Polk County Education
16A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 13, 2016
SCHOOL NOTES
Dallas Lions to offer scholarship
DALLAS — Dallas Lions Club is ofering a $1,000 scholarship
to one graduating high school student who is a Dallas resident.
The funds are to be used for tuition at an accredited universi-
ty, college or vocational school.
Students graduating from Dallas High School, Morrison Cam-
pus, an accredited home-school or online school program are
eligible to apply.
Applications are available at the Dallas High School Guidance
Oice.
Check www.polkio.com for an online link to an application.
All applications must be received by April 1 and may be sub-
mitted to the DHS Guidance Oice or Teresa Ozias at Shetterly
Irick and Ozias, 189 SW Academy St., Dallas.
For more information: 503-623-6695.
Kings Valley thanks garden donors
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Ethan Tingler, left, and Danyelle O’Homeier work with a reading program in Teresa Larios’ class on Thursday.
TECH IN THE CLASSROOM
LaCreole teachers, students see results with ‘bring your own device’
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — The bell rings,
marking the end of Teresa
Larios’ reading support class
at LaCreole Middle School.
A student piped up: “I
don’t have to leave, do I?”
Larios smiles. She’s heard
similar comments from stu-
dents since the beginning of
the school year, when the
school embraced a larger
use of technology.
“See that? They don’t want
to leave,” she said.
The source of their enthu-
siasm? A program called
Reading 180, which is help-
ing many of her students
improve their reading skills
in a familiar way.
“They are engaged with
technology,” Larios said.
“That’s the way they like to
learn.”
Larios said the program is
only one third of the instruc-
tion in the class, but it’s pro-
ducing results.
“Some of these students
who are working on their
reading have made a year’s
worth of progress in two
months,” she said. “I don’t
know that that is always
going to happen or typical,
but it’s definitely had a posi-
tive impact.”
Larios’ students are using
Chromebooks purchased by
Dallas School District for
student use, but in an inno-
vative move, the school also
is encouraging a “bring your
own device” culture.
Principal Jamie Richard-
son said school staff recog-
nized that using technology
like cellphones and tablets
as a tool for work, not just
for entertainment, is an es-
sential skill.
He said, surprisingly,
many students didn’t know
how to do that.
“It sparked our interest in
trying to prepare our kids a
little bit better for the futures
they going to have,” Richard-
son said. “That’s the reason, I
think, that we’ve been more
willing to step out there be-
cause we understand that
the skills the kids are going
to need, we have some gaps
in that, especially when it
comes to technology.”
All students at LaCreole
are taught how to use their
personal devices for learn-
ing, as well as how to be a
“good digital citizen” and
digital literacy.
“BYOD” comes with some
guidelines, as cellphones
could be a distraction, but
there is a tradeoff: Richard-
son said one of the pro-
gram’s biggest successes is
student engagement.
“ T h e r e’s t h a t s h i n y
screen,” he said. “It’s typical-
ly a little bit more enticing
than a textbook.”
Larios can attest to that.
“It’s changed my teach-
ing,” she said. “The kids are
more motivated. They are
more self-directed and they
are more creative.”
As if on cue, Ethan Tingler
raised his hand to give a re-
port on his progress. He was
on his way to meeting his
next goal.
“I like this period,” he
said, smiling as he packed
up at the end of class. “It’s
my favorite period of all.”
He said using technology
makes reaching his reading
goals easier — and more
fun.
“Sometimes, if we have
enough time, we get to play
games,” he said.
Larios said those aren’t
just games, they are replac-
ing traditional methods of
reviewing material.
“It’s a lot more fun than
sitting there filling out a
worksheet,” she said.
She added technology is
helping with the age-old
teacher’s challenge of engag-
ing all students.
See BYOD, Page 15A
KINGS VALLEY — Kings Valley Charter School’s garden pro-
gram is of to a busy year with a new garden to chart out, grants
to write and apply for, donations to pick up and structures to
build, said Lua Siegel, gardening teacher.
Students in the class have been learning how to ind and
identify insects, build garden boxes, plant trees and how to use
cardboard to kill weeds and prepare for spring planting.
Donations have been coming in, Siegel said.
Oregon State University 4-H Wilderness donated $200 for
Kings Valley Charter School’s garden program. Philomath Shon-
nard’s Nursery donated $1,500 in ornamental plants; Seed-
Money collected $400 in donations and a lavender sale organ-
ized by students raised $7.
The program still needs volunteers, Siegel said. Also, as peo-
ple split plants in spring, she said the garden program could
make use of the excess.
“We’d love your edibles or insect-attracting plants,” she said.
For more information: lsiegel@kvschool.org.
Literacy focuses on close reading
INDEPENDENCE — Dori Vickery, in charge of curriculum for
Central School District, and three elementary school teachers
presented information at Monday’s school board meeting on
how fourth-graders are learning to read.
The teachers said they are using “close reading” techniques,
where students take a short text and read it three times: once
for understanding, once to analyze the author’s craft, and once
for vocabulary.
Students are presented with “stop signs,” which trigger dis-
cussion points: contrasts and contradictions, “ah-ha” moments,
tough questions, words of the wiser, again and again (repeated
words and phrases), and memory moment.
Looking for those “stop signs” helps students make intelli-
gent predictions and foreshadowing, the teachers noted.
Central budget on target for fiscal year
INDEPENDENCE — Central School District business manager
Cec Koontz said the district is right where it should be at this
point in the year, with about 50 percent of expenditures and 50
percent of revenue.
She noted that a new freezer had been purchased for Tal-
madge Middle School.
The budget committee has vacancies in zones 2, 3 and 6. Ap-
plications are due by Jan. 22 at 4:30 p.m. The irst budget com-
mittee meeting is scheduled for April 18.
Koontz said the current budget committee will be recon-
vened to make an additional transfer from the curriculum re-
serve to the curriculum fund, so that it can be spent on curricu-
lum.
Also, the committee will need to approve an unanticipated
grant from Oregon Department of Education to purchase more
local foods from farmers.