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Tag: dr. amy crouse

Building Tiger Nation facilities master planning moves on to phase two

At Community Meeting #2 on November 28, students shared their needs as they relate to the Loveland Schools facilities.

A ballot issue is expected in November 2019.

Community Meeting #3 is on January 23

A news release from the Loveland School District

On November 28, the Loveland City School District held the second Building Tiger Nation Community Meeting, with over 100 members of the Tiger Family and greater Loveland community in attendance. In a presentation of the results of the educational facility evaluation conducted over the past six months, a panel of students and teachers shared their personal experiences regarding the implications of the current school facilities on teaching and learning at Loveland.

“It was very powerful to hear directly from the ‘experts’ on their impressions and experiences, and see the correlation to the hard data collected during the evaluation process,” said Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse. “Some of the needs we heard about are recurring themes throughout the district, while others are specific to certain building and campuses. Taking into account enrollment projections and the fact that we can’t provide all the programming we wish to due to space limitations today, our buildings compromise our students’ educational needs.”

Community members toured the “gallery” and learned about specific needs in the various school buildings.

The educational facility evaluation, which has been part of the assessment phase in the master planning process, focused on five main areas and how the school facilities currently perform in each: whether there is adequate academic square footage; building navigation (taking into account hallways, circulation spaces within the buildings, as well as parking and traffic patterns); the potential for expansion of buildings at the various campuses; how the buildings serve students and staff in terms of health and wellness; and whether the buildings and learning spaces are inspirational and relevant for today’s students.

“It’s like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole,” said Cincy Rack, third grade teacher at Loveland Elementary School. “The biggest, single challenge every year is ‘how am I going to make my space work?’”

Loveland High School Sophomore Anna Colletto spoke of navigation issues and a particularly difficult area in the overcrowded hallways: “Students trying to get upstairs are struggling, students trying to get to their classes are struggling, and students trying to get into their lockers are struggling. It takes two to three minutes just to get through that portion of the hallway, which takes up our five-minute break to get to the next class.”

The meeting was the second in a series to inform the Loveland community about the facilities master planning process since the start of the 2018-19 school year. Finance Committee meetings, open to the public, continue to be held monthly. The master planning process now moves from the assessment phase on to the translation phase, and the first options for a master plan will be developed over the coming weeks. They will be presented to all Loveland stakeholders at Community Meeting #3 on January 23, and will then be evaluated, prioritized, and finalized. The master plan, along with financing suggestions, will be presented to the Loveland Board of Education in spring, likely April or May. A ballot issue is expected in November 2019.

For more information, please visit www.buildingtigernation.org.

Welcome to All About Kids We invite you to come visit one of our convenient locations, talk to our staff and teachers and learn why.

Dec 28, 2018
Celebrating 23 “My Voice, My Choice” award recipients at Loveland

Loveland, Ohio – At halftime during the girls varsity basketball game on December 12, the Loveland City School District honored 23 students from across the district who have been identified as champions of the “My Voice, My Choice” campaign. The students were acknowledged for their ongoing efforts to support a culture of kindness at Loveland.

“Our goal with the ‘My Voice, My Choice’ campaign is ultimately to create a positive school climate for all of our students,” said Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse. ”Students are asked to stand up for their peers in words and actions, and I am so honored to regularly be able to recognize some of those who contribute to a more compassionate culture at Loveland through their good deeds and kind words.”

Each of the following students received a “My Voice, My Choice” certificate and t-shirt:

Loveland Early Childhood Center:

Alex Fromm

Abbi Melton

Secora Ray

Loveland Primary School:

Constance Guhlke

Nora Kopecky

Benji Mix

Kailey Schildmeye

Loveland Elementary School:

Emily Patterson

Loveland Intermediate School:

Adam Lake

Paxton Merz

Reese Renock

Brady Stidham

Ada Williams

Maddi Williams

Loveland Middle School:

Joshua Bryant

Joe Hallquist

Lindsey Hartman

Sophia Herbon

Jared Werling

Loveland High School:

Austin Black

Erika Lesperance

Anna Price

Katie Stephenson

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Dec 19, 2018
Loveland Schools Officials Attend Statewide Conference

Two district programs highlighted at Student Achievement Fair

Members of the Loveland City School District Board of Education and administration attended the 63^rdannual Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) Capital Conference and Trade Show in Columbus, November 11-13. More than 9,000 attendees at the conference participated in some 150 sessions of panel discussions, workshops, one-on-one assistance, and nationally renowned speakers addressing a variety of educational issues.

