Baseball Project Announcement: Fully funded by donations, sponsorships, and fundraising
As superintendent and a community member, I want to sincerely thank everyone who has stepped up to support our baseball facility improvement project. The commitment, generosity, and hard work of so many individuals, families, businesses, sponsors, and volunteers have been tremendous.
We are excited to announce that work is expected to begin sometime this week as we start making this project a reality. The project includes turfing the infield and making several additional improvements to an already incredible baseball facility. We hope to have everything completed before winter, weather permitting.
I also want to make one thing very clear. This project is being funded entirely through private donations, sponsorships, and fundraising efforts. No taxpayer dollars or Union-Scioto School District general fund dollars are being used for this project. The funding is being raised through the generosity and financial support of those who believe in our baseball program and want to see it continue to grow.
As a district, we are certainly supportive of this project and recognize the long-term benefits it will provide for our student-athletes and baseball program. However, it is important to recognize that this project is being made possible through the efforts and generosity of our community and those who have made a personal financial commitment to making it happen.
We cannot say thank you enough to everyone who has contributed financially, volunteered their time, secured sponsorships, or helped move this project forward. The level of interest, dedication, and commitment has been outstanding. This is what happens when people come together with a common goal and are willing to put in the work to make something special happen. Our baseball program and our student-athletes will benefit from this for many years to come.
Thank you to everyone who is playing a part in making this happen. We appreciate you more than you know!
Go Tanks! 💜💛
All-Call for 4:00 p.m.
Elementary Parents:
Wow!! A huge shout-out to our families during morning drop-off over the past couple of days! Things are getting better each day, and you all deserve some credit. Parents are doing a great job having children ready to exit, pulling as far forward as possible before stopping, and moving along once their child is safely out and clear.
If I had great job stickers to hand out, you would all be wearing one! 😂 Seriously, thank you for your patience, teamwork, and willingness to help us make these changes work. We appreciate you!
One quick reminder: If traffic is backed up in front of you and your child has safely exited your vehicle, you may carefully pull out and around the cars ahead of you to continue toward the exit, as long as it is safe to do so.
Parents walking children into the building: If you need to get out and walk your child to the door, please use the back parking lots. You can park there and walk your child to the sidewalk leading to the bridge or continue all the way to the door.
Thank you again for helping us improve the process each day. We know morning drop-off can be a little hectic, but we are making progress! Keep up the great work, and keep those great job stickers coming! 😊
Six things for parents to consider when teaching respect at home:
Raising respectful kids starts with us as parents. We have to teach our children how to disagree, handle frustration, communicate, and treat others. These are lessons that don't happen overnight. They take clear expectations, consistency, and a little patience along the way.
1. You can disagree without being disrespectful.
It's okay to disagree. It's not okay to insult, mock, or say hurtful things just because you don't like what someone has to say.
2. We don't yell over each other.
When everyone starts talking louder and louder, nobody is listening. Sometimes it's best to take a break, cool down, and come back to the conversation when everyone is ready to listen.
3. Ask, don't demand.
There's a big difference between asking someone to do something and ordering them around. Teaching our kids to use respectful words and a decent tone goes a long way.
4. It's okay to be upset, but it's not okay to be hurtful.
We all get angry, frustrated, and disappointed. That's part of life. But being upset doesn't give us the right to treat others poorly.
5. Own it when you're wrong.
We all have bad moments. We say things the wrong way or react when we shouldn't. When that happens, we need to own it, apologize, and try to do better next time.
6. Respect goes both ways.
Our kids are watching us, even when we don't think they are. If we expect them to speak respectfully, listen, and handle disagreements the right way, we have to be willing to do the same. The best time to talk about expectations is when everyone is calm, not in the middle of an argument.
The goal isn't to raise kids who never get upset, disagree, or make mistakes. It's to raise kids who understand that how they treat people matters, even when they're frustrated or don't get their way.
As parents, we have a big responsibility in teaching these lessons. Clear expectations, consistency, and setting a good example matter. We all know how refreshing it is to see a child who is respectful, kind, and knows how to treat others.
Let's all do our part to see more of that. It starts at home, and it starts with us!
Go Tanks!!
Elementary Parents – Starting Tuesday
Starting tomorrow, the main lot will be our continuous drop-off area. Please have your child ready to exit at any part of the curb so we can keep things moving. We’re going for a smooth drop-off, not a morning tailgate!
Preschool families: If you need to park and walk your child to the preschool doors, you may use the blue wing parking lot after the buses leave, around 7:50 a.m. Please plan to arrive after that time.
Parents walking children into the building: If you need to get out of your vehicle and walk your child to the door, please use the back parking lots. You can park there and escort your child to the sidewalk leading to the bridge or walk with them to the door. The main lot, which was previously available after the buses left, will now be used for continuous drop-off.
I want to give Mr. Barrows a big shout-out for the time, thought, and effort he has put into looking for ways to improve arrival and dismissal. He has worked hard to listen to feedback, consider different options, and keep trying to make things better for our students and families. That kind of leadership and willingness to keep working toward a solution deserves a lot of credit. We may not get everything perfect, but we are fortunate to have someone like Mr. Barrows willing to put in the work and keep looking for improvements!
Tomorrow could be a home run, or we might strike out and head back to the drawing board! Either way, we’re going to give it a solid try for at least a few days and see how it goes.
Go Tanks!!
All-Call for 7:00 p.m.
Elementary Parents – Starting Tuesday
We are getting close to exhausting our ideas for improving drop-off and pick-up, but we have a few more things we want to try! As Mr. Barrows recently shared, we will be making another set of changes starting this coming Tuesday.
Buses: Morning-only bus drop-off will move to the kindergarten/blue lot.
