Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 136, Number 43, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 25 October 2018 — Page 2

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■Advance Sews « Thursday, October 25, 2018

CLERK I Continued from Front

The dak pointed out there were even fewer questions when records were kept by hare! and using an adding machine tape, than now when everything is recorded on computer 'And there were more errors then,' reported Brown, who invited the oounal members to visit her office at any tale and look over all documents used to create the cferk-treasure's report PROPEimr REZONED Rezonmg of Tri-State Crush 302 S. Mam St, was approved at the same meeting. The back portion of the property had not yet been rezoned from residential to industrial The new deagnation is needed for use by Tn-State Crush. Resident Brian Spidier was present to voice opposition to the rezoning 'That place is already an eye sore," Spicher said ".And they are planning a retention pond? Will that mean more mosquitoes?' Tn-State Crusr. co-owner Travis Luke responded with explanation of how the collection area not a retention pond

REPAIRS I Continued from Front

McFarren stated that according to aty and state laws and ordinances regarding use of golf carts, each driver was required to have a license. He also pointed out that the transport vehicles needed to be equipped with both working turn signals and brakes, which are to be used as required by other motorized vehicles on aty streets. The complainant said he has regularly witnessed golf cart drivers, particularly of the Amish faith, dnvmg without licenses, with no plates on the vehicles, using no indications of fuming and openly refusing to halt at stop signs. 'There's one Amish man that drives his golf cart along Jackson Street all the time," McFarren said, explaining that the driver does not use signals or have a license, and does not brake at stop signs Councilwoman Anna Huff addressed these concerns saying golf cart drivers do not need to have a license, rather just a permit, according to aty ordinance. Police Chief Steve Rulb went on record as saying That golfsaft foyers are indeed required to stop at stop signs. He advised McFarren to call the police department when he sees drivers disobeying this traffic rule,

Ay buljute, to feMy iv\rftuvtuul>uiulby (dt Betty \ (jUtetol “Never get old Meagan.’ That’s what my grandma would tell me every time I would see her. “Never get old.* Great advice. I have spent a lot of time over the past few days trying to figure out just what to say here, it's hard to sum up my grandmother in just a few words but I am going to try. My grandmother was a beautiful woman both inside and out She was a woman with faith in God that we all should strive to have. Her faith was solid. It was pure. It was who she was. She was a teacher. She taught me so many things. One was, being how to be happy. How to find joy in everyday things. I can remember as a little girl, during my many summers there, her baking cookies, fixing dinner, doing the laundry down stairs while listening to her precious Cubs, or reading her Bible in the family room. She always had a smile on her face, no matter what she was doing. She was happy. We ran a lot of errands together and I remember these little mint candies she would keep in this cardboard box in her big red van. I loved those things. She had candy in places that only I knew. On the many errands we would run throughout the day, grandma would greet and talk with everyone that she would come across, whether to the grocery store, pharmacy, post office or filling station like they were family. Because they were. Everyone was family to grandma. My grandmother taught me many lessons when I was younger, some I didn't realize she was teaching me until i got older. Looking back, the most important lesson she taught me was how to love. She taught me that to love someone means to love them whofly and completely. Help them when they are down. Comfort them when they are sad. Celebrate with them when they are happy and feed them when they are hungry (I think that was her favorite). You would never leave grandma’s house hungry, even it that meant eating that second plate that she would slide in front of you with she thought you were not looking. Grandma was so many things to so many people. She was a sister, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a grek grandmother but most of ail she was a friend. She loved everyone because she wanted to, not because she had to. Today we are sad mourning her death. I like to think about it as she is now in a place that she spent her entire life getting to. She is home. We wW all miss her everyday but we should find comfort knowing she is to Heaven looking down on all of us, cheering us on In our Ives, espedaly the Cube, and continuing to love each one of us. A I maA h t _ .

