Rapid Run Middle School

RAPID RUN NEWS

For the seventh consecutive year the Oak Hills Local School District and for the sixth consecutive year RRMS has earned an “EXCELLENT “rating from the Ohio Department of Education. In addition to meeting and exceeding all performance indicators, RRMS met Adequate Yearly Progress and scored in the ABOVE category of Value-Added. This is the direct result of teamwork between students, staff, parents and community. we are extremely proud of all of our students!

Camp Oak Hills at Oak Hills High School

You are invited to attend CAMP OAK HILLS at Oak Hills High School on Tuesday, July 27 - 2010!

During the camp you will be involved in numerous leadership building activities, specially designed spirit workshops to learn more about the high school and recreational activities so you can become better acquainted with other freshmen and selected leaders from the junior and senior classes. Bottom line is you will have a fun-filled leadership camp experience that will set the pace for your next four years at Oak Hills High School.

Click Here for more information and registration form.

Oak Hills Band Association Craft Fair

Click Here, to download the 2010 Registration Form

Oak Hills Band Association Flea Market

You are invited to join us this summer for the Oak Hills Band Association 5th Annual Outdoor Community Flea Market at Oak Hills High School. This event brings a lot of customer traffic. Last year we had over 50 booths and we anticipate more for this year. Vendors, crafters, organizations, individuals and families are invited to rent space for displaying and selling their goods.

The Flea Market date is set for Saturday, June 26, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. You can rent a 9’ x 18’ space for $15.00 or a 18’ x 18’ space for $25.00. If you are interested in renting a space, please download the form here and return it with your payment as indicated. Call Holly Kross at 513-922-6233 or email momkrn@aol.com with any questions. If you are not interested at this time, but know someone who might be interested in participating, please pass this information on to them. Please retain the top portion for your records. Receipts will not be mailed.

Download the form for Flea Market Guidelines

State group recognizes RRMS for parent/community involvement

Rapid Run Middle School has recently been honored with the Ohio Middle Level Association Component Award for Parent/Community Involvement.

The purpose of the Ohio Middle Level Association Component Award Recognition Program is to identify and recognize schools that have implemented middle school concept components in an exemplary manner. It is the intention of OMLA that the recognized programs will serve as models for aspiring educators and provide model resources for schools striving to develop, refine or polish components of their middle schools. Recognized schools are open for visitations and encouraged to give presentations at the annual spring OMLA State Conference.

In order to receive the award:

A committee of the Ohio Middle Level Association Executive Board members review all applications.
Applicants which meet the criteria on paper are notified and a site-visitation team of OMLA members and/or consultants is scheduled to verify the middle level component practice.
Based on evidence collected through the application and the site visitation, the Ohio Middle Level Association Executive Board members make a decision on the award.
Component Awards are recognized at the OMLA annual state conference.

Oak Hills District parents, students embrace new conference model

An enhanced parent-teacher conference model in the Oak Hills Local School District had a sharp increase in participation – more than triple the attendance over previous years – during its November roll out for students in grades 6-12.

The sessions, called Post Secondary Meetings, had 87 percent of students and parents participate during its debut for freshmen and sophomores. An average of 90 percent participated in student-led conferences at Bridgetown, Delhi, and Rapid Run middle schools. Also during this time, juniors and seniors and their parents scheduled traditional conferences, and can request a Post Secondary Meeting this month and in January.

The conferences were redesigned to improve communication about the opportunities and experiences students will have after graduation, said Tiffany Coy, a house principal at Oak Hills.“No matter what goals they have, we want to make sure that whatever they need, we are providing the resources for them to reach them,” she added.

An aggressive approach by students and staff to increase parent participation is credited for the improved attendance. Parents were contacted by phone, e-mail, and personal conversation. Teachers will meet individually with the students whose parents did not attend.

“I am aware of how busy teachers’ schedules are on a regular basis throughout the school year and I appreciate them taking on the added responsibility of counseling students and their parents about planning a solid academic future,” high school parent Ann Heyl said. “This is very much needed so that parents have the information they need to help their child.”

Teachers say the process also helps bridge the gap between home and school.
“It was a great chance to interact with the parents and the student about their future and not just about my individual class,” said Lynn Hericks, business teacher at Oak Hills. “It was also good to see the relationship between the parent and child.”

Middle school students are also using this opportunity to map their future. During a recent conference, Kaitlyn Armentrout, an eighth grader at Delhi, sat with her parents and a teacher and discussed her school progress and the results of a career and interest assessment.

“I like how my parents got my perspective on how I’m doing in school. I also liked how the online career assessment gave me ideas on possible careers,” said Kaitlyn. “It said a strong possible career choice for me would be architecture. I like architecture and I’ve always wanted to be an architect, so that just confirmed what I’ve been thinking all along.”

Ann Zesterman, a Bridgetown teacher, called the meetings a beneficial time for everyone involved.

“It was great to see so many students and parents engaging in meaningful conversation about school, she said. “I was so proud of how my students took charge of their conference and communicated their strengths, areas of improvements and goals to their parents.”

The Tragedy in Haiti: Helping Children Cope - Tips for Parents and Caregivers

The National Association of School Psychologists has developed a guide to help parents and caregivers explain The terrible devastation caused by the recent earthquake in Haiti. Such a tragedy can be expected to have a range of emotional effects on children here in the United States. Like adults, many children and youth may be struggling to comprehend the scope of the disaster, especially if they have been exposed to the extremely graphic and heart-wrenching images in the news.

Additionally, some children, particularly in the Haitian American community, have loved ones in Haiti who are missing, injured, dead, or struggling to survive. Others may have family members who have gone to Haiti to try to help. Parents and other caregivers can help children by supporting their emotional and psychological needs, helping them understand the events factually, limiting what they see on television, providing them with the opportunity to talk about their feelings, and most importantly, by establishing a solid sense of safety and security. Click here for more TIPS FOR SUPPORTING ALL CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS.

Historical Society presents "From One-room Schools to the Oak Hills School District"

Contributed By Peg Schmidt | Delhi Historical Society

The Delhi Historical Society’s new exhibit at its historic Farmhouse features the history of public education in Delhi Township. The display is in conjunction with Oak Hills' 50 years as a School District in 2008-09.

Visitors can view photos and documents of the old one-room schools of the 1800s, the two and four-room schools from the late 1800s and early 1900s, as well as the development of the Delhi Consolidated Schools that eventually joined with Green Township schools to become the Oak Hills Local School District in the late 1950s.

Also on display and available for browsing are Oak Hills High School Yearbooks and several yearbooks from the late 60s and early 70s from Delhi Junior High.

The historical society, located at 468 Anderson Ferry Road, is open on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 3 p.m. Admission to the exhibit area is a $1 donation.

For more information or to schedule a group, e-mail delhi.history@fuse.net or call 513.451.4313.