Welcome to the Geneva Area City Schools Web Site

GENEVA AREA CITY SCHOOLS
135 South Eagle Street
Geneva, Ohio
440-466-4831

GENEVA SCHOOLS TRANSITION PLANNING
Please click on the following links for further details.
Geneva Schools Transition Slide Show - April 13, 2010
Questions and Answers From the Parent/Guardian Transition April 13, 2010 Meeting
Geneva Schools Transition Slide Show - March 8, 2010
Questions and Answers From the Parent/Guardian Transition March 8, 2010 Meeting
Geneva Area City Schools Application Intra-District Open Enrollment Request

Parent Meeting for Transition to New Buildings for 2010-2011 School Year
Geneva High School Auditorium
April 13, 2010
7:00 PM

Questions from the Audience

1.    Where were the natural boundaries for buses?
We looked at obstacles that hindered the flow of pedestrians (children especially) and worked to form natural boundaries between neighborhoods, such as: railroad tracks, major highways or roads, open or wooded lands or vacant stretches of property, locations where residential homes were not found such as plazas, business sections, etc.

2.    Where were families sent that live on 534 and State Rd.?
Cork Elementary (no change)

3.    If our child lives on State Rd south of Austinburg, where will they go?
Cork Elementary (no change)

4.    Where will my child go, I live on East Union?
Cork Elementary (was GE)

5.    Will there be letters sent out when you figure out what the busing will be?
At this time we do not anticipate sending out letters. We will publish bus routes on our web site and in the newspapers in August.

6.    I live on Lockwood St. Can my child continue to go to Cork if he goes there now?
Yes, but you will need to intra-open enroll your child to Cork.

7.    Open enrollment protocol
Intra-district open enrollment forms are available on the website and in our elementary schools. Inter-open enrollment is during the month of May, and forms are available at our Central Office, 135 S. Eagle St. You may also call Mrs. Terri Kush, secretary to the superintendent, at 466-4831, x 154

8.    How are you going to handle the inter-district enrollment students that are attending Spencer?
We will follow the district policy.

9.    Is there a state mandated maximum for the number of students that you can put in the classroom? I don't think 27 students in a class is okay.
There is not a state mandated maximum for the number of students in a classroom.

10.    Is there space left for intra-district enrollment?
Yes, but it does depend on which school and which grade level you are looking at.

11.    What is the process for intra-district enrollment? Is there a time frame to do this?
Yes, please see question 7 above.

12.    Are the children in the MRDD unit staying at Austinburg?
Yes they are staying at Austinburg.

13.    If your child is moving from one school to another how are we going to handle that for records?
The district will transfer student records to the appropriate schools.

14.    When we switched teachers was it based on seniority or ability?
Teachers who were displaced were transferred to new positions. We looked at many factors when making the placement some of which include previous grade level taught, needs by class size, areas of academic strength, our negotiated master agreement, and state laws regarding certification and licensure.

15.    What about effectiveness based on standardized testing
This was not part of the criteria used.

16.    Will band start in sixth grade at all schools? I would hate to see band taken out of fifth grade because other schools in the county have that now.
At this time we are looking at having band start in grade six. We are taking many factors into consideration during this transition

17.    What exactly are you going to do with switching classes in sixth grade? When will they have band, how often? How many periods will they have?
Sixth grade students will switch classes seven times during the day.

The sixth grade students will be in the special classes (art, physical education, general music, life skills) the first period of the day for 42 minutes. They will then move to resource period that will be a combination of study hall and intervention. Our lower achieving students who have data indicating remediation needed will receive it. Band students will have band period 2 every day except for band students who are on Individual Education Plans and other identified students. They will be pulled out to receive instruction in other areas on designated days during the week to meet their identified requirements.

Beginning period 3, the sixth grade students will be in their academic sections. If they are scheduled for language arts or math, they will have an 87 minute period. If they are scheduled for science or social studies they will have a 42 minute period. All sixth grade students will eat period 5. Most likely students will be with the same students in math and the language arts classes. We are hoping that the scheduling will allow them to be with other students in the specials, social studies and science classes.

18.    Are the middle school students going to get their schedules ahead of time?

Students will get their schedules ahead of time. We are hoping to schedule orientation for sixth grade students the week of August.

19. How many periods will eighth grade students have? Are the minutes they have to switch classes going down from three to two? Are they going to have to walk during the part of the lunch period that they are not eating?
Eighth grade as well as sixth and seventh grade students will have a nine period day. Eighth grade and seventh grade will have 87 minutes of language arts instruction. There will be 3 minutes between classes. The plan is to feed 100-120 students at a time. When students are not eating they will be walking under the direction of their physical education instructors.

20.    How long will the students in the middle school have to eat lunch?
The lunch periods will be 43 minutes long. Students will be getting 21 minutes to get in the line and consume their food. We have been looking at the amount of time our current students take to eat and it appears this will be able to satisfy their needs.

21.    When we move into the new Middle School, will we follow the same schedule that you started with in the beginning of the year?
The plan is to follow the same schedule the whole year through. The only changes will be the rooms that the students are served.

22.    Why are we giving the middle school students more time for the walking period than we give to elementary students for recess?
The time we are allotting for the walking will be structure more that the free recess enjoyed by the elementary students.

23.    When the sixth graders come up, will they be able to participate in seventh and eighth grade sports?
The sixth grade students will not be able to participate in the interscholastic athletic program. It is not permitted by the OHSAA.

