Adena Local Schools

The Elementary PTO Fundraiser pick-up has been postponed until April 23.

How to Support Your Child’s Health and Well-Being During Ohio’s Ordered School-Building Closure http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Student-Supports/Coronavirus/Supporting-Children%e2%80%99s-Social-Emotional-and-Behavi

Good Afternoon, this is Dustin England, Adena Middle School Principal, with an important announcement in regards to the 8th Grade Washington D.C. Trip. First, I want to thank all of you for responding to the Google Form. After considering all the responses and communicating with the company we are planning to reschedule the trip for the Fall and will not be taking the trip in May. Second, final payments were due this Friday but with the dates now changing the payments will not be collected at this time. I will let you know in the coming weeks what the plan looks like going forward with payments. Finally, we are doing our best to take everything into consideration with the rescheduling of the Washington D.C. Trip, as students will be freshman and will have other obligations to fulfill. The trip will be one they will never forget and we have been told the Fall is a wonderful time to visit our Nation's capital! Have a good day and enjoy the sunshine.

Please see an update from Superintendent John Balzer on the Food Program: https://bit.ly/33JIVAV

An Update From John Balzer Hello Everyone! Rober Schuller said, “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” That is the message I want to impart to all Adena students and families. We are finding our way through a tough time. We are experiencing some adversity, and things are likely to get worse before they get better. I want to share with you that we are seeing so many young people rise to the challenge of learning during this difficult time, and they are being led by a tremendously dedicated and persistent group of teachers of whom I am tremendously proud! Every last member of the Adena staff are checking in and asking what more they can do to help out. They are providing meals, They are providing learning opportunities. They are helping people solve problems. We are now trying to comply with the “Stay at Home” order issued by Dr. Acton. We hope all of you will step up and help out by keeping everyone as close to home as is possible, and avoid unnecessary travel or social gatherings. We want anyone who needs to contact us to use email when possible. We won’t be able to answer the phones at school for a while, but we can check the messages remotely. It will be faster for you to get a response from the school using the following email addresses: High School josh.jones@adenalocalschools.com Middle School dustin.england@adenalocalschools.com Elementary School lisa.wayland@adenalocalschools.com Superintendent john.balzer@adenalocalschools.com We are proud of our students who are adapting quickly and doing their best to meet the challenges. Don’t forget there are many resources posted on the school Facebook page. (It’s pinned to the top of the page.) Keep washing your hands, keep your hands away from your face and mind that social distance! Be Warrior strong and be positive! Better times are ahead.

Each day Mrs. Glandon reads her “Words of wisdom” to our Elementary students. We want to keep the tradition going. See below for today’s edition: https://youtu.be/dK55cD98ISg

Please see the following information pertaining to our shelf-stable feeding program: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13v2QIS5_5RlOES82Q7J5rDkM_Ft0nsEQk2eYhg7Mylw/edit?usp=sharing

Good Afternoon! This is Dustin England, Adena Middle School Principal, with an important announcement for all 8th grade families signed up for the 19-20 Washington D.C. Trip. Due to the unprecedented circumstances we have been in constant communication with the trip company. We would appreciate your feedback on your child’s trip. Please use the following link to complete the survey. https://bit.ly/391DpL5

A Message For Our Seniors From Mr. Jones: Scholarship applications can be dropped off at the school this week from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. After this week, the administration will be on a rotating schedule and those hours could change. As of right now, you are returning on April 6th. Future events like prom and graduation have not been cancelled. If we have to POSTPONE, we will. There is nothing written stating we cannot have the graduation ceremony and prom in June if it comes to that. We will do what we can to make adjustments and get through this. Although times are uncertain and anxieties might be rising, try to stay calm and avoid speculation and worrying. Speculation is not a substitute for patience. We are not giving up hope on giving our seniors these special memories. Adena Local Schools will remain committed to serving the needs of our students and community to the best of our abilities. Stay calm and stay well! Josh Jones Adena High School Principal

The following document contains important information for the Adena Local Schools community. This information will be updated regularly, so please remember to check back frequently. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AMm3Zu-55Ogc5MhDsmEqasUisZn2wb-eQkZ9VLOKlVA/edit?usp=sharing

