Ripley Publishing Company

October 25, 2012

Brinson honored as Educator of the Year at South Ripley School Board meeting

Cindy Ward
Staff Writer

The South Ripley School Board met Monday, October 15, for its regular business meeting. Superintendent Rob Moorhead recognized elementary teacher, Marsha Brinson, for being named Educator of the Year by the Ripley County Chamber of Commerce.

Brinson was presented with a certificate of recognition and a gift bag. Moorhead thanked her for her hard work. Brinson responded by saying that she loves teaching and loves her job at South Ripley Elementary.

Under personnel, the following changes were unanimously approved:

• Create a general fund position of High Ability Instructional Assistant for 6.5 hours per day, for the rest of the 2012-13 school year. The hourly rate will be $21 per hour.

• Hire a lunch room supervisor for one hour per day at an experienced aide rate of $12.57 per hour for the rest of the 2012-13 school year, funded by the general fund.

• Becky Roepke to fill the position of High Ability Instructional Assistant and to fill the position of the one hour lunch room supervisor position, effective October 22.

• Julie McKittrick to fill the FMLA leave of Mary Ann Geisler, retroactive to September 14. She will be paid her current aide rate for the first 15 days of the leave, and then the applicable teacher rate for the remainder of the leave. An emergency special education permit will need to be filed for McKittrick.

• John Kalb to fill the FMLA leave of Holly Swinney from around October 29 through the end of the first semester. Kalb will be paid the substitute rate for the first 15 days of the assignment and then applicable teacher rate for the remainder of the leave, per the master contract.

• Resignation of Christy Moore from her part-time aide position, effective September 21.

Under financial concerns, the following was unanimously approved:

• Adoption of the 2013 general, transportation, debt service, capital projects, bus replacement, and rainy day fund budgets, levies, and rates.

• Adoption of the three-year capital projects plan.

• Adoption of the 12-year bus replacement plan.

• Approval of a resolution authorizing a reduction in the appropriation of $31,472.00 in the 2012 bus replacement plan. This is to clear out the appropriation that will not be spent in 2012, allowing a larger amount to be approved in 2013 for future bus purchases.

In other business, the following was unanimously approved:

• To open the weight room on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-8 p.m., beginning Tuesday, November 6, through Thursday, December 20. The weight room will be open to adults of the South Ripley community on these days. The additional hours open will be assigned to existing custodial staff. Hours will be increased by four hours per week.

• Approval of the RISE evaluation documents, which will include RISE Indiana principal effectiveness rubric, RISE Indiana teacher effectiveness rubric 2.0, professional school counselor effectiveness rubric, Association of Indiana School Library Educators school librarian evaluation rubric, and ISBA/IAPSS Indiana superintendent evaluation rubric.

While board member, Jim Miller, voted yes for the approval of the RISE evaluation documents, he did state reservations regarding the longevity of the RISE evaluation system.

Principal Bob Meyer explained a program to the board that is being extended to South Ripley athletes to allow for a free heart test. Meyer's son, Doug, was diagnosed as a student athlete with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Doug Meyer and wife, Courtney, have formed a non-profit organization offering student athletes in the Indianapolis area schools a free EKG to test for this medical condition. Both are graduates of South Ripley and would like to extend this same program to South Ripley student athletes.

The program would be offered on a voluntary basis with parental consent and no cost to the student athletes or their families. Meyer plans to bring more information and seek approval for this program at the November meeting.

Lana Miller, business manager, informed the board that the Consortium health insurance renewal rates for 2013 will include an eight percent increase due to large claims filed in 2012.

Superintendent Rob Moorhead informed the board that the ISBA Fall Region meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 30.

Board member Becky Turner expressed concern about the outdoor lighting at the high school. Moorhead agreed to check into the matter and make sure lighting is working properly.

Board member Randy McIntosh scheduled an administrative/non-certified salary and benefits committee meeting for Wednesday, November 7.

Attending the meeting were Superintendent Rob Moorhead; school attorney, Merritt Alcorn; business manager, Lana Miller; and board members Gil Landwehr, Randy McIntosh, Jim Miller, Tim Taylor and Becky Turner.

