All GCSC primary teachers certified as reading specialists

When dyslexia legislation passed through the Indiana General Assembly a couple of sessions ago, it carried with it the requirement that at least one person within a district be certified as a reading specialist.

Greencastle Community Schools has taken it a step further.

Through training in the Science of Reading over the last 18 months, all kindergarten through second-grade teachers at GCSC — that is, all teachers at Ridpath Primary and Deer Meadow Primary — have been certified as reading specialists, well beyond the Indiana Department of Education requirement.

The two main components of Science of Reading are word recognition and language comprehension.

“I don’t know of anyone else in the state that has achieved this,” Asst. Supt. Jenny French told the Greencastle School Board at its most recent meeting.

French also noted that the achievement will be highlighted by IDOE later this year.

As part of French’s monthly report to the board, she also had Tzouanakis Intermediate School Principal Jennifer Rhoades give an update on her building, including the plan to departmentalize in grades four and five.

The current plan for 2022-23 is for teachers in fourth and fifth grades to be placed into teams of two, with one teacher leading English language arts and social studies while the other leading math and science.

Third grade will not change, as such a setup is not recommended for third grade and below.

Tzouanakis teachers are also receiving instruction in the science of reading, like their primary counterparts.

There will also be physical changes coming to the intermediate school, most notably to address the moisture problems that have plagued the building for years.

Extensive work has revealed a number of places that the building is not adequately sealed between the top of walls and the roof structure, thus leaving it open to such problems.

Earlier in April, Patterson Horth General Contractors of Indianapolis was awarded the contract to not only seal the envelope at Tzouanakis, but also to ensure secure entrances at Tzouanakis as well as Deer Meadow and Ridpath primary schools.

Supt. Jeff Gibboney noted that the secure entrances are on track to be complete by the started of the 2022-23 school year.

This comes in the midst of projects that have already begun at Greencastle High School, with work already going on surrounding the main entrance/media center area at the northeast corner of the school. Work will also included extensive upgrades to the science labs as well as a secure connector between GHS and McAnally Center, and with it additional athletic/physical education spaces.

While all the upgrades have meant some changes to the school routine, Gibboney praised those most affected.

“Our teachers and building administrators have been doing a good job of working together and communicating,” Gibboney said. “Exciting times for our school and community.”

Upgrades at Greencastle Middle School will come last, with a major reworking needed for a secure entrance, but also media center and science lab renovations due as well.

Bids for the middle school project are due next month.

In other business, the board:

• Accepted donations totalling nearly $12,000 to various school projects: $2,225 from the Putnam County Community Foundation to the Grencastle High School DECA club, $2,500 from PCCF to the high school baseball team, $1,600 from FM Reed Scholastics to the high school, $2,000 from the Jack and Shirley Dalton Trust to a GHS student to be named later, $500 from Mary Allison Children’s Trust to the high school and $2,978.02 from Mary Allison Children’s Trust to Tzouanakis.

• Recognized April students of the month: GHS, Jillian Cooper; GMS, Sophia Endicott; Tzouanakis, Enrique Serna; Deer Meadow, Maelah Marlow; and Ridpath, Britain and Brooklyn Wells – twin sisters in separate classes who were nominated by different teachers but honored in the same month.

* Accepted a number of personnel items:

Resignations: Deborah Lakin as Tzouanakis fourth-grade teacher, Alyssa Ball as GHS custodian, Stacey Wheeler as GMS instructional assistant.

Termination: Mikayla Guyer as substitute bus driver.

New hires: Michelle Aguirre as Ridpath noon aide, Gloria Trejo as Ridpath cafeteria assistant, Randi Lady as Deer Meadow noon aide, Morgan Wright as GMS instruction assistant, Olivia Headley as GMS 21st Century Community Learning Center lifeguard, Heather Sell as substitute bus driver, Susan Huber and Neva Brown as substitute teachers.

Leave of absence: Cynthia Pierce as GHS cafeteria assistant.

Transfer: Karen Phillips from full-time to substitute bus driver.

Extracurricular activites: Brad Kingma hired as girls’ varsity golf coach, JD Sims hired as boys’ varsity soccer coach, Scott Monnett hired as girls’ varsity soccer coach, Kristen Wells hired as seventh-grade volleyball coach, Nichole Watson hired as GHS assistant cheer coach, Samantha Call hired as GHS girls’ basketball assistant coach, Cody Mitchell hired as boys’ varsity soccer assistant coach, Craig Whitaker hired as boys’ varsity basketball assistant coach, Jessica Lenihan approved as GHS volunteer assistant volleyball coach, Rick Langdon approved as GHS volunteer assistant girls’ golf coach.