Eastwood Elementary Update

Name: Angie Jones

Your Job at Eastwood: School Psychologist

Years at Eastwood: Starting my 8th year!

Hobbies: Yoga teacher, sound therapy, my coffee shop

Family: Husband, Gareth, Kids, Ian, Ruby, Morgan, Theo, Corey, and Granddaughter, Harper

Pets: 2 dogs, Neiko & Luna, 1 cat, Willow

Favorite Vacation: I just love Puerto Rico and have been there twice

Favorite Meal: Sushi or anything Mexican

Favorite Dessert: Anything with chocolate

Favorite TV Show: Watching Gilmore Girls with my daughter

Favorite Sports Teams: Watching my kids run cross country, play tennis, and swim

Best Thing About Eastwood: My favorite part of each day is saying good morning to the kids at

the front door! By far, each day there is a special moment with a child and that is the best thing

about my job! And we have some of the best at Eastwood!

Quote to Live By: “A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just bloom

Name: Leslie Straka

Your Job at Eastwood: Eagle Way Coach

Years at Eastwood: 6 years

Hobbies: time with family, hiking, rollerblading, yard work

Family:

Husband - Jeff, a PE teacher in Fremont

Son - Aaron (age 15) who runs cross country and plays baseball for Genoa

Son - Eli (age 27) who is married to Lizzie. They have 2 amazing daughters, Olive (age

3) and Mabel (age 3 months). Being a Lulu to my granddaughters is possibly the most

fun role I’ve ever had!

Pets: I have 2 dogs, Rudy (12 year old Chiweenie) and Sunday (6 year old mixed breed)

Favorite Vacation: Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains

Favorite Meal: veggie fajitas

Favorite Dessert: Ice cream

Favorite TV Show: Parks and Recreation

Favorite Sports Teams: Detroit Tigers…I lived in Detroit and saw the Tigers play during their

1984 World Series season!

Best Thing About Eastwood: Students who love coming to school and staff who consistently

go the extra mile for students!

Quote to Live By:

Sometimes the strength within you is not a big fiery flame for all to see, but it is just a tiny spark

that whispers softly, “You’ve got this…keep going!”

Name: Bethany Moore

Your Job at Eastwood: Gifted Intervention Specialist

Years at Eastwood: Starting Year 27

Hobbies: Reading, Restoring our house

Family: Husband, Luke

Daughter, Emma, 10 years old, 5th grade

Son, Eli, 7 years old, 2nd grade

Pets: Puppy named Paddington

Favorite Vacation: Maui

Favorite Meal: All veggies from the garden

Favorite Dessert: Key Lime Pie

Best Thing About Eastwood: Caring Staff & Wonderful Students and Families

Quote to Live By: The difficult we do right away; the impossible takes a while.

Name: Marie Thornton

Your Job at Eastwood: Speech and Language Pathologist (4th grade-12th grade and Wings

Program)

Years at Eastwood: This is my first year at Eastwood

Hobbies: Hiking, kayaking, running, exploring coffee shops, and reading

Family: I am married to my husband Travis and we have a 4-month-old son Noah. I also have

three sisters.

Favorite Vacation: My honeymoon to Bar Harbor, Maine

Favorite Meal: I love pizza!

Favorite Dessert: Cookies

Best Thing About Eastwood: The people! Everyone has been so friendly and so helpful!

Quote to Live By: “We can do small things with great love” – Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Name: Alycia Emch

Your Job at Eastwood: Paraprofessional

Years at Eastwood: 2

Hobbies: Making glitter tumblers

Family: Husband-Jacob, 2-daughters Leah (16) & Livy (9) and 1 son-Levi (11)

Pets: 2 dogs- Fox Red Labrador, Scarlet & a Golden Retriever, Honey and 4 rabbits- Olive,

Gravy, Meatball & Vanilla

Favorite Vacation: Tennessee with family

Favorite Meal: Shrimp alfredo

Favorite Dessert: Brownies

Favorite Movie: Forrest Gump

Favorite Sports Teams: Eastwood's Track & Cross Country teams

Best Thing About Eastwood: Learning, modeling and living the Eagle Way

Quote to Live By: Be yourself, it's someone no one else can be

Name: Rona Knieriem

Your Job at Eastwood: Behavior Intervention Specialist: Compass Room

Years at Eastwood: First Year

Hobbies: Reading, drawing, crafts, sleeping, boating, hanging with family

Family: Greg (Husband), Meranda (Daughter), Liam (Grandson), Malakai (Grandson), Nathan,

(Son), Claire Grace “Gracie” (Granddaughter), Oliver (Grandson), Maya & Mylo (granddogs)

and Wren (grandcat).