Two Loveland programs – the Innovation Lab and Digital Microscopes – were selected by the OSBA to participate in the Student Achievement Fair. The programs were represented by several students as well as Loveland High School Teachers Amanda Bimonte and Tonya Nkhata.

“It was an honor for us to have these programs highlighted among the most exemplary and innovative initiatives by school districts across Ohio,” said Loveland Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse. “Both programs use innovative instructional technologies to maximize student interest and learning, while also putting the students’ talents and passions at the forefront.”

Loveland Director of Technology and Innovation David Knapp presented on successful approaches to software investment and procurement in a conference breakout session.

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Dec 7, 2018
Loveland District kicks off finance committee work in facilities master planning process

Building Tiger Nation in full motion

Loveland, Ohio – The Building Tiger Nation Finance Committee met on Thursday, October 18, to begin its deep dive into school finance. The meeting, which was the first in a series of monthly meetings to be held over the next several months, was open to the public and specifically designed to assist community members develop an understanding of how school funding relates to Loveland taxpayers.

Loveland City School District Treasurer Kevin Hawley

“The information shared at this meeting was focused on who we are as a community, taking into account tax base and income,” said Loveland City School District Treasurer Kevin Hawley. “As we move forward, we will continue to inform our community about school finances, but will also answer questions and gather input on choices that will need to be made with regard to community financial support. The ultimate goal of the committee is to make a recommendation on the best funding package for the master plan to the school board this coming spring, after evaluating all the options.”

According to the District:

“Takeaways from the data presented at the meeting include the information that the Loveland City Schools District, which serves five communities and is one of the largest in the area, has a low level of debt in comparison to similar districts. For every dollar generated from property tax revenues in Loveland, $0.92 come from residential property, versus only $0.08 from commercial property. Loveland residents, which are among the wealthiest in Ohio, have shown extraordinary support for the schools by approving nearly 80 percent of levy requests on the first ask.”

The next meeting in the series is scheduled for November 15, 6:30 PM.

“The initial Finance Committee meeting was highly informative for everyone in the room, not just those with a specific interest or expertise in finance,” said Loveland Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse. “The information was extremely helpful in the context of where we are in our master planning process. As an example, it was eye opening to see how heavily local school revenue falls on residential property owners in Loveland in comparison to many surrounding district that have a higher commercial base to generate taxes. My hope is that our community takes advantage of these opportunities to come together, learn, ask questions, and lend their voices in this important process.”

The next meeting in the series is scheduled for November 15, 6:30 PM. and will be held in the Loveland Middle School media center.

All residents are invited and encouraged to attend.

The discussion will center around how much Loveland residents pay in taxes relative to other school districts, and ways to compare Loveland with neighboring communities and other high-performing school districts. All residents are invited and encouraged to attend.

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Nov 8, 2018
Measuring the success of our school district

A Guest Column By Dr. Amy Crouse,

Our collective mission at Loveland City Schools is to prepare students for tomorrow, today; this year, the state report card reflected that we are making strides to achieve just that. I have said before and will say again: I strongly believe the true value of a school district cannot be limited to a simple score on a standardized test, which is what the state report card reflects. I also believe that there will always be room for growth and
improvement, regardless of the “grades” earned. So while the report card is just one tool of accountability, it provides us with useful information we can apply and reflect upon as we continue to provide the best educational experience we can for our students.

In Loveland, we celebrate gains in the Progress and Achievement components, both of which echo the growth we have made in giving our students the tools they need to comprehend, retain and personalize the information they receive every day. Through our targeted improvement plans in the past year, we have made particular strides in the Progress component, which indicates the growth of our students based on past performance. Our grade in the Achievement component places Loveland in the top 22 percent of districts in our region, which means our students are one step closer to being more educated, empowered and prepared for tomorrow, today.

We can also celebrate a gain in the Gap Closing component of the report card, meaning we are putting initiatives and programs in place to properly meet the performance expectations for all students in English language arts, math and graduation. We are one of only 14 (out of 49) districts in Hamilton, Warren, Butler and Clermont counties that earned an “A.” I am incredibly proud of this accomplishment because it reflects the dedication and hard work our staff has put toward ensuring each and every student can be successful.

While we will continue to celebrate our successes, we will never ignore the areas that present opportunities for growth. After all, who wouldn’t love to receive an “A” across all measures? Who wouldn’t love to see every child succeed every day? Ultimately, our goal is that every Tiger student is empowered to learn, grow and embody our core values of care, respect and responsibility. That is success.

