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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 2018)
August 31, 2018 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 7A Strategic plan issues values, mission statements District aims to provide ‘safe learning environments’ By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal Seaside School District laid out its mission and vision statements for its upcoming strategic plan. “This is kind of the ‘what do you believe’ and ‘why are we here,’” Sea- side School District Super- intendent Sheila Roley said. “The next part is what are we going to do.” In their “Beliefs and Val- ues statement,” committee member Lori Lum said “The Seaside School district is ded- icated to providing equitable safe learning environments and engaging well rounded education and focus on col- lective wellness and commu- nity partnerships.” In the mission statement, “the Seaside school district is committed to ensuring op- portunity, strengthening com- munity and inspiring possi- Seaside School District expresses values: BELIEFS AND VISION STATEMENT: The Seaside School dis- trict is dedicated to providing equitable safe learning environments and engaging well-rounded education and focus on collective wellness and community partnerships. MISSION STATEMENT: The Seaside School District is committed to ensuring opportunity, strengthening community and inspiring possibility. bility.” The two statements are a prelude for the upcoming five-year strategic plan, ap- proved by the school district board in December. With a new campus ahead after the approval of a $99.7 million bond last November, the time is now for a strategic planning process, members felt, as building and reloca- tion will likely dominate dis- cussions in years to come. Twenty committee mem- bers have been meeting monthly to develop the state- ments and plan, under the director educator Jerome Col- onna. Colonna, who brings more than 45 years experience in Oregon education, is the for- mer superintendent of Bea- verton and Redmond schools. He served on the board of the Oregon Department of Edu- cation until last year. The group received input through online surveys, pub- lic meetings, staff, parents and focus groups. “We received over 200 re- sponses of what people would like to see us do better,” Lum said. The strategic plan com- mittee will continue to meet, with a vision statement antici- pated in November regarding, strategic goals, performance indicators as well as how we will implement it and, how we will monitor it. Uber simplistic: A&B Pizza opens in Seaside Mike Kaffer’s art of the pizza pie By Brenna Visser Seaside Signal KATHERINE LACAZE/FOR SEASIDE SIGNAL Parents and students attend registration at Gearhart Elementary School in preparation for the start of the 2018-19 school year. Seaside school district practices the art of collaboration with new year ahead School from Page 1A said Juli Wozniak, who will be principal of both schools. “When we come together (in 2020), both staff will know both Jeremy and I, so it will be a much smoother transi- tion, is what I’m hoping for.” Wozniak will have her office at The Heights while Catt will be headquartered in Gearhart. Both administrators, however, will share responsi- bilities at the two facilities. “Juli and Jeremy will be a great team,” said Sheila Ro- ley, who is going into her third year as the district’s superin- tendent. In the past, the elementary schools have worked togeth- er frequently through regu- lar grade-level meetings and teachers collaborating with and supporting one another for professional development, lesson-planning and prob- lem-solving. They will con- tinue focusing on and increas- ing that collaboration moving forward, Wozniak said. The school district also has hired 21 new staff members, including teachers, educa- tional assistants and admin- istrative staff. Lynne Griffin is the new director of special services, the position former- ly held by Catt. Strategic planning As with each new school year, Roley said they are ap- proaching the 2018-19 year with a “fresh new mindset,” and other administrators shared a similar attitude. “It’s very exciting for ev- erybody,” director of curric- ulum Sande Brown said. “It’s an opportunity for a new start, to be the best we all can be and do the best job we can.” Since the beginning of the calendar year, the school dis- trict has been in the process of forging a strategic plan contain- KATHERINE LACAZE/FOR THE SEASIDE SIGNAL Gearhart Elementary School holds an open house for students to get registered for classes ahead of the 2018-19 school year. ing long-term goals to “make sure we’re always in a contin- uous mode of improvement for the outcomes for our kids,” Roley said. The process began with a survey and focus groups to obtain buy-in and opinions from stakeholders across a broad spectrum, from admin- istrators and teachers to parents and community members. During a regular meeting Aug. 14, the Seaside School Board adopted a new mis- sion statement and beliefs and values statement as part of the strategic planning pro- cess. The district will create goals within a five-year time frame, and then work back- ward to determine what steps need to be taken in what order to move toward those goals, Brown said. “They’re all our kids, whatever level they’re at,” she said, adding the district’s responsibility is “making sure we have the right scope and sequence in place to support them all the way through.” According to Roley, the district has not had a strategic plan that’s been so formalized and comprehensive in years past. “We’ve always had goals for our students, at both a classroom level and building level,” she said. “We’re tak- ing a fresh look to make sure all the things we do for the students is going to get them where they need to be.” Roley herself is balancing the campus relocation and con- struction project, which she described as “a big part of my work,” with business as usu- al and day-to-day