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Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
May 24, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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May 24, 2012
 
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Hood Canal School board considers cuts By KEVIN SPRADLIN kevin@rnasoncou~ty,com Politics and a possible re- duction-in-force aside, Michele Barger is looking forward to handing out new reading text- books to each Hood Canal School student for the 2012-13 school year. The elected board is expected to vote on the matter at 5:30 p.m. tonight at its open public meeting. Barger, language arts teacher for the school's 75 seventh- and eighth-grade students, said there is simply not enough ma- terial in the current textbooks pertinent to the state's common core standards. There also are not enough books to go around, said Barger and Kathy Gray, Title I/Learn- ing Assistance program coordi- nator. "What we had was no longer in print," Barger said while reviewing what could be next year's textbooks on May 17 in the school library during an open review for the public. "We didn't have enough books." If the district wanted to sim- ply purchase more of the same, they are no longer m print, Barger said. "We're just kind of out of luck," she said. Barger also said that modern textbooks should better help teachers prepare students for the state assessment. Students' test scores in read- ing on the Measurement for Student Progress (MSP) could be better, both Gray and Barg- er acknowledged. For the 2010-11 school year, 56.5 percent of seventh-graders met Adequate Yearly Progress standards as prescribed by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. "It's not any secret that Hood Canal School needs improve- ment," Gray said. Journal onolo by Kevin Spraalln Michele Barger, language arts teacher for seventh and eighth grade students at Hood Canal School, reviews one of the new textbooks she hopes the elected board will approve at its public meeting tonight. The current textbooks are 16 years old. "I'm looking for too s to he p me teach." dents' study of the material. "You can talk about that ques- tion before you ever start" the (~ne =!:oot cause~ foE Barger'~t:.s~bject, Barger said. suppor:L:for new, v.bt)oks .,¢.omes from her primary instinct as a teacher. "What I really, really like about it (is that) it's organized," she said of each book's content. Barger flipped open a teach- er's edition of one of the new books, which are published by various companies. The start of each section be- gins with a question, such as "How do you make a good im- pression?" Discussion and answers to that question begin the stu- The books, which include tasks, issues or skills from so- cial studies, history, science and most any other subject stu- dents are responsible for learn- ing, also clearly identify vo- cabulary words and emphasize proper crammer from cover to cover. Each story and subject area also includes references to a va- riety of websites that, Barger said, don't take the place of a teacher but strongly supple- ments what's learned from a textbook. Each video. Barger said, shows "just enough to catch a kid's attention." Baseball star Jackie Robin- son. who broke the color barrier in his profession, and American Red Cross founder Clara Bar- ton are only two of the many key figures in history the vid- eos focus on. The books also have special sections for students that don't live in English-first families, Barger said. Highlighted sec- tions of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" help summa- rize passages for students for whom Poe's English might be difficult. "You can all be reading the same story" and get the same understanding, Barger said. "But these people are getting a little extra help along the way, which is great." Barger also said that the thoroughness of the content is a time-saver and allows her more time to focus on planning the lesson itself rather than creat- ing content for the lesson. "I'm looking for tools help me teach." Barger said. The issue of the textbook pur- chase and possible layoffs are two separate items on the dis- trict's agenda. Tom Churchill, Hood Canal School superintendent, said it's possible that board members Churchill said. The decision is based large- ly on the school's enrollment. Churchill said the school's grad- uating eighth-grade class is large while the incoming kinder- garten class is small. If the numbers don't fluctu- ate as expected, however, "and if we want to hire them back ... they have first right to recall." Churchill said. The board has allocated $60,000 for t~e~piurchase of new bo,oks i.n ~the~current budget. I~oWever. C]~urchill said it's possible the board could consid- er delaying the purchase of new textbooks until next year, when any savings of laid off teachers connect the two issues. Wou!d. be realized. "It,!l be interesting to: see" Gray said the School Improve- where:the vote On the purchase ment Team began reviewing ma- oftextbooksgoes, Churchill said, terials from several publishing "Given the fact we are reducing companies in December. a couple of staff members." The group was assisted by Three teachers at the school the Office of the Superinten- have received official notices dent for Instruction in Olym- that their jobs are not guaran- pia and grant-funded consul- teed for the 2012-13 school year, rants. PUD Continued from page A-1 TO0 LATE TO CLASlllft Holzgrove and Smith encouraged just about ev- eryone to inquire about the weatherization program. A family of four with an an- nual income of more than $40,000 qualifies as low- income, Smith said. "A lot of my friends would qualify for that," Smith said, "and they don't even know it." Energy conservation, Smith said, "is a win for you and a win for us." More than videos Technology has increas- ingly become a part of the interaction between PUD 3 personnel and the district's 32,520 customers -- 30,240 of which are residential customers. Less than i0 years ago, the district didn't even ac- cept credit card payments. Now, 4,744 customers rou- tinely pay with credit cards or pay online. That figure nearly dou- bles (8,653) when includ- ing automatic bill paying customers. In addition, a total of 9,944 customers have cre- ated an online account with PUD 3. A total of 2,739 of those customers have signed into their accounts in the last six weeks. "Customer service drives a lot of what we do," Smith said. "Bill payment is the No. 1 reason people come to our website." Holzgrove said that, in fact, it works the same way when people visit the Johns Prairie complex. When a customer comes in to pay a bill, a customer service agent simply logs online and pays the bill much like the customer could do -- from the com- fort of their own chair at home. Parks Continued from page A-1 move faster, he said. Ziegler said the next step in the process is to obtain a professional ren- dering of what each site might look like with some of those basic amenities in- cluded. That could happen by late August and will be shared with the public. Ziegler said his depart- ment's comprehensive plan includes the goal of having every city resi- dent live within a half- mile of a neighborhood park. 30' TOLLY CRAFT sedan. Pristine. Boat and boathouse, in Shelton, $30,000. 360-877- 9916. P5/24 UNIQUE SALE, Lake Forest Dr., LakeLand Village, Allyn. Saturday, May 26, 12-6pm. Glass and wood sculptures, art, antiques, and miscellaneous. Follow signs. No early birds. Cash only. B5/24 ESTATE SALE. Antiques, pow- er tools, adult bikes, jewelry, lin- ens, much more. 500 E. Olym- pic Vista Dr., Union. Saturday, 12-6pm; Sunday, 9am-4pm. Cash only. B5/24 TWO BEDROOM secluded cot- tage at Hartstine Pointe, a gated community. $750 monthly, $500 deposit. No pets. Available June 1. 360-229-6081. $5/24 18' OLYMPIC with 150hp Tower of Power and EZ Loader trailer. Plus tarp and bows. R.uns great. $1,500 OBO. 360-427-2937, no calls after 8pm. R5/24 HELP WANTED: CNA swing and night shift in adult family home. Bring resume to: 1109 Northcliff Road, Shelton. N5/24-31 FAWN LAKE COMMUNITY ga- rage sale. Saturday, June 2nd 8am-4pm; Sunday, June 3rd 8am-2pm, Cole Road. F5/24-31 2 BEDROOM MOBILE home near Little Creek Casino. Quiet, country setting on 10 acres. Se- curity and damage deposit re- quired. 360-490-1763. B5/24-31 Did you know that in addition to producing award- winning display ads the Journal advertising staff can help you plan a campaign that will help you grow your business and reach new customers? We have the experience and expertise to partner with you in the success of your work and goals. Call us at 360-426-4412 We are invited into thousands of homes each week. Shelton-Mason County Journal-Thursday, May 24, 2012 -Page A-7