Dr. Amy Crouse is Superintendent of the Loveland City School District

The work we do every day in our classrooms is complex, and as a school district committed to high achievement and continuous growth, we monitor, analyze and factor in multiple data points when we consider the educational experience we strive to provide. I invite you to take a look at another source of data – our Quality Profile – which includes measures beyond the test scores to show the total value that our schools provide our Tiger students, staff and community. This publication is available by clicking on the image to the upper right. Residents will find an executive summary in the mailboxes shortly.

As always, I thank you for supporting our educational mission. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or concerns regarding the state report card or our Quality Profile.

In service to our Tigers.

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Oct 18, 2018
Dr. Crouse on safety updates by Loveland City School District

by Dr. Amy Crouse,

Part of being ready for school means making sure buildings and staff are prepared for what the new year holds. Over the summer, the Loveland City School District, like many other districts in our area, took several measures to improve safety and security for students and staff.

In Loveland, these safety updates include improved rapid room number identification on all exterior windows to assist first responders. We have also equipped all classrooms with an additional locking device. We have implemented the Raptor visitor management system, an on-the-spot legal identification sign-in software for all visitors – including parents – to our buildings. Using a legal form of identification, the Raptor system checks the visitor’s name and date of birth against a national database of registered sex offenders, and ensures that such individuals do not enter the school campuses without our knowledge.

A well-informed staff and student body is our first step toward the goal of a safe and secure campus. As part of our safety education, the district implements a schedule for practice of the ALICE model (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) for active shooter civilian response. The students at Loveland High School (LHS) have already attended an ALICE safety presentation this school year, focusing on the response in the event of a crisis situation. Several opportunities for follow-up presentations and training are scheduled for this year and will be accompanied by class discussions.

We have implemented the Raptor visitor management system, an on-the-spot legal identification sign-in software for all visitors – including parents – to our buildings. Using a legal form of identification, the Raptor system checks the visitor’s name and date of birth against a national database of registered sex offenders, and ensures that such individuals do not enter the school campuses without our knowledge.

Officer Jesse Moore is now a full-time, on-site school resource officer (SRO) at Loveland High School.

In partnership with the Loveland Police, we are also very excited to have been afforded the opportunity to add Officer Jesse Moore as an on-site, full-time school resource officer (SRO) at LHS. In addition to being available for the overall safety for students, staff and visitors on the LHS campus, Officer Moore will provide educational programs for students in areas such as social media awareness, Fourth Amendment rights, and general laws and driving regulations. With a unique ability to build positive relationships, he will also play an important role as a mentor for our high school students. Mr.Barnes, a retired policer officer, will continue to serve Loveland Middle School and Loveland Intermediate School as SRO. Mr. Almond also returns to support the safety of students at LHS. We are grateful to have the support of the Loveland Police and know this positively impacts the experience our students have in our schools and community.

Mental health and safety are also high priorities at Loveland. The district has entered a partnership with the Cincinnati nonprofit Grant Us Hope to implement Hope Squad, a school-based, peer-to-peer suicide prevention program empowering students and staff with knowledge to identify at-risk behaviors for suicide, as well as encouraging peers to seek help from a trusted adult. Advisor training, general staff training and student ambassador identification/training in Loveland will be completed this fall, with an anticipated launch of Hope Squad in January of 2019.

I am immensely grateful for the implementation of these safety measures and for the ongoing assessments and long-term planning by the Loveland District Safety Committee. Our work is continuous to ensure that we always strive for the most trusted and integrated school safety technologies to keep our Tigers safe. Comprehensive facility upgrades will be needed before we can approach some aspects of safety and security in our buildings, and they will be addressed in the Loveland City School District facilities master planning process as it unfolds over the coming months. As always, my number one priority as superintendent of Loveland City Schools is to provide a safe and nurturing environment to prepare each student for tomorrow, today.

In Service to Our Tigers.

Dr. Amy Crouse is Loveland City School District Superintendent

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Sep 23, 2018
Late start for the school year proposal stirring up controversy

Statehouse could withhold funding for schools that start before September 3rd

““Bills that reduce the flexibility of that local control are cause for concern.”

– Loveland City School Superintendent, Dr. Amy Crouse

Loveland, Ohio – School starting after September 3^rd? Well I’m sure the students wouldn’t mind!

