Baker City herald., January 17, 2020, Page 3, Image 3

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020
BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A
L OCAL B RIEFING
Northeast Oregon Compassion Center
fundraising banquet scheduled Feb. 1
School district seeks
to help students in and
out of the classroom
■ Oregon administrative rules require districts to support
academic progress as well as social and career development
By Chris Collins
ccollins@bakercityherald.com
The Baker School Dis-
trict is employing a myriad
of tactics, strategies and
services to help students of
all ages be successful not only
in the classroom, but in their
families and among their
communities.
During a work session of
the 5J Board Jan. 9, Baker
High School counselor Silas
Turner and Barry Nemec, the
District’s special education di-
rector, presented an overview
of the K-12 Guidance and
Counseling program they are
working to roll out.
Under Oregon Administra-
tive Rules updated in Janu-
ary 2018, the state Depart-
ment of Education expects
all districts to have programs
in place to support not only
the academic progress, but
also the social/emotional
development and career and
community involvement of
each student, Turner told the
board.
The philosophy of the pro-
gram for K-12 students, ac-
cording to a Power-Point pre-
sentation shown by Turner
during the work session, is to
include “structured activities
based upon the needs of each
student, including develop-
mental, preventative, and
remedial services.”
Accountability will be
provided through continuous
improvement projects and an-
nual student progress review.
Professional development
for the counseling staff will
be included and the program
will depend on the support
and collaboration of school
staff, students and commu-
nity members.
Site-based teams of
counselors, administrators,
teachers, other staff and
education specialists will
coordinate and implement
the programs. The goal, ac-
cording to Turner’s presenta-
tion “supports a whole child
approach to learning that
ensures achievement, sense of
purpose, connectedness and
wellbeing.”
As part of students’
academic development, the
program will focus on “learn-
ing to learn” as the students
develop skills, knowledge
and attitudes that prepare
them to do well in school and
to become lifelong learners,
Turner said.
Career development
focuses on learning to work,
through developing skills,
knowledge and attitudes that
prepare students to plan their
education and career paths,
he said.
Personal and social devel-
opment provides guidance on
learning to live, by building
skills that will prepare them
to nurture relationships
with others. And learning to
contribute, which focuses on
community involvement and
prepares students to be in-
volved community members
and citizens, Turner said.
All of that translates to
these programs and services
at each level:
• Elementary — Empha-
sizes decision-making and
problem-solving skills and
awareness of future educa-
tional and vocational pos-
sibilities.
• Middle school — Address-
es developmental challenges
while balancing demands for
academic, career and social
competence. School counsel-
ors will work with students
and their parents to explore
education and career plans
that will cover graduation
requirements and beyond.
• High school — Program
further builds on elementary
and middle school framework
assisting students in becom-
ing responsible adults who
can develop realistic and
fulfi lling life plans based
on clear understanding of
themselves and their needs,
interest and skills.
As the program gets under-
way, Turner said counselors
are collecting data and meet-
ing to assess trends and spe-
cifi c needs at each building.
“They want to bring in-
tentionality to the program,”
he said. “We want to change
the culture from reactive to
proactive.
“This plan allows us to take
a step back and look at why
students are doing specifi c
behaviors,” he said. “We will
tailor this program to our
needs.
The schools work in part-
nership with New Directions
Northwest Behavioral Health
and Wellness to provide
services for students, special
education director Nemec
said.
At Brooklyn Primary, which
serves students in kindergar-
ten through third grade, the
focus is specifi cally on stu-
dents who have experienced
trauma, he said.
“We see the effects of
trauma, more so over the last
10 years, than ever before,”
Nemec said.
A separate BESST (Behav-
ioral Education Social Skills
Teaching) classroom has been
established to help students
who cannot be successful in
the classroom setting.
“For students who don’t fi t
the BESST classroom, but are
still having troubles, we have
a number of ways to help
them,” Nemec said.
That might include having
them spend more time with
behavioral specialists or coun-
selors or in special education
classes or in a room estab-
lished at Brooklyn where
students can “take a break”
from classroom noise.
“We give kids a break and
they go out refreshed,” Nemec
said.
Students who do not at-
tend Brooklyn who are not
doing well in the classroom
sometimes are moved to the
District Offi ce where they
receive one-on-one instruction,
Nemec said.
Academic instruction is
provided along with helping
them work on social-emotion-
al skills, he said.
“We don’t want them to get
farther and farther behind on
academic skills while we try
to fi gure out what we need to
do the help students,” Nemec
said.
A program in La Grande,
which has limited space and
a waiting list for placement,
provides a child psychiatrist
on staff to work with students
who need more intensive
services, he said.
“It’s hard to understand our
students who have trauma,”
Nemec said. “Every kid wants
to do well and wants to do
what the teacher asks, but
for whatever reason, it’s not
working. We’ve had some kids
with severe trauma in their
lives.”
Other services are provided
in the classroom for all stu-
dents as well.
Betty Palmer, assistant
superintendent, spoke about
routine instruction Erin Jus-
tus, school counselor, is provid-
ing for students and families
at Brooklyn.
“She gets into every
classroom once every two
weeks,” Palmer said. “All kids
get social-emotional learning
on topics such as friendships,
families, how to apologize, how
to engage and share with other
people.
