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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Board of Education Work Session | Tuesday, September 16
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Fatherhood Walk | Thursday, September 18
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Rosh Hashanah (Schools and Offices Closed) | Tuesday, September 23
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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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Community Celebrates Ludlow Early Learning Center
Families, staff, alumni and community members packed the auditorium at the Ludlow Early Learning Center on Friday for a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting! This standing-room only event celebrated the opening of the District’s expanded preschool program, which will welcome students on Monday! The ceremony also included a nod to Ludlow’s significant ties to the civil rights movement, namely the Ludlow Community Association’s success in integrating Ludlow Elementary School and the surrounding neighborhood in the 1960s.
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Annual Update Help Available on September 18 and 25
Annual Update help will be available at Shaker Heights High School on September 18 (Curriculum Night) from 5-8 p.m. Annual Update help will also be available on September 25 from 5-8 p.m. at the Shaker Schools Welcome Center, located on the 2nd floor of the Shaker Heights Main Library, 16500 Van Aken Blvd.
Please bring your photo ID, and proof of residency (a current lease or proof of homeownership). Questions about the Annual Update, including password reset support and adding students to your Parent Portal, can be directed to the enrollment office at 216-295-4321.
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SHHS Alumni/Community Band Returns on October 3
The SHHS Alumni/Community Band returns on Friday, October 3, under the Friday night lights! We’ll also have our first ever Alumni Raiderette Feature. Anyone with a connection to “The Pride of Shaker Heights” can join. Alumni, band parents, staff members, Shaker residents, you name it! All musicians in our extended community are welcome, including SMS students if they are accompanied by a participating adult or current band member.
For alumni and community members joining the Raiderettes, a choreography video from our current Raiderettes will be shared for you to learn on your own before the rehearsal. For alumni and community band participants, band directors will follow up with links to the sheet music, audio recordings and videos.
Alumni and community members are welcome to hang out with the band after half time. Click here to sign up for this event, and wear your Shaker gear!
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Attendance is Key for Student Success
Attendance Awareness Month is a great opportunity to review why it is so important for every student to Show Up and Shine in Shaker.
Did you know…?
- Missing just 2 days a month can cause students to fall behind
- Starting in kindergarten, good attendance is a strong predictor of academic success
- By Grade 6, absenteeism becomes a warning sign for dropping out
- By Grade 9, attendance is a better predictor of graduation than test scores
To learn more about what you can do to support and improve attendance, click to read this grades K-5 flyer or this grades 6-12 flyer.
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Update on House Bill 8 Policies
Shaker Heights Schools works closely with families across the District to make sure every student has an inclusive and equitable educational experience. To keep families informed, we are sharing a summary of Ohio House Bill 8, also called the “Parents’ Bill of Rights.” The law requires all public schools to put new policies in place that give parents a bigger role in their children’s education and well-being. Below is a summary of the main parts of the law:
Curriculum and Instructional Materials:
- The District selects materials that are developmentally appropriate, connect with academic content standards, and intend to represent the Shaker community. This means that students may read texts that feature non-fictional and fictional characters of different races, genders, ability, income and sexuality.
- Parents have the right to review instructional materials that include "sexuality content" and can request that their child be excused from specific aspects of that instruction. Parents must provide specific objections regarding what they are excusing their child from in PowerSchool.
- The law defines “sexuality” as any instruction or presentation of sexual concepts or gender ideology, but it does not apply to certain topics like sexually transmitted disease education, child sexual abuse prevention and sexual violence prevention. These topics are required by Ohio law unless a parent excuses their child.
- The District-adopted curricula in Grades PreK-5 does not include “sexuality content.” As part of this new law, schools are prohibited from providing any instruction that may include “sexuality content” in Grades K-3.
- Each spring, parent or guardian permission is required for students in Grades 4-5 to receive lessons in puberty and human development.
Student Health and Well-Being:
- Schools must promptly notify parents of any "substantial change" in a student's services, including counseling or monitoring related to their mental, emotional or physical health or well-being.
- This includes informing parents if a student requests to identify as a gender that does not align with their “biological sex” (defined in the bill as the sex assigned at birth).
- The bill prohibits school personnel from encouraging a student to withhold information from their parents about their health or well-being.
- Schools must get parental authorization before providing any health care services to a student, with exceptions for emergencies, first aid or minor, unanticipated health care services.
Access to Records and Concerns:
- Parents have a right to uninhibited access to their child's education and health records maintained by the school.
- The law requires schools to have a process for parents to file written concerns and for the school to resolve them within 30 days, with an appeals process to the superintendent and school board.
Religious Released Time:
- The bill mandates that schools adopt a policy allowing students to be excused from non-core curriculum classes to attend religious instruction off-campus. This instruction must be privately funded and have parental permission.
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Register Now for the Shaker Raider 5K & Fun Run!
Get ready to lace up your running shoes and join us for the Shaker Raider 5K & 1 Mile Fun Run — a fun-filled event for students, staff, families, alumni, and community members of all ages and fitness levels!
