Recently Bishop Lennon sent a letter to President Brian R. Menard and Principal Janice Roccosalva stating how much he values Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School. The Bishop states that he is committed to continuing to support VASJ with diocesan resources and encourages the VASJ community to join him in such support as VASJ builds a 21st Century model of Catholic education.

Diocese of Cleveland
Cathedral Square           
Office of the Bishop

4 February 2010


Mr. Brian Menard
Ms. Janice Roccosalva
Villa Angela-Saint Joseph High School

Dear Janice and Brian,

    I would like to express my gratitude to you for my enjoyable visit to Villa Angela-Saint Joseph on 3 February 2010.  It was heartening to me to see the positive results of your many efforts to continue the excellent education provided students in Villa Angela-Saint Joseph High School.  I found it encouraging meeting the new President and Vice President of the Board of Advisors, its members, the Endowment Board, the Ursuline Sisters, the Marianists, and the many others committed to the enduring presence of this school.  I know that Villa Angela-Saint Joseph is well on its way to stability and continued service to its students.

  

The OGT Breakfast held on Saturday, March 6, 2010 was a great success for Collinwood's students. Many students attended school early Saturday morning because of their determination to pass all FIVE parts of the Ohio Graduation Test. About 11:00 a.m. students and parents joined together in the first floor cafe to enjoy a hot breakfast featuring eggs, bacon, grits and pancakes. 

 

I am sure that you heard the news by now that at the CMSD School Board meeting on Tuesday, February 23, 2010, Dr Eugene Sanders, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District recommended to the Cleveland Board of Education, that Ginn Academy should remain in its present location at the former Margaret Spellacy School site. I cannot begin to tell you what a victory this is for the students, parents, administrators and the greater Collinwood community. 

St. Jerome Elementary School has been the stoic brick fixture at the corner of 152nd and Lakeshore since 1922. After decades of changes in the community, the Cleveland Catholic Diocese, and in Ohio education, St. Jerome remains a jewel for the Collinwood neighborhood.

Imani, Gregory and Mariah had an educational adventure writing about their amazing characters. They encountered many animals in the Big Books of our reading series. They found many fascinating facts in the Big Books and were eager to write about the animals after the stories. They became the illustrators for our class book. It was fun drawing and coloring the pictures for each story. Mariah’s favorite story is "Clyde the chameleon". Gregory liked "The Hibernating Bear" best. Imani enjoyed the story about "Farfollina the Caterpillar."  We are enjoying our student treasures.

Jonathan Newsome was a member of St. John Class of 2005. Five years later, he and his teammates enjoyed Ohio State's Rose Bowl victory on New Year’s Day.  After graduating from Glenville High School last year, Jonathan chose to continue his education at The Ohio State University.  He is a member of the Ohio State Football team and is now a Rose Bowl Champion. Jonathan was a pleasure to have as a member of our St. John Nottingham Family.  Congratulations to Jonathan and we wish him God’s richest blessings at Ohio State.

St. John Nottingham has once again accomplished school history. Last year the 7th and 8th Boys Basketball Team made school history by winning the city championship of the Cleveland Lutheran Elementary League. This year they repeated as the champions once again, once again making school history.  Congratualtions St. John Jets. They will represent Cleveland in the All-Ohio State Basketball Tournament held this year at Lutheran High School East.

In the beginning of the year I really wanted to join the Techno Team. Being able to compete in the first competition was very exciting. Also, getting an envelope telling us that we were going to compete in the state competition was very exciting.

Noble Academy Cleveland’s Kindergarten celebrates Dr. Seuss Week! The festivities of crazy hats and socks and reading Dr. Seuss books during our mandatory Noble Reads period ended with a party of Oobleck! Kindergartners and teachers read "Bartholomew And The Oobleck" and then created their own kingdom that needed to be rescued from the Oobleck. Our Kindergarten teachers, Mrs. McCarthy(Thing 2), Ms. Kortemeyer(Thing 1), and Ms. Harris(Cat In The Hat) engage the students’ minds and creative thoughts by playing the roles of Dr. Seuss characters.

