The Enquirer

AVONDALE - The welcome mat will be out for families of South Avondale School students during its open house 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday at the school, 636 Prospect Place.

School staff will conduct building tours, and teachers will be on hand to answer questions. The school's administration will provide an overview of each of the year's four quarters and talk about upcoming school events.

There will be raffles for door prizes.

Information: Cathy Lutts, principal, at 363-5500.

Advice for families with food allergies

BLUE ASH - A back-to-school program presented by Food Allergy Awareness, Support & Training Inc. to help parents with their children who have allergies will be 7-8:30 p.m. Friday at the TriHealth Fitness and Health Pavilion, 6200 Pfeiffer Road.

Food Allergy Awareness, Support & Training Inc., a non-profit organization, is a local education and support group for those affected by severe food allergies.

The group serves Greater Cincinnati. Registration is required by today.

Information: call 588-6863 or visit the Food Allergy Awareness Web site: www.faastcincy.org.

Make school count, frosh will be told

CLERMONT COUNTY - "Making High School Count" is a one-hour assembly-style program, to be be presented at West Clermont Local School District's Glen Este High School at 9 a.m. Friday in the school's performing arts center.

It will also be presented at the district's other high school, Amelia High School, at 9:15 a.m. Sept. 14.

This program is offered to freshmen nationwide and is designed to help them understand the importance of high school and what they need to accomplish to maximize their opportunities upon graduation.

Information: www.makingitcount.com.

Book will guide discussion groups

MOUNT WASHINGTON - "Gospel Values Alive," a program at Immaculate Heart Of Mary Catholic School, is based on the book, The Essential 55, by Ron Clark, a 2001 Disney Teacher of the Year.

Clark created 55 rules for discovering the successful student in every child. The program at Immaculate Heart focuses on a rule or theme each month. Students gather in a family grouping of multi-aged members and the rule or theme is correlated to a gospel passage.

For the first meeting in August, students cut out a parrot to remind them of the Gospel passage, "I call you by name." The parrots will be displayed in classrooms as a reminder of this message.

McAuley faculty improves credentials

COLLEGE HILL - McAuley High School's faculty was busy this summer with a number of activities, including earning degrees, taking classes and participating in workshops and seminars. Included were:

• Paul Kirila, math, received his master's degree in secondary education from Xavier University. Lorraine Schnier, Spanish, received her master's degree in literacy with a concentration in English as a second language, from the University of Cincinnati.

• Jan Huxel, math, took a geometry class online and chaperoned a mission trip to Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. Rachel Ritchie, Latin, spent one month in Rome studying Latin with the Pope's Latin secretary. All classes were conducted in Latin.

• Mary Lachmann, business, went to a workshop at Springer Center focusing on recognizing and teaching students with learning disabilities. Mary White, music, participated in the John Jacobson Choral Workshop.

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Karen Andrew and Sue Kiesewetter

E-mail Clermont County and Hamilton County school news to ckranz@enquirer.com; Cincinnati Public and charter school news to jmrozowski@enquirer.com.