Whether you're racing to beat your personal best or enjoying a leisurely walk with friends and family, this event is a fantastic way to show your Shaker spirit and support our community. The PTO units from each of our eight school buildings have worked together, and alongside the Shaker Schools Foundation and School District to bring this event to reality. All money raised will go directly to the schools!
Shaker Raider 5K & 1 Mile Fun Run: Saturday, October 11
Location: Shaker Heights High School Football Stadium
Time: Race begins at 9:30 a.m. (check-in starts at 7:30 a.m.)
Register by Sunday, September 21 to guarantee your preferred t-shirt size! If you are unable to participate, you can still support the cause by donating to the cause via the link as well. Register HERE!
Watch this video to see some familiar faces who are excited for the Raider 5K!
Bring your energy, enthusiasm, and Raider pride! Every step helps support a great cause, and we can't wait to see you out on the course. Go Raiders!
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Fernway Introduces Buddy Bench
Fernway Elementary School is excited to introduce the Buddy Bench! The Buddy Bench is a symbol of friendship, kindness and inclusion. When someone is feeling lonely or needs a friend, they can sit on the bench as a signal to others that they’d like someone to talk to or play with. This ties perfectly into our IB Attribute for September: Caring! Thank you to Jean Reinhold, Fernway’s former IB Coordinator, who first shared the idea of bringing a Buddy Bench to the school. Ms. Reinhold joined Fernway students for the official launch of the Buddy Bench!
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From the Margins to the Center, Vol. LI — 2025-2026 Theme: “Discovering the Hidden Figures in Our History”
By Lawrence Burnley, PhD, Chief Inclusion, Engagement and Policy Officer
“From the Margins to the Center” (FMC) is a Shaker Heights Schools Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) initiative that celebrates contributions from marginalized communities. Launched in February 2023, FMC recognizes and amplifies the historically overlooked voices, stories and achievements of people who have been pushed to the margins of required educational curricula.
The theme for the 2025-2026 school year, “Discovering the Hidden Figures in Our History,” draws inspiration from the film Hidden Figures, based on the book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly and published in 2016. Both the film and book shed light on the vital, and previously unacknowledged role of African American women in the U.S. space program. The book argues that these women, often referred to as “human computers,” helped America achieve great success in space travel during the 1960s, all while fighting against the pervasive racism and sexism of the Jim Crow era.
FMC will continue to reveal the omitted accomplishments from diverse communities intentionally “hidden” from core curricula, making the point that U.S. and world history is far richer and more complex than what is often taught. By highlighting these stories, FMC underscores that discrimination not only harms individuals but also holds back society by preventing it from using its best and brightest talent. At Shaker Heights Schools, we believe diversity makes us stronger!
Throughout this series, we invite readers to ponder the question, “Why were these extraordinary people and their contributions “hidden” from the history we’re required to learn about and examine?”
Additional Resources
Sources for Discovering Hidden Historic Figures
| | Stay up to date by following the Shaker Schools Foundation on the following social media platforms: | |
Join us for Shaker Speaks, featuring Producer/Director George Veras ’68 on September 24
Join us for Shaker Speaks on Wednesday, September 24 at 6:30 p.m., hosted by a Shaker family. The Shaker Speaks speaker series continues featuring Emmy-winning producer and director George Veras, SHHS Class of ’68, as he takes us on his journey from Shaker Heights to the global stage:
- From CBS Sports to the History Channel
- From Aerosmith to Kid Rock
- From Yanni concerts across the globe to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- From hosting PBS specials to CWRU Adjunct Professor of Sports Business
- From Shaker Heights to NYC!
The event is hosted by a Shaker family in their lovely home. Donations from the tickets will benefit the Shaker Schools Foundation Level the Playing Field fund, which provides scholarships for students seeking assistance to participate in youth sports. Join us! Purchase your tickets today!
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Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony on October 11
Join us on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 6 p.m. at Shaker Heights Country Club. Nine distinguished graduates will be honored for their impact in fields such as public service, health equity, environmental advocacy, and more. Purchase your tickets today, seating is limited!
The newest inductees are:
- Judge Adam B. Abelson, Class of 2001
- Joanie and Tom Adler, Class of 1958
- Cyrena Davis, Class of 1993
- Andrew Geronimo, Class of 2001
- Quiana Howard, Class of 1998
- Melinda Kassen, Class of 1974
- Robyn Minter Smyers, Class of 1987
- Brigadier General Jeff Watkins, Class of 1985
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Shaker Heights Curfew Reminder
Did you know that the City does have a curfew? It’s 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. for those under age 15, and 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. for teens 15-17. There are exceptions for young people who are accompanied by a parent/guardian, or in case of an emergency, or for youth on a parent-directed errand.
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Touch-a-Truck, Mayor’s Chat at Van Aken District September 20
On Saturday, September 20 spend your morning at The Van Aken District for two family-friendly happenings. Early risers can bring the kiddos to the annual Touch-a-Truck event from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. From 11 a.m. until noon, Mayor Weiss will be on hand for an informal chat, taking questions from residents about City projects and more.
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