Written by Pam Mort, parent of a TVHS graduate

I am the mother of a 2017 graduate of Tippecanoe Valley High School.  I would like to say THANK YOU to all the teachers for doing such a great job with our children and to share my feelings about a couple of the activities and teachers that touched my child’s life in a significant way.

Let’s begin with the Viking Guard. Band is not just a class…it is a way of teaching discipline, guidance, acceptance and being a secondary family. With that thought in mind Miss Janell Riner is the second mother to all of these kids. I want to say thank you to her for making each and every single one of them feel like they belonged and like they should take pride in their work, in their community and in their accomplishments. She will be a part of our lives for many years to come and she should know that she touched each of the kids in the band both in mind and in heart!

The dedication that Mr. Mark Williamson and Mrs. Katie Williamson show and the personal time they take for the students is amazing! From allowing them to be creative and use their imagination to the encouragement and teaching of life skills these two teach our children some of the most wonderful skills needed to make their lives successful and to help change the world for the better. They teach them that all things are possible if you try and that the world is only limited by what limits you place upon yourself. They teach them to be accepting of others and of their own faults. They teach them to laugh at mistakes and yet learn from them at the same time. They encourage the students to use their imagination to see things in ways that maybe others don’t see and to think outside the box. These are important life skills and ones that will allow them to do great things with their lives.

Mr. Jeff Shriver’s total support of the students is awesome! His work with the Archery Club outstanding! He takes these kids and his time before school and teaches them to work as a team! He shows them that people from all walks of life can bond together with encouragement and commitment to succeed. He takes pride in their accomplishments and encourages them to know that no one is perfect and that they don’t need to be as long as they do their best. He supports them, praises them and guides them when they need it while still allowing them to make their mistakes. There is no judgement in his interactions. He shows the kids respect and treats them as young adults, not in a negative way but in a positive way. That respect is mutual and evident in everything they do.

It is the dreamers of the world that will make the changes and growth we need to succeed as a people and it is people like the above mentioned teachers that create those dreamers! THANK YOU!

Valley Insight is a recurring monthly article written by administrators on a variety of topics related to education and the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation. Articles will be posted to the district’s website and also shared with the local media.

The Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation (TVSC) will hold on-site registration for the 2017-2018 school year at each of its schools on July 25 and July 27.

Akron Elementary, Mentone Elementary, Tippecanoe Valley High School and Tippecanoe Valley Middle School will each hold on-site registration from noon to 8 p.m. on those days for new and returning students. Akron Elementary’s on-site registration will take place at the Akron Carnegie Public Library located at 205 East Rochester Street. Registration can also be done online any time after July 17 at http://www.tippecanoevalleyschools.com/enrollment.

Returning Tippecanoe Valley students must have a snap code in order register. Snap codes will be mailed out July 17. Parents and guardians who lost or did not receive a snap code should call the school their child will be attending to obtain one. During registration, parents can also make textbook payments either with cash or check.

August 7 is the deadline for students to have immunizations completed for the upcoming school year.  Students in all grade levels must meet the requirements determined by the Indiana State Department of Health. These requirements extend to children ages three to five that will be attending special education programs, child care, or preschool in a TVSC building.

“In Indiana, the only exemptions allowed are for medical or religious reasons. Each one has specific rules for filing these exemptions with the school,” said Debbie Potter, head nurse for Tippecanoe Valley.

Parents of students enrolling in a school for the first time need to provide a written immunization record. As new immunizations are required for students in six through twelfth grades, parents also need to provide written proof to the school that the updated shots have been completed.

The complete list of immunizations required for the new school year can be found on the Indiana Children and Hoosier Immunization Registry Program website and on the Tippecanoe Valley website. Nurses will be available during school registration hours in July if parents need help.

Enrollment for non-resident transfer students is also currently underway at Tippecanoe Valley. A non-resident transfer student is one whose legal settlement is not within the boundaries of the school corporation and would like to attend any TVSC school. Non-resident transfer student applications can be found on the school corporation’s website under the “easy enrollment” link in the middle of the homepage.

In addition to on-site enrollment on July 25 and July 27, Mentone Elementary is planning an open house on Thursday, Aug. 3, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. This is an opportunity for students and parents to tour the school, meet teachers and obtain more information about the upcoming school year. Akron Elementary will not have an open house this year due to construction.

