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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2021)
24 Wednesday, April 21, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon LETTERS Continued from page 2 growing community, and with that comes over- crowding in our schools as more and more families move here. I believe the 2021 school district bond will posi- tively benefit the Sisters elementary school-aged kids, families, and the community. Building a new school will provide a better learning environment by providing essential learning space and enough class- rooms to welcome the fifth-grade class back into the elementary school. In addition, I am looking forward to having the elementary, middle and high schools being near each other for when my kids are in different schools, as I am sure other families are. Drop-off and pick-up will be convenient. The bond will not increase the estimated tax rate, as it is based off the estimated 2001 school bond. A win-win for all of us! Molly Baumann s s s To the Editor: Routinely supporting our schools is a very purposeful choice on my part and the majority of Sisters School District voters. Let9s keep education elevated when we vote on Measure 9-141 in the upcoming May election. Historically, Sisters residents and businesses place high value on living in a community with safe, well-maintained schools, which offer unique learn- ing opportunities delivered by a cadre of <can do= educators. Research supports the fact that high com- munity engagement by students and their surround- ing community members creates a more meaningful quality of life and an overall feeling of belonging within the community at large. Having witnessed the myriad of ways students perpetually interact with our community confirms that our investment in Sisters schools pays off. Just recently, Sisters High School students raised over $15,000 on behalf of our local Family Access Network. Students throughout our school district perpetually work to maintain and improve the natu- ral areas surrounding our community and find other creative ways to give back to the community which supports them. Collaborations between our schools and local resources such as Sisters Folk Festival, Sisters Athletic Club, Seed to Table, The Belfry, Outlaw Aviation, Sisters GRO, Kiwanis Food Bank, Circle of Friends, Sisters Coffee, Paulina Springs Books, Ray9s, Sisters Rental, Deschutes Land Trust, and our own Sisters Parks and Recreation are all qual- ity of life indicators which enhance lives in Sisters and make it an exceptional community in which to live. (Apologies to any businesses or nonprofits I9ve neglected to highlight.) Please join me in supporting measure 9-141 on the upcoming May ballot to insure that our invest- ments continue to reap beneficial dividends for all of Sisters residents. For more informations and FAQs, log in to: www.growingsistersschools.com Kay Grady s s s To the Editor: I am writing to express my support of the upcom- ing Sisters Schools Bond Measure 9-141. As a parent of three young children, ages 12, nine and four, I overwhelmingly support this mea- sure. I have seen the substantial growth in class sizes and the growth of our preschools over the past four years. Four of the main reasons I personally support this bill are: 1. Bring the fifth grade students back to the elementary school. 2. Reduce traffic and traffic patterns. 3. Opportunity to keep Sisters class sizes small. 4. Turning the current elementary school into a true community center for all Sisters residents. Having just had a fifth grader last year, I can see the benefits of returning the fifth graders back to an elementary school building. While the middle school does a great job of welcoming and incorpo- rating the fifth graders, they are really on a slightly different track than the middle schoolers. Most school districts in Oregon have K-5 at their elemen- tary schools, and I do believe that 5th grade is still an elementary school grade. With every school starting and getting out at dif- ferent times, my cross-town trips are significantly increased and not the least bit efficient. On school days I am dropping off at the SPRD preschool, then heading to the elementary school then back to the middle school. I am definitely contributing to increased traffic through town. It would be so much more convenient for me, and the buses, to drop off and pick up students at a consolidated school campus setting. One of the reasons we chose to move to Sisters was because of the top-rated schools, and the small class sizes. Due to our town9s growth it has been a challenge keeping the class sizes small. If the elementary school were to expand we9ll have the opportunity to keep the class sizes smaller than most districts in Oregon. Students and teachers thrive in smaller class sizes. Kendra Hamerly s s s Reasons for 4-day school week To the Editor: I am writing in response to the letter submitted by Steve Barlow regarding returning to a 5-day school week. As an educator for 36 years, the last 16 years in the Sisters School District, I take offense to many of the statements in Mr. Barlow9s letter. He implies that we are shirking our duty to our students FUN & GAMES SUDOKU Easy Peasy! Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down, and each small nine-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine. and this cannot be further from the truth. First, let me respond to his comment, <I don9t see truck drivers asking for a no drive Friday to check air pressure&= While the professions Mr. Barlow mentions are honorable and valuable occupations, they do not equate to educating the youth of Sisters. He is comparing apples to elephants; there is no correlation between the two. Every teacher in the district is a highly qualified individual with years of education and experience to back their expertise and have nothing but the best interests of their students in mind. He is correct in that we have moved from a five- day instructional model to a four-day model during this past year. However, what he does not seem to grasp is that, in the past, teachers have had to shoul- der all of the work required above and beyond actual instruction. This includes preparing lessons, grad- ing, parent communication, meetings, and district expectations. We also attend trainings on our own time. These additional duties are often to the severe detriment of our own families. All of this time out- side of our contracted 40-hour workweek is to pro- vide your children with an effective and enriching education. By allowing us Friday to plan and train, most teachers have now been able to cut that unpaid time to maybe 10-15 hours a week to provide a more integrated and thorough curriculum for students. Mr. Barlow, before you disparage the hard work and dedication your child9s teacher provides, please walk in our shoes and talk to us instead of making grossly misleading and inaccurate statements. Michele Hammer s s s Thank you from Kiwanis Food Bank To the Editor: A few weeks ago a nice gentleman called and met with me about how he could help the Kiwanis Food Bank, with donations or whatever he could think of. He donated a lot of money, and asked that I give it out to each customer we had the following Thursday. I did that and it was exciting to see all the different responses. We, the Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank, would like to thank all those who have since donated to us. We have received overflowing boxes of food every day and donations of money including $20,000 from anonymous persons. So, to all of you who have donated we do THANK YOU so much, from the Kiwanis Food Bank workers. Naomi G. Rowe s s s Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act To the Editor: There has been progress on the Energy CONNECT THE DOTS See LETTERS on page 25
