SCH Weekly

Greetings SCH Family,

This week is National School Lunch Week and various members of my admin team and the Board will be out serving lunches to our kids in the schools. As noted in the Food & Nutrition section below, our Food Service Team served nearly 1.8 million lunches last year!

Please take time out this week to show your gratitude to the Food Service Team at your school.

See you at school!

-Scott

A captive audience marveled at the sophisticated offerings at the Area Career Center on Monday, October 7th as they toured the facility. Former CTE Director, Scott Miller, supplied highlights of each program as did instructors in Welding, Tom Davis; Advanced Manufacturing, Dave Cross; Broadcast Media, Stephanie Reiser; Digital Imaging & Design, Tom Haluska; Health Sciences II, Diann Gute; and Construction Technology, Scott Ciupak. Each guest has a unique lens to view how our ACC can grow and attract partnerships – as well as platforms to market and communicate our programs. Chris White looks forward to featuring our efforts to establish new programs in the areas of Education Careers, Machine Tools/Technology, and Pharmacy.

ACCU Seniors participated in a shoeprint casting lab. The student CSI teams were given a shoeprint that was left by a suspect in the mud. The students had to document the evidence using proper photography skills and then had to mix the proper plaster amounts and carefully pour the mold. The prints were collected and two days later cleaned off. The print was examined and photographed.

To recognize the National School Lunch Program, serving 30 million children each day, we will celebrate National School Lunch Week from October 14-18, 2019. The theme, “School Lunch: What’s on Your Playlist,” spotlights how today’s school cafeterias are serving up healthy menu items that kids want to eat. The federally-funded National School Lunch Program (NSLP) has been fueling students for success for more than 70 years! Last school year we served 1,790,705 student lunches!!

One way we are celebrating is by having Special Guest Servers come out and help us serve lunch throughout the district. If you would like to be a Special Guest Server at your school please contact your school’s kitchen manager ASAP. The students love it when there are Special Guest Servers and we hope you will consider being one! Next week we will share pictures!

Head Start Parents as Subs training begins on Wednesday, October 16. The training is designed to prepare interested Head Start parents to become Head Start Teacher Assistant substitutes. The five training sessions introduce parents to the topics of: child development, the classroom environment, developmentally appropriate practices, child guidance (behavior management), goals, objectives and assessment, child abuse and neglect and the role of and expectations for a Teacher Assistant substitute. The training sessions are open to all Head Start parents, however in order to be considered to become a Teacher Assistant substitute a parent must attend all five sessions, plus conduct two classroom observations. The training supports multiple facets of the Head Start parent involvement standards. Through the training parents: are provided with training that they can use to support their involvement in their children’s education and to support their parenting; have the opportunity to potentially become a part of the Head Start workforce in the role of Teacher Assistant substitute; and can work toward their own personal goals for furthering their education.

“Dyslexia is a general term for disorders that involve difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols, but that do not affect general intelligence.” -Standard Dictionary

Dyslexia affects many readers, regardless of their measured intellectual capacity. Students with dyslexia typically have problems with identifying the separate speech sounds or learning how letters represent those sounds, which are key factors in learning to read. The exact cause of dyslexia is still not clear, but studies show there are distinct differences in the way the brain of a person with dyslexia develops and functions.

Why all the attention to dyslexia? According to a new Indiana law, all students in grades K-2 will be screened for dyslexia beginning this school year. The Indiana Department of Education has provided some guidance on the process of universal screening, including timelines and tools. Although this is a general education initiative, special education staff often assists in working with children who may require more intensive interventions.

There are many factors that could contribute to reading difficulties in the primary grades, such as a lack of exposure to instruction, developmental delays and vision/hearing issues. This suggests that a more global method, which addresses a variety of reading obstacles, may be the best approach to effective intervention.

Great news! We were able to come to an agreement with HMH to continue to support SRI and Reading Counts for another year. The district media specialists and paraprofessionals will be working together to get your classes set up if you are interested in using the program.

Can anyone guess what this is? The amazing students in Ms. McCauley’s Collision and Refinishing class and Mr. Ciupak’s Construction Trades class have been working on converting an old school bus into the Title One Bookmobile. We are so excited to see its progress and can’t wait to take it all over Hammond to give out books to our students.

Barney is an interactive remote control mini bus that can come to your school to speak with your students about school bus safety or enhance your school event. Controlled by Ms. Laura Vela, Transportation Dispatcher, Barney presentations can enhance bus safety by talking with students about the importance of following rules and being safe in and around school buses. Please contact the Transportation Department to schedule a visit from Barney to your school.

The School City of Hammond Transportation Department would like to welcome Mrs. Janice Drury to our fold as office manager. Mrs. Drury has worked with the SCH since 2005 as the bookkeeper at the esteemed Hammond High School. While she will miss being a Wildcat, she is excited to be reconnected with her “early bird”, Mr. Poats, and to learn new things within the transportation department. Janice replaces Ms. Christine Rzonca, posthumously.

Monday, October 14th

• National School Lunch Week begins
• Eggers MS Football @ Clark MS - 5 p.m.
• Hess ES - “Make it a Good Night Monday” live read aloud on Facebook - 7 p.m.
• Irving ES - PTA Sweater Orders begin
• O'Bannon ES - Author Visit from Chad Hunter
• Scott MS Football @ Gavit MS - 5 p.m.

Tuesday, October 15th

• Irving ES - Parent Northshore Workshop
• Lincoln ES - Student Leadership Meeting
• Maywood ES - Picture Day
• Morton HS Volleyball vs. West Side @ EC Central HS - 5:30 p.m.
• O'Bannon ES - Student Council Food Drive begins

Wednesday, October 16th

• Lincoln ES - PTSA Family Game Night
• Maywood ES - Fundraiser Kick-off (Catalog Sale)
• Morton HS - Meeting with the Principal (Financial Aide Night) - 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Morton HS - Mayor's Night Out - 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• O'Bannon ES - PTA Krispy Kreme Fundraiser Pick-up - 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Thursday, October 17th

• Gavit MS - Recreational Night - 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
  
• Gavit MS/HS Volleyball @ Griffith - 7 p.m.
• Hess ES - PTA Bingo Night - 3:15 p.m.
• Irving ES - H.O.M.E. Parent Workshop
• Lincoln ES - Popcorn Sale

Friday, October 18th

• Teacher Work Day
• Clark HS Football @ Morton HS (Senior Night) - 7 p.m.
• Lincoln ES - No Preschool; Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Lincoln ES - Wellness Luncheon/Screenings for Staff with Community Advocates of Northern Indiana
• Morton HS (HAPA) - The Little Mermaid - 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• West Side Football @ Gavit MS/HS - 7 p.m.

Saturday, October 19th

• Clark MS/HS Volleyball vs. TBA (Match 4 winner) @ Griffith - 12:30 p.m.
• Gavit MS/HS Football @ West Side - 10 a.m.
• Gavit HS Volleyball @ Griffith HS - 12:30 p.m.
• Gavit MS/HS Cross Country Regionals @ Crown Point - 10:30 a.m.
• Morton HS (HAPA) - The Little Mermaid - 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Morton HS (HAPA) - The Little Mermaid - 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

An update from the Superintendent is distributed at the beginning of the week.

View previous weekly updates from Mr. Miller here.

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Email: schadmin@hammond.k12.in.us
Website: www.hammond.k12.in.us
Location: 41 Williams Street, Hammond, IN, USA
Phone: (219) 933-2400
Facebook: facebook.com/SchoolCityofHammond/
Twitter: @SCHK12