“She also talks about being
safe: physically, emotionally
and sexually (at an age appro-
priate level),” Palmer said.
Jane Chandler provides
similar services at Haines and
Keating, and Luke Burton
serves students at South Baker
Intermediate School.
Counselors Pat and Heather
Heriza also are available
to help students as needed,
Palmer said.
Superintendent Mark Witty
said the District is considering
establishing parent liaison po-
sitions, such as the one in place
at Baker Middle School, at the
elementary levels as well.
“If we could connect parents
to the schools, everything
works so much better,” Witty
said.
In the area of guidance
counseling, Turner pointed to
other programs established at
Baker High School to help stu-
dents develop post-graduation
plans.
Adriene Oster staffs the Fu-
ture Center, which focuses on
that planning. Kati Stuchlik
serves as a “graduation coach”
to keep students on track for
graduation. And teams at the
high school, middle school,
Snowmobile poker run Feb. 1
UNITY — The Burnt River Snowmobile
Club’s annual Poker Run is set for Satur-
day, Feb. 1. There is a $1,000 total pot with
guaranteed payout, including $500 for fi rst
place, $200 for second, $100 for third and
two $50 prizes for fourth place, plus fi ve $20
prizes for a loser’s draw.
There will also be raffl e prizes distrib-
uted.
The run will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cards must be returned by 4 p.m. to The
Water Hole in Unity. Parking is at Phipps
west of Unity, and the Blue Mountain Sno-
Park between Unity and Austin Junction.
Cards and tickets are available at the
Burnt River Market and The Water Hole
in Unity, and at Austin Junction store and
restaurant. Buy-in is $5 per hand, best of 7
wins. Raffl e tickets are $1 each or six for $5.
Proceeds benefi t food banks in Baker,
Grant and Malheur counties.
For more information, or to buy raffl e
tickets, call Rick at 541-881-6069, Luke at
541-212-4682, Jim at 541-881-9622, Casey
at 541-473-2073, or Dan at 541-823-3069 or
by email at snowridingfool@yahoo.com
What’s New At
The Library
• 2400 Resort St.
FICTION
• “Lost,” James Pat-
terson
• “Treason,” Stuart
Woods
• “The Vanishing,”
Jayne Ann Krentz
• “Imaginary Friend,”
Stephen Chbosky
• “Last Train to Lon-
don,” Meg Waite Clayton
NONFICTION
• “The Book of Why,”
Judea Pearl
• “Army of None,” Paul
Scharre
• “How to Be an Illus-
trator,” Darrel Rees
• “First in Line,” Kate
Anderson Brower
• “Dumpty,” John
Lithgow
DVDS
• “The Aftermath”
(Drama)
• “Linda Ronstadt:
the Sound of My Voice”
(Documentary)
• “Lowlife” (Action)
• “My Little Pony: The
Movie” (Family)
• “A Place to Call
Home, Season 1” (TV
series)
Eagle Cap Innovative High
School and Baker Technical
Institute are working to help
students better understand
the choices before them, Witty
said.
The Northeast Oregon Compassion Center’s 15th-
annual fundraising banquet is set for Saturday, Feb.
1 at 5 pm. at the Church of the Nazarene Family Life
Center, 1250 Hughes Lane.
The Compassion Center provides a variety of free
services to people in need in the community.
Tickets are being sold for the tri-tip dinner, which
includes four side dishes and dessert. There will also
be donation forms and live and silent auctions.
Tickets are $15 per person, and must be bought in
advance at the Family Life Center, the Church of the
Nazarene offi ce, or the Harvest Church, 3720 Birch St.
A donation of $200 to the Compassion Center includes
two free tickets. Tickets are limited, so people are
encouraged to buy early to reserve a seat.
Items available in the silent and live auctions
include waterfowl hunting packages from Pre-Dawn
Adventures, unique artwork by local artisan Tom
Clement, Sweet Wife Baking pies, gift baskets, cou-
pons from local merchants and more.
The guest speaker for the banquet is Karen Berg-
strom from the Safe Families For Children movement.
More information is available at Facebook.com/
NortheastOregonCompassionCenter and at www.
neoregoncompassioncenter.org
Haines Elementary School chili feed
and raffl e fundraiser set for Feb. 7
The annual Haines Elementary School Chili Feed
and Raffl e is scheduled Friday, Feb. 7.
The event, billed as the largest fundraiser of the
year, will be from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the school.
Money raised at the event is used to help pay for
technology in classrooms and to support assemblies
and fi eld trips that enhance the students’ educational
experiences, a news release stated.
Items raffl ed during the evening are donated by
local businesses and community partners. To donate,
call Chelsea Blatchford, PTCO president, at 541-519-
2017.
Tickets are pre-sold by Haines students and also
will be available at the door. The cost is $2 per ticket,
three for $5, seven for $10, or $20 for 15 tickets. Win-
ners do not have to be present to collect their prizes.
Dinner tickets are $5 for adults (11 and older), $4
for children (ages 4-10), and free to children younger
than 3. The all-you-can-eat meal includes homemade
chili, cornbread, baked potato and lemonade.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call
Haines Elementary School at 541-524-2400.
— Send local briefi ng to news@bakercityherald.com
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