Amy Elsass has been teaching at Miamisburg City Schools for the past 15 years The last 9 years have been at Miamisburg High School. She currently teaches PLS 1120 American Federal Government through Sinclair Community College and World Religions. Amy has a Bachelor of Arts in History from Wright State University, a Master in Education and Allied Professions from the University of Dayton and is CCP certified through Ashland University. After starting the program at Ashland, she was forced to put her goal to achieve a Masters of Arts degree on hold. With the encouragement of a fellow educator, she decided to apply for the James Madison Fellowship. “The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation offers a scholarship to individuals desiring to become outstanding teachers of the American Constitution at the secondary school level. Their goal is to transform outstanding educators into Constitutional scholars by providing up to $24,000 to earn an MA with an emphasis on constitutional studies.” The Fellowship will provide her the resources needed to finish the Master of Arts in American History and Government (MAHG program) at Ashland. Amy said, "I believe that American government is the most important class a student can take in high school because it not only exposes them to the principles of our government, but it also demonstrates the enormous responsibility we have as people living in the United States to uphold the Constitution. With the help of the James Madison Fellowship, I want to instill a desire in my students to be an active and informed participant in society and then to develop critical thinking skills needed to achieve this."

Congratulations to Mrs. Amy Elsass!

A link to a comprehensive set of resources related to the extended school closure will be available on the this website by the end of the day tomorrow, 3/18/20. The information available will include details for food distribution, access to suggested at-home learning activities by grade level or class as well as links to other important resources to support our community. Students with no access to online resources may pick up their learning materials tomorrow 3/18 from 8-11am or Thursday 3/19 12-3pm. Elementary pickup is at the Memorial Building, grades 6-8 at MMS and grades 9-12 at MHS.

Food distribution will begin on Wednesday, March 18 and continue weekly on Wednesdays during the school closure at the following locations from 4 PM-6 PM:

Jane Chance Elementary-Wood Rd.
Miami Valley Church-5th Street
Greenhouse Church-Belvo Rd.
Miamisburg Church of God-Heincke Rd
Oberer Office Development-Exchange Place Blvd.
Lifepoint Community Church-S. Riverview Ave.

For any questions about this information or the locations for the food pick up, please call central office staff at 937.866.3381.

March 12, 2020

To: Miamisburg School Families

Re: COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

We have received word from the Governor’s office that all Ohio Public Schools will be closed effective Monday, March 16, 2020 for three weeks.

We had hoped that we would have had a little more time for our planning of this closure and we will be setting things into motion to make sure everyone is aware of what we are doing and how we are planning on continuing the educational process for all of our students.

Our administrators and staff are working hand-in-hand to prepare for this closure of school for an extended time period. As part of our Coronavirus preparedness program, we will be dedicating our scheduled Professional Development Day on Monday, March 16, 2020, to working with staff across the district in developing grade-appropriate and accessible curriculum that can be delivered to our students.

Part of the plan will be to assure that all of our families will have access to the materials necessary for assignments. The details for this are being finalized and will be shared to everyone as soon as the plans are completed and we will continue to send the arrangements on a regular basis.

Our goal is that through our work on our Professional Development Day, we will not only be ready to face this challenge but to use it as a template for future events of this nature. We will continue to work on our strategies to be able to provide resources to keep the educational process moving forward.

All students will be asked to take all of the necessary materials needed for their classes home with them on Friday, March 13, 2020 and their teachers will let them know that there will be information going home on a regular basis to keep them apprised of work to be completed, as well as any new developments with this event.

We certainly apologize for the short notice. We were told Wednesday (yesterday) that the Governor was not yet prepared to close schools. I can only surmise that the actions of many larger organizations and other states influenced this decision.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call or email.

Sincerely,

David S. Vail, PhD
Superintendent

What the Experts Say

As with anyillness, such as the flu, the Ohio Department of Health recommends the followingprecautions for your child(ren} and you:

• Keep your child home if they are sick (exceptto visit a health care professional).
• Instruct and remind your child to wash their hands for 20 seconds or more with soapy water
• Instruct and remind your child to avoid touching their eyes, nose, or mouth withunwashed hands
• Avoid contact with people who are sick
• Instruct and remind your child to cover their mouth/nose with a tissue or sleeve whencoughing or sneezing
• Provide your child with adequate sleep and eat well-balanced meals to ensure a healthyimmune system.

Letter from Public Health Dayton Montgomery County

Ohio Department of Health COVID-19 Call Center
833-4-ASKODH (833-427-5634)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
https://www.cde.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Preventing COVID-1 Spread in Communities
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Coronavirus Disease 2019 Information for Travel
https://www.cde.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
When and How to Wash Your Hands
https://www.cde.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html

Ohio Departmentof Health
How You Can Prevent and Prepare
https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/

National Association of School Psychologists
Talking to Children about COVID-19
http://bit.ly/2U2ex02