MINSTER LOCAL SCHOOLS May 2015

From The Superintendent’s Desk Mrs. Brenda Boeke

The 2014-2015 school year is coming to a close. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the 69 students expected to graduate at commencement services May 24, 2015. Our students have once again performed well in the classroom, on the field, court, pool and track. Our clubs continue to provide wonderful experiences for our students to become leaders and team players. This year’s graduating class has overcome heartache and hardship while exhibiting grace and maturity. I am very proud of all of our students and wish the graduating class nothing but success in the future. The faculty at Minster Local Schools will change next year. We want to say thank you to the following teachers for guiding our youth over the years. Retiring at the end of this school year are; Pat Baumer, Gr. 6 Science and Social Studies; Pam Grew, High School Science; Peggy Kelly, Family Consumer Science; Karen Perry, Spanish; Della Schemmel, Elementary Music; and Mary Jo Schlater, Gr. 1. Minster Schools has been very fortunate to have these capable teachers lead our students. Fond memories of these fine educators will remain long after the end of this school year. Thank you very much for your years of service. With the retirement of the Family Consumer Science (FCS) teacher, the board of education approved a change in program direction. The current FCS vocational education program will be replaced with a business vocational education program. The business education program will allow us to develop a more comprehensive technology program K-12. Another responsibility of the new business teacher will be to develop and implement a career exploration course for next year’s freshman. We will also be moving the career connections course from the senior year to the junior year. This change in programming falls in line with the State Department of Education’s new Career Advising Policy. We are excited about the addition of the new programs as we feel strongly that our students should be better equipped to plan for their future. Other changes include the College Credit Plus program which will assist eligible students in obtaining college credits while attending Minster High School. We are also increasing the number of students eligible to take Algebra I at the eighth grade level to once again give our students every opportunity to accelerate their learning while in high school. The changes we are implementing allow us to live our mission; “Challenging today’s students to become tomorrow’s leaders.” Minster is a great place to live and our school does a great job of educating our students. As the year comes to a close I salute the staff and students of 2014-2015 for a job well done. Enjoy your summer and as always, “It’s an honor to be a Wildcat!” Sincerely, Brenda Boeke

Summer Office Hours For Minster Local Schools During the summer months, you may reach the administrative staff by contacting the elementary office at 419-628-4174 on Mondays through Thursdays from 9:00AM – 3:00PM. There will be no secretarial staff at the high school through the summer months.

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Minster Local Schools

Junior/Senior High School News

Grades 7-12

From The Principal’s Desk / Mr. Mike Lee CURRICULUM End-of-year state assessments have begun in language arts, mathematics, and science (grade 8 only) at the junior high level. These end-of-year tests require our students to demonstrate an understanding of concepts and procedures as well as carrying out short applications. With the new graduation requirements for the Class of 2018, our freshman students in Physical Science, Geometry, Algebra I, American History, and English are also involved with year-end assessments. This change will ensure that our students are better prepared for success after high school whether they attend college, pursue other training or go directly into a job. Advanced Placement exams are also scheduled in early May for those students in Chemistry, Psychology, English Literature, Calculus, and Government.

PARENT RESOURCES Report cards can be picked up from the junior high/high school office beginning on Wed. May 27 from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Sophomore O.G.T. results will be included with the report cards. Beginning Monday June 1, any school related information should be picked up/dropped off at the elementary office.

UPCOMING EVENTS Thurs. May 14 Fri. May 15 Mon. May 18

10:15 Afternoon 7:30 2:00

May 19-20-21 May 19-20-21 Sun. May 24 Fri. Aug. 14

2:15 1:00 10:00 11:00 1:00

Wed. Aug. 19

Awards Assembly Relay for Life Junior High Dance Seniors Last Day Graduation Practice Final Exam Schedule Grades 9-11 Early Dismissal Commencement Grade 7 Orientation Grade 8 Orientation Grade 9 Orientation First Day of Classes

