Month: October 2015

New era of digital learning at Heritage High School

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Article and photo by Micheal Rios

The Marysville School District (MSD) began a new one-to-one initiative that will span the entire month of October and put a Chromebook computer in the hands of more than 5,500 students in grades 6 through 12. As part of the roll-out, Tulalip Heritage High School was the first school chosen to receive the latest and greatest generation of HP Chromebooks. With the lightning fast Chrome OS, 8-second boot-up time, and over eight hours of battery life, the Chromebooks provide the versatility teachers need and the technology students want.

“We are thrilled about the limitless learning possibilities using Chromebook,” said MSD Superintendent Becky Berg. “With support of our Marysville and Tulalip communities, we are investing in the technological tools of today that will help our students become tomorrow’s leaders. Technology continues to change rapidly. We are equipping our student to be active, contributing citizens in a digital world.”

According to an MSD press release, the devices are fully funded by a technology levy approved by district voters in 2014. Preparations for the Chromebook initiative began with last year’s upgrade of the district’s wireless Internet infrastructure. Since then, MSD partnered with a local Marysville company, Advanced Classroom Technologies, to install more than 60 miles of network cabling. The system went live in March 2015, and now all district facilities have Wi-Fi available to the students and community during non-school hours.

So whether you are at school campus to watch a sporting event, attending an afterhours activity, or just sticking around to do homework or research, you can now connect to a free, public Wi-Fi that becomes available at the end of the school day. This is a huge benefit for students and their fellow community members who don’t have an available internet connection at home.

Students will be allowed to take and use the Chromebook devices at home following the school day and use them on home or public Internet connections. Even if they’re used outside of the district, the devices have built-in content filtering as required by law.

The Chromebooks initiative will change the instructional learning environment for the students at Heritage, while keeping information and their resources constantly up-to-date. Think of how people generally learn new methods and strategies in today’s digital era. We will search Google, Wikipedia or YouTube to learn something in the moment. Moving away from the traditional model of teachers as ‘the fountains of knowledge’, MSD wants the students to be more independent and active in their knowledge development. Students will no longer have to rely necessary on their teacher or an outdated textbook to deliver content anymore. Instead, teachers will be facilitating use of the ever-expanding wealth of knowledge available via Chromebooks.

Scott Beebe, MSD Technology Directory, says 140 teachers received professional development training (e.g. productive internet searching, learning Google Apps, basic troubleshooting) in August on how to use the Chromebooks in the classroom, and about 150 more will be trained throughout the month of October.

The professional development will focus on learning to design lessons that not only empower and engage students in compelling work, but also leverage the power of technology to connect people and ideas.

Heritage students and teachers alike agree the one-to-one Chromebooks initiative benefits everyone. Students are able to do their work more efficiently and have no difficulty submitting assignments with the Google Docs app, while teachers no longer have to try to decipher student handwriting and can edit assignments and provide immediate feedback to students individually.

“The Chromebooks make it easier for us [students] to stay organized and turn our work in on-time,” says Heritage senior Samantha Marteney. “We each have our own computer so it’s easier for us to gather information. For me, it’s way easier to turn in assignment even on days I’m not at school, I can just email them to my teachers.”

“I think the Chomebooks make it a lot easier to take notes in class and complete assignments,” added fellow Heritage senior Mikaylee Pablo. “With the Google Drive app, it saves all our work for us as we type, so we don’t have to worry about losing papers or journals. Plus, I can now do research and type at the same time, instead of doing research on a desktop then writing in a notebook.”

Heritage High School has never had a library or computer lab that is accessible to students furthering their learning like other high schools in the district. The Chromebooks bring a world wide web of books and other resources to their hands now.

“The Chromebooks are a wonderful resource for our students. It’s amazing to see every one of our students with their own computer and now provides them with the opportunity to open doors to learning and enrichment that we’ve never had access to in the past,” explains Heritage humanities teacher Marina Benally. “The Chromebooks bring more of the world into our classes. The access to information makes this a thriving learning community and as such we further and grow each other’s thinking through technology. I’m more and more facilitating rather than being the sage on the stage. It makes education really exciting for our students.”

