Worthingway Weekly
April 4, 2025
Principal's Message
I enjoyed listening to this podcast episode (youtube link). It made me think and reflect on the development of personal attributes/skills. The guest shared his thoughts on what separates Navy SEAL candidates from those that finish BUD/S training to those that don’t (fast forward to about 18 minutes in). He identifies “compartmentalizing” as the key attribute to enabling those to be successful and finish the training. The host then asked the guest if the finishers of BUD/S have that ability before they enter the training or if it is something they develop through the training. The guest responded that they had already developed it at least in some sense. Then he shared an example of learning/developing this attribute through chores when he was younger.
The guest refers to it as compartmentalization but the example he provides makes me think more of developing a sense of grit and resilience, pushing through difficult tasks by developing the skill/attribute to chunk that task.
When I listened, I thought about my ten year old daughter as well as our students here at school. As a dad, how am I creating opportunities for my own daughter to develop and practice this attribute/skill? As a building principal, how are we (as a school) creating opportunities for and supporting our students through developing and practicing this attribute/skill at school?
Our ten year old is responsible for doing her own laundry and doing the dishes a few times per week. As you can imagine, the laundry piles up in her room and sometimes there are alot of dishes in the sink. When this happens, it can be overwhelming for her. So, we coach her through taking it one dish at a time as well encouraging her to either sing or engage in some other task to distract her from (what she feels is) the enormous task at hand. We also support by establishing "laundry days" during the week to help prevent it from getting piled up.
At school, our teachers will often naturally "chunk" larger assignments or projects by having smaller due dates for students. We have a 30 minute block of time called assist during the school day which is for teachers to provide targeted intervention and enrichment for students. It is also a time that students can use to engage in tasks that are on their to do list.
I am also trying to ask a particular question to my daughter and students more. That question is "what did you do that was difficult/hard today?" That opens up the conversation for them to reflect and then we discuss a little bit about how they responded, we can assess how they did, and most importantly we can identify things that they did which worked - so that can be repeated the next time around.
As a parent and principal, I am constantly thinking about ways to improve and grow. In respect to this particular topic, if you have any ideas, thoughts, or feedback please feel free to send my way.
Important UPDATES
State Testing
- Wednesday, April 9 - ELA part 1
- Thursday, April 10 - ELA part 2
- Students should come to school on time and with their chromebooks charged. We will start the day with the testing and have our academic classes after.
School Culture Day
- Hola, Oi, Bonjour- We are looking forward to Culture Day on Friday, May 2nd! Students who signed up to present their culture are hard at work preparing their part of this very special day. The World Fair, Fashion Show and Scavenger Hunts are under construction! We are looking for a few parent volunteers to spend part of the day with us helping to serve free food samples to our students. Time slots are 10:15 to 11:35, 12:35-1:55, and 1:45 to 3:10. Email Sra. Newcomb at knewcomb@wscloud.org if you have questions or would like to volunteer and be part of what promises to be an amazing day.
7th Grade Field Trip
- Our seventh grade students will be going to the Columbus Zoo on Tuesday, May 6. The cost is $6 and payment is due on April 25 via MyPayments Plus. Any questions can be directed to Dana Fellows at dfellows@wscloud.org
- If you are interested in chaperoning the trip, please complete this form.
Worthingway Cross Country Fundraiser
- We are looking for parents who can help staff the concession stand on Saturday, May 10th during the Worthington Invitational. This is Worthington's home Track Invitational that will take place at TWHS. 100% of the proceeds from the day will go towards benefitting our cross country program. Sign Up Here for a time slot or two if you are able (Student athletes may sign up to help as runners). If you are unable to dedicate your time, please consider donating items listed for our sale. All donations need to be turned into KMS by Thursday, May 8, 2025. Thank you for your support!
WABFE Newsletter
- The March newsletter from the Worthington Alliance of Black Families and Educators is now available. You may access it by clicking HERE
SAVE ACT
State Law requires school districts to deliver annual lessons for Ohio’s 6-12 students on Suicide Awareness and Prevention, Safety Training and Violence, and Social Inclusion. The law is referred to as the Safety and Violence Education Students Act or the SAVE Act.
