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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 2020)
12 Wednesday, September 16, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon SPORTS: Families9 level of comfort to be respected Continued from page 3 the Governor9s Office, OHA and ODE. This participation may include conditioning, practices, and interscholastic competitions in those per- mitted activities provided schools adhere to OSAA pol- icies. Health protocols and other guidance are clearly outlined by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Oregon Department of Education (ODE), which are subject to county phase requirements. Sisters has decided, start- ing September 15, to offer three four-week <mini-sea- sons= beginning with tradi- tional spring sports (baseball, softball, tennis, golf, track and field, and lacrosse). In October, fall sports will run for another four weeks, fol- lowed by winter sports. Sports considered <full contact= 4 such as foot- ball and lacrosse 4 will be offered as conditioning only unless the health metrics change during Season One. Other districts are making different plans, but Thorson and other district leaders believe this plan works best for Sisters. RAFFLE: Funds will help community-building efforts Continued from page 3 heightened need for com- munity members to access a bounty of essential goods in a manner that would be acces- sible and safe. It took a great effort to continue the market this year in the face of COVID-19. These challenges required doubling the number of hours to organize and manage the market, and required more resources to ensure safety and social distancing inside of the market. Additional physical Thorson explained, <Our district has recognized the need for our students to get safely engaged again, and has set a plan which is a healthy compromise on the engage- ment spectrum. With us still in the distance-learning mode, it did not make sense for us to have opened things up for athletics on August 31 and dive right into competition with other schools. Our prior- ity is getting the kids back in their seats for class and that means limiting contact and exposure as much as we can.= The plan adds up to teams being together for about 20 practices during the mini-sea- son and the possible potential for some limited competition. <In terms of competition, we have scheduled some events for some of the spring sports teams but we are in a 8wait and see mode9 for those and will only conduct these if the health metrics are con- tinuing in a positive direc- tion,= said Thorson. The district is working out ways to safely have middle- school activities available as well, according to Thorson. <We also want to start to get our middle-school student-athletes involved and have opened up middle- school-track 8practice only9 sessions for them,= he said. Thorson understands well the complexity and balancing act of keeping students and staff from spreading COVID- 19, while also giving students the opportunity for activities that promote physical, as well as emotional, health. <These opportunities for our students to engage in athletics and other activities for the district are of course optional,= he explained. <Our coaching staff will be follow- ing all of the required proto- cols to safely run our practice sessions and have communi- cated to the parents that these are not mandatory practices.= Being outdoors, keeping distance from one another, conducting health checks and working in small cohorts are all part of the plan for safety. <We realize the com- fort levels and health issues vary from family to family and we respect and support everyone9s position, but want to make athletics and other activities safely available to our students,= Thorson said. <Our youth need the physical and social benefits of activi- ties now more than ever, and some positivity for them right now will go a long way.= Families can register for Season One activities through Family I.D. at no cost, according to Thorson. <We see this offering as a good way to get kids active again and to try something new,= said Thorson. procedures and digital infra- structure were developed 4 exceeding national safety standards and leading as an innovator in the region 4 incorporating an online pre- order option with curbside pickup for contactless access to healthy foods and locally- sourced products. Despite the ongoing challenges of this time, market attendance has continued to increase, provid- ing vendors with an essential marketplace and further stim- ulating the local economy. With the mission to sup- port a healthier community in mind, Sisters Farmers Market sees an urgent need for those impacted directly by the cata- strophic wildfires, and hopes to provide an avenue for Central Oregonians to sup- port our devastated commu- nities to the west. Fifty per- cent of ticket sales from raffle entries will be distributed to wildfire relief efforts through the end of September. The Sisters Farmers Market continues to draw high-quality vendors and enthusiastic customers from in and out of town. The funds raised through the raffle will allow the Sisters Farmers Market to recover some of this year9s extra costs brought on by COVID, keeping fees low for vendors and leaving the market in a stronger posi- tion to continue in the 2021 season. SCHOOLS: District proclaimed diversity and anti-racism Continued from page 3 a net gain over last year of 30. The elementary school has had a continuous flow of kindergarten enrollments, along with other grades, and stood at a total of 322, which includes some fami- lies who have opted for the district9s full-time online option and full-time dis- tance learning. The high school reported a total of 25 new students to the district. More accurate enrollment numbers will be available soon. " The preschool has not yet begun operations as the district awaits the signing of a contract from the Oregon Early Learning Division which oversees public pre- schools in Oregon. Principal Joan Warburg said, <We have staff hired and are ready to rock and roll, but have to wait for the state to finish the contract.= " Special education direc- tor Martha Hindman reported on summer activities, includ- ing the Youth Transition Program and the extended school year academic skills class. Teaching and para- professionals took part in a <Special Education 101= course in August to enhance understanding of special education law and best practices. " The board approved a minor adjustment to the school calendar, necessitated in part due to the high school and middle school operat- ing on six-week segments rather than traditional terms. The updated calendar will be available on the school dis- trict website soon. " The new transporta- tion facility west of SPRD is completed. " Curt Scholl expressed the district9s commitment to supporting the social/emo- tional needs of students dur- ing the challenges of the pan- demic and distance learning. " The next school board meeting is set for Wednesday, October 7 at 6 p.m. DO YOU HAVE A TEACHER THAT HELPS YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND MATH? OR ONE THAT TAKES AN INTEREST IN YOUR UNIQUE ABILITY? OR DID YOU VOLUNTEER IN A CLASSROOM AND WERE AMAZED AT HOW THE TEACHER CONNECTED WITH THE STUDENTS? NOW YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO THANK THEM IN THE NUGGET’S… SISTERS OUTLAWS Educator Honor Roll THANK Write your personalized thank-you message * and send it to leith@nuggetnews.com or drop it off at The Nugget offi ce, 442 E. Main Ave., Sisters. It may appear in a full-page salute in the Sept. 30th issue of The Nugget! This ad sponsored by The Nugget Newspaper * Limit to 55 words