Westside Messenger - November 27th, 2022
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PAGE 2 - WESTSIDE MESSENGER - <strong>November</strong> 27, <strong>2022</strong><br />
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Wreath laying service at Camp Chase<br />
At noon on Dec. 17, Christmas wreaths will be laid<br />
on graves in Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery,<br />
located at 2900 Sullivant Ave. in Columbus.<br />
Community members are asked to attend and help<br />
spread more than 335 wreaths across the cemetery.<br />
For more information about Wreaths across America,<br />
visit wreathsacrossamerica.org.<br />
Breakfast with Santa<br />
The Prairie Township Community Center will host<br />
a Breakfast with Santa event at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.<br />
Dec. 10 at 5955 West Broad St. Participants can eat<br />
breakfast, meet Santa, and make holiday crafts. The<br />
cost is $12 for township residents and $15 for non-residents.<br />
For more information or to register, visit prairietownship.org.<br />
Santa’s Mailbox<br />
The Prairie Township Community Center is helping<br />
local kids hand deliver their letters to Santa. A mailbox<br />
will be at the entrance of the community center,<br />
SOUTH-WESTERN<br />
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around the westside<br />
www.columbusmessenger.com<br />
5955 West Broad St., from Nov. 25 through Dec. 15. To<br />
guarantee delivery, include the child’s full name, complete<br />
address, and postage. For more information or to<br />
register, visit prairietownship.org.<br />
Blood drives<br />
The American Red Cross will host a blood drive<br />
from 12 to 5 p.m. Dec. 1 at Norton Middle School, 215<br />
Norton Road in Columbus and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.<br />
Dec. 9 at the Prairie Township Community Center,<br />
5955 West Broad St. in Galloway. To schedule an<br />
appointment, call 1-800-448-3543 or visit www.redcrossblood.org.<br />
Free Medicare and Medicaid seminar<br />
The Westland Area Library will host a free<br />
Medicare and Medicaid information seminar at 6 p.m.<br />
Dec. 1 at 4740 West Broad St. The seminar will take<br />
place in the main meeting room. Snacks and beverages<br />
will be provided. No registration is necessary. For<br />
additional information, call the Westland Area Library<br />
at 614-878-1301 ext. 603.<br />
America’<br />
ica’s s Fa Fa<br />
av av vorite Treasure ure e Hunts!<br />
<strong>2022</strong><br />
Nov. 26 &<br />
27<br />
Dec. 17 & 18<br />
Antiques, Collectibles,<br />
Jewelry, Vintage,<br />
Home Decor, Militaria<br />
and more!<br />
2023<br />
Jan. 28 & 29<br />
Feb. 25 & 26<br />
Mar. 25 & 26<br />
sends notifications to their smart devices when their<br />
transport has pulled into a specified area.<br />
On Nov. 28, the district will launch a new planning<br />
tool called StopFinder which will allow parents and<br />
guardians to receive real-time information on where<br />
their child’s school bus is in proximity to their home<br />
address.<br />
According to Evan Debo, the district’s executive<br />
director of communications, this app has the capability<br />
to reduce the time spent out in the harsh elements,<br />
thus making the student’s life and the lives of their<br />
family members run a bit more smoothly in the hectic<br />
morning hours.<br />
The district has started to send out emails regarding<br />
the new software tool to families through the most<br />
current address provided in the Infinite Campus<br />
Parent Portal. The invitation to the registered users<br />
will give directions on how parents and guardians can<br />
download the secure app, and it will show them how<br />
the app works so they can curate the bus tracking notifications<br />
to their specificity.<br />
Another key feature of the StopFinder<br />
App is that it allows parents and guardians<br />
to be able to share the child’s bus tracking<br />
data with other trusted adults, such as<br />
providers of care after school.<br />
Through the official app, additional<br />
information will be displayed on how parents<br />
and guardians can set up the route<br />
sharing feature. It will also show how to<br />
rescind that access if necessary. Debo said<br />
the district will leave that decision on<br />
whether other adults should have access to<br />
a student’s bus location to the parents and<br />
guardians.<br />
Not everyone who has a smartphone, a<br />
smartwatch, or a table has to opt-in as this<br />
new planning tool is voluntary. And those<br />
who may be interested in the app but would<br />
like to take a “wait and see” approach can<br />
still download the app after the initial<br />
launch on Nov. 28.<br />
As it stands right now, the app will not<br />
be able to notify parents and guardians on<br />
whether the bus is running late — the district<br />
will continue to provide that information<br />
as it is currently performed — but Debo<br />
hopes that will be a feature on a future version<br />
of the app.<br />
The district has created a frequently<br />
asked questions page on its blog at swinsider.com<br />
for more information and troubleshooting<br />
solutions.
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