The next regularly scheduled school board meeting will be Monday, November 19.

KAREN REYNOLDS PHOTO

Marsha Brinson was presented with a certificate of recognition and a gift bag by board member, Tim Taylor (right) for her achievement being named as Eductor of the Year by the Ripley County Chamber of Commerce.

Keep your ghosts and goblins safe on Halloween

Cindy Ward
Staff Writer

Halloween is always a favorite holiday among boys, girls and goblins. But for parents, the fun of black cats and witch's brews can be dampened by real-world horror stories. Though it's likely that most of the people your children will meet on Halloween are good people, it's still smart to follow some simple ideas to ensure your children are safe.

First, choose the right costume. While your kids try to figure out the perfect thing to be for Halloween, you can help ensure that whatever they decide on, it will be as safe as possible. Whether you make your children's costumes or buy them from a store, there are a few safety points to consider.

Your child should have his or her full range of vision at all times. Crossing streets and weaving around in large Halloween crowds safely requires a clear line of sight. Avoid masks or anything else that might interfere with that.

Costumes should also allow your child to move freely. A costume that is too constricting not only makes it easier for your child to fall, but it also makes it harder for a child to run from a dangerous situation should he or she need to.

Make sure that your child can bend his/her knees and elbows in their costume, turn their head and sit down. Remember, most store-bought costumes are manufactured according to generic sizes; so, if you buy a costume from the store, make sure that when your child is wearing it, there are no pinch points or tight areas that could cause problems.

Children who will be trick-or-treating door-to-door should abide by the following to ensure a safe Halloween experience:

• Obey all traffic signals and watch out for cars.

• Carry something that glows in the dark or a flashlight.

• Stick close to home

• Only go to homes with the porch light on.

• Trick-or-treat with family members and friends.

• Never go inside a stranger's home.

• Carry a cell phone for emergencies.

The best way to keep your children safe on Halloween is to accompany them on their trick-or-treating adventure. Having a parent present not only protects children from being bullied or manipulated, it also discourages any mischievous ideas that older children may have on Halloween night.

Make sure to plan a safe route of neighbors and friends to visit during the trick-or-treating hours. Also, screen the treats that your children collect by checking them for signs of tampering before children enjoy it.

One of the best jobs on Halloween night is to stay home, pass out the candy and see all of the imaginative costumes. Here are some tips for folks passing out the goodies to help ensure the kids in the neighborhood have a safe and enjoyable experience.

Turn your light on if you have candy and turn it off when you do not. The first thing a trick-or-treater looks for is houses that have their door light on. If you forget to turn on your light, you might spend all night with your bowl of candy and no kids.

Many people have screen doors .These types of doors are great for passing out candy. Just drop both the glass and the screen so the top part is open. When the little visitors come to the door, just open the main door, and pass the candy through the top of the screen door.

This is especially a good idea if you have pets. On Halloween, dogs like to greet the trick-or-treaters, but that can cause stress for you, and for small frightened children.

Move pumpkins off the porch and pathway to avoid a trip hazard. One thing you don't want on Halloween is a child injured from falling over a pumpkin or other decoration on your property. Halloween costumes are sometimes difficult to walk in, and their vision may be obstructed due to masks. Make sure that there is nothing in their path that they can trip over.

Following just a few simple ideas can keep children safe on Halloween and prevent danger from happening. The best Halloween safety advice that anyone can follow is to use common sense. By taking simple safety precautions, the only horror stories you have to worry about on Halloween night involve ghosts and goblins.

Trick-or-treat will be from 5-7 p.m., Wednesday, October 31, in Versailles, Osgood, Milan, Friendship, Napoleon and Holton. Versailles will hold its annual Halloween Parade and Costume Contest at 7 p.m. beginning at the American Legion Post.

To read these and more articles pick up a copy of The Versailles Republican at your local store or subscribe by clicking on the link above or by calling 812-689-6364.

Ripley Publishing Company, Inc.

115 S. Washington Street P.O. Box 158 Versailles, Indiana 47042	Phone: (812) 689-6364 Fax: (812) 689-6508
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