On Monday, March 1, 2010, OH Perry students put on their Black History Program, which included singing, story-telling, and reciting of poems. Students in grades PK - 8 participated in the program that was planned by Social Studies Area Specialist, Rita Little. The program was a culmination of the research students had done during Black History Month in February.

On February 11, 2010, OH Perry School Parent Organization sponsored the Second Annual Valentine's Father-Daughter/Mother-Son Dance. The evening was filled with music, dancing, food and good company. The parents enjoyed dancing with their children as well as each other. The dance was organized by family liaison, Mrs. Chunn. The next SPO event at OH Perry is the second annual Carnival Night on Thursday, March 18, 2010. Contact Mrs. Chunn at 216-481-7528 for more information.

Henry Longfellow and Collinwood High school have been involved in a project called vertical teaming. Vertical teaming is when a high school partners up with our elementary school and staffs from each building work together on various projects. One such project has been “My Buddy Reading Program”.  Each week members of the Collinwood ROTC come to Henry Longfellow and read to students in Pre-K thru the 2nd grade. This program benefits each building. Students from the Collinwood ROTC earn service hour credits and Longfellow Students develop a relationship with the high school students. Our upper grades at Longfellow are involved with the English classes at Collinwood in a pen-pal program. This program benefits writing communication skills between the schools. The writing provides insight to the activities offered at both buildings.

Villa Angela - St. Joseph High School is proud to announce that of the 20 wrestling team members, 12 were named to the Second Quarter Honor Roll. This is a rate of over 50%. The wrestlers who received First Honors are Sophomores: Chris Pokorny and Dan Ward.  Those who received Second Honors are Sophomores John DiDonato, Ryan Gallagher, Tim Harrison (not pictured) and Paul Rini, Juniors Zach Brown (not pictured), Kawmae Sawyer, and Phillip Wellington, and Seniors Chris Lattanzio, Rytas Petraitis and Ray Wert.  These are true examples of student athletes. 

Memorial School held its 3rd Annual School Science Fair on January 20, 2010. One  sixty-two students submitted individual projects which were scored by judges from the Cleveland area. Five class projects were also submitted. Awards for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners by grade level, were presented on February 3, 2010 after report card pick-up. Parents of some of the winners were present to share in the proud moment with their children. Mrs. Rondo, Memorial's Principal, officiated the ceremony.

Ms. Reagins, Library Media Specialist, and Ms. Smith, teacher, initiated the 'Have A Heart' Campaign to raise money for Haiti victims. East Clark students and staff purchased candy grams, candy, pencils, and hearts to place on a heart tree displayed in the cafeteria. The lovely heart tree showcases the names of students who donated for this worthy cause.  The earthquake tragedy of Haiti has allowed educators to provide a lesson in human compassion and good citizenship. Students and staff raised over 300 dollars. All proceeds were donated to the Red Cross. East Clark cares and definitely has a heart.

Earlier this season our Lady Railroaders suffered their first loss when they faced Glenville. The girls played like winners, and shook their hands. The crowds were roaring and taunting. Tranita Mckenzie #21 said all she could do was remember not to get mad. Sheleah Combs #41 also had to remember to keep her composure because she felt cheated out of another game. Although our JV also lost with a deficit of 27, they stayed in the game and finished it because of what their teammate De’shay Smith told them, “We’re all we got, so there is no giving up!”

As the Transformation Plan for Cleveland Municipal Schools continues, there is a school in YOUR neighborhood that the students have ranked as a school that has high expectations of students and insists on the best possible education. That school is Memorial School on East 152nd Street. 

At Noble Academy Cleveland, instruction time is not disrupted by the need to review for state standardized tests. Instead students are required to attend Saturday school, where they start their day with breakfast at NAC, attend classes for review, then end with lunch.

4th grade thoughts:

“Mr. Pla was a very loving and caring principal. We will always keep him in our hearts.”

“Mr. Pla was a great man, he always gave me credit when I told the truth. He made me feel better when I talked to him. He really cared about the students at St. Mary's. We had a personal relationship. I really liked Mr. Pla and I hope he is in heaven looking down on us.”

