Goshen Community Schools

This week, the Engineering Technology classes at GHS began working with a sweet little soon-to-be-named Hereford calf who was born on Friday, April 13^th. The calf is a Dwarf, bred purposely to be miniature. But she was also born with birth defects, namely, she only has one digit per foot, and her back legs are different lengths and deformed. Her front legs are strong, but due to her back leg deformities, she is unable to walk on her own.  Her owners, Don and Nancy Shaum did not want to put her down, so they enlisted the help of Jen Yoder, and her Tech. Ed. classes at Goshen High School.

Mrs. Yoder has been bottle feeding the young calf and taking her back and forth to school with her each day, while her students work to plan and develop a prosthetic or trainer device to help the calf stand and walk.  They are also currently working on a sling solution to assist with feeding.

There will be several opportunities for collaborative work with the calf, including: Working with GHS science teacher Cathy DeMeyer’s classes to study the calf with regard to its biology and genetics; and Mrs. Yoder has also invited Fairfield High School’s Vet. Tech. class to be involved in studying the calf and offering input for her care.

As you can imagine, GHS students and staff are very excited about this project! If you would like to follow along with the students as they work to make this calf’s life a little easier, you may follow @GHSEngineerTech on Twitter. If you are interested, you may also check in on the calf while she is at GHS. There will be a webcam on her from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. during the school day.

GHS is thankful to Don and Nancy Shaum for the opportunity for our students to work on this unique, real-world problem; especially when the subject is just so adorable! When the solution has been found for the calf’s mobility issues and she is able to stand and walk with the new device(s), she will return to the Shaum family where she will remain in their care as a beloved family pet

Goshen Community Schools Principal Lori Line Announced as Teach Factor Fellow Helping Advance Teacher Leader Roles Nationwide

West Goshen Principal Lori Line

National Institute for Excellence in Teaching’s Teach Factor Engages Local Educators to Lend Their Voices to the U.S. Education Conversation and Drive Improved Student Achievement

Goshen, IN — (April 16, 2018) – The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) named Lori Line, principal in Goshen Community Schools, as a Teach Factor Fellow for the recently launched Teach Factor initiative. This initiative illuminates the stories of effective teachers, principals and superintendents to reveal scalable solutions for teacher leadership – a factor pivotal to the profession and student achievement.

“We all believe that through working with NIET, we’ve created a culture of growing and learning for all of us,” said Line, principal of West Goshen Elementary School. West Goshen recently received the 2018 TAP Founder’s Award and a $50,000 cash prize for its exemplary implementation of the TAP System. “West Goshen teachers don’t make excuses; we find strategies. We look at data, we make a plan and we execute the plan.”

Line first began working in Goshen Community Schools in 1999 as a career teacher before becoming a teacher leader as a master teacher in 2011, an Indiana state TAP regional coordinator in 2013 and a principal in 2015. While in partnership with NIET, West Goshen — a D school before the implementation of TAP — has maintained an “A” rating since 2016. The school also achieved a value-added growth score of 5 – the highest possible score on a 1-5 scale.

Through The Teach Factor, NIET is working with educators like Line across the nation to define the most effective models of teacher leadership and develop a formal structure that schools, districts and states can implement to maximize the impact of teacher leaders.

Teach Factor Fellows will participate in panels and roundtable discussions and share their stories of success in teacher leadership as well as their trusted resources at teachfactor.niet.org and on NIET’s social channels. They will share proven methods that have led to increased student achievement and promote these methods as best practices. Fellows also encourage other educators to share their stories on the site or via social media using #TeachFactor. Stories collected will be used to develop additional resources to benefit teacher leaders.

“We’re proud to have educators like Lori Line as Teach Factor Fellows,” said NIET Co-President and Chief Strategy Officer Patrice Pujol. “Their success advancing teacher leader roles and impacting achievement in schools like those in Goshen embodies The Teach Factor and serves as an example all schools, districts and states can follow.”

More information and resources, including videos from 12 Teach Factor Fellows like Line, are available by following @NIETteach on social media and at teachfactor.niet.org.

About NIET
Based on the knowledge and experience gained from two decades of on-the-ground implementation with TAP, combined with the growing demand for proven reforms in teacher and principal effectiveness, NIET supports schools, districts, universities and states with educator evaluation training, teacher leader certification modules linked to learning platforms and human capital management systems as well as tools and resources for educator preparation. Learn more at www.niet.org.

The annual Life Skills Prom was held at Goshen High School today. This year’s theme was Under the Sea.

GHS student council members, led by their sponsor Jaimie Pierce, assisted with decorating, serving lunch, and making sure everyone had a good time. Students from GHS, Northridge, Fairfield, Concord, and the Young Adult Program came to the prom dressed up and ready to dance!