Pets: Michelob Amber Bock “Bock” Chihuahua

Favorite Vacation: Visiting my daughter and grandsons in Florida or hanging at our lake house

Favorite Meal: Tornadoes Oscar

Favorite Dessert: Angel food cake with fruit topping

Favorite TV Show: Big Bang Theory

Favorite Sports Teams: Notre Dame, Cleveland Browns, Mud Hens

Best Thing About Eastwood: Feel supported and accepted

Quote to Live By:

“To the World, You May Be Just One Person, But To One Person You Are The World!!”

-Dr. Seuss

“We have to have Good Friday to appreciate Easter Sunday!” - Robert T. Mumford, Sr.

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to

enjoy, to love…” – Marcus Aurelius

Name: Abby Marinelli

Your Job at Eastwood: Substitute Teacher

Years at Eastwood: Four

Position at Eastwood: Elementary Building Substitute

Family:

My son, Cael (14), is a Freshman at Eastwood High School where he participates in football,

wrestling, and is a member of the Eastwood FFA chapter. He is also a very active member of

Pemberville Boy Scout Troop 344 and is working toward becoming an Eagle Scout. Cael works

as a handler/groom for his dad’s horse drawn carriage company on the weekends.

My daughter, Aine (13), is an eighth grader at Eastwood Middle School where she participates

in Choir. Aine is an active member of The Children’s Theater Workshop in Toledo where she

performs in several plays and musicals throughout the year and takes classes on Saturdays.

She is also an avid artist and takes art classes at the Toledo Museum of art.

Pets: We have one horse, two indoor cats, a dog, and a multitude of farm cats.

Best Thing About Eastwood: The strong community and the staff that goes out of their way to

make sure each child is treated with respect and love.

Name: Dani Richards

Your Job at Eastwood:

Small Reading Group Intervention and Transportation Secretary

Years at Eastwood:

11 years providing reading intervention and 6 years working at the bus garage

Position at Eastwood:

Family:

My husband – Matt, Daughter – Lou (2)

Pets:

Dog – Nala (13)

Favorite Vacation:

Anywhere with a beach and waves, but I would love to go back to Antigua some day

Favorite Meal:

Flank steak, but only if using my grandpa’s (Merril Shaffer) recipe

Favorite Dessert:

Kim’s Kakes in Rossford has delicious cupcakes, but my favorite are their Black Tie cupcakes

Favorite TV Show:

Parks and Rec

Favorite Sports Teams:

Go sports! But my husband is a huge Browns fan, so I do occasionally wear Browns clothing

Best Thing About Eastwood:

Eastwood has a great paraprofessional staff! I hope all parents, guardians and staff see how

lucky we are to have all these wonderful people to help support the students and teachers.

Quote to Live By:

“To kindness and love, the things we need most” – The Grinch

Name: Renee Delventhal

Your Job at Eastwood: I work with 3rd graders through high school

Years at Eastwood: This is the start of my 7th year

Position at Eastwood: Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

Family: Brad (husband), Dawson (23), Jaxon (20), and Vayda (17)

Pets: Bogey (dog)

Favorite Vacation: This year we went to Charlevoix MI for my niece's wedding and spent the

week there with all of our kids. It was the first vacation we had been on as a family that wasn't

related to sports in about 10 years.

Favorite Meal: Steak and mashed potatoes

Favorite Dessert: Donuts

Favorite Sports Teams: Ohio State Football, Cleveland State Volleyball :)

Best Thing About Eastwood: I enjoy the students and intervention specialists that I work with!!

Quote to Live By: Be an encourager, scatter sunshine, who knows whose life you might touch

with something as simple as a kind"

Name: Madison Spangenberg

Your Job at Eastwood: Paraprofessional

Years at Eastwood: My first year!

