B12 Columbia Gorge News Wednesday, March 3, 2021 www.columbiagorgenews.com District principals report on reopening progress In the first regular board meeting since the White Salmon Valley School District’s reopening process, Superintendent Jerry Lewis updated the board on the progress of the multiple bond projects nearing com- pletion, and administrators gave reports to the board on how each school is handling the transition to a hybrid model of reopening. Bond project update Lewis told the White Salmon Valley School Board that the projects funded by the school district’s 2018 bond are nearing comple- tion, including the health and wellness center and the multipurpose facility. School district officials are hoping for a mid-March opening date for the health and wellness center. The officials heading the project, including Henkle Middle School Principal Haley Ortega and District Health and Wellness Coordinator Michelle Ward, have iden- tified furnishings for the new center. The furniture is being funded, in part, by the school district as well as a donation given to the White Salmon Valley Education Foundation, said Lewis. “I’m really proud of that facility, it’s going to be something that’s going to benefit this district for years to come,” said Lewis. Lewis told the board that the recent snow caused work on the multipurpose facility to be delayed, and that the school district is looking at completion near the end of March. “I’m really impressed with our contractor. They’re doing a first-rate job,” said Lewis. Commissioner Laurie Stanton questioned if the school district could use the building to bring in more students once construction is complete. The answer, according to Lewis: Not yet, until there is more guidance from the governor’s office and the Washington Board of Health. Lewis said the main restriction is the 6-foot distancing rule, and what the parameters will be of. “I’m hoping some time in March to get some more clarity on that,” said Lewis. Stanton also raised concerns that the covered play structure installed near Wallace and Priscilla Stevenson Intermediate School as part of the bond project is constantly wet. In response, Lewis said that maintenance staff are work- ing on plans to install gutters on the building nearby, but are waiting for better weath- er to perform the work. Principals’ reports Lewis asked principals to report on their experiences with reopening. The meeting marks the first time the board has formally met with district officials since the reopening process began. Whitson Elementary School Principal Todd McCauley told the board that the process has gone “incredibly well, thanks to the hard work, dedication, and flexibility, and commit- ment of every staff member here at Whitson, and also the support of the district staff.” Families and students have done a great job keeping up with new respon- sibilities of entering the classroom, said McCauley. Students are remembering to complete their wellness check before they arrive, and they’re ready to learn when they enter school, said McCauley. “We spent a lot of time working on, developing, re- vamping, revisiting, walking through procedures and routines,” said McCauley. At the covered play structures, students are divided into two zones for safe playing, and they are following the routines and guidelines set before them, such as making sure to stay 6 feet apart. Teachers have different ways making sure kids understand that, he said, like giving kids a visual of “feet on the floor” to make sure they stay compliant. Wallace and Priscilla Intermediate School Principal Brian Frasier echoed McCauley’s senti- ments about making plans work thanks to the flexibility and adaptability of staff. “If things came up, we were understood why we were doing what we were doing, and we were able to change the plan and make them work for everybody safely with the kids’ best in heart,” said Frasier. Frasier said assessing student learning is easier to do in a classroom setting than in a distance learning program, because the ability to walk around the room and see how they’re getting it, “it’s a much more stream- lined process.” There about 100 students in the building each day, and to Frasier, it seems like kids are adjusting now, thanks to teachers who have helped students feel comfortable and safe in the building. Frasier reported that some students are not bringing in sufficient food for breakfast or a snack. Because of all the changes in operations, stu- dents who get snacks from the school must go and get it in front of all their peers, when before everyone typed in their PIN for food and it all looked the same. School offi- cials are seeking a solution to the problem and raised the matter to the board. Reporting on Henkle Middle School’s reopening progress, Ortega said that it is “just joyful every single day right now having kids in the building. “Kids are happy. They’re so excited,” said Ortega. Some students are WALLACE & PRISCILLA STEVENSON INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL nervous, and one teacher brought up that students, who are normally supposed to be learning social norms and interpersonal skills right now, were being shorted on learning those skills through the course of the pandemic. “They’re doing this behind masks and 6 feet apart, so that is one of our really big focuses moving forward,” said Ortega. “Looking at, we have these learning stan- dards, we have this con- tent that we’re going to be delivering, but how are we engaging kids, and how are we teaching them these