The Music Man. You don't want to miss this show! Our talented students never disappoint! Mark your calendars. Tickets are on sale NOW at www.kingstheatre.net. Tickets are available at the door but cash only.

Last week we shared the new school start times for next year. We made an error with the high school and junior high times. KJH and KHS school hours are 7:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. The new graphic is below.

Congratulations to the Kings Early Childhood Center (previously named Kings Preschool) for receiving the Ohio Department of Education's Five-Star Step Up to Quality award.

Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) is a five-star quality rating and improvement system in the state of Ohio. It is administered by the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The system recognizes and promotes early care and education programs that meet quality program standards that exceed licensing health and safety regulations. The program standards are based on national research identifying standards that lead to improved outcomes for children.

Our Kings Early Childhood Center had its extensive state audit last week and earned a 5-star rating for the second time. Krista Taylor, ODE Auditor and Licensor commented on how impressed she is with how great the program is doing for such a large program. She said, "This is the most impressive preschool I have seen." She specifically complimented how well the teachers run their classrooms. She also said that Columbus always asks the auditors for examples of exemplary programs. She said that she would let them know that Kings Early Childhood Center is a top example of early childhood education.

The program received its first five-star rating in 2016. Principal Mary Beth Fosse said, "We are so proud of the work that our staff does to make this the best early childhood education setting for children."

Kings Early Childhood Center provides excellent early childhood education and special education services for over 200 of Kings’ youngest learners. For more information on the programs offered contact KECC Principal Mary Beth Fosse at 513-398-8050, ext. 10043.

Kings High School Kings High School held its Prom on Saturday, April 22 at the Westin in downtown Cincinnati. Congratulations to McKailyn Schuckman and Winston Emerson who were named 2023 Prom Queen and King, respectively.

On Earth Day, April 22, the second-grade teaching team at Kings Mills Elementary, along with parent and student volunteers created a beautiful perennial garden outside by the second-grade wing.

According to second-grade teacher, Sherisse Washington, Mrs. Amy Edwards was the visionary for the garden. She and her class plant a vegetable garden each Spring with the hopes of harvesting a salad. She and her class also raise butterflies every year and wanted a garden that was not only a source of food for the caterpillars but was a haven to attract butterflies, as well as bees and other insects. 

They created the new garden with plants, benches, a bird bath, a weather vane, and more. They also added a weather station in the garden. This has a remote to keep in the class that reports the temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity, and much more. The weather station was added to accompany the second-grade Ohio science standards for weather.

The cost of the garden was defrayed by a $2,000 grant from Foresters Financial. Mrs. Washington wrote the grant and took care of all of the paperwork that was required.

Mrs. Edwards said, " I am grateful for our partnership on this project and very excited to watch the garden grow and attract beautiful creatures! And what a perfect day for the project: Earth Day!"

You may remember a story some weeks back about our Kings High School Art students who participated in the Memory Project, where our art students created portraits of orphans in India.

Kings Art teachers Angie Guilfoyle and Stacy Hoffert received 60 portraits drawn by our students to send to India.

Recently, the orphans received their portraits and letters from our KHS students. They participated in a celebration with music and lots of smiles.

Here is the video of the orphans receiving their portraits and their showing of gratitude for the artists who created them.

Congratulations to Columbia Intermediate School fifth grade teacher, Leanne Bell who was recently featured in the April Southwest Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics (SWOCTM)newsletter.

Bell was featured in the Teacher Spotlight section of the newsletter. She received a goodie bag from SWOCTM as a token of appreciation.

Kings High School Senior, Maggie Huecker has been named the 2023 Southwest Take Steps Youth Honored Hero for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. Honorees understand first-hand how difficult — and empowering — it can be to live with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Honored Heroes share their stories to let other patients know they are not alone on their journeys — because no one should face the challenges and uncertainty of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in isolation. Through their stories, Honorees raise awareness of these diseases, raise funds in support of the Foundation’s mission, and inspire hope in those living with IBD.

Maggie has suffered from IBD for six years. At age eleven, she got very sick and spent weeks of doctor's visits and procedures to get a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. Over the years, Maggie has taken numerous medications to help treat her symptoms. In 2021, she was given the drug Humira to inject herself once a week.

She is now in remission and said this is the best she's felt since being diagnosed. "I can truly say that IBD has changed my life in a positive way, despite it being a disease I'll have for the rest of my life." She said that the disease could overpower her life if she let it, but, "I have developed a stronger self-confidence, and I have a better appreciation of life, health, my doctors and nurses, medication, the people and support I have."

She's proud of how she's grown and learned to advocate for herself. "I wouldn't be who I am now without this disease, but my hope is that one day there will be a cure," she said. Maggie is participating in Take Steps, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s largest nationwide fundraising campaign — to raise awareness and funds to accelerate the progress of breakthrough research and to support critical patient programs. If you are interested in supporting Maggie click here.

The Kings Art and Kindness Club along with the KHS National Art Honor Society are hosting the Kings Summer Art Camp. This year's Art Camp entitled, "Beyond the Page" is inspired by some favorite childhood stories.

The camp welcomes children in grades 1-8. It will take place June 5-8 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the Kings High School Cafeteria. Cost is $80 and the proceeds will be used to support next year's FREE Community Art events. There are a limited number of scholarships available.

Click here for more information and registration.

If you are interested in registering your 3-5-year-old child in preschool, Kings Early Childhood Center is now registering for the 2023-2024 school year. Classes are taught by certified general education and early childhood intervention specialist teachers. Click here for more information.

For additional information contact Sherri Cain at 513-398-8050, ext. 10042.

Board Members

Kings Board of Education (L-R): John Skerl, Board Member; Janelle Groff, Board Member; Peggy Phillips, Vice-President; Deb Cowan, Board Member; and Stacie Belfrom, President.

The Board of Education meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month for a Work Session at 5:30 p.m. and the 3rd Tuesday of every month for a Regular Meeting at 6:00 p.m.

Visit the Board of Education page on our website for meeting dates, meeting recordings, and agendas.

All meetings are live-streamed on the Kings Youtube channel.

In an effort to be "green," the District does not send paper flyers home. We use a platform called Peachjar that houses flyers of community programs and resources. 

Parents receive approved flyers via email, and they are posted on our digital flyerboard for easy retrieval. Any organization can distribute information to our community by creating an account!

It's that time of year again to start thinking about your child's summer activities! Kings Athletics has many options for athletic camps for students.Check out this year's Summer Camp Schedule.

Online registration opens on April 15

If you have any questions, contact Kings Assistant Athletic Director, Jen List at jlist@kingslocal.net.