Report Cards May Be Picked Up In HS Office Beginning May 27 from 9 am to 3 pm

High School Math Department News For the 2015 – 2016 school year and beyond, the state of Ohio is requiring high school math students in Algebra I, Algebra B, Geometry, and Algebra II to take an end-of-course exam. This exam will be given online, and students will have access to an online calculator provided by the testing company. They must use this calculator on the computer as they will be prohibited from using their own calculators. The calculator provided

for the exam is identical to the Texas Instruments TI-84+ graphing calculator. For this reason, we are encouraging students to obtain one of these calculators (or the TI -83+ graphing calculator, which is an adequate, less-expensive version)

for math class for the coming school year. We will be using these calculators almost daily in these classes, and students have already been using the graphing calculators in Transition s to College Math, Trigonometry, Pre-Calc, and Calculus for years. (Amazon.com seems to have the lowest prices, for both new and used, but Walmart, Staples, Target, and many other retailers also sell the calculator.)

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Students Compete in T.E.A.M.S. Competition Sixteen Junior and Senior students competed in an engineering competition at Ohio Northern University on March 5th. The T.E.A.M.S competition is held nation wide and test students’ skills in engineering, mathematics, and science. Students work as a team of 8 to answer challenging multiple choice and extended response questions. The junior team was comprised of Ben Butler, Hannah Schmitmeyer, Kaci Bornhorst, Peter Falk, Jared Thobe, Mya Francis, and LeAnn Huelsman. The senior team was comprised of Carlin Elder, Rebekah Monnin, Cassie Jutte, Xavier Francis, Maria Heckman, Matt Trushaw, Kayla Thien, and Joe Trzaska. The senior team placed 4th out of 22 teams. Congratulations go out to both teams for their excellent achievements in a very challenging competition!

Band News Congratulations are in order to the 51 member Minster Symphonic Band as they competed at the OMEA Northwest Region State adjudicated event on Friday, April 24 and earned an Excellent Rating. The band worked hard and sounded great and the music department is proud of the students’ accomplishments. More congratulations should be given to the Minster 7th and 8th grade band

students who competed in solo and ensemble event hosted by Minster. 54 events were scheduled from Minster Band with most students earning either a superior or excellent ratings. Once ago bravo to those students participating!

11. The entire band department will play starting with the first concert for the 5th grade band and concluding with the high school Symphonic Band. Some recognizable sections will be Scooby Doo, Where Are You?, Indiana Jones, and Highlights from Tarzan.

The Band department would like to invite anyone who wants to hear great music to come to the annual Spring Band Concert, which is Monday, May

Finally the Instrumental Music Department wants to thank the Minster Community for its continuous support.

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Minster Local Schools

Rocket Club To Attend National Team America Rocketry Competition The Rocket Club from Minster Jr/Sr High School has qualified three teams to compete in the national finals of the 13th annual Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC). The Minster teams beat out 600 other teams from across the United States to face off against 97 other top qualifying teams to claim the title of national champion. The TARC finals will take place on May 9th at Great Meadow in The Plains, VA., outside of Washington D.C. TARC is the U.S. aerospace and defense industry’s flagship program designed to encourage students to pursue study and careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The competition challenges middle and high schools students to design, build and fly a rocket to meet specific altitude and flight duration parameters. This year's rules require a rocket carrying a raw egg to reach 800 feet and return it to Earth safely with no cracks within 46 to 48 seconds. This is the 6th year in a row a team from the Minster Rocket Club has qualified for the national finals. The team’s best finish occurred in 2011 when they advanced to the finals flyoff finishing 12th in the county. The Minster Rocket Club will be competing for more than $60,000 in prizes and scholarships, and the opportunity to represent the United

States at the International Rocketry Challenge taking place at the Paris International Air Show in June. “I’m so proud of how hard our teams worked to compete this year,” said advisor Ted Oldiges, who also teaches Computers/Technology at Minster Jr/ Sr High School. “These are truly innovative kids who have gained tremendous experience with problem -solving, teamwork and finding creative solutions.” Team members include: Carlin Elder, Abby Hausfeld, Danielle Monnin, Nathan Riethman, Austin Dwenger, Reid Frick, Kyle Heitkamp, Pierce McGowan, Brooke Monnin, Max Pelletier, Macey Elder, Sable Hudson, Jordan Nolan, Hailey Oldiges, Seth Reeves, Kaden Baker, Shawn Barhorst, Craig Monnin, Isaiah Otting, Ethan Otting, and Kyle Riethman. “This is my final year in Rocket Club; I