“Mr. Pla was a hard worker for us. He gave up his time if we needed help from him. I know he is watching over us making sure we do the right thing and making sure we do well in school. He wanted to make sure we all did good in school so we can go to high school and college. So just for him I'm going to do my best in school.

5th Grade thoughts:

"Mr. Pla loved the kids at St Mary Collinwood. He'd do anything he could to help and protect them"

The Collinwood High School Varsity boys’ basketball team has always been good, but this year, 2009-2010, the boys have had one of their best seasons ever. In this wonderful season, Otis Cloud has been our lead scorer, averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. In addition, Otis has been named as Most Valuable Player for the Cleveland Boys’ Senate. Gary Little was our second highest scorer with 18 points per game. Our third highest scorer of this great season is Tiran Goines with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists per game.

When I look into this mirror

I see a 16 yr old girl

Someone who feels misunderstood

And lost in this world

When I look into this mirror

I see pain and regret

Confusion, broken hearts

And tears I won’t forget

When I look into this mirror

I drift slowly away inside

And I reach for that woman

That for some reason I hide

ok into this mirror

The Collinwood High School Science Department hosted its 14th Annual Science Fair on January 25th and 26th in the school’s Media Center.

On January 18, 2010, fifty students and thirteen teachers from Collinwood High School chose to honor Dr. Martin Luther King’s memory by participating in a “day ON, not a day off.” Joined by City Year corps members, community volunteers, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the students and staff of Collinwood painted over 25,000 square feet of hallways and helped Collinwood Principal Deborah D. Moore launch the “Be Like Lebron” campaign, a school-wide initiative to foster teamwork and collective responsibility amongst the students.   

Villa Angela - St. Joseph High School held their annual Spaghetti Dinner and Tri Match on Sat. Jan. 30th. VASJ hosted North Ridgeville High School and Rhodes High School. 

On Thursday, January 21, 2010, the School Parent Organization of OH Perry held a Family Literacy Night. About 100 family members came to OH Perry where they participated in various literacy activities planned by the staff. All attendees received two books each for their family home libraries. At the end of the evening, Principal Victoria Mousty and Family Liaison Beverly Chunn served the families and staff members dinner. The families all enjoyed eating together and getting to know one another. Liaison Mrs. Chunn planned the event and has many more events coming to OH Perry, including the Father-Daughter/Mother-Son Dance, Black History Month Program, Carnival Night, and Talent Showcase. We look forward to more great things -- things that happen everyday at OH Perry.

On Thursday, January 28, 2009, OH Perry held their annual Science Fair. Nearly 300 students entered. This year, Science Subject Area Specialist and fourth grade teacher, Karen Shepherd earned a FUSE Grant from Case Western Reserve University. Through the grant, Perry received funds to support the fair. We also had the support of Case engineering students volunteering their time to assist the students with the completion of their individual Science Fair Projects. Various members of the community, including Case students and retired teachers, served as judges. Parents were invited to view the projects on Friday afternoon. Thank you to Ms. Shepherd for all her efforts to plan the fair and to promote the learning of scientific researching skills in our OH Perry students. Bravo to all the OH Perry students who worked very hard to complete a project this year!!

The U.S Congress passed a resolution declaring September 23, 2009: "National Job Corps Day" to acknowledge 45 years of Job Corps training which has helped over three million disadvantaged American youth. The Job Corps delegation heading to Columbus to celebrate included Governor Ted Strickland, State Representative Robin Belcher, Job Corps student Mandisa Black and Congresswoman Marsha L. Fudge. Job Corps is the largest and most successful academic and vocational training program in the U.S. It is administered by the Department of Labor. Their brand new residential 25-acre campus is located in the South Collinwood area.

