In accordance with House Bill 282, gifted and talented identification procedures are in place in the North Canton City Schools for kindergarten through grade 12.

Students can be identified as gifted in one or more of the following categories using State of Ohio criteria:

School bus routes are now ready and available online.  Below are links for each school to the morning routes (taking students to school) and the afternoon routes (taking students home).  The lists include bus number, estimated time for each bus stop, and location for each bus stop.

After you click a link to access a bus route you can find your bus number and stop time by scrolling down to locate your street.  You can also use the search feature in your browser (typically Ctrl-F on Windows computers and Command-F on Mac computers) to type in part of your street name to find matches on this page.

Note: For St. Paul's students please check the Middle School bus routes.

As of August 1, 2010 the Pay-For-It lunch account system is back online for the new year.  Parents may begin using the system again to deposit money onto their children's lunch accounts.  This year the transaction fee has been reduced from 5.75% to 4.75%.

For more details concerning the Pay-For-It system, you can access our online instructions here.

To access the Pay-For-It system, go to this address: www.payforit.net

So, I Hear That There Is Going to be a Levy Request in November

The opening title is really an eye-catcher, I am sure!  You probably had heard this news sometime during the month of July, just after the North Canton City Schools Board of Education officially approved the request for this levy issue to be on the November ballot. With this official news, I am sure that there are several thoughts on your mind about this upcoming issue.  I will attempt to “begin the conversation” in a question and answer format. From the time that you read this article to the actual election day, we will have provided even more information for you.  It is our hope to educate everyone, to the level that they are comfortable, before they would cast their vote on November 2nd.

In last month’s Our Town, I shared that there was much work underway with regard to the school district’s next Strategic Plan.  Meetings were held on March 23, April 19, April 27, and May 10.  With more than fifty individuals who represented staff, parents, senior citizens, students, community organizations, churches, and local businesses working in unison in this process, there is now a plan that will be approved by the Board of Education at its regular June Board Meeting.  I am so proud of and impressed with this group and its product!  As you read this month’s summary  of the plan that will be approved, I am sure that you will share my enthusiasm as we embark upon the next 12 to 24 months of life in our school district!

IB World School to begin at Jackson High School in the fall of 2010

The Collaborative Jackson Local Schools, North Canton Local Schools and Perry Local Schools International Baccalaureate Diploma Program was recently authorized by the directing council of International Baccalaureate World Schools for Fall 2010.   We are now officially an IB World School and our classes will begin on August 31st, 2010.    Students in the initial year of the program have the Diploma Program option and are committing to a two-year program of study.

Parents and students in freshman and sophomore classes at these three schools who are interested in finding out more about the IB program of study for their junior and senior years should contact any of the following individuals:

• Linda Salom   (330-837-3501)  or Julie Prato at Jackson High School (330-837-3501)
• Diane Oplinger (330-497-5600) or Judy Hoover at North Canton Hoover High School (330-497-5620)
• Vickie Briercheck (330-478-6150) or Mary Jo Bowersox at Perry High School (330-477-3486)

As you opened this edition of the Our Town, flipped to the school district article, and read the headline, you were probably drawn to the notion of, "No kidding! All school districts need to be planning strategically!"  Well, you can rest assured that the North Canton City Schools have been planning strategically for some time.  In fact, this new process is actually a continuation of two previous processes that were crafted. We have reached the end of the district’s current five year plan and will be crafting the next one with this process.  However, this particular planning process will be different than any of the previous ones. We will be crafting a "bridge plan" that will take our district out twelve (12) to eighteen (18) months into the future.  We would be less than insightful if we were to try to write another five year plan.  With uncertainty on so many governmental levels (national, state, and local), as well as with our own local challenges, we would be less than wise to make plans that we could not adequately carry out.  Consequently, we are going to plan wisely, efficiently, progressively, and thoughtfully in order to craft a plan that will allow us to be agile in our approach to changing issues in our "market", as well as to be ready to handle the changing issues in our state and community. The next twelve to eighteen months will be our "view into the future" and we will plan accordingly.  We will have our "deliverables" and our "measures" nicely placed in the plan.  We will report our progress in our State of the District Addresses, in our Viking Vision articles, and on Channel 11.

Here are some "fast facts" about our process:

1. We will meet, or have met, on March 23, April 19, April 27, and May 10.
2. We will take our final draft to the Board of Education for approval at our June 2010 school board meeting.
3. There are over 50 people from all walks of "North Canton life" working on the plan.  The process is being facilitated by the Ohio School Boards Association.
4. Underwriting of the costs has been graciously donated by the North Canton City Schools, DeHoff Realtors, Mezzaluna’s Italian Grille, and AultCare.
5. The mission, vision, belief statements, and strategic actions will be at the core of the work.
6. All action steps will have measurable goals, address needs, and be financially responsible.

The adage that "some people aim at nothing everyday and do a great job of hitting that" does not apply to the great community of North Canton. In fact, our district's historical success has been bolstered by visionary leadership and service for decades. We pledge to honor this legacy with this current planning opportunity!

News from the Nurse

A recent change in Ohio immunization law will become effective August 15, 2010. Students entering 7th grade will be required to have a booster of tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis prior to the first day of school. This vaccine has been recommended for children age 11-18 for several years, but this will be the first year the vaccine will be REQUIRED for 7th graders. The Stark County Health Department will be holding an in-school clinic at NCMS on Tuesday, May 4, 2010. Pre-registered students will be able to receive the vaccine booster during the school day. Participation in the school vaccine clinic is voluntary. There will be a $14 fee for the vaccine at school. Information packets were sent home with current 6th grade students on April 12. Please call the middle school (330-497-5635) if you have questions regarding the in-school clinic.

Your child may have already received this booster at a routine check-up with your physician or nurse practitioner. Check your child’s immunization record. The trade names for this vaccine are Boostrix or Addacell.

Routine vaccines are available through the Stark County Health Department. For more information on health department clinics, parents may call 330-493-9914, ext 111. Other changes in immunization requirement s will affect new kindergarten students this fall.  Kindergarten students will be required to have two varicella (chickenpox) vaccines.

You can access the full list of immunization requirements online at:

http://www.northcantonschools.org/nccs/downloads/Students/Medical/Immunization_Requirements_Fall_2010.pdf

Lynette Rice, RN, BSN

The purpose of the North Canton City Schools Education Endowment Fund is to promote, sponsor, and encourage the pursuit of excellence for all students.  Additional monies beyond the local, state, and federal funds are continuously needed for the development of exemplary and creative programs.  Many persons have innovative ideas which need financial support to make them operational in the schools.  The Endowment Board welcomes ideas from all members of our educational community to promote educational excellence.

Examples of possible grant projects:  (The possibilities are limitless.)

• Hands-on science projects
• Literature-based/reading activities
• Student after-school tutoring sessions
• Drug and alcohol-related workshops for employees
• Extraordinary research project
• Bus safety/utilization travel time
• Nutrition education via food service
• Seminars or workshops for buildings or groups

Any North Canton City Schools employee or student is encouraged to submit an Endowment Fund grant request form.  Information that you include on the form will provide the committee with the data it needs to make a judgment regarding the possible funding of your project.  The proposal will be reviewed and evaluated on an anonymous basis, with names and school/area removed.  If you have any questions, please contact any member of the Board of Governors for clarification.  The application must be submitted by May 7, 2010 to Kris Freday at the District Office.

The grant request form can be found online at:

http://www.northcantonschools.org/nccs/forms.html?task=viewcategory&catid=8