Dear Bath Community,

Welcome to the 2017-18 school year! As a proud Bath High School graduate, I'm humbled and honored to serve this great community that I grew up in as your new Superintendent. This will be my 21st year serving our community and my 27th year in education. I spent my first thirteen years as a teacher and coach in the Lima City Schools, Findlay City Schools and at Bath. The past thirteen years were spent here as an administrator.
Over the next couple of years, our district’s goals will be to:

	Improve communication with our stakeholders, utilizing multiple social media outlets to promote our school programs, students and staff. In addition to this newsletter and our website, we have established Facebook and Twitter accounts as a means to communicate with our community. Our Facebook pages are: Bath Local Schools, Bath Elementary School and Bath High School’s The Paw Print Newspaper. On Twitter, we currently have the following accounts: The Paw Print News @BathHS_PawPrint, Bath Middle School @BathMidSchool and the Bath Elementary @ElementaryBath. Please follow us for the most current information!
	Continue to evaluate and update our school safety plans partnering with the Allen County Sherriff’s Department and the Bath Township Fire Department.
	Develop and maintain positive relationships and partnerships with our community organizations and businesses. We will look to entice our students to get involved in school clubs and/or community service projects in order to become responsible, caring citizens. Furthermore, we want to place our students on a career pathway that will set them up for success beyond their high school years.
	Ensure that all students receive a quality educational experience, relying on us to continually analyze best practices in the classroom, as well as continually seeking ways to enhance our test scores on the Ohio Report Card.
	Continue to be fiscally responsible, making financial decisions that allocate resources tied to our Strategic Plan. Also, we will continue to be transparent in our decision making using your taxpayers’ dollars.

I believe our school district provides a quality education for our children. Having five children come through our system myself, I personally know the types of academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular programs we provide. I know how talented and dedicated our staffs are and I believe that ALL of our students can have a great experience at Bath Local Schools. Thank you for making Bath Local Schools your district of choice! Have a great school year!

Sincerely,

Rich Dackin Superintendent

FROM
BATH
ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL
MR. CHRIS RENNER, PRINCIPAL
TITLE I PROGRAM AT BATH ELEMENTARY CONTINUES TO SERVE BATH READERS This year at Bath Elementary, Title One continues to be a support program to supplement learning in the regular classroom. This year the focus continues to be on reading. Bath Elementary is a Title One School, which means every elementary student can benefit from Title One services. The purpose of the Title One
program is to aid in the development of a school/parent partnership which will help all children achieve the high standards required by the state. Teachers and parents share the responsibility for improved student achievement.

This year we have four Title One teachers. Jane Bailey continues from previous years. Mrs. Bailey has taught 37 years at Bath Elementary. She taught 3rd grade most of her career but also taught 2nd and 4th grades. She has been a Title One teacher for the past 7 years. Kristin Lenhart worked with Title One students last year. Previously, Mrs. Lenhart was a 2nd and a 3rd grade teacher. She has taught at Bath Elementary for 9 years. She and her husband Justin have two preschool children. Audrey Clark and Jacob Brunk are certified elementary teachers and serve as part-time tutors. Audrey Clark is a familiar face at Bath Elementary. She student taught at Bath last year and has been a dependable substitute the past few years. She and her husband, Jeremy, have four children in the Bath School System. Mr. Brunk is a Lima native. He is a recent graduate from Mt. Vernon Nazarene University. He and his new wife, Tova, reside in Lima. All Title One salaries are paid through Title One funding.

After September testing of all Bath students, the intensive reading students will receive small group interventions with Title One teachers in addition to their classroom instruction.