Noble Academy Cleveland’s Techno Team proudly displayed their aptitude of talent and skills during the First LEGO League Robotic Competition. On December 12, 2009 NAC’s Techno Team, under the guidance of our math teacher Mr. Emre and peer mentor Kerem Kose, advanced their level of competition and reputation by receiving 1st place in program design and 2nd place for overall score. The FLL Robotic Competition was held at Hathaway Brown School, and over 30 schools (private and public) participated. NAC applauds Steven Funnel (8th), David Chappel (8th), Jacob (6th) and Patricia (4th) Opperman, Kiyla Cooper (6th), and Anastasiya Thomas (4th) for their strong execution of skills in the competition. Along with the distinct awards earned, the team received an invitation to compete at the State level in February. As a community school, NAC continues to pave the way to excellence, and leads a student force that proves the effectiveness of community schools. Noble Academy Cleveland anticipates the State Competition with the prospect of attaining high marks.

Early in December, the gym at St. Mary’s Collinwood School was filled with sixth, seventh and eighth graders but only one voice could be heard. That voice belonged to Father Donald Dunson, of the Saint Kizito Foundation and professor of Moral of Theology at Saint Mary’s Seminary Graduate School of Theology. The typically chatty group of students was transfixed as Father Dunson spoke of kids their own age living a very different existence.  He spoke of children being taken from their homes and being forced to do unthinkable acts. Boys as young as nine, being armed with automatic weapons and forced to use them against friends and neighbors. Girls no older than fourteen, exchanged and swapped like property, not knowing if they will ever see a friendly face again. Father Dunson was sharing a portion of the horror he has seen in the central African country of Uganda.

A Jubilee Academy announces sponsorship of the USDA funded Child and Adult Care Food Program. Meals are available to all enrolled participants without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability and will be served at no separate charge §226.23(d). In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 or (202) 720-6382 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. A Jubilee Academy is located at 15751 and 15875 Lakeshore Blvd. Guidelines for free and reduced price meals are effective July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The 

Noble Academy Cleveland hosted our 5th International Dinner on November 20th. The International dinner celebrates our diversity and value of education. This year, our celebration included the distinction of receiving an EXCELLENT rating on our Ohio Department of Education report card. Family, supporters, students, and staff spent the evening being entertained by student performances, hearing motivational speeches from our sponsors, and enjoying a diverse range of foods from different cultures. The International Dinner honors education and the dedication in providing a concrete foundation for tomorrow’s leaders. NAC would like to thank our special guests for participating in our celebration. Patricia Hughes and Joe Callinger from The Buckeye Hope Foundation, Ron Adler from Ohio Coalition for Quality Education, Terry Butler from Tri-C Metro Campus, and Lou Dresslar, our biggest fan and supporter, honored NAC by contributing to our night of celebration. Being in the company of our supporters reinforces our strength as a school. Our families, staff, and students are respectfully admired by our supporters and friends for their solid support and commitment to education. Noble Academy Cleveland’s students are competing in various events, and their accomplishments are anticipated. Good luck to our students, and thank you families for the support offered.

Imagine Bella Academy of Excellence, located on Bella Drive just off Neff Road, has recently acquired a Abitibi Paper Retriever as part of their initiative to raise student and community awareness of the importance of recycling. Through this program, Bella Academy will receive funds for each ton of paper recycled. Not only is this a great way to support the world-wide Green Initiative and preserve our planet, but it helps raise money for a new community school. Charter schools do not receive the same amount of funding that public schools do, so these types of programs are extremely important to Bella Academy. Items that can be brought to the paper bin include: newspapers, magazines, shopping catalogs, junk mail, office and school papers and phone books. Just look for the big green and yellow bin located in the parking lot. As we move into a new year, make it your resolution to support your local schools and the planet by recycling your paper! 

Dr. James Watson teaches ninth grade Physical Science and Biology at Collinwood High School. An avid cyclist, Dr. Watson often rides his bike thirteen miles from his home in Lakewood to the school.

If I don't walk away

There will be drama

Someone can get their mamas

Uncles, Cousins, Brothers too

All them against you

Now you on the ground bleeding from the head

Laying up in the hospital bed thinking about today

I think it's better if I Walk Away

I found the trip to Project Love’s “Kick Off For Kindness,” wonderful and educational. I found a lot of the points of view very interesting. I am always kind to people because I want people to be kind to me. I am always respectful to people because I want people to be respectful to me.