have learned so much over the past six years,” said Danielle Monnin. “I am so excited the other two teams made finals, we have all worked closely to help each other out.” “I didn’t think we had a chance of making it to TARC this year, but since we did I am amazed with myself and the entire 7th grade team,” said Isaiah Otting. “We all worked together and it definitely paid off!” TARC is the world’s largest student rocketry contest. Since its inception thirteen years ago, TARC has inspired more than 60,000 middle and high school students to further explore the possibilities of a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). To follow the Minster Rocket Club visit t h e i r w e b s i t e a t www.minsterrocketclub.com

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Their goal is to attain the honor to represent Ohio in their Interior Design Star Event. Congratulations to them for representing Region 4 and Minster High School at the state competition.

This has been a busy year for FCCLA members. FCCLA members successfully completed their Star Events and Personal Achievement (Culminating Events) activities for competition. This year FCCLA chose to divide the competitive events from the Personal Achievement activities and held a Regional Conference at Vantage Career Center in Van Wert, OH on February 12 where the Personal Achievement activities were held. There were 5 Minster students who received their Power of One. They were Colleen Jutte, Maddi Stewart, Jordan Nolan, Taylor Kogge, and Paige Phillipps. This award illustrates the student’s accomplishments and eagerness to make wise choices in their life and become better leaders. This award is a great start to the State Degree. Students tackle everyday processes in their lives and think of ways to make those processes or personal decisions better. Congratulations to these 5 girls. They are then honored at the FCCLA State Leadership Conference held April 23 and 24. The FCCLA Region 4 Regional Rally was held at Van Wert High School on Saturday, February 28. We had an Interior Design Team that competed and was chosen to move foward to the State Leadership Conference to compete. Congratulations to Paige Purdy and Sara Ripploh for the accomplishment.

Seven members attended the FCCLA State Leadership Conference in Columbus, Ohio on April 23 and 24, 2015. They attended workshops and saw a mock crash demonstrated by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. They also heard two speakers talk about career opportunities and helping students discover, develop, market, and sell their talents, skills, and abilities. Congratulations to all of the participants! FCCLA sponsored a second Blood Drive on February 9, 2015. We had several students, staff, and community members that participated. The Blood bank was able to get enough good units between the two blood drives that we received a $350 scholarship for one of the FCCLA seniors who are members and have shown g r e a t leadership. These were a great success and we could not have accomplished this goal without the support of our community. F C C L A provided a teacher lunch on April 21. This has been an annual affair usually

during FCCLA week. We serve the staff in the high school and administration soups, salad, garlic bread and homemade chocolate chip cookies. The FCCLA members helped get the food ready and then serve the teachers. As noted in Mrs. Boeke's front page letter, The Family Consumer Science classes will be discontinued next year. Without FCS, there cannot be an FCCLA program. Our students have other opportunities from which they will gain leadership skills. It was a very busy year! We would like to thank everyone for their continued support this past school year. Thank you Minster!

_______________________________________________________________________________

Below: Sarah Ripploh and Paige Purdy win at the state level and advance to nationals

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Minster Local Schools

High School - Final Exams - Grades 9-12 / Schedule TUESDAY - MAY 19 8:05 - 9:35 9:40 - 10:10 10:15 - 11:45 11:45 - 12:15 12:20 - 1:40 1:45 - 2:15 2:15

PERIOD 1 PERIOD 3 PERIOD 4 Lunch PERIOD 5 PERIOD 7 DISMISSAL

EXAM Regular EXAM EXAM Regular

WEDNESDAY - MAY 20 9:05 - 10:30 10:35 - 12:00 12:00 - 12:30 12:35 - 1:50 1:55 - 2:15 2:15

PERIOD 2 PERIOD 3 Lunch PERIOD 6 PERIOD 8 DISMISSAL

EXAM EXAM EXAM Regular

THURSDAY - MAY 21 8:05 - 8:35 8:40 - 9:05 9:10 - 9:35 9:40 - 10:05 10:10 - 11:40 11:45 - 12:15 12:20 - 12:45 12:50 - 2:15 2:15

PERIOD 2 PERIOD 3 PERIOD 4 PERIOD 5 PERIOD 7 Lunch PERIOD 6 PERIOD 8 DISMISSAL

Regular Regular Regular Regular EXAM Regular EXAM

 All students are expected to be at school during the scheduled exam periods. Please do not schedule any appointments during these times.