With such rapid investment in communication devices, wide-scale wireless network, and professional development, student learning is clearly on center stage. The Chromebooks initiative will help students achieve more academically, perform better on tests and be in a better position when it comes to computing in the collaborative online environments of today’s digital era.

Squaxin Island Tribe Restoring Vital Shoreline in Puget Sound

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Source: Northwest Treaty Tribes

 

The Squaxin Island Tribe is working with the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group to restore vital forage fish habitat by removing a 70-foot-long boat basin and a 137-foot-long boat ramp to reconnect a large drift cell along the shoreline.

“This kind of habitat, that forage fish use to spawn in, is critically important for deep South Sound,” said Scott Steltzner, salmon biologist for the Squaxin Island Tribe. A drift cell is a portion of shoreline that has a common source of sediment. When the habitat within these cells is disconnected, the actual amount of habitat available to forage fish can shrink.

The boat basin takes the form of a perpendicular cut into the beach near the mouth of Hammersly Inlet. Ten foot high walls were designed to protect a resident’s boat from the surf and tide and the boat ramp provided access to Puget Sound, but they also cause a lot of problems for what salmon like to eat.

After removing the concrete boat basin and ramp, the Tribe will restore the original slope of the beach, recovering the spawning habitat lost to forage fish This will allow sediment to naturally move supplying sediment to beach spawning forage fish and those off shore.

Forage fish, such as herring, sandlance, and surfsmelt, are important food for juvenile and adult salmon. Where they spawn marks critical habitat for salmon. “Forage fish spawn in the same places as juvenile salmon feed,” said Scott Steltzner, salmon biologist for the Squaxin Island Tribe. “Restoring this habitat will mean more food for salmon, which will help recovery depressed stocks.”

A few years ago, the tribe completed another fish friendly project when they replaced an aging, outdated boat ramp with a new ramp that would allow sediment to more naturally move. “This boat ramp is not only important to tribal fishers, but for shellfish companies and the general public,” said Andy Whitener, natural resources director for the tribe. “When we set out to replace it, it seemed fitting we’d do it in a fish friendly manner.”

In addition to providing more room for forage fish, nearshore habitat also provides important rearing areas for juvenile salmon before they move out to the open ocean. Nearshore habitat is a productive swath of land close in to the coast that serves an important role in the life-cycle of salmon.

Marysville schools will get more SROs

hristopher AnderssonMarysville School Resource Officer Chris Sutherland holds a door open for students at Marysville Getchell High School during a passing period on Oct. 1.
hristopher Andersson
Marysville School Resource Officer Chris Sutherland holds a door open for students at Marysville Getchell High School during a passing period on Oct. 1.

 

By Christopher Andersson, North County Outlook 

 

The Marysville Police Department will be able to more than double the number of officers that it assigns to local schools because of a recently received federal grant.

The federal Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services grant provided the city with $375,000 to fund three new full-time School Resource Officers (SROs).

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring said that they had the idea for a “youth services unit” about three years ago that would help create “a strong presence not only in the schools, but also just where youth are hanging out after school as well,” he said.

Nehring added that the city is “trying to be proactive and prevent youth crime where we can.”

The police department currently employs two SROs and together they have responded to more than 7,600 calls ranging from assault, gang activity, theft and threats in the last five years.

“Everyone is focused on the same goal, and that’s providing a safe environment, so the more officers you have that just stay at their school, you’re going to have that presence” said current Marysville SRO Jeremy Wood.

The two current SROs in Marysville have to cover incidents across all the district’s schools, so they expect the extra three officers to help.

“It’s going to be an awesome help,” said Marysville SRO Chris Sutherland.

Currently the officers have to move between the schools frequently, he said.

“Once something happens in a middle school we have to leave our high school to go there. Usually, when we leave we’ll get a call to come back to the high school that’s like ‘hey, when are you going to be back, because we have this issue going on,'” he said.

