learning

While most students across the country have been learning online this fall because of COVID, a group of students at Western Nevada College took advantage of an exciting hands-on scientific learning opportunity earlier this month.

This week's Senator Square features guest writers Ananda Campbell and Bridget Gordon-Johnson who explain Monday homeroom academic strategies. Campbell is a CHS Library Media Specialist and Carson City School District Library Coordinator. Gordon is a CHS counselor. This is their report:

During a special session last night, the Carson City School District School Board of Trustees voted unanimously to offer in-person, on-campus instruction for third to sixth graders, four days a week, Tuesdays through Fridays. The first official day of this more traditional education model will begin Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. The district previously announced a return to 4-days-per-week, in-person learning for Pre-K to second grade students Oct. 20, 2020.

The Carson City School District is celebrating two new National Board Certified Teachers from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. The teachers to be recognized earning certification are Patricia Ababio, Graphic Arts teacher in the Career and Technical Education program at Carson High School, and Rhonda Holloway, English teacher at Carson Middle School.

The Carson City School District will hold a special school board meeting Thursday, Dec. 17 in order to discuss reopening schools for third through fifth grade students at the elementary school level, as well as sixth grade students at the middle school level.

Gov. Steve Sisolak announced on Sunday that he is extending current coronavirus health and safety restrictions for another month and putting in place a new moratorium on evictions through the end of March.

After a wonderfully successful reading challenge in January, the Carson City Library is starting the upcoming Books Like Us: Winter Reading Challenge earlier to accommodate more participation.

Editor’s Note: Margarita Portillo-Hernandez is a school social worker and safe school professional at Eagle Valley Middle School in Carson City. The following is her report:

This year has been extremely challenging and with the impact of Covid; many of our families are struggling to ensure they can celebrate Christmas. However, generous community members have come together determined to help these families have a Christmas celebration not even Covid can stop.

On Friday, the Greenhouse Project held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new outdoor classroom which will be used to host both students from Carson High School as well as community classes on gardening and agriculture.

In addition to being available by phone and online, the Carson City Library and staff remain committed to delivering its services to the local community through a variety of avenues. While currently closed to the public, the library is completing upgrades and installations to enable vulnerable populations to continue to safely access library collections.

Carson City's DARE program, an anti-drug cooperative effort between the Carson City Sheriff's Office and the Carson City School District, remains active but has been through a difficult time due to COVID-19 and the retirement of longtime officer Lisa Davis.

Steven L. David, born December 10, 1955, passed away on the morning of Saturday November 28th, 2020 at his home with his wife Debbie at his side.

Many in Carson City do everything they can to help the less fortunate, and those opportunities never cease being opportunities. With this in mind, the holidays are here, the semester at Carson High School is almost over, Christmas vacation, also known as winter break, begins Dec. 19, and there is another opportunity to be generous for those who have plenty.

Join us for a new program, Girls Who Code! Gain future job skills, promote STEM interest, foster camaraderie and inspire confidence, all while learning the basics of coding!

Friends of the Carson City Library will be hosting a book sale this Saturday, Dec. 5 at Browsers Corner Book Store located at 711 E Washington St. from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Heading into the weekend, there’s a bevy of activities around the Carson City region. The annual Silver and Snowflakes Festival of Lights holiday celebration goes virtual on Friday. Santa Claus will arrive virtually at the Children's Museum of Northern Nevada and in-person at Battle Born Harley Davidson on Saturday for pictures with families and kids of all ages. Combined with live music and dinner specials at Living the Good Life, the state capital has events lined up for the holidays! Read on for more information.

Tonight was supposed to be the time to bundle up, put handwarmers in your gloves and gather family and friends to venture downtown to enjoy one of Carson City’s most beloved traditions and the official kick-off to the holiday season.

CARSON CITY — Students in grades K-5 at Empire Elementary School have been learning and working on hydroponics in their classrooms as well as remotely from home this past semester and are enjoying the fruits of their labor.

Fifth graders from all six Carson City public elementary schools as well as Carson Montessori and Saint Teresa’s will perform virtually as a unified holiday choir for the annual Silver and Snowflake Festival of Lights this Friday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m.

An Eagle Valley Middle School teacher has been placed on administrative leave after a student accused him of making racially insensitive comments.

Katie Leao, Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Nevada, will be the guest speaker at this week’s Rotary Club of Carson City meeting. The virtual meeting takes place on Tuesday, December 1, at 12:30 via ZOOM.

CASA of Carson City received an early holiday gift from Casey Neilon, an accounting firm with offices in Reno and Carson City, in the form of a sizeable donation.

CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, provides quality court-appointed advocacy for abused and neglected children in child welfare cases, through a network of community volunteers who work with children to ensure their voices are heard during court proceedings.

To ensure the safety and wellbeing of its patrons, the Carson City Library will temporarily close starting Nov. 24, 2020, in response to the Governor’s statewide three-week pause and the elevated COVID-19 concerns especially for persons at risk.

Gov. Steve Sisolak announced on Sunday that he is lowering occupancy limits and once again reducing the size of allowed gatherings as COVID-19 continues to spread like wildfire across the state, setting records day after day for new reported cases.

On Friday, Carson Tahoe Health (CTH) made a gift of $5,000 to the Salvation Army to support the purchase of turkeys for their holiday meal program at the Salvation Army’s Turkey Drop at Max Casino in Carson City.

Even the Grinch is distressed as the Silver and Snowflakes Festival of Lights becomes another casualty joining all the Carson City signature events cancelled since March 2020 due to the pandemic.

If this hater of everything Christmas is distressed, you can just imagine how sad all those who love this Carson City tradition will be.

Heading into the weekend, there’s a bevy of activities around the Carson City region. A Thanksgiving Turkey Drop for families in need will be held Friday at Max Casino. The holiday movie premieres of “Feliz NaviDAD” and “Once Upon A Main Street” on Saturday will feature different venues in Carson City. Along with a craft show at the Carson Mall and live music, the state capital will be buzzing with excitement! Read on for more information.

Reimagining learning, the Carson City Library is bringing robotics technology and engineering to Carson City middle school students in 2021. Utilizing analog and digital learning, students will build components of a bionic fish, elephant, and chameleon over the 3-day Bionics Camps designed to encourage STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) related career exploration and development.

The Carson City School District, on behalf of the Carson City Schools Foundation, is pleased to announce mini and department grant winners for Fall 2020. Each semester, CCSF gives back to educators and students alike. This last semester, the foundation awarded $200 mini-grants as well as up to $2,000 grants for a department, school or grade-level projects.

Addressing a need that was revealed during a 2020 student survey, Western Nevada College is nearing completion of a Food and Hygiene Pantry for students and their families.