Alder school board meeting

Alder School Board’s monthly meeting was on Tuesday Sept. 24. Each meeting, topics such as the new pre-kindergarten program, student safety and speeding in the school zone are generally discussed.

“One of the key things with the Alder School is this is the first year we have started a Running Start Kindergarten for four year olds,” Kathleen Wuelfing, school clerk, explained. Wuelfing described the program, free for those attending as it is part of the public school system, as being quite successful thus far. 

This topic has been part of the board agenda for the past couple of months, and any new decisions or curriculum changes are addressed. Four young students are currently going through the program, which consists of two full days of pre-kindergarten education each week. “So far it is very successful, so I’m sure we’re going to continue doing it,” Wuelfing said.

Board members also discussed web and internet safety for students. Student safety is always included as an agenda topic, and this month the discussion revolved around what students may be exposed to online. “Last night we were talking about the use of email,” Wuelfing said. 

Students do not have emails through the school system, but use the internet for practical purposes. “The main thing they do is use the internet for research,” Teresa Murdoch, teacher in the school district, said. The board hopes to encourage students to treat each other with respect online and to find appropriate internet sites to use.

Another safety-related issue involved the frequent speeding through the school zone. Wuelfing described this as being a persistent issue. “Coming down from a straight-away, paved road into town, that’s always one of our key issues, just trying to deal with the public being aware a school is there,” she said. The speed limit in front of the school is 25 mph.

All in all, Wuelfing recounted the meeting as uneventful, but in a positive way. “Everything runs so smoothly and everybody gets along so well!”