Changes as schools re-open
Area schools are geared up for back-to-school this week.
Classes at the Griswold Community School District begin today, with classes in the Red Oak, Stanton, Southwest Valley, and Essex school districts resuming Wednesday.
Red Oak Superintendent Tom Messinger said last week was concentrated on getting the new teachers acclimated.
‘We had math teachers from the middle school and high school getting ready for implementing the new textbooks. We also had teachers from the elementary working on the math curriculum with their new books. We’ve had a lot of people in the last week getting set up and making sure everything is ready,” Messinger said.
When the students come back to school, Messinger said the only major change to start will be with the changes in the lunchroom.
“The food service staff has been trained, and there will be a different appearance to the structure of food service. There’s a whole different menu, so kids will be seeing some different things when they come to eat,” commented Messinger.
Other than the food service, the only other visible difference will be the new lighting on the football field.
New faces in the Red Oak district are: Lisa Artherholt, Brandi Blackman, Cole Darrow, Anna Harmsen, Adam Hastings, Michael (Mick) Long, Terra Marsden, Alexandra Nelson, Brian Orr, Allison Pfaltzgraff, Daniel Pfaltzgraff, Jacque Stephens, and Jaclyn Viner.
Similar activities have been taking place at the Southwest Valley School District, where Superintendent Willie Stone said the new teachers were given start-of-school prep, and the whole staff met for a district-wide meeting last Friday. The most important topic of that meeting, Stone said, centered on bullying prevention.
“We made people clear about what they can and can’t do in regards to stopping bullying as much as we can. We’re not able to prevent all bullying but we want to stop as much of it as we can,” Stone said.
As they begin the new school year, Stone said the district has three goals this year that will help with student enrichment.
“All the students will be involved with one community service project this year. I think it’s one of the best goals we’ve had. We need to teach our kids that they’re part of something bigger than themselves. We have a lot of people in the community supporting our district and kids, and we need to show them how they can give back,” Stone advised.
The second goal centers on student achievement. Stone said They are looking to get to 84 percent proficiency in reading, and 89 percent in math proficiency.
“We jumped in both categories last year, but as I’ve told the teachers, if we’re not 100 percent, someone is falling behind,” commented Stone.
The last goal is for 90 percent of all students in grades 6th through 12th grade to participate in at least one activity during the 2016-17 school year.
“Having kids involved, feeling like they’re part of something is a feeling they all need to have. We’ve also found that involvement helps not only with attendance, but in other ways in the district,” said Stone.
New staff in the Southwest Valley District includes: Kristi Miranda, Andrea Nett, Erin Wetzel, Liz Timmerman, Robert Becker, Linda Brecht, Anthony Donahoo, Richelle Lane, Hanna Ogburn, Michael Robinson, Rahmana Schooler, Kathy Sothman, Josh Sussman, Rheanna Pettit, and Diana Fletchall.