Sent to RG for Sunday edition on Mother’s Day… sadly the reporter only put in one of the great accomplishments- wanted to make sure you had access to them- this is, of course, not all of them… but a great sample. Enjoy….
School District Kudos –
With board vice- chair- Twinkle Ann Morton
Just wanted to print a few of the many things our students excel at… impressive range of things and I have only scratched the surface. Enjoy reading of their many accomplishments.
Elmira High School received ranking in national publication
Elmira High School is a “bronze medal” school this year according to the USA Today rankings. Last year, EHS won the “silver medal”. This foregrounds our high graduation rates. The Four Year Cohort Graduation Rate has the State Average at 73.8% while Elmira High School recorded an 89.83% rate which is well above the state average. Similarly, the Five Year Cohort Graduation Rate shows the State Average to be 76.49%, and Elmira High School’s average is 88.35%.
Fern Ridge Elementary Schools Perform Well in OBOB at state
The Fern Ridge School District sent several teams to the OBOB competition. On the elementary level both Veneta and Elmira schools performed very well. Congratulations to the Veneta team who made it to the “Sweet Sixteen” standing. The team consists of Jake Bondurant, Jacob Janeczko, Alexys Kallio, and Bailey Cedarleaf. Jake and Alexys are fourth graders and Bailey and Jacob are 5th graders. They were coached by Jake’s father Nate Bondurant. The Elmira team made it to the “Elite Eight” battling it out during overtime rounds, and the members are called “The No Mercy (Sisters) Return”. Their names are Grace Vestal, Nancy Coffman, Gracie Storey, Kelly Torres and Lucy Mitchem. With thanks to Alisa Johnson for coaching them. Nice job to everyone who read, participated and tried their best. All of you made us proud!
Fern Ridge Middle School Wins OBOB at State
The OBOB team consisted of three 8th graders from last year’s team and one 6th graders (Josiah Lorenz, Emily Eagle-Eye, Jessica Woods, and Zola Walker). The kids put in a lot of hard work along with their coach Sherry Cooper.
Fern Ridge Middle School at Brain Bowl at LCC
Fern Ridge Middle School competed in their first Lane County Brain Bowl today. They did great! They got third out of 17 teams. There were some incredibly smart middle schoolers in that room. Everyone would like to thank Angie Pebworth and Jason Alansky for organizing and coaching the team. Middle School Brain Bowl competition involves students in grades 6 to 8 in games similar to athletic competitions offered at this level. Questions are read in major areas of learning and the team member buzzes in when he or she knows the answer. The participants in this event were Maddie Alansky, Emily Eagle Eye, Josiah Lorenz, Reign Luxembourger, Ian Miller, and Megan Porter.
Elmira High School OBOB in Fern Ridge District
The team won the first round in the Terrific 12 split bracket but then lost in the Elite 8 second round, which sadly was a sudden elimination match. The participants are Finn King, Celeste Ossowski, Cooper Barnes, Jessica Coone, and Jessica Yost. Everyone put in a great deal of work and thanks goes out to their coach Sherry Cooper and Forrest Cooper for his help at the competition.
Veneta Elementary Earth Day Fair
Our Earth Day Fair was a huge success again this year. We increased the time by one hour and were able to have all of VES students and some Elmira Elementary School students attend. At another event, we had our Third Quarter Award ceremonies where we gave out 118 class awards, 117 outstanding citizen awards, and 11 perfect attendance awards.
Fern Ridge Family Resource Center
Fern Ridge School District now has a Family Resource Center! Located at Veneta Elementary School, the Family Resource Center will provide services to all families in the district with a focus on families with children birth to five years old. As it gets going, the center will feature information for families on community resources, parent education workshops, and activities for small children. The goal for the center is to help build literacy skills in small children and help families make the transition to kindergarten. The Family Resource Center is made possible by a grant from Lane Kids.
Our Family Resource Coordinator is Angi Trent who has been on the job for a short time, but she already has big plans for the Family Resource Center. Plans included a play date on March 9th which featured sensory play with shaving cream and a visit from a local police officer. It was a big hit with kids and families alike. Stay tuned for more events in the works.
For more information on the Fern Ridge Family Resource Center contact Angi at 541-935-8225 ext. 418.
