Middletown City Schools goes Social

As recently as this fall, Middletown City Schools has jumped into the local social community with Twitter and Facebook. I think Debbie Alberico is to blame.

Debbie Alberico  is the Director of Community Relations / Communications at Middletown City Schools. Ms. Alberico has always reached out to the internet as a way to communicate to and from parents, students and the public

She sees her top most important job is to "Develop and supervise the implementation of strategic
communication plans". Source: Linkedin profile

The Middletown City School District is expected to see a reduction in state funding for next year. The reduction could be up to $5 million. The impact of the 20% reduction to the general operating budget could cause a reduction in services and programs offered in the schools. So how does Middletown City Schools communicate to the community while seeing a potential hit to her budget?

The answer is social communication. For years Debbie Alberico has informed the community via press releases to the local newspaper as well as other media outlets such as television, radio and local web sites.

Here are a few examples of important school news provided to MiddletownUSA by Debbie Alberico:

Budget Priority Workshop To seek Community Input Elementary Students Celebrate Rosa Parks With Essays, Prizes And Role Model (0 Comments)

12/2/2010  Immediate Release   Elementary students celebrate Rosa Parks with essays, prizes and role models Details:  1:30 PM, Friday, December 10, Rosa Parks Elemen...

Students With Special Needs Involved In Volunteer Community Work Program (0 Comments)

November 29, 2010 School or Department: Middletown High School Special Education Who: Students with special needs involved in volunteer community work program and staff assigned to pro...

WHASSUP WITH CHARACTER? (0 Comments)

WHASSUP WITH CHARACTER? Nov. 18, 2010  For Immediate Release      Middletown High School Boy’s basketball players, along with other st...

COMMUNITY PEP RALLY (0 Comments)

COMMUNITY PEP RALLY Thursday, November 4 at 6:30 pm MHS - Paul Walker Gym Help the Middies celebrate their 10-0 season and build the excitement for the playoff games.   C...

Red Ribbon Week “Say Boo To Drugs” (0 Comments)

Say “Boo” To Drugs Word Of The Day   Each morning during the week, a riddle will be read during the morning announcements, the answer to which has the ...

Now Middletown City Schools is adding to their communication efforts by adding social accounts.

Follow Middletown Schools on their Twitter Account: http://twitter.com/#!/middletownOH
They have 143 Tweets and 200 followers at the time of this posting. With this feed you can hear as it happens such things as Middie Scores: EX: Middies over Beavercek - 61 - 41. GO MIDDIES!!
Also announcements and links to school news and spirit initiatives.

Follow Middletown Schools on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MiddletownCitySchools.
According to the Facebook Page: This is the official Facebook page for the Middletown City School District in Middletown, Ohio, Where Every Student is a Star! MCSD is an Asset Building District.
See what kids need to succeed.

Middletown City Schools also has a blog: http://www.middletowncityschools.com/blog/

The Middie Buzz Blog

The Middletown City School District is committed to open and honest communication with our community. In an effort to further that commitment, we have created the Middie Buzz Blog. We invite you to participate by submitting your thoughts using the box on the right.  An on-line SWOCA managed progress report and report card called Progress Book. The School District has a very nice, updated website located here:  http://www.middletowncityschools.com/ Kudos to Middletown Schools and their social initiatives. Also kudos to Debbie Alberico. I'm sure she is behind many of these initiatives along with many others she has encouraged to communicate the important news of the school.

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Middletown Schools Experiment with Recess

Students at Rosa Parks Elementary School in Middletown are shaking up their daily schedules a little bit. Instead of heading for the playground after lunch, teachers are taking their classes out for recess before lunch, and many say it makes a difference in everything from attentiveness to healthy eating.

According to the school's nurse, Shane Allison, before the switch, students weren't eating the healthy meat and vegetables from their school lunches and they were rushing through lunch so they could go play. "Every day after they would eat lunch they'd come in and separate all their food waste. The food they didn't eat would go in the food bucket and drinks they didn't drink would go into a drink bucket, and they'd throw the trash trays away," Allison told WLWT in Cincinnati.

For one week, 62 fourth graders went to recess before lunch. The results were very positive. Allison said, "The kids have a lot less malaise, fatigue, (but) they're more focused because they have more calories on board." It also allowed students to talk about what they did on the playground during lunch, instead of during classtime, which cut back on classroom disruption.

The kids were even involved in the "scientific experiment." After lunch, the student weighed the buckets of food to see if they were eating more of their healthy lunches or less. The findings were that when going to recess before lunch, they ate about 32 percent more. School lunches are designed to meet one third to one half of a student's daily dietary needs. This is especially important for students on free or reduced lunch and who many not receive proper nutrition at home.

