Western Row Elementary CommUNITY Carnival

 

Sat. May, 18, 2019

11am-3pm

 

Games, Food, Face Painting, Bounce Houses! The best of every carnival in Western Row’s history. 

 

Food from food trucks and carnival treats for sale. Rides and games are free.

 

Parking at Christ Church with Shuttle, or at the Sri SaiBaba Temple. (Parking not available at the Masonic Lodge.)

In an effort to reduce student stress, Mason High School is changing the way it calculates grade point averages (GPAs).

Beginning with the Class of 2020, Mason High School will transition from a 4.0 grading scale with “add-on” weights to a 5.0 weighted credit scale. The changes are designed to encourage students to take the classes that interest them instead of loading up on Advanced Placement and College Credit Plus courses to enhance their academic standing.

Discussions with MHS students and community members during this year’s CommUNITY Conversations and ReImagine Learning sessions included feedback about concerns for students’ social and emotional health. District and school leaders have seen more students with anxiety disorders and heard from more teens mentioning thoughts of suicide. The GPA change is part of a series of moves that the Mason City School District is making to improve students’ mental health.

R ead more about the GPA Scale change .

Beginning with the Class of 2020, Mason High School students will no longer vie for valedictorian and salutatorian distinctions. After a year-long study and focus groups with students, staff, and families, MHS officials made the announcement as part of an effort to improve students’ mental wellness.

Students graduating in the class of 2020 and beyond will continue to be recognized for their academic performance using the Latin honors system. Mason High School students with a GPA of 4.00 and above will be designated summa cum laude. MHS Students with a GPA between 3.75 and 3.99 will be designated magna cum laude. MHS students with a GPA between 3.51 to 3.74 will be designated cum laude.

R ead more about the move away from Val, Sal Recognition .

Next year, Mason City Schools third and fourth graders will attend the newly formed Mason Elementary School - located on the Mason Intermediate campus. Javaris Powell will lead Mason Elementary School as its first principal.

 

Mason Elementary School students and staff have the opportunity to build something new, together. Superintendent Jonathan Cooper expressed confidence in Powell’s ability to make strong connections. “As a former fourth grade teacher who is deeply steeped in Responsive Classroom - an approach that lifts up the whole child and has been used at MECC for over a decade - I am very excited to see our learners’ experiences become even more aligned under Javaris’ leadership,” explains Cooper.

The district's third and fourth graders attended school at Western Row Elementary this year. Western Row (which was built in 1962) will close in June as part of the district’s Master Facilities Plan . Closing Western Row saves approximately $500,000 in operating costs annually, and $14 million in capital investments that would be needed to bring Western Row up to OSFC standards.

R ead more about the new Mason Elementary Principal .

Last week, some of Mason’s youngest learners got a great lesson in entrepreneurship and empathy - all while walking to a local neighborhood restaurant.

First graders in Monica Johnston , Stacie Price and Pam Wainscott’s classes have been learning about their local community, and identifying their personal strengths and the activities that bring them joy as they follow their dreams. 

Johnston reached out to Zach Greaves and Sean Spurlock , the owners of Two Cities Pizza, to ask if they would be willing to talk to the students about being entrepreneurs, following their dreams, and supporting the local community.  Greaves and Spurlock quickly agreed and invited the classes to meet them at Two Cities, where they would share how they got their start.  

In order to accomplish this, the teachers needed to find a way to get the students to Two Cities, which is 1.8 miles- walking distance from MECC.  They collaborated with Mason Police Officer Jamie VanWagner to create a safe plan for the walk. Officer VanWagner also enlisted the support of Officer Aaron Shaffer to ride alongside the classes as they traveled to Two Cities. 

R ead more about MECC's field trip to Two Cities .

During its April 23 meeting, the Mason City Schools Board of Education unanimously approved a two-year agreement with the Mason Education Association (MEA). The contract was overwhelmingly ratified on April 10 by the MEA, which represents about 625 Mason educators. 

The agreement calls for a 2.5 percent increase in salaries for each year of the two-year contract covering the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. Teachers who are eligible will receive step increases. 

Read more about the two-year contract agreement .

Mason City Schools is restructuring its administrative and leadership staff to better support educators, students, and families.

 

On April 23, the Board of Education unanimously approved hiring Laura Martin as the PK-6 Mental Wellness Coordinator, Michelle Dorsey as the 7-12 Mental Wellness Coordinator, Amy Brennan as the new Deputy Superintendent, Krissy Hufnagel as the PK-6 Learning Experience Coordinator, and Shanna Bumiller as the 7-12 Learning Experience Coordinator. 

