April 12, 2012 I The Lovell Chronicle I 7
Sam Woodis
zcis named an
E,00I I1 jazzman
BY DAVID PECK
Rocky Mountain sophomore Sam Woodis recently au-
ditioned for and was accepted into the Wyoming All-State
Jazz Band.
Woodis sent in a tape that included three prepared
pieces of music, plus scales, he said, and one of the pieces
included improvisational work.
His work paid off as he was named first chair tenor
saxophone in the honor band.
"I was pretty happy about that," he said.
Woodis and his fellow All-State Jazz Band musicians
performed in Powell at the Northwest Jazz Festival on
Thursday, March 29. Woodis had a number of solos dur-
ing the concert.
"It was a great experience because everybody there is
really good at what they do," he said of the rehearsals and
concert. The select band rehearsed all day on Wednesday,
March 28, and until lunch on March 29.
The Rocky Mountain Jazz Choir performed during the
festival, as did the Lovell High School Jazz Band.
The son of Debra Fuller and Dexter and Lisa Woodis,
Sam said he would like to continue in music after high
school. He playsa number of instruments: all of the saxo-
phone family, flute, clarinet, bass guitar and piano.
Yellowstone Weavers and
Spinners Guild meet April 14
The Yellowstone Weavers and Spinners Guild will
meet Saturday, April 14, at 9:30 a.m. at the Garland Com-
munity Center. Inkle weaving will be taught by Vernice
Myers.
In addition to the program there will be a potluck
lunch, show and tell of members' latest projects and a busi-
ness meeting. Guests are always welcome. For more in-
formation call 307-587-6448 or 307-754-5898.
To all of our wonderful volunteers...
Please join us for
VOLUNTEER
APPRECIATION DAY
Friday, April 20 at noon
to honor you, our volunteers.
q4orth Big qq-orn Senior Center
757-Great Western Avenue, Lovell, WY 82431
Volunteer meals courtesy of Bank of Lovell 307-548-6556
Need an OBIGYN?
,o.or .re0,eo°. M.D.
OB/GYN
If you'd like to make an
appointment, please call
754-7257 or 1-888-284-9308
777 Ave H • www.pvhc.org
TRUCK DRIVERS WANTED:
This is an opportunity for local truck drivers to have a long term
career without leaving the community. Hours: 65-70 hours per
week. Day and Night Shifts available. Excellent benefit package is
available after probation period. LOOKING FOR: Water Haulers,
Winch Truck Drivers, Hot Oiler Drivers. MUST BE 21 YEARS
OF AGE DUE TO COMPANY INSURANCE, HAVE A VALID
CDL CLASS A and CLEAN DRIVING RECORD. MUST HAVE
AT LEAST 12 MONTHS VERIFIABLE DRIVING EXPERIENCE
WITHIN THE LAST 3 YEARS OF WORK. MUST BE ABLE TO
PASS DRUG, ALCOHOL and BACKGROUND SCREENING.
Call 307-358-5239 or Apply at: www.awwaterservice.com
SCHOOL continued from
monitor all of the equipment associ-
ated with the HVAC systems in three
school buildings. Now he can moni-
tor the temperature of every room in
each-school on a computer screen and
even adjust the thermostats remote-
ly for each area. He can also monitor
all of the equipment to make sure it
is working properly, including from
home when necessary. Massine said
the technology allows him to run the
systems more cost-effectively than in
the past and to detect problems sooner
than in the past. Detecting problems
sooner means less "down time" to deal
with those problems that in some cases
can actually disrupt the school's sched-
ule.
SCHOOL FACILITIES REMODEL
Coe reported on the progress of the
facility remodel project noting that he
has worked with school facilities de-
partment to reduce some of the steps
required to move forward with the dis-
trict's ongoing remodel projects. Coe
was able to eliminate a number of
"bureaucratic hoops" (26 versus eight
steps) by reminding the SFD that the
project is an "existing project that has
been broken into phases that have al-
ready been approved." Coe successfully
convinced the SFD that many of those
hurdles have already been passed, al-
lowing the school to eliminate certain
steps in the approval process that
could create delays in the construction
schedule.
Coe noted that he also received a
letter on Tuesday from director of the
SFD that was sent to all schools in the
state that would be utilizing funds sup-
plied through the SFD. The letter not-
ed that new language in the funding
contracts for school construction proj-
ects will require the schools to work
with the SFD on a report that outlines
how the project will maximize cost sav-
ings, optimize Wyoming workforce op-
portunities and how it will conform
with statewide standards. The Gover-
nor will then approve the schedule out-
lined in the report before any projects
can begin. Coe was unsure about what
kind of delays could result with the ad-
dition of this step in the process. Coe
will be meeting with the SFD in Chey-
enne on May 4 to discuss the details of
the new requirement and how it will
impact the district's construction time-
line.
"We're going to get this resolved
so we can get started," said Coe. "We'll
get started, it's just a matter of when.
For the SFD to have our contract ap-
proved with our architects by the mid-
dle of April is in jeopardy at this point
and when we'll be able to get a con-
tract signed is uncertain at this time.
We should know better after the May
4 meeting."
Coe also presented two bids for
summer projects that are scheduled to
begin when school lets out. The board
voted to accept the lowest bid to re-
place lighting and perform other elec-
trical work at the elementary school
from Acker Electric of Cody. The bid
was far less than the budget anticipat-
ed, coming in at $171,200.
The board also voted to accept a bid
from Jim's Building Service in Powell
page 1
to perform a combination of small proj-
ects, including replacing wall panel-
ing in the gym, replacing countertops
and remodeling bathrooms to the tune
of $197,999. Although the bid came in
over budget, it was still by far the low-
est of all the bids received and the two
projects together brought the budget
in some $100,000 lower than the esti-
mate the architects had originally pro-
jected for the projects.