All Bath parents are invited to attend a parent orientation and informational meeting on October 11th from 6:00-6:30 p.m. This meeting is to update parents and answer any questions you might have regarding the Title One program. We look forward to seeing many parents at this meeting. Students attending extra intervention will receive invitations to our orientation meeting in early October. Together we hope to make this a positive learning experience with significant academic growth in reading for all our students.
A
~The Elementary Title One Team ELEMENTARY GUIDANCE	Jane Bailey, Kristin Lenhart,
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Bath Local Schools will be teaming up with SAFY	Audrey Clark, and Jacob Brunk Behavioral Health to bring services to our	Chris Renner, Bath Elementary Principal community. SAFY’s School Navigator will be
month, offering families easy access to mental and
and families who are interested in helping their
only way this will ever happen is through open
available in the Bath community room twice a	The partnership created between home and school can be behavioral health support, as well as offering	such a powerful tool in helping all students improve. The referrals to other supporting agencies. Caregivers	communication. The task of educating children is the
children attain greater academic, social/emotional,
or behavioral success are encouraged to stop in and
meet with the School Navigator. The scheduled
dates and times are:
responsibility of all involved: the school, the parents, and the child. We always have a wonderful turnout for conferences. We once again want to encourage you to participate in this partnership. This year’s parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for November 6, November 8 and November 9. A
September 28 : 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
October 10 : 7:30 am - 9:00 am
th	letter with more details will be sent home with students. We th	want to encourage you to schedule and attend conferences.
October 26 : 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
th	We are confident that a team approach is always best and we November 14t:h - 7:30 am - 9:00 am	are thankful to have such supportive parents.
November 6 – 5:00 – 8:30 p.m.
November 30th: 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
December 12th: 7:30 am - 9:00 am	November 8 – 5:00 – 8:30 p.m.
-April Neff	November 9 – 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Counselor, Bath Elementary School                             No school at Bath Elementary November 9th or 10th.

ELEMENTARY WELCOMES NEW STAFF MEMBERS

Bath Elementary is excited to welcome several new staff members to our building this year. Mrs. Clark and Mr. Brunk join the elementary staff as Title I tutors. Mrs. Binkley joins Mrs. Niebel outside as one of our playground monitors. Mrs. Snyder and Mr. Hanhold will be working together with the fifth grade band members.
All of these individuals bring great qualities to Bath Elementary. As you see these individuals in our community, please introduce yourself. We are very excited to have each of them on staff.

FROM
OHIO ASSESSMENTS 2017-2018

AIR-AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH

3rd Grade Fall Language Arts
	October 24 & 25, 2017
	
3rd Grade Language Arts
	April 12 & 13, 2018
	
4th Grade Language Arts
	April 16 & 17, 2018
	
5th Grade Language Arts
	April 18, 2018
	
3rd Grade Math
	May 1 & 2, 2018
	
4th Grade Math
	May 3, 2018
	
5th Grade Math
	May 4, 2018
	
5th Grade Science
	May 8, 2018

THIRD GRADE READING GUARANTEE

Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee directs schools to identify which students in kindergarten through grade three are having trouble reading, and provide them extra reading help right away. The goal is to get these boys and girls caught up in reading as soon as possible.

Studies show that children who are behind in reading at the end of grade three will have a hard time in all subjects in the fourth grade and beyond. After that, it can be hard for a child to ever catch up in school.

BATH ELEMENTARY
ACHIEVEMENT TEST
th	th
each year how well each child in kindergarten
THIRD GRADE READING	Under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, Bath This year’s third graders will take the first round of the	Elementary School will determine at the start of

reading achievement test on October 24 and 25 .
special reading plan for each child who is behind.
Teachers who are experienced in teaching reading
According to the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, all	through grade three is reading. We will then create a students must obtain a minimum score on either the fall
SCHOOL
will work with these students.
If you have a son or daughter who still struggles
with reading at the end of grade three, we will talk
with you about keeping the child in third grade until
he or she catches up. This may be all or only part of
the school year. Even then, though, your child may
do fourth grade work in other subjects if he or she is
ready.
or spring reading assessment in order to move to the fourth grade. Any third grader that does not score the minimum score on the fall or spring test will be required to come to summer school and take the summer reading assessment. It is important for all students the night before any test to go to bed at a reasonable time. Being well rested helps one to focus through these tests. It is equally important for them to eat a healthy breakfast. Many students form a fear of tests. The best thing we can do as adults is to encourage them to do their best and
proud of them.
to let them know if they do their best, we will be very	There are special rules about the guarantee that can help children who are still learning English and
MR. CHRIS RENNER, PRINCIPAL
How many times have you asked your child what happ
Third Grade Reading Guarantee at
for more details.
HELPING YOUR CHILD SUCCEED IN SCHOOL	children who have disabilities. Read more about the at school only to hear a quick response of “nothing” orened	education.ohio.gov, or talk with your child’s teacher “I don’t know?” Many things go on each day in your child’s
classroom, but you may have to play detective to find out what. The more you know about what happens in the classroom, the better able you will be to help your child do his/her best. Here are a few easy ways you can stay involved in your child’s classroom and school:
*Join the Bath PTS and get involved. They can help keep you informed about school activities, issues and concerns. It is also a great way to meet other parents and teachers! Forms to become a member are located at the Bath Elementary Office.
*Sometime, each day, sit down with your child and go through the papers he/she brings home. Go over each paper. Listen to your child’s reaction to his/her work. Be positive and give lots of encouragement. Be sure to read all notes and papers sent home by the teacher or the school, and respond as needed.
*Find out your child’s homework assignments. Encourage and assist as needed. Provide a well-lit, quiet place to study. Consistency of where and when homework is done is always beneficial to the student.
*Mark dates of all school, family and work activities on a family calendar. Be sure to include dates of holidays and early dismissals to help you to remember if you need to pack a special lunch, provide spending money or arrange childcare.
*Get to know your child’s teachers! Let them know that you are interested in what your child is doing and learning. *Volunteer in the classroom to experience your child’s learning environment and provide a much appreciated extra pair of hands for the teacher!
*Attend all parent-teacher conferences. Take with you a list of questions or concerns you want to talk about with the teacher.
Being involved in your child’s education shows them the importance of it as well as how much you truly care about him/her and his/her future. A great sign of our wonderful parental support is that we had 84% of our students and their families attend our Open House on August 24.

