School board hears results of listening sessions with staff, students and community members – Wadena Pioneer Journal

School board hears results of listening sessions with staff, students and community members – Wadena Pioneer Journal

WADENA — The Wadena-Deer Creek College Board been given the first two of 4 data reports regarding possible facility upgrades to the nearby elementary and substantial schools that were commissioned from consulting group ICS during a work session on Feb. 1.

3 members of the ICS team presented details to the board that consultants gathered through a handful of January listening classes for school workers and administrators, college students and group users. Next, the consultants reviewed the final results of an “educational adequacy” evaluation of the district’s substantial university and elementary amenities, which was carried out by the firm’s consultants.

The ICS consultants will be back again subsequent week to be a part of the university board for an additional do the job session to deliver a lot more data such as a demographics report and a services assessment report, reported WDC Superintendent Lee Westrum, adding that all four facts studies will be critical to relocating ahead with any proposed facility upgrades.

At the very last get the job done session, the ICS consultants walked the board and college administrators as a result of a prolonged slide presentation a single display screen at a time, and discussed in depth how they acquired the information and what it intended. In full, the presenters satisfied with the board for 90 minutes.

The ICS consultants mentioned some main themes that were being widespread in the information gathered during the in-man or woman input periods with faculty team, students and community users were being that it seems all people is in agreement that parking at each college facility is a challenge, that updates to outdoor athletic amenities are needed, and that there is a want for extra instructional area for job and complex programs.

Addressing the “educational adequacy” report, the consultants instructed the faculty board that their evaluation demonstrates that facility improvements produced in the district in 2017 have resulted in fairly purposeful college facilities, both of those at the elementary and high school, but that there are some unique spaces in each constructing that could profit from updates.

Westrum said that the whole details of these two experiences, in addition to the reports on demographics and the facility assessment, will be shared with college workers and the local community once again in forthcoming periods hosted by the consultants. The function classes for the college board have been just a likelihood for them to start to wrap their heads all around the needs, wants and needs of all the stakeholders. Fundamentally, he mentioned, there nonetheless is a entire lot of reality finding still left to do just before any discuss about facilities updates moves ahead.

In opening the operate session, ICS account govt Lori Christensen shared with the board that much of the information they’ve collected has been read in advance of.

“I don’t feel there is just about anything earth shattering that you don’t know about,” she said just before the consultants presented the report.

Superintendent Westrum claimed dialogue over attainable facility upgrades in the district started past yr when the board commenced talking about creating improvements to outdoor athletic facilities these types of as the bleachers, concession stands, tennis courts and the monitor. He claimed it just produced sense to examine what other doable facilities upgrades were being wanted if the district planned to make improvements. And that has led to this actuality discovering process.

The board meets once again with ICS on Monday, Feb. 13.

MOESC Board of Governors adds member, recognizes members for service

By January 21, 2022 11:24 am

MANSFIELD—To get started the 1st Mid-Ohio Instructional Services Heart Board of Governors conference of the year, a new member was added to change Mary Dixon, who retired in December. Monthly bill McFarland was elected to a 4-12 months phrase again in November to characterize Richland County and was sworn in during the January 19th organizational conference. McFarland is a retired educator with 39 many years of working experience. He invested 29 of these decades as an administrator with a number of districts in Northwest Ohio. He now lives in Lucas, in which he serves on the Lucas Neighborhood Middle Board and is a member of the Lucas Lions Club.

Since the Ohio Faculty Boards Affiliation celebrates University Board Recognition Thirty day period each individual January to make recognition and understanding of the critical purpose an elected board of education and learning plays in our society, Mid-Ohio ESC is becoming a member of with districts in the course of the condition to realize the significant contributions faculty board members make to their communities. School Board Recognition Thirty day period honors the customers of all Ohio’s city, exempted village, regional, and joint vocational boards of schooling and academic provider centers governing boards for their motivation to supplying quality general public training to Ohio’s faculty youngsters.

Mr. Theaker and Mr. Prater staying sworn in as vice-president and president, respectively, by Treasurer Lorraine Earnest

The adult males and ladies comprising MOESC’s Board of Governors (together with their tenure) are:

● Brad Geissman – 6 years

● Monthly bill McFarland – freshly elected

● Glenna Plotts – 6 yrs

● Richard “Dick” Prater – 6 many years

● Margaret “Margie” Prater – 6 years

● Kyle Swigart – 6 many years

● Doug Theaker – 28 a long time

Mid-Ohio ESC Superintendent Kevin D. Kimmel offered everyone with a certificate of commendation on behalf of the Ohio Faculty Boards Association at the month to month assembly.

Board customers identified that conferences will continue on to be on the 3rd Wednesday of each and every thirty day period commencing at 12:00 p.m. They also voted on their 2022 officers. Dick Prater was elected president, and Doug Theaker, vice-president.

“We are quite blessed to have a devoted Board of Governors that works closely with education specialists and community customers to develop an instructional eyesight for our shopper districts and their students,” Kimmel said. “On behalf of the college students and personnel of our customer districts and our community, I would like to personally thank the board customers for their efforts in giving management for our academic provider middle.” 

For additional information regarding College Board Recognition Thirty day period, visit www.ohioschoolboards.org/. Mid-Ohio Academic Provider Heart delivers specialised tutorial and assist products and services to 11 college districts and around 18,000 pupils in Crawford, Morrow, and Richland Counties. Client Districts receive providers from curriculum, gifted and exclusive training consultants, speech pathologists, psychologists, unique education and learning instructors, occupational therapists, and actual physical therapists.

