Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 2020)
18 Wednesday, April 22, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon DISTANCE: Sense of humor helpful with new teaching model Continued from page 1 ride to start off, but a sense of humor and teamwork helps. <I have been forced to learn about how to effectively use technology in different ways to reach my students and their families,= she said. <For example, it9s a real chal- lenge videotaping a lesson from my home with a shared screen in Google Meets with a document camera plugged in 4 and actually having the sound work 4 while my kid and dog vie for my attention.= Reid deeply appreciates the <can-do= attitude of her colleagues. <Working as a grade-level team we all bring different experiences, pas- sions, and knowledge to the table,= she said. <We are com- municating with each other multiple times every day to problem solve, teach, and learn from each other, and plan together so that our stu- dents are all receiving similar lessons, just as they would in our regular classrooms.= Middle and high school choir director Rick Johnson is doing all he can to keep his students engaged, but try- ing to direct a choir via video conference has its limitations. <The choirs are meeting »live9 online up to three times a week,= he said. <The students get to see their teammates and still make music, even though it is from a distance. Unfortunately, Zoom and Google Hangout technology is not advanced enough to let us all hear each other in a rehearsal. The sound lags and breaks up, depending on the quality of each student9s Internet connection.= However, he and his stu- dents appreciate being able to work together. Johnson also teaches the Americana Project classes at the high school, which he says works quite fluidly. <I meet with the stu- dents live, guitars in hand, through online conferencing three times a week,= he said. <Every two weeks, the stu- dents will perform song tests demonstrating the skills they have learned in class in front of the rest of the class in the online conference. After they perform, the rest of the class has the ability to offer con- structive comments and share in their success.= Gail Greaney teaches U.S. History, AP Government, and a literature class at the high school and said, <A lot of things are really going well. Students have been great about really trying to engage and adjusting to this new reality. They have problem- solved ways to work around technology issues and have been pretty tenacious in mak- ing sure they connect with me and with the class,= she said. Speaking of her colleagues she said, <The staff has been incredibly supportive and helpful and everyone has really been kind and forgiv- ing and understanding when things don9t work out per- fectly or take longer or have to be adjusted. I9ve gotten a lot of help from our technol- ogy department, especially Wes Estvold, on trying to help me get set up and deliver my content.= She does think it is impor- tant for everyone to under- stand the complexity of what teachers are facing to make distance learning work. <Even though I had les- sons already planned for my classes, digitalizing every- thing is a herculean task that takes gobs of time,= she said. <It9s a challenge to do every- thing 4 live class time, office hours, preparation, answering emails, helping students with make-up work 4 in the span of a day.= She continued, <Technology has been a chal- lenge both for me and for some of my students. More importantly, I find it challeng- ing not to be around my col- leagues and students. I chose teaching because I love kids and like being around them. To be at home looking at a Zoom screen all day is not optimal. It9s difficult to »read the room9 and to have those interactions with students and staff that are so rewarding. I9d say the biggest challenge is adjusting to that relational/ interactive piece. That9s the part I miss the most.