 Students are expected to be in school for the entire days on Tues. May 19 & Wed. May 20.  On May 21, students with written parental permission may be excused following the end of the period of their last scheduled exam. As with any early dismissal, students need to bring a parental note to the office prior to school.

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FFA Members: “Go All Out” Two FFA members will be receiving their State FFA degree at the 87th Ohio State FFA Convention with the theme “Go All Out” held in Columbus on April 30 and May 1st . The members include Jon Tipton, the son of Bob and Carol Tipton, and Bridget McGowan,

the daughter of Mike and Paula McGowan. The state degree is the highest degree FFA members earn on the state level. The degree is awarded to individual who have an outstanding supervised

agricultural experience (SAE) program.

FFA Holds Annual Banquet Over a 160 members, parents and distinguished guests were present for the 75th Annual Parent/Member Banquet held at the K of C hall. Mr. Brad Winner was awarded this year’s Honorary FFA Degree recipient for his service to our local chapter. The two members receiving their State FFA Degree were recognized, along with our American Degree Nominees Mark Hackemoeller and Andy Albers. Eric Dahlinghaus, the son of Chris and Irene Dahlinghaus, was recognized as

being our 26th American FFA Degree recipient. Trevor Seger, Bridget McGowan and Jon Tipton were awarded money for being the top three fruit salesman this past year. Members of varies Career Development Event Teams were also recognized for their accomplishments during this past year. Some of these teams included the Public Speaking Events, Cooperative Education Team, Urban and Rural Land Judging Teams, and Ag Engineering CDE members.

New FFA officers were also announced at the banquet. The 2015-2016 officer team consist of: President- Ryan Brown Vice President- Austen Vanderhorst Secretaries- Dane Dahlinghaus/ Morgan Heuker Treasurers- Derek Grieshop/ Anthony Slonkosky Reporter- Carlie Watkins Sentinel- Tyler Karnehm Student Advisor- Trevor Seger

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Minster Local Schools Page 8

Ag Engineering Team The Ag Engineering CDE is an educational activity designed to assess students’ knowledge in agricultural engineering technology. The participants take a 100 question on-line test over 5 areas including,

Machinery & Equipment Systems, Industry & Marketing Systems, Energy Systems, Structural Systems, and Environmental/Natural Resource Systems. The following members took the exam placing 16th in the state.

They include: Noah Poeppelman, Kyle Heitkamp, Seth Koenig, Austen Vanderhorst, Caleb Broering, Ryan Brown, Derek Grieshop, Morgan Heuker, Alex Oldiges, Gunner Blanke, and Sam Dircksen.

Cooperative Education Team The Cooperative Education Career Development Event is an educational activity designed to stimulate students to learn the different ways to do business in America with emphasis on Cooperatives. This contest consists of 75 multiple choice and true/false questions, along with 10 problem solving questions relating to

agricultural cooperatives. The following members took the exam last week and placed 5th in the state. They include: Alicia Arling, Carlie Watkins, Kyle Heitkamp, Alex Oldiges, Ryan Brown, Seth Koenig, Dan Becker, Zach Heuker, Eli Wolf, Alex Morsey, Michaela Goettemoeller, Morgan Heuker,

Derek Grieshop, Tyler Karnehm, Dane Dahlinghaus, Pierce McGowan, Gabe Goodwin, Austen Vanderhorst, Nate Lafoe, Noah Poeppelman, Caleb Broering, Madison Meyer, Trevor Seger, Sam Dircksen, Ethan Johnson, Luke Deloye, Alexis Robinson, Anthony Slonkosky, and Tim Grissett.