24.    What is happening to the SLE program in the elementary schools?
Please visit our web site and review the information provided for gifted programs.

25.    How is a child chosen for the elementary SLE program?
See answer 24 above.

26.    What happens if there are more children who qualify for SLE than can be served? How many times do you look at the tests and the scores?
All students who are eligible and meet the entrance criteria are served.

27.    What is going to happen with the demolition of the Spencer building?
After Spencer is vacated at the close of the school year we will work with our construction firm to begin the process of demolition.

28.    Is there a seventh grade equivalent if my child is currently in sixth grade SLE?
Grades 7 and 8 will be served in a cluster model. Students with gifted abilities will be “clustered” into accelerated classes for academics. This is the same model used in the past. See our web site for further information.

29.    Will there be band in the elementary schools?
At this time we are looking at a variety of options for the elementary music program.

30.    Will there be chorus in the elementary?
No

31.    Will I be allowed to request that my child be in the same class as another student if she is going to a new school and knows no one there?
You may make the request, but we cannot guarantee that it will be granted.

32.    When you decide the teachers, will it be on the website or be announced in some way before school starts?
We will send home that information in a newsletter before the end of the school year.

33.    If you live north of 20 are you going to Spencer are you going to GPS?
Yes

Questions and Answers
From the Parent/Guardian Transition
March 8, 2010 Meeting

Click here to download a pdf file of Questions and Answers from the Parent/Guardian Transition March 8, 2010 Meeting

Thank you to the over 200 folks who attended our recent meeting for an update on the transition process. Below are responses to some of the questions that were asked that evening. If you have additional questions, please plan to attend our next meeting on Tuesday, April 13 at 7:00 pm in the high school auditorium. We will have a short presentation and will then answer questions. Or, you may email your questions to mary.zappitelli@neomin.org

Will we be allowed to request teachers?
Yes, but a request cannot always be granted. Elementary buildings get many requests from parents for certain classroom teachers. However, there are many factors to consider when we set up the classes, and we want to do our best to make classes as balanced as possible. When we assign students to classes we look at the abilities and behaviors of students and numbers of males and females. The staff is directly involved in the assignment process.

Will Geneva Platt R. Spencer have Open Enrollment?
Yes, and placement will depend on available space.

Will students being moved to Austinburg go there next year or when the new Austinburg is finished?
Next year (the 2010-2011 school year)

Will we get a letter telling us which school our child will attend? When? Will we get one telling us when the bus comes?
Yes. Parents and guardians of students who are currently in grades K-4 should watch for our letter to arrive by mail sometime around Spring Break.

Please keep in mind that students who are currently in grades five and six will be attending the middle school next year.

For the buses, our routes will be published on our web site - usually at least a week before school begins.

If they get letters late and don't want to go to that school, can they request to move?
Yes, and intra-district moves will be based on availability of space and established protocol.

Will all elementary student days be the same?
Yes, all elementary student days will be the same in length, but pick up and drop off times may vary by a few minutes from school to school.

Will the Excellent rating of Geneva Elementary be lost?
It will never be lost, but with the closing of Geneva Elementary it will become part of the history of that school. The new Geneva Platt R. Spencer will establish a new rating based on guidelines established by the Ohio Department of Education.

Will Austin Road students be bused?
We anticipate that they will be bused.

Concern about registered sex offenders living on Austin Road?
We share your concern and follow the state laws.

Will preschool for children with disabilities and the MRDD unit be at Geneva Platt R. Spencer?
To limit the disruption to students and their families, we have recently decided to keep our preschool program and our DD/Happy Hearts unit at Austinburg Elementary.

Will an autism unit be opened in Geneva?
We are investigating opening an autism unit.

Will students living on Spencer Circle and Spencer Drive attend Spencer?
Those students will be in the Geneva Platt R. Spencer attendance area.

When there is joint custody how will you decide where the child will go?
Typically the child attends the school in the attendance area of the custodial parent.

When will all day, every day kindergarten start?
It will begin with the 2011 2012 school year

Will you have designated bus stops in the city?
Yes

With the merger, will there be more specials?
No

How will demolition of Spencer and Geneva Elementary be determined?
We will follow the guidelines established by the Ohio School Facilities Commission and Ohio Revised Code.

Who will decide if Geneva Elementary will be a wine or cooking incubator?
The City of Geneva is currently involved in a study to determine if Geneva Elementary will be the site for this project.

What will the security be like? Metal detectors?
The new buildings will be equipped with security cameras, and visitors will have to be admitted to the buildings. There are no metal detectors.

How will we notify the public where teachers will be?
Through the school newsletters.

What will the technology be in the new buildings?
State of the art technology is being provided as part of the designs for the new buildings.

Will tutors be transferred?
Yes, based on student needs and funding.

Will we have increased police officer assistance to help enforce speed limit within the school zone?
That will need to be discussed with the City of Geneva.

Will the Title I Program continue on the same level of support?
Yes, depending on the federal funding we receive, which varies from year to year.

Will students with IEPs get some services?
They will continue to receive the same level of services.

Is there a plan for drop off and pick up at the new Geneva Platt R. Spencer building?
Yes, and parents/guardians of those students will receive that information prior to the opening of school next year.

Will there be an open house before school opens?
Yes, but those dates have not yet been determined.

How will kids get to daycare?
We are working with the transportation department on this question.

Bus orientation for walkers?
We are looking into this, but no definite plan is in place at this time.