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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2021)
sNok signflz JANUARY 15, 2021 Transition to in-person instruction for older students could be lengthy SCHOOLS continued from front page this month, with hopes to imple- ment changes beginning with lower grades, after the first semester (Jan. 26),” Willamina School Dis- trict Superintendent Carrie Zim- brick said. “We are still required to ensure 35 square feet per person in classrooms, limit student cohort size and number of cohort partici- pation for students and teachers, ensure face coverings are worn at all times, and keep daily logs for contact tracing.” The requirements lead to logisti- cal complications when it comes to transporting students to and from school because there must be three feet of separation for each child on a bus, and students must remain masked and sit six feet away from the driver. “So basically (it’s) one student per seat,” Zimbrick said. “Which typi- cally we have two older students per seat and three younger per seat. Some buses carry more than 60 students, (but) with the three-foot restriction, we will likely have only 20 on a bus.” Willamina, which has approxi- mately 40 percent Native Ameri- can or descendant students in its population, has had kindergarten students, several special needs stu- dents and students with Internet connectivity issues on the campus for in-person learning since late September. “We have had approximately 150 to 200 students a day on campus with no COVID outbreaks among our student-teacher population,” Zimbrick said. “Our district leader- ship team will create a re-opening plan. We have created several over the past six months, so we most likely will revise an existing plan to meet the new requirements and allowances. Our plan will include bringing more students on site, and adding grade levels strate- gically, as long as no outbreaks occur.” Sheridan School District Super- intendent Dorie Vickery said the district was in the process of mak- ing plans to increase in-person in- struction, beginning with students in first through third grades. Kin- dergarten students have already been attending in-person since Happy 1st Birthday to my grandson, Odin Ryan Nicholson Love you so much! As ever, Grandma Lynch and family late September. A few students have remained in online learning, resulting in the teacher doing both classroom and virtual lessons. Vickery said it is important to re- member the transition to in-person instruction for older students could be a lengthy process. “This creates a whole host of con- cerns, as you can probably imagine, along with setting the schools up for success in this process,” she said. “The last thing we want is an outbreak of COVID among staff and/or students. Under the adviso- ry health metrics Yamhill County currently has COVID counts that place us in the continuation of on- line learning.” In a recent letter sent to parents, Vickery said that getting students back in the classroom safely re- mains a priority. “I know many families and stu- dents are anxious to start right away and we will once again need your patience and support as we work through the elements,” she said. “Thank you in advance for understanding.” The governor’s recent announce- ment hasn’t affected operations in the McMinnville School District. “At this point, our status hasn’t changed,” Communications Di- rector Laurie Fry said. “We are continuing to plan and prepare for a possible transition to some form of in-person classes for elementary students (a process begun before the governor’s announcement), and teachers will continue teaching re- motely until at least mid-January. Secondary grades wouldn’t return until February at the earliest.” Aaron Harada, communica- tions project manager for the Sa- lem-Keizer School District, said the district is in discussions regarding resuming in-person learning. “We want our kids back in school, so our goal is to welcome kids back safely,” he said. “In that regard, we are meeting with our local health authorities and ODE. We are also waiting for the updated ‘Ready Schools, Safe Learners’ guidelines to be out by Jan. 19. This will help us to further solidify our COVID protocols that we have had in place since last spring. Meanwhile, we are still moving forward with limited-in-person instruction and secondary athletic workouts.” 9 High water Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez Agency Creek flowed high and fast on Wednesday, Jan. 13, after heavy rains drenched western Oregon on Tuesday, Jan. 12. The South Yamhill River near Willamina crested at 14.42 feet overnight, according to the National Weather Service’s Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service. In addition, four members of Tribal staff from Natural Resources Department and Emergency Management assisted the West Valley Fire District evacuate residents of two mobile home parks in Grand Ronde. Water also crossed over Highway 18 at Rowell Creek Road. Grand Ronde Editorial Board position opening The Grand Ronde Editorial Board, a Tribal board assigned the duty by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde (“Grand Ronde”) of overseeing its independent Tribal press (Smoke Signals), invites applications to serve on the Grand Ronde Editorial Board. There will be one (1) open board position occurring in March 2021. The five-member Grand Ronde Editorial Board is responsible to the Grand Ronde Tribal Council. It oversees the editor of Smoke Signals to ensure the independent Tribal press reports news free from any undue influence and free from any political interest, and that Tribal news em- ployees adhere to the highest ethical journalistic standards. The Editorial Board meets monthly. From time to time, additional spe- cial meetings may be held. Board members are expected to attend all meetings in person, although participation by telephone or video will be permitted. Each board member receives a monthly stipend for attending meetings. Travel reimbursement is limited to travel within the six counties of Polk, Yamhill, Marion, Tillamook, Multnomah and Washington. Board members must be 18 years of age, have qualified experience in management and/or publications, be of good character and integrity, and certify that he or she will adhere to the standards of accepted ethics of journalism as defined by the Society of Professional Journalists and endorsed by the Native American Journalists Association. Experience with and knowledge of Native American organizations is also preferred, as well as dedication to protecting and advancing a free press for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Applicants will be interviewed by the Grand Ronde Editorial Board before a recommendation is forwarded to Tribal Council. Terms run for three years. Preference will be given to qualified Tribal members. Submission deadline: 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, 2021 Interested individuals should submit a letter of interest describing their qualifications, a résumé and three references to: Grand Ronde Editorial Board c/o Smoke Signals Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde 9615 Grand Ronde Road Grand Ronde, OR 97347 Phone: 503.879.1463 E-mail: editorial.board@grandronde.org Fee assistance Enrolled Tribal members can request assistance with test fees (i.e. GRE, SAT, LSAT, ACT) and admissions application fees. Contact Higher Education for more information at 1-800-422-0232, ext. 2275.