Set yourself apart from the crowd by gaining leadership skills that will assist you in the future. Leadership Starke County is recruiting members for their third leadership class . They are hoping to get 12 adults and three high school students for the 2014-2015 class. Continue reading
The Oregon-Davis School Board will meet with several items up for discussion this evening.
The board members will consider several employment changes, transfers, renewals, non-renewals, and resignations. Also up for consideration is the advertisement of bids to purchase gasoline and diesel fuel for the next school year, a one-time stipend of 1.9 percent of current salaries for the 2013-2014 teachers and the approval of the 2015 budget calendar. There is time for public comment if any patrons have any concerns to bring before the school board members.
Graduation season is in full swing, with more ceremonies tonight and parties throughout the coming weeks to celebrate the class of 2014. Oregon-Davis High School Principal Tim Pletcher is finishing his first year at the school. He recently shared a personal experience with members of the student body about a former student he taught and coached at South Bend Washington High School who was killed by a drunk driver.
“You guys make decisions, you go out, you have a good time, you have fun, and I always tell you the only thing you can control is yourself, your decisions,” Pletcher said. “Well, here’s a kid who was making decent decisions. He was hanging out with his friends. They were enjoying a moment. He was on his way home, but because somebody else made a decision it affected him, and affected his family, his friends, a community and a school.” Continue reading
More than $9 million was approved in grant funding for several local schools through the Secured School Safety Grant Program.
The program gives matching grants to school corporations that request funding to conduct a threat assessment, purchase equipment to restrict access to the school or expedite the notification of first responders, or employ a school resource officer.
Each year the Oregon-Davis School Corporation does their part for cancer research by collecting donations for the American Cancer Society.
Elementary school special education teacher Roberta Salyer is responsible for starting the program and for keeping it running for ten years now. Last year the school raised $1,200 for ACS. This year their goal was $1500. Classrooms had donation jars in them over the last few weeks and people could make donations at yesterday’s mini relay for life.
The Oregon-Davis School Board met Monday night and approved a measure to cinch the belt on the budget.
Superintendent Greg Briles explained that the board members approved a four-day work week for employees during the summer.
The Oregon-Davis School Board will meet in regular session at 6:30 p.m. CT at the Susan G. Rowles Board Room in the Administration Building.
The Board will discuss retirements and other employment items, as well as several requests for the use of facilities.
The Oregon-Davis High School’s Student’s Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) organization teamed up with the school’s two resource officers to make the consequences of drunk driving eminent to students who will be attending prom this weekend.
They staged a two-vehicle crash with a fatality and multiple injuries in the school parking lot Friday afternoon. Some of the students wore prom dresses and were made up to replicate real car crash victims. Empty beer cans were also scattered across the cars and outside of the vehicles to imply the drivers were intoxicated.
The Starke County Youth Club aims to be a support system for children, families and the three county school corporations.
“We know that schools are under tremendous pressure to have kids succeed academically, and that a lot of funding for schools is tied to how kids perform on standardized tests. That’s really a lot to ask of a school community. It is part of our job to ensure we are supporting what the schools need to accomplish.”
Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says the Starke County Youth Club does that by providing after school enrichment programs for 600 youngsters at four sites across the county. All of the programs are based in local schools, so Szakonyi says the staff is in constant contact with teachers, administrators and others to make sure students are getting what they need. She says children who succeed academically have a greater likelihood of being successful adults. Continue reading
The Oregon-Davis School Board approved the corporation’s participation in several vocational programs for the next school year.
Superintendent Greg Briles said students can gain knowledge in several hands-on programs outside of the Oregon-Davis campus.
The Oregon-Davis School Board discussed English textbook recommendations this week.
Superintendent Greg Briles said the teachers and students have reviewed the proposed textbooks and now members of the public are welcome to come in and review them as well.
“They’re going to set some dates for individuals in the community to come in, look at the textbooks that they’re planning on adopting,” said Briles. “If community members are unable to come in, they can email Mr. Pletcher, the high school principal, any concerns or comments or things they would like to see in those textbooks moving forward. He would be more than happy to include those in the conversations as they bring in a recommendation to the school board at our May board meeting.”
The Oregon-Davis School Board members approved a three-year technology plan during their regular meeting Monday night.
Superintendent Greg Briles said a computer will be in the hands of every student.
“We’re looking at putting iPad Minis in our Kindergarten through second grade students’ hands, full-sized iPads for three through eight and laptops for nine through twelve students. In doing so, we will also have portable labs with the full-size computer laptops for the students to utilize if they need to for testing and other activities throughout the school year,” explained Briles.
The Oregon-Davis organization, Students Against Destructive Decisions, or SADD, are raising awareness about the dangers are texting and driving this week.
The school resource officers are helping the students in learning the dangers of texting and driving. The officers have a course for the kids to drive to show what impairment is caused when a person texts and drives at the same time. Students will have to maneuver a golf cart through cones while texting to complete the course.
The Oregon-Davis School Board approved the purchase of buses through the Central Indiana Service Center during their meeting Monday night.
Superintendent Greg Briles said the board approved the purchase of two buses.
“We will be purchasing a new bus and then we are also going to be looking at the possibility of purchasing a one year off-lease bus in order to stay within our funding formula that the state has given us for bus replacement,” said Briles.
The Oregon-Davis School Corporation will participate in the Summer Food Service Program again this year.
Free meals will be available to all children 18 years of age and under and to anyone over the age of 18 who is enrolled in a state-approved educational program for the mentally or physically disabled. There will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.
The Oregon-Davis School Board recently hosted a community meeting to inform parents, students and community members about the technology plan, what’s happening in the future in the junior/senior high school and about the balanced calendar.
Kindergarten roundup for prospective Oregon-Davis students for the 2014-2015 school year is Wednesday, April 16.
Children must be the age of five on or before Aug. 1 in order to be eligible for kindergarten. Parents and children must attend registration as basic skills assessments will be conducted and forms will need to be completed.
Snow played a role in canceling the previously scheduled community meeting, but Superintendent Greg Briles said a spaghetti dinner, complete with a Caeser salad and garlic bread, will be served and several discussion items will be presented to community members.
The board members are expected to discuss a number of topics including consideration of school services agreement with The Crossing which is an alternative school. A presentation of the curriculum by the CEO of The Crossing, Rob Staley, was held March 6 at the Knox Community School Corporation where two members of the Oregon-Davis School Board were present, along with High School Principal Tim Pletcher and Superintendent Greg Briles. Continue reading
