September 29, 2024

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:

  • Rosh Hashanah - Schools and Offices Closed | Thursday, October 3
  • Board of Education Regular Meeting | Tuesday, October 8, 6 p.m.
  • FACE Academy: Let's Talk About Attendance | Tuesday, October 8, 6:30 p.m.
  • Coffee with the Superintendent | Monday, October 15, 7:30 a.m.
  • Career Tech Education Fair | Saturday, October 19, 12 p.m.
  • Board of Education Work Session | Monday, October 21, 5 p.m.




Click on the appropriate link below for school-level and building PTO news:

Use these Quick Links to access the following District information:

Shaker Raiders went head to head with the Brunswick Blue Devils on Friday night at the homecoming football game.

Shaker Plays Brunswick in Homecoming Game


Shaker Raiders went head to head with the Brunswick Blue Devils for the homecoming football game on Friday night. Shaker lost to the Blue Devils, but celebrated the next day as alumnus Machine Gun Kelly made a special appearance at the homecoming dance!


Shaker offers many athletic teams for its students in middle school and high school. More information on sports teams, including schedules, photos, videos, and news, are available here.

Aldersyde Closed Through October 1


Shaker's Public Works sewer contractor is doing an emergency sewer repair on Aldersyde Drive. The repair work is expected to continue through Tuesday, Oct. 1, weather permitting. For safety, Aldersyde is closed at Parkland and at Avalon to through traffic.

Attendance Updates


As Attendance Awareness Month comes to an end, we want to thank you for your partnership in helping students Show Up and Shine!  Attendance is recorded in PowerSchool and reported to the State by instructional time, so every minute counts!  When possible, please try to make appointments for your student before or after school hours.  


Remember to call or email the school office to report absences.  As another option, we encourage you to conveniently report absences online through the PowerSchool Portal.  Login at https://ps-sh.metasolutions.net, and select Attendance Monitor from the left sidebar.  (Please note that this option is only available on the web version of the Portal, not the PowerSchool app.) Click to view this Attendance Monitor Help Doc.


The Office of Family & Community Engagement is hosting an information session on school attendance. Please register to join us on Tuesday, October 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the Shaker Heights Main Library.

Arts Performances Throughout October


October is full of performances from many talented Shaker students, including band, choir, orchestra, and theater arts. These students have been working hard since the start of the year to prepare performances that will wow the crowd! Make sure to support concerts and theater productions with our students. Visit shaker.org for a full listing of events, dates, and locations.

Shaker Heights Schools Spotlight Section Headline
Orchestra Director Donna Jelen teaches violin to fifth grade students at Onaway Elementary School.

Onaway Fifth Graders Learn Violin


Onaway fifth graders couldn't be more excited to learn violin! Orchestra Director Donna Jelen visited Christine Fader's music class to introduce a violin to the students. They even sang along as she played "Beauty and the Beast" with Ms. Fader and CJ Lyphout, a student teacher from Cleveland State University.


Instead of fifth graders learning instruments at Woodbury, they are learning in each of their elementary schools. Each fifth grade music class will learn an instrument for over a month, then switch to a new instrument. Fifth graders will have the opportunity to learn six instruments this year!

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Section Headline

From the Margins to the Center, Vol. XXI - The Young Lords Organization


By William Warren, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program Coordinator


The Young Lords began as a Puerto Rican street gang that held turf in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood in the early 1960s. They were reorganized and rebranded as the Young Lords Organization (YLO) in 1968 by Jose “Cha Cha” Jimenenz, a rank and file Young Lords member who had been inspired by the works of Malcolm X and Thomas Merton while serving a jail sentence for drug possession. Taking inspiration from revolutionary liberation groups like the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, YLO formed into a grassroots movement to unite Puerto Ricans and other Latinx communities, along with African-Americans to promote self-determination and to advocate for their neighborhoods against racism, poverty and police brutality. YLO aligned with Fred Hampton’s Rainbow Coalition, further entrenching their position in the minoritized people’s liberation movement of the time that included Appalachian, Native American, Chicano and Chinese-American activist groups. 


Soon afterwards, the YLO began to establish chapters in other cities across the country, the most prominent of which was the Young Lords Party (YLP) of New York City, created in 1969 in largely Afro-Latinx neighborhoods like East Harlem and the South Bronx. YLP is largely known for their “Garbage Offensive,” an organized protest demanding change to city sanitation practices that left tons of rotting garbage in the streets for weeks. 


By the 1970s, disruptions by local law enforcement as well as the FBI’s CounterIntelligence Program (COINTELPRO) separated and disbanded many of the Young Lords chapters. However, a cemented legacy still remains in both Chicago and New York, a testament to a revolutionary liberation group dedicated to empowering their community against oppression and displacement. 


Additional Resources:


National Museum of the American Latino

Museum of the City of New York-Young Lords exhibit

Young Lords Party 13-Point Program and Platform

Shaker Schools Foundation logo


Stay up to date by following the Shaker Schools Foundation on the following social media platforms:

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

See How Your Donation Impacts Our Mission

The Foundation has been sharing a five-part video series showcasing how your donations support our mission. You can find all of our videos on Facebook or Instagram. Please like and share these videos as they answer many of the questions we receive about the Foundation.


This video highlights the enrichment grants we have supported for our students. Last school year, we awarded over 350 students, and we are busy providing this year's enrichment grants! Our enrichment grants can be requested by any educator in our district - teachers, coaches, club leaders, etc. Have an idea for an educational enrichment grant? 

Educators can apply today!


For more information, visit our website at shakerschoolsfoundation.org.

Share Feedback on Biking in Shaker


The City is in the process of renewing its Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community designation from the League of American Bicyclists. Residents are invited to submit feedback to the League through October 15.


Indoor Swimming Available at Shaker Middle School


Did you know that Shaker Recreation offers indoor swimming for residents during the school year at Shaker Heights Middle School? This year's program runs through May 10. Lap swim is available Monday through Thursday 8-9:30 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Open swim is available Saturdays 1-4 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Learn more and purchase your indoor pool pass.