School District Questions and Answers –
with current vice chair- Twinkle Ann Morton
Budget Future
First of all, let me begin again by reminding my readers that this column is my opinion and my opinion only. By that I mean that I am not speaking for the board merely making observations about educational topics. Today, I am thinking about state funding and state mandates. If you read my article last week, you know that schools are being asked to do more with less all the time. They talk about supporting our state and nation AND worldwide most precious asset – our children. But sadly that is all it is appears to be- Talk. Now it is too early, much too early really, to scream the sky is falling. But these are things we need to be thinking about… and worrying about. Frankly, this is not the reason I wanted to be on the school board AT ALL.
But here we are. If you read my article in last week’s review, you saw the list of unfunded mandates that are all great ideas and all very necessary… well mostly all. The problem is that those are unfunded and with the rise in costs in different areas – all or most of which are not only a good idea but necessary- the budget is getting stretched and stressed to the max. Our Budget manager is working intelligently to find ways to improve our situation, and I am confident that she, the budget committee and the staff will find ways to deal again. But the point is there is only so much our reserves will take.
We are mandated [there’s that word again] to keep as a minimum 5% of our general budget for emergency survival for a limited period of time. My hope was to always keep our reserves at a double digit number 10 or 11%… to provide a cushion that protects our district. I have watched my hopes dwindle as we have had to transfer money from the ‘savings’ account to ‘checking’ to keep our programs and our staff solid while being the first school to return to a complete school year in the area. But you can only borrow from savings for so long before you are down to your bottom line. Sadly, I have to admit, we are getting closer to that point. Notice I didn’t say there… but definitely so close I can feel it breathing down our necks. So what to do?
First of all, we need to look at a number of costs that are increasing costs: PERS and insurance; cost of living and step pay increases; implementing full-day kindergarten and going back to a full school year, These are the things that will cause us to continue to spend more each year. All I can say is thank goodness for the forward thinking of your board members, the hard work by the members of the District Office, and most of all, the professionals who accepted our situation and gave far more than they got. Without this dwindling cushion in place, we would have had bigger issues than we currently have.
Your first official State School Fund Estimate for 2016-17 was over a million dollars lower than expected. Now this is the first hat tossed in the ring. It is much too low and my hope is that it will be tweaked and added to bring it up to a manageable level. If you have a moment, please consider contacting or writing to your state representatives and ask them to support education as they said they wanted to… get the school districts across the state some help. We are NOT ALONE… sadly, most school districts face the POSSIBILITY of being as much as $700,000 in the hole. Large districts, like Bethel and 4J, have drawn down their ‘cushion’ as well… hoping for the promises of the legislature to come true…
Help us help you, your children and your community. Contact your legislators. Let them know how you feel. I want our staff to know that the school board and others will do everything we can to keep the programs, the days and staff that we value so much. The board chair wrote to the staff and said it best. “…we are still very early in the budget planning process, so there are still ideas to be explored. This deficit is much larger than was initially expected.”
Once again, thank you for your comments and questions. If you have missed any of my columns or would like to read one again to refer to something I said [or didn’t say], they are all available on the District webpage…[ http://www.fernridge.k12.or.us/ ]. Go to School Board under the District heading. Find the unflatteringly, accurate photo of me and above my picture is “Twinkle’s page”. All of my articles appear there a couple of days after they appear in our fine paper. Write to me at tmorton@fernridge.k12.or.us . I leave you with this quote from Claus Moser – a statistician of the mid 21 st Century “Education costs money. But then so does Ignorance.” Also on my page are some pictures of the Elmira Elementary Production as a result of the Country Fair Grant to teach the kids dance. In the next few days, I hope to get the Veneta Elementary Talent Show up as well. Enjoy.
Here is some fun for you to see…the Country Fair awarded the Elmira Elementary School a grant to learn to dance…. to HIP HOP Dance… and the kids loved it. I apologize for the photographer [that would be me]…. I did have a clear view at one point but waited until some very happy and lucky parents wanted to get closer to take pictures. I decided to try and learn how to post my own video on my page. Well, I finally figured it out… Please enjoy. Thank you to the Country Fair. Thank you to the wonderful teachers at Elmira Elementary who work so hard to give our students book learning AND life learning AND some good old fashioned fun. Thanks to their fine, young principal Jackie Turle – much too young to retire. We are all going to miss her- that’s for sure. Here are the kids!!!