= SERVICES: Seniors can reach out for free rides and deliveries Continued from page 1 Sisters, Bend, and Redmond. The TFFF grant and the active cooperation of local merchants will allow the STARS drivers to pick up and deliver pre-paid orders for groceries and healthcare products from Ray9s Food Place, Sisters Drug, Bi-Mart, Oliver Lemon9s and The Smokehouse. Prepaid pre- scriptions can be picked up and delivered from Sisters Drug. To arrange a ride or delivery call 541-904-5545 on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Two-day advance notice is strongly recommended. The other half of the TFFF grant is fund- ing a rapid startup of the Linked Villages of Sisters Country with COVID fea- tures enabled that allow a neighborhood to locate their members, match need requests with volunteers, provide <buddy check-ins= and communicate informa- tion of importance quickly and easily to the members. The Village will also be able to direct available resources where they are needed: such as masks, grocery and meal delivery, etc. (The latter will be coordinated with the STARS program). The Village concept offers more than just the COVID-19 applications and strives to develop a multi- generational network that strengthens the social fab- ric of a neighborhood. It is being rolled out neighbor- hood-by-neighborhood in our area as volunteer team leaders reach out to AFSC. Tollgate is underway pilot- ing the first Village. Others are invited to join by con- tacting Chris Laing, AFSC Board Liaison at linked villagessisters@gmail.com. The first Zoom meeting of the Tollgate neighborhood was held April 17 with 20 members attending. The next will be April 23. Residents of Tollgate who wish to attend may contact Jane Killefer, the team leader in Tollgate, at villagestollgate@gmail. com. The Villages Action Team will use the Tollgate Village as a hub and expects to add and support other neighbor- hood Villages as they form. AFSC thanked The Ford Family Foundation for quick and decisive action in pro- viding support for Sisters Country during the COVID- 19 challenge. THE ARENDS & SCOTT REALTY GROUP Discover the Diff erence Liquor stores set new March record Phil Arends Principal Broker 541-420-9997 phil.arends@cascadesir.com Oregon Liquor Control Commission liquor stores sold close to $66 million in distilled spirits in March, an almost 20 percent increase in sales compared to March 2019, and a new March sales record. December 2019 is the all- time monthly sales record for liquor at $75.85 million. The upsurge in sales from agent-operated liquor stores is attributed to changes in consumer behavior due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, liquor consump- tion has shifted from sit-down bars and restaurants to con- sumers purchasing distilled spirts by-the-bottle for at home consumption. March liquor sales figures show the shift from bar and restaurant licensees to con- sumers. Licensee sales were $6.4 million in 2020 compared to more than $13.7 million in March 2019, a drop of 53 percent. In comparison, con- sumer liquor sales increased from $41.2 million in March 2019 to $59.5 million last month, a 44 percent increase. OLCC liquor stores have issued more than $500,000 in refunds to 94 licensees (bars and restaurants) for returned liquor. The value of store inventory 3 unsold product 3 at liquor stores increased from $67.5 million to $78.6 million. <These numbers may be alarming to those concerned about alcohol dependency, but it reflects the shift in consump- tion, not an increase in con- sumption,= said Steve Marks, OLCC Executive Director. The rise in liquor sales mirror the shipping volume increase from the OLCC9s Milwaukee warehouse to retailers across the state during March. The OLCC shipped 367,563 cases of distilled spirits in March 2020 com- pared to 278,407 in March 2019, a 32 percent increase. The OLCC had two record- shipping days in March with 26,685 cases shipped on March 19, the largest ship- ping day in OLCC history and a 117% increase over the same day in 2019; the second- largest shipping day in agency history was recorded March 18 when 22,547 cases were shipped. Shipments have now dipped below normal levels. <We appreciate our ware- house employees and liquor store agents across the state for being nimble enough to adapt to the new busi- ness model imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic,= said Marks. <Despite operating with less staff, and being open shorter hours, the combined efforts of liquor store agents are continuing to provide ser- vice while also generating an important source of revenue for the state during a time of limited economic activity.= Licensed in the State of Oregon Chris Scott Broker 541-588-6614 chris.scott@cascadesir.com Licensed in the State of Oregon Superior Escrow Execution Ultimate Service Stop by and visit with Tiana Van Landuyt & Shelley Marsh. 220 S. Pine St., Ste. 102 | 541-548-9180 SUDOKU SOLUTION Real Estate Financing or Refi nancing on the Horizon? for puzzle on page 17 Call me for current rates Ross Kennedy Principal Broker Loan Originator NMLS #1612019 Comments? Email editor@nuggetnews.com 541-408-1343 Serving Black k Butte Ranch h & The h Greater Sisters Area Visit NuggetNews.com or Facebook.com/NuggetNews for breaking news, updates and the