Farm Business Management The purpose of the farm business management CDE is to provide students with the opportunity to make a practical application of the knowledge and skills learned in

solving typical agricultural management problems. This CDE should stimulate interest in the farm management instructional program and as a result help students to

Greenhand Test The greenhand quiz is an educational activity designed to increase the basic knowledge of students about the FFA organization and its’ operations; to keep FFA members current with the happenings in their organization; to provide students with another incentive to participate in a competency-based activity; to provide instructors with another

educational awards program to offer their students. Fi r st -y ea r FFA mem ber s can participate in this test. This is the largest CDE event the FFA has each year. The team of Nate Lafoe, Anthony Slonkosky, Dan Becker, Carlie Watkins, Zach Heuker and Trevor Seger placed 29th in the state contest.

become more effective managers. The team of Alicia Arling, Bridget McGowan, Sam Dues, Jake Winner, and Michael Bruns placed 21st in the

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Minster 8th Grader Advances To State Geography Bee Minster 8th Grader Aaron Huwer, son of Jim and Jaqueline Huwer, has advanced to the state Geography Bee for the 2nd consecutive year. Aaron has been notified by the National Geographic Society that he is one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2015 National Geographic State Bee, sponsored by Google and Plum Creek. The contest will be held at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus on Friday, March 27, 2015. This is the second level of the National Geographic Bee competition, which is now in its 27th year. School Bees were held in schools with fourth- through eighth-grade students throughout the state to determine each school champion. School champions then took a qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. The National Geographic Society has invited up to 100 of the top -scoring students in each of the 50 s t at e s, D i st r ic t o f Co l u m bi a, Department of Defense Dependents

Schools and U.S. territories to compete in the state Bees. Each state champion will receive $100, the “National Geographic Atlas of the World, 10th Edition,” a medal, and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent their state in the National Geographic Bee Championship to be held at National Geographic Society headquarters, May 11-13, 2015. The national champion will receive a $50,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the Society. The national champion will also travel (along with one parent or guardian), all expenses paid, to the Galápagos Islands, where he/she will experience geography firsthand through up-close encounters with the islands’ unique wildlife and landscapes. Travel for the trip is provided by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic.

Visit www.nationalgeographic.com/ geobee for more information on the National Geographic Bee. National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD will air the 2015 National Geographic Bee Championship final round, moderated by award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien, on Friday, May 15, at 8 p.m. ET. The final round will be aired later on public television stations. Check local television listings for air date and time in your area.

At the school Bees this year, students had to answer such questions as: 1) Balboa Park, with more than ten museums, performing arts centers, and gardens, is located in which southern California city? 2) Taylor Swift performed songs from her album Red last summer in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of which Asian country that borders the South China Sea? 3) Disney’s blockbuster movie Frozen is set in the fictional land of Arendelle, which was largely inspired by the country of Norway. Norway is located on which European peninsula?

1) San Diego 2) Malaysia 3) Scandinavian Peninsula

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Minster Local Schools Page 10

Minster Students Win In Eagles Speaking Contest Three Minster Local school students won the local God, Flag, and Country Oratorical Contest, held by the Minster Fraternal Order of Eagles. The winners were Noah Walter, age 10-11 group; Gwen Meiring, age 1213; and Cricket Wuebker, age 14-15. The three winners then went on to compete at the district GFC contest held at Indian Lake. Noah and Cricket both captured first place, qualifying for the regional contest; Gwen placed second in the competition. The zone regional competition was held April 11 at Rossford. There Cricket won second place in the 14-15 age group, while Noah placed third in the 10-11 group. Noah, son of Tim & Carla Walter, talked about the word “Freedom” and all that it means. Other local winners in the age 10-11 group were Tristan McDaniel, son of Geoff & Shannon

GOD, FLAG, AND COUNTRY CONTESTANTS IN AGE 12/13 and 14/15 GROUPS: (L to R) Metzle Elena (3rd), Brock Schulte (2nd), Cricket Wuebker (1st, 14/15 group) and Gwen Meiring (1st, 12/13 group)

McDaniel, in second place, and Elyssa Mullins, daughter of James & Terri Mullins, in third. In

the

12-13

age

group,

Gwen,

daughter of Ken & Connie Meiring, based her speech on lines from the famous Lee Greenwood song, “God Bless the USA.” Placing second at the Minster contest were Brock Schulte, son of Craig & Pam Schulte, followed by Metztle Elena, daughter of Dora Elena, in third place. Wuebker, daughter of Alan & Cindy Wuebker, captured the top place in the 14-15 age group. She spoke about the American flag, what it means, and how disappointed she was to see pictures of Americans burning the flag.