Exiting things for Children 0-6
First of all, let me begin by reminding my readers that this column is my opinion and my opinion only. By that I mean that I am not speaking for the board merely making observations about educational topics and asking for your perspective and input. I am so pleased to see that we have secured several valued grants to help our youngest community members and their families. I wanted to share with you the fantastic work done recently to offer these programs. Superintendent Storm heard of these possibilities and enlisted the very able assistance of our busy Principal from Veneta Elementary School. Dr. Storm knew that Olivia Johnson’s strong wishes to serve this population would get us the grants, and it did. Only through Olivia’s hard work and perseverance to get the grant paperwork done did that happen however, and we learned of her and our success late last calendar year. I asked Olivia to write a piece describing her burgeoning program as she knows it best. The information that follows is from her.
Fern Ridge Family Resource Center
Fern Ridge School District is pleased to announce the opening of their Family Resource Center, located at Veneta Elementary School, and the hiring of Angie Trent as our Family Resource Coordinator. The Family Resource Center will provide services to all families with children 0 to 6 living within the Fern Ridge School District. The Family Resource Center is made possible by a grant from the Lane Early Learning Alliance through the United Way.
There are three main goals for the Family Resource Center: increasing kindergarten readiness while helping families transition into kindergarten, provide referrals and information to families about services for families within Lane County, and increase parent involvement in their children’s education.
The Family Resource Center will be open every Wednesday from 9 AM to Noon. In addition, Angie is planning activities for families with young children. There will be a special playdate on March 9th featuring a visit from a local law enforcement officer. We are also planning kindergarten orientation activities including a Kindergarten Information Night on March 31st for families who have children who will be attending Kindergarten at Veneta Elementary School in the fall. Other planned activities include an Early Literacy night, Math Nights at both elementary schools, social events for families, school tours for incoming kindergarten students, and much more.
Angie is also open to ideas and input from the community about what they would like to see our Family Resource Center offer. For more information either stop by on a Wednesday from 9 to noon or contact Angie at 541-935-8225 ext. 418
KITS (Kids In Transition To School)
We are also excited to announce that this summer, the Fern Ridge School District will be able to offer a KITS (Kids In Transition To School) Program for incoming kindergarten students and their families. KITS is recognized as one of the most effective strategies for preparing young children and their families for the transition into kindergarten. Our KITS program is made possible by a grant through United Way and funded by the Social Innovation Fund of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
What is KITS? KITS provides a preschool like experience for eight weeks in July and August before Kindergarten starts. Taught by specially trained staff, each KITS session is two hours long and they meet twice a week. The curriculum focuses on social/emotional skills as well as academic skills. In the KITS Program students learn to take turns, to share, to delay gratification, to work with other students, to express their feelings positively instead of melting down- all of the emotional and social skills that will help them to be successful in a school setting. In addition, KITS teaches students early literacy and numeracy skills. All of this is done through fun music, art, and literature.
In addition to the sessions for children, an important component of KITS is outreach and support to parents. Parent sessions (with food and childcare provided) help guide parents through discussions of how to support their children as they grow socially, emotionally, and academically. Parents learn from each other how to handle temper tantrums, how to help their child make friends, how to help children persevere when they are frustrated, etc.
Once school starts in September, KITS classes will continue to happen once a week to help students and families make the transition into school. In October, students will participate in a graduation ceremony where family and friends can celebrate their accomplishments and what they have learned in the KITS program.
There is no cost for the KITS program. Transportation is provided. Childcare is provided during the parent/family sessions. Each KITS class is limited to between 15 and 20 students. Fern Ridge School District is still in the process of finalizing the logistical details, but we are taking names and enrollment information of families who have children entering kindergarten who want to take advantage of this program. Contact Angie Trent at 541-935-8225 ext. 418 to get your child’s name on the list.
My thanks go out to Olivia for writing an excellent article giving us the exciting news for our community. As always feel free to contact me at tmorton@fernridge.k12.or.us.
I leave you with this Chinese Proverb which is true for this fast moving world we live in:
“Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time.”
