing suicide rate among their peers of other racial and ethnic groups. Between 2007 and 2020, the suicide rate among Black youth ages 10–17 increased by 144%. Alarmingly, Black boys ages 0–19 have more than double the suicide rate of Black girls in the same age group.
In 2021, one in five Black high school students seriously considered attempting suicide, nearly 18% had made a suicide plan, and 15% reported attempting suicide. Nearly one in 20 required medical attention following a suicide attempt.
While many risk and protective factors are shared across racial and ethnic groups, Black youth face unique challenges. Institutional and interpersonal racism are significant contributors to suicide risk at every level—societal, community, relationship, and individual. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected Black communities, worsening risk factors such as access to care, medical distrust, financial strain, and social isolation (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health).
As educators and staff, it is essential to recognize these challenges and create a supportive, culturally responsive environment for our students. By fostering open conversations, promoting mental health resources, and addressing systemic barriers, we can work toward reducing these alarming trends and ensuring all students feel seen, heard, and supported.
Check out this infographic from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center to help protect Black youth from suicide.
OFFICE OF ASSESSMENTS AND ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION
Nick McIlwain, Director of Alternative Education & Assessments
The testing season is fully upon us!!! The excitement (and angst) is palpable! 😀 Hang in there, we’ll get through it together.
Thank you in advance for all of your efforts to ensure OELPA, Alt OELPA, AASCD, OST’s, AP, IB, PLTW, OMG administrations go well. Your professionalism and dedication to our students and community is greatly appreciated.
March would be a GREAT time to give a Readiness Assessment (checkpoint or benchmark) to gauge student learning levels before the April OST’s. If you need any help with accessing student testing data in the CRS, would like to know how to administer a checkpoint/benchmark practice assessment in the State Readiness portal, or how to print testing tickets for your students for practice tests in the State system, please check out these handy resources:
- Directions on how to print testing tickets, follow the steps in this document
- Directions to access student test scores in the CRS and Assessment Authoring (bank of all the released OST questions), follow this step sheet
- Directions for how to start at Readiness Assessment (checkpoint is 5-8 questions for a specific standard and benchmark is a full length practice OST), use this step sheet
SPECIALIZED LEARNING PROGRAMS
Guerdie Glass, Executive Director, Specialized Learning Programs
Adam Flugge, Director, Special Education
Suzanne Kile, Director, Preschool Services
Jennifer Winters, Coordinator, Office of English Learners
Valarie Jasinski, Coordinator, Gifted Education
Elizabeth Jelkin, Civil Rights Coordinator
The specialized learning programs outlined below have provided family engagement information. We encourage you to share these events with your families and include them in your building communications. These are wonderful opportunities for families to receive information that is relevant to their students’ experience within Westerville City Schools.
Special Education PreK-12
The Special Education Department continues to host multiple community engagement events to collaborate with families and to provide helpful information to support their child/children who receive special education services. See below for event information:
- One community event is the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). The advisory council consists of parents and guardians of special education students across the district coming together with the district's Parent Mentor and SEPAC Liaison to collaborate. The next SEPAC meeting will occur on: Monday, March 17th 6:00-7:30 PM in the Sunshine Room located at the Early Learning Center. Communications will go out to families through email and text. Information will also be posted on the Westerville City Schools website.
- Another community event is the Special Education Family Engagement Forum which occurs once a quarter. Every forum addresses various topics specific to Special Education and students receiving special education services. These topics are informed by family input. The upcoming date is Tuesday, March 11th 6:00-7:00 PM in the Sunshine Room at the Early Learning Center. Information regarding this event will be shared by email and text to families, as well as posted on our Westerville City Schools website.
Office of English Learners
Did you know that many other countries have a different educational school year than the United States? For example, Brazil’s school year runs from February to December. We are currently seeing a number of students enroll in our district from other countries where they have just ended their school year. Imagine being a student who is expecting to begin a new school year in our district finding out that they are actually entering when we have already completed over half the school year. As a reminder, our WCS English Learner Program Manual has great resources that can help you learn and understand the best practices to support our English Learners. We have a whole section just for Understanding EL that includes many resources for Administrators and General Education Teachers.
(Find out more by clicking in Section B!!)
