ALLIANCE

CIT Y SC HOO

LS

AllianceCity SchoolsVolume 1: Issue 2 • December 2013

AllianceCity Schools

By: Superintendent Jeffery Talbert

With winter break quickly ap-proaching, I am reminded of just how fast this year seems to have gone. Although we’re only halfway through the school year, we’ve already seen some amazing accomplishments by students and teachers through-out the district. Heading into the new year, we’re excited to build upon that success and continue finding ways to excel as a district.

Recently, a telephone poll was conducted with the local com-munity. The results revealed some valuable information for us to use moving forward.

Community members as a whole showed a favorable

opinion of the Alliance City School District, but they would also like to see us improve on our state report card. The sur-vey also informed us that our community gets most of its information from the newspa-per. For this reason, we have changed the format of our newsletter and worked out an agreement with the Review to have it include our newsletter in the paper. As a district, we greatly value and appreciate your continued feedback. It en-ables us to continually enhance our district and create a superi-or educational environment for our students.

In January, the district will wel-come three new board mem-

bers as a result of last month’s election. These new members are Bill Koch, John Frazier and Buddy Gasparik. They will be replacing Bob Lee, Sheri Sei-fke and Mark Locke – each of whom served several years on the board. We are extremely thankful to each of them for their services. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

As we close out this first half of the school year, I would like to wish you and yours a wonder-ful and relaxing winter break and holiday season. I look for-ward to seeing everyone back next year to continue in what has already been an outstand-ing school year.

Talbert Talks

Alliance City Schools Receives Grant to Promote Literacy through Parent and Community PartnershipsEarlier this year, the Alliance City School District, in part-nership with the Early Child-hood Education Alliance and the University of Mount Union, received $236,000

from the Early Literacy and Reading Readiness Grant, funded by Governor John Kasich and the Ohio Depart-ment of Education. The goal of the grant is to help increase

literacy in students at-risk for not passing the third-grade reading section of the Ohio Achievement Assessment.

With the grant dollars, the

district has created a three-pronged approach to pro-mote literacy. Forty students from each building (Early Learning School and North-

www.AllianceCitySchools.org

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

Financial Update

Alliance Showcases iPad Integration at 2013 Student Achievement Fair

Alliance Early Learning School

Alliance Uses Chess to Develop Critical Thinking Skills

Alliance High School Aviator Shoot Out

Tips for Parents: Helping Young Students Achieve in Reading and Math

Upcoming Events

In This Issue

Continued on page 3

www.AllianceCitySchools.org2

Alliance City Schools

The fiscal year for the Alliance City School District runs from July 1 – June 30 each year, putting the district in Fis-cal Year 2013 – 2014. The numbers below represent the revenues and expenditures from July – November 2013.

The graphs explain where the money comes from (revenues) and where the money goes (expenditures).

Financial Update

Analysis of General Fund Revenues and Expenditures Fiscal Year-to-Date:

Revenues: Expenditures:

Local Taxes 24% 3,012,468 Salaries 54% (6,682,542.00)

State Monies 73% 9,103,938 Benefits 21% (2,681,908.00)

Other Revenue 3% 420,206 Purchased Services 18% (2,317,645.00)

Supplies / Materials 3% (424,250.00)

Capital Outlay 2% (204,211)

Total 100% 12,536,612 Debt Service Principal 1% (165,600)

Debt Service Interest 0% (10,932)

Miscellaneous 1% (127,490)

Total 100% (12,614,578.00)

State Monies, 73% Other Revenue, 3%Local Taxes, 24%

Salaries, 54%

Purchased Services, 18%

Supplies/Materials, 3%

Capital Outlay, 2%

Debt Service Principal, 1% Debt Service

Interest, 0%

Miscellaneous, 1%

General Fund Revenues - July 2013 Through November 2013 Analysis

General Fund Expenditures - July 2013 Through November 2013 Analysis

www.AllianceCitySchools.org 3

Volume 1: Issue 2 • December 2013

Students from Alliance High School recently attended the 2013 Student Achievement Fair, an exhibition at the an-nual Capital Conference in Columbus, on Nov. 12. The event gave the students the opportunity to share with district administrators and board members from across the state how Alliance has integrated the iPad into the classroom learning experi-ence.

Alliance High School tech-nology resource teacher Jon Smith attended the event with freshmen students Jack Madison, Aryah Buckmon and Micah Powell.

“We had a wonderful time at the Student Achievement Fair,” said Smith. “Jack, Aryah and Micah did a great

job sharing with attendees from around Ohio how we’ve been able to use the iPad as an educational tool at Alli-ance.”

