Here is the Bluffton school district summer newsletter released this week. It outlines several summer projects and looks at the coming school year. Here is a portion of the opening column by Greg Denecker, superintendent.

THE ENTIRE NEWSLETTER IS ATTACHED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS STORY

By Greg Denecker
We are excited to welcome over 1,200 students on Aug. 27, for an exciting year.

Due to the large kindergarten class this year, we have added another teacher to this class for this school year.  Our new kindergarten teacher is Taylor Buddelmeyer, who was a long-term substitute in kindergarten for the entire 2017-2018 school year. 

Five new staff members are joining us this year. 

At the high school, the new teacher for Industrial Arts and Career Based Interevention (formerly known as OWE) is Kevin O’Rear, and Makenna Fox will be teaching math and social studies. 

Amanda Temple will be one of the middle school science teachers, and Kerry Godsil will teach third grade in the elementary. Jennifer Geiser is our new elementary aide.

We have added new engineering courses at the high school:  Introduction to Engineering Design and Principles of Engineering. 

The Introduction course will have students delve deeply into the engineering design process and apply math, science, and engineering standards to hands-on projects in order to design a new product or improve an existing product. 

The Principles course will allow students to explore a broad range of engineering topics including mechanisms, strength of structure and materials, and automation; then they will apply what they know to take on challenges like possibly designing a self-powered car, for example.  We believe these courses will be valuable for our students at BHS.   

School report card update
Years ago, the summer newsletter would include the 2017-2018 Local State Report Card results; however, these scores have not been released as of the printing of this newsletter. 

When the report cards are released, we are confident our scores will be strong when compared to other districts throughout the state of Ohio.  Our report card from the 2016-2017 school year placed us 35th out of over 600 school districts in the state in performance index.  The elementary school was in the top 1% of all elementary schools or 27th out of 1,398. 

Over the past several years, our district has consistently scored in the top 5-8% of all school districts in performance index.  This performance index is tied to state assessments at various grade levels.  With that being said, the state has raised the achievement level bar on achievement tests, which, in general, will lower the grade of all districts.  

As these report card results are released statewide, we are hopeful that our rankings in the state will be very similar to those of past years.  Regardless, our staff will continue to work to bring the best possible education to every student in our district and give the personal touch to help every child succeed. 

The financial report on this page shows our general fund carry-over balance of just over $5.4 million for the 2018 fiscal year.  Due to the cost-saving measures that have been put in place over the last several years and an increase in both the state and local revenue, we have been able to achieve financial stability. 

We spend $2,693 less per pupil than the state average
Our district spends $2,693 less per pupil than the state average, but achievement levels show the district consistently performs near the top in the state.  This could not be achieved without the support from our parents, students, staff, and community; everyone plays an important role in helping each of our students succeed.  We will continue to look for ways to be fiscally responsible to you, our community, while still providing our students with an excellent education.

Our staff professional development this year will focus on the book Growth Mindset by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley.  In short, the book presents a way of thinking for students, teachers, and parents that promotes the idea that everyone has the ability to learn and expand knowledge

Permanent improvement projects
On the second page of this newsletter, the permanent improvement projects which were completed over the course of the past year are listed. These funds allow our district to make repairs and improvements to our facilities for our students and community. 

While our buildings are not new, we believe the updates and upkeep on each of our facilities encourage an excellent learning environment.  We thank our community for the support of our school district and its upkeep. 

I want to thank our students and staff for making the recycling program in our district a huge success.  We have cut down dramatically on the amount of trash heading to landfills, and we are teaching students at young ages the importance of recycling.   

Senior citizens breakfasts
In this newsletter is a list of the monthly senior citizen breakfast performances.  We look forward to seeing those of you who have patronized these performances in the past as well as any newcomers who may join us in this monthly entertainment and fellowship. 

Thank you for coming to these performances and thanks to our sponsors Citizens National Bank, First National Bank, Sprunger Insurance, Lewis Family McDonald’s, Fortman Insurance, Blanchard Valley Hospital, Senior Citizen Center, and Mennonite Home Communities for donating the free breakfast each month.    

We look forward to the privilege and opportunity to educate the students in our district this year.  Thank you for your continued support of Bluffton Exempted Village Schools and the students we serve.  If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to stop in or call me at 419-358-5901.