The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/985526
C-10 Wednesday, May 23, 2018 The Press-Dispatch EAST GIBSON NEWS Submit school news: Email: egnews@ pressdispatch.net Deadline: Noon on Friday GOT SCHOOL NEWS? Email: egnews@pressdispatch.net SCHEDULE FOR FINALS Final exam schedules have been identified for our high school students. Seniors will be admin- istered finals as follows: Monday, May 21, period 7 final exam; Tues- day, May 22, periods 1, 3 and 5 fi- nal exams; Wednesday, May 23, periods 2, 4 and 6 final exams. High School students in grades 9 – 11 will be administered fi- nal exams as follows: Wednes- day, May 23, period 7 final exam; Thursday, May 24, periods 1, 3 and 5 final exams; Friday, May 25, periods 2, 4 and 6 final exams. A reminder that students may opt out of up to two of their final exams provided they meet the opt out guidelines. Modified guide- lines were approved at the begin- ning of the second semester and published for student and parent awareness. Students wishing to depart the campus, following the completion of their last final of a respective day, must have written permission from the parent. Students will not be allowed to leave and come back during the same school day. Guidelines include: 1. Student may not have more than three (3) excused absences. 2. Student may not have an un- excused absence, or truancy. 3. Student may not have more than three excused tardies to a class. 4. Student may not have an un- excused tardy to any class. 5. Student may not have a sus- pension from school. 6. Student must have a mini- mum of a B- in the class (es) iden- tified for opt out. 7. All student fees must be cur- rent. 8. Students will collaborate with their respective instructors to de- termine the opportunities for final exam exemption. Additional information as to how absences are aligned to the fi- nal exam exemption program may be found in the 2017 – 2018 Wood Memorial High School Student Handbook. SUMMER SCHOOL AND UPCOMING SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES Preparations for the 2018 Sum- mer School are in place, with in- structors prepared to provide ed- ucational opportunities for junior high school students in the ar- eas of math and English. Our in- structors are in the process of con- tacting parents of those students whom we believe would benefit from attending summer school. We are utilizing data such as ISTEP results, classroom forma- tive and summative assessment results, as well as the respective student's current academic status when determining the value of the summer school opportunity for a student. Additionally, incoming fresh- men may enroll in their high school physical education course, earning a graduation credit, during the summer school pe- riod. By doing so, a student will open up additional academic time for their schedule. High school courses are being offered in a number of curriculum areas this summer, with a focus on providing students with credit re- covery opportunities. For questions regarding sum- mer school, including to enroll, please contact Ms. Elizabeth Hill, in the Wood Memorial Stu- dent Services area. Summer school will run as fol- lows: May 29 – June 22, Monday – Thursday; Week 1 (8:30 a.m. – Noon) and Weeks 2 – 4 (8 a.m. – Noon). We will offer the follow- ing classes: Junior High School Math, Junior High School En- glish, Physical Education I (for incoming Freshman), Credit Re- covery Classes and High School Courses (must be approved). MAKE UP DAYS In order to make up the three (3) days of missed school, due to the recent winter weather, our schools will be in session on the following dates: Wednesday, May 23; Thursday, May 24; Friday, May 25. The second semester is now scheduled to end on May 25. OPEN OFFICE SESSIONS Once again this year, I will be utilizing a collaborative opportu- nity for all members – students, staff, parents, guardians, and com- munity members – of the Wood Memorial School Community. With this said, I believe to be most effective with the development and growth of our students it is im- perative that every stakeholder of Wood Memorial have an opportu- nity to collaborate and provide in- put in any area/aspect of interest involving our school(s) they may have. Thus, I will conduct month- ly "Open Office" sessions, focused on providing time for such collab- oration to occur. I encourage you to come meet anytime to review items of inter- est you may have. You may sched- ule a meeting by calling 812-749 - 4757 and requesting a time. In keeping with the theme of collaboration and communica- tion, I want to invite Wood Me- morial stakeholders to follow the happenings at the junior high and high school by joining us on twit- ter at WMTrojans1. Wood Memorial CALENDAR Wednesday, May 23 HS GYM CLOSED Senior Final Exams – P2/ P4/P6, 8 a.m. Final Exam Day 1 – P7, 1:05 p.m. WMJHS Spirit Club Meet- ing, 3:30 p.m. Baseball Sectional at Can- nelton, 5:30 p.m. Springs Valley vs. Wood Me- morial Thursday, May 24 HS GYM CLOSED Senior Trip, 5 a.m. Final Exam Day 2 – P1/P3/ P5, 8 a.m. WMJHS Honors Day Pro- gram, 1 p.m. Golf vs. South Knox, 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 25 HS GYM CLOSED Graduation Practice, 8 a.m. Final Exam Day 3 – P2/P4/ P6, 8 a.m. Seniors Report for Gradua- tion, 5:45pm 2018 Graduation, 7 p.m. END OF 2018 SCHOOL YEAR, 8:30 p.m. ADDITIONAL DATE OF NOTE ECA – Spring, April 23 – May 25, Gibson