August 9, 2011

Dear Parent/Guardian,

My name is Bob Buchheim. I am honored to serve as the Principal of Edgewood Middle School for the upcoming year. If my name sounds familiar, it may be due to my being the Principal at EHS for the past nine years. I promise to use that experience (and my background as a middle school teacher) to help prepare your child for the challenges and opportunities that are just around the corner.

On Monday, August 15, Edgewood Middle School will host an Open House for the 7th and 8th grade students and their parents. The event runs from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. During that time, students will be able to pick up schedules, meet their teachers, try out their lockers and reconnect with friends. Office staff will be available to answer questions and address any concerns.

The first day for students will be Thursday, August 18. Parent drop off and pick up will be located in the front of the building. Busses will load/unload in the back of the building. Upon entering the building, students are to report to the Cafeteria for breakfast or wait in the Gym. Students will be given ample time to go to their lockers prior to the start of school.

While the start and end time for the school day remains unchanged (7:25 start – 2:30 end), there are now six (6) class periods rather than seven (7).

1st Period 7:30 - 8:35 (five minutes added for attendance)

2nd Period 8:38 - 9:38

3rd Period 9:41 - 10:41

4th Period 10:44 - 12:21 (includes 30 minute lunch)

5th Period 12:24 - 1:24

6th Period 1:27 - 2:30

Important Changes for Next School Year

The district has undergone several significant changes in the location of specific offices as well as its method for providing professional development (included in the moves is the location of the 7th/8th grade office). Our goal in making such changes is to more efficiently serve the needs of our students, parents and our community.

The staff members of Edgewood City Schools have worked diligently to coordinate their grade level instruction so that we can better prepare our students for state mandated tests (OAA and OGT). By being sure that all standards are taught as consistently as possible, we can learn from our collaboratively created classroom tests (common assessments) the areas that require more of our focus. Our efforts have led to significant improvements in our state report card results. It takes a significant investment of time for staff to collectively review the information learned from the common assessments and to make the necessary adjustments to their instruction. In order for our teachers to work together on a more frequent and structured basis, Edgewood Schools will have the staff at each building meet each Thursday for one hour at the start of the day. The school day for all students will begin one hour later than the rest of the days of the week. The Thursday late arrival schedules will begin on Thursday, September 1. This type of professional development technique has proven successful by other districts. With the efforts of the students, staff and parents, we can bring about a level of an unprecedented level of success.

The Board Office has moved to the front of the Middle School building. The district administrative offices are now located in the area that previously housed the Middle School offices. The Central Registration office has been moved to the site previously occupied by the Board Office.

With the change in the location of the Board Offices, the 7th/8th grade offices (including the Principal, Guidance Counselor and Attendance Secretary) have been moved to the west entrance (facing Busenbark Road). All visitors to the 7th/8th grade office and late arriving students are required to enter using the west entrance. Parking for the 7th/8th grade office is in the spots nearest the back parking lot entrance.

We look forward to working with you and your child. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 867-7430 (ext 3335) or by email at rab@edgewood.k12.oh.us.

Bob Buchheim