GOD, FLAG, AND COUNTRY LOCAL CONTESTANTS IN AGE 10/11 GROUP (L to R): Row 1: Noah Walter (1st), Chloe Thien, Tristan McDaniel (2nd); Row 2: Jaylyn Albers, Elyssa Mullins (3rd), Atlanta Compton.

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School Days Past And Present 100 YEARS AGO Supt. J.C. Halsema spent Saturday at the Miami University looking up new ideas that might be introduced into our school. Next Tuesday the boys of the Agriculture Class will be given a chance at judging a fine span of horses. Clifford Kramer, Esther Cantivel and Maria Niermeyer each received a pennant as a reward for efficiency in typerwriting.

75 YEARS AGO Members of this year’s senior stenography class of Minster high school this week received a banner, awarded in recognition of their

outstanding work in shorthand. Each year the class enters a shorthand contest sponsored by the Gregg company. Ten girls of the class received pins for high ratings accorded them in the Order of Gregg Artists contest. They are: Connie Vallo, Virginia Beckman, Connie S h e r m a n , Rita Nagel, Gladys Gephart, Rita Koesters, Juanita Wetzel, Cleora Bensman, Veona Heitkamp, and Margaret Bruggeman.

through ceremonial war dances, known better as the Jerk, the Freddie, the Frug, etc. Really, for most of us it’s all in fun.

50 YEARS AGO

A pleasant new face appeared in the principal’s office this year. Mr. Larry Smith, formerly the principal of Fostoria High School, took over when Mr. Cain retired.

Friday, April 23, is important for another reason. Can you guess? Right! Eagles opens! Ah, come on Moms and Dads don’t groan. Now we frustrated teens can vent our feelings

Approximately 47 seniors of Minster High School left on Sunday from the Lima train station and journeyed to both New York & Washington D.C. After a 17 hour train ride the class arrived in New York at approximately 8:00am.

25 YEARS AGO

The Minster Alumni Association would like to thank all sponsors and individuals that helped make the first Alumni Bowling Tournament, held in February, a success. We look forward to next year to host the second tournament. Submitted by Gary Oldiges (president) Minster High School Alumni Association

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Minster Local Schools

Elementary School News

Grades K-6

From The Principal’s Desk / Mrs. Leanne Keller CURRICULUM Kindergarten thru Sixth Grade With new PARCC (Reading and Mathematics) and AIR (Science and Social Studies) assessments in use this year, score reports are not expected to be available until the fall. Therefore, we will not utilize our summer pick up system as we have in the past for Ohio Achievement Assessments. Score reports for OLSAT testing in grade two and four will be mailed to parents in early May.

PARENT RESOURCES Kindergarten thru Sixth Grade Continued reading throughout the summer is critical for each and every student. Our students have truly made great progress during the school year, but daily practice is necessary to maintain your child’s skill level. Below are some resources to help your child stick with reading through the summer:



Join the Summer Reading Program offered by F. J. Stallo Library.



Consider a summer tutor. You may contact our office at 419-628-4174 for a list of local tutors.



A summer reading program will be offered to:

 Current third grade students who have not demonstrated proficiency on the third grade Ohio Achievement Assessment

 Entering third grade students who have a Reading Improvement and Monitoring Plan

UPCOMING EVENTS Wed., May 13 Wed., May 13 May 14-15 Fri., May 15

Fourth grade Wax Museum Fifth grade Farm Safety day TAG Field Trip to Chicago, g. 6 Health & Field Day

Thank you for supporting the Academic Boosters pizza/cookie dough fundraiser! Money raised will support academic programs as well as future phases of our playground development.

