Welcome to Starr Elementary School, Home of the Bulldogs, where our staff, students, and community are committed to promoting academic achievement and positive social interactions through high expectations for students in an environment conducive to learning.

We believe that all children can learn. The Starr staff provides a structured environment in which teachers are free to teach and students have the maximum opportunity to learn. Our goal is to reach the highest individual level of academic achievement and social growth for each child.

Cooperation and team work between the school and home are essential in meeting the goals of academic achievement and positive social interactions.  We can all be successful when we work as a team of parents, students, and staff.  Feel free to contact me any time with questions, concerns, or suggestions.  I welcome your input into our learning community and am looking forward to a terrific year.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Conkle, Principal
(419) 693-0589

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The Starr Elementary staff, in cooperation with students, families and community members, is committed to the promotion of academic achievement, respect for others, and responsibility for one's self and one's actions in an atmosphere of friendliness towards others.

     March brings the end of 3rd quarter, marking the conclusion of three-fourths of the school year.  The final quarter of school begins on March 22nd and grade cards go home March 26th.  The end of the school year brings many events.  Be sure to review the list of dates on the left hand side of the newsletter to stay informed of upcoming events.  A few dates that I would like to highlight are Parent/Teacher Conferences and Spring Break.  Thursday, April 1st is Parent/Teacher Conferences for students in grades K-5.  While teachers will be contacting those parents who they would like to conference with, feel free to contact your child's teacher if you feel the need for a conference at this time.  Spring Break begins on Friday, April 2nd.  Classes resume on April 12th.    
     The Blood Drive held on March 4th was a huge success.  53 units of blood were collected which will save 159 lives.  A big thank you goes out to everyone who volunteered their time to make this event possible.  
     Stanford and OLSAT testing in grades 1, 2, 3 and 5 just concluded.  This is the first of two rounds of testing that Starr Elementary will participate in this school year.  Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 will be taking the State Achievement Assessments during the week of April 26th.  State tests are standardized and measure skills and knowledge learned in a given grade.  3rd and 4th grade will be tested in reading and math.  5th grade has a total of 3 tests in the areas of reading, math and science.  Once again, the majority of these tests will be administered in the morning.  Please try to avoid scheduling appointments on testing days and have your child to school promptly to avoid missing any assessments.   

     On Friday, February 12th, representatives from NHK Japan TV visited Starr Elementary to do a feature story on Mrs. Hook and her involvement with the Hubble Space Telescope.  In 2004 one of Mrs. Hook's students became concerned with the future of the Hubble Space Telescope.  The student decided to take matters into her own hands and raised over $1,400 in her crusade to save the telescope.  The news of her determination reached The Toledo Blade, TIme for Kids, and The Today Show.
     NHK Japan TV followed up on the story and requested an opportunity to visit Starr Elementary and Mrs. Hook's Classroom.  NHK Japan TV is part of the Japan Network Group, Inc. providing a Japanese language broadcast called "TV Japan" to viewers in the United States and Canada.  Representatives from NHK Japan spent several hours taping Mrs. Hook and her students for their news story.  This was a unique opportunity for Starr Elementary, one that those involved will never forget!