In order to meet the requirements of the law, we will deliver three separate lessons during Health class. While the legislation requires Ohio schools to teach these topics, given the sensitive nature of the topic, families do have the right to opt their student out of receiving the instruction. Should you prefer your child to be excused, please contact your student’s school principal or counselor. Students not participating in the lesson will be provided an alternate location in the school for supervised school activities.
The SAVE Act requires schools to use state-approved curriculum. Worthington Schools will utilize materials from the Sandy Hook Promise Program which includes the Start With Hello and Say Something: Suicide Prevention Program. If you have additional questions regarding the requirements of the law or instructional materials, please contact Mr. Keenan at tkeenan@wscloud.org.
Healthy Relationships Lesson
- Teen dating and healthy friendships are both topics that are important for many teenagers. At Worthingway, we want to make sure that we are helping students make positive choices as they are navigating both of these types of relationships. Mrs. Todd, our school counselor, will be rolling out Teen Dating Violence and Healthy Friendships presentations later this month within our 7th and 8th grade social studies classes. Our goals are to help students identify positive characteristics of a romantic relationship and friendship as well as know what is unhealthy. We also want students to be able to pinpoint who is a trusted adult and how they can receive help if they are in a difficult situation. Please feel free to review the presentation materials ahead of time so that you may have an open conversation with your student at home. Materials are linked below. If you would like for your student to be opted out of this lesson, please email Mrs. Todd at ctodd@wscloud.org and she will find an alternate location for your student during their lesson day.
- 7th grade lesson
- 8th grade lesson
- 8th grade scenarios
Worthingway is hosting an immunization clinic at school on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, sponsored by Nationwide Children's Hospital. Nurses from NCH will be here to administer Tdap and Meningococcal vaccines, which are the shots that are due by the start of 7th grade. The state of Ohio requires these vaccines by the start of 7th grade, unless you have a personal or medical exemption filed with the school.
If you would like your student to receive these shots at school, we must have a completed and signed consent form turned in by Friday April 4, 2025. You can find these forms in English and Spanish in the attachments, or you can ask Mrs. Casey to send it home with your student (email Mrs. Casey with this request at jcasey@wscloud.org). You must include insurance information for billing purposes. If your student does not have insurance, they may still receive the shots; please check NONE and you will receive a call from NCH.
Please reach out to Mrs. Casey at 614-450-4300 if you have any additional questions. Only students with a complete and signed consent form will receive the shots at school on April 8th.
Thank you for helping us keep your student safe while they are at school!
ROBOTICS COMPETITION
- Our Robotics team is competing at the National Robotics Competition today!
Important REMINDERS
- Worthington is an awesome school district. This spring, our district released videos as a part of our (virtual) State of the Schools. These videos are great examples of the big things that are going on across our district every single day.
- Please take a moment to check out the different videos here. If you watch closely, you will see Worthingway represented a few times in the Student News Programs video.
The Monthly Chirp
- Please check out our school newspaper! It is completely written by students led by Mrs. Kelly Rowoldt.
Infinite Campus Portal Change
- Starting Jan 3, 2025, the old www.worthington-portal.org site will no longer be accessible. The vendor who owns and supports the system our portal site is built on is no longer supporting it.
The items from the old portal are now available from your Infinite Campus portal in the “More” section in “Parent Access Links”. Here is a guide to help you navigate this change: Parent Access Link.
We also recommend updating any browser bookmarks you may have.
Charged Chromebooks
- Please help remind your student to charge their chromebook at night so they can bring it to school with a full charge.
DACC Summer Camps
This year's DACC Summer Camp will run June 3-5 on our main campus, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. It will be open to rising 7th-9th graders from the following districts: Big Walnut, Buckeye Valley, Delaware city, Olentangy, Worthington and Westerville. It will cost $40 per camper. We are excited to offer 11 camps this year, spanning all areas of our building. You can view our full list of camps here. We're excited about this list of camps because we believe it offers something for everyone — learners with all kinds of interests and passions!
These camps are fantastic opportunities for local middle school students to learn new skills, make new friends and begin to experience the magic of career-technical education in their own community. For many students, it is also an impactful week of early career exploration, as they will get to learn from and alongside industry professionals and current DACC students.
Registration for this year's Summer Camp will open Tuesday, March 4th, at 6 a.m. Each camp will have its own registration link, located next to the camp title found on this Summer Camp landing page. We will advise interested families to bookmark that link and mark that date and time on their calendar, as these camps have filled up quickly in years past.
