LINDEN — A nonprofit early childhood education group has given money to assist North Montgomery preschool classrooms with operating safely during the pandemic.
Sugar Creek and Sommer Elementary each received $9,000 from Early Learning Indiana’s Come Back Stronger fund to purchase additional social distancing equipment and curriculum. The school board voted Monday to accept the grants.
Last year, the group awarded more than $13.1 million to about 1,000 Indiana early childhood education providers continuing to operate through COVID-19.
An additional $12 million in Come Back Stronger funds opened up through a new grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. and remaining money from the first round of grants. North earlier received funds to cover an instructional assistant’s salary.
The district also received approval for a summer school program called Charger Camp, designed to help elementary and middle school students catch up on learning lost during the pandemic.
The first session runs June 1-24 for students in grades 1-3. The second session follows July 26-Aug. 5 for students in grades 1-5 and 7-8. Summer school programs are not traditionally offered to sixth graders at North.
Teachers will use instructional data to determine which students will most benefit from the program.
In other business:
• The board approved the retirement of high school French teacher Diane Fike and the resignations of Brianna Panici Borders, Sugar Creek kindergarten teacher, and Kate Hudson, high school Spanish teacher (effective May 25.)
The temporary hiring of Heather Hernandez as a middle school English teacher beginning approximately April 5 and Cory Sandvold as middle school PE/wellness teacher beginning approximately March 22 were also approved.
• Prom has been rescheduled for June 4 and will be held outdoors at the high school, principal Michael Cox reported. The event was originally scheduled for April 10. The school had considered moving the event to the weekend before graduation ceremonies, but did not want seniors to have to miss walking across the stage if they were exposed to the coronavirus at the prom.