ON THE ROCKS: Members of Jones team are home-schooling, Olympic-training moms a few weeks ahead of trip to Beijing

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At home, the days are spent home-schooling young children, who have been cooped up inside for the last month.

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Outside the house, it’s like picking your way through a minefield, in order to do something as simple as going to the store.

A drive in the car, or a walk around the block, are highlights of the day.

How does that sound for people who are slated to represent Canada in the Olympics in three weeks?

“I’m a home-schooling, Olympic-training mom right now,” Canadian women’s curling skip Jennifer Jones said.

“But it’s good. You’re never gonna complain cause you’re going to the Olympics and how fortunate are we to have that opportunity. But you never thought this would be how you’d train to go to the Olympics. We haven’t played a competitive game since we won the Olympic trials.”

Jones, 47, will get together with teammates Kaitlyn Lawes, Jocelyn Peterman, Dawn McEwen and Lisa Weagle on Saturday in Ontario to start a bubbled training camp ahead of their appearance at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. The team is due to fly out of Toronto on Feb. 3 and the women’s curling Olympic competition begins on Feb. 10.

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The last month has looked like anything but Olympic training.

“My poor kids,” Jones said of daughters Isabella, 9, and Skyla, 5.

“They haven’t seen anybody since Dec. 17, when they were done school. Even when school is done here, they won’t go back. (Husband Brent Laing) is amazing, so I’ve got that, but we can’t even get anyone to babysit or help with that because we’re not seeing anybody.”

It’s the same situation at the McEwen house in Winnipeg, where Dawn and her husband Mike are dealing with a daughter (Vienna) who is currently being held out of Grade 1, not seeing any friends, getting her schooling from her parents.

“A lot of Olympian moms are doing bigger sacrifices to compete than they have ever been asked to do before,” Mike McEwen said.

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Jones and Laing live in Horseshoe Valley, Ont., just north of Barrie. Curling clubs across Ontario are closed because of COVID-19 omicron outbreak, but an exception was made for athletes training for the Olympics. So she’s had to drive an hour each way each day in order to get on the ice at a club that was willing to open just for her and select teammates.

Because most of her teammates live in different provinces, they aren’t able to get together as a group to train until later this week.

Jones is looking at the positives of that situation.

“The one nice thing is it’s pretty focused,” she said. “We’re gonna be immersed in training right before the Olympics because we can’t see anybody else except each other.

I feel like we’ve come up with a really good training plan and we’re really happy with it and we’re all pretty excited.”

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The Jones team, which represents the St. Vital Curling Club in Winnipeg, will open the Olympic tournament on Feb. 10 with a game against South Korea.

SCOTTIES UP IN AIR

While the Jones team, the Brad Gushue foursome out of Newfoundland and the Rachel Homan/John Morris mixed doubles team are all moving into training bubbles this week ahead of the Olympics, the rest of Canada’s curlers are waiting on pins and needles to see if the national championships can be played in the coming weeks and months.

The Scotties Tournament of Hearts is slated to start Jan. 28 in Thunder Bay, Ont., though Curling Canada is still working with Ontario Health to see if it can even happen amid current restrictions.

Curling Canada is working to establish a bubble-type setting for the Canadian women’s championship, much like it did for several big events in Calgary last year.

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That would suggest there will be no fans at Fort William Gardens, curlers will be confined to their hotel rooms and the competition facility, and there will be rigorous testing for all involved.

Talks are proceeding this week, though the clock is clearly ticking, with the event slated to begin at the end of next week.

MISKEW MOVES UP

With Homan selected to represent Canada in mixed doubles curling at the Olympics, her four-player team has had to shuffle the deck ahead of the Scotties.

Emma Miskew, Homan’s long-time vice-skip, will move up and handle the skipping duties in Thunder Bay, while fifth player Allison Flaxey comes in at second and Sarah Wilkes moves from second to third.

The only player staying in her usual position is lead Joanne Courtney.

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After the Scotties, Courtney will move into a different role, providing colour commentary during CBC’s coverage of the Olympics. She’ll be working with 1998 Olympic silver medallist Mike Harris and play-by-play man Bruce Rainnie.

ARSENAULT STILL AT IT

If the Scotties are pulled off, there will be an expanded 18-team field, with three wild card teams and no play-in game.

Mary-Anne Arsenault, 53, didn’t need to wait for the field expansion to get in.

A five-time Canadian champion with the Colleen Jones team out of Halifax, Arsenault has retired to the British Columbia interior, but hasn’t slowed down at all in terms of curling.

Arsenault won the B.C. women’s provincial title over a week ago, skipping a team that already included three world champions.

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The foursome, with third Jeanna Schraeder, second Sasha Carter and lead Renee Simons, once played with skip Kelly Scott and won two Canadian titles (2006 and 2007) and a world championship (2007).

“It’s pretty exciting going back with this experienced team,” Arsenault said from her home in Lake Country, B.C.

“When I was first moving out to B.C., the rumour mill started churning and I got a number of e-mails, phone calls, looking for me to be on various teams. This was the only one that really caught my eye.

“I was contemplating hanging up the shoes, but when this opportunity presented itself I thought ‘OK, I’m gonna keep playing.’”

“It feels pretty great to win. You can’t ask for much more. The girls said afterward that they never thought they’d be going back to another Scotties, but here we are.”

This will be Scotties appearance No. 15 for Arsenault, though her first representing a province other than Nova Scotia.

“That’s gonna be weird,” she said.

[email protected]

Twitter.com/Ted_Wyman

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