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Greenville City
Schools Update
Superintendent Doug Fries
January 2017
Greenville City Schools has had a great first semester of the 2016-17
school year, both academically and with extra-curricular
activities. Thanks to the hard work of our students and staff and
the support of our parents and community, the first semester is nearing
the end and has been very educational and productive.
Students will return from Winter Break later this year on Thursday,
January 12, 2017. There will be no school on Martin Luther King
Day, January 16, 2017 and the first semester ends on Friday, January
27, 2017.
Again, I would like to thank the entire school district for their
support of the new K-8 facility that is about to open to the students
and staff on January 12, 2017. The community is providing our
students and staff with a state of the art facility to enhance the
delivery of twenty first century learning and instruction for decades
to come. The new facility also features updated security and life
safety features throughout the building, improved accessibility for all
handicapped students and adults, enhanced technology for learning and
improved visual performing art classrooms and spaces. Further
improvements include updated efficient heating, ventilation, air
conditioning and electrical systems throughout the complex utilizing
geothermal heating and cooling. There is increased physical
education instructional space, as well as, extracurricular practice
space with two full size gym floors and a separate kindergarten
gym. The commons/cafeteria space is a wonderful feature for the
district both for student dining and for community performances and
events. The area features a stage available for performances to a
gym and the commons. It can also be closed off for additional
academic space. All the classroom spaces are built to OFCC
standards throughout the complex. Outside the facility features
three playgrounds with the kindergarten playground fenced in.
There are walking paths provided throughout the grounds and a delivery
loading dock. The facility has a total of 460 parking spaces.
Over Winter break the district has had Lewis and Michael Moving and
Storage, Inc. move the curriculum and equipment content from our four
existing buildings into the new K-8 complex. This move has gone
smoothly and we appreciate the assistance of the company. We also
sincerely thank the teaching and classified staff and all our wonderful
community volunteers that have assisted us in packing and unpacking
boxes, books and materials in preparation of opening the new school
complex. Again, our grateful gratitude to all that have helped.
We will be having a parent/student walk-through on January 9 and 10,
2017. The 5-8 side will be on January 9 from 4:00-6:30 p.m.
The K-4 will be on January 10 from 4:00-6:30 p.m. This will allow
parents and students a chance to familiarize themselves a little bit
with the building before the opening on January 12th.
The community Open House and Dedication for the new K-8 facility will
be scheduled Sunday afternoon February 26th. This will allow
staff to unpack and set up for educational operation and contractors to
work after hours on punch list items to prepare for this community
dedication and open house. The dedication program will begin at
2:00 and be followed with a couple of hours for the community to walk
through the facility. The entire district looks forward to this
dedication.
Prior to the new facility opening on January 12th, we have some
informational items we want to communicate. The school day for
the Middle School 5-8 will be from 7:35 to 2:25. The school day for the
Elementary School K-4 will be 9:05 to 3:30. We will continue to
run two bus routes. All busses will drop off and pick up from the
back side of the complex. Only busses, staff and deliveries will
use the Eric Street entrance off Main Street. All parent drop off
and pick up of students will take place in front of the building.
There are two front entrances to the parking lot off Ohio Street.
Traffic flow in front of the building is one way from South to North on
the drop off. Please drop off on the curb lane only. If you
enter from the North entrance, once you get to the parking lot you will
be directed around the back of the lot so you maintain the one-way
flow. Any time a parent or visitor comes to the building they
should park in front of the building and enter the front doors and
report to the office on the elementary or middle school side using the
front sidewalks and crossing lanes. The district will have
administrators, teachers, and PTA volunteers to help students the first
several days to help them get familiar with entry and routes to their
classrooms.
Students in the walking zones can enter from the front of the complex
off Ohio Street. We will have crossing guards provided at
Greenmoore Street. Students walking may also walk in to the rear
of the complex from Orchard Drive by way of a walking path.
Students again should use provided walk paths and crossing zones when
entering from the back of the complex and watch for busses providing
drop off and pick up. There will be administrative and
teacher/resource officer supervision, as well.
No students should walk in from Eric Street. Again, this is for
busses and deliveries, as well as staff. Please walk to Orchard
or Ohio Street and then in. Students on Redwood, Palm and Lea
Lane can use the walkway that ties into the back-walking path.
There will be bricks from each building set out for pick up for free
when each building is demolished. Staff and community members may
feel free to pick one up if you so desire at the building site.
This is a part of the demolition process and has been put in the
specification plans.