We all grow when our little ones do. Until next time- have a great week. 3/10/16in Fern Ridge Review
More graduation drama – counting apples and oranges as one
First of all, let me begin by reminding my readers that this column is my opinion and my opinion only. By that I mean that I am not speaking for the board merely making observations about educational topics and asking for your perspective and input. Now on to the topic at hand.
Yesterday, the Register Guard gave the statewide report for graduation rates and the controversy begins again. Last year, several of us made suggestions as to how the state and the reporters might get this more accurately said so that there was no need to point out delicate issues for students involved. Here is the information for Elmira High School from the Oregon Department of Education website. The state average for graduation in four years is 73.8%. Elmira High School’s average is well above that at a strong 89.83% average. [Are you scratching your head?? I think I can help.] While the Fern Ridge School District average is ‘accurate’ at the average of 71.6% that INCLUDES our other high school whose average was 23.81%. Over a five year graduation rate the information is similar. State Average is 76.49% while EHS average is a strong 88.35%. District average is 61.59% as WLTLC’s average is 17.24%.
Elmira High School is one of the strongest in the state; yet the way the state publishes these numbers creates friction for and within the district. I am a strong supporter of alternative education and realize that many students learn in many different ways. It is essential that we reach out to all students and get them on track to graduation. That is a difficult job for those who struggle with test taking, time schedules, rules. I get it. So should you. However, to negate the wonderful work staff members are doing by embarrassing numbers is maddening for at least one of the school board members: ME. I believe that the staffs at both schools are doing their level best to meet the demands of the students for which they are responsible. What is wrong here is to pit staff against staff, students against students and/or schools against schools. Print the numbers by school only. Lowering a District average so drastically does not encourage boards to take a risk with a charter school.
I am going to ‘borrow’ a comment made by our High School Principal Gary Carpenter as I think he said it best. “A graduation rate that is high, isn’t because of one thing or one person. It is because of our teachers, our EA’s, our counselor, our classified staff, our custodians, and our support staff here at the District Office… I could go on and on. It isn’t because of one program or “thing” we do… it is a result of hard work, every day, and an accumulation of the THOUSANDS of the little things you/we do on a daily basis. Thanks for all you do.”
Indeed – Our staff is terrific. I am very proud of the work they do.
My parting quote is by B.B. King “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” And another by Frederick Douglas “It is easier to build strong children than to repair a broken man.” Until next time, please write to me as usual at tmorton@fernridge.k12.or.us
School District Questions and Answers –
With current vice- chair- Twinkle Ann Morton
Nutrition and Kids
First of all, let me begin by reminding my readers that this column is my opinion and my opinion only. By that I mean, I am not speaking for the board merely making observations about educational topics and asking for your perspective and input. I went to the State Oregon School Board Conference in Portland and attended many fascinating and informative workshops. The one that strikes closest to my heart for our community is the Farm to School Program. I believe it gives us what we all want for our community – Healthy children and a Healthy Community Economy. With this program – Kids Win, Farmers Win and Our Community Wins. Now this is my kind of idea.
Farm to School “enriches the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and preschools.” The students win by gaining healthy, local food as well as educational opportunities such as learning about different foods, cooking lessons, farm field trips and maybe even future gardens. This program empowers our children and their families to make additional informed food choices while strengthening the local economy and contributing to our state, region, and community.
For me, the chances of seeing better student and staf health are easy to imagine as is the benefit to local farmers. As for our current food service, here is what they stand to gain from joining in this project. IN other schools doing this, there is an increase in students eating meals going from 3% to 16% thus generating more revenue for them. Increased cafeteria offerings of fruits and vegetables will coincide with new seasonal recipes, as well as potential changes in cafeteria waste quantity and management policies.
Teachers also have positive changes with diets and lifestyles. Parents have increased interest with kids eating local food and making healthier choices for obvious reasons. Our educational part would foreground the different foods purchased with recipes and ideas. All will be amazed that it is possible to eat most of the year with some or many local foods.
So what is next? Well- I am writing to the state offices for information, grants, and lists of area food handlers. I hope to get that information and work on it with a committee of interested community people in the next months- hopefully coming up with Phase I in the fall of 2016. That committee has some early work to do such as defining the term “local” and working to find providers. So if you are interested, please contact me at the address below; I will create a list of interested people. Once I have the state info back, we will get started. I am looking forward to bringing this to our children and community.