would be established aid run. He sad it would not be a standing pond; instead there will be temporary gathering of small amounts of water when it rams, wind) wOl then dram into the ground m a short amount of time MEETINGS OPEN TO PUBLIC The Nappanee Common Council meets m regular session at 7 pm., on die first and third Mondays of each month inside the Nappanee Municipal Center, located on West Lincoln Street Meetings are open to thepubbe Anyone requiring an auxiliary aide, or service, for effective communication or a modification of policies or procedures m order to parbapate in city programs, services or activities should contact Nappanee aty derk-treasurer Kathy Brown by visiting her or mailing requests at Nappanee Mumapal Center, 300 W. Lincoln St, Nappanee, Indiana, 46550; phone call to 574-773-2112; or email sent to kbrown#nappanee.org. These communications must be done as soon as possible, but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event

because his department would respond just as it would with any other motorized vehicle ignoring stop signs. HOUSING PERMIT QUESTIONED Matthew Miller, who rents the property at 210 E. Market Street reported to the Common Council that his landlord was in the process of dividing a angle apartment at the location into two separate apartments. "And 1 asked him about it because 1 know he doesn't have a permit to do so," Miller said. Miller stated the reason he brought his concerns to the Counal was because he had already left two messages with office of zoning administrator Don Lehman but nothing was being done about the situation. Lehman, also the chief of the Nappanee Fire Department, was not in attendance because he had responded to a fire call. Jenkins thanked Miller for bringing the matter to the attention of the Nappanee Common Council and said he would have Lehman look into the matter to see what actions are, or are not, needed at this point in time. j

Community

Indiana schools finding success with eLearning days when school is canceled

(HSPA) —Nathan Mock stayed home from school Sept 19, but it wasn't a Ferris Buefler kind of day off. The South Vermilbon High School freshman had plenty of assignments, which he completed using his school-issued iPad. He wasn't alone. Distnctwide, students stayed home as part of South Vermillion's practice eLearning day, the first of three approved by the state and school board. The next practice day is Wednesday and the last wfll be Nov. 28. One of the goals is to be able to use eLearning days if inclement weather forces students and staff to stay home, said South Vermillion superintendent Dave ChapmanMock believes the eLearning days "are going to be a good alternative to snow days' and it will help schools stay on schedule. Conducting practice sessions enables the district to work out any bugs, and there were a few. 'I think the teachers might not have been totally aware of how much work they assigned," Mock said. "I heard that from many classmates." He also heard there were some issues with the technology. "I'm sure it will get better over time," he said. While it's more comfortable having school at home, it's not something he would want to do every day. Mock said. "I think there are a lot of things that can't be done outside of class" that involve personal interaction, including class discussion or group work. Mock said. Some students gathered at the Clinton McDonald's or public library, which have wifi, to do their work. Meanwhile, South Vermillion teachers were at school Sept. 19, available to respond to students' questions or problems but also partiapating in their own professional development. ELEARNING GROWING STATEWIDE The use of eLearning days is growing in Indiana. Currently, 278 school districts or schools including 101 nonpublic schools and 177 public are approved for using eLearning days, said Candice Dodson, director of eLearning with the Indiana Department of Education. Last year, 229 schools or districts were approved. ■ ~ The program can be used oiTa ”cfay oT inclement weather, on a make-up day for poor weather or on a planned day for other reasons including teacher training. It has been around for about seven years and, over that time, schools' ability to provide learning away from a brick and mortar facility has increased, Dodson said. More than half of all school corporations have brought their student/device ratio up to one device per student at either all or some grade levels, according to the IDOE website. More and more districts each day are using blended learning that includes applications and other online resources, "so it becomes much easier to do that away from the building," Dodson said "eLearning days have been a really positive catalyst in Indiana," she said. "It has really helped families, teachers and students see now we really can use technology to broaden what we think of in terms of teaching and learning." It's enabling students to learn "really good skills" needed in today's world, she said. "It really has been an exciting program for Indiana." Schools must meet several requirements to participate: •They must demonstrate access to the internet for students and teachers away from school buildings. •Parents and students can reach teachers directly to support e-instruction. •Students will be informed of their learning targets for the day by 9 a.m. •Students work will cover content that would have been addressed if school were in session in a traditional setting. •All students who have accommodations for instruction will be provided with or have access to those accommodations, which includes those with disabilities and limited English proficient students. To be successful, schools must communicate with families and communities so they are prepared, Dodson said. They need to know what the expectations are and also be familiar with the tools. Also, students and teachers must be comfortable using the digital tools in school to be successful outside of the traditional setting. Some of the challenges districts report include teachers initially assigning too much work, or not enough work; they need to find the right balance. Also, accessibility can be an issue because not everyone has access to internet away from school, Dodson said. There are ways around that lack of accessibility, she said. Assignments can be downloaded onto devices prior to the eLearning day, with the work done offline then uploaded when they return to school. On planned eLearning days, some schools may provide opportunities for those without access to come into a school setting that is supervised. "Some districts to a wonderful job of enlisting community partners ... to make

