Columbus City Schools eNewsletter: Back-to-School Special Edition

n 08.23.2010 Follow us on ... CCS: http://twitter.com/ColsCitySchools Superintendent: http://twitter.com/DrGeneTHarris 2010 Columbus Board of Education Front, l-r: W. Shawna Gibbs; Ramona Reyes; Stephanie Groce, Vice Pres.; and Carol L. Perkins, Pres. Second Row, l-r: Micheal Wiles; Hanifah Kambon; and Gary L. Baker II. Click here for scheduled meeting dates, podcasts and how to contact CCS Board of Education members. Back-to-School Still Time to Register for the 2010-11 School Year Parents and students that are new to the district or have moved during the summer months can still register prior to the first day of classes at their respective schools. Additional questions or concerns can be addressed by calling the school office or the CCS FACTLine at 614-221-FACT (3228). CCS Virtual Credit Advancement Program (VCAP) Students can complete their high school diploma requirements online choosing from a full compliment of courses for enrichment, including courses in literature, history, chemistry,physical education and health. Whether students need to make up missed credits, repeat courses or balance school with other responsibilities, CCS-VCAP can be a great choice. In addition, students enrolled in VCAP on a full-time basis have access to all extracurricular activities available to traditional students. CCS-VCAP will begin Tuesday, September 7, 2010. Click here for additional information. CCS Policy on Student Attire The Columbus Board of Education believes that appropriate dress and grooming contribute to a productive learning environment. The dress code represents that commitment and applies to all students; principals have the discretion to further restrict the dress code. Students are responsible for following their school's dress code. School Uniform Guidelines Dress Code Policy (for schools without a formal uniform requirement) Columbus City Schools Latchkey Program Latchkey is a school-age child care program that provides care and education for children of working parents. This program is designed to be a link between the home and the school. Certified, qualified and experienced child care providers supervise, teach and interact with children to ensure that they are cared for, supervised, exposed to many learning activities, allowed to complete homework and share enjoyment in a relaxed and carefully designed developmentally appropriate environment. Click here to learn more! Four Innovative Schools for 2010-11 Academic Year With the 2010-2011 school year rapidly approaching, CCS staff are working to prepare and welcome students to four new innovative schools August 25: Columbus International High School Columbus City Prep. School for Boys Columbus City Prep. School for Girls Expansion of Fifth Ave. International to a K-8 program The new schools were a levy promise made after reviewing community input and the result of the hard work of the Innovative Schools Task Force Committee, comprised of community members, parents, and educators. Ohio Senate Bill 311 Credit Flexibility: A New Option for High School Students Columbus City Schools provides students four different methods to earn high school academic credit toward graduation: Traditional, Integrated, Applied, and Career-technical. Credit Flexibility is an additional opportunity for students to create unique learning experiences. Student proposals could include, but are not limited to: distance learning (online), educational travel, independent study, internships, community service, performance, and field experiences. Click here to read more! CCS Higher Education Partnership Seniors to Sophomores: Earning college credit in high school Columbus City Schools has partnered with several Central Ohio institutions of higher learning to develop programs that boost student achievement and college readiness, offering college-level courses to seniors. The Columbus City Schools Seniors to Sophomores program is a dual enrollment program, which enables academically qualified high school seniors to earn both high school and college credit at the same time. Click here to learn more! We want to hear from you. Please send your feedback and story ideas to: e-News@columbus.k12.oh.us		Back-to-School First Day of School: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 Wednesday, August 25, is the first day of the traditional school year for students in Columbus City Schools. Thanks to the continued support of the community, the district will open the doors to three new innovative schools: a prep school for girls and one for boys; an international high school, new buses, integrated 21st century technology and a strong commitment from all to ensure each student is prepared for the jobs of the future. Students attending the district's year-round programs - Africentric Early College K-12, Weinland Park ES, and Woodcrest ES - began classes July 28, 2010. Click here for 2010-11 School Year Calendars. Back to School Resources Click here for a one-stop online source to prepare for the first day of school. Information includes school websites, dress code/uniform polices, suggested school supplies and community resources. Click here for the 2010-11 Back to School Newsletter! Columbus City Schools' Vision 2012 and Beyond A 90 percent graduation rate beginning with the members of the Class of 2012 The Columbus City Schools' Vision 2012 is a shared goal of a 90% graduation rate beginning with the members of the Class of 2012 – today's junior class. Superintendent Gene T. Harris has launched an aggressive Operational Plan to change the way the district supports its schools and serves its students. In a nod of support of the plan and of the work accomplished to date. Click here to learn more about Vision 2012 and Beyond! CCS Breakfast and Lunch Program Breakfast and lunch have a great impact on student achievement. Breakfast is free to all students. Breakfast and lunch will be available starting the first day of