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Bethel Tate Tiger eNews
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Message From the Superintendent
Dear Bethel-Tate Families,
As surprising as it seems, the third quarter of the 2022-2023 school year ends this Friday and we transition into the fourth and final quarter. Daylight saving time officially begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 12. And, spring break is just around the corner - March 20-24.
I want to thank each of you for your continued hard work and dedication throughout this school year. Spring break offers a nice opportunity to recharge and refocus on the final push to the end of the school year.
The days following spring break will be especially busy. The window for state testing opens in late March and extends through April. Our principals and teachers will inform you when testing time is for your student. When that time arrives, please encourage your student to do their best. The results from these tests help us track student academic growth and areas of need as we plan for next school year.
Also, just a reminder, the Tiger PAWWS PTO Spring Craft and Vendor Event is tomorrow - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 11, at the high school. The PTOs are an integral part of all that we do here at Bethel-Tate Schools. We value their support and the hours of time and talent that the members give to the schools. If possible, please carve out a little time in your day to drop by the high school and show your support.
For those of you who will have time off March 20-24, I wish you a safe and restful break. As the weather gets warmer, outdoor activities increase, so please remember to be safe and enjoy time with your family and friends.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter and for your ongoing support of our students and staff.
With Tiger Pride,
Missy Kircher
Superintendent
Board Recognizes Brandy Pryor for OSBA Award
During the March 7 meeting of the Bethel-Tate Board of Education, Board President Tiffiany Riddle recognized Board Vice President Brandy Pryor as a recipient of the 2023 Ohio School Board Association (OSBA) Training Award.
OSBA announced award recipients in February. The Training Award is a special award and is part of the OSBA's STAR Awards Program—Service, Training, Aptitude and Recognition.
Congratulations, Mrs. Pryor!
Important Changes Coming for Ohio Medicaid Members!
The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) is asking all public entities, including Bethel-Tate Schools, to inform families who receive Medicaid insurance about the importance of having a current address and email on file with the County Department of Jobs and Family Services.
If your account has old information, you may miss important letters and risk losing your coverage. Visit benefits.ohio.gov or call 1-844-640-6446 to update your contact information.
District Bus Drivers/Aides Remain Flexible
If there is an enduring lesson transportation professionals can take away from the post-pandemic years, it’s ‘be flexible.’
Pivots come so often for school bus drivers these days, they could feel like a perpetually spinning ballerina atop a music box. Bethel-Tate transportation department is not an exception. On any given day of the week, Bethel-Tate bus drivers can and do find themselves adjusting their routes and schedules to compensate for staffing shortages.
Their flexibility was especially challenged one afternoon in February. The drivers were ready to start their routes when they received a call from a bus aide. Her driver was experiencing a medical situation. The driver had successfully pulled the bus off the road into a safe location but was unable to complete the route and had a passenger on board, said Business Services Manager John Burns.
Here’s the pivot. Not only did members of the Bethel-Tate transportation department need to make certain their colleague was OK and send another driver to retrieve the bus and passenger, but they also needed a plan for getting students home from school with two fewer drivers.
“The drivers knew what to do to combine the routes and adjust,” Mr. Burns said. “By the time the buses arrived at the middle school for the afternoon routes, they had it all planned out. It went really well.”
Sadly, the experience of the last few years has more than prepared the district’s small but committed transportation staff for days like the one they experienced in February. Since the pandemic, bus drivers and substitutes are next to impossible to find here in Bethel-Tate and elsewhere, Mr. Burns said. It’s a national problem.
“This whole year has been a challenge for our drivers. We have a constant shortage,” he said. “But they always know what to do. They always take care of it.
“Drivers just take on extra duties. Some organizations, you don’t have that. This place, you have this real team effort. We are fortunate here at Bethel-Tate Schools to have a dynamic team of drivers.
On behalf of the district, Mr. Burns expressed his ongoing gratitude to members of the transportation department:
- Drivers - Leanne Alsept, Amanda Barker, Tonya Boswell, Phill Burgess, Kim Burton, Paul Carter, Diane Centers, Melissa Dabney, Julia Day, Bill Eubanks, Heather Foster, Brittany Neal, and Yanci Vontz
- Bus Aides - April Consteltine and Melissa Dalhhimer
Pictured below are members of the Bethel-Tate Transportation Department. (Not pictured, Amanda Barker and Phill Burgess.)
BTHS Names Class of '23 Valedictorian, Salutatorian
Levi Sayles
Ella Kanis
In late February, Bethel-Tate High School Principal George Sturgeon announced that Levi Sayles is the Valedictorian for the Class of 2023 and Ella Kanis is the Salutatorian.
Levi Sayles is the son of Deanna Sayles and Brad Sayles. After high school, Levi plans to attend college to pursue a degree in data science. He hopes to take up another internship in his field of interest in order to gain a better understanding of the field and how it works. Additionally, he plans to continue running once recovered from a knee injury.
