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Fifth grade brings changes to Beaty

There will be more traffic around Beaty-Warren Middle School this school year.

With the Warren County School District’s central attendance fifth graders moving from Warren Area Elementary Center to relieve crowding there, Beaty will have more students than it has in years.

One of the effects of that change is that there will be more, and younger, students walking to and from school.

“There are about 80 more walkers this year,” Principal Ann Ryan said.

All walkers enter the building near the northwest corner — on the creek side.

The district is providing additional help to keep those students safe.

Transportation Manager Mike Kiehl said there are new crossing guards at the intersections of Market Street and Third Avenue and Conewango and Pennsylvania avenues. There will continue to be crossing guards at the intersection of Third and Conewango and at the exit from the school onto Third Avenue.

Due to heavy traffic, and to help keep that traffic flowing, walkers are asked not to cross Conewango anywhere but at Third Avenue with the assistance of the crossing guard.

Due to the volume of cars and buses turning into Beaty, students are asked to walk on the east side of Conewango. “We try to avoid buses and kids from crossing paths,” Ryan said. For that reason, students are not to walk onto the grounds from anywhere along Conewango Avenue — the south parking lot entrance, the main entrance, nor through any private property.

“A great place to drop your students off is Water (Street) and Third,” she said. “Over there, they don’t have to cross traffic.”

Meet the Teacher

Ryan suggested that families could get a feel for the time it takes students to walk across the bridge by parking in that area for Meet the Teacher night. The event will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, “with all staff on site to hand out schedules, meet parents, and share team information with parents.”

Students will receive locker assignments then and may start storing items inside.

Recess discussion

At Monday’s meeting of the school board’s curriculum, instruction, and technology committee, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Rhonda Decker talked briefly about the subject of fifth grade recess.

There will not be a recess time set aside for Beaty students.

“A couple of our schools have used the (recess) time for advisory” for fifth grade students, Decker said. “They have a lot of different offerings at that time.”

“It’s that nice transition time between elementary and middle school,” she said. “It’s consistent, however, it allows for some flexibility and individualization.”

At times, it may feel like recess, she said, when teachers decide the weather and timing is appropriate to take their advisory groups outside to enjoy.

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