GOSHEN —
It’s that time again — the time that kids dread and many parents wait all summer for.
It’s time for school to begin.
Teachers at area schools spent this week prepping their classrooms for incoming students of all ages. Second-grade teachers at Waterford Elementary School spent Wednesday working on their classroom organization and planning new reading curriculum before a meet-and-greet with students Wednesday night.
Lisa Jordan, one of those second-grade teachers, said she is looking forward to meeting her students, especially because she is teaching the second grade for the first time at Waterford.
“I’m a little anxious to fit everything I want to teach within the school day,” Jordan said. “There’s so much to fit in.”
Jordan has taught in Goshen Community Schools for three years and she said she has already put in more than 40 hours of work prepping her classroom as of Wednesday.
“The way the room is set up and where things are can set you up for a good year,” she said, gesturing to the set up of her classroom.
Jordan’s 24 students will experience a slightly different school year than in the past, a move that is aimed at limiting summer learning loss, according to Waterford second grade teacher Lindsay Potgiesser.
“We’re moving to a more balanced school year (by starting earlier and having more frequent breaks),” Potgiesser said Wednesday. “We’ll have more breaks throughout the school year, including a week-long fall break and a week and a half in the spring.”
No break for band
Goshen High School Band Directors Tom Cox and Josh Kaufman said they will not be able to take a week off of band practice during fall break.
“We’ll have to have some rehearsals,” Kaufman said. “We just can’t take a week off in the middle of the season.”
Kaufman and Cox spent the week leading up to school working on selections of music for the jazz band and prepping sheet music for the 175 students in the band. Crowds can expect a bit more of a “classical” selection, according to Cox, for half-time band performances.
“Our show is different every year,” he said.
Cox said the band is already looking at competitions, including attending the Grand National Championships in Indianapolis from Nov. 8 through 10.
‘August means school’
Art and English teacher Susan Hepler Yoder said she is looking forward to seeing her GHS students, especially those in her freshman Student Resource Time class, which is like a homeroom students will have for the next four years.
“I’m also going to be a freshman class sponsor with another teacher, David Martinez,” she said. “We’ll help with the Back to School Dance and Homecoming.”
Hepler Yoder said she has also directed the musical for the past 32 years, and she also acts as the yearbook advisor.
“The yearbook brings together both design and words, both art and English,” she said.
GHS English teacher Marilyn Graber said she is looking forward to the routine most of all.
“I’m ready to get back into it,” she said as she straightened up her classroom. “I’m ready for the school year to begin. For me, August means school.”
Local News
Related Photos
-
Goshen High School art and English teacher Susan Hepler Yoder examines a mannequin head she has in a closet of still life props as she organizes her classroom for the new school year. SAM HOUSEHOLDER
-
Kari Bone, a special education teacher's assistant at Prairie View Elementary School, prepares students cubbies Thursday afternoon. SAM HOUSEHOLDER
-
Goshen High School custodian Mark Snyder is silhouetted as he washes a window at the school Wednesday afternoon. Snyder was helping to get the school ready for the return of students today for the start of the 2012-13 school year. SAM HOUSEHOLDER
Goshen students heading back to class today
- Local News
-
-
THE DIRT ON GARDENING: Choose your pool plants wisely
Do you have a pool or a pond or do you plan on having one in the near future? Then you’ll want to choose your plants wisely that you’ll expect to have near or around the perimeter.
-
Handle poison hemlock carefully
Poison hemlock is a weed that seemed to burst onto the scene last year during the drought.
In the past, it could be found in waste areas like along railroad tracks and ditches, but in 2012, poison hemlock seemed to be everywhere, including backyards, gardens, fields, even along the river at Bonneyville Mill Park. -
'Piazza' program starts Saturday at Ruthmere
The “Coffee on the Piazza” program will return to Ruthmere Museum this spring and summer.
-
Jefferson students spend the day at Camp Amigo
On Tuesday, 450 Jefferson Elementary School students experienced “outdoor” school.
-
Bus driver’s condition upgraded after Wednesday wreck
A school bus driver injured in a four-bus crash Wednesday north of North Webster was hospitalized in fair condition Thursday.
-
Goshen has growth spurt
Goshen Mayor Allan Kauffman doesn’t have the magic bullet as to why Goshen is over the 32,000 mark in population for the first time.
-
Sentence dealt for reckless homicide
GOSHEN — From the witness stand in Elkhart Circuit Court, Kristina Wolfinger could see the man who killed her brother. She described what she didn’t see.
-
Milford Fest activities to fill Saturday
Milford Fest will take place in downtown Milford Saturday.
Events begin at 7 a.m. and continue through 9 p.m. -
Local Memorial Day events set
The following are scheduled Memorial Day services in the area:
-
Charlie Daniels Band coming to Shipshewana
He’s got the hat, the fiddle and the hits. And he’s feeling revitalized.
In a recent telephone interview with The Goshen News, 74-year-old Charlie Daniels said he is feeling like a new man after his pacemaker procedure earlier this year. He says everything is in sync and he is having a great time on the road.
“I’m enjoying this tour and we are looking forward to making music in Indiana,” the country-rock icon said. - More Local News Headlines
-
Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse
Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored
Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying
Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
Jersey Shore Open for Business
Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington
New Wheelchair Lift Promises More Access
First Person: Mom Discusses Famous Tornado Photo
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Boy Scouts Approve Plan to Accept Gay Boys
