Huber Heights William Kirby
Communication is very important. As a school district, we are working hard to communicate with the citizens of our community.
During the past several years, we have put into place several different ways to provide up-to-date, accurate information to our community in a variety of ways.
One opportunity for regular communication is through the local newspapers. Thanks to the cooperation of our local papers, we are able to provide timely information on a weekly basis, not just in this column, but in the many school-related articles that appear every week.
The district also publishes the Your Schools newsletter three times per year. This newsletter is a way to highlight the positive aspects of our school district and the achievements of our staff and students. It is delivered to every household in Huber Heights though the mail. A second newsletter, Construction Update, was initiated after the passage of our bond levy to build all new schools. We recognize what a tremendous vote of confidence our community gave us when the bond levy passed and we felt it was important that all of our citizens have current information about the construction process. It is also published three times per year and delivered to every household via mail.
Cable Channel 21 provides timely information for families such as lunch menus, parking information, and other school-related updates.
In addition to the local newspapers, the two newsletters, and Channel 21, information about our schools and the construction project can be found on two different Web sites: www.huberheightscityschools.org and www.itsourturn now.org.
We realize, however, that effective communication is more than just providing information. It is about opportunities to visit our schools and talk face-to-face with school staff.
To that end, we offer parent-teacher conferences twice a year, in the fall and in the spring. Individual buildings also schedule events throughout the school year such as “Grandparents Day,” “Muffins with Mom,” “Donuts with Dad,” open houses and parent coffees with the hope of bringing community members into our schools.
As superintendent, I have “open door” hours every Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. to meet with parents and other community members with a specific issue they would like to discuss. No appointment is necessary, however if waiting is a problem, appointments can be scheduled.
Huber Heights City Schools is a successful school district in part, because of the support of our community. We hope that with our on-going communication efforts, community support for our schools will continue to grow.
William Kirby is superintendent of Huber Heights Schools. Contact him at (937) 237-6300 or William.
Kirby@huberheightscityschools.org.
About the Author