District Newsletter: 10/02/2025

Reminder!

Friday, Oct. 17 - No School for Students; Teacher Workday

Monday, Oct. 20 - No Classes for Students; Family/Teacher Conferences

Homecoming 2025

Two Monarchs Crowned During Friday Football Game

As is tradition during Bexley High School Homecoming Week, two monarchs were crowned during halftime of last Friday’s homecoming football game. Congratulations to seniors Amiya Bowles and Roan Dunham, the 2025 Homecoming Monarchs!

Amiya and Roan were named from among the 10-member Homecoming Court, which also included seniors Solan Coutts, Wilson Klingelhofer, Rachel Lybarger, Sofia McCoy, Lilah Solove, Everett Tetzloff, Cyrus Turner, and Kael Wilson.

Visitor Guidelines, Door Safety Note

Parents and guardians, it is imperative that when visiting any school building that you heed the district’s safety guidelines and always enter through the building’s main doors. This allows our safety personnel and staff to properly document and assess school visitors.

In addition, when approaching any school building door, please do not ask a staff member or student to hold the door open for you. We especially do not want students to develop habits or believe it’s okay to let someone in because the person who asked is an adult – especially those adults they do not know.

We repeatedly emphasize safety with students and ask them not to open doors for others. But we know that students often are deferential to adults and will hold a door, not understanding in the moment that their kind act of holding the door open is actually a security issue.

Please respect our guidelines and only enter school buildings through the main entrances!

Digital Wellness: New Monitoring, Reporting Tools Being Implemented This Month

By Brad Pettit, Director of Technology 

Throughout October, we are unveiling multiple digital-wellness efforts to support students and families.

Active Safety Monitoring
We soon will activate an additional activity-management feature on student Chromebooks that focuses on student safety. This tool, called Gaggle, actively monitors and notifies school and district leadership of activity it believes is unsafe, harmful, or harmful to others. You can learn more about Gaggle features online. This tool will be activated in phases but will be fully completed across grades 1-12 by the end of October.

After-School & Weekend Parent Access to LightSpeed Content Filter
During the week of October 13th, parents/guardians will receive an opt-in form to receive access to a parent portal from LightSpeed, our content filter provider. The parent portal will give parents the ability to disable their student(s)’ Chromebook use for periods of time after school or on weekends. Via the parent portal, parents also can access summaries of online activity during those time windows. More details regarding how the product operates will be provided to families prior to opting into the service.

Website Reporting Form for Families, Students & Staff
During the week of October 20th, families will receive an online form for reporting any observed websites that a student, staff member, or parent/guardian believes should be reviewed in order to be blocked or unblocked by the schools’ content filter. The responses to this will be sent to district leadership for review. While this may not always lead to the unblocking or blocking of content, it is important for district leadership to get feedback from anyone who feels an item needs to be reviewed. Submissions will be followed up with communication to the submitter on the status or any plans of action.

Watch for Info on a New Digital Wellness Session for Families

Bexley Schools and our technology team will present a meeting on digital wellness in November focusing on the student perspective. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, Nov. 19, for a roundtable discussion with high school students and an update on how our tech team is helping parents/guardians support students’ digital wellness. Details will be available soon.

Middle School Recognizes Core Value of the Month Award Recipients

The Middle School PBIS Committee recently recognized the first Staff and Student Core Value of the Month award winners for this school year. The August/September awards recognize three students who stood out for demonstrating Respect – “acting toward other people with the level of care and dignity you would want for yourself.” Respect is one of the district’s seven core values, which also include Empathy, Equity, Integrity, Inclusion, Responsibility, and Well-being. 

The monthly awards also recognize a faculty member, who is nominated by students in recognition of a teacher who has made a difference in their lives and embodies respect.

Congratulations to 6th grader Liam Curtain, 7th grader Krystian Coleman, and 8th grader Hamilton Price! Congratulations also to faculty member Leah Michels, a science teacher at Bexley Middle School!

Pictured, from left: Krystian Coleman (7th grade), Liam Curtain (6th grade), Middle School science teacher Leah Michels, and Hamilton Price (8th grade).

School Finance Update

Legislators Override Governor’s Veto on School Levy Types

Dear Families:

We last updated you at the beginning of July to share our legislative advocacy for fair school funding in the state budget and to share the impact of that budget legislation on our schools. You can read that update online again if you choose.

Ohio legislators are now back in session after a summer recess, and the General Assembly has already taken action to override one of Gov. DeWine’s vetoes from June.

After the House overrode the veto in July, the Senate, yesterday, concurred and voted to override a provision to get rid of replacement levies and emergency levies. Schools no longer will be able to use these levy types. This provision does not affect Bexley Schools, as we do not use replacement or emergency levies, but the House Speaker has stated that the Ohio House of Representatives will consider other vetoes this month.

In addition, the Governor’s working group appointed to study property tax relief released its report this week. It appears there is some alignment between the commission’s recommendations and legislators. You may read the working group’s report and its 20 recommendations online.

We will continue to monitor legislation and action in the General Assembly that may affect our budget and the state’s financial support of our schools and will share important legislative updates if needed.

Sincerely,

Kyle Smith, Treasurer/CFO

Celebrating Bexley Principals!

It’s National Principals Month and we are eager to celebrate the hard-working leaders of our schools!