sure they are aware eLearning days are happening aid they may see kids m their buildjugs/ especially on planned days, Dodson said! Those partners might indude Boys and Girls dubs, churches, libraries, or businesses that have wifi. While some students might be tempted to 'goof off" on stay-at-home eLearning days, there are ways to document student activity. For schools using online learning management systems, students need to log in and schools can keep track of how much time students "were engaged in learning," Dodson said. Wabash Valley districts among those approved Wabash Valley districts using, or practicing, eLearning days include South Vermillion Community School Corp., Southwest Parke Community Schools, North Vermillion Community School Corp. and Southwest Sullivan School Corp. "We learned a lot from the first one (Sept. 19] and made some adjustments," said Chapman, South Vermillion superintendent. Future practice days are Wednesday and Nov. 28 and the goal is to have any bugs worked out so that eLearning days could potentially be used if inclement weather forces students and staff to stay home this winter season. The Sept. 19 practice session "went better than expected," Chapman said. "We had hotlines set up for connectivity issues or other issues that students and/or parents might have." One of the issues involved students logging in for attendance. In some cases, there may have been connectivity or software issues. "We got a number of calls in the morning, but by mid-day, there were no calls coming in," Chapman said. Some students don't have Internet connection at home and had to make adjustments. "Some kids got together at the local McDonalds" and did their and assignments there. Others gathered at the Clinton Public Library. The next day, teachers talked to each other about what worked and what didn't. They also talked to students about any problems. "It was a learning experience," Chapman said. This year, ffie district is using a new, learning management system, (Canvas, that connects digital tools and resources teachers use in one place. It replaced Google classroom. The district is taking into account that some students lack connectivity at home, and those students will have extra time to complete assignments, if needed, Chapman said. The district also will work with students who have disabilities to ensure they have necessary accommodations. More than 80 percent of South Vermillion students have some type of internet connectivity or access, Chapman has said. Use of eLearning days will work best if the district knows at least a day ahead of time that classes may have to be canceled because of bad weather. Students will know to take iPads home, and teachers would have adequate time to prepare and post assignments. If bad weather "sneaks up on us" and school has to be canceled at the last minute, those are more likely to be snow days with no eLearning. "We don't want to put undue pressure on students and staff," Chapman said. In the event of a harsh winter, eLearning days help ensure the district won't have to have an extended school year beyond what's scheduled. Southwest Parke Community Schools uses one eLearning day in the spring for its Southwest Parke Awakening & Redefining Curriculum Conference [SPARC], which is for district staff and surrounding districts. Meanwhile, students stay home and participate in eLearning projects. The district has chosen to use eLearning days just for teacher training at this time, said Phil Harrison, Southwest Parke superintendent. "The way we do eLearning for our students is a very involved process." For students that don't have internet access at home, "We open schools buildings and have computer labs staffed for the eLearning day. That's harder to do on emergency snow days," he said. The district also provides transportation for those students as well as lunch. "Because we go to such lengths to make sure students are cared for, we use them only for professional development. It gives teachers plenty of time to plan for a high-quality experience," Harrison said. Rachel Porter, Southwest Parke digital curriculum integration specialist, said eLearning lessons "look very different in primary grades, with more audio support for online components and more work offline." As far as challenges, "We've learned we have to cut back on our content as it seems to take students far longer to do things independently at home than it would take in class. We are committed to making sure our eLearning lessons are truly lessons. There must be a teaching or review component. It cannot just be assignments given or busy work. This aspect is what takes the most time for teachers to prepare."