Written by Cory Cooper, assistant principal, Tippecanoe Valley Middle School

Cellphones are ubiquitous and children seem to keep getting them at a younger age. While there is no denying that cellphones can bring convenience and peace of mind when used as a way for a parent to safely check in on their child, or when children need a ride or forget something important on field trip day; it is also true that cellphones in the hands of children and teenagers come with a host of potential issues.

In my three years as a school administrator, I’ve been educated on these issues by the FBI, local and State Police agencies, lawyers, other school personnel, outside presenters and most importantly by the students who attend my school.  The dangers of technology are something these groups typically speak about in their presentations, particularly regarding cell phones and social media. Before cellphones, parents could more easily monitor who was part of their child’s life and what their children were involved in.  The evolution of technology has made it more difficult for parents to stay in the loop and help their children protect their personal information and keep it from getting into the wrong hands. There are several reasons for that: sharing information is extremely easy; not all parents are tech savvy, so it can be fairly easy for some children to get around any safeguards that their parents have put in place; and the appearance of popular social media apps that are intended to hide communications, such as Snapchat.

Indeed, parents now have to worry about online sexual predators who can track their children’s location, students who cyberbully or harass other students, access to vulgar content, inappropriate conversations with strangers, and the possibility of identity theft.

Certain issues such as cyberbullying, harassment online and sexting tend to be brought to school, in which case it can greatly disrupt the learning environment of all involved. Schools are required by law to maintain a safe and undisrupted learning environment and many are finding that their teachers and administrators are spending a great deal of time managing disruptions from cell phones and severe social media issues that walk in the doors every day. As a result, many schools have instituted cellphone policies and students who violate them can get their phones confiscated and lose the right to bring it back to school. If the violation is serious the school or individual being harassed will contact the police.

Although it can be difficult, even for the most involved parents, to supervise their child’s online presence at all times, there are resources and tools that can make this easier. There are apps and software that can help monitor the content of messages and social media posts. Some devices, internet service providers, and software offer the ability to restrict the type of content accessed and even set time limits, but none of these are completely foolproof.  What is most important is to have conversations with children early on about digital citizenship, set age-appropriate rules so that they know not to give away their personal information, show them how to recognize bullying and harassment and how to report it, and teach them how to keep a positive online presence.

The following resources will help you get the conversation started:

https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/

http://www.pacer.org/publications/bullypdf/BP-27.pdf

https://elearningindustry.com/the-teacher-guide-to-keeping-students-safe-online

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/11/how-to-keep-kids-safe-online-children-advice

http://puresight.com/Pedophiles/Online-Predators/online-predators-what-can-you-do-to-protect-your-kids.html

Please remember that information posted and shared online stays online forever.  Bad online behavior can come back to haunt students and cost them opportunities. Prospective schools and employers often check an individual’s online presence before making a decision on them, as several would-be Harvard students recently found out.

Pictured: Cory Cooper

Valley Insight is a recurring monthly article written by administrators on a variety of topics related to education and the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation. Articles will be posted to the district’s website and also shared with the local media.

Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation (TVSC) and Lutheran Health Network Kosciusko Community Hospital (KCH) are entering into a 10-year partnership to help advance wellness-based programs and services throughout the school corporation and the community.

The partnership, officially announced on June 3, will focus on the needs of all K-12 students, staff and the communities TVSC serves in two primary areas; mental health/wellness and physical health/wellness.

Initiatives derived from the partnership will be centered on the theme Partners in Wellness. Strength in Community. The partnership will allow TVSC priority access to many of the programs and services provided by Lutheran Health Network KCH.

A committee comprised of members from both organizations was formed to assess the current needs of the school corporation. Immediate plans are to upgrade the playground areas at the Burket Educational Center and Mentone Elementary School and to bring the Student Assistance Program to all TVSC schools. The Student Assistance Program was created to provide Tippecanoe Valley High School students two free pre-paid sessions of counseling at any Bowen Center outpatient location.

“We also hope to pursue the possibility of an on-site health clinic that will benefit TVSC employees and possibly partners within the community. Enhancing the Valley Strong strength and conditioning program is another area of need,” said Brett Boggs, TVSC superintendent.

The school corporation also hopes to provide through the partnership additional work and career-based experiences for students in the medical field and more education on nutrition and healthy eating.

“As we continue to grow our partnerships with area schools, we look forward to working with Tippecanoe Valley schools through this long-term relationship. We anticipate providing health education opportunities and enhancing health care services for both the school system and community, “said Kirk Ray, CEO at Kosciusko Community Hospital.

