Warsaw School Board Hears Building Projects Update

Warsaw Community School Board of Trustees Thursday heard a design build update for Washington STEM Academy, Edgewood and Lincoln Elementary Schools during its work session.
Jerry Rolfson, Performance Services senior contractor, said work that has been completed in the last 30 days at Lincoln Elementary included the playground equipment was removed as well as the topsoil from the building pad area; unsuitable soils have been removed; and backfill of the building pad has been completed.
On March 1, at Lincoln, foundation work will begin; and at Washington, a building pad in preparation for concrete foundations will be laid. Site utilities work in coordination with the building pad and concrete foundations will be completed in the next 30 days.
At Edgewood in the next 30 days, site stripping and demolition work will begin and a building pad in preparation for concrete foundations will begin March 1. Interior demolition will begin then.
The board heard also heard that Claypool Elementary School has received financial donations. It received a $500 donation from the Claypool Lions Club for its annual fourth-grade Camp Crosley Field Trip. This is a field trip providing students with the opportunity to experience nature activities, as well as teamwork activities.
Students and families pay for the majority of the individual’s cost. However, donations help to keep costs affordable for most and ensure that all students are able to be a part of this experience, said Melissa Rees, Claypool principal, who attended the meeting.
Claypool also received a $1,000 donation for its Nurturing Our Knights Fund.  This is a fund that has been created to assist families with medical or emergency needs. The donation was made by JanPaul Consulting, LLC.
The board reviewed a request for Marci Franks, director of food and nutrition services, to attend the School Nutrition Association Annual Nutrition Conference in San Antonio, Texas. The focus of this conference is on school nutrition programs to identify vendors, products and training programs that will benefit the district program.
The board reviewed a request for four teachers from Claypool Elementary School to attend a three-day conference that gives educators the insider knowledge, key skills and practical roadmap for academic success with kids from poverty.
The teachers attending this conferrence hope to understand poverty in a way that will allow them to intervene in a positive and practical way that can increase academic achievement. They expect to gain tools to help them engage students so they are interested in learning, enable students to have the drive to be in the classroom and to help students become productive members of society.
The board approved a $327,781 grant from Department of Workforce Development for adult education in Kosciusko County.
David Robertson, chief academic officer, provided information on updates to the WCS math curriculum. Roberston said the schools are required to update the curriculum every six years.
He has met with curriculum companies, who will come to the high school Wednesday and Feb. 23 to discuss the curriculum they offer.
The board will review the curriculum options at its March meeting and will adopt curriculum in April. The adoption team will consist of five administrators, instructional coaches, 15 teachers grades K-12 and three parents and community member.

(Story By The Times Union)