We will soon be holding building auctions for the loose furnishings,
desks, food service equipment and other selected items in each of the
buildings. The first auction is scheduled at East School on
Saturday, January 28, 2017. The other auctions will follow
approximately three to four weeks apart, estimated, and subject to
change. We are pleased that Mike Baker, Midwest Auctioneers and
Realty, Inc. will be handling the auctions. This is an
opportunity for the community and staff to pick up a memory item or for
other facilities, schools, businesses or individuals to pick up loose
furnishings or items that may be of benefit to them.
We have been fortunate thus far this school year to have used no
calamity days. We are again this year operating on days, not
hours, for our school year requirements. Thus, we have five
calamity days available to use before implementing any make-up
days. The established make-up days for this school year, if
needed, are February 20th, June 8th, 9th, 12th and 13th. February
20th would only be used if six days were missed before that day.
As we enter the coldest of the winter season, I encourage everyone to
dress for the weather, particularly at bus stops, with heavy coats,
hats, scarves and gloves. We try hard to arrive on scheduled
times at bus stops, but weather conditions sometimes dictate being a
little behind to maintain safety. I encourage all student drivers
to take their time driving to and from school and in and around parking
lots of the school throughout the winter season.
For the second straight year, our district has successfully implemented
the College Credit Plus Program at the High School. This program
continues to benefit our students receiving college credit while in
high school. We have more than one hundred students taking
advantage of this program. Also at the High School, we have
implemented the same MAP testing in grades nine and ten as we have for
grades K-8. This is testing done three times during the year to
measure student progress and help assist us in where students will
perform on their end of course assessments. The High School is
working hard to meet required curriculum standards to prepare students
for these end of course exams.
At the elementary level, we have advanced our one to one IPad
technology program through the third grade. So, all students K-3
are working with one to one technology initiative as well as the ESpark
curriculum. The district has also been working the first semester
in piloting some new language arts curriculum in the elementary and
middle school related to the Ready GEN Program. The district is
looking to expand on this language arts program and will continue to
use the Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) testing in the
future. Again, the MAP test is a close measure on our student
performance for end of year required state assessments.
We were pleased the first semester to be using our new Advanced
Manufacturing Lab to instruct our high school students in career tech
programs. Likewise, we are pleased to be working with Edison
State in a joint agreement in doing various instruction programs in our
Advanced Manufacturing Lab to prepare adults for work force jobs and
training. We look forward to continuing this relationship.
We again had some wonderful school performances by our band, orchestra,
jazz scene and choirs of many grade levels before leaving for our
Winter break. I commend our students and directors and assistants
for their dedication to these performances. The programs were
each well done. Thank you also to the community for your
outstanding support and attendance at these events. Many of these
presentations were the last to be performed at Memorial Hall. We
look forward to hosting some of these events in the future at our new
K-8 complex.
Special congratulations to our twenty-eight high school juniors and
seniors who were inducted into National Honor Society at Greenville
High School on November 22, 2016. This was a wonderful Tap
Assembly coordinated by Advisor, Amber Warner. I salute all our
new inductees for their commitment to scholarship, leadership, service
and character. I also thank their parents and grandparents for
the guidance they provide these students.
Likewise, congratulations to our Greenville High School Fall 2016
Homecoming Queen Victoria Landis and Chief Greenwave Justin
McMiller. These two students were selected by the Greenville High
School student body during Homecoming Week.
A special thank you over this Winter Break to our Technology Department
which includes Stan Hughes (Coordinator), Robert Warner, Shawna Wise,
Nathan Sharp (Administrator/Instructor), and several of our Computer
Information System (CIS) students who have coordinated and moved all
our computers and technology devices to our new K-8 complex. This
has been a wonderful real life training opportunity of which they have
all done an outstanding job.
In closing, let me again thank our entire community for your ongoing
support of the Greenville School District. I invite all community
members, parents, grandparents to continue to be an active part of our
school district. Please feel free to attend as many student
activities as your schedule allows. The students, staff and
administration appreciate your support.
Everyone is always welcome to call me at 937-548-3185 or email me at
dfries@gcswave.com if you have any questions about our school district
or school activities. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday
break. Best wishes in the New Year and good luck to our students
in the second semester.
As always, Strong School Strong Community. Greenville City
Schools – a great place for students to learn and teachers to teach.
Again, the K-8 Community Dedication will be February 26, 2017 at 2:00
p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend. The dedication will be
followed by a two-hour open house during which time you will be able to
walk through the building.
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