FROM
BATH MIDDLE SCHOOL
MR. BRAD CLARK, PRINCIPAL
NEW STAFF MEMBERS

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

The 2017 parent-teacher conference schedule for the middle school is listed below. Information relevant to scheduling parent teacher conferences will be sent home with students in the near future.

Monday, November 6 - 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, November 8 - 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 9 - 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

School will not be in session on Thursday November 9 or

Friday November 10.

BMS ON TWITTER!

Bath Middle School now has a Twitter account. Community members can follow @BathMidSchool to access tweets that are relative to Bath Middle School and Bath Local Schools in general.

Students and parents are also reminded to register for middle school text alerts. Registration for text alerts is available at the Bath Local Schools website:
http://www2.bathwildcats.org/

2017 AIR TEST RESULTS

The middle school recently received the results of the AIR testing from the spring of 2017. Below is a breakdown of our passage rates for 2017 as well as a comparison of passage rates from 2016.

	2016 Passage %
	2017 Passage %
	Difference
	
Grade 6 ELA
	72.9 %
	76.3 %
	+3.4%
	
Grade 6 Math
	73.6 %
	81.6%
	+8.0%
	
Grade 6 Social Studies
	79.1%
	74.3%
	-4.8%
	
Grade 7 ELA
	53.0%
	73.2%
	+20.2%
	
Grade 7 Math
	69.4%
	76.4%
	+7.0%
	
Grade 8 ELA
	53.6%
	63.7%
	+10.1%
	
Grade 8 Math
	77.4%
	79.7%
	+2.6%
	
Grade 8 Science
	72.7%
	74.1%
	+1.4%
	
Algebra
	100%
	100%
	0.0%

FROM
BATH MIDDLE SCHOOL
MR. BRAD CLARK, PRINCIPAL
2017-2018 Bath Middle School Testing Schedule
		
6th-8th grade
	
Tuesday, April 3rd
	8th grade English Language Arts Part 1
	
Wednesday, April 4th
	8th grade English Language Arts Part 2
	
Thursday, April 5th
	6th grade English Language Arts Part 1
	
Friday, April 6th
	6th grade English Language Arts Part 2
	
Tuesday, April 10th
	7th grade English Language Arts Part 1
	
Wednesday, April 11th
	7th grade English Language Arts Part 2

Monday, April 23rd
	8th grade Math/Algebra Part 1
	
Tuesday, April 24th
	8th grade Math/Algebra Part 2
	
Wednesday, April 25th
	6th grade Math Part 1
	
Thursday, April 26th
	6th grade Math Part 2
	
Friday, April 27th
	7th grade Math Part 1
	
Monday, April 30th
	7th grade Math Part 2

Tuesday, May 1st
	8th grade Science Part 1
	
Wednesday, May 2nd
	8th grade Science Part 2

Please do not schedule any appointments, vacations, etc on these days. Thank you in advance for making attendance a priority!	RED CROSS
DONATIONS

ACCESSING GRADES
Parents are encouraged to access grades via ProgressBook. Students have received their username and password. In order to access grades, please follow the following directions:
	Go to Bath’s website-www.bathwildcats.org and click on the picture of the middle school
	Click on “ProgressBook” on the left hand side of the screen
	You can access ProgressBook with the same username and password that you used last year
(New Bath students will be given a registration key to set up an account. If you can’t locate your username and/or password from last year, please do the following:
	Click on “Forgot your username or password?”
	If you don’t know your username, click on “I forgot my username”
o Enter your email address and ProgressBook will send you an email with your username
	If you don’t know your password, click on “I forgot my password”
o Enter your username and ProgressBook will send you an email that will allow you to reset your password
You should now be able to log into ProgressBook with your username and password. You can view your child’s grades and homework assignments. Click on “Classroom Information” on the left to view this week’s assignments. Monitoring ProgressBook is an easy way to help support your child’s academic journey! If you have any questions regarding ProgressBook, please feel free to contact guidance counselor Jeanna Davis.