An Update From Superintendent John Balzer We now begin the 3-week period of distance learning initiated by Governor Dewine. You are not alone. Adena principals have posted updates and information to help you get started with your children. They are available to help you when you need assistance with this project. We need you to help us by making sure your children are completing the lessons and participating in the learning. We don’t know how long this will have to take place, but we do know it will be the method of learning for the next three weeks. We hope for a quick and smooth transition and a speedy return to the school setting as soon as possible. I want to take a moment to review the bigger picture which might help you work with your children to ensure the best chance for a successful experience. Remember to be patient and flexible. We may have to work out a few issues here and there, but we will eventually get this to work in a way that allows our students to make progress. Our teachers will monitor emails and communicate with you electronically as well. First, remember that schools have been closed and activities have ceased in order to slow the spread of the virus. We need to make sure our children avoid crowds and being in closed environments where proper social distance cannot be maintained. Travel and vacations are being discouraged for good reason. In fact, the Governor is stressing that any unnecessary travel should be avoided. The next few weeks are going to be critical as we work to slow the spread of the virus in order to avoid overwhelming the healthcare system. It is a golden opportunity to explore new things… Maybe read a good book, learn a new hobby or pursue some new interests. There are many possibilities for our kids to explore! Ohio has received the waiver needed to allow us to prepare shelf-stable breakfasts and lunches. We will be contacting you soon (likely Monday) to set up a list of students who will need food. We have several volunteers who are ready to help bag the food and distribute it to your residence. There will need to be a minimum of contact during this process to avoid spreading the virus. Students who are currently being served by our counselors at Integrated Services may still receive services from home. Becky Clever, Miki Dawson and Carrie Osborne can be reached by calling 1-800-321-8293. Students can call between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The after-hours crisis line is 740-649-2552. There is also a way to use Chromebooks which Integrated can explain once you contact them at the toll-free number. The Frankfort Library intends to be open until instructed otherwise. Students will have access to wifi and computers, but everyone should be aware of maintaining proper space and anti-virus protocols. Here is a link that connects you to the Center for Disease Control website regarding Coronavirus. Scroll down and look to the left side for “What You Should Know” and make your selection. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html Here is the link to the Ohio Department of Health. Here you will find the latest numbers concerning the spread of the virus and a link connecting you to practical tips and advice for dealing with Coronavirus topics. https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/ In closing, The staff of Adena Schools remain committed to our students, their families and the community we serve. We will do everything we can to help you get through this trying time. Remember- remain calm, take a deep breath and keep the big picture in mind… We are pulling together with our Warrior spirit and resolve to see ourselves through this challenge. We will emerge stronger, better and wiser as normalcy returns, and rest assured- it will return. The world is still a good place. Fear and anxiety will not rule over us. Our children will remember this event for the rest of their lives and tell their children about it. They are watching how we respond to this situation and it is up to us to rise to our best for their sake. Together we are strong and we will succeed in bringing ourselves, Ohio and our great nation through this challenge! Future updates will be posted as needed. Stay strong and stay well! John Balzer

Good Evening! This is Dustin England, Adena Middle School Principal, with an announcement for all middle school students and families. We will be participating in distance learning during this time. All teachers will be assigning lessons to Google Classroom. Your child has used Google Classroom all year in specific classes. They know how to use it and are accustomed to the features. If the students are logging on from a different platform, such as a Windows machine, details for their Google log in were sent home today and those details can be found on our website. Students should be logging in daily to complete assignments that are given by the staff members. This will be tracked through their Google account log ins and assignment completion. Students will want to be proactive in their approach so they do not fall behind. The students may be directed by staff members to use other resources to complete classroom assignments. The staff will be available via Google Classroom communication or through their school email. All staff emails can be found on our school website. Their office hours for communication will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. I encourage you to communicate often with the teacher if you have questions. Please be patient as we work through the issues for the first couple of days. For this to be successful, it will take all of us working as a team in order to see all students be successful. Many Chromebooks were signed out by students today to complete these lessons. A student agreement was signed and sent with your child discussing many different factors, such as damaged or broken Chromebooks. The Chromebooks will need to be returned the day that we all return to school. If your child stated they did not have wifi access to complete the Chromebook assignments, paper packets were developed for them to complete. If your child does not have access to technology to complete the assignments or your child was absent today, arrangements can be made on Monday. The first couple of days will be a tough transition as we are not accustomed to educating our students this way. Please be patient and continue to work with us as we try to do what is best for your child. Thank you for all your support. Other important information, the grading period will end next week and grade cards will be mailed the following week. You will be able to access your child’s grade card from Progressbook. There will be no activities taking place at the school and all extracurricular activities will be stopped until further notice. If you have any questions or technology issues, please call the middle school office at 740-998-2313.

A message for high school students and parents. Parents: All students should make sure they have their Chromebooks and chargers before they return home today. All teachers are assigning them assignments each school day to complete while they are out the next three weeks. All of our staff is using google classroom. Some teachers will be using even more sources to make sure their students are getting their required material. We are moving forward the best we can at this time. The grading period does end next Friday, March 20th. Teachers will be inputting grades as scheduled. I will make sure grade cards get mailed home on Friday, March 27th. Even if I have to do this myself, it will get done. The staff will be available to communicate with from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. via email during each week day. I encourage you to communicate often with each one of them to stay up to date with what is going on in the class. The teachers are also asked to communicate a lot more frequently with each parent. They will have the ability to know when a student is not logging on. It is a team effort of two way communication. Students: This is your chance to challenge yourself to be efficient with your time each day you are at home completing your assignments. Wake up and get yourself in a routine. If you have questions, contact your teacher. Don’t hesitate. We are moving forward. Forget the negative and make the best of it. Don’t dwell. Step forward! If you do not have internet access at your house, we are making arrangements for you to have school Wi-Fi access. That information will come later. Everyone: This community is very resilient and knows how to come together to support each other. I am confident we will do the same now. We can choose to be upset or accept what we have been dealt with and make the best of it. We need to move forward the best we can and focus on what we can do. We can still make sure our students get their education while they are out of the classroom. We will get through this! Josh Jones Adena High School Principal

