Westside Messenger - March 21st, 2021

PAGE 6 - WESTSIDE MESSENGER - March 21, 2021
By Dedra Cordle
Staff Writer
The South-Western City Schools
District will offer extended learning opportunities
to hundreds of students this summer.
In lieu of its traditional summer school
programming, which primarily focuses on
improving literacy skills for third graders
and course credit assistance for high
schoolers, the district will expand and
broaden its reach to provide academic
assistance for all learning levels.
“We are excited about this opportunity
to provide these extended learning opportunities
for our students,” said
Superintendent Dr. Bill Wise at the March
8 board of education meeting.
According to Brian Bowser, the executive
director of elementary schools, the programming
will take place throughout the
summer but will be broken up into different
“buckets” for each grade level.
For instance, the June and July bucket
will consist of expanded educational opportunities
for kindergarteners through sixth
graders, and high school students.
The high school students will begin
their virtual programming on June 7 and
their course of study will run until July 30.
Bowser said this programming, which
will allow students to recover credits or
receive a limited first time credit for physical
education, health, or government, will
be delivered asynchronously.
“This will free up our high school students
to do other things they want to do
this summer,” he said.
Students can take up to two credits and
it is free to seniors. Underclassmen will
likely be charged $75 for the first time
credit courses, but that fee has to be
approved by the board of education. They
are scheduled to vote on it at the March 22
meeting.
Board member Anthony Caldwell asked
whether that fee would be waived for those
who qualify for free or reduced lunch program.
Wise indicated that it would be.
Grades K-6 will begin their extended
learning opportunity on June 14. It will
run through June 30 and there will be no
fees attached.
Bowser said the programming, which
Blood drive at Doctors Hospital
The American Red Cross will host a blood drive from 8:30 a.m.
to 1:30 p.m. March 22 at OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, The
Heritage Center for Osteopathic Medical Education, located at
5131 Beacon Hill Road on the westside. To schedule an appointment,
visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-733-2767.
Spring cleanup at Westgate Park
Friends of Westgate Park will host a spring cleanup event from
9 a.m. to 12 p.m. March 27 at Westgate Park, 3237 Wicklow Road
in Columbus. This is the first cleanup
event of the year. Participants will pick up
litter and clean out the flower beds. Tools
and materials will be provided. Volunteers
should meet at the enclosed shelter house
and follow the state’s social distance and
mask guidelines. For more information,
view the Friends of Westgate Park page on
Facebook.
Free produce market
The Mid-Ohio Foodbank and the
Knights of Columbus Santa Maria Council
#2898 will host a free produce market the
fourth Friday of each month beginning on
March 26 and continuing through the end
of October at St. Agnes Church, 2364 West
Mound St. in Columbus. The food pantry
will be open from 3 to 5 p.m. For additional
information, email Kevin Miller at
km8007@att.net.
www.columbusmessenger.com
In Education
School district to offer more summer programming
Barbara Gene Humphrey
was called home unexpectedly
5/17/1939-3/10/2021
Preceded in death by husband, Robert
Humphrey; son, Harold Humphrey. Barbara
is survived by daughter, Margaret Kessler,
grandkids Andrew, Shannon, Chris, Michel &
5 great-grandkids. Services will be held on
3/22/21 from 10-12 followed by a luncheon.
For more info contact
Drew @ 740-248-8865
JEFFREY P. COMPTON
ATTORNEY AT LAW
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614-875-7233 Fax: 929-474-9475
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Email: jcompton@jeffreypcompton.com
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around the westside
will be delivered virtually, will primarily
focus on literacy skills for the lower grades
and mathematics for the upper grades.
“But that is not set in stone,” he said
during a follow-up interview. “There will be
a lot of flexibility with the subjects and
some of the instruction will even be personalized
to fit the needs of the student.”
The programming will be held 2.5 hours
each day and will include large groups,
small groups, and independent study.
There will be a 16:1 teacher-student ratio.
Bowser said the district hopes to have as
many as 900 students participate in this
specific June bucket.
“We want to get as many students as
possible to take advantage of these opportunities,”
he said.
In August, students in grades K-8 will
be targeted but at a smaller scale than
those in the June session.
“We are looking at very small groups,
possibly a 1:5 ratio depending on how many
educators we can get to sign up,” said
Bowser.
The August session, which runs from
Aug. 9-20, is slated to take place for two
hours each day at each building.
“Our hope for the August bucket is that
it will take place in person so students, particularly
those who have been attending
school virtually the entire year, become
reacclimated with the everyday presence
inside a building,” said Bowser. “However,
our plan to hold these educational opportunities
in person is dependent on what the
(COVID-19) conditions are at that time.”
Though hundreds of students will be
invited to participate in these extended
learning opportunities, those invitations
will be based on a number of criteria that
includes, but is not limited to, teacher recommendations
and data pulled from
assessment programs such as iReady.
“We really want to target those students
who need that additional help,” said
Bowser.
Invitations for students to participate in
the extended learning opportunities will be
sent to parents in the coming weeks.
Bowser said participation is not mandatory.
The district will continue to offer summer
opportunities for its English learner
students in grades K-4 and there will be
extended school year opportunities for the
special education population, as determined
by the individualized education program
team. Bowser said more information
will be forthcoming.
The district will also provide resources
for each of its buildings for the 2021-22
school year to facilitate after-school tutoring
programs. Bowser said each program
will be shaped by the administrators and
educators within the buildings as they can
better assess the needs of their students.
“Each building will be given the opportunity
to dream big and fly,” he said.
Utility assistance available
through AEP Ohio program
The AEP Ohio Neighbor to Neighbor Program is accepting
applications for utility assistance grants for the winter heating
season.
Through a partnership between AEP Ohio and Dollar Energy
Fund, the Neighbor to Neighbor Program supports families in
need with a grant applied directly to their AEP Ohio account to
prevent disconnection of, or to restore their electric service.
Heating assistance is available once per program year on a firstcome,
first-served basis. Eligible account holders may apply
through April 30, 2021, while funds are available.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has left many families and individuals
in the communities we serve facing very difficult economic
challenges due to job loss or unexpected expenses,” said Katie
Grayem, director of customer experience for AEP Ohio. “Being a
good community partner and neighbor, we are committed to providing
those who may be struggling to make ends meet, a helping
hand to ensure their electric service stays connected.”
To apply, customers may contact one of the AEP Ohio Neighbor
to Neighbor Program’s network of more than 120 Ohio community-based
organizations. To qualify, an applicant’s total gross
household income must be at or below 250 percent of the Federal
Poverty Income Guidelines. For example, a family of four earning
up to $65,500 per year is income-eligible for the program.
Households must have made payments to AEP Ohio totaling at
least $75 in the three months prior to applying for a grant and owe
a minimum of $50 on their AEP Ohio bill.
Full eligibility guidelines and application instructions can be
found at www.AEPOhio.com/N2N.