The students used a slide-show to show freshmen at Alliance using their iPads in the classroom, and also dis-cussed some of the features and applications with attend-ees.

Currently, freshman students at Alliance High School are provided iPads to assist with their transition to high school. The devices come loaded with educational applications like the Notability app, which allows them to organize and take notes easier, or record a teacher’s lecture. Students also have access to the Ex-plain Everything app, which

provides a screen casting and recording feature that lets students teach each other by recording their own short tutorials that are then posted to a website. Alliance High School only offers the iPad program to freshman students, but is exploring ways to expand the program to the entire school.

The Student Achievement Fair is held each year in Co-lumbus to share ideas and showcase the many innova-tive projects and programs

that districts have created to boost student achievement and engage students.

“We were extremely grateful for the opportunity to attend this year’s Student Achieve-ment Fair,” said superinten-dent Jeffery Talbert. “Our students did a great job of representing Alliance and explaining how the iPad pro-gram has made a positive impact in the classroom. We look forward to continuing to find ways to further equip our students to succeed.”

Alliance Showcases iPad Integration at 2013 Student Achievement Fair

side, Parkway and Rockhill Elementary Schools) were chosen to participate in the program. Through a sup-plemental reading program called Project More, student volunteers from UMU will tutor students and provide classroom assistance during SFA.

Additionally, the district pur-chased iPad minis for each student to take home. The iPads are loaded with apps and fun activities to promote literacy. The district holds

monthly parent meetings to provide support and infor-mation on new apps. Home visits for tutoring are also available at the kindergarten level.

The district is also collabo-rating with key community groups, such as the local li-brary and the health depart-ment to brainstorm ways to increase literacy. Through these partnerships, the dis-trict will hold two community literacy-focused events next year.

Alliance City Schools Receives Grant to Promote Literacy through Parent and Community Partnerships Continued from page 1

www.AllianceCitySchools.org4

Alliance City Schools

About UsThe Alliance Early Learn-ing School (AELS) is a pre-school and kindergarten only program. This Early Learn-ing School setup affords us the luxury of tailoring to the unique needs of young chil-dren. The Alliance Early Learn-ing School opened in 2006. It is the center of learning for all Alliance Public preschool students and all the district’s kindergartners. We have more than 400 preschool and kin-dergarten students. We have seven preschool classrooms and 11 full-day kindergarten classrooms, along with sev-eral classrooms that serve the needs of students with dis-abilities. We have a high qual-ity teaching staff that brings a family friendly atmosphere to the school. In addition to our teaching staff, we have a fabulous support staff that in-cludes a school psychologist, a speech pathologist, and an

instructional coach.

CurriculumOur curriculum is based on the most recent state and national standards. Students follow a schedule appropri-ate for their young age, which includes learning through play during daily learning labs and recess. The teach-ing staff uses a team-based approach centered around professional development in innovative teaching methods. In addition to our caring staff, our building has a commit-ment to involve technology in education. AELS has state of the art technology, includ-ing SMART Boards, SMART Tables, iPads, Apple TVs, and computers.

Family FriendlyAt the Early Learning School, a family friendly atmosphere is something that is very im-portant to us. Family mem-

bers are encouraged to vol-unteer in our classrooms and attend preschool family field trips. Families also participate in events like open house, family nights and Night at the Arts. We take pride in building strong relationships with our families.

Recognitions and Part-nershipsThe Alliance Early Learning School has received a num-ber of recognitions, including the US Department of Edu-cation and The National As-sociation for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Our students benefit from our partnerships, which include the Early Childhood Educa-tion Alliance, (ECEA), Spark Alliance, the University of Mount Union, Rodman Public Library and the Brumbaugh Nature Center of the Univer-sity of Mount Union. In ad-dition, AELS has welcomed

Mayor Alan Andreani and a number of other guest speak-ers.

Positive Behavior Rein-forcementHere at the Early Learning School, we take pride in fos-tering positive reinforcement through our program called the Positive Behavior Inter-vention Support (P.B.I.S.). This program can be seen throughout the building with our school’s expectations posted and presented to our students at the beginning of the year. These expectations are reinforced by Pocket Points in kindergarten, and Curiosity Coins in preschool. These teachable moments are followed up by classroom celebrations.

The AELS is unique, innova-tive, technology-focused, and always child-centered learning.

Alliance Early Learning School

Alliance Early Learning School Veterans Family NightThanks to all the families who attended AELS Veterans Family Night on November 12. A special thank you to Jan Webler’s Mount Union Class for creating the cen-ters, providing the prizes and volunteering.

www.AllianceCitySchools.org 5

Volume 1: Issue 2 • December 2013

Students in the Alliance City Schools are learning how to play chess to help them devel-op critical thinking and prob-lem solving skills - and they’re having fun doing it!