The Ohio General Assembly Senate Bill 34 and House Bill 549 would both require the state to hold education funds if school districts started their school year before September 3^rd. The bills do state that schools would be able to make the decision to start before September 3rd, without losing any state funding, only if the school board of that particular district held a public hearing 30 days before the decision would be put into action.

Local School Openings for 2018

Loveland: August 21

Milford: August 15

Little Miami: August 13

Kings: August 15

Sycamore: August 15

Loveland City School Superintendent, Dr. Amy Crouse strongly supports the local decision-making ability of the Board of Education.

“Bills that reduce the flexibility of that local control are cause for concern,” Crouse said when asked her opinion on the two bills, “Planning the school calendar takes into consideration many factors and the school boards need to be able to respond to changing local and state factors that might impact the student experience.”

The majority of the School District Business Administrators as well as Ohio’s Superintendent Association oppose the bill stating that it gets in the way of the boards required “local flexibility” in meeting the educational needs of the students.

“Some factors are ‘fixed’ that we need to consider. These include things like: Fall sports schedules, increasing student instructional time prior to testing dates for Advanced Placement courses, ACT, or state assessments, planning around holiday breaks, the number of day or hours required by the state, and the number of days in staff contracts. Some factors are locally driven like planning for weather, construction projects, or local community needs,” Crouse said.

Read the Senate version S. B. No. 34

State Bill 34 states that it will not make any adjustments to the state’s testing schedule or make any decisions in regards to the school’s calendars. According to Crouse, “The impact of any school start date is reflected in the number of days provided at holiday break times and in the date for the last day of school.”

A whopping 59 percent of Ohio residents, according to a poll taken by The Ohio Travel Association, supports Ohio schools starting after September 3rd and preferably on the same day to get a sense of uniformity across the state. Ohio residents agree that the later start date would not only benefit students with summer jobs and internships, but also family vacations.

Read the House version House Bill 549_00_IN

One of the most interesting statistics pointed out by voters in this poll is that 71 percent claimed that teaching students in the August heat is actually more detrimental to their learning than helpful. Ohio teachers agreed with the voters adding that starting school before Labor Day would be detrimental to their learning as well because they would no longer have as much time to pursue advance degrees and added training over the summer. Unfortunately, advanced learning would also be hard for students seeking college course credits because their high school schedule would no longer align with Ohio’s University schedules.

With all the pressure being put on the Ohio General Assembly to make a decision on this controversial matter there’s no doubt that a decision will be made sooner than later. Loveland residents can only hope that the final decision made benefits those that matter most; the students and the teachers.

Want to contact the State House to weigh in on the pending bills?

These are the House members representing the 45140 zip code. Click the image to contact them.

Contact your Ohio Senator

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Jul 23, 2018
Loveland Board of Education approves Kevin Hawley as treasurer/chief financial officer

Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland City School District has announced that Kevin Hawley will be the new treasurer/chief financial officer (CFO). In a unanimous vote, the Loveland Board of Education approved a contract for Hawley at the June 21 business meeting.

In a press release, Board President Art Jarvis said:

“Trustworthy and thorough – Kevin Hawley brings a remarkable combination of solid experience and genuine enthusiasm to the senior leadership team. These are the qualities we were searching for as the district is engaged in Building Tiger Nation – our year-long commitment to the assessment of our academic and facility needs; Mr. Hawley is the perfect leader to navigate the financial management of these game-changing conversations Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse is directing. These two leaders will be a fantastic professional complement to each other.”

Hawley joins the district after serving three years as the treasurer at North College Hill City Schools where he earned the Ohio Auditor of State Award for exemplary financial reporting (2016 and 2017). Prior to that Hawley served as the school accountant/licensed treasurer for the Warren County Educational Service Center (2013-2015), and he worked in financial planning with Fidelity Investments (2007-2013). Hawley earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Miami University, and in addition to his Ohio School Treasurer’s Licensure, Hawley is also a Certified Financial Planner.

Hawley’s contract will begin August 1, 2018; he replaces former Treasurer/CFO Brett Griffith who announced his retirement in January 2018.

Jun 22, 2018
Loveland Board of Education recognizes My Voice, My Choice students

The Loveland Board of Education recognized 23 students for creating a culture of kindness through the My Voice, My Choice campaign during the April 17 Business Meeting.

Loveland, Ohio – On Tuesday, April 17 the Loveland City School Board saluted 23 students by formally recognizing them during their Business Meeting. It was for their “exemplary effort in helping create a culture of kindness as part of the district-wide My Voice, My Choice campaign.” Board members presented each student with a certificate and shirt, and thanked them for being leaders among their peers.