operations. She feels, though, that from the project consultants and the school board to principals and assistant principals, she has “wonderful people with me every step of the way.” In the long run, she said, “both our strategic plan and our physical location will give us a lot more tools to support kids.” Evolving approaches As for instruction, the dis- trict is adopting new health cur- riculum at the middle and high school levels. Each year, the district re-adopts the curricu- lum for one area of instruction, so subjects are updated every seven years. They choose one subject per year for budgetary reasons and to not strain the instructional staff, Brown said. Next year, the new curriculum will be for social studies. Additionally, “as a district, we are kicking off our move to training our administrators and teachers, and eventually teach- ing assistants, in Constructing Meaning strategies,” Brown said. Constructing Meaning — although originally an En- glish Language Development curriculum based in language acquisition research — is a comprehensive approach for developing English proficien- cy to help students read, write and speak more proficiently, which then helps them prog- ress in all areas of learning, Brown said. In conjunction with strate- gic planning, staff district-wide has been divided into three co- horts to be trained in the Con- structing Meaning instruction method during the next three years. In Brown’s experience, for students exposed to this approach, “their writing is so much more polished and thoughtful and supported.” It also encourages them to speak more in the classroom to practice processing ideas and thoughts out loud. Brown also is looking forward to consolidating the district’s schools into one campus for both primary and secondary education, and they are testing programs and cur- riculum in anticipation of that transition. “There are some opportu- nities that will present them- selves by having all our ex- perts and kids in one place,” she said. “We’ll be able to more efficient in our services and our time.” Mike Kaffer is giving Sea- side locals simple, quality piz- za another go. Kaffer briefly owned and operated Avenue Q pizza be- fore having to close in March due to mechanical issues with the building. But when he saw the vacancy on Avenue B left by Gray Whale BBQ earlier this summer, he decided to give his dream of starting a pizza parlor of his own anoth- er chance. “Life is so complicated now. I’m not into smart phones or computers. I just like mak- ing food,” Kaffer said. “It’s a simple, old school thing.” Simple and old school is what Kaffer is trying to en- capsulate at A&B Pizza. The shop is a one-man operation. The entire menu consists of a concise list of classic toppings scribbled onto a chalk board, such as pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, olives, basil and pineapple. To drink? A small selection of water and soda $1 a piece. Only full 16-inch thin crust pizzas will be offered, created with a handmade, long-fermented pizza dough. At A&B pizza, his goal is to not only create quality piz- za, but quality connections with the local community. “I really like the model of The Stand,” Kaffer said, refer- BRENNA VISSER/SEASIDE SIGNAL Mike Kaffer opens a new pizza shop on Avenue B and U.S. Highway 101. ring to the Mexican restaurant on Holladay Drive. “Being conscious to the locals is im- portant. I want a personal re- lationship with my customers, so that when you walk in I know if you want more or less char on the crust than I nor- mally do, or how much cheese you like. I don’t want to just capture the people driving by the highway.” Growing up in Tennesee, Kaffer has been making piz- za for the majority of his life. While he’s ready “to be his own boss,” he has no desire to be a restaurant manager or to start a small pizza empire. “If I did that, I’d be spend- ing less time making pizza, which is what I love to do,” he said. Although the interior still has a minimalistic aesthetic to it, Kaffer is open for business Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. “I love Seaside, and Sea- side has been very accepting to me,” Kaffer said. DINING on the NORTH COAST Great Restaurants in: GEARHART • SEASIDE CANNON BEACH Excellence in family dining found from a family that has been serving the North Coast for the past 52 years Great Great Great Homemade Breakfast, lunch and pasta, Clam but that’s dinner steaks & Chowder, not all... menu,too! seafood! Salads! Seaside • 323 Broadway • 738-7234 (Open 7 Days) Cannon Beach • 223 S. Hemlock 436-2851 (7am-3pm Daily) Astoria • 146 W. Bond • 325-3144 MAZATLAN M E X I C A N R E S TA U R A N T Phone 503-738-9678 1445 S. Roosevelt Drive • Seaside County employment sizzles with summer The Daily Astorian Clatsop County’s season- al unemployment rate in July was the 10th-lowest in the state, according to the state Employment Department. Seasonal rates compare forecasted employment changes with reality. The county’s seasonal unemploy- ment rate was 3.7 percent in July, down from 3.8 percent in June and slightly below the state and national aver- age of 3.9 percent. The county was expected to gain 140 positions in July, but only added 40. The pri- vate sector added 510 jobs with the busy summer sea- son, while government em- ployment fell by 470 during the break, including 410 in education. Total nonfarm payroll employment was at 18,600 in July, a 140 increase from the year prior. Leisure and hospitality added 260 jobs over the past year, along with 120 in retail trade and 60 in construction. Profes- sional and business services lost 180 jobs over the past year. WANNA KNOW WHERE THE LOCALS GO? • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner BEST BREAKFAST IN TOWN! • Lighter appetite menu • Junior Something for Everyone menu Fish ‘n Chips • Burgers • Seafood & Steak Friday & Saturday - Prime Rib Lounge Open Daily 9-Midnight All Oregon Lottery products available 1104 S Holladay • 503-738-9701 • Open Daily at 8am