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
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