Students in every second – fifth grade classroom in the district spend 45 minutes each week

playing chess. In sixth grade, students play during their criti-cal thinking classes. The dis-trict also has a chess team and newly formed chess club.

The chess team is open to any student that wishes to join, and the district is part of the Can-ton Scholastic Chess League (CSCL). During the months of November through February, students will compete in four tournaments against other schools in the area.

The first tournament was on Nov. 9. In the K-6 non-rated section, Alliance students took seven of the 11 top spots. The Rockhill Elementary team placed first and the Alliance Middle School team placed second. Student Jack Penturf took second place in individu-

als. In the K-4 non-rated sec-tion, Parkway Elementary’s team took first place. Student Blake Hood placed first in in-dividuals with a perfect score of 4/4 wins. McKenna Skeens placed second, winning 3/4 matches. The middle school students, who played in the

more challenging K-8 rated section, also did well. There wasn’t a single student who walked away without a win or who tied their first game.

The chess club is held every Monday night and is free to all students as part of the middle school Navigator’s program.

“The interest in chess contin-ues to grow,” said Julie Poyser, a teacher and chess coach. “Having it during the school day gives every child the op-portunity to play and develop their critical thinking and prob-lem solving skills. It also gives students a quiet time to con-centrate and use their brains to plan ahead. Learning and understanding chess makes them feel smart and gives them a boost to their self-esteem.”

Alliance Uses Chess to Develop Critical Thinking Skills

The chess team is open to any student that wishes to join, and the district is part of the Canton Scholastic Chess League (CSCL).

www.AllianceCitySchools.org6

Alliance City Schools

Alliance High School recently held its third annual Aviator Shoot Out on Nov. 6-8. The competition tested students’ filmmaking abilities, requiring

them to write, shoot and edit a five-minute video in just 48 hours.

“This contest is not only a lot of fun for the students, but it’s also a great opportunity for them to learn about the many details involved with filmmaking,” said broadcast arts teacher Kyle Schwarz. “It was great to see the ju-niors and seniors working together and improving their abilities as filmmakers.”

A total of 17 juniors and se-niors from the Broadcast Arts Career Technical program were placed into groups of four or five and then random-ly assigned a genre, prop, line of dialogue and technical shot that were all required to be used in the video.

Each group then had just 48 hours to write a storyboard, obtain permission to shoot at a location, and then film and edit their video. On Friday,

Nov. 8, three outside judges and two judges from Alliance High School reviewed the submissions and announced the winners. Prizes totaling $1,000 were awarded to all participating groups, with the winning group’s mem-bers each receiving $100 in prizes. This year’s prizes in-cluded Time Warner Cable jackets, gift certificates from area merchants, t-shirts and Mount Union football tickets.

Broadcast Arts program as-sistants Abbey Rogers and Zachary Nocera first intro-duced the Aviator Shoot Out three years ago after par-ticipating in a similar contest while attending Ohio Uni-versity. The competition is a small part of the students’ overall grades, with group

members grading one anoth-er on how well they cooper-ated and contributed. Spon-sors for this year’s event included Alliance Mayor Alan

Andreani, Time Warner and Gionino’s Pizza. Many other prizes and donations were received from several other area businesses. Video sub-

missions are available for viewing on the Alliance High School web page.

“The Aviator Shoot Out is such an exciting, fun and unique learning opportunity for our broadcast arts stu-dents,” said Superintendent Jeffery Talbert. “All of the stu-dents did a truly wonderful job this year. I was amazed at what they were able to ac-complish in such a short time period. I would also like to say a major thank you to all of our sponsors for their con-tinued support of the Aviator Shoot Out and the Alliance City School District.”

Alliance High School Aviator Shoot Out

“This contest is not only a lot of fun for the students, but it’s also a great opportunity for them to learn about the many details involved with filmmaking.” - broadcast arts teacher Kyle Schwarz

The Alliance City Schools would like to congratulate all of the students who made the Honor Roll the first

nine weeks of the school year! Each of these students worked exception-ally hard to maintain their grades and

gave it their all every day.

We’re proud of all our Honor Roll students!

For a list of those who made the Honor Roll, visit www.alliancecityschools.org.

www.AllianceCitySchools.org 7

Volume 1: Issue 2 • December 2013

Literacy:

• Readtoyourchildeverynight.Even15-20minutescanmakeabigdifference.

• Haveyourchildreadbacktoyou,or,readoutloudtogethersotheycanhearthecor-rectpacing.

• Pickatopicandhaveyourchildwritesen-tences about it. For example, you couldhavethemwriteaboutwinter.

