Wednesday, December 9, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
IN-PERSON: School
has seen success
with program
Continued from page 1
our parents are happy and
our staff is happy,= she said.
<I have seen a deep apprecia-
tion in our students for being
able to be in school learning.
They come to school with
smiles on their faces, eager
to engage in the day.=
Sisters Elementary
School is technically con-
sidered to be operating
under the state9s <Hybrid=
model since students are
in class in the building
Monday-Thursday and do
Comprehensive Distance
Learning on Fridays.
Kindergarten through
third grade have been back in
school since late September
and fourth-graders returned
last month.
After being away from
in-person instruction since
last March, Warburg reports,
teachers have been working
to overcome some learn-
ing gaps that resulted from
distance learning 4 but she
says the most visible change
has been in students9 social
and emotional well-being.
<The biggest thing we
have noticed is the almost
immediate transformation
in our students9 socio-emo-
tional well-being once they
enter our building,= she
said. <Students who were
really struggling in the CDL
environment are thriving in
the in-person environment.
We have also noticed a dra-
matic decrease in the num-
ber of discipline incidents
SUDOKU
SOLUTION
for puzzle on page 21
compared to previous years.
The school is a peace-filled
and happy place for our stu-
dents and staff.=
Warburg acknowledges
that the success has not come
easy and not without times
of unease.
<Our entire commu-
nity has had to make huge
adjustments in systems
and procedures in how
school functions this year in
almost every activity,= she
explained. <We had to con-
sider all of the logistics of
school and plan completely
different scenarios than what
we have ever done before.=
Some of those logistics
include planned bathroom
breaks, students eating lunch
in their classrooms and hav-
ing recess with only their
own cohort, and highly orga-
nized protocols for entering
and exiting the building.
Warburg reports a tre-
mendous amount of posi-
tive feedback from parents.
<Parents are so grateful for
our team and the work our
staff has invested to teach
their children in person and
they have shown amazing
support for our school staff,=
she said.
The herculean effort to
be open and stay open is not
lost on Warburg.
<It is important to give
credit to our success to
our entire support team,
including those people who
work in maintenance, nutri-
tion services, and bus driv-
ing for investing hours to
ensure that all of the COVID
requirements are met,=
she said. <We could not
have opened without their
expertise.=
Warburg also has high
praise for her educational
staff.
<Our teaching staff is pas-
sionate about doing what it
takes to provide our students
with a quality education in
the midst of so many obsta-
cles,= she said. <Every SES
team member has brought
their innovation and creativ-
ity to create the absolute best
learning environment for our
students that we can.=
Warburg appreciates the
efforts by parents and the
school nursing staff as well.
<The key to remaining
open has been the investment
by our entire community
to adhere to the guidance
protocols,= said Warburg.
<Parents are exercising an
abundance of caution and
keeping their children home
for even minor symptoms
and are quarantining pro-
actively. They are commu-
nicating with our nursing
team to ensure that they are
doing their part to support
our health and safety. Our
district nursing team is doing
a great job in following up
with each family when stu-
dents are absent, and com-
municating and supporting
their children with what they
need.=
While counting all the
blessings of being open,
Warburg acknowledges that
there is a constant, underly-
ing concern, about keeping
everyone safe and healthy.
<Honestly, for me as the
school leader, there is also
the weight of responsibility
over the health and safety of
our students and staff,= she
said. <This is why we have
been such sticklers about
the minutiae of the guid-
ance from ODE. We want
to ensure that we have done
everything possible to keep
each person in our building
healthy.=
That concern has obvi-
ously increased recently as
infection rates for COVID-19
have skyrocketed in recent
weeks, putting Deschutes
County in the <red zone,=
which could mean a return to
distance learning in January
if that trend continues (see
related story, page 22).
Warburg hopes that with
broad, concerted effort by the
Sisters community and the
It is my hope that we
can bring our Sisters
numbers down for the
well-being of all of us.
— Principal Joan Warburg
county at-large, the infection
rates will slow, because she
believes that children being
out of school can have long-
lasting, negative impacts.
<My greatest fear is that
choices made by the greater
community in our county, by
people not connected to our
school, could ultimately cre-
ate a situation where we will
have to close our school and
move to distance learning,=
she said.
She continued, <I feel that
the real losers in this COVID
crisis are our children, so I
encourage our families to
continue to practice safety
measures by limiting expo-
sure whenever possible,
wearing masks, and wash-
ing their hands. It is my hope
that we can bring our Sisters
numbers down for the well-
being of all of us.=
Grounded in your community
• Superior closing experiences
• Strong relationships that last
• Services and online resources
that are second to none
Stop by and visit with Shelley Marsh & Tiana Van Landuyt.
220 S. Pine St., Ste. 102 | westerntitle.com | 541-548-9180
1110 E. Cascade Ave., Rolling Horse Meadow
Updated farmhouse on a large fenced corner lot in town.
3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2,354 sq. ft. Newly remodeled kitchen and
master bath. New roof, furnace, heat pump and more. Backyard
with paver patio and water feature for entertaining, chicken
coop, woodshed and RV parking. $789,000. MLS#220113298
Khiva Beckwith
Broker
Mayfi eld Realty
809 SW Canyon Dr., Redmond
541-420-2165
khivarealestate@gmail.com
www.khivasellscentraloregon.com
SOLD!
GOLF HOME 13 • $999,000 • mls 220108804
Custom home located in quiet, secluded setting yet
close to Lodge amenities
Backs to Indian
Ford Meadow!
15868 W. Meadow Lane
Mark Ossinger
Ossinger,
Broker
— 206-713-1045 —
Licensed in the
State of Oregon #201236356
and State of Washington #25554
61651 Gemini Way,
Bend, Oregon 97701
Mark@fathomrealtywa.com
www.fathomrealtywa.com
Updated 4-bedroom, 3-bath, 5,361 sq. .
ft. home on 1.16 acres. Entertainment
room with kitchen area/large screen/
projector and sound system – great
for entertaining! Close to Sisters. Just
1/4 mile from Deschutes National Forest! $929,000. MLS#220105960
Sheila Reifschneider, Broker, 541-408-6355
Licensed Broker in Oregon | sheila@reedbros.com
Coldwell Banker Reed Bros. Realty
291 W. Cascade Ave. | 541-549-6000
23
Exclusive Onsite Realtor for the Ranch
Don Bowler, President and Broker 971-244-3012
Gary Yoder, Managing Principal Broker 541-420-6708
Ross Kennedy, Principal Broker 541-408-1343
Carol Dye, Broker 541-480-0923 | Joe Dye, Broker 541-595-2604
Corrie Lake, Broker 541-521-2392
Open daily, 9 to 5, by the Lodge Pool Complex
541-595-3838 Black Butte Ranch
541-549-5555 in Sisters, 414 W. Washington Ave.
see all our listings at blackbutterealtygroup.com