Throughout high school, extracurriculars and sports have been a big part of Levi’s world. Levi is a member of the National Honor Society and his athletic teams include cross country, soccer, wrestling, and track and field teams. He participated in most all four years of high school with the exception of wrestling and Cross Country/Track. Levi was a member of the wrestling team his sophomore and junior years. And he was part of the cross country and track teams for six years.
“It is always a funny story with those two sports because I hated them when I first started,” he responded in a questionnaire. “However, as I started to spend more time with the people in the sport, I began to fall in love with running.”
Understandably, Levi is proud to say “I am the Valedictorian.”
“However, I feel that this is just the beginning as there is so much more I want to achieve,” he wrote. “In my mind, this is just one of the first steps of many that I am going to take along my journey.”
Ella Kanis is the daughter of Erin Kanis and the granddaughter of Patty and Rick Kanis. This fall, she will attend Xavier University and major in biomedical sciences.
Throughout her high school experience, Ella excelled academically while participating in numerous sports and clubs, including the National Honor Society (president), Principal Advisory Committee, varsity soccer, varsity cross country, and varsity track and field.
“The highlight of high school for me was being able to play sports while also maintaining my grades. Especially soccer, which is the sport I love the most,” Ella wrote in a questionnaire.
Of being Salutatorian, Ella wrote, “I feel very accomplished. Of course, I wanted to be valedictorian, but I am still very proud of myself for coming in second.”
BTMS Sixth-Graders Craft Fun Bobbleheads
Fun, imaginative art projects are somewhat a hallmark of Bethel-Tate Middle School.
The current round of masterpieces created by sixth-grade students is nothing less than amazing.
Students have been hard at work creating clay bobbleheads! The only stipulation for the project was that it had to be a bobblehead, but beyond that, students were encouraged to use their creativity.
The end results are unbelievable, with an imaginative selection of bobbleheads being crafted by the students. The accompanying photograph showcases a few of this year’s creations.
HealthSource Mobile Dental Serves Bethel-Tate Students
Ebon C. Hill Intermediate School recently hosted the HealthSource of Ohio Mobile Dental Clinic. The mobile clinic offered complete dental services such as dental examinations, X-rays, cleanings, sealants and fluoride treatments to students.
Participants were able to receive convenient and quality dental care during the school day. At Hill alone, more than 50 students participated!
“We thank HealthSource of Ohio for this tremendous service to our school,” Principal Robert MacLeod said.
The mobile clinic provided services to students throughout the district from Feb. 27 through March 10.
HealthSource of Ohio Mobile Dental Clinic.
HealthSource of Ohio Mobile Dental Clinic.
Book Fair and Beyond
Ebon C. Hill Intermediate School will host the Scholastic Book Fair from 9 a.m. to noon Monday-Thursday, March 13-16, 2023. Students will be able to visit the Book Fair and make purchases during the school day.
In addition, students and parents are invited to visit the “Book Fair and Beyond” 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 16, 2023. During this time, students and parents may shop the Book Fair and participate in Mr. MacLeod’s Story Time.
Bick Presents Trimester Awards
The teachers and staff at William Bick Primary School were excited to honor four students named Student of the Trimester for the recently completed second trimester.
These students were exceptional in every way resulting in their selection by teachers for this recognition. Being Respectful, Responsible, and Safe are the PBIS expectations for all
students on a daily basis.
We are impressed by how these four students consistently shined in all of these areas, Principal Gregory Chandler said. Award recipients are:
Preschool- Daniel Hokanson
Kindergarten- Paul Dugas
First Grade- Caleb Broemsen
Second Grade- Emily Chambers
Partnership With NonProfit Benefits Students
The Bethel-Tate Local School District has partnered with Tidal Babe Period Bank to secure period products for distribution to students.
Thanks to the partnership, the district can make period products available to students at Hill Intermediate and Bethel-Tate Middle and High Schools.
Tidal Babe Period Bank is a nonprofit and it’s part of the Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, 1400 State Ave. in Cincinnati.
This partnership benefits students who cannot afford to buy these types of supplies, and it provides easy access during the school day, according to District Nurse Shelley Keller.
For information about Tidal Babe, visit them online at https://tidalbabe.org/ Their mission statement is https://tidalbabe.org/who-we-are/our-mission-vision-values/
Download the District Mobile App!
Bethel-Tate Local School District recently launched a new website featuring a mobile app that allows easy access to information, calendar dates, lunch menus, and important news alerts from phones or mobile devices. Go to the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store by searching Bethel-Tate Local Schools. Download it today!
March/April Calendar
March 11 - Tiger PAWWS PTO Spring Craft & Vendor Fair, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
March 10- Third Quarter Ends
March 13 - Fourth Quarter Begins
March 20-24 - Spring Break - No School
April 7 - No School, Parent/Teacher Conferences Comp Day
April 17 - Regular Board of Education Meeting, 6 p.m.