“With only two SROs it’s going to be hard to cover all those schools and you get better coverage if you have more, but they will also be able to respond in other areas more as well,” said Nehring.

The job of the SROs involves more than just responding to incidents though.

“They’re utilized by family and students for a variety of reasons, and in most cases, because of the relationships they’re building, it’s done in a very positive and helpful manner,” said Shawn Stevenson, principal of Marysville Getchell Academy of Construction and Engineering.

The officers also help build relationships with the students and the schools, said Stevenson.

“I think all of the SROs I’ve worked with in the last eight to 10 years have done a tremendous job helping to build relationships and allowing us to build community between our schools,” he said.

Wood said that building relationships with the students helps them view police officers in a new light as well.

“From my point of view, growing up and going through public high school, I didn’t get to build a relationship with the police, so I relied on the media or maybe that traffic stop where it was more of a negative interaction. So I think it’s important to show the kids, one: you’re human, and two: you’re here to support them and not just come down on them when things aren’t going well,” he said.

Getting to know officers also helps kids realize that they can go to the police when trouble comes up.

“When youth have relationships with the police they are more likely to approach them when they need help,” said Nehring.

“They’re not just seen as someone who comes by when something’s gone wrong,” said Stevenson.

Sutherland said it help kids move past their preconceived notions as well.

“They’ll be more willing to talk to us. A lot of times, they don’t want to talk to us because of whatever their beliefs, what they were raised with, or what they see on the media. We’re allowed to show them ‘hey, don’t be afraid,'” he said.

Nehring wanted to thank the area’s federal representatives like Sen. Maria Cantwell, Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen, who all “really lobbied hard” for the federal funding for the city.

Lady Hawks claim 1st home victory vs. Skykomish, 3-1

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by Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

On Tuesday, October 6, the Tulalip Lady Hawks (2-4) volleyball team hosted the Rockets (1-5) from Skykomish. The Francis J. Sheldon gymnasium was decorated with pink signs, pink balloons, and pink ribbons to recognize October as national Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

It was clear just by watching the two teams warm-up prior to their match that the Lady Hawks had a decisive advantage in skill and athleticism. All the Lady Hawks had to do was execute their game plan and not commit turnovers that result in points for their opponent.

The 1st game started out rough for the home team to say the least. They weren’t communicating, there was no hustle, and most of all they were scoring most of the points for their opponent by committing error after error. Coach Tina Brown called timeout when the Lady Hawks went down 9-10, but was unable to get her team going. The Lady Hawks were visually stunned after giving away the 1st game, 17-25, to the Rockets.

Before the start of the 2nd game, coach Tina told her team, “All we have to do out there is talk, that’s it. Just talk and we’ll win this match. If you don’t communicate with each other then you make it very difficult to win.”

The Lady Hawks took that 1st game loss personal, as they should have, and came out motivated and determined to make up for it in the 2nd game. Jumping out to a 10-3 point lead calmed the girls’ nerves and allowed them to settle in and just play their game. They would win the 2nd game 25-15, tying the match at one game apiece.

 

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In the 3rd game, #13 Jaylin Rivera kept the momentum going for her team by serving up four straight aces. With #12 Aliya Jones leading the way with her active voice and energy, she sparked the rest of her teammates to follow suit and hustle their way to a 25-13 win to claim the 3rd game.

The 4th game would be the easiest of them all for Lady Hawks, as the Rockets best player appeared to strain her hamstring and come out of the game. Leaving little competition for the Lady Hawks, they took the game 25-12 and the match 3-1. It was the first home win on the season for the Lady Hawks, and moved their overall record to 3-4 and only 1 game behind for 4th place in the division standings.

CERT Training Returns to Tulalip

Submitted by Sandy Evans, RN, MPH, Tulalip Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator

Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services will not be able to meet the demand for these services. Factors such as number of victims, communication failures and road blockages will prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment’s notice through 911. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates individuals about disaster preparedness and trains community members to take care of themselves until first responders are available. The CERT Program offers training in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and disaster medical operations. With proper CERT training, you can help protect your family, neighbors, and co-workers if a disaster occurs.