On September 1st, Bath Middle School had a hat day with all donations going to the American Red Cross to assist with flood relief efforts in Texas. Staff and students donated a grand total of $712 towards the disaster relief.
The middle school would like to thank all of the students, staff and community members who contributed to a very worthy cause. The generosity displayed is greatly appreciated.

FROM
BATH HIGH SCHOOL
MR. RICK GROSS, PRINCIPAL
NEW HIGH SCHOOL STAFF MEMBERS

Bath High School welcomes new staff members:

Mr. Dylan Haehn – Physics, Environmental Science, Chemistry II Mr. Stephen Hanhold– Music Teacher, Band Assistant
Mr. Luke Hickey – Intervention Specialist, Social Studies, English, Future Educational Solutions
Mr. Mrs. Stephanie Miller – Guidance Counselor, Grades 9 & 11 Mrs. Hannah Snyder – Music Teacher, Band Director
Ms. Casey Unverferth – College Prep 11 & 12, Great Works

TUTORING HELP IN THE HIGH SCHOOL

Did you know student members of the National Honor Society offer tutoring during most study hall periods, Monday through Thursday? Students who would like help must sign up with Mr. Garland in Study Hall, who will notify the NHS tutor. For further information or questions, contact Mrs. Ellington, National Honor Society Advisor, at ellingtonc@bathwildcats.org or 419-221-0366, ext 2207.

 IMPORTANT LINKS

	education.ohio.gov – Parent Resources, Community Resources, Earning a High School Diploma, etc… 	ohiomeansjobs.com – In-Demand Careers, Career Pathways, K-12 Students, College Student
	ohioalerts – Bath High School District Text Alerts
	bathwildcats.org – BHS Practice Tests, Handbook, E-Mail, Progress Book, Guidance/Calendar..etc…

My name is Natalie Crowe and I am a current sophomore at BHS. Over the summer I was given the opportunity to go to Ohio Northern University’s
Summer Academic Honors Institute. The Summer Honors Institute is a camp that offers week long, Sunday through Friday, programs in Ohio Northern’s biggest majors, such as physics and forensics. I chose to go to the anatomy program. I arrived Sunday afternoon at the dorms, where we stayed in the fraternity houses. I went inside, checked in and met my counselors, Eric and Theresa, who then gave me the week’s schedule and my room key. My family helped me settle in before they left. After dinner we had to go to class. At class we met our professors for the week, Dr. Aulthouse and Dr. Connour. Before we left, we cracked fertilized chicken eggs into dishes. Over the course of the week we watched and discussed the anatomy and physiology of the developing embryos. We went to class all day on Monday, then after dinner, we played ice breaker games with the other camps. Tuesday was much the same, except we played a campus wide scavenger hunt against the other programs, where anatomy won. By Wednesday, we had our first quiz in class over lab techniques. We could also see the hearts forming in the chick embryos. We also received our mystery organ slides. We were challenged to figure out what organ we were given, then give a presentation on it Friday. Wednesday night’s activity consisted of watching movies. By Thursday, we could see blood circulating through the embryos. My partner and I also figured out that our mystery organ was the spleen. We spent all night Thursday developing the presentation for our mystery organ. Friday morning, we visited some of the science departments unusual specimens before giving our presentations. After presentations, we went back to the dorms, packed up, and said our last goodbyes. I was a little nervous at first because I didn’t know anyone, but by the end of the week, I had traded phone numbers with at least 4 people. My experience at this camp was amazing. If you have the chance to go, take it!

CLASS OF 2017 ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH 12

Members of the AP English 12 Class of 2017 are deserving of praise and congratulations for their collective hard work and stellar scores on the Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Exam. All 7 students put in hours of hard work throughout the school year and were a consistent pleasure to have in class. They all performed wonderfully on the rigorous AP exam, earning college credit-worthy scores. Katie McNamara earned the highest possible score (5) on the exam.