• Use whip cream or shaving cream, andhavethestudentspracticespellingwordsby writing them out in the cream. Usingwhipcreamaddstheextrabonusofbeingabletoeatitwhenyou’refinished!

• Create reading coupons for your child.Every day they have to choose a couponandperformthetask,suchasreadingtoastuffedanimalorasibling.

Math:

• To practice estimating, have them guess howmanystepsitisfromthetabletotherefrigeratorthenhavethemcountoutthesteps.

• UseSkittlesorM&M’sandhaveyourchildsortthembycolor.Thesearealsogoodtousewhenshowingadditionandsubtraction.

• ChildrencanalsouseSkittlesorM&M’stoprac-ticeestimation.Haveyourchildguesshowmanyareinthebag;thencountthemout.

• Usedicetohelpwithadditionandsubtraction.Have your child roll the die once, record thenumber.Havethemrolethedieagainandadd/subtract/multiplythatnumberbythefirst.

• Tossaballoonorballaroundtheroomwithyourkids.Asyoutoss,calloutamathfact.Whoeveryoutosstohastoshoutouttheanswerbeforecatchingorbouncingbacktheballoon/ball.

Learning doesn’t end when children leave the classroom. It continues while they’re at home and exploring the world around them.

Parents can help foster this

learning by creating a rich en-vironment for their children to learn. Even small changes can make a world of difference when it comes to children’s lit-eracy and math skills.

First, create a special spot in the home for children to do homework and study. This should be a quiet place with minimal distractions. Set time limits on studying, giving chil-dren breaks every so often.

Second, begin creating inter-active ways to help your child learn reading and math skills. Many times, these activities can be done with materials found around the house. For example:

Tips for Parents: Helping Young Students Achieve in Reading and Math

For more ideas on how to help your child learn at home, contact your teacher or principal.

www.AllianceCitySchools.org8

Alliance City Schools

Upcoming Events12/19/13 - 7:00 p.m. AHS - AHS Winter Band Concert

12/21/13 – 1/5/14 NO SCHOOL – Winter Break District-Wide

1/6/14 Return to school from Winter Break, District-Wide WELCOME BACK!

1/10/14 AHS - Periods 1-4 PLAN Test (Sophomores Only)

1/11/14 TBA - NBC Cheer Com-petition

1/14/14 - 6:00 p.m. AMS - Geography Bee

1/15/14 - 6:00 p.m. AHS - R.T. White School of Nursing (LPN) January Class Graduation

1/16/14 Rockhill - Quarterly Awards Ceremony

1/17/14 End of 2nd nine weeks NO SCHOOL (Students Only, Staff Report As Usual)

1/17-1/18/14 - 10:00 a.m. AHS - Top Gun Wrestling Tournament

1/20/14 NO SCHOOL - M.L. King, Jr. Day, District-Wide

1/21/14 - 6:30 p.m. Board of Education Meet-ing Administration at Glamorgan Castle

1/24/14 2nd Quarter Report Card Distribution, District-Wide

1/29/14 NO SCHOOL (Students Only, Staff Report As Usual) District-Wide

1/31/14 AHS Only - Last Day to Change or Drop Classes for Spring Semester

2/1/14 TBA - AHS Solo & En-semble Contest

2/7/14 AHS - AHS Athletic HOF Induction

2/13/14 Parkway - Family Hearts Dance

2/14/14 Early Dismissal, District-Wide

2/14/14 AELS - No Pre-School Classes

2/15/14 AHS - Winter Homecom-ing Dance

2/17/14 NO SCHOOL - Presi-dents’ Day, District-Wide

2/18/14 - 6:30 p.m. Board of Education Meet-ing Administration at Glamorgan Castle

2/20/14 3rd Quarter Interim Distri-bution, District-Wide

2/21/14 Early Dismissal, District-Wide

2/21/14 AELS - Pre-School Fam-ily Event (No Classes)

2/21/14 - 12:00 p.m. AHS - Science Alliance

2/21 – 22/14 - TBA TBA - AHS Orchestra Large Group Contest

2/21 – 22/14 AHS - Division II District Wrestling Tournament

2/24/14 – 3/8/14 AHS - Division I Boys Sectional/District Basket-ball Tournament

2/25/14 - 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. AHS - Parent/Teacher Conferences

3/4/14 Rockhill - Spring Picture Day

3/5/14 AELS - Illusion Factory Play

3/7-8/14 - TBA AHS - AHS Band/Choir Large Group Contest

3/10/14 TBA - NBC Winter All-League Sports Banquet

3/10 – 14/14 AHS - Spring OGT Test-ing All Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors as applicable

3/11/14 AHS - AHS Winter Sports Award Banquet