I’ll leave you with this poster I saw… I am eager for our children to know this. “Take care of your body. It is the only place you have to live in.” Please write or call to ask questions or add comments at tmorton@fernridge.k12.or.us or 541-915-9367.
Thoughts from the Vice-Chair of your School Board
As always- my mantra is necessary: These ideas/thoughts are mine and mine alone… I cannot and do not speak for the board. Now, let’s move on to my topic- Appreciation
As always the Holiday Time is packed with events both personal and school wide. This Holiday certainly follows that pattern. As most of you know, our Superintendent, Dr. Storm, had open heart surgery on the 13th of November. She is recovering well but this will be a lengthy process. Our hearts go out to her and her family as this vigorous woman deals with the trials of ‘lying around’ letting her heart heal. The results are good, and as long as she follows doctor’s orders [a bit of a challenge for her], she will be as good as new- likely even better.
That being said, many people are shouldering a heavy load helping the district through this time. Everyone is pitching in and helping where they can. Kudos go out to Acting Superintendent, who just also happens to be our wonderful high school principal, Gary Carpenter, who is doing a great job running the show. My personal thanks go to him and the others on the administrative team who have been working so hard. In addition, Veneta Elementary staff is dealing with “severe anticipation” as the construction job ‘should’ be finished over the holiday break, and things will be more regular soon. The construction crew at VES is working diligently and thoughtfully to get the job done. They are a fine group of people, and we thank them for their work.
One of our beloved principals has decided to do an early retirement which was effective on December 1. We are fortunate that she is more than willing to finish out the year as our principal of Elmira Elementary. Jackie Turle joined the Fern Ridge District in the summer of 2007 as the Assistant Principal at Elmira High School. She became the Elmira Elementary Principal in November 2010. She has taken on many extra assignments while she worked with our students such as: Crisis/Leadership Team Facilitator at the high school; Title Coordinator; Strategic Planning Committee; Cultural Diversity Committee and Tutor Oversight to mention a few of her duties in addition to her principal duties. Currently, she is the Talented and Gifted Coordinator and the Safety Officer Co-Chair. When I heard of Jackie’s retirement, I asked Sally Storm about losing Jackie on our staff. She said “Not only do I really like Jackie but I respect her as well. She has done a fabulous job working with staff, students, and parents. I hope to continue a very special friendship with her after she leaves.”
So on one level, I am sorry to think of not enjoying Jackie’s wit and spirit in everything she does for the district- not to mention her million dollar smile and the way that the children in her school literally and figuratively ‘look up to her’. But I am thrilled for her to realize a dream of travel, living and loving in her home here in the Veneta area, and generally being the free spirit we know and love, but now we have to share her more with the other parts of her world. We will miss her, BUT we still have her around until the end of the school year to brighten our days.
So on that note, I wish you all a wonderful time with those you love, each and every day. Carry the love for each other throughout the year and be well.
I leave you with this thought from a Nigerian Peace Activist Hafsat Abiola. “Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are.”
School District Questions and Answers –
MRSA or Too Easy or Misdirected Threats??
First of all, let me begin by reminding my readers that this column is my opinion and my opinion only. By that I mean that I am not speaking for the board merely making observations about educational topics and asking for your perspective and input.
I could barely contain myself with the ideas brought to me this past month by good folks in the community. In a Portland Oregonian article from October 16, 2013, I found support for the idea that students “say school too easy.” Another suggestion was based on the editorial in the Eugene Register Guard on the 21st of February, 2014. This had to do with punishing students for school board’s decisions. [Bet you can see where I ‘might’ go with that idea~!!!] The final suggestion came from a website called momsTEAM about preventing MRSA spread in athletics by encouraging good personal hygiene in the locker rooms, schools, and homes. All of these sound interesting and important. So which do I choose? OR do I have to… maybe I’ll just begin with one and have some backups for weeks when no one comes forward with a suggestion. So to that end, I decided to take a look into MRSA. I have talked with the district sources who have the gym cleaned so have some information about that for later in the article.