Next year, all Middletown schools will begin scheduling recess before lunch, due to the success of the experiment. Even students think it's a great idea. "If we run around, we get more hungrier and we come back in and can eat all our food," fourth grader Nathaniel Jones told WLWT.

For more information and to watch the WLWT newscast about the experiment, visit their website here: Playing Before Lunch Makes Kids Hungrier, More Attentive

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ProgressBook Debuts in Middletown Schools

A new software product that allows educators to record, retrieve and use student information for progress-based education is making its debut in three Middletown schools. ProgressBook will be available in Middletown High School, Vail Middle School, and Verity Middle School.

The program also allows parents and students to review grades, homework assignments, attendance, report card information, student progress, teacher comments and more, opening the door for more communication amongst students, teachers, and parents.

"Communication is the key. Better communication, between home and school, equals a better educational process," said Debbie Houser, the Middletown Schools' Curriculum Coordinator.

Funding for the program came through a federal stimulus grant. According to the Senior Director of Learning, Betsy Carter, the school system was only given enough funding for three schools but hopefully there will be enough for more in the future. "When the grant runs out in two years, the district will have to fund the program through the General Fund. Better communication with our parents is a vital part of our strategic plan, so perhaps in the future we can add the program to the entire district," she said.

Parents at the two middle schools have already been made aware of the program and were sent letters with their username and password information. Middletown High School plans to do the same the week students return from winter vacation.

A training demonstration for parents and students is scheduled for January 12 at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, and 7:00 PM in the Manchester Building Banquet Room at 4420 Manchester Road. No reservation is required to attend.

Middletown Teachers Know Their History

Just because school was out for the summer, doesn't mean the learning stopped. But this summer, the teachers were the ones being taught. In July, several Middletown teachers visited New York City to learn about and experience several notable locations such as the Statue of Liberty, the Tenement Museum, and Ellis Island. Much of the trip was focused on the historical aspect of immigration to this country and learning what many of our relatives went through to get to the United States.

The teachers were able to take part in this trip through Teach American History (TAH), a program set up by the federal government to help improve teachers' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation for American history, in order to help student achievement. The program provides grants to various school systems in hopes that they will improve quality and promote the teaching of United States history as a separate academic subject. The grant also provides school districts with the money to purchase books, DVDs, online subscriptions to educational website and student materials.

Future trips, paid for by the grant, are planned to Boston, Massachusetts and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where teachers will learn about the Civil War and America's early settlers. In addition to the federal program, Middletown Schools have partnered with the Ohio Historical Society's Ohio Social Studies Resource Center to provide classroom materials and resources focused on Ohio's state history.

This year, several Middletown teachers are involved with TAH. They are: David Hiteshew, Christina Pierett, Rachel Robinson, Megan Mihal, Barb Florence, Anna Bowman, Tiffany Aponte, Troy Rees, Michele Cochran, Lisa Slone, Cindy Centers, Jenny Clark, Joe Howard, Tara Kueker, and Michelle Puckett, Chad Bowers, Angie Bogenschutz, Matt Butler, Scott Colliflower, Greta Popp, Tara Kueker, Joe Howard, Ray Banks, Chris Brandt, Ray Banks, Anna Bowman, Michelle Puckett, Jenny Clark, Barb Florence, Richard Packert, Christina Pierett, Mary Lou Mooney, David Hiteshew, Joyce Leifheit, Cindy Centers, Jennifer Moon, Josh Shaffer, Rachel Robinson, Michelle Cochran, Cathy Hodson, Terry Shores, Tammy Roberts

Gas Prices Rise for Summer and Middletown is Feeling the Heat

With the summer season on our doorsteps, Middletown residents are already seeing the high gas prices that come with this part of the year. Today Middletown Gas Prices have risen to an average of $3.95 for one gallon of regular Unleaded Fuel across Butler County and residents are beginning to feel the impact as they begin to make travel plans for weekends and holidays.

Taken from the Middletown Journal, a local Hamilton Resident expresses his concern over the rising gas prices which have likely affected his plans for this Memorial Day weekend, and most likely, the entire summer. "As a retiree, coping with $4-a-gallon gas makes even visiting relatives in northern Kentucky a financial burden. I wanted to take a vacation and you just can't do it."

Even local schools and businesses are starting to buckle from the increased gas prices and a few have proposed looking into a four day week to try to help off set their expenses. For schools even one day off could help tremendously as hundreds of buses would not be needed that day to make rounds, and residents who must drive half an hour just to get to work would appreciate the hiatus.

There is some good news about gas prices. An Official from the American Automobile Association believes that gas will begin to drop after this Memorial Day Weekend. "During the first or second week of June we should start to see prices go down. There's an ample gas supply and consumer demand is not remarkable. Those two things alone should drive down prices." This summer gas prices are not expected to hit the dreaded $5 mark.