The last time a CERT program was offered to Tulalip was in the spring of 2010 and the Tulalip Office of Emergency Management and the Tulalip Medical Reserve Corps have since then received requests for this preparedness training.

In preparation to deliver this program, last April Medical Reserve Corps members Floyd Bannister, Jr., Cindy Pruden and Eric Cortez attended training that provided them the knowledge, skills and abilities to instruct CERT training in our community. They have also been prepared to be CERT program managers.

The course will be held at the Tulalip Bay Fire Department facility, 7812 Waterworks Road, over 9 sessions starting Monday October 26th. The classes will run from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, ending on November 23rd. The Fire District and other knowledgeable presenters will be assisting Eric and Floyd with this training.

Because this program is new to the presenters, only 20 participants will be accepted for this session, but training is planned to be offered twice a year. Participants must be 14 years of age or older. Attendance at all classes is required for CERT certification.

People who go through CERT training have a better understanding of the potential threats to their home, workplace and community and can take the right steps to lessen the effects of these hazards on themselves, their families, and their community.

The following waiver can be emailed to:  TulalipCERT@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov or you may request that a copy be sent to you.

 

Microsoft Word - CERT%20Waiver%20Tul.doc

 

Promoting health and wellness at Tulalip

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by Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

The Tulalip Karen I. Fryberg Health Clinic hosted their annual health fair on Friday, October 2, with participants showing up earlier than normal to take full advantage of the health screening stations and complementary door prizes.

Every year community members are invited to stroll through the variety of health education booths, get their annual screenings taken care of, and learn how Tulalip culture and traditions can be used to guard against drug abuse, diabetes, and mental illness. With over 30 booths and seven screening stations, plus the fun run, there was something of interest for everyone, from children to the elders, in a relaxed atmosphere.

The day started out full of activity, and really stayed comfortably busy throughout the day. The first 80 participants received a complimentary large pumpkin, which were all given out by noon. Health fair participants stopped at the various screening stations for checking blood sugar, vision, blood pressure, cholesterol and more.

In addition to health education, the Puget Sound Blood Center was in attendance to educate participants on the importance of donating blood and bone marrow. Every year the clinic holds a blood drive simultaneously with the health fair. The collaborative partnership between the health clinic and the blood center allowed potential donors to sign-up online before the health fair to reduce wait time.

Strolling through the health education booths and screening stations and donating blood can be exhausting, so the health clinic offers participants a complimentary lunch of hot dogs, chips, soda and various other goodies. Additionally, there is even more incentive to attend with entry into the raffle at the end of the health fair, which offers up fun and exciting prizes. This year’s prizes ranged from an electric smoker to an outdoor fire pit to portable heaters and BBQ grills.

Usually happening in the summer time, this year’s fair occurred much later than normal. But because autumn is the start of flu season many participants took advantage of the timing to receive their flu shot. By noon, it was estimated 60 health-conscious individuals had received their flu shot.

 

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The annual health fair is one of many open house events at the Tulalip Karen I. Fryberg Clinic throughout the year. Watch for event announcements in the syəcəb, on the Tulalip News Facebook page, or contact the clinic by phone at (360) 716-4511 for more information.

Call of the Road

Skagit City Trucking AD

 

Submitted by Jeanne Steffener, Tulalip Tribes Higher ED

If you are thinking about pursuing Trucking as a career, this is not a bad decision especially for those who like driving. As long as you have your high school diploma/GED and you can enroll in a truck driving school. This type of education will show you how to handle large vehicles in different road and climate conditions as well as preparing for CDL license testing. The completion of this training will give you an opportunity to be in the driver’s seat.

The benefits of jobs in the trucking industry are many. Truckers can expect an average salary beginning at $45,000. Not a small amount for someone starting out in the business. As time passes and you build up experience and log miles on the road, the pay can build up to as high as $100,000.00 plus per year.