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♪ A Musical Farewell ♪ As I write my final article for the newsletter, I would be amiss not to mention the extreme Blessing I have been given to teach the children of the Minster school district! It’s hard to believe that 24 years of my career have been here, teaching and watching your children grow to become productive, contributing adults! Looking back, it’s been a very FAST whirlwind, with each year as I age, whirling faster than the last. I will truly miss the smiling faces and innocent smiles that I’ve been greeted with every school day. I will miss the wonderful staff that I have had the

pleasure of working with, day in and day out. I believe there are no finer teachers, aides, custodians, cooks and administration anywhere else. I also realize that I have been given an opportunity that not all can claim, that I’ve truly loved my job. I AM looking forward to beginning a new phase of my life but will keep very fond memories of everyone here. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of a

Kindergarten Visits JTDMH The kindergartners went to The Make Believe Hospital at Joint Township District Memorial Hospital. The children experienced various departments of the hospital. Their personnel spoke to the children and showed them the items they use such as: x-rays, casts, inhalers, healthy foods, cardio, etc. It was a very informative, valuable experience.

very wonderful school system and God Bless. - Mrs. Della Schemmel ♫

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Minster Local Schools

First Grade Economics The first grade students just completed an economics unit in social studies. Students learned about wants and needs, producers and consumers, goods and services, supply and demand, and trade and barter. Students listened to stories, did “read and think” scoots, and participated in vocabulary sorts. Students read the book “Potato: A Tale from the Great Depression” and

learned about how a family met their needs in a very difficult economic time. Students then participated in an inclass bartering activity. Each child received a bag with one, two, or three items. Students then were able to trade in the first round only with their neighbor on either side, in the second round with their whole table, and in the final round with anyone in

the whole room. Students demonstrated negotiation and problem solving strategies. Students learned that as their possibilities for trading got bigger, more trading happened. We compared this to a business selling only in Minster, throughout the entire United States, and throughout the entire world. It was a meaningful and fun learning experience.

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Second Grade Stone Soup Lunch

The second grade read different versions of the children’s classic, Stone Soup. The lesson the students learned was, “By everyone working together and contributing what they can, a greater good is achieved.” Language arts and math activities were integrated into the lessons. In connection with this story, each child donated an item for the stone soup lunch. These ingredients were cooked along with the magical stone, making plenty for all students to enjoy!

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Minster Local Schools

Third Grade Happenings! The third grade students have been hard at work these last few months. In reading, students have continued to read a variety of selections, including both fiction and nonfiction. Students also completed book reports or commercials for their classmates. In writing, students have been working on fictional narratives. This is always a favorite for the students as they are able to use their imagination, and in some cases their humor, to write a story. In math students have been working on fractions, perimeter, and area. Students have been most excited these last few weeks about their science lessons, as each classroom raised chicks. We had a successful chick hatching, with more than a dozen chirping chicks in each classroom after the 3 weeks in the incubator. You can see a few pictures of the 3rd graders enjoying their time with the chicks. The third grade teachers want to thank each of the students for their hard work throughout the year and also each student’s parents for their help and support throughout the year!

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Fourth Grade News . . . Left: L-R Emma Reichert, Jaylyn Albers, Cameo Cedarleaf, Kara Gabel, Kennedy Korte, (Bottom) Lyndi Hemmelgarn, Ray Purdy, Katie McClurg and Lexi Niemeyer participated in the American Legion Auxiliary Americanism Essay Contest. Lyndi Hemmelgarn's essay was chosen to be submitted to the American Legion Auxiliary Ohio Department with a chance to win $50. She read her essay to the members on April 20th. In science, the students have learned many new things about electricity and how circuits work. They enjoyed experimenting with a variety of Snap Circuits including alternative energy and light kits.

On April 24th, our fourth graders walked to Four Season’s Park to celebrate Arbor Day. They learned about the first Arbor Day, which was celebrated on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska. The students helped plant a tree. It joins the trees planted by previous classes in the park. Students were also given a seedling to plant in their yards. Look for these new trees around town and in the park.

Fourth Grade All Ohio Wax Museum will be held on May 13th After writing a speech and memorizing it, Noah Walter placed first at the Minster Eagles “God, Flag and Country” local oratorical contest on February 22nd. He later advanced to the district finals held at Indian Lake and then to the zone competition held at Rossford where he placed third.

We would like to invite everyone to attend from 12:00 to 1:00 pm. They have been busy researching a famous Ohioan and written a report, which they have turned into a speech. On the 13th the students will costume themselves to represent their Ohioan. Weather permitting, they will then be under the trees on the west side of the Elementary School (near tennis courts) where, as wax figures, they will come to life and tell you about the person they are representing. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, they will be stationed in the Elementary School Gym. Please come and enjoy all our hard work!