“We are so proud of these students for stepping up to be leaders in and around their school,” said Loveland Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse. “The My Voice, My Choice campaign is a meaningful program our district uses to help our Tigers grow socially and emotionally as they transition from building to building. It is part of our strategic plan to ensure Tiger Care for all of our students, which is one of our big three district goals, and we are proud to celebrate this moment of much deserved recognition with our Board of Education.”

Students recognized during the ceremony included (listed by building):

Loveland Early Childhood Center

Zavier Charles

Dylan Jones

Jack O’Donnell

Iris Rich-Greatorex

Loveland Primary School

Hannah Gruber

Quinton Merritts

Lucas Patterson

Ava Pursley

Loveland Elementary School

Emily Mix

Brendon Salm

Julianna Westerman

Loveland Intermediate School

Delaney Bair

Rylee Burnett

Maggie Reis

Loveland Middle School

Presley Beller

Ellie Boni

Elle Brinkman

Reagan Brunett

Emma Clark

Loveland High School

Logan Colletta

Ben David

Garret Gillespie

Brianna Wright

May 18, 2018
Loveland School District announces Innovative Classroom Grant winners

Nine teacher-designed and student-inspired projects awarded to advance the goals of #TigerInnovation #TigerGrowth and #TigerCare across the district

Loveland, Ohio – From the establishment of an Innovation Lab at Loveland Primary School (LPS) to encourage educational risk taking to the creation of Virtual Reality Environments at Loveland Middle School (LMS) to help students with special needs – the Loveland City School District is excited to announce the district will help fund nine projects for the 2018-19 school year as part of the annual Innovative Classroom Grant program. The selection of winners was presented to the Loveland Board of Education during the April 17 Board Business Meeting.

“With this next iteration of the Innovative Classroom Grant, we have learned so much about what innovation truly means and looks like across our classrooms,” said Loveland Director of Technology and Innovation David Knapp. “Innovation is not about things. It’s about embracing the perspective of our students to think about teaching and learning differently.

“We could not be more excited to see the growth and development of these teacher-generated and student-inspired ideas that resulted from this year’s grant opportunity. As we plan and eventually implement these new ideas that will impact so many of our students immediately, we are also piloting experiences that could impact our students for years to come in thinking about the next phase of our Loveland classrooms and learning experiences.”

The district established Innovative Classroom Grants during the 2016-17 school year to fund innovative teacher ideas that would enhance the district’s three key goals of providing Tiger academic Growth, Innovation and Care. In the program’s debut year, the district funded 11 projects, including flexible learning spaces, MakerSpace and digital microscopes. This year, projects will continue to impact Tigers at all age levels, with continued focus on Growth, Innovation and Care.

“Loveland Middle School plans to design a space with social and emotional learning supports for our students who struggle with anxiety and anger,” said LMS Counselor Kim Shafer – who was part of a winning grant team. “We will have tools and programs to help our students take a minute away from class to reset emotionally – with the goal to rejoin the class. This will be a powerful way for the district to provide Tiger Care.”

“Our grant idea was inspired by watching our students at Loveland Primary School work with MakerSpace – which was part of the grant selection last year,” said Innovative Instructional Coach Traci Stubenrauch – who was a part of a winning grant team. “Our hope for the LPS Innovation Lab is that it will be a place for students and teachers to be able to take educational risks, try new things, collaborate, share and give each other feedback.”

“This is an important investment to continue to make as we develop a world-class student experience for our Tigers that is unlike any other,” said Loveland Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse. “This opportunity puts our rock star educators in a position to game-change the traditional classroom for their students. We appreciate the support of our Board of Education as we take opportunities like these to enhance our core business – preparing students for tomorrow, today – in unique ways.”

The winning projects included (by building):

Loveland Primary School

LPS Innovation Lab – Cristin Kiefer and Traci Stubenrauch

Loveland Elementary School

iPods for Personalized Learning – Heidi Weber

Loveland Intermediate School

Team Model for Flexible Learning – Kelly Coldiron and John Waple

Flexible Space for Collaborative Learning – Natasha Young

Loveland Middle School

Virtual Reality Environments – Rachael Angel

Social and Emotional Learning Supports – Lauren Cripe, Kim Shafer and Anita Winning

Student Designed Flexible Learning Space – Chloe Jackson

Digital Art Creation – Kacey Watkins

Loveland High School

Gamified Flexible Learning Space – Chris Herbert

May 10, 2018