On Saturday, December 5, music teacher, Dwayne Dixon, directed Ms. Perry's fifth grade class and Mrs. Warbritton's 3-4 grade class as they played recorders and sang Christmas Carols for the Breakfast with Santa sponsored by Northeast Shores and held at the Lithuanian Club on East 185th Street. The two classes continued to spread school spirit as they performed once again at the Board of Education for the CMSD Holiday Tour.

On Tuesday November 17, 2009, over two thousand high school students from Northeast Ohio were in attendance at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center for a half day rally-style event sponsored by Project Love. Nearly one hundred Collinwood High School boys and girls were present. The question of the day was, “What are the rules of the game for creating a culture of kindness?”   

On December 1st, students at Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School put their creative cooking skills to work to compete in VASJ's very own Iron Chef Competition. Six student groups competed, cooking dishes that were presented to a panel of judges comprised of local culinary experts, including Ruth Levine from Bistro 185, Mark Moster from Pickwick & Frolic, Matt Taylor from Sysco, Bobby Bennett, a chef, and VASJ's own Samantha Meyer.  

The Cleveland Job Corps Academy is a comprehensive career technical training center administered by the U. S. Department of Labor for students ages 16 through 24. The state-of-the-art campus is located at 13421 Coit Road in Collinwood.  The campus consists of 9 buildings that sit on 25 acres and currently has over 400 students enrolled on a year-round basis.

East Clark has the most amazing students! The eighth graders have set out to read more than 1,000 books this year. Each student is going to try to meet the Cleveland Metropolitan School District's Standard of reading at least 25 chapter books before the end of this school year.

The seventh graders were chosen to be in charge of the Thanksgiving prayer service. Mrs. McCloud, the seventh grade teacher, partnered up with the music teacher, Brother Bob, to make it an enthusiastic prayer service in which all of the seventh graders were involved. The class had practiced a religious play/skit to perform and Sister Barbra praise danced. Everyone was excited about the service and it turned out just as we had hoped.

The girl and boy basketball season kicked off for the 2009-2010 school year at St. Jerome. Students have been practicing very hard to represent the school and are very excited for this year's basketball season. Grades 5th-8th will be involved for this extra curricular event. St Jerome has several teams competing this year and games will be held soon.

My class and I learned a new word in Language Arts. It is the word "initiative".  To show initiative means to act or to take a step forward. If you want to do well in school, you must take the initiative.

Memorial School held its 2nd Annual Game Night for students and families. Many Family Games were played by our parents, students and teachers, all in the idea of bringing schools, teachers, and families together in a positive and community manner. We hope that this special Game Night helped bring the Memorial Community of Collinwood together in a way that builds trust, care, and compassion. In addition, families had the chance to win Family Games and meet together at the end of the evening for food and sharing. Memorial School is here to help build our Collinwood neighborhood, and this is just one of the ways we hope we bring our families and school together to build fellowship and compassion, as well as a solid education for our children.

$5 Youth Basketball Clinic

The Techno Team at Noble Academy Cleveland is preparing to compete in the LEGO League Competition. The Competition will be held in early December at Hawken School. The students are spending hours after school and even on Saturdays developing their mission and programming their robot. NAC wishes them the best and looks forward to celebrating their achievements. The staff of NAC goes above and beyond to support education. This past week, our sister school, Horizon Science Academy Cleveland hosted a fundraising basketball event to raise money for equipment in the new gym. Our students were given an opportunity to raise money for a donation on behalf of the students. The support from the students earned a significant donation. NAC is proud of the support our students have for not just our school but our sister school. In celebration of the Thanksgiving Holiday, NAC is thankful for the wonderful staff, brilliant students, and committed parents. The path of EXCELLENCE started with all of you. Providing the best environment for our students to learn and ensuring a quality education is our common value. NAC is respectfully grateful to be in the presence of everyone who makes NAC a school of EXCELLENCE.

There hasn't been a lot of recognition for girls basketball in Cleveland since the Rockers left years ago. And generally with many schools closing, there isn't even an option to play for girls at a young age who might be interested. Most girls are unaware of the talent they have to play and just haven't been given the chance to develop their skills.