The Rising Sun Ohio County School Board approved the 21st century budget for summer camp and latchkey program at its Thursday, March 8th.
Superintendent Branden Roeder answered questions on Facebook about the program.
Time to Shine Camp is a summer-long program free to parents (paid through a grant) that will include swimming, field trips, family fun events, academic enrichment, etc.
The camp will run all summer long from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Limited bus transportation will be available. The meeting March 19 at 6:00 p.m. in the OCEMS cafeteria for more information and to sign your child(ren) up for the program. Students must be signed up for Kindergarten for the 2018-2019. The program also includes grades first to sixth grade for the 2018-2019 school year.
There have been some questions pertaining to the changes to the preschool program for the 2018-2019 school year.
1. How old does my child have to be to attend? Kids have to be 4 years old by Aug 1, 2018 to attend and also need to be potty trained.
2. How much will the program cost? The program is free for any child that attends a minimum of 3 half days per week on average.
3. Is this Transitional Kindergarten? No. We will not offer transitional Kindergarten as the state no longer allows this program. The state does allow for preschool education though.
4. Is lunch/breakfast free? No. Parents are required to pay for breakfast and/or lunch or pack unless the child qualifies for free or reduced lunch.
5. What are the hours? Half day programs run from 8:00-10:45. Full day programs run from 8:00-3:00. Students must attend morning sessions as most of the academic time will be in the morning and this is the intent of the program. After school latchkey is free which runs from 3-5:30 and is optional for parents.
6. Will there be bus service? Kids will have the option of bus transportation in the morning and afternoon. Preschool kids are required to wear seatbelts on our buses which each bus will have.
7. Will my child gets specials? Yes. Kids will receive Art, Gym, Music, and Library.
8. Will my child have the option to take a nap? Yes. Each day, kids will lay down to either watch a movie and/or nap.
9. How long has RS had a preschool? The 2018-2019 school year will be our 4th year.
10. What are the benefits of the RS program? Students get academic time from a experienced, certified teacher. Also, the program allows the students to learn school rules, where areas are in the school, etc. prior to entering Kindergarten. Students are working on mastering parts of the Kindergarten curriculum.
For more information and also to enroll your child on March 15 at either 4:00 and/or 6:00.
In personnel matters, Brian Graham resigned after 14 years as varsity and reserve boys basketball coach.
Classified staff was given the choice to be paid hourly or spread out over 12 months.
A special education position at the high school with half of the pay coming from ROD (Ripley-Ohio Dearborn).
The board is looking for bids on devices for kindergarten through second grade.
Roeder showed a new smart board (smart TV) which will be used at the high school. The board approved the purchase of two mini buses.
He reported that LED lighting at the high school saved $1300 and $700 in the middle school gym. He is seeking a grant for $40,000 to help in the cost of the lighting.