During the 2017-2018 school year, there were 46 Mason City Schools administrators supporting staff, students, families and community. In 2019-2020, there remain 46 Mason City Schools administrators, but the district will reorganize roles to better support Comet learners. According to the Ohio Department of Education, Mason City Schools has significantly fewer administrators per student than similar districts, and the state average.

R ead more about the restructuring of MCS Administrative Roles .

Five years ago, Mason High School ditched its trimester schedule for a more traditional, 7-bell semester schedule. The switch saved $750,000 each year - but also left many students reporting feelings of additional stress and anxiety, and teachers sharing concerns about the lack of flexibility and time needed for deeper lessons and project-based learning. Next year, MHS students will still be able to take seven classes each semester, but will have four, 70-minute bells on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and seven, 47-minute bells on Monday and Friday. There are no additional costs with the new schedule. 

R ead more about the MHS modified block schedule .

Mason High School's Media Center has already gone through several evolutions. When the school was built in 2002, staff knew it needed to be a library, but also needed to have lots of access to computer labs and printers. Over the years, it has also become the home for the school's peer tutoring programs and a Writing Center. But, students have struggled to find the "just right" space to create and practice presentations, work on group projects, and ideate and create, and study after school. With support from the Mason Schools Foundation , MHS and district leaders brought in experienced educator/designer David Jakes to help develop and refine MHS's vision for creative and innovative spaces. Jakes' focus was on raising the bar in the MHS Media Center to a space that supports all learners in creative endeavors of all types. Jakes also explored classrooms, hallways, and athletic facilities as a reminder that every space a student ventures is a space for learning.

R ead more about the MHS Media Center vision .

Students in Mason Intermediate fourth grade Team Grit's Math and Science teacher Jamie Dicks' classroom are working to 'save the bees!'

"I wrote and received a Mason Foundation Grant for more than $900 to fund "Team Grit Saves the Bees," shared Dicks. "I explained the beneficial and harmful effects of changes on plants and animals in an ecosystem, and I created a challenge-based lesson on how we can save the bees, because they are starting to disappear as an effect on the entire ecosystem of the bees."

R ead more about how MI plans to 'Save the Bees!'

To support National Autism Awareness Month, Mason Early Childhood Center teachers and students joined together on April 18 to spread awareness and acceptance for those on the autism spectrum. The school hosted a Bubbles for Autism Day where students and staff waved bubble wands in the air and blew boatloads of bubbles!

 

Teachers brought their classes outside for bubble blowing - providing students time to meet new friends from other classes. 

R ead more about Bubbles for Autism .

Western Row fourth grader Jimmy Shettigar was recognized as a winner of the 2018 Fire Prevention Week Poster Contest. State Fire Marshal Fire Life Safety Educator Jenni Snyder presented Shettigar with a certificate of recognition on April 2 at Western Row, along with the City of Mason Fire Department representatives.

Twelve elementary school students throughout Ohio received the special recognition for their entries this spring by the State Fire Marshal’s office. 

R ead more about the poster contest winner .

Mason High School senior Kennedy Hurks was recognized as The Kiwanis Club of Mason's April Student of the Month. Hurks was nominated by MHS teacher Pat George .

“In November, she was a guest speaker at a whole-day meeting of the district's Inclusive Excellence teams; a colleague told me that she had the audience hanging on her every honest word," shared George. 

R ead more about April's SOM .

On April 30, Red Robin was filled with Mason High School students who are making a difference. The Kiwanis of Mason, in cooperation with Mason City Schools, held its triennial "Making a Difference" lunch to honor students who may not be consistently recognized, but who have shown leadership and academic excellence.

"Making a Difference" rewards students who show initiative and resolve by improving their class performance through outstanding attitude and effort. Students who serve as role models to others by displaying persistence, fortitude, and courtesy are chosen for this award and receive lunch courtesy of Kiwanis.

View the full list of honored students.

During Mason High School’s second semester, 427 students were at school every day and earned a chance to win cash from the Greater Cincinnati Credit Union. This marks the twelfth year that GCCU has sponsored the Perfect Attendance Program at MHS. Russ Henry from GCCU presented $100 to each of the honorees. The company donates $1,200 each semester for twelve students who maintain perfect attendance. GCCU also provides lunch to the winners and their guests during the awards ceremony, which was held on Tuesday, April 30. 

View the full list of perfect attendance winners .