Parent drop-off: Continuous drop-off will move to the main lot in front of the building. Everyone must still turn right when leaving the parking lots.
Keep the line moving: Please have your children ready to exit the vehicle as soon as you pull into the lot. When the line stops and cars ahead of you are unloading, that is your cue to unload. We need the kids ready and waiting on us, not us waiting on the kids! It only takes 1 car not to be ready to hold up 25 cars, so be ready!! If you are a parent who arrives early in the morning before we open our doors, please pull clear up past the corner, and everyone get as close to the car in front of you as possible.
Preschool families: If you wish to park and walk your child to the preschool doors, you may use the blue wing parking lot after the buses have left, approximately 7:50 a.m. Please plan to arrive after that time to access the lot.
Parents walking children into the building: If you need to get out of your vehicle and walk your child to the door, you need to use the back parking lots. You can park there and escort your child to the sidewalk leading to the bridge or walk with them to the door. Previously, parents could use the main lot after the buses left, but that area is now being used for continuous drop-off.
A quick reminder for afternoon dismissal from the soccer parking lot: Feel free to turn left if traffic is clear, and turn right if things are congested and utilize the loop process.
I’ve noticed our parents did a great job on Friday helping each other out by pausing and signaling on Sandusky to those wanting to turn left out of the soccer lot. I will admit it's nice to see people being nice. Especially in traffic! I also noticed traffic moves the quickest when those exiting the soccer lot are prepared to turn left or right, and everyone helps each other out. So be ready if someone is pausing to allow you to exit quicker. Just make sure it’s clear and safe before you go.
As my old basketball coach used to say, a famous quote from John Wooden: “Be quick, but don’t hurry”
One last reminder for everyone - parents, students, staff: remember that incredible children’s book, Penny’s Power of Perspective, that I read to our school community and kindergarten classes to start the year? Well, everybody, put your perspective glasses on Tuesday morning! Don’t forget your glasses!!
Go Tanks!!
All Call for 5 pm
Elementary Parents:
Dismissal from the soccer parking lot has gone really well, and I appreciate everyone working together as we continue to improve the process.
Just a reminder: If traffic is clear and you can turn left toward the intersection without waiting, please feel free to do so. If traffic is backed up and you would have to wait, please turn right and use the two parking lots to loop back onto Sandusky Blvd.
We appreciate everyone doing their part to keep traffic moving! You can refer to my previous Facebook post with the maps if you need a reminder of how the loop works.
Thanks again for helping us make this work.
Go Tanks!!
Yesterday was our second afternoon experimenting with turning right out of the soccer parking lot toward the end of dismissal, and it worked really well! Traffic cleared very quickly.
I’ve included two maps to help show how to use the main and blue parking lots as loops to get back onto Sandusky. I know this is a change from what many of us are used to, so hopefully the maps and a little explanation will help clarify how it works.
We understand that many families need to head left toward the intersection, and we know it can be frustrating when you’re ready to go, but traffic isn’t moving. That’s exactly why we’re trying something different. When several cars are waiting to turn left, the line backs up into the soccer parking lot pretty quickly and slows everyone down.
When traffic is congested, turning right and looping through either the main or blue parking lot to get back onto Sandusky can get you to the intersection in about the same amount of time, if not sooner, than waiting to turn left. The added benefit is that it helps clear the soccer parking lot and keeps traffic moving for everyone.
We’ve noticed that congestion typically starts building during the last part of dismissal, especially as the buses are leaving. We’re encouraging families to consider turning right when traffic backs up and using one of the parking lot loops rather than waiting in line to turn left. If you’re able to do this, you’re helping the entire dismissal process move along more quickly and safely. The main lot will become available once the buses start exiting.
We know changes to routines can take some getting used to, and we appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue trying to find what works best for our families. We’re paying attention to what we’re seeing, listening to your feedback, and trying different ideas to make dismissal better for everyone.
Thanks again for working with us as we figure this out!
Go Tanks!!
All call for 4 pm!
I want to thank our parents for their patience and input as we continue to try different ideas to improve arrival and dismissal at the U. We plan to try a few more suggestions very soon, maybe as early as next week. Please know we are always open to ideas and feedback from anyone.
In the afternoon at the elementary, cars still have trouble getting out of the parking lot by the soccer field closest to Sandusky Blvd, especially when turning left. Once the buses start leaving, it gets even more difficult.
So, in the afternoon after buses have departed, we are going to try having all cars turn right when leaving that parking lot (Soccer) and then use the main elementary parking lot as a loop to get on Sandusky Blvd and head toward the intersection. The idea is to keep cars moving and allow those turning right onto Sandusky to get out without being held up by those waiting to turn left. If it is an easy left turn and clear, simply go left, but if backed up, turn right and loop through the main parking lot back onto Sandusky. I or a staff member plans to be there to help with this new adjustment for a few days to see if it helps. We will experiment with this beginning Monday! Thanks again to parents for the ideas and keep them coming!!!
Heard a speech from Steve Harvey, and he said: Gratitude erases negativity! If you wake up in the morning and you start with negative thoughts… man, this ain't my day…just stop for a second and start going over in your mind everything you have to be grateful for. Not everything you want…everything you already have! Because what you have is substantial; you just haven’t gone over your list and taken inventory in a long time. The fact that you woke up is a blessing. The fact that you can see is a blessing. The fact that you can feel, think, and reason are blessings. The fact that you can hear or read this message is a blessing. Start filling your mind with gratitude; it will change everything for you. Gratitude erases negativity. I’m grateful that we have a good challenge we can work on together and that I get to do it alongside such wonderful people as we continue trying to improve drop-off and pick-up at the U! Honestly, I may have to repeat this one a few times in my mind!!🙃
Have an outstanding weekend!! 3 days til Monday!!
Go Tanks!!