Coun- ty Department of Child Ser- vices, Princeton Courthouse Square, 1:30 p.m. JHS Awards Day, May 24 End of 2018 School Year, May 25 2018 Graduation, May 25 By Janice Barniak Marcia Lambert, an organizer of the Isaiah 1:17 Project, is grateful for the work and dona- tions of volunteers and vendors at the Haub- stadt Community School Isaiah Extravagan- za fundraising fair over the weekend, but can- not help wishing it had been better attended. "It's honestly disappointing," she said. "We put on an incredible event, and we had a lot of things going, but not much traffic. We were very blessed with those who did come out, though." The year-old non-profit had a Christian band playing, inflatables, food, a room full of games and balloons, clowns, and a vendor fair at the school Saturday. By partnering with the Dept. of Children's Services, the money the group raised spon- sors toiletries, pajamas, socks, underwear and comfort items, to name a few, for chil- dren entering foster care. She said infants re- ceive diapers and formula. "It's to fill that 24-hour need," she said. "We're trying to help encourage these kids." One donor did offer a $500 donation, so that will fill a lot of bags to give to children. "There are such wonderful people here, but I know we can do more," she said. Those who want to fill bags, volunteer with the group, donate or run a drive for items, can go to the Isaiah 1:17 Facebook page or to www.theisaiah117project.org. FUNDRAISER SEEKS TO PROVIDE FOR CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE Andrea Sutton wears a balloon hat fashioned by Pajo the clown Saturday at the Isaiah Extravaganza at Haubstadt Com- munity school. Vuteq shoots to break ground next Tuesday By Janice Barniak Local county council and com- missioners, in special meetings with both boards last week, paved the way for the new Vuteq facility, set to locate off U.S. 41 in Union Township. Vuteq, which currently works in- side of Toyota, is looking to base their national training headquar- ters in Gibson County, with the plan to employ up to 400 people by 2022. According to Commissioner Ste- phen Bottoms, the company hopes to break ground May 29 at the new site they have acquired, kicking off the $27 million investment in the county. In earlier meetings to request the property be made an econom- ic development site, Vuteq repre- sentatives said the company plans to employ 10 people by the end of the year to get their first phase off the ground before they vault into the 200 employee range and then, in the third phase, settle in around 400 people by 2022. Subsequently, county engineer Matt Holden has investigated wa- ter and sewer costs to deliver ser- vice to the property, with the idea that the lines be sufficient to sup- port additional development along U.S. 41, as county councilmen ad- vised they believe the large invest- ment will develop that corridor be- tween Fort Branch and Princeton. Fort Branch will be able to sup- port the increased sewer demand, Holden said after discussions with Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management, and the water will be from Gibson Water. Bottoms requested county coun- cilmen support a contract with United Consulting to engineer a design for the water and sewer projects to see what the total cost would be to go under U.S. 41 with a sufficient waterline. He anticipates Vuteq will at some point request redevelop- ment support of an economic de- velopment bond that will pay back some amount of the cost to con- struct the infrastructure; howev- er, without a design plan, the rede- velopment board and commission- ers wouldn't know what the cost would be on the bond, though esti- mates are up to $4.4 million. "It's a chicken and egg problem," he said. "If the project doesn't go through, the council would pay (the design fee). If it does go through, it would be the TIF district." County council members unan- imously approved the United Con- sulting fees to the tune of $100,000, with themselves as a failsafe should the project fall through and should the commissioners exhaust all other funding options. However, Bottoms said it is unlikely to fall through considering the acceler- ated groundbreaking date and the State of Indiana committing 10 per- cent of the cost on the project. United Consulting's design would answer questions like wheth- er the property will take one lift sta- tion or two. Gibson Water will do their own construction and plans to own the water line going on to the property, Holden said, where- as the sewer lines would be owned by the Town of Fort Branch. Gibson County Economic Devel- opment Director Paul Waters told councilman he has another project in that area percolating, so having the water and sewer designs could serve more than one project. "I think we're all for this," said Councilman Bill McConnell. "I don't want to bring anything up that's going to interfere with this. I've been for it all along. Anything to help Toyota and our friends in Fort Branch I'm for." Commissioners' attorney Jim McDonald estimated the request on the bond would fall around June 13. Public hearings would then fol- low. When the project gets to the bond stage, South Gibson School Superintendent Stacey Humbaugh has requested redevelopment con- sider passing on some of the fund- ing to support science, technology, engineering and math programs to potentially expand Project Lead the Way.