School principals serve as the cornerstone of educational excellence, setting the vision and climate that profoundly influences every student and faculty member. Their dedicated, multifaceted work, ranging from instructional leadership to community engagement, is vital for fostering successful learning environments and ensuring operational effectiveness. We recognize and deeply appreciate the unwavering commitment and guidance Bexley principals provide every day to empower and nurture our students.

This month we will spotlight one Bexley principal each Thursday, in a fun Q&A to help everyone learn more about them.

Rachel Niswander

aryland Elementary 

What Is Your Hometown or Where Did You Spend Most of Your Childhood?

Split between Toledo, Ohio and Upper Arlington, Ohio     

Number of Years You Have Worked in Education

24 years

Number of Years You Have Been a Bexley Principal

This is my 4th year.

What Is Your Favorite Part of Your Job?

Greeting students when they enter school to start their day.

What Did You Want to Be When You Were a Child?

A veterinarian, a football coach, or a teacher

Who Was Your Favorite Teacher? Explain Why and How This Teacher Impacted You.

I had a resource teacher who I went to work with every day in 7th and 8th grade who encouraged me not only to read but to love reading. I wish I remembered her name as I am extremely grateful for her patience with me.

What Was Your Favorite or Easiest Subject in School?

My favorite subject K-12 was social studies and PE. In High School, I loved the visual arts courses.

What Was Your Least Favorite or Hardest Subject in School?

English Language Arts

What Activities Were You Involved in During High School? (i.e., Sports, Music, Clubs, Class/Club Officer. If in band, list the musical instrument played)

I played volleyball, was on the swim team, and the lacrosse team. I was involved in Key Club. I also babysat and had a job starting at 15 years old.

What Is Your Personal Motto?

“Lead the Huddle, Hold the Line, Win Together.”

What Else Do You Want Your Students to Know about You?

I love being a Maryland Mallard. My favorite parts of the school day are when students ask curious questions, show me a skill they are working on, reading something they have written or created, and when they are demonstrating kindness to others.

BE A CHAMPION

Middle School Staff Member Recognized as District ‘Champion’

This week we recognize the diligence and meaningful work of Middle School staff member Suzanne Klingelhofer, Bexley’s newest champion!

Mrs. Klingelhofer, who serves as Bexley Middle School’s attendance secretary, was nominated by two district administrators for her incredible assistance during the Middle School scheduling overhaul project.

Citing her for Responsibility – one of the district’s seven core values – her nomination stated, “She was sturdy, kind, and provided everyone what they needed. She is a Champion we should celebrate because without people like Suzanne we could not support our students.”

Way to BE Mrs. Klingelhofer!

Pictured, from left: Director of Technology Brad Pettit, Suzanne Klingelhofer, and Jana Clarke, Director of Curriculum, Gifted Programming, Data, and Assessment.

Vocal Ensemble Venmo ID: @BexleyHS_VE

Find Area Event Information on Our ‘Flier Connection’ 

Our Flier Connection is on the district website as a resource for promoting community and other area events or notices. Remember to check our  virtual community forum on a regular basis. 

Voter Registration Deadline Is Monday for General Election

Monday, October 6 is the voter registration deadline to vote in the November 4th general election. Need to register or update your address information? Access the needed form online.

From the City of Bexley: Let’s Clear the Air – Be Idle Free!

Take care of your car, wallet, and the environment by turning the key to be idle free!

Idling releases carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and PM2.5s—particles less than 30 times the diameter of a piece of hair—most of which are created by chemical reactions of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. The best way to combat this is by reducing pollutants. 

While a mature tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, an hour of idling generates almost one-tenth of this. You can view Bexley’s air quality based on PM2.5 at bit.ly/realtimebexleyairquality.

Stopping and restarting your engine produces fewer emissions than idling for 10 seconds, so please, turn your vehicle off instead of idling for 10 seconds or more. Learn more about the Idle Free Bexley campaign at bexley.org/idlefree.

Important Dates

Oct. 4 (Sat.) – Cassingham Cardboard Challenge, 8:30 - 11:30 a.m., Cassingham Playground 

Oct. 5 (Sun.) – Middle School & High School Choir Fall Concert, 2 p.m., Schottenstein Theatre

Oct. 8 (Wed.) – Board of Education Regular Meeting, 6 p.m., Bexley City Hall

NEW DATE! Oct. 8 (Wed.) – Middle School PTO Meeting, 7 p.m., School Library

Oct. 9 (Thurs.) – High School Picture Retakes, Grades 9-11

Oct. 11 (Sat.) – Montrose Cardboard Challenge, 9 - 11 a.m., Montrose Playground

Oct. 11 (Sat.) – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, High School Play & Dinner Theatre, 12 p.m. & 6 p.m., Cassingham Gymnasium

Oct. 12 (Sun.) – High School Choir Concert, 2 p.m., Schottenstein Theatre

Oct. 12 (Sun.) – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, High School Play & Dinner Theatre, 2 p.m., Cassingham Gymnasium

Oct. 13-14 (Mon.-Tues.) – High School Musical Auditions, 3:30 p.m., Dargusch Theatre

Oct. 14 (Tues.) – Montrose PTO Meeting, 7 p.m., School Library

Oct. 15 (Wed.) – High School PSAT Test, Grades 9-11

Oct. 16 (Thurs.) – High School Musical Crew Interviews, 3:30 p.m., Cassingham Theatre

Oct. 16 (Thurs.) – Middle School/High School Fall Orchestra Concert, 7 p.m., Schottenstein Theatre