BATH ACADEMIC TEAM

FROM
The Bath academic team wrapped up its most successful season in school history with the WBL Championship last May. The team finished the season with a record of 54-11-1, which is both the most wins and the best winning percentage for a season. In addition to WBL, the team also won the Blackswamp League and WSU Lake Campus tournament. Congratulations to the 2016-2017 school year members: Vincent Abrams, Alexis Ball, Seaira Ball, Evan Barr, Paul Blasiman, Tony Camps, Tristam Cheeseman, Natalie Crowe, Allison Fisher, Katie Fisher, Riley Iiames, Derek Inskeep, Rachel Inskeep, Ashtyn Jefferson, Noah Kindig, Katie McNamara, Meagan Plikerd, Cody Rieman, and Savannah Stahl.

Paul Blasiman Rachel Inskeep Katie McNamara Kennedy Metcalf

Andrew Reynolds Zac States
Lauren Van Dyne

BATH HIGH SCHOOL

2017-2018 Bath High School Testing Schedule
		
National and State Testing Dates
	
PSAT
	Wednesday October 11, 2017
	
OGT
	Thursday, October 26, 2017
	
ASVAB
	Tuesday, November 21, 2017 (tentative)
	
AIR Make Up Dates
	Monday, December 4 – Friday, December 15 2017
	
AIR Government
	Monday, December 11, 2017
	
ACT
	Saturday February 10, 2018
	
OGT
	Thursday, March 15, 2018
	
ACT
	Tuesday, March 20, 2018 - no school
	
ACT
	Saturday, April 14, 2018
	
AIR – ELA
	Monday, April 16, 2018 & Tuesday, April 17, 2018
	
AIR – Make Ups
	Wednesday, April 18 – Friday, April 20, 2018

Thanks for a great year and best wishes for a most promising future!
-Mr. Steidl

FINANCIAL AID
MR. RICK GROSS, PRINCIPAL
The application for FAFSA-Free Application for Federal Student Aid opens on October 1st. To better help seniors and parents understand the application process, we are holding our annual Financial Aid Night, Wednesday, October 4th at 7:00 p.m. in the high school study hall. A representative from The Ohio State University, Lima will present general FAFSA information to all students and parents and be available to answer questions. Please contact the high school guidance office with any questions.

BATH LOCAL SCHOOLS 2650 BIBLE ROAD LIMA, OHIO 45801

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT NO. 65 LIMA, OH 45801

P A R E N T	S C H O O L	C O M M U N I T Y

BATH LOCAL SCHOOLS DIRECTORY

BATH ADMINISTRATION Rich Dackin, Superintendent Annette Morman, Treasurer 2650 Bible Road
Lima, OH 45801 (419) 221-0807

BATH ELEMENTARY Chris Renner, Principal Chris Clark, Asst. Principal 2450 Bible Road
Lima, OH 45801 (419) 221-1837

BATH MIDDLE SCHOOL Brad Clark, Principal
Todd Fleharty, Asst. Principal 2700 Bible Road
Lima, OH 45801 (419) 221-1839

BATH HIGH SCHOOL Rick Gross, Principal
Brian Jesko, Asst. Principal 2850 Bible Road
Lima, OH 45801 (419) 221-0366

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: MR. KEVIN WIERMAN
We are proud to spotlight Mr. Wierman, our 5th grade teacher. His list of accolades is long: he is entering his 38th year of teaching at Bath, his 40th year overall. He graduated from Defiance College with his bachelor’s degree, where you will find his name in their Hall of Fame for baseball and football. He earned his master’s degree from the University of Dayton. He was an assistant varsity football coach from 1980-1994, and again in 1999 through 2006. He also served as a varsity baseball assistant coach in 1980-1993, head baseball coach 1994-1995, and again an assistant baseball coach in 2004-2006. These accomplishments alone make our community proud to have Mr. Wierman on staff. But it’s the list of intangibles that we love most about Mr. Wierman: family, community and home. Mr. Wierman is a lifelong Wildcat. He graduated from Bath in 1974 and married his high school sweetheart Janet (Williams) Wierman, where together
they raised their two children in what he claims is “the best school system and community around.” He takes a personal interest in his students, teaching them life lessons, and is mindful to practice what he preaches as he walks out his Christian faith. Mr. Wierman has undoubtedly left a legacy at Bath. Ask any of his former students or players, and they will smile as the recount the impact he made on their lives. But when asked what legacy he hopes to leave, he replied “I hope to leave with the respect of my colleagues and the respect of my former students; I hope I treated people with dignity and made enough relationships and connections to make a difference.”

PTS Meeting – October 9th @ 7pm. Follow the Bath PTS on their Facebook page, Bath Parent Teacher Society (PTS), for meeting dates, locations and news about their upcoming Purse Bingo fundraiser November 11th.