Like all acronyms, MRSA stands for some long, frequently unheard, words. This stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The key word in all of this is the R word- resistant. This alerts me to the fact that this is one dangerous bug. I learned that Staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria that lives on our skin and is normally harmless. We may have it and NOT know it. It can be spread from person to person through casual contact.
OK- I get it… the new strain is potentially resistant to treatment; we all likely have it on our skin; it can be spread easily through contact. That statement alerts me to places in our schools where our students come in contact with each other- as part of school activities. Later I learned that problems occur as a result of this critter entering the body through some kind of wound or cut, sharing athletic equipment, towels, razors, or other personal items with someone who has the infection.
Now my concern is heightened as I think of our many school sponsored, athletic events where cuts and abrasions are common. It is hard to name a sport where there is not a potential for some kind of minor injury that leads to a door for this bacterium to enter our children’s body. So much more information available but the core of what we need to know is “What do we need to do as parents and school district personnel to minimize and preferably eliminate this issue?”
At school, the literature says handwashing is the best way to prevent infection as well as NOT sharing towels, razors, and other personal items. Athletes should shower with soap after each practice or game. Athletic equipment that is shared must be cleaned with bleach-water solution on a regular basis. Hand sanitizers should also be used by trainers and others who come in contact with athletes. Disposable paper towels must also be available.
At home, commonly touched areas [doorknobs, light switches, computer and games] should be cleaned with either a disinfectant or one Tablespoon of bleach to a quart of water. Don’t share towels at home either. Wash hands often and trim nails. If you have young children, the literature suggests that parents avoid asking doctors to prescribe antibiotics too often as that use contributes to creating the resistant strain.
I toured the high school gym and locker rooms and found them to be clean and well kept. The weight room has those mats on the floor which are difficult to keep clean around the edges. But for the MRSA concern, things looked very good. I contacted the Athletic Director, Brian Brands, and asked the following questions:
How is shared equipment cleaned? In the weight room, where equipment is shared on a daily basis, it is disinfected at least once a week. PE Equipment, such as racquets etc. is not disinfected on a daily basis, but on an “As needed” basis. In wrestling, the mats are cleaned every day and the headgear that the wrestlers use is disinfected every practice. Any blood issues are dealt with immediately with disinfectant.
Does the District provide the towels/soap for showers or does the individual bring his or her own? Kids bring their own soap and towels. I believe there are some homeless funds that will help provide soap, shampoo, etc. for those in need.
Are paper towels and soap available at the sinks? Yes
Do we have a trainer who treats cuts and abrasions and what are his or her qualifications? EHS currently does not have a trainer. Mark Boren, who teachers first aid/cpr, is at most athletic events and is a go to guy for medical issues. Scott Shannon also has some medical training and is a go to guy
The ONLY place I could find ‘dirt’ was between the mats in the weight room… but MRSA is not spread by dust between the mats [thank goodness- as my home is very dusty!] – made me wonder how the wrestling mats are cleaned? Wrestling mats are cleaned daily with disinfectant.
I visited with Greg Baker, Facilities Manager, about this issue. We talked about the dangers associated with Staph infections, and Greg proudly gives the same information of just how hard his people work to keep our buildings safe and sound. Ever the master of understatement, Mr. Baker smiles and says “With a high school of over 400 students, I think we do very well.” I am pleased to agree with Greg’s observation.
Sadly, I just read this morning of the young man from Triangle Lake, Chad Steinhauer, who recently contracted a staphylococcus illness most likely, the paper said, through the taping of his ankle for a game in Portland. He sounds like a great young man; I wish him and his family all the best.
Finally, I hope you saw the editorial in the February 21, 2014 Register Guard about the Eugene School Board’s decision about Civic Stadium. If you didn’t, I would summarize it by saying that the author is asking those involved to “reconsider counterproductive vows of retribution” because of their decision. This applies to our district as well. Some are angry about the closing of Central and Noti schools. While I understand their argument and hopefully at least some of their frustrations, I know those school board members were volunteers who were trying to do their job which basically is to maintain schools for our students to the best of their financial ability. The current board is trying to do the same.
Once the statistics that board was using for population growth were found to be incorrect over time- decisions were made that hurt these communities severely. The ‘old’ board is not being hurt by “opposing a property tax level or a bond measure”. When we stop to think about who is being hurt, there is only one answer- it is our students, our children, who are paying for what some deem was the school board’s error. Choices made by well-intentioned board members “should have little or no bearing on the question of whether to build new schools and fix leaky roofs.”
