Watervliet Superintendent urges COVID-19 responsibility; Coloma School Board Pres. Ishmael is thank

THIS KUTE KID IS… Mateo Perez, age 2, son of Martha Casiano and Lamberto Perez, both from Watervliet. Mateo’s grandparents are Maria Ramirez and Hipolito Casiano from Watervliet, and Olga Ramirez and Reyes Perez from Grand Rapids. German, Valentin, Marco, Victor and Hipolito Casiano from Watervliet along with Guadalupe Casiano from Arcadia, FL and Gabino, Lisandro and Valente Perez from Grand Rapids are uncles to Mateo. His aunts are Idalia Villarreal and Maria Perez from Watervliet and Natalie Perez from Grand Rapids.

Watervliet Superintendent urges COVID-19 responsibility

By Joshua Coffin

The Watervliet Board of Education met for their monthly meeting held as a teleconference, on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. The virtual meeting was led by school board president Bill Spaulding and Superintendent Ric Seager to discuss school board matters ranging from resignations and new hires to the drain project and budget concerns.

COVID responsibilities & Return to Learn

Superintendent Seager presented survey information regarding the transitions from in-person to remote learning. Overall, based on the data collected, a majority of staff across the district said they were adequately prepared for the transition. Most parents said they were well informed and also adequately prepared for the transition. Overall, staff, parents, and students answered they were less prepared and informed at South School versus the other Watervliet schools. Across all categories, Seager stated that there is still room for improvement for the future.

Seager also made an important note for all members of the Watervliet Public School system to remain responsible and cautious of the virus. “We need our community to continue to communicate with us,” he said. “That is how we keep our school safe.”

Seager was persistent in making his intentions known, understanding that as a group they will be able to keep the school in a safe state amid the pandemic. He also commended the efforts up until this point and for forward momentum regarding the safety of the schools.

He stressed the importance and superiority of Watervliet’s COVID-19 data. As of the Monday meeting, there is one student infected with COVID-19 and under two percent of students are in quarantine.

New hires welcomed to the board

The school board welcomed two new members at the Monday meeting. Wendy Hart and Brian Gruszczyk were both officially sworn in as board members after the 2020 election. The two members replaced the empty seats left by Matt Clay and Ted Tees. Clay resigned from his position and Tees retired. Board member elect Kim Adams will see her swearing in ceremony in January. In addition to the new board members, Amy Ochens accepted the school’s Instructional Technology Coach position. Ochens was previously the sixth grade science teacher at Watervliet Middle School.

Watervliet Public School graduate Karlee Lyles is set to fill the position of young fives teacher at South elementary school. After, as Superintendent Ric Seager said, “a few busts,” the board finally approved the hire of Garrison Seager to the school’s Certified Nurse’s Aide position. He is currently stationed at North School but will be floating between schools in the district in the future.

Resignation

Ryan Price’s resignation was approved by the board. Price was the school’s groundskeeper and utilities person. He has now accepted a position at the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Honorarium of Ted Tees

HONORING RETIREE TED TEES… Ted Tees was honored at Watervliet’s school board meeting on Dec. 14, 2020 for his 19 years of service on the board. Watervliet School Board President Bill Spaulding (right) presented Tees with a commemorative plaque, for his efforts over the years. “There’s no better place in the world to live, work, play, worship, or raise a family,” Tees said when recalling his time in Watervliet.

The board celebrated the work of Ted Tees, who has been a long time member of the Watervliet Board of Education. “Nineteen years of vision, passion, determination, diligence, support for this community, he has been a steadfast and reliable leader on this board,” said Superintendent Seager.

Ted Tees exited with many endearing, nostalgic words. He was thankful for the successes of the board and the hard work they have put in over the years. Tees said, “I speak with experience and a level of authority when I say there’s no better place in the world to live, work, play, worship, or raise a family,” when speaking about the Watervliet community. The school board gave Tees a round of applause, presented him a plaque, and thanked him immensely for his contributions to Watervliet Public Schools.

Drain project

Watervliet City Manager Tyler Dotson stopped in during the meeting to discuss the South Watervliet Drain Project. He gave a few updates on the 2.2 million dollar project. The city manager has bi-weekly meetings regarding its progress. He recognized the inconvenience of the project for those in the area including parents, students, and Watervliet School’s South School staff, but thanked everyone for working so well despite the obstacles. The project is set to be completely finished by late June or early July 2021.

Budget amendment

The board approved an amendment to the budget for the 2021 fiscal year. This includes 18 mills of taxes to be levied on non-homestead and non-qualified agricultural property to be used for operating purposes. More regarding this budget amendment information can be found on the school’s transparency page on their website.

Finances

The school board approved the general funds expenditures of $658,586.52 for the month of November, while noting that $452,031.45 were regarding payroll expenses for faculty and staff.

Coloma School Board Pres. Ishmael is thankful for staff , “We have just four more days and you all get a very well deserved break”

By Annette Christie

The school year for 2020 has certainly had its challenges and School Board President Heidi Ishmael expressed again at the Monday night, Dec. 14 school board meeting, just how thankful she and the board are for everyone’s efforts. As each of the school principals reviewed what they have been working on over the last month, Ishmael stated, “We really appreciate everything everyone has been doing to make sure our kids are getting what they need. We have just four more days and you all get a very well deserved break.”

High School well prepared for remote learning

High School Principal Mike Churchill told the board that this time around as the high school was forced to go remote, the teachers were very well prepared. He noted that many of the hurdles have been removed. He also echoed the appreciation to the staff that is working well with each other, some teachers making themselves available in the evenings for students when this is the best time to work with them.

Hot spots have been distributed to homes where they were needed to have internet access.

National Honor Society inductions did occur with a little different twist, it was done virtually, and done very well, Churchill commented.

Junior High not to hold traditional exams

Junior High Principal Wendy Tremblay stated that at their level they have opted not to hold traditional exams and more work is being done to get all the kids where they need to be before the break. She noted that they are grateful for the district substitute teachers that have provided consistency for the students.

In the coming days they will have a “Wear Christmas” day for students and a Rein “dear” event – Drop Everything and Read to really highlight reading.

Play it Safe completed by 4th & 5th grades

At the Intermediate School, they too are getting ready for winter break. They are making extra effort to keep kids engaged until then. They will be holding classroom holiday parties. A staff holiday party was held catered by Soulard’s, a very nice treat for everyone.

The Play it Safe program was completed for all 4th and 5th graders. Despite being held virtually, a kid friendly education on safety was very well received. Principal Karra Hafer said that they received great feedback from the teachers on the program and they are hopeful to have it again next year.

They continue to work on oral reading fluency but are seeing improvement in both grade levels. When establishing what level a student is reading at, they have some well recognized programs that they are using to help improve where needed.

Kindness and Compassion Drive well supported at Coloma Elementary Elementary Principal John Klein said that, despite COVID-19, the 7th annual Kindness and Compassion Drive went very well. Klein expressed appreciation for everyone who helped with it. Through the drive, they collected winter wear, canned goods and paper products, as well as monetary donations.

The final percentage of participation in the parent teacher conferences was around 88%.

Through a grant, Klein noted that they now have Ipads available for every student in the elementary school. He also noted that the students will be making Christmas cards for the residents at Woodland Terrace.

Other business

Superintendent Dave Ehlers announced that they were recently awarded a literacy grant which will allow every student in the district to be able to take home a book for pleasure reading, not assigned reading. Ehlers expressed appreciation for those that sought after the grant. The board once again stated that their first choice for teaching the students in the Coloma School District is face-to-face. They need to re-affirm that every month.