Position at Eastwood: Compass Room Paraprofessional

Family: Mom, Dad, Sister, 2 Brothers, and my Fiancé

Pets: 2 Australian Shepherds

Favorite Vacation: Anywhere on the beach!

Favorite Meal: Pasta

Favorite Dessert: Brownies

Favorite TV Show: Any crime show!

Favorite Sports Teams: Ohio State, Cincinnati Reds, and

Cincinnati Bengals

Best Thing About Eastwood: I love how welcoming the

staff and students are!

Quote to Live By: “She believed she could, so she did!”

As the holiday season began, our kindergarten classes learned all about the First Thanksgiving. As a way of retelling the important details of the First Thanksgiving, they made bracelets using different colored beads. We learned all about the traditions of the Pilgrims and Native Americans. It was often the focus of our reading and writing lessons to identify the many things we have to be thankful for. December promises to bring lots of learning and fun!

Pajama Drive

The Kindergarten and First Grade students collected over 60 new pajamas to donate to local families! We participated in the 14th Annual Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive with Scholastic and non-profit, Pajama Drive. For each pajama donated, Scholastic matches it with a book for a bedtime story. Thank you so much to all the families who helped us to help others during this holiday season!

Fourth graders in Mrs. Schrader's Language Arts classes recently wrote thankful paragraphs to express their gratitude during the Thanksgiving season. Several paragraphs were selected to be read over the announcements and published in this newsletter. Great job, fourth graders!

Movie Night-December 15th 7-9pm

NO PTO Meeting in December

Next PTO meeting will be held January 9th 6:30-7:30 in the Elementary library- all is welcome

SECOND NOTICE OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION

Hello Eastwood Elementary Families,

Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, schools are required to provide developmentally appropriate instruction in child sexual abuse prevention to students in grades kindergarten through six. Instruction is to occur annually and include information on available counseling and resources for children who are sexually abused.

We are still in the planning stages for materials that will be used with our elementary students at each grade level with the exception of third grade. Third grade students will continue to participate annually in CAPP (Child Abuse Prevention Program), which meets the requirements.

Upon request, parents and legal guardians may examine instructional materials (once available). Upon written request of the student's parent or guardian, a student can be excused from taking instruction in child sexual abuse prevention. Parents and guardians will be notified in advance, prior to these lessons.

The goal of child abuse prevention programming is to teach students each year about personal safety topics, such as recognizing abuse situations and seeking help from trusted adults.

For more information, go to: https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Student-Supports/Creating-Caring-Communities/Child-Sexual-Abuse-Dating-Violence-Sexual-Violence

Best Regards,

Nikki Ohms, M.Ed., LPSC

School Counselor

Eastwood Elementary

4700 Sugar Ridge Rd. Pemberville, OH 43450

nohms@eastwoodschools.org

419-833-2821 ext. 205

We will try to go outside as much as possible during the winter months. When the real feel is 20 degrees or above, we will go unless it is too icy.

It really is important to allow the kids to get some outside time and be able to move around.

If a student is wearing a snowsuit and boots, they can go in the snow. If they don't have the snowsuit on, the student is not allowed in the snow as their regular clothes will get wet and they have a half-day of school left.

We also tell the kids not to throw snowballs. I know that sounds mean, but we can't kids getting hit in the face wit h snow or ice balls.

The EYBSA is excited to offer their 2nd annual pitchers and catchers camp to the youth baseball and softball players of Eastwood. Dates of the camp are Saturday, February 3rd and 10th from 1:00-3:00 at Perry Field House on BGSU's campus. See attached flyer for details, age group availability, and how to register.

Thank you!

EYBSA Board

December

5th- 2-hour delay for professional development

14th- 3rd grade music program

15th- DARE graduation

18th- BOE meeting

20th- 29th- No School

January

1st -2nd- No School

3rd- School Resumes

11th- End of 2nd quarter

12th- No School

15th- No School- Martin Luther King Day

February

12th- 2-hour delay for professional development

15th-Music Program- 2nd Grade- 7:00 in HS Auditorium

19th- No School- President's Day

22nd- Spring Pictures