MARCH 2024

HERE We Grow MONTHLY HEADLINES FROM THE ESC OF LAKE ERIE

WEST COMMUNITY SCHOOLS CENTER

DIRECTOR'S HEADLINE Ohio’s High-Performing Community School List

Summit Academy Community School for Alternative Learners – Canton

MORE INSPIRING READS THIS MONTH:

School Spotlights	2

has emerged as a star among Ohio's educational landscape. Out of more than 330 community schools statewide, Summit Academy Community School for Alternative Learners – Canton stands tall as one of the 59 schools to receive a prestigious high-performance ranking from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. What's more, it holds the distinguished honor of being the sole community elementary school in the Greater Canton area to achieve this remarkable feat.

In response to this outstanding accomplishment, ESCLEW would like to recognize Principal Tiffany George, her exceptional staff, and their dedicated students. Principal George acknowledges her school team for their collective efforts in implementing the Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS) program with unwavering fidelity as a contributing factor for their success.

Congratulations to Summit Academy Community School for Alternative

ESCLEW Book Club	3-4

Governing Authority	4

Academic Services	5-6

Compliance	7

Special Education	8

Professional Learning	9

ESCLEW Staff	10

Learners – Canton on this well-deserved recognition!

Reminder: Update OEDS Data

It is imperative the information for your school in the Ohio Educational Directory System (OEDS)

is current and accurate. Critical roles to verfiy:

OUR MISSION

"The ESCLEW Community Schools Center is a student-
centered authorizer of

Primary Contact-Sponsor (Kurt Aey)	Superintendent	Treasurer	charter schools, advancing

OEDS-R Organization Administrator	Coordinator - Assessment/Testing Principal	Special Education Contact
SAVE THE DATE!

The Annual Statewide Meeting date has been set. Please mark in

your calendars Wednesday, September 18, 2024.

quality educational opportunities throughout
the state of Ohio"

2	MARCH 2024

School Spotlights NORTH DAYTON SCHOOL OF DISCOVERY

Celebrating Black History Month: A Tribute to Excellence and Community Celebration and unity filled the gymnasium at North Dayton School of Discovery as students, staff, families, and community members came together to honor Black History month. The event showcased the school’s commitment to recognizing the contributions of African Americans within the Dayton community and in education.

Principal Victoria Simmons expressed gratitude for the opportunity to celebrate the rich history and achievements of African Americans. While the keynote speaker, Tom Roberts, President of the Ohio State Conference NAACP, captivated the audience with inspiring words of perseverance and reminded everyone to keep “letting their light shine”. One of the highlights of the evening was the showcase of student talents, with performances including singing, poetry reading, musical instrument solos, and dance routines.

North Dayton’s Black History month event was a true celebration of excellence and community!

LAKELAND ACADEMY Let’s Dance!

Each year Lakeland Academy, lead by Superintendent Scott Celestin, holds a Valentine’s Day Dance for their students and families. The event hosts a DJ, concession stand, and all proceeds benefit the Lakeland Academy PTO. They use their local Volunteer Department which is a great community space to use for this event. Typically they have over 100 students and parents attend.

The staff is there for the event to help serve food and supervise the kids. It’s a nice evening to dance and socialize with not only their school, but their community as well.

3	MARCH 2024

ESCLEW Book Club

Headlines Written by Julie Kadri

To Lead is to Teach:

Stories and Strategies from the Classroom to the Boardroom

Author Jim Mahoney divides his book into two parts. Part II includes compact lessons informed by the author’s experiences and thoughts and practices of current writers, thinkers, and researchers. At the end of each chapter are three actionable pieces that can be used by practitioners to introduce, reinforce, or teach the topic of that chapter.

Part II Life Lessons Learned – Chapters 19-20

Work Constructively in Teams

“If things go bad, I did it. If things go okay, we did it. If things go great, they did it.” – Bear Bryant

In Chapter 19, Jim shares his keys to working successfully on teams.

Don’t Assume Motivation. Jim cautions against assuming the motivation of others as it often leads to negative conclusions that may not be reality. He describes a popular colleague, “She sincerely, consistently, and honestly doesn’t judge people. She always sees the good in others. And guess what? She finds it, and it’s why people want to work with her on projects.”
Give Credit to Others. Recognizing people, the way they prefer to be recognized, for the good work they do is critical for a healthy team. Jim shares a variation of the golden rule: “Don’t treat people the way you want to be treated. Treat them the way they want to be treated.”
Communicate. Jim’s mantra has always been, “People are down on what they aren’t up on.” As a leader of an organization, Jim provided a weekly Monday morning memo complete with, “things happening that week, congratulations, thank yous, ideas to think about, and other tidbits.”
Cultivate Strengths. Use a tool like Gallup’s StrengthsFinder to identify team member strengths and incorporate those strengths into your work. People bring their passion and work harder when using their strengths.