I mention this because I would like to ask that each of us consider the merits, the safety issues, the needs of our community in a fair and rationale manner. Should a vote come up, vote with our minds and heart instead of our anger. Please write or call to ask questions or add comments at tmorton@fernridge.k12.or.us or 541-915-9367. I leave you with this quote from Helen Keller
“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.”
New Programs in the Fern Ridge School District:
Restorative Practices & the Amazing Results So Far
Restorative Justice in schools “is defined not in terms of those who are to blame ‘getting their just desserts’ but as ‘all those affected by an “offence” or incident being involved in finding a mutually acceptable way forward.” [Hopkins, 144]
Here are a few of the principles of the Restorative Justice process….
There must be voluntary participation, and everyone must show respect for those involved. Anyone impacted by the event must be included. The focus will be on the harms, needs, and or causes that have come about by this action, and the consensus-based process for making decisions is focused on how to repair that harm and prevent future harm in the process. There is an opportunity for conversation within the group which truly expands the ability of the community involved to create a just and fair response to the event.
The intention is to move away from ‘punishment’ and move toward restoring a feeling of well-being for the folks involved. It allows for accountability yet breaks the cycle of retribution or violence. Severed relationships can be mended, and individuals who are involved can be empowered. When a small group or an individual does something to one person, it affects that person, the community and the people in the group as well.
An example might be helpful. Let’s say that a small group of middle school students pick on a new student on the playground. It is not only the single child that is hurt- their parents and the middle school community is also hurt. As a result of feelings that develop surrounding that treatment, other parents may be afraid to let their child go to that school or go outside during free time. This then affects the entire community. But the question remains- how does all this actually hurt the students doing the bullying? When the groups have sat down and communicated with facilitation from school leaders, issues have surfaced that were not seen or even thought of. Let’s say the bullied child is quiet and shy. Perhaps one of the group extended a comment or a gesture that was seemingly ignored thus hurting that person who shared it with his/her group and started the aggression. This is certainly possible with adults so am sure it is possible with our children as well. Within the circles of discussion, this would come out- The bullied child would understand better how his or her behavior can be misinterpreted; the action group learns the truth about that reaction and the community, both school and area, breathe easier.
So the new program at the middle school is building School-Wide Prevention Practices which include: identifying common values and making guidelines; developing ‘social-emotional’ skills; developing healthy relationships which promote a sense of belonging and ownership. If something occurs, those involved will learn how to manage these issues while preventing harm and solving any differences that occur. Then there is the accountability piece. No one is getting away with anything, and there will still be consequences, but not so much in the form of suspensions as in the past. The majority of students and community members will be served by this process. Of course, there may be a few, in any population, who require a more intense intervention but the focus will still be on rebuilding relationships and focusing on accountability. Dr. Storm pointed out one of the major reasons for this approach is that “we are trying to reduce our “’exclusionary practices’ and find more creative ways of holding students accountable so they don’t miss instruction.” [emphasis is mine]
Finally, the results are pretty amazing. Dr. Storm also says that “The results speak for themselves so far, and we have only just begun. The referrals from the year 2012-2013, compared to 2014-2015, are clear. We are having half the referrals that we had just last year, and the program is new and just beginning to firm up. To be more precise, in 2012-2013, out-of-school suspensions occurred for 74.5 days for 59 events with 36 students involved while in 2014-2015, there were only 31 days of suspension for 16 events and only 14 students involved. Now that is pretty overwhelming statistics.” [See following graph- thank you Principal Barsotti]
For more information and ideas of questions that would be asked in a situation such as I suggested as an example check out my major sources listed below. Personally, I think there is a great deal to be learned as an adult or as countries in these actions so that we might learn to play well with others as well.
Works used:
Hopkins, Belinda. “Restorative Justice in Schools.” Support for Learning, 17:3, [2002]
Kidde, Jon & Alfred, Rita. Restorative Justice: A working guide for our schools. 2011. San Leandro, CA: Alameda County School Health Services Coalition.
Morton, Twinkle. “Restorative Justice.” Fern Ridge Review. Early June 2015. Now on school district’s website: http://www.fernridge.k12.or.us/tmorton/ , last article on page 1.