Below, neighboring schools were welcomed to the prom by student council members.

The DJ from Epic Events kept things moving with some great music.

Many guests danced while other students were still arriving

As the host, GHS teacher Shane Mullett welcomed everyone, and provided instructions for lunch.

And then the student council members served lunch to the guests.

One student had a birthday, so they celebrated by inviting her to lead the conga line.

The Chicken Dance.

YMCA

And more dancing.

The day looked like a big success, with smiles all around!

In speaking with a Nikki Stump who has been substitute teaching in one of the classrooms, this is what she had to say: “The best part about Goshen High School is that the students treat the students with special needs just like everyone else. In fact, they embrace them and look out for them. This is a really caring school.”

A huge thank you to the teachers, sponsors, and students who helped to make this a very special day. Until next year…

ATTENTION: IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF GHS STUDENTS

On April 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th, some students at Goshen High School will be taking required state ISTEP and ECA tests. Because only selected students must take the exam, the rest of the students will participate in online learning partial days. This means that all students who are testing should arrive at their normal time. All other students do not have to arrive at GHS until 10:45 a.m. However, all students not testing will have assignments that need to be completed on their computer. These late start online learning days only apply to students who are not testing. If you are not certain if your child needs to participate in either test, please contact Goshen High School at 533-8651 or have them check with their SRT teacher, Guidance or the main office.

If your child rides a bus, the buses will run at the normal times. Students who are not testing will be allowed to work on the online assignment or other homework in the cafeteria. There will be no delayed buses those mornings. Again, if students choose not to arrive until 10:45 a.m., they will be responsible for their own transportation.

The reasons for these alternate schedules are to provide an excellent testing environment as well as to determine how Goshen High School might be able to use online learning days in the 2018-2019 school year when weather makes attendance at school impossible. Please feel free to contact the principal or any of the assistant principals. Their email addresses are found below. Thank you for your cooperation regarding the change in schedule on these days.

Dr. Barry Younghans byounghans@goshenschools.org
Mr. Brian Bechtel bbechtel@goshenschools.org
Mr. Dan Butler dbutler@goshenschools.org
Mr. Jim Pickard jpickard@goshenschools.org
Mr. Randy Carpenter rcarpenter@goshenschools.org

ATENCIÓN: INFORMACIÓN IMPORTANTE PARA TODOS LOS PADRES DE FAMILIA O TUTORES DE ESTUDIANTES DE GOSHEN HIGH SCHOOL

El 24, 25, 26 y 27 de abril, algunos estudiantes de la preparatoria Goshen High School harán los exámenes estatales requeridos ISTEP y ECA. Debido a que sólo los estudiantes seleccionados deben tomar el examen, el resto de los estudiantes tomarán clases en línea en días parciales. Esto significa que, todos los estudiantes que vayan a hacer el examen deben llegar en su horario normal. El resto de los estudiantes no tienen que llegar a GHS sino hasta las 10:45 a.m. Sin embargo, todos estos estudiantes que no hagan los exámenes tendrán que terminar sus tareas en su computadora. Estos días de entrada tarde, en donde los estudiantes tomarán clases en línea, solamente son para aquellos estudiantes que no harán los exámenes. Si usted no está seguro si su hijo tiene que hacer alguno de los exámenes, comuníquese a Goshen High School al 533-8651 o pídale que revise con el profesor de SRT, con el orientador escolar o en la dirección principal.

Si su hijo toma el autobús escolar, los autobuses saldrán a la hora normal. A los estudiantes que no tienen que hacer los exámenes, se les permitirá hacer su tarea en línea o cualquier otra tarea en la cafetería. Los autobuses no darán servicio más tarde esas mañanas. De nuevo, si los estudiantes prefieren llegar hasta las 10:45 a.m., tendrán que responsabilizarse por su propio transporte.

Las razones de estos horarios alternativos son las de proporcionar un excelente entorno para realizar evaluaciones, así como determinar cómo Goshen High School podría hacer funcionar las clases en línea en el año escolar 2018-2019, cuando el clima haga que el asistir a la escuela sea imposible. Por favor, no dude en ponerse en contacto conmigo o con cualquiera de los subdirectores. Nuestras direcciones de correo electrónico se encuentran a continuación. Gracias por su cooperación con respecto al cambio de horario en estos días.

