West Central Board looks to utilize 'E-Learning'

FRANCESVILLE - The West Central School board gave its approval to a plan to apply to the Indiana  Department of Education to utilizing E-Learning Days, as presented at its monthly meeting Thursday night (Feb. 5).

 E-Learning is the use of technology to enable people to learn anytime and anywhere. WCSC E-Learning days will offer a blended learning environment for students. Teachers will create standards-based lessons with resources and the assignment available through the internet and packets.

Activities and projects will be relevant and relate to the current lessons being taught. This will allow students more educational time prior to ISTEP testing instead of adding days on at the end of the school year. Students will be given assignments on Fridays and they will be due on Mondays. The school will be open on the designated Saturdays if students need internet access. If approved by the Indiana Department of Education, more specific information will be shared with students and parents.

In other business, Superintendent Don Street reviewed the natural gas and electric consumption. The positive wind turbine production was reviewed.

The Feb. 2 student count was presented to the board. Student enrollment was down 20 students from the September count. The student enrollment impacts the General Fund.

The West Central Educational Foundation Dinner is Feb. 20 from 5 to 7 p.m., prior to the basketball game with North. The meal consists of broccoli/potato soup and cheese pizza. Meal costs $7 for adults, $4 for children.

Street reported cafeteria manager Jessica Murray has secured a $10,000 grant to promote Healthy School Lunches from the Indiana Department of Education. The grant will be used to promote healthy life styles.

A few bills introduced in the Indiana General Assembly that will impact WCSC were discussed. The school budget bill is of the most concern.

 

Under action items:

The board voted to approve the wind turbine maintenance contract with PowerGrid Partners, as presented.

The board voted to approve the transfer of funds to close out the 2014 budget.

The board accepted the resignations of Title 1 instructional assistant Kim Shidler, head varsity baseball coach Kyle Evans, and from Emma Osterfeld who is retiring from Cooperative School Services.

The board voted to approve the employment of the following:

  • 1. Mike McKay – Varsity Baseball Coach
  • 2. Tyler DeMoss – Assistant Varsity Baseball Coach
  • 3. Monica Gainor – Middle School Track Coach
  • 4. Sierra Burtis – Middle School Track Volunteer

Personal leave requests were approved for Laurie Linback and Sheryl Fritz.

Conference requests were approved for:

  • 1. Mark Hamilton & Bobby Quimpo to attend the HASTI Conference in Indianapolis
  • 2. Stephanie Thilges to attend the FCCLA and FCS conferences in Indianapolis.
  • 3. Pat Culp to attend the School Safety Conference in Fort Wayne.
  • 4. Marci Kennedy to participate in the AdvancEd Team at Culver.
  • 5. Amber Leman to attend the Focus on Inclusion Conference in Indianapolis.
  • 6. Joanne Stevens and members of BPA to attend the BPA State Leadership conference in Indianapolis.

The board approved the field trip request from Heather Beach and members of the Student Council to participate in a lock in at the high school.

Student of the month certificates were presented to Hayden Johns at the elementary school level,  Jazmine Nelson  at the elementary school level, Allison Hinman at the middle school leveland Cody Carpenter at the high school level. Jacquie Frye was honored at the high school level, but was unable to attend the meeting.

 

Reports:

Elementary school principal Dan Zylstra reported that the elementary school would like to thank the Carroll/White and Jasper REMCs for supporting the school corporation. Carroll/White will pay for Social Health of Indiana to come and teach third-through-sixth-grade students age-appropriate lessons on hygiene and adolescence. Jasper REMC is providing funds toward the purchase of a handicap accessible pool lift.

On Thursday the ice cream prizes were awarded for those students who made their January Accelerated Reader goal.

The elementary music program was originally scheduled for Feb. 24 and has been moved to March 12 due to missed school days in January.

Mobile Dentist will be at the school on Feb. 12 and the Pennies for Patients drive will be the last week in February.

Students will take the ISTEP+ Online Readiness Test on Feb. 12 and take the ISTEP+ Applied Skills Practice Test the week of Feb. 16, all in preparation for the real thing which starts March 2.

For professional development in January staff spent time formatting the curriculum mapping process, collaborating on best methods to teach student writing, and discussing the social studies textbook adoption for this year.

Middle/high school principal Pat Culp expressed a special thanks to high school guidance counselor Marci Kennedy for organizing the Financial Aid Night on Jan. 17, for graduating seniors and their parents. A nice presentation was conducted including specific details for completing the FASFA form.

Along with the Financial Aid Night, Mrs. Kennedy and Middle School counselor Monica Gainor also conducted a presentation for incoming freshmen on Jan.  22. Information detailing the different graduation requirements, CTE/vocational programs, and 21st Century Scholarship was presented to students and parents.

ISTEP testing at the middle school will run March 3-7 for all students. Students will be testing in math, English/language arts, science, and social studies.

The following students performed Jan. 31 on ISSMA solo and ensemble band contest. All of the students who performed have tremendous courage and drive to succeed, as they were required to play a solo or an ensemble alone in front of a music judge.

  • Group 1 (Hardest level)
  • Bryan Bathke- Silver Medal
  • Tristainne Wireman- Silver Medal
  • Group 2 (for high schoolers)
  • Corriey Wireman- Gold
  • Ethan Shannon - Gold medal, perfect score
  • Group 3 (High School/8th grade)
  • Michael Bathke- Silver
  • Tyler Stevens -silver
  • Elana Jonkman- silver
  • Jessica Baran- gold
  • Lindsey Jonkman- Silver
  • Shania Howard- Silver
  • Brandon Stevens- silver medal
  • Kaelie Eberhart- silver

Flute Trio- Elana Jonkman, Sam Black, and Brianna Messer- silver Trumpet trio- Bryan Bathke, Tristainne Wireman, Jessica Baran- Participation

  • Group 5 (1st year players)
  • Dakota Messer-Gold
  • Eli Shannon -Gold
  • Brass Quartet- Rachel Perry, Jaden Cords, Eli Shannon, Troy Calvert- gold

Culp congratulated the girls basketball team and Coach Odom for winning the Midwest Conference Championship for the second straight year. The girls finished the conference season undefeated. The girls are preparing to defend the Sectional Championship at Tri-County. The team opens Sectional action against the host team, Tri-County on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 7:30.

He also congratulated the wrestling team on their second-place finish in the conference and the sectional. Individually, the following wrestlers Kirk Bushong, Wyatt McIlvain, Bryce Shepperd, Jaxon Mayhew, Parker Fritz, Eli Owens, Luke Owens, and Brice Watts qualified for Regional competition.

On Tuesday Feb. 24, the DOE will visit the middle school. The middle school is still a Focus School and the purpose of the DOE is to gain insight on continued improvements in the middle school.