Berea City School District

11/7 Board of Education Work Session

11/8 Election Day

11/14 Family First Night

11/15 Elementary School Conferences

11/16 Middle School Conferences

11/17 Elementary School Conferences

11/17 High School Conferences

11/18-20 BMHS Fall Play - Pride & Prejudice

11/21 Board of Education Meeting / Be A Titan Recognition

11/23-25 Thanksgiving Break

The Berea City School District is having Family First Night on Monday, November 14th. This tradition is a district-wide event for all BCSD families to have a night to spend time together without any school commitments.

There will be no school assignments, no athletic practices, and no after school activities on this night. School employees are also encouraged to leave right at the end of their scheduled work day so they, too, can go home and spend some time with their families.

Several local businesses and organizations are partnering with the district and will be offering Family First Night discounts and promotions. Thank you to Igloo Frozen Yogurt & Treats, Dave’s Cosmic Subs, Berea Nutrition, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Mootown Creamery, and Get Air for your partnership!

Berea City School District Superintendent Tracy Wheeler announced that the District has re-negotiated a sponsorship agreement with Southwest General. On October 17, 2022, the Berea City School District Board of Education approved the $200,000 sponsorship between the District and Southwest General Health Center. The agreement includes continuing to display current “sponsored by Southwest General” signage outside Roehm Athletic Complex along with adding additional new signage outside Roehm and Groza Field signage for a period of 10 years. Funds leftover from the previous agreement will be used to purchase the additional new signage. The $200,000 partnership includes $30,000 payable upon signing of the agreement, a second $30,000 payment in 2023, and annual $17,500 payments over the next decade. These funds will be used to support academic and sports activities within the discretion of the District. A turf replacement project will be included in the initial use of the funds. “We are extremely grateful to Southwest General for this generous sponsorship and their dedication to our students and community,” said Superintendent Tracy Wheeler.

You're invited! Join BHMS Performing Arts 11/18-11/20 for their production of Pride & Prejudice! Jane Austen's classic romantic comedy will have you in stitches and equally moved by its lovable characters.

Tickets are now available!

Video Created by the students in the Polaris Career Center Satellite Broadcasting & Video Production Program at Berea-Midpark High School. Filmed by Malakai & Edited by Adam.

• John’s Safe Place provides peaceful space for Berea-Midpark High School teens

• Berea Board of Education opposes state board’s stance on Title IX changes

• Berea City Schools adds girls’ wrestling as varsity sport

• Berea City Schools’ state report card shows achievement gains, challenges

• Berea-Midpark to Name Christina Schmidt as Head Girls Wrestling Coach

• AFS recognizes Berea-Midpark High School for international education contributions

• WKYC Best News You'll Hear All Day: Cleveland Cavaliers surprise local 10-year-old boy

Eight 8th grade girls had the opportunity to attend the “STEM Goes Red for Girls” last month at Baldwin Wallace University. The event was hosted by the American Heart Association and Go Red for Women to help inspire women to learn more about the STEM fields. The girls participated in three sessions each having different female speakers. The first session was led by two engineers and the girls had the challenge to create the tallest tower that would hold a chandelier. Our girls WON that challenge! From there, they went to a presentation led by a Cardiac Surgeon from UH and they also were able to view a pig heart dissection and even hold a pig heart. The girls ended their day at a STEM-related business expo. They participated in hands-on activities such as learning about torque and measuring their strength, practicing CPR, use a picture of their dog to search for others that looked like theirs in a database to understand AI, Virtual Reality with NASA, and they even got to see how a product is developed first through sketch, prototype, and final product. They left with a bunch of swag, names for networking, and even future scholarship opportunities, as well as a lot of information about the various paths they could choose in STEM.

The 5th Annual Immigration: This is My Story assembly was held last month at Berea-Midpark High School. A panel of students and staff shared their personal and family experiences of immigration from Cuba, Serbia, Palestine, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Venezuela, Guyana, and Syria. This annual assembly is a great learning experience for our students and a chance to understand the background of our students and staff who are immigrants.

“Be open to learning about other cultures."

"Be that buddy, that Titan for others."

"Respect one another.”

Kindness is a universal language we can all speak. Listen to the stories in the video below.

Thank you to Titans Studio for filming the assembly.

On October 27 and 28, BMHS students in the Coe Lake Class, AP Environmental Science, and "Nature Club" created a rain garden at Grindstone Elementary School with the purpose of educating BCSD students and the greater community about land use and its impact on our watershed.

Through the construction of a rain garden, the Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) 8 "Eutrophication or Undesirable Algae" will be remediated as one of the AOC (areas of concern) in the Lake Erie watershed at Grindstone Elementary School. High school student run educational stations focused on native plants, pollinators, and rain gardens encompassed the 2 day event with every 4th grade student planting a native plant in the rain garden. There were special appearances by BMHS Watershed Superheroes "Cuyahoga" and "Rocky" as well as Native Plant Superheroes "Rooty" and Polly."

All plants and gardening tools were provided through a Cuyahoga County Soil & Water Conservation District grant through NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration). Preparation of the area was kindly provided by BCSD Buildings & Grounds Department.

We are heading into the season of inclement weather. If you would like to receive weather/emergency announcements, please make sure that your information is updated in Infinite Campus. Information regarding school closures and delays procedures can be viewed on the district website.

Get involved! Be sure to follow your school's PTA/PTSA on social media for family friendly events and volunteer opportunities!

• Berea-Midpark High School PTSA
• Berea-Midpark Middle School PTA
• Big Creek Elementary PTA
• Brook Park Elementary PTSA
• Grindstone Elementary PTA
• Titans Early Childhood PTA

HESK is our tech help desk for students and staff. Parents/Guardians can fill out a ticket for their child.

Please review HOW to clean your chromebook.

The Berea City School District offers the BinaxNOW rapid antigen COVID-19 testing kit for pick up at the Board Office (390 Fair Street, Berea). There is no cost for the tests. The District encourages you to take advantage of requesting a BinaxNOW rapid test if your child demonstrates symptoms associated with the coronavirus. Test kits are also available at Cuyahoga County Public Library Branches. Call your local branch for current availability.

BCSD uses Peachjar, an electronic flyer posting and distribution system to distribute school flyers and approved flyers from community groups and organizations that sponsor activities of an educational/enrichment nature for students and staff >> view current flyers

Additional district financial information such as our annual financial reports, forecasts, budget documents, etc., can be found on the district website under the Treasurer's Department page or by using the QR code.

The Berea Board of Education holds regular community conversations to give the public access to board members outside of the formal public participation setting of a meeting. Residents will have the opportunity to meet and discuss any concerns they may have with two board members during a 30 minute time-slot set aside prior to each Board of Education meeting in 2022. The goal of this effort is to more effectively connect with the public and learn more about the community. Visit our website at www.berea.k12.oh.us/boe for a list of 2022 meeting dates.