STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
Honored as our Students of the Month for May are: 6th grade — Samantha Luthie and Tyler Weisent; 7th grade– Alexis Dickson and and Austin Melaney; and 8th grade – Jonathan Price and Brittany Tomello. Congratulations to all!

AWARDS CEREMONY
The all school awards ceremony/8th grade graduation will be held on the last day of school, June 7, 2007, at approximately 8:15 in the morning at Marlington High School auditorium. We will enjoy recognizing our students who have earned special awards and certificates! Parents are welcome to attend. Immediately after graduation 8th grade students are permitted to leave if they have turned in a permission slip. The permission slip and additional information on the early release will be sent home mid May.

5TH GRADE VISITATION DAY
Fifth grade elementary students will be visiting the Middle School on Friday, May 11, for an orientation. Mr. Fox will discuss the school environment and scheduling with students. The students will also have an opportunity to eat lunch in the Middle School cafeteria.

EIGHTH GRADE DANCE
A dance for eighth grade students only will be held on Friday, May 4, from 6-8 p.m. at the Middle School. Although dress for the dance is casual, dress code still applies. Paul Night from Hot FM 101 will provide music.

BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
Homeroom basketball tournaments will be taking place after school from 3:15-4:30. 6th grade tournament dates are May 14-18 and 7th/8th grade tournament dates are May 21-31. Championship night is June 1 from 6-8 P.M. Admission is $1 to watch the championship games and food will be available for purchase.

FINAL YEARBOOK SALES
Final yearbook sales for the year will be from May 7-18. The cost is $25.

LAND OF LITERACY REPORT
Land of Literacy center’s last day was Friday, April 27. The experience was fun for both volunteers and students. We did a number of activities such as bowling, hangman, tic-tac-toe, basketball, computers and beanbag toss, and yes, we also did a lot of reading! We have seen improvements in both fluency and comprehension. We would like to thank the volunteers for their time, effort and ideas which helped to make this a pleasurable time for everyone. The students were also instrumental in the success of the program. They tried our wacky ideas and let us know what they liked and disliked. I want to thank each and every one of them. Next year we hope to have another successful year. – Mary Jo Fox, Literacy Volunteer Coordinator.

The Ohio Reads Team is proud to present The Magical Theatre’s presentation of The Hobbit on Wednesday, May 30 in the MMS gymnasium.

ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A SIXTH GRADER?
Come and find out on Friday, May 4, 1:45-2:45 P.M. The sixth grade students and staff would like to invite you to visit our school and see what is happening in the sixth grade at MMS! Come and listen to a performance by our sixth grade band, view some artwork created by sixth grade students, and see if you could pass the 6th grade Ohio Achievement Test by competing in our “Are you Smarter than a Sixth Grader” game. See you there!

SPRING SPORTS FAIR
The Marlington Athletic Booster Club presents the First Annual Spring Sports Fair & Duke Derby on Sunday, May 6, 2007, from 12:00-4:00 P.M. at the high school track. Join us for a fun filled day of games, prizes, food and more! The start of the day will be a 4-mile run, which begins at 9 A.M. The entry fee is $15, which includes a t-shirt. The Sports Fair will have a carnival like theme with booths around the athletic grounds, face painting, baseball radar gun throw, softball dunking booth, guess your weight, arm wrestling, free throw basketball shoot, 3 man volleyball tournaments, water balloon toss, tennis games, around the world basketball, golf chipping and putting games, corn hole, kids’ fun run, duck pond, jumping house, football toss and many more surprises! Kids and adults of all ages are invited to come out and test their skills. All proceeds from this fundraiser will assist the Booster Club in fulfilling the requests of the Athletic Department. For further information, please contact Barb McCarty at 330-875-5182 or Beth Strouble at 330-877-6795.

NURSING NOTES
Do you have a child with special healthcare needs? Do you have a child who is undergoing tests and procedures to determine if they have a special healthcare need? Are you unsure of how you are going to pay for all the medical bills associated with a child with special healthcare needs? Are you unsure if your insurance is even going to cover the costs of all your medical bills? If so, there may be some help for you. The Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps is a health care program in the Ohio Department of Health that connects families of children with special healthcare needs to quality providers and help families obtain payment for the services their children need. A special healthcare need can be defined as a condition a child is born with or may be something a child develops later in life. Children eligible for BCMH must be age 0-21, permanent residents of Ohio, under the care of a BCMH-approved doctor and who have or may have a chronic medical condition Financial eligibility is not required for the diagnostic program. Financial eligibility is required only for the treatment program. Some of the eligible conditions that are covered by BCMH are diabetes, cancer, severe vision disorders, hearing loss, sickle cell disease, hemophilia, AIDS, congenital heart disease, metabolic disorders, scoliosis, cleft lip/palate, chronic lung disease, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, juvenile arthritis, and cystic fibrosis. To find out more about this program and to see if your child is eligible please call your local health department or you can call Mellesha Monterrubio, RN, BSN at the Stark County Health Department 330-493-9928 ext. 254.