Middletown Ohio School Levy - Letter To The Editor

In a recent Letter to the Editor (as published in the Middletown Journal) Monsignor Paul Metzger outlines 1.4 million in cuts he believes the Middletown City School District should make. The cuts are all in the areas of staffing and all according to the writer are positions that are non critical or that do not exist in other similar sized school systems. The most interesting point in the letter is simply that if these cuts in staffing were made there would be no need for a new tax levy.

The opening comments of the letter are listed below:

I would like to give you some thoughts as to why the levies failed and may fail again. What inspired this letter was reading (that) they could not give the students paper with lines to practice writing the alphabet because (the paper is) too expensive, so they will give them plain paper. The enclosed statements were sent to all the board members. The (board) president did call me and was clear in some of his explanations. Basically, he said they will see what other schools are doing.

This is what I requested:

1. Do not let the grade-school children walk to school, across railroad tracks, busy streets and places where there are no sidewalks, but bus them. High school students have cars or let them walk a reasonable distance.

2. Since the school is the lowest academically in the county and you want to shorten the class day by two hours, you should be thinking of adding more time than the old schedule. Those who plan the bus route have found, by letting all schools dismiss at 1:30 p.m., they are saving a sum of money. So what is the difference if it is 1:30 p.m. or 3:30 p.m.?

3. Everything has been taken away from the children. You say you cannot buy paper, text books or school supplies because the levy failed. I will show you the reason for Middletown's school problems.
I think the board members are intelligent people and generally do a good job, but they have gone wild on positions in the school. There is a position called "superintendent" — a very important position. Many people cannot understand the salary of $121,000, which is reasonable. But add the retirement (14 percent) of $16,940, and health, $6,000, for a total of $143,940

Monsignor Paul Metzger
Middletown

To read the entire letter from Monsignor Paul Metzger or to comment on these proposals visit the Middletown Ohio Community Website and click on the discussion form. In the form follow the link for School Tax Issues in the Middletown City Schools Forum and then click on “Why Levies Fail”.

Middletown City Schools - Ohio Department of Education Data

In the face of tough and difficult times, such as the Middletown City School District now finds itself in, complaining and finding fault is the easiest thing to do.

The editors at MiddletownUSA.com appreciate Dr. Price and his efforts to stay positive and educate the community on the state of our School District. We sincerely believe Dr. Price when he points out that there is plenty to be proud of when it comes to the Middletown City Schools.

Although turnout was low Dr. Price should be commended for making the effort to meet with the community in several open sessions over the last few months.

During one such session, that we documented on our Middletown Community Website, many of us heard Dr. Price say that we need to take time to see the numbers and the data in regards to the Performance of the Middletown City Schools. His intent is of course to encourage the community to be informed on the issues and the schools performance. With that goal we are in total agreement.

Many of us have also heard the Superintendent say, in that same Video of Dr. Price as mentioned above: “if anyone tells me personally that we have not made progress, and that scores have not improved, they have not taken the time to see the numbers and the facts”. Though that may be true we understand that in the face of constant negative publicity about the schools and the community there would also be a high level of skepticism accompanying that statement. But even that skepticism is understandable as most of the community would have no idea where these “numbers and facts” on school performance came from or what they in their entirety show.

Traditionally the community would gather its opinion of the Schools Performance by articles printed in the local paper or perhaps a 30 second sound byte from the nightly news. But newspaper reporters, just like TV reporters, for the most part report on someone’s selected view of the data. They rarely if ever at all report all the raw data itself. Both of these mediums also tend to focus on the negative aspects of any story as that is what sell papers and brings up the ratings. That is the nature of this style of reporting and in our opinion taht is why news reported in this manner tends to have a bias.

In support of Dr. Price to and his efforts to educate the community, and along with our own goal to eliminate bias, we encourage Middletown to bypass the “middleman” when it comes to the schools performance. To not take the word of either elected official or paid reporter. But rather to look at all the data on school performance as intelligent individuals who can and will make up their own mind as to the state of our district.

Ohio School Rating Data * (In an Excel Format - Chose Save & Download Locally Before Opening)

School Years 2002-2003
http://ilrc.ode.state.oh.us/Downloads/2003B/0203B_LRC_District.xls

School Years 2003-2004
http://ilrc.ode.state.oh.us/Downloads/2004/0304_lrc_district.xls

School Years 2004-2005
http://ilrc.ode.state.oh.us/Downloads/2005/0405_LRC_building.xls

School Years 2005-2006
http://ilrc.ode.state.oh.us/Downloads/2006/0506_LRC_building.xls

For the complete list of School data available from the State visit the
Ohio School Data Download page.