school. All meals comply with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans developed by the National Research Council. Menus are available on a daily basis by calling the FACTLine at 221-FACT (3228) or clicking here. With almost three in four CCS students eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program, in addition to completing an application from the school office, parents may now also complete an application online! Only one application is required for each family. New Chief Academic Officer Welcomes New School Year With the first day of school just days away, Columbus City Schools Chief Academic Officer Keith M. Bell is advising parents to continue guiding kids back into their regular routines in preparation for the new academic year and to initiate discussions about the importance of a child's school career. Similarly, Bell said he is eagerly welcoming the new school year also. "This is an opportunity that will allow me to focus on the educational performance of the district while developing policies and procedures to close academic achievement gaps," said Bell. Bell began his work with the district, August 2, 2010. As chief academic officer, Bell is directly responsible to the superintendent and has primary authority and accountability for the district's academic support services as well as the academic performance of all schools. Click here to learn more about Mr. Keith M. Bell. New State Vaccination Requirements! Keep your child from having to be excluded from school! The Ohio Department of Health is now requiring that prior to the start of kindergarten, all children must receive a second dose of varicella (chicken pox) vaccine, and the last dose of polio vaccine must be on or after the child's fourth birthday. Additionally, students entering 7th grade need a booster dose of the Tdap vaccine. District health officials are encouraging families to take advantage of the Columbus Public Health Department's free vaccination clinics. Failure to provide vaccine documentation to the school nurse by September 15 will require children to remain at home until the immunization requirements are met. Click here for additional information Families Can Access Bus Route Info by Home Address Online At this point, all parents should have received in the mail a "snap-pull" envelope with each child's transportation information, i.e. bus pick-up and drop-off times and locations. This new method allowed the district to send families the most up-to-date information. Families may also look-up their students' route information on the district's website www.columbus.k12.oh.us and clicking the "Transportation" button. A school transportation FAQ is also available on the site. For more information, click here to visit the CCS Transportation webpage. Change in Columbus High School Bus Stops: Maps and Information One of Columbus City Schools' levy promises to the community was to conduct a comprehensive review of the transportation operation to help improve efficiency and operations and to reduce costs. However, at the forefront of any Columbus City School decision is to maintain the safety of our students in all situations. For the upcoming 2010-2011 school year, the district will consolidate high school (only) bus stops to the nearest open CCS building from the student's home. Click here to learn more. Kindergarten Orientation: August 25-27, 2010 Welcome to Kindergarten, Class of 2023! Newly arriving kindergarten students and their parents can become familiar with their new school, at a special orientation, Aug. 25 - 27, at the child's assigned school from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. During the full-day orientation, parents and students will learn expectations, receive guidelines, and ideas that will help make the students' first year of school an enriching and successful one. Click here to learn more! Parents Now Able to View Middle- and High-School Grades Online - Anytime! Columbus City Schools is pleased to introduce the Parent Assistant Module (PAM), a tool for parents (and students) to access grades via the Internet, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. PAM uses secure web access technology to serve the family and increase home-to-school communication. PAM provides direct access to a student's grades, class attendance, and upcoming assignments. Click here for a list of participating schools. Fostering Community and School Partnerships A new School Partnership Registration Process has been developed to encourage a cooperative and easy working relationship with our valued partners in support of the district's mission. Click here for additional information. 34 New or Renovated State-of-the-art Schools Since 2004, 10 More Underway Learning Continues During Construction and Renovations As the work continues on the Segment 3 (and the final stage of Segment 2 of the 7-segment building initiative, one of the largest construction projects in the state, CCS is maintaining its focus on teaching and learning. This segment, to further bring more schools into full 21st-century learning environments, is a $159 million investment: $112.2 million in district funds from Issue 75, approved by Columbus voters in November 2008, and $46.9 million in state matching funds (approximately 30 percent). Click here to read more about your Segment 3 school. Click here to read more about temporary school moves. CCS Community Survey: Your Opinion Matters! Columbus City Schools is asking for your opinion on communication between the District and the community. The information we receive will enable us to improve our services. Thank you in advance for sharing your opinion with us. Click here to take the online survey. Are you receiving a pass-along copy of CCS eNews? To subscribe Click here or here to opt out. CCS: http://twitter.com/ColsCitySchools | Superintendent: http://twitter.com/DrGeneTHarris
Columbus City Schools | 270 East State Street | Columbus, Ohio 43215 | (614) 365-5000