12A | SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2021 | SIUSLAW NEWS
Ready Schools, Safe Learners
Guidance for school year 2021-22 from Oregon Department of Education & Oregon Health Authority
L
ocal school districts Siu-
slaw and Mapleton are
excited to welcome students
and staff back to school this
fall and want to share some
updates about what to ex-
pect.
As schools plan for the fall
2021 in-person school year,
it is important to remember
that communities will be
living with the virus until
there is widespread immu-
nity. COVID-19 continues
to change with new variants,
and knowledge of mitiga-
tion efforts grows over time.
Right now, the best tools
to protect each other are
vaccination for those eligi-
ble, physical distancing, face
coverings, ventilation and
airflow, hand hygiene, and
staying home if you feel sick
or you know you’ve been
exposed to someone with
COVID-19.
The Oregon Department
of Education (ODE) and
Oregon Health Authori-
ty (OHA) shared guidance
this summer that empow-
ers school district leaders
— in partnership with local
public health authorities,
such as Lane County Public
Health — to make decisions
about how to implement
health and safety protocols,
including physical distanc-
ing and face coverings. That
guidance, “Ready Schools,
Safe Learners,” has been up-
dated since the beginning of
the COVID-19 pandemic,
most recently in August.
Both local districts want
to share the health and safe-
ty protocols they have in
place in each school, along
with steps they plan to take
in response to COVID-19
cases and outbreaks, should
they occur in the schools
during the 2021-22 school
year.
ODE encourages people to
review the information from
“Ready Schools, Safe Learn-
ers” and talk with their stu-
dents about what to expect.
“The transition back to
school may prompt a range
of emotions for you and/or
your child — from anxiety
and uncertainty to excite-
ment and opportunity,” ODE
stated in a press release. “We
want you to know it is a pri-
ority to create safe spaces
where your child feels safe,
cared for and connected to
the learning environment.
Working together, we can
harness this opportunity to
rekindle joy and learning in
the classrooms, auditoriums
and playgrounds.”
Learn more about “Ready
Schools, Safe Learners”
at www.oregon.gov/ode/
students-and-family/health
safety/Pages/Planning-for-
the-2020-21-School-Year.
aspx.
You can find more in-
formation about each local
school district through ma-
pleton.k12.or.us and siu-
slaw.k12.or.us.
How to help students improve focus on studies
Teachers strive to create
supportive and challenging
classroom
environments
for their students. Such set-
tings can bring out the best
in students and help them
overcome obstacles, includ-
ing an inability to focus.
The struggles students
can have with focusing on
their studies was apparent
during the pandemic. A
2020 survey of more than
400 college students found
that 64 percent were con-
cerned about their ability
to maintain their focus and
discipline in remote in-
structional environments.
Though educators, students
and parents are hopeful that
remote learning will soon be
a thing of the past, no one
is certain about what lies
ahead in regard to the 2021-
22 school year. Ideally, stu-
dents will be back in school
time full-time five days per
week by the start of the new
academic year. However,
there’s no guarantee that will
be the case, and students
may need help focusing on
their studies.
• Emphasize one activity
at a time. Various studies
have shown that multitask-
ing adversely affects perfor-
mance and makes it hard to
concentrate. A recent study
from researchers at the
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology found that per-
forming two or three activi-
ties simultaneously puts sig-
nificantly more demand on
the brain than simply doing
those tasks one after anoth-
er. All students, and espe-
cially those who are strug-
gling with focus, should be
encouraged to take on one
task at a time.
• Take breaks. The Cleve-
land Clinic notes that vari-
ous studies have found that
periodic breaks improve
mood, boost performance
and increase a person’s abil-
ity to concentrate and pay
attention. Many students
are well acquainted with
lengthy cramming sessions
on the eve of a big exam,
which can feel like a rite of
passage for high schoolers
and college students. Par-
ents and educators can em-
phasize the importance of
taking breaks during such
sessions and how periodic
rest can help improve per-
formance.
• Take a piecemeal ap-
proach to big tasks. The
Child Mind Institute notes
that breaking big tasks down
into smaller, more manage-
able pieces can help kids
effectively tackle more chal-
lenging tasks. The piece-
meal approach can make
big tasks seem less daunting,
and the success kids have at
each smaller task can pro-
vide some needed momen-
tum as they draw closer to
solving the problem.

Many students struggle to
focus on their studies. Some
simple strategies can help
students overcome such
challenges and fulfill their
academic potential.
— Metro Creative
Connection

5,' ',

LANE
FLORENCE
CENTER
Join the Fun!
Holiday Bowl Youth/ Junior League
Beginning in October!
Sign up at Holiday Bowl.
To join High School Team sign up at SHS Library.
Holiday Bowl
27th and Highway 101. Florence
541-997-3332 • Everyone is Welcome
We’re back! Things may look a bit different, but we’re happy to welcome
everyone back beginning August 31. Fall classes begin Sept. 29, with both
credit and community education classes offered on site. For more informa-
tion on getting started at Lane Community College, visit www.lanecc.edu.
We hope to see you soon! LCC Florence Center, 3149 Oak St., 541.997.8444