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Minster Local Schools

Grade 6 Adventures Students have been avid readers and writers during language arts this quarter. We began the quarter reading the book Mummies by Charlotte Wilcox and used the information learned to conduct further research to formulate an informative RAFT. This writing piece allowed students to choose their topic of interest, their intended audiences, the

extremely meaningful conversations regarding many of the issues the book brings up such as racism, pride, bullying, and true friendship.To conclude the year, students will be taking a closer look at persuasive strategies used throughout society and evaluating the claim the author uses to argue for his or her claim. The 6th grade math classes have been working hard this spring. We have been working on solving equations with the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. These equations include various types of numbers such as whole, decimals, fractions, and integers. We have also been working with three-dimensional shapes in finding their volume and surface area. Currently, students are exploring the world of statistics and learning to understand measures of center and variation.

role they would be acting as, as well as the format of their report. Since then, students participated in literature circles where they were given the opportunity to read one of four books: Elijah of Buxton, The Watson’s Go to Birmingham, Bud Not Buddy (all by Christopher Paul Curtis) or Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor. The students have been working closely with their literature circle group to glean all the information they can from what these historical fiction novels have to offer. We have had some thoughtful and

problems that “bug” people. After learning how to brainstorm, the students came up with many solutions to the one problem they decided to try to solve. After choosing the solution they felt was the best, the students spent a week building their new invention/innovation. They also designed a display to inform others about their creation. These inventions/ innovations and displays were available for viewing during the elementary open house in March. Still to come this spring the students will be studying motion. You ju st might se e the stu dent s experimenting with Mr. B’s truck in the parking lot as they investigate momentum and inertia. In Social Studies, the 6th graders have been studying the Ancient cultures of India, Egypt and China. The students are learning about how ancient Egypt and China were ruled by pharaohs and emperors. While exploring these cultures, the students compared and contrasted the religions of Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

During the past few months in science, the 6th graders have been putting their creative thinking abilities to the test as they created inventions/innovations. The unit began by the students completing “bug list” surveys with family and friends to determine

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Vaccines Required for the 2015/16 School Year by the Ohio Department of Health Kindergarten:

DtaP – 4 or more doses * Polio – Injectable and oral combination – 4 or more doses* All oral doses or all injectable – 3 or more doses* * One dose must be given after 4 years of age MMR – 2 doses after 1 year of age and at least 28 days apart Hepatitis B – 3 doses with 3rd after 6 months of age Varicella – 2 doses after 1 year of age or history of disease (chicken pox)

7th Grade:

Tdap - (tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis) vaccine prior to the entry into 7 th grade. Vaccines are available at your family physician’s office or a county health department: Auglaize County Health Department Immunization Clinic 419-738-3410 www.auglaizehealth.org Wapakoneta – (Health Dept. – 214 S. Wagner St.) Every Tuesday from 8am to 11am – Call for an appointment Every Thursday from 3pm to 6pm – Call for an appointment St. Marys – (Council on Aging – 610 Indiana Ave.) Every Wednesday from 1pm to 3:30pm – Call for an appointment

***Records of previous Immunizations needed*** Please send a copy of the immunization record showing the required vaccines to the school. Thank you.

MINSTER LOCAL SCHOOLS 100 E. SEVENTH STREET

NONPROFIT ORG

MINSTER OH 45865-1097

US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO 7 MINSTER OH 45865

Please visit our school website www.minsterschools.org for more information. ** The lunch menus are always available by clicking on the ‘Lunch Menus’ tab on the left side of the screen.

**The sports schedules can be found on the website by clicking the ‘For Parents’ tab at the top, select “athletics Info/Schedules for current athletic information.

**If you want to receive an email reminder with a link when a new quarterly newsletter is posted on the school website, please send an email to: [email protected] with “subscribe” as the subject.

**Mrs. Seaver, H.S. Guidance Counselor has a link under the ‘For Parents’ tab labeled ‘Guidance Department’ with information on testing dates for ACT/SAT, OGT’s, OAA’s & AP classes. Please check these dates before scheduling dr. appointments. Scholarship opportunities are also available under the ‘scholarships’ tab.