Restorative Information in graph form… Average referrals per month [months across the bottom with number of referrals on the left axis…. colors represent different years beginning with 2010-11 and ending with 2014-15. Sorry tried to make it larger for easier reading- Click on it to make it larger!
More from an “Old” chair
These ideas/thoughts are mine and mine alone… I cannot and do not speak for the board. Now, let’s move on to my topic for the day- READING to our children.
Looking in on the new mother and father, we see them sitting and reading out loud to their infant. What a loving picture and how cute we say. The truth is that, even at that age, the infant can watch things turning in front of his or her face, can and does listen intently to the sound of the voices that are shaping his and her future. As they grow, they point to pictures of animals and imitate those animals’ voices; they look at the pictures their beloved parents are looking at and learn language. But they learn something far more valuable than that. They learn the value of reading and the value of the words that form their world. In addition, through reading and talking with parents about possibilities, the child’s imagination grows and helps them begin to understand our world. [Well that could be a bit of a stretch as I read quite a bit and certainly don’t understand our world… but for a child- things begin to make sense.]
Reading out loud to them helps them learn to listen; they begin to see the melody of the spoken words and the beauty of possibilities. A few minutes a day is so rewarding for the parent- and so worthwhile for the child. The attention paid to the child reaps other benefits as well. If you have more than one child, reading together is great, but it is suggested that you try and find time to read one on one with each child. Once the child recognizes the relationship between the three letter word ‘cow’ and the moo animal in the picture, he or she is beginning to read. Continuing this process allows the child to feel comfortable vocalizing and reading words that will lead to simple sentences. They will know the luxury of inflection, sarcasm and recognition which will help their preschool teachers and early grade teachers continue that development. As your child grows, continuing this process and modeling your own silent reading- a sports magazine, a fine local newspaper like this one or a home improvement book- continues this value clarification that reading is a good and meaningful thing.
I grew up in the days before internet but shortly after dinosaurs. We had books, magazines, and comic books as well as a regular MAD issue around most of the time. Somehow my parents knew the value of reading even though they were never college bound. Of course, I know them to be of unlimited intelligence and wisdom- but I could be slightly biased. My parents read and discussed and read some more. When I had a question, they said “Look it up” and provided me the tools to do that. When I taught middle school, I found, and believe to this day, that the important factor is getting children to love to read. I didn’t care what they read during our 15 minute silent reading time [as long as it was not rated R that is]. Access is so easy today. I read on my kindle; I read on the internet; I read the books that literally line the walls of my home; I seek out new sources of the issues that interest me. I owe this to my parents who taught me the love of words very early in my life. However, I honestly do believe it is never too late to make a difference in our children’s lives.
If you have teenage children, watch their amazement that you have been reading song lyrics from the hip hop rappers Common or Erykah Badu. If you check those lyrics, you’ll find very meaningful comments about our world today- the world that your young adults inhabit. If you have children in middle or elementary school, read what they are reading and listen to the interests your child has. Our Fern Ridge Library is full of rich extensions of that interest- cultivate it. If you have grandchildren, do all the things you did and wish you did in this area with your children and more. So regardless of the age of your children, modeling reading helps mold the future of these up and coming citizens of our world. Work with the teachers, follow the child’s abilities as they grow stronger with each passing day and grade, and if you have questions, talk with the teachers- seek out the classroom truth of what she or he is seeing happening.
For more information check out the Reading is Fundamental website list of important results of reading at http://www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources/articles/facts-about-reading-aloud.htm and if your children or grandchildren don’t live near you- volunteer in our schools. Frankly, I thought RIF stood for Reading if FUN. It is- A child will enjoy and benefit from reading to you.
As always, I remain open to comments and questions. Please write to me at tmorton@fernridge.k12.or.us – I look forward to hearing from you again. I leave you with a thought from Walt Disney – “Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age and dreams are forever.” Something new as well- From time to time, I will share a website with you that you might enjoy. This is Taylor Mali- a well-known poet from the poetry slam movement. He believes in the nobility of the teaching profession: http://youtu.be/RxsOVK4syxU . Join the other teachers in your children’s lives- teach and learn together. You will be glad you did!
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