The Shaker eNews is a weekly roundup of important information including District events, school newsletters and District, PTO Council, Shaker Schools Foundation and City news. Be sure to read the entire Shaker eNews each week to stay informed! | |
The Shaker eNews is published weekly on Sundays. | |
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Visit our District Calendar online for a complete list of upcoming activities, events and athletic competitions.
Please note the following upcoming important dates:
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Board of Education Work Session | Tuesday, February 25
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Board of Education Meeting | Tuesday, March 4
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A Night for the Red & White | Saturday, March 8
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Spring Break | March 24-28
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Eid al-Fitr (Schools Closed) | Monday, March 31
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Click on the appropriate link below for school-level and building PTO news:
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Use these Quick Links to access the following District information:
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Lomond Students Present Wax Museum
Third-grade students in Alesha Edwards’ class at Lomond Elementary School presented their Wax Museum last week! As part of Black History Month, each student researched an influential African-American figure, past or present, then recited key facts about their figure to an audience of families, friends, and staff. The students went all in, wearing appropriate attire for their presentation and using props! The students represented individuals with a diverse array of talents, including Simone Biles, Steph Curry, Buster Douglas, Charity Adams Earley, Anita Baker, Dr. Ruth Ella Moore, and Fox 8 News Anchor Wayne Dawson!
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Stay up to date by following the Shaker Schools Foundation on the following social media platforms:
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Raffle #1: European Adventure for Two — Value of up to $5,000! Choose between Rome or Madrid! This package includes:
- Airfare for two (economy, upgrades available)
- 3 nights at a 4-star hotel with transfers
- In Rome: Special dinner at a top restaurant
- In Madrid: Flamenco farewell evening
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Raffle #2: E-Bikes for Two — Value of up to $5,000!
- 2 Denago Commute Model 2 E-bikes
- $200 gift card to Eddy’s Bike Shop
- 62+ mile range, 28 mph, and free tune-ups!
Get your raffle and event tickets today! Tickets are $100 each, only 200 tickets available per raffle. Raffle closes March 8 at 10 p.m. EST. Winners will be announced at A Night for the Red & White. Winners need not be present to win!
Please look for updates about our event by following the Shaker Schools Foundation on our social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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Dollars and Sense Initiative Kicks Off
The Shaker Heights Schools are excited to introduce the “Dollars and Sense” initiative, which will provide the community with a clear and comprehensive understanding of the District’s finances and the strategies we use to maintain fiscal responsibility. Shaker Heights Schools has long prioritized prudent financial stewardship to support our mission of educational excellence. Click here to watch Treasurer Donté Hayes present the five-year financial forecast to the Board of Education last fall. Learn more on our Ohio Public School Funding 101 webpage.
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Open Seat on Finance & Audit Committee
The Shaker Heights Schools Finance & Audit Committee seeks community applicants to fill one vacant seat. Selected members will complete the remaining term of the vacated seat (approximately four months) and will begin a three-year term in August 2025.
The Finance & Audit Committee meets monthly and exists to provide strategic advising to the Board of Education of the Shaker Heights City School District on budget and financial activities and to support sustainability, transparency, equity and communication of these matters to the community at large. Committee discussions provide an understanding of funding budget priorities, financial planning and audits.
Per the Finance & Audit Committee charter, applicants will be reviewed by a selected committee and recommendations will be made based on areas of need on the Finance & Audit Committee. The final selections will be made by the Board President.
Please contact District Treasurer Donté Hayes (hayes_d@shaker.org) with any questions. Committee applications are due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
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Upcoming Programs from Bellefaire JCB
Bellefaire JCB, a partner of the Shaker Heights Schools, will soon offer two free presentations from Dr. Deborah Gilboa, popularly known as Dr. G! Dr. G will help attendees at both events learn how to transform children’s fear, stress and anxiety into resilience, productivity and innovation. Dr. G is a well-known physician, author and TV guest who frequently appears on top television programs, including The TODAY Show and Good Morning America. Bellefaire’s Begun Center for Resiliency organized talks from Dr. G on Wednesday, March 5.
“Building Resilience: Strengthening Mental Health Through Skills” will take place from 3:30-5 p.m. at the John Carroll University Dolan Science Center, 1 John Carroll Blvd. in University Heights. This workshop is for educators, mental health clinicians and other professionals who work with youth. CEUs will be available for social workers, counselors, psychologists and educators. “From Stressed to Resilient: For Our Kids and Ourselves” will take place on March 5 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the same location. This event is for parents and caregivers.
Click here to register for the programs.
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Judge Tiiara Patton Visits Jeremy Bishko’s Students
Judge Tiiara Patton of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Ohio, spoke to eighth grade students in Jeremy Bishko’s Food Sciences classes at Shaker Heights Middle School! Students had many questions for Judge Patton about her work in court and how she selected her career path. Judge Patton shared stories of how her experiences in life, good and bad, shaped her into the person she is today. Many thanks to Judge Patton for visiting our students, and the Shaker Schools Foundation for supporting Mr. Bishko’s class!
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By William Warren, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program Coordinator, Shaker Heights Schools
As we enter into the last week of February, a month dedicated to celebrating Black and African history throughout the generations, I reflect upon the meaning of a Frederick Douglass quote that hangs on the wall in my office: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”
On August 3, 1857, Douglass delivered the “First of August” speech in Canandaigua, New York at an event celebrating the emancipation of enslaved persons in the British West Indies. At this point in his life, Douglass was the country’s most sought-after anti-slavery orator, even five years after his famous speech, “What, To The Slave, Is the Fourth of July?” Earlier in the year, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered its decision in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case, declaring that people of Black and African descent were not considered citizens of the United States, regardless of their enslaved or emancipated status. Four years later, the northern states of the Union and the southern states of the Confederacy went to war. It seemed that Douglass had already seen signs of things to come, as he made mention of several enslaved persons known for revolting, like William Thomas and Joseph Cinque. The context of the aforementioned quote is below:
“The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest struggle. The conflict has been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and for the time being, putting all other tumults to silence. It must do this or it does nothing. If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.”
As we conclude Black History Month, I acknowledge the struggle that exists to navigate towards progress in today’s social and political climate. Let it not deter us from progress, but motivate us now more than ever to continue to validate its worth.
Additional Resources
Frederick Douglass speeches read by Ossie Davis
Frederick Douglass on the concept of “power”
Blackpast.org
Blackfacts.com
Blackthen.com
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Lynnfield/Lomond Sanitary Sewer Overflow Project Community Meeting February 26
Residents are invited to learn more about the upcoming Lynnfield/Lomond Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) Project on Wednesday, February 26 at 6:30 p.m. at Lomond Elementary School, 17917 Lomond Boulevard. This major infrastructure project is anticipated to start in March 2025. More details here.
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Extended Friday Night Skate February 28
Get your weekend off to a fun start at Thornton Park Ice Arena with an extended skate session featuring a live DJ from 7:45-9:45 p.m. on Friday, February 28. Regular admission fees apply. Skate rentals available.
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