WCS English Learner Program Manual
The EL Department also holds parent meetings four times a year to help provide information about our district with interpreters. Our goal is to help parents with limited English proficiency have an opportunity to better understand the intricacies of our school system and ask questions. Click below to see what information we have covered this year. Our next meeting is Thursday, March 6th at 9:30 AM OR 6:30 PM at the Early Learning Center.
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
Cheryl Relford, Executive Director of Elementary Schools
Kate Thoma, Director of Elementary Curriculum & Instruction
We want to thank you for your continued effort in supporting students, families and each other. We are excited to offer our February Collaborative Problem Solving meeting coming up on February 26th from 4:15-6:00. The topic for this meeting will be to gain feedback on our work with MTSS at the Elementary level. It’s not too late to join. Please send Kate Thoma an email to express your interest if you would like to attend. As a reminder, we have a One Time Pay written for up to 50 teachers to attend this meeting.
Elementary Curriculum & Instruction
Hopefully you have had time to review the Elementary C and I newsletter. If not, click here to read about all the important updates in the world of Elementary. As you read above, we will not have K-5 Summer Academy. Many of you have been an integral part of offering this program to students for the past several years. We wanted to formally thank you for your hard work and dedication. While we do not know what will be offered in future summers, we are so thankful and proud of the work so many of you were a part of.
K-2 teachers, be sure you attend your Wit and Wisdom training this Friday at WE Day. Sessions are listed below but make sure you register so we have the right number of materials in our spaces. If you are not able to attend these sessions, you will need to meet with your Instructional Coach to be trained prior to April. It is expected that you implement Module 0 of Wit and Wisdom this April or May in accordance with the new legislation that came into effect last school year. We know year one will be a year of learning for all of us and we are excited to partner with you, make adjustments as needed, and work together to implement Wit and Wisdom as our Core Reading program. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Kate.
SECONDARY EDUCATION
Anne Baldwin, Executive Director, Secondary Schools
Dr. Jennifer Knapp, Director, Secondary Curriculum & Instruction
Matt Misener, Director, Career and College Pathways
Becca Yanni, Coordinator, Extra and Co-Curricular Activities
February is an exciting and busy short month! Thank you in advance for the important family meetings you are supporting during Parent-Teacher Conferences this month. Conferences are a valuable time to reflect on student progress, celebrate achievements, and address any challenges that may be preventing students from reaching their full potential. This opportunity for collaboration with families plays a key role in ensuring that each student has the resources and support they need to finish the year prepared for the next steps in their academic career.
Course requests at the secondary level are well underway and it has been exciting to see students reflect on their strengths and interests, and then choose courses that will support and grow them! Please continue to encourage students to explore that interest they have been considering and challenge themselves in a content area they love.
Our high school Black History Month teams cannot wait to share their shows with the community as well as elementary and middle school students over the next month and into March! Thank you for your flexibility and support of this creative work our students have designed and will perform.
Secondary Curriculum
As noted earlier in this newsletter, we will only be having High School Summer School this summer and not 6-8 Summer Academy. Thank you to all of those who have supported our students during the summer. We greatly appreciate your time and efforts to meet the needs of our most at-risk students. We will continue to reflect on how we may be able to offer summer programming to students in the future and look forward to your ideas. We will be providing a list of resources to parents in the coming months to support summer learning.
We look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow for WE Day! There are required sessions for any secondary teacher that teaches a tested area as well as teachers of HS Health, MS Connections, and MS Global Issues . Please be sure to register and attend! You can find those sessions below!
Click on Table Below to Enlarge
Extra and Co-Curricular Activities
During the months of February and March, our 5th grade students are selecting which music they would like to enjoy while they transition to middle school. Our community partners, Music and Arts, help our students try eight different instruments during their school day. Our elementary schools also welcomed the choir directors from the middle schools, so they can hear about their vocal options too! Thank you for making this opportunity for our students and helping our Band, Choir, and Orchestra participation grow!
In that same vein, our HS Show Choirs helped to transition our 8th grade students at Westerville North HS. The group, high schoolers and eighth graders performed all together as the One Westerville Choir. High school students and staff then presented options, myth busters, and answered questions about high school programming.