Coe noted that overwhelming re-
sponse by so many contractors to bid
on small jobs like this made for a high-
ly competitive bidding situation, that
worked favorably for the district.
Coe asked the board to schedule a
general finance meeting to discuss gen-
eral funding the district expects to re-
ceive. He noted that the district's ADM
(average daily membership) was calcu-
lated at 697 students. Since the ADM
showed an increase of 13 students, it
gives the district an estimate of $10.3
million in funding for the school year
2012-13. According to Coe, this is an
increase of $110,000 from the previous
year. He was pleased that the school
would receive this relatively small in-
crease, since there will be no external
cost adjustment given to schools in the
coming year.
KINDERGARTEN READINESS
AND SCREENING
Lovell Elementary School prin-
cipal Cheri Hoffman led a discussion
about how the school is preparing for
students who will be entering kinder-
garten for the first time in the fall. She
distributed copies of screening mate-
rials that are being submitted to local
pre-schools and head start programs
that will help staff prepare for special
needs that some of the students may
have when entering elementary school
for the first time. The screening check-
list looked at actual skills like the abil-
ity to recognize upper and lowercase
letters, identify colors, shapes and ad-
equate pencil grip, as well as motor
skills like the ability to cut a straight
and curved line. It also screened for be-
havi0rs that might require additional
support like the ability to stay in a seat
and to stay on task.
Hoffman expressed that she felt
knowing this information in advance
would allow her staff to quickly ad-
dress any special needs the children
may have, facilitating a smooth tran-
sition into the elementary school en-
vironment.
A proposal to dismiss kindergar-
ten students early during the first
two weeks of school was presented by
familiar with expectations of their
classroom, which would make them
be better prepared to deal with a full-
day routine as a result of the proposed
transition phase. The board voted to
approve the proposal.
Lovell Middle School Principal
Sherie Monk presented a proposal
that would increase the amount of
time students spend in the classroom
from 45 minutes to 60 minutes, along
with changes to the class rotation that
would only result in students spend-
ing several minutes extra in school
each day. She also proposed that the
lunch hour be moved up so that hun-
gry students would be better able to
concentrate on their studies rather
than their growling stomachs. She
noted that in her own informal sur-
vey of both students and teachers, the
change was met with enthusiastic re-
sponse. The board approved her pro-
posal.
Curriculum Director Nancy Cer-
roni reviewed the test schedule for
students. She noted that she received
positive comments from students who
just completed the PAWS test and
noted that the next test for students
will be the MAP test. She noted that
the MAP testing is done in both the
fall and spring and is the only test
that allows the school staff to mea-
sure progress of the students over the
course of the school year.
Students will also participate in
a trial test (referred to as SASW) of
the state's assessment test for writ-
ing skills. All students in the state of
Wyoming will participate in the trial
test. The trial is designed to allow test
makers the ability to modify the test
in a way that will yield meaningful
results based on data received dur-
ing the trial. Although the school will
not see the results of the trial, Cer-
roni felt it would give the school staff
a "heads-up" on what to expect when
the new test is administered for the
first time as one of the new measure-
ments under the new school account-
ability rules.
"This year they are just test-
ing the test," explained Cerroni. "It
doesn't count for anything because it
is a field trial test."
In other matters, LHS Student
Body President Leanne Winterholler
reviewed some of the projects the stu-
dents have been working on including
a film about what makes the school
special, preparation for a volleyball
tournament to be held on April 19 and
the planning of end-of-the-year social
activities like a barbecue, ice cream
Hoffman and kindergarten teachers :' 'social and movie night.
Marilyn Tillett and Sandy Bush. Td ;' Cerroni presented her recommefi=
proposal was developed by all four
kindergarten teachers, which includ-
ed Codi Gines and Amanda Floy, who
were not present at the meeting.
The teachers noted in their pro-
posal that the first two weeks of kin-
dergarten can be very challenging for
many students who have difficultly
in the beginning adjusting to the full-
day schedule. Benefits cited were that
students would attend at first only
during their optimal time of day, have
time to become acquainted with the
new school environment and become
dations for three new middle school
science books to the board. The books
were approved based on her recom-
mendation.
Coe announced that only one
teacher, Austin Gibbons, accepted an
offer of early retirement to teachers
who were eligible due to tenure. Teach-
ers who are currently on part-time sta-
tus will fill Gibbons' position inter-
nally. Rebecca Moncur asked that the
gratitude felt by the board for Gibbons'
many years of service to the school be
relayed to him on behalf of the board.
to School!
School District #2
n Screening
Screening for school readiness and registration
Tuesday, April 17 and Wednesday, April 18
Lovell Elementary School
8:30-11:30 am and 1-2:30 pm by appointment only!
Call 548.2247 for appointment.
Students must be 5 by Sept. 15 to register for school.
For registration you must provide your child's:
• Social Security number
• Immunization records
• State certified copy of birth certificate
Big Horn County Public Health offers immunization clinics on Thursdays at the North Big Horn
nioriCitizens Building. Please call them at 548-6571 or your health care provider to schedule
an appointment for your child's kindergarten shots.
Become a part of the Child Identification process
having trouble at home or in school? Your child
may havea problem that may prevent him/her from learning success-
fully. Please call Special Services at 548-6563.
program designed to locate and assess
through 21. The purpose of this program is
lildren who need special education and related
appropriate services at an early age.
Find activities?
, Public awareness programs to alert parents and community members who over-
see or work with young children to facilitate early diagnosis and services.
i • ning of all children beginning in kindergarten.
• Standardized testing of children enrolled in school.
• ObservatiOn and referral of children by classroom teachers.