Please see info below on the postponement of our production of Steel Magnolias: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gzUTdKfoMziaUIkHGVE_k-34zz2rgoY4LB2LZvUVjog/edit?usp=sharing

A Message from Adena Superintendent John Balzer The State of Ohio is working to slow the spread of Coronavirus, hoping to avoid overwhelming our healthcare system, save lives and maintain the safety and wellbeing of the communities in our district. In response to the guidance of Governor Dewine, the Ohio Department of Health and the Ross County Health Department, The Adena Schools will take the following actions: THERE IS SCHOOL ON FRIDAY, MARCH 13th. It is important that students attend this day. Students K-12 will need to remember to take home their chromebooks, chargers and textbooks/materials they need for the duration of the closure. There will be a 3-week Spring Break beginning Monday, March 16th Lunch service will become available for students who have a need for it during the break (We will provide details as they become available) Distance Learning will take place for middle and high school students Elementary students will use packets Staff will be available online, through class dojo for elementary, and via email (details will be provided Friday) Staff will be available on Monday and Tuesday to confirm our systems are up and running correctly. ALL after-school activities and outside activities taking place in or at the school will be cancelled until school resumes. It is extremely important to maintain social distancing. We all need to emphasize to our children they need to stay close to home. Children are carriers of the virus, and we need to exercise caution with the elderly and their proximity to children who could spread the virus without knowing it. We will survive this upsetting and turbulent event. We will rise to the best we can be, the Village will pull together and see ourselves through this situation.

Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers, The Adena Local Schools will monitor the COVID19 (Coronavirus) situation closely. It is important to remain calm, using common-sense measures to prevent the spread of the virus as best we can and work to protect those at greater risk. At this time, we have no reported cases of the virus in Ross County. It is our intent to continue operations with caution, and be prepared to act according to our emergency plan if needed. We will work with, and remain in close contact with the Ross County Health Department and the Ohio Department of Education to make informed decisions that focus on the wellbeing of our students and their families. We will use our Adena App and our Robo-Call system to keep you informed should we need to announce important information or decisions. At this time, please continue to stress to your children the importance of proper hand-washing and keeping hands away from the face, eyes, nose and mouth. Remember, if your child is sick, DO NOT SEND THEM TO SCHOOL. Please contact the office to notify them of the absence. We can work with you on attendance issues as long as you keep us informed of your status. If needed, our middle and high school staff can implement Google Classroom to continue instruction at home on a temporary basis. Should this occur, we will need your help and support to ensure students commit to completing lessons in a timely manner. Although it is not optimal, it would provide us the opportunity to graduate the seniors on the original schedule and avoid the possibility of having them make up days at the end of the year and delay graduation. You should make sure you have child care arrangements on standby in case we have to close down for a couple of weeks or so, and you are required to report to work. We must all work together to bring ourselves through this new situation. We appreciate your willingness to adapt and prepare for disruption to our normal routines.

RPESD Parent Night

The February Student of the Month for the high school is Jenna Martin. Congrats, Jenna! Keep up the good work!

The Winter All-SVC Banquet was held tonight and we had several student-athletes get recognized in their sport. From left to right: Garrett Simmons (wrestling), Logan Bennett (basketball), Dalton Metzger (wrestling), Preston Sykes (basketball), Hannah Stark (basketball), Jadyn Smith (basketball), and Isaac Gray (wrestling).

We have quite the month coming up for the Adena Cafeteria! March starts off with Dr. Suess week, and we have some fun meals planned for our Elementary students! We have St. Patrick's day ( a day early) and we will sneak in a little something for Pi day.This is also National Nutrition Month and we are going to Eat Our Way Through the Alaphabet! So, if your student comes home and tells you about something new they tried at lunch or had a sample of, this is why. We are going to try and find some local food, some exotic food and anything that we are lucky enough to find that starts with "x" lol! We also have the Cincinnati Reds Baseball Opener on March 26. The GREAT news about this is that the Cincinnati Reds have donated tickets to us. Any student that buys a lunch tray will be eligible to enter their name in a drawing for the tickets, After our "Opener Lunch" we will have a drawing and announce the winner! So, come on down to the cafeteria and enjoy everything we have going on!