Worthington Connects
Worthington Connects is a community-driven organization dedicated to supporting local families in need year-round. We partner closely with schools to identify families who could benefit from assistance and rely on generous donations from the community to make our efforts possible. Every contribution helps us provide meaningful support to those in need.
If you would like to donate or get involved, please visit https://www.worthingtonconnects.org Families seeking assistance are encouraged to reach out to their school counselors, who work with us to connect resources to those who need them most. Together, we can make a lasting impact in our Worthington community!
Direct donation: https://www.worthingtonconnects.org/giving-page-3
Cardinal Award Recipients
PTA Update
*Our next PTA meeting will take place on May 5, 2025 at 7 pm in the Worthingway library.
Spring Concessions Volunteer Sign-Up
- Please watch for a link to sign up to volunteer in the Worthingway concession stand for Spring sports!
SIGN UP for Multiple Ways to Volunteer for the PTA
More ways to support the WWay PTA:
Make a donation or become a PTA member
Purchase Worthington Spirit Wear
Sign up to volunteer when needed
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1THmJusxdLDYsb_ATq-cA2RRfz_u3YoNvN67oAigUfIM/edit?usp=sharing
Support Restaurant Nights and our Annual Butter Braids Fundraising
Designate your Kroger rewards
Visit bit.ly/WwayKroger , log in to your Kroger account, and select the organization “RF924“ (which is Worthingway Middle School PTA)
Please look for more information at our website (https://worthingwaypta.my.canva.site/) or the "Worthingway PTA" Facebook page!
2024-2025 Worthingway PTA Meetings
May 5 at 7 pm in the WWay library
Athletics
- All student-athletes must be registered in Final Forms in order to receive athletic communications and participate in any athletic tryouts, open gyms/fields, and practices.
- Worthington students in grades 6-12 who provide their student ID will be admitted free into any home Worthington athletic contest.
- You may use this link to purchase tickets for athletic events through Hometown Ticketing.
- Check out our athletic website for more information
- Team schedules can be found here
Worthingway Cross Country Fundraiser
- We are looking for parents who can help staff the concession stand on Saturday, May 10th during the Worthington Invitational. This is Worthington's home Track Invitational that will take place at TWHS. 100% of the proceeds from the day will go towards benefitting our cross country program. Sign Up Here for a time slot or two if you are able (Student athletes may sign up to help as runners). If you are unable to dedicate your time, please consider donating items listed for our sale. All donations need to be turned into KMS by Thursday, May 8, 2025. Thank you for your support!
TWHS Girls Golf Summer Camp
Pick Up and Drop Off
Students that are dropped off or picked up by car will enter via our main office entrance (Rieber Street). Buses will drop off and and pick up at our 6th grade entrance (Guyer Street side). Important notes:
- Student Safety is our top priority. Please be mindful of our walkers and bike riders (we have bike racks on our bus drop off side). If you exit on the Guyer Street side, please yield to crossing students AND incoming buses.
- Doors open at 8:50 for student drop off. Students will be instructed to remain in the cafeteria or gym until 9:02. Classes begin at 9:10 and end at 3:50.
- We ask families to pull all the way forward to the end of our main lot at pick up time. Cars that stop at the front doors can create backups that extend onto Rieber St.
- There should be no cars in the bus drop off lanes during both drop off and pick up.
Upcoming Dates
District Calendar for the 2024-25 school year
April 9, 10
- Ohio State Testing: ELA
April 16, 17
- Ohio State Testing: Math
April 18
- No School
April 22
- Ohio State Testing and MAP: Science
Worthingway Middle School
Mr. Todd Keenan, principal (tkeenan@wscloud.org)
Mrs. Abby Jinks, assistant principal (ajinks@wscloud.org)
Mrs. Cerita Todd, counselor (ctodd@wscloud.org)
Mr. Nick Wiedenhoft, athletic director (nwiedenhoft@wscloud.org)
Mrs. Paula Lee, administrative assistant (plee@wscloud.org)
Ms. Amanda DeBernardi, administrative assistant (adebernardi@wscloud.org)
Mrs. Jodi Hill, attendance and testing (wayattend@wscloud.org or click here)
Mrs. Joyce Casey, school nurse (jcasey@wscloud.org)
Location: 6625 Guyer Street, Worthington, OH
Phone: 614-450-4300