It is not an easy job but the benefits can be really good. Unlike a lot of jobs these days, truck drivers generally receive excellent benefits: medical, dental, vision, life insurance and 401K opportunities from their employers. Many companies realize that keeping their drivers healthy is important to keeping their drivers on the road. The shortage of drivers and the nature of hauling goods makes the trucking industry less vulnerable to the reduction of hours which other industries have experienced in the down turn and rebuilding of the economy.

Few professions give their employees as much control over their own schedules. It depends on you how much time you want to spend on the road. You can choose local runs, regional routes or long hauls. Dedicated routes can provide a routine with some flexibility. If meeting family commitments is important to you…choosing a family-friendly carrier that can work with your schedule time is an option.

Trucking jobs can give you the opportunity to see a variety of places. Just imagine looking at a sunset on the Pacific Ocean in the evening and then viewing a sunrise over the Rockies the next morning. How about visiting a different National Park every time you have a day off? Truck drivers probably know the country better than anyone. They are able to meet new people and see new sights daily. Driving coast to coast gives truck drivers a unique experienced not available to most Americans.

Women Truck Drivers – The workplace is changing for women. Women who decide to take on a new challenge will benefit greatly. The truck driving industry has typically been dominated by men but those stereotypes are changing. Now women of all ages are getting behind the wheel and taking to the road. In a study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, “women caused 27% of the fatal crashes while men caused an astounding 73%”. In the trucking industry, women make-up roughly 10-20% of the workforce and the numbers are steadily increasing. Many trucking and transportation companies are realizing that they are experiencing a high success rate with women drivers. Companies like CR England, JB Hunt, Swift Transportation and Schneider are seeing increasing numbers and encouraging women to apply. There is plenty of room on the road for both men and women truck drivers.

If you are interested in a career in truck driving, Skagit City Trucking is presenting a program about what it takes to be a truck driver and acquiring the CDL license. The program takes place on November 3 at 5:00-7:00 p.m. The location will be in Room 263 in the Administration Building. Please join us to learn the ins and outs of this exciting career. Please RSVP to Higher ED staff at 360-716-4888 or email us at highered@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov.

 

Book-A-Librarian at the library

Submitted by Jeanne Steffener, Tulalip Tribes Higher ED

The Book-a-Librarian service is an exciting service that is being offered to our community at the library. You can book Book-a-Librarian for a personalized Face-to-Face Session.

  • Need help downloading an e-book?
  • Not sure where to start on a research project?
  • Want special coaching on basic computer skills?

Sno-Isle librarians are eager to meet face-to-face with customers who can “Book-a-Librarian” for a free 30 to 60 minute session of personalized finding information or using technology.

The Book-a-Librarian sessions are tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual. A library staff member will give undivided attention to customers who want in-depth technical assistance on topics such as starting an email account, browsing the library’s catalogue, downloading e-books and audio books, searching the internet, using electronic databases through the Sno-Isle website, other computer basics or some basic help with your start-up business. Be sure to let the library staff know when you book your Book-a-Librarian session what assistance you need help with. This will help them to collect information on the correct topic.

Other, non-technical topics are also available for Book-a-Librarian sessions, including personalized help with a research project or helping you discover new books and authors that match your taste and interests.

Sno-Isle librarians are trained information professionals. If a staff member with expertise in a customer’s area of interest is not available at their preferred community library, Sno-Isle Libraries will find a staff member in another Sno-Isle community to help you.

In 2008, Sno-Isle Libraries began providing this free one-on-one service at five community libraries, which then grew to 12 libraries. Due to the popularity and success of this program, ‘Book-a-Librarian’ is now available at all 22 Sno-Isle community libraries.

You can book your Book-a-Librarian session at the Marysville Library at 6120 Grove Street. To schedule, call 360-658-5000
No Library card? Register for one at any library or online at www.sno-isle.org/getacard.
Get instant 24/7 access to most of Sno-Isle Libraries eResources.

In October, we are having the Sno-Isle Libraries program Homework Resources. November’s offering is Consumer Information. Our monthly programming information is on the Higher ED Webpage, on Tulalip TV and information is mailed to your home. You can call us at 360-716-4888 or email us at highered@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov for additional information.