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. | | |
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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Coffee with the Superintendent | Tuesday, May 13
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Board of Education Meeting | Tuesday, May 13
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International Families & Friends Ice Cream Social | Thursday, May 22
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Memorial Day (Schools and Offices Closed) | Monday, May 26
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Last Day for Students | Wednesday, June 4
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Professional/Clerical Day | Thursday, June 5
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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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Students Explore Passion with Personal Project
Tenth-grade students at Shaker Heights High School recently presented their Personal Project — a student-driven, yearlong exploration of a topic that is important to each student! This year’s showcase celebrated a wide range of creative and meaningful projects, including work in sewing, cooking, video game design, art, biology and history. Many student-athletes also used the opportunity to deepen their understanding of their sport or to develop a particular skill or goal within it.
Personal Project is the culmination of the Middle Years Programme (MYP), an instructional framework for students in Grades 6-10 that fosters critical thinking, global awareness and personal growth. The MYP equips students with the skills and mindset needed for future success!
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Measles Cases on the Rise
As measles cases increase across the country — including the first confirmed case in Cuyahoga County this week — our Shaker School Nurses encourage families to review their children’s vaccination records, especially for the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Measles is a highly contagious virus, and prevention is key. Most children receive two doses of the MMR vaccine — one around age 1 and a second before starting kindergarten.
Vaccination helps protect not only your child, but also those who cannot be vaccinated due to age or health conditions. Please contact your healthcare provider if you have questions or need to schedule an appointment.
Learn more from the CDC.
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Coffee with the Superintendent on May 13
Make sure to stop by “Coffee with the Superintendent” on Tuesday, May 13! This informal session is designed to provide an opportunity for you to ask questions and for Superintendent Dr. David Glasner to share important information. This event will take place from 7:30-9:30 a.m. in Market Hall at the Van Aken District (next to On the Rise). We hope to see you soon!
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Update from #FinanceFriday
Have you seen the #FinanceFriday posts on the Shaker Heights Schools Facebook and Instagram pages? If not, check them out on Fridays. We will share the same information in the Sunday eNews.
This week, we will provide a little more information on recent levies and bond issues for the Shaker Heights Schools. The last full operating levy was passed in 2014. It is commonplace for districts to seek operating levies every 3-4 years as costs rise. The District’s Finance & Audit Committee recently recommended to the Board of Education that the District place an operating levy on the ballot in November of 2025.
What is the difference between an operating levy and a bond levy?
Operating Levies: Fund daily operational costs, such as teacher salaries, transportation, utilities, and supplies. These levies are typically renewed every few years.
Bond Levies: Used for major capital projects, like building new schools or renovating existing facilities. Bond levies are repaid over time and cannot be used for operating expenses.
You are probably thinking, “Didn’t we just pass a levy?” You are correct! In November 2023, the community approved a bond levy specific to capital improvements in our K-8 buildings. This is commonly known as the Long-Term Master Facilities Plan. That ballot initiative also included a small operating levy specifically to fund the expanded preschool program at the Ludlow Early Learning Center, which will open in Fall 2025. Preschool programs do not receive state funding, so costs associated with that program expansion required a small levy.
Stay tuned for the next installment of #FinanceFriday!
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Student Assessment Update
Students have recently completed the following assessments. For more information, click on the name of the assessment.
Grades 3-12: Ohio’s State Tests and End-of-Course Assessments
- Results will be available in the PowerSchool portal during the week of May 27.
Grades 11-12: SAT School Day
- Results are currently available in the student’s College Board account.
Throughout May, we are administering the MAP assessment to students in grades K-10.
Information about all of the assessments and our District assessment calendar can be found on the testing page of shaker.org.
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Miles Lipman Wins National Merit Scholarship
Congratulations to Shaker Heights High School senior Miles Lipman, winner of a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship!
Miles is one of 8 public high school seniors in Cuyahoga County and one of 85 seniors in the state to receive the scholarship. The nation’s 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Congratulations, Miles!
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By William Warren, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program Coordinator, Shaker Heights Schools
Note: The month of May acknowledges several communities and their contributions to history. During May, From the Margins to the Center will feature information and stories in observance of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month and Mental Health Empowerment/Fitness Month. This week’s feature is in honor of Mother’s Day, observed on Sunday May 11.
Each year, on the second Sunday in May, Mother’s Day is observed and celebrated nationwide as a time to show appreciation for the maternal figures in our lives. The effort to recognize mothers as a national holiday has roots in American activism. Julia Ward Howe was a writer, poet, abolitionist and women’s suffrage activist who proposed a “Mother’s Day for Peace” in 1870 as a result of the violence and suffering she witnessed families endure during the Civil War. The Civil War also influenced the modern Mother’s Day movement led by Ann Jarvis, who organized Mother’s Day Work Clubs to advise fellow mothers in Appalachian West Virginia on how to provide safe and sanitary home conditions for their children. When Ann died in 1905, her daughter Anna Jarvis began a campaign to establish a nationwide Mother’s Day to honor her mother’s activism. In 1914, Mother’s Day became an official national holiday by President Woodrow Wilson.
On behalf of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we extend a Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, aunts and all those serving as a maternal figure in someone’s life. If you’ve lost a maternal family member or loved one, we extend to you our sympathies and condolences. Thank you, Moms!
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Stay up to date by following the Shaker Schools Foundation on the following social media platforms:
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Let’s Finish the School Year Strong — Support Our Students Today!
This year, the Shaker Schools Foundation has focused on four guiding principles: Educate, Empower, Explore, and Engage — bringing learning to life for every student. Thanks to your generous support, students have benefited from meaningful enrichment through classroom innovations, author visits, field trips, career exploration, extracurricular activities, and travel assistance.
As we approach the end of the school year, we invite you to help us continue this momentum. A gift to the Advancing Shaker Annual Appeal directly supports the wide range of opportunities that make a Shaker education so unique.
Click here to hear from our teachers and principals about how your generosity is making a real difference for our students. Let’s end the school year on a high note! Give today and support the next step in a student’s journey!
For ongoing updates, please follow the Shaker Schools Foundation on our social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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Honoring Our Shaker Educators and Staff
As we approach the end of the school year, the Shaker Schools Foundation offers our sincere thanks to the incredible teachers, staff and support teams who help make Shaker Schools a vibrant and inspiring place to learn.
Every day, you Educate minds, Empower voices, Explore possibilities, and Engage hearts and that’s exactly what our mission is all about. Thank you!
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An Unforgettable Week: Summer Youth Police Academy
Add some focus to your teen’s summer! In the Shaker Heights Police Department’s Summer Youth Police Academy, June 23-27, your teen can learn about community-based police work through simulations, lectures and hands-on activities. Read more & register for this free event.
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Summer Recreation Jobs Available
Does your teenager need a summer job? Shaker Heights Recreation is hiring park and slide attendants, lifeguards, sports field crews and more. Visit shakerheightsoh.gov/jobs and scroll down to the Recreation category to learn more and apply.
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