Dr. Barry Younghans byounghans@goshenschools.org
Sr. Brian Bechtel bbechtel@goshenschools.org
Sr. Dan Butler dbutler@goshenschools.org
Sr. Jim Pickard jpickard@goshenschools.org
Sr. Randy Carpenter rcarpenter@goshenschools.org

The following was submitted to the Goshen News by Ron Weirich:

Kudos to GMS New Tech staff and students

As a former sixth-grade teacher at Goshen Middle Schools (21 years) and a total of 41 years in the classroom, I believe the following observation has merit.

On Wednesday, March 21, I was a guest teacher in the New Tech sixth-grade program. The final activity of the day was the entry event for the next New Tech project. It required all 125 students to move through the building to meet in the somewhat-crowded space of the media center. They were grouped at tables and separate chairs, some even needed to sit on the floor.

They were there to listen to the education coordinator from Potawatomi Zoo describe the vision for continuing growth and development of the zoo. She even brought an armadillo for the students to see up close-even touch! All in all, this kind of schedule disruption is very commonly difficult for staff because of students’ excitement and opportunity to act out. Following the talk and question/answer time, students were then asked to work at their tables and groups, completing an entry document that will focus their project. The project will develop ideas to make the zoo greener and provide new display spaces for some animals to be added to the zoo.

My reason for all of this description is to say that I cannot remember any group of that size (and age) who were more respectful, focused and quiet during transitions and presentation than what I experienced today. I found the students maintained decorum and their questions and documents indicate that some fantastic ideas and learning will come from these students. There is a possibility that a project from these bright kids could become a new display for Potawatomi Zoo.

Kudos to the New Tech staff and students for their modeling of respect and quality education practices.

Ron Weirich

Thank you, Ron, for taking the time to send this letter recognizing just some of the great students and staff at Goshen Middle School!

On Saturday, the preschool classes at Prairie View held their family showcase, where students led their families on a tour of their classroom and showed them all that they had been working on. Prairie View staff reported that they had a great turnout!

Click on the video below to see the presentation of the 2018 TAP Founder’s Award:

https://www.facebook.com/tami.hicks/videos/10160241820765541/?t=11

Parkside Elementary will host a C.L.A.S.S. Brain Web Day on Friday, May 11, 2018. Click on the link below to learn more about the workshop and to hear a personal message from Parkside students.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL0KMlKT0lg&feature=youtu.be

TEACHERS: Goshen Community Schools announces a local TEACHER RECRUITMENT EVENT to be held on Tuesday, March 27^th from 4:00-8:00 p.m. at Goshen High School, 401 Lincolnway East, Goshen, IN.

Preservice teachers and experienced teachers are welcome to attend!  Join us for part or all of the evening.  Learn more about opportunities within GCS and interview with Goshen Community Schools administrators, for available positions in 2018-19. 

Contact Sarah Deegan at sdeegan@goshenschools.org or at 574-533-8631 ext. 2030 to indicate your interest in attending and to receive additional details.

We invite you to come learn more about Goshen Community Schools. You might decide that teaching with a team of caring, highly-skilled, dedicated educators is just the right fit for you!

Student and staff recognition for March 12, 2018:

GHS senior wrestler Fernando “Nando” Flores-Nando was a Conference, Sectional, Regional and Semi-State Champion in his weight class. He placed 6^th at the State competition and finished with a career record of 151-28. He had a record of 45-5 on his senior season, which set a new school record. Congratulations, Nando!

Chandler student Olivia Salisbury-Olivia was honored for her generosity in hosting a meal for Chandler teachers on her birthday, instead of having a birthday party for herself. This is reportedly not the first time Olivia has shown her giving spirit, as last year she hosted a meal for local police on her birthday as well. Thank you, Olivia!

Rocco Olvera, Alyssa Campanello, Denys Lopez and Jace Hershberger, representing the students who partnered with Lippert to send shoe kits to Uganda through the Soul Hope project.

Heather Turner and Karrie Goelz were the GMS teachers who partnered with Lippert to send shoe kits to Uganda. Leah Benavente, Ashley Jordan and Michilah Grimes represented Lippert Components.

The GMS students started their New Tech project “learning about countries, exports and imports, what materials we could trade, about war, and  about how war affects people who live in war-torn countries”. As they studied about Uganda, they learned about kids who have to travel many miles to get water. As they walk for water, there are many insects that are potential hazards to people walking barefoot. One of those hazardous insects is jiggers. Jiggers can burrow into the souls of feet of those walking barefoot on marshy ground. The Soul Hope project uses old denim to make shoes, some of which go to the people in Uganda, so that they will  not get jiggers. The GMS students collected jeans, cut out the patterns for the shoes, and will now send the kits away to be made into shoes through Soul Hope. They thanked the people representing Lippert Components, who helped collect many pairs of jeans to donate toward the project.