so- cial norms to prepare them to move onto high school and for the future?” Ortega said the adminis- tration polled students on if they would like to continue to have student voice, a program of electives, which was put on hold at the end of trimester two. Students responded that they would like that time back, so it will be returning at the start of the third trimester. Columbia High School Principal Craig McKee reiterated the joy Ortega expressed during his report, saying, “It has been an amazing four days for the high school” since the return of 9-12 graders last week. “They just charge your batteries, it fires you up,” said McKee. McKee said he’s noted some new hairstyles, and something that surprised him was how tall students have grown since he has seen them. McKee said social distanc- ing guidelines are going well, saying students are parking in the correct lots, which, “you may not think it’s a big deal, but it’s a huge deal.” He credited success to the staff’s work to prepare for reopen- ing and making the new rues clear to students. Students of the Month Barret Smith, Grade 4 Destiny Totlhua, Grade 5 Benson Zendt, Grade 5 Lani Viramontes, Grade 6 Bridget Donica, Grade 4 Luther Thomas, Grade 6 SP O NSORED BY 509-493-2266 1001 E Jewett Blvd White Salmon, WA Happy Kids, Healthy Smiles for a Lifetime Pediatric Dental Clinic Designed for Your Children Now offering dental laser technology anesthesia & pain free dentistry 1935 E. 19th St. Suite 200 The Dalles, OR 541-296-8901 © 2021 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 37, No. 14 aya Angelou was born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. Today she is one of the most honored women in the world, recognized as a poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker and civil rights activist. She has won three Grammys for her spoken-word albums, and in 2011, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for inspiring young people with her words. Maya’s life didn’t have an easy start. After her parents’ divorce, Maya is one of four poets in U.S. history to read a poem at a presidential inauguration (the others being Robert Frost, Amanda Gorman and Elizabeth Alexander). The poem Maya read is “On the Pulse of Morning.” Here is the last stanza. Can you replace the missing vowels? Can you do something physically active for one hour every day of the week? Complete the circle charts below, one for each day of the week. Each wedge in the charts equals 10 minutes. If you dance for 20 minutes, color in two wedges. If you play basketball for one hour, fill in an entire circle. Source: america.gov Standards Link: Art: Know that ideas are used to communicate meaning. she was moved from home to home for many years, living in turn with her mother, her grandmother and her father. For a while she was homeless. As a young woman, Maya was San Francisco’s first African-American female cable car conductor. She worked hard to support herself and her son. But she didn’t let the poverty, pain or suffering of her childhood destroy her. In response, she created works of art. Find the two identical cable cars. Look at the list of art forms. Circle the ones with even numbers. These are art forms that helped Maya become famous. Standards Link: History: Students understand that specific individuals can have a great impact on history. Maya loved to perform. She started singing and dancing in nightclubs and changed her name to Maya Angelou. Maya came from her brother’s nickname for her, “my-a-sister.” Angelou came from her first husband’s name, Angelos. After Maya was cast in the opera Porgy and Bess, she traveled throughout Europe performing in the show. While on tour, she learned the languages of the countries she visited. Follow the maze to see which languages she learned. SPANISH ITALIAN ARABIC FANTI * FRENCH Maya died in 2014. She published more than 30 best-selling books. She wrote a series of books about her life. To discover the name of her first book, hold this page up to a mirror. 419 State Street Suite 4 Hood River, OR 541-387-8688 * JOURNALIST LANGUAGES CONDUCTOR PERFORM POVERTY HISTORY POETRY EDITOR PULSE OPERA CAGED CABLE TEXT PAIN ART T S I L A N R U O J W E D I T O R O R D M A X Y T R E V O P R R S T R I A E N C O E Y R O T S I H A F P C A B L E S P G R O T C U D N O C E E I R P E N I A P D P L A N G U A G E S Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognize identical words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns. Picture Details Good writing includes lots of interesting details. Practice being a detail detective by carefully studying a photograph from the newspaper. Then, make a list of all of the details you observe. Can you list 25 or more? GERMAN RUSSIAN ARABIC FANTI * GREEK Standards Link: Investigation: Know that understanding comes from detailed investigation. A West African language Standards Link: Behavioral Studies: Understand that people learn about each other in different ways. From the newspaper, select images and words that represent Maya Angelou. Use these to make a poster about her. Standards Link: Visual Art: Know a range of subject matter in the arts. Maya’s first book was an autobiography. Based upon what you know of Maya’s life, what do you think the title means to her? Standards Link: Comprehension: Respond to questions citing evidence. =A = B = E = H = I = O = R = S =T =V Who is the woman you most admire? Explain why. Standards Link: Physical Education: Understand how to monitor and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical fitness.