DRESS AND GROOMING
As we are enjoying warmer weather, dress code violations continue to be a problem. Please remember the following:
==> Walking shorts, jean shorts or skirts of an appropriate length are permitted throughout the year. The length should be about 2-3 inches below mid thigh. Shorts should have a zipper and pockets and not be made of jersey, mesh, flannel, or sweat material. Spandex and boxer shorts are not permitted.
==> We do not permit sweat pants, flannel-like sleep wear, or pants with holes, frays or rips.
==> Pants and skirts must be worn in a manner that bare skin and/or undergarments cannot be seen.
==> Blouses or shirts should not be of sheer material or of low cut styles (no lower than 3 inches below the neckline). No tank tops, bare midriff tops and mesh shirts are allowed.
==> The fashions for our young ladies have changed so that the blouses are shorter and the slacks are lower. We now have more stomachs showing when standing and undergarments showing when sitting. This type of dress is not appropriate for school. If the blouse is long enough to cover the belt loops most of this will be eliminated. Undergarments should not be visible.
Thank you for your cooperation!

FIELD TRIPS APPROACHING
7th Grade: On May 24-25 the 7th grade will travel to Baltimore to visit the Baltimore Aquarium, Baltimore HarborFront, Fort McHenry, and a Medieval Times Castle & Dinner Tournament. Buses will leave the school at 7:00 Å.M. on the 24th and return on the 18th a t 9:00P.M. Students should be picked up at the school at 9:00 P.M. promptly.

8th Grade: On May 17and 18 the eighth grade students will travel to Washington D.C. They will be staying at the Sheraton Reston, Virginia, (703) 620-9000. Busses will leave the school at 7:00 A.M. on the 17th and return on the 18th at 9:00 p.m. Students should be picked up at the school at 9:00 p.m.

Any medication for the trip, whether prescription or nonprescription, should be dropped off at the office the week of the field trip. All medication should be at the school by Wednesday, the day before departure, to avoid confusion on the day of departure. A medication sheet will need to be completed. These were included in the packets sent home with students. Any student with an inhaler may keep the inhaler with them at all times, however, a medication form will need to be completed.

Parents should be at the school promptly at the designated time to pick up their child. No student should have to come into the building to call home. Thank you for your cooperation.

Classes will be scheduled for students who do not go on field trips.

Failure to comply satisfactorily with the following pre-activity requirements for each of the following field trips will result in denial of participation:


DENIAL OF PARTICIPATION FOR
8TH GRADE D.C. TRIP MAY 17-18
1.Unpaid fees, fines, lunch charges, and fundraiser monies.
2. 5 misconduct cards received in the semester or
5 bus discipline referrals received in the semester
or
A combination of misconduct cards and bus referrals totaling 5 received in the semester.
*Lunch misconduct may not be considered
3. Suspensions/Alternate School Placement
If two out-of-school suspensions have been assigned during the semester.
or
Any violent offense or threat that results in an out of school suspension during the semester
or
If four such alternate school placements have been assigned during the current semester.
4. Truancy - if a student is truant for one or more periods within the 5 days before the activity or if truant for one or more periods four times during the semester.
5. Behavior Communication Slips – 12 BC’s received in the semester. (These do not include BC’s from academic notifications)
6. If a student is participating in a Behavior Plan, the student will be denied privileges when reaching Phase Two (three infractions in one day) for the 2nd time.
7. If a student is absent from school a total of 20 days or more, then he/she may be denied field trip privilege, (unless excused by a doctor referral).

REMINDERS . . .

-MIDTERMS will be sent home on Friday May 11. Please look for them!

-MMS TRACK SEASON has started and we are looking forward to a successful season. The banquet has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 15 at 7:00 P.M. in the Middle School cafeteria. Information will be sent home with students.

-REMINDER ABOUT SCHOOL FEES: The privilege of participating in activities such as dances and field trips may be denied if school fees have not been paid. Report cards will also be held. Please make sure student’s fees are paid before the many spring activities begin. If you have any questions, please call the Middle School office.

-OLYMPIC DAY field events will be held on Monday morning, June 4 and running/relay events on Tuesday afternoon, June 5. If events are cancelled due to inclement weather, make-up day will be Wednesday, June 6.

LEXINGTON FIRE DEPARTMENT’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY CARNIVAL be held on Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12 from 5:00-11:00 P.M. at the firehouse. Enjoy the food, rides and fun!!

TAKE A CHANCE TO DUKE PRIDE YOUR RIDE!! The prize package will include heated seats, black and orange auto paint kit, design/fabrication (2 1⁄2 hours labor), gift certificate to Terry’s Tire Town, car wash certificates, free oil change, travel mugs and other miscellaneous items totaling $1,470.00. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by sending a check and a self-addressed stamped envelope to Lexington Elementary School, 12333 Atwater Avenue, Alliance, OH 44601, Attention: Duke Pride my Ride. You will receive your ticket stub(s) by mail and the winner will be drawn at the Lexington Carnival on May 18. Winner need not be present. Be sure to include your name, address and phone number so we can contact the lucky winner! Deadline for entry is May 14. Contact the Lexington PTO at (330)947-3823 with any questions.