District Long-Term Facilities Plan Update: February 6, 2024

Long-Term Facilities Plan Update

February 6, 2024

In this Message

Facilities Webinar on Tuesday, February 13
New K-8 School Start & End Times for the 2024-2025 School Year
Rising Grades 5, 6 and 7 Information Nights
Fifth Grade Classroom Model Announced
District Releasing RFQ on Friday, February 9
Facilities Advisory Committee Update
Ludlow School Update
District Launches Refreshed Long-Term Facilities Planning Web Page
Share with Your Neighbors: Sign Up To Receive Updates

Facilities Webinar on Tuesday, February 13

Tune in to a District facilities webinar on Tuesday, February 13, at noon. Hear updates on the timeline, decisions to date, ask questions and receive information on the working process for this exciting and transformative project for the Shaker Heights Schools!

Join here: https://shaker.zoom.us/j/94524342669. This webinar will be recorded and shared via a facilities update email with all families and staff.

New K-8 School Start & End Times for the 2024-2025 School Year

New school start and end times for the District’s elementary schools and Shaker Heights Middle School have been established for the 2024-2025 school year (as shows in the gray box).

The District has received feedback from families, faculty and staff regarding the current start and end times for our schools. The implementation of Segment 1 of the Long-Term Facilities Plan provided an ideal opportunity to examine start and end times for K-8.

These times were created in collaboration with District and school administrators and the Transportation Department. The District also met with key stakeholder groups to review these changes and receive feedback. These groups included representatives from the Shaker Heights Teachers’ Association, the Shaker Heights PTO, the PYP Planning Committee and the District’s Facilities Advisory Committee.

Rising Grades 5, 6 and 7 Information Nights

Information nights for students and families in current Grades 4, 5 and 6 have been scheduled.

A Grade 7 Information Night for current sixth grade students will be held on Tuesday, March 5 at 7 p.m. at Shaker Heights Middle School
A Grade 6 Information Night for current fifth grade students will be held on Thursday, March 7 at 7 p.m. at Shaker Heights Middle School.
Grade 5 Information Nights for current fourth grade students will be held on Monday, March 18, at 7 p.m. at each individual school building.

Additional engagement opportunities for these families will be announced soon.

Fifth Grade Classroom Model

Students in Grade 5 will experience a departmentalized model of learning for the 2024-2025 school year. This model will resemble the current Woodbury model, allowing for smoother transitions for staff. The District is considering licensure when planning for staff placement to allow for the ability to change and evolve the fifth grade classroom model in the coming years, should the interest exist to transition fifth grade to more closely align to the elementary Primary Years Programme general education classroom staffing model.

In the departmentalized model, there will be teams of two or three teachers for the four main subject areas, depending on enrollment of each building.

District Releasing RFQ on Friday, February 9

The District will be posting the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) on Friday, February 9. The OFCC is currently featuring its upcoming release on its Coming Soon web page designed to foster a fair and competitive business environment by notifying organizations of bidding opportunities before they are formally advertised.

Facilities Advisory Committee Update

The Facilities Advisory Committee met on Monday, February 6. During this meeting, the group discussed approaching this project through a child-centered lens and explored three core values to drive the facilities planning work, which are sustainability, equity and transparency. They also received an update on recent planning work from the District.

Ludlow School Update

Design work is continuing on the Ludlow School renovation project in preparation for the 2025-2026 school year. Architects from the GPD Group, the firm handling design and architectural services, are meeting regularly with District leaders, PreK staff and representatives from Gilbane Building Co., the Construction Manager At Risk (CMR).

District Launches Refreshed Long-Term Facilities Planning Web Page

The District’s Long-Term Facilities Planning web page has a fresh new look with updated information. The new site offers an easy layout that includes links to information by topic, a timeline overview, frequently asked questions, upcoming events and the most recent webinar. Users can also navigate to archived Facilities Updates and other content from the new site.

Share With Your Neighbors: Sign Up To Receive Updates

All community members may sign up to receive these ongoing information updates about the District’s long-term facilities plan. Please share this link with your neighbors to sign up: Click here to receive long-term facilities plan updates. (Current staff and families will automatically receive emails.)

Click Here for the District's Long-Term Facilities Plan Web Page