4	MARCH 2024

Collaborate. The power of collaboration benefits every profession. Research conducted by Hauptman and Pisanto found that cardiac surgeons did not get any better simply by completing procedures over and over. However, they did improve when they practiced with the same team.
Laugh. Jim shares, “If you can’t laugh at yourself, you leave the job to everyone else!” Laugh with people and have fun. Create a culture of joy, not dread.
Make Team Meetings Count. When planning for a staff or board meeting ask yourself three questions, “When this meeting is over, what do I want people to know that they may not know at all, or need to know more about? How do I want them to feel after this
ESCLEW Statewide Mee
meeting? What do I want them to do?” ting
Resolving Inevitable Conflicts. Jim reflects on the old Latin phrase, “See everything.

Overlook a lot. Improve a little.” Conflict is a natural consequence when working with a team. Look at problems from other’s perspectives. Jim shares that the quickest way to de-escalate a conflict is to, “agree with someone or find humor in a situation.”

It’s All About Sales

“Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, “Make me feel important.” Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.” – Mary Kay Ash

In Chapter 20, Jim draws connections between sales and education. As the CEO of Battelle for Kids, Jim would ask schools what their needs were in order to provide targeted professional development, and the school’s answers weren’t very specific or clear. He made it a practice to flip the question to asking schools what their problems were. In this way, Battelle wasn’t forcing a product on a school because it was what they had to offer. Instead, they were helping people find solutions to problems they identified.

Governing Authority

Headlines Written by Julie Kadri

Open Meetings and Public Records Training

In August 2023, the Auditor of State confirmed their office would begin testing compliance with whether Sunshine Training completed by community school officials had been approved by the Attorney General. To remain compliant and avoid any findings in fiscal audits, ESCLEW advised sponsored schools to complete one of the two approved 3-hour training options.

The Auditor of State's Office recently revised Bulletin 2021-007 to delay testing compliance with this item. Based on this revision, ESCLEW will accept Open Meetings and Public Records training from other sources (sponsors, legal counsel, etc.) this school year with a due date of April 30, 2024.

5	MARCH 2024

Academic Services Headlines
Written by Kristi Hayward

ELA CORE CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

The passage of House Bill 33 included significant changes to the literacy laws for all Ohio school districts including community schools. Beginning no later than the 2024-25 school year, each school district and community school established under Chapter 3314 of the Ohio Revised Code shall use core curriculum and instructional materials in English Language Arts and evidence-based reading intervention programs only from the lists established and approved by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.

In January 2024, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce published the initial list of approved core curriculum for prekindergarten and kindergarten – grade 5. The Department will be reviewing additional core curriculum and instructional materials as part of the phased review process. Additional approved materials may be added to the approved list in March 2024 following the Department’s phase 2 review.

It is essential for community schools to evaluate their current ELA curriculum to determine if changes need to be made to remain in compliance with state law. If the current curriculum is not on the State of Ohio’s approved list, the school will be required to purchase a new curriculum before the 2024-25 school year. As many school districts in Ohio will be purchasing new materials, it will be important to get orders in early and create a timeline to ensure materials are received and training is provided to teachers before the start of the 2024-25 school year.

Additional information, including timeline updates and support for districts and schools in selecting materials, is available on the Department’s website.

6	MARCH 2024

Academic Services Headlines
Written by Kristi Hayward

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE AND TESTING

The total solar eclipse on April 8 falls within the spring 2024 testing window, and as many districts will be altering their calendars, the Department plans to offer maximum flexibility to ensure students can experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Test window guidelines require districts to select 15 consecutive school days to administer their English language arts, math, science, and social studies tests. If the district chooses not to test this day, the day does not count towards the 15 consecutive school day requirement. District test coordinators with additional questions regarding testing and the eclipse should
contact the Office of Assessment at statetests@education.ohio.gov. 

HEY HIGH SCHOOLS … STILL CONFUSED ABOUT GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS?

For high school students, graduation is the goal and the finish line, however, it should really be the starting line for all students as they begin a new educational journey. With legislation and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce requirements regarding graduation constantly changing, at times it is hard to pinpoint what exactly the focus should be and set plans in place to make sure all high school students are on the right track to graduation on time.
The good news, there is now a one-stop shop for learning all about Ohio's graduation requirements and gaining skills that will help you Unlock Your Future! Click here to view the site.

Julie
7	MARCH 2024

Compliance Headlines

ITEMS OF NOTE March 2024

As a reminder, #667 Open Meetings & Public Records Training Affidavit is due April 30th. Board members, treasurer, chief administrative officer, other administrative employees, and all individuals performing supervisory or administrative services for the school under a contract with the operator of the school are required to complete annual training on public records and open meetings law.

