WILMINGTON — The price of a lunch will go up 25 cents for the upcoming academic year at Wilmington City Schools (WCS).
Elementary lunches will increase from $2.60 to $2.85, while middle and high school lunches will increase from $3 to $3.25. Breakfast prices will remain the same.
The price increase was approved at Monday’s board of education meeting held in the Wilmington Middle school cafeteria. School district officials said they’re hopeful the increase for the 2018-19 school year will carry through the 2019-20 school year as well without additional increases.
The board of education packet states, “This increase will bring us into compliance with the most recent CPI [Consumer Price Index] increase, the National School Lunch Program, the Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act of 2010, and Ohio Senate Bill 210.”
Denver Place Elementary School Principal Karen Long gave an update on the work being conducted currently to form grade-level centers at the district’s three elementary buildings. Presently, the children at Denver Place, East End and Holmes Elementary Schools range in grades from kindergarten through fifth grade. On the other hand, grade-level centers group children together by grade level, rather than by geography.
The switch is scheduled to occur at the start of the upcoming academic year.
Long highlighted the work getting done by several subcommittees, which started meeting in March. The subcommittees, she said, are comprised of parents, teachers, administrators and central office staff.
The Moving Subcommittee is busy collecting boxes in all the buildings, and labels are ready to go, said Long.
Toward the end of last week, the Transportation Subcommittee sent out a survey to families to gain information about families’ planned use of transportation during next school year. The survey was sent home in hard copy with each student, and also was posted on Facebook, the district website and ClassDojo.
There is an Arrival and Dismissal Subcommittee that’s responsible for sharing ideas for each building in conjunction with the new bus transportation model. There have been concerns about some idle time for students due to changed busing patterns. Among the suggested activity ideas are breakfast, reading books, maybe some computer lab games, and flash card learning, said Long.
A Student and Family Transition Planning Subcommittee has arranged for family open houses to be held during the first week of May. Parents and students are invited to attend the open house evening events where parents and their children get a chance to see the elementary buildings and meet the teachers.
On Wednesday, May 2, there will be an open house at East End (5th grade) from 5 to 8 p.m. And on Thursday, May 3, there will be open houses at Holmes Elementary (K, 1st and 2nd grades) and at Denver Elementary (3rd and 4th grades) from 5 to 8 p.m.
A “Student Step-Up Day” is planned for Monday, May 21. Students who will attend a new building in 2018-19 will be bused to that building to spend the morning and eat lunch. They’ll be able to meet teachers and staff, tour the building, and participate in activities meant to help them feel comfortable in a new building.
Long also mentioned the elementary PTOs. Presently, each elementary building has its own PTO. They have begun the process of coming together and of working on revising by-laws, said Long.
Next school year, the Southern Ohio ESC (Educational Service Center) can no longer offer an Alternative School because the ESC is not receiving some grant money and several area schools now house their own programs. As a result, the Wilmington school board approved Wilmington City Schools adding the position of a monitor for an Alternative School and ISR (in-school restriction).
Alternative schooling is an option in lieu of suspending or expelling a student, while ISR is “sort of a timeout from the classroom for that day to reset,” explained WCS Superintendent Mindy McCarty-Stewart.
Also approved Monday is the new position of Wilmington Success Academy facilitator. This person will help students on some credit recovery, which often is done through online courses. The facilitator will help these students set goals, monitor their progress and keep them on track, said the superintendent.
In addition, when an online charter school closes and its former students begin attending WCS, the traditional classroom setting isn’t necessarily the best fit for them. This same facilitator will provide these students another option, and supervise and help support them with the online approach, McCarty-Stewart said.
The school board approved and accepted a $500 donation from the Wilmington First Christian Church to Project Trust to assist in the cost of the student retreat to Camp Kern this spring.
Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.
