Reading, kindness highlighted at Greenfield board of ed meeting
Members of the Fifth Grade Tiger Kindness Club pictured during Monday's school board meeting with school board members. Shown (l-r) are school board member Eric Zint, student Silas Soards, board member Eric Wise, student Urijah Arrington, board member Sandy Free, student Aubree Potts, board member Marilyn Mitchell, student Aaliyah Ford and board member Rachel Fraley. The board members are holding the plaques made for them by fifth grade students in their art classes. More photos of the plaques can be seen in the gallery below. (Photos by Angela Shepherd)
The students of Greenfield Elementary are making strides with a new reading program, and fifth graders have started a kindness club.
These are two of the things the Greenfield school board were enlightened about at the Jan. 22 meeting.
A reading program called Really Great Reading (RGR) is being used in the district elementaries to teach students to read, and to help younger readers become strong, confident readers. It is also used in higher grades to help reading be less challenging for students who have struggled with it.
It’s a systematic, structured program and based on the science of reading that sort of flips the script on how reading has been taught until recent years.
Tia Barham, an intervention specialist at the elementary, presented the information to the school board at Monday's meeting. She covered the basics of what the program is and how it works and what the structure of each week looks like. She also included comments from teachers and videos from students who all talked about what they were learning and what they liked about the program.
The teachers’ comments, which came from all grade levels, all pointed out how the program is helping students’ engagement and confidence in reading.
Elsewhere in Greenfield Elementary some fifth graders have joined together for a kindness club. Members of the Fifth Grade Tiger Kindness Club on Monday told the board of education what they were all about and how they have been spreading kindness.
They exist, they said, because kindness is important and spreading that throughout the school and the community is important, too. Some of their efforts so far have included kicking off the school year by welcoming new teachers with a bag of candy. They have made cards for former and present staff members, for the marching band and athletes, and veterans, too. They have organized gifts for those struggling, put together care packages, and they sang Christmas songs during the holiday season all around town.
At the end of their presentation, those students handed a special gift to each board member. Those special gifts were plaques specifically made for each member, and on each plaque a mosaic of colorful tiles, each tile unique and crafted by fifth graders in their art classes.
According to superintendent Quincey Gray, who spoke on behalf of art teacher Bill Roller who was unable to attend the meeting, each fifth grade student in his classes made a textured clay tile using their shoe to imprint the clay. After the tiles were fired, the students painted them. The tiles were then pieced together on wooden plaques to form one-of-a-kind gifts for each of the board members.
In other matters, assistant principal of Greenfield Elementary, Bob Schumm, introduced teacher Bobbie Hurtt, who was recognized as one of the Ohio Lottery’s Partners in Education Teachers of the Month in November. According to Schumm, Hurtt was nominated by a parent of two of her students. Those students accompanied Hurtt to Monday’s meeting.
In her report, Gray spoke briefly about the upcoming State of the District, which this year will be a panel discussion to include administration and directors. It will provide the opportunity for anyone having questions to ask them. The State of the District is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the McClain cafeteria. For those interested, tours of the school will follow the session.
Senior and student advisory council representative Abby Wise reported to the board about the upcoming spring musical, “The Little Mermaid.” Wise said tryouts were open to all students and that casting went very smoothly, as no callbacks were needed for any of the parts, something she said is not usual. Practices for the musical have already begun, and the musical is set to be performed for the public on March 22-23.
In other meeting business, consent agenda items that were approved included the resignations of bus driver Judy Earley, cook Michele Miller and aide Ella Kolle. Also approved on the consent agenda was the McClain FFA trip to the National Land and Range Soils Competition in El Reno, Okla. this spring.
Board members also accepted the resignation of middle school teacher Tatiana Weaks, effective next month.
Employment recommendations approved by board members were: Susan Maynard - transportation aide; Judy Earley - bus driver; Winter Moon - aide; Matthew Bryant - bus driver; Danielle Buhrman - cafeteria, secretary; Jacob Catrone - junior high track; David Weaks - boys track assistant; Ethan Hurtt - girls track assistant; Katie Cook - transportation office; Robbie Wise - custodian/maintenance; Austin Booth - baseball assistant; Iva Easter - junior high track; Eric Stegbauer - softball assistant; Spring Roberts - softball assistant; and certified substitutes Charles Newland, Natalie Rolfe, Amy Kline and Cathy Rivas.
The Greenfield Exempted Village School District Board of Education meets next in regular session on Feb. 27, 2024 at 7 p.m. in the Greenfield Middle School gymnasium. For information and updates, go to the district website at greenfield.k12.oh.us or go to the district’s social media pages. The individual buildings also have Facebook pages. The district’s central office may be reached by calling (937) 981-2152.