As a reminder, the Five-Year Forecast Update is due in Epicenter by April 30th. Although approved meeting minutes/resolution are not collected by ESCLEW/ODE, the forecast must be board approved prior to submission. If your school has a board meeting scheduled in May, please reach out to Julie Kadri to discuss a potential extension.

School Submissions

Compliance Requirement

Financial Reports - February

March 2024 Due Date

Monthly Financial March 15

Board Submissions

Type

Submission

Responsibility

Linda

• #819 Community School Transportation Plans – If a community school is working with or intends to work with a local district to provide transportation, the school must notify the local district by April
1st. Please submit into

Approved Governing Authority Meeting Agenda

Approved Governing Authority Meeting Minutes

2 Weeks After Meeting

2 Weeks After Approval

Submission

Submission

Regional Rep

Regional Rep

Epicenter a copy of

establishment of the school's

start and end times and proof of School Submissions	providing that information to

#819 Community School Transportation Plans

Finding for Recovery AOS- Management Co.

Food Service License

Liability Insurance

Property Insurance

March 31

March 31

March 31

March 31

March 31

Submission	Julie

Submission

Submission	Julie

Submission	Julie

Submission	Julie

applicable school districts (copy of the email, etc.) by April 1st. If the community school does not expect one or more resident school districts to transport the school's students, please enter N/A in the
narrative.

If you have any questions, please contact Julie Kadri.

SPECIAL EDUCATION
PROFILES
8	MARCH 2024

Special Education Headlines
Written by Jessica Bair and Heather Tester

Special Education Profile - Disproportionality

The Department of Education and Workforce Development has released the disproportionately data to accompany the already released special education profiles. If your school has findings in this area, the Special Education Specialist assigned to your school will be reaching out to you for additional support.

This video details the differences between disproportionate representation (Indicators 9 & 10) and significant disproportionality in identification. (PDF of slides)

2024 Disproportionality Technical Document can be found HERE

Notable Item

Do you have students who require assistive technology? Owens Community College in Perrysburg Ohio is hosting an assistive technology fair in April. Click HERE for the
flyer.

Administering Literacy Assessments for Students with Low Incidence Disabilities and Complex Communications Needs

Ohio’s dyslexia support laws require that all students in specific grade bands, including students with disabilities, are administered a tier 1 universal screener. There are no exceptions or exemptions under the dyslexia support laws. Similarly, the Third Grade Reading Guarantee requires that students in specific grade bands, including students with disabilities, are administered a reading diagnostic. It is highly recommended that all students in specific grade bands participate in the reading diagnostic.
2024 Guidance for Administering Literacy Assessments

can be found HERE

9	MARCH 2024

Professional Learning Headlines

Our winter 2024 Professional Learning Newsletter is now published. Please take a few moments to read about the upcoming professional learning available as well as consultation services that are always available and ongoing.

Please see our new curriculum page included in the Professional Learning Website to discover additional resources.

As the explosion of generative artificial intelligence (AI) continues to change the educational landscape, the Ohio Educational Service Center Association is here to help. Starting in May, the association is teaming with aiEDU to provide educators with free AI summits to help them find inspiration and discussion regarding AI literacy and innovation. For more information, including dates, times, locations, and registration details, please see the attached pdf. Or simply CLICK HERE to visit the website.

10	MARCH 2024

ESCLEW Staff

Superintendent Sandra C. Frisch

ESCLEW Governing Board

COMMUNITY SCHOOLS CENTER CONTACT INFORMATION

DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY SCHOOLS CENTER

Kurt Aey (419) 246-3142

Jeff Bunck

Jared Lefevre

Brent Buehrer

TEAM LEADER, ACADEMIC SERVICES

Kristi Hayward (419) 214-3893

TEAM LEADER, OPERATIONS

Julie Kadri (419) 724-4288

Thomas Ilstrup Joan Kuchcinski

Treasurer

Richard A. Cox

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND ACADEMIC SPECIALIST

Aimee Mendelsohn (419) 280-1661

SPECIAL EDUCATION SPECIALISTS

Jessica Bair (419) 367-3562 and Heather Tester (419) 260-4793

Director

Kurt A. Aey

FINANCIAL CONSULTANT

Linda Moye (419) 724-4291

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Natalie Miller (419) 246-3137

Administrative Offices

2275 Collingwood Blvd. Toledo, OH 43620 (419) 245-4150

Community Schools Center

4955 Seaman Rd. Oregon, OH 43616
(419) 246-3137

IN NEED OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE?

Contact your school's regional technical assistance educator (RTAE) for direct support related to on-site visits, governing authority updates, compliance, academics, and more.

Brittany Beck	DeAnna Hardwick	Augie Herman

(419) 461-5375	(330) 591-0217	(937) 243-4900

www.esclakeeriewest.org

Allison Lentz

(419) 260-7708

Joyce Lewis

(419) 290-4759

Jennifer Little

(419) 764-9545