TVSC will also be bringing additional site-based counseling services to its schools through the partnership to assist in meeting an ever-growing need focused on mental health and wellness.

“The Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation is pleased to form this partnership with Lutheran/KCH.  The partnership promises to benefit our students, staff and the community for many years to come,” said Boggs.

Kosciusko County Community Foundation is pleased to announce a $100,000 grant to help Tippecanoe Valley, Warsaw, Wawasee and Whitko School Corporations expand counseling services to students in all grade levels. The grant will benefit more than 13,000 students served by the four corporations.

Each of the corporations received a planning grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. as part of their Comprehensive Counseling Initiative for Indiana K-12 Students. Each corporation has submitted an implementation grant proposal to Lilly Endowment in order to put into action the strategies developed during the planning grant phase.

The grant from Kosciusko County Community Foundation will help the school corporations demonstrate to Lilly Endowment local support for the expansion of counseling services, but can be used whether or not the corporations are awarded implementation grants from Lilly Endowment.

Superintendents expressed appreciation for the support of their initiatives.

“On behalf of the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation I wish to sincerely thank the Kosciusko County Community Foundation for the grant to expand counseling services within our schools,” said Brett Boggs, Tippecanoe Valley Schools Superintendent. “Funds from the grant will assist in the development of a well-developed scope and sequence school counseling curriculum, providing the means and structure necessary to meaningfully impact students’ social-emotional health.  A robust mentoring program – supported by local businesses, churches, and community stakeholders – will provide students access to caring individuals who will support and encourage personal excellence while helping negate negative childhood experiences.”

“Warsaw Community Schools is so thankful to the Kosciusko County Community Foundation for the generous investment in our greater community,” said Dr. David Hoffert, Superintendent of Warsaw Community Schools. “Throughout our strategic planning in the fall of 2016, it became evident mental health and wellness of students must become a priority for the greater good of our schools and community.  During the last nine months, intensive preparation has gone into the initiative.  This grant will help us get this critical initiative off the ground.  We are so thankful for the foundation’s foresight.”

“Wawasee Schools is excited about partnering with the Kosciusko County Community Foundation to address counseling and mental health services for our students,” said Dr. Tom Edington, Wawasee Schools Superintendent. “We are fortunate we live in such a giving and caring county!”

“Whitko wants to thank the Community Foundation for the grant supporting our counseling efforts,” said Steve Clason, Superintendent of Whitko Community Schools. “The grant will further our efforts to create an early intervention process for students and families that are experiencing social or emotional trauma in their lives. The program supported will have three major aspects, family outreach by our schools, community resource coordination to assist our students and families and finally continued support. Truly the community is coming together to support our students and we appreciate the foundation backing our efforts as partners in making our communities stronger.”

The $100,000 grant was allocated based on school enrollment:

Since 1968, Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Inc. has helped donors achieve their charitable dreams. The Community Foundation is a public charity that grants over $2 million annually in the areas of education, health, arts and culture, recreation, civic projects, environment and human services. Gifts made to the Community Foundation are tax-deductible. For more information, visit www.KCFoundation.org, call 574-267-1901 or visit 102 E. Market Street, Warsaw.

Pictured (left to right): Brett Boggs, Tippecanoe Valley Schools; Rob Parker, KCCF Board Secretary; Sally Mahnken, KCCF Board President; Jennifer Hollar, KCCF Grant Committee Chair; Dr. Tom Edington, Wawasee Schools; and Dr. David Hoffert, Warsaw Schools.

Schools throughout the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation celebrated Unified Game Day on May 8 at the Tippecanoe Valley High School track.

Unified Game Day is part of Unified Champion Schools, a 12-week program recently launched by Special Olympics Indiana, with the focus of providing youngsters with different physical activities that lead to improved skills and fitness.

Students ages two to seven participated in activity stations during Unified Game Day, while students ages eight and up participated in track and field activities. A closing ceremony and awards program were also held.

The Unified Champion Schools program is designed to implement a physical education curriculum with activities that promote motor, cognitive, social and emotional skill development as well as inclusion of students with and without disabilities.

Unified Game Day was one of the last components of the program. The event gave students the time to demonstrate and celebrate the skills they have practiced and learned.

Video produced by Inga Omondi, instructional coach, Akron Elementary