Coronavirus Community Update
Sunday, March 29, 2020/9:00 pm
After two weeks of our new school plan, I wanted to take the time to share some updates and some highlights that have come about through this process. I would like to say thank you to all of you for working through this adjustment with your student’s at home. It is still very important that we continue the educational process for the duration of the school year. The rest of this update will be broken down into separate areas to provide as much information as we can at this time.
Academic Update
The past several weeks have caused us to work through learning in different manners. You should have received an email earlier in the week that described a turn in process for paper-pencil activities. Students need to make sure that they have their names and teacher on their materials. They will be able to drop these materials off at the main entrances of their building between 7:00 am -7:00 pm, Tuesday-Thursday. You will not be able to access the remainder of the building. We ask that you think of social distancing while dropping assignments off at the buildings.
This past Friday was the end of the third quarter. I cannot stress enough the significance of making sure that your student is completing the assignments they receive. These assignments are for a grade. As we all know we are scheduled to be out of school until April 6th. However, in all likelihood this closure is going to extend beyond that date. There will be important information coming from teachers in the near future about office hours, and required instructional times for students to be on their devices and completing work. We will get more information out this week in regards to this process.
You also should have been receiving several emails about resources that can supplement activities for your child as well. Please use them to keep your students engaged if they are completing assignments that have already been sent home.
Over the past two weeks staff and students along with parents have entered our virtual world of school and there have been many great activities going on. We have a community bear hunt going on, we celebrated kindergarten students hitting their WIG in a virtual WIG Wednesday, conversations, as well as group activities, therapy, and many other activities. While these activities are happening away from one another, it is great to see and hear the efforts around the district. I look forward to this work continuing in the uncertain time period of our future.
All state tests have been cancelled for this year. There are still details being worked out by the Ohio Department of Education on situations such as graduation and the third-grade reading guarantee. Everything that has been shared shows that the local district is going to have final judgment on these issues. As we move into the final quarter of the year your student’s teachers and building administrators will be following up on these issues.
Technology
The district has transitioned over to distance learning and we are working to get as many devices out to families as we can. If you do not have a digital device in your home please come to the elementary building Monday or Thursday between 11:00 am -1:00 pm to get one. We will pass out devices on the north side of the building, closest to the playground. If you are having issues with your device that is also an opportunity to swap out your device in order to have it repaired. If you have questions on your device please contact Mr. Jeremy Smith, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or your building administrator for assistance. We understand that things stop working at times and want you to have a device that will help you be successful.
Parents, I want to encourage you now more than ever to remember to check ProgressBook to monitor your child’s progress on activities. It is important that we all support one another to have a successful end to our school year.
Food Service
The district is continuing its meal program on Monday and Thursday at all three locations, the elementary building, the bus garage, and the Townhouses. Meals can be picked up at those locations between 11:00 am -1:00 pm. If you have not signed up and are in need of assistance please fill out the survey on the front page of our website. This will help us in making sure that we have enough meals to provide for students. We will continue to do this as long as we can. If there becomes a situation, where it is not ok to go out to a restaurant and get take out we will have to re-evaluate whether or not to continue the program, for the safety of everyone involved.
Future Events
At this time all district events are postponed. We will continue to monitor the situation and will adjust schedules accordingly. As I have said we want to do our very best to save as many opportunities for our seniors as possible. We are entering a memorable time for these students and want to give them every opportunity possible. To that extent I will say that we will have a graduation ceremony, a senior awards night, and will do our best to schedule a prom as well for these students.
The district is working on a prioritized list of events and will begin rescheduling events as we learn more about when we are able to have groups of people together. Obviously, if there is an event such as kindergarten registration, 6th grade camp, athletic contests, and our performances that fill up the calendar at this time of year we will keep everyone informed of dates and any changes that are made. We truly understand the significance of these events for our students, families, staff, and community.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, I want to say that we cannot accomplish anything that we have in the past few weeks, or that we will do in the weeks to come without everyone working together. Everyone is giving a remarkable effort and has had to deal with change on the fly. As a school district we will continue to share information as it becomes available and will do our best to support the many needs for our students and families in this difficult time. I will work to provide an update like this at least one time a week moving forward.
Respectfully,
Andrew Sprang
Superintendent
Student Meals During School Closure - Update 03-17-2020
IMPORTANT - Please complete this survey even if you completed the first survey. This is very important due to changes made in distribution days and locations!
In order to continue to meet the needs of the children of Fostoria, we will be adjusting our current meal program. We will be making the following changes:
1. Effective Wednesday, March 18 we will be adding an additional location for food pickup at the Fostoria Townhouses (exact location TBD)
2. Effective this Thursday, March 19 we will be expanding our meal program to cover weekends.
3. Effective this Thursday, March 19 we will move to a two day a week bulk meal distribution on Mondays and Thursdays. On Mondays individuals will receive 3 breakfasts & lunches and on Thursdays will receive 4 breakfasts & lunches.
This food program provides breakfast and lunches for any children below the ages of 18. We will distribute meals Mondays and Thursdays, from 11am-1pm.
Teacher Communications
 |
FCS Parents, Please keep checking the email address you entered in your Final Forms account for communications from your child(ren)'s teachers/school. Be sure to update the email address(es) as they change or to include all who need to be getting the information. Thank you and stay well! |
Parent's Guide to Google Classroom
 |
Parents!
Many of your children may be talking about their Google Classroom. We recognize that Google Classroom might not be something you are familiar with! Please follow the link below to access a "Parents' Guide to Google Classroom." As we continue to work through these ever changes issues please don't hesitate to reach out. https://docs.google.com/…/2PACX-1vTevWsI5vMeDhp2xmDGD6…/pub… |
Special Education Services
 |
This message is for any parent who has a child(ren) who receives special education services through an IEP and who is due, this spring, for either their Review IEP or 3-year Reevaluation for continued eligibility for services. Please know, that despite the mandatory school closing, Fostoria City Schools plans to keep our IEP and ETR timelines by holding meetings to complete these documents. These meetings will not be held in the traditional manner and instead may be accomplished through phone conferences, video conferences, or other innovative ways to hold them. The plan will be to email drafts of documents to parents to allow them to follow along during the meeting. We ask that you plan to participate, as you would have if school was in session. A representative from the school who is in charge of the meeting will be contacting you to set up the meeting as the due date nears. This may be via phone call, email, or through other means. If you already have a meeting scheduled, please plan for the meeting to go on as planned unless you hear otherwise. Please be diligent in checking your email for any correspondence. We thank you for your continued participation in these very important processes to ensure your child’s educational success and wish you all well during this difficult time. |
FCS Upcoming Events
Welcome to THE RED ZONE online store; a great place to shop for campus wear and for school spirit items. At THE RED ZONE we strive to bring quality merchandise at an affordable price for our Redmen students, staff, parents and community members. By purchasing merchandise from our store you are supporting student learning and personal growth as this store is operated by students.
ADOBE READER 
Audited Financial Report
The Audited Financial Report is available for public viewing on the Auditor of State website: https://ohioauditor.gov/
auditsearch/results.aspx - Audit Search - Search Keyword: Fostoria City Schools District or by visting the Treasurer's Office at 1001 Park Avenue, Fostoria, OH 44830 (Please call in advance @ 419-436-4162).