The Town-Crier
www.gotowncrier.com
February 17 - February 23, 2017
Page 7
NEWS
District Planner Explains Early Science Program To RPB Ed Board
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report At Monday’s meeting of the Royal Palm Beach Education Advisory Board, Thomas Salinsky, elementary science program planner with the Palm Beach County School District, explained the advances it has made to turn around a downward trend in science scores. Salinsky said a presentation that evening by Cypress Trails Elementary School about its science program was the perfect preamble to his presentation. “That warms my heart because that is exactly what I’m talking
to you about tonight, about some of the definite challenges that we have at the school district,” he said. The long-term goals are high. In the next five years, the district wants to get 75 percent of third-graders reading at grade level. “This lays the foundation for our challenges,” Salinsky said. “The research shows that we need to have a really good focus on what we’re doing in K through 5 instruction in science because that lays the foundation for success not in sixth through eighth grade, but also secondary and beyond.”
The district is developing elementary science programs that help students grapple with concepts as early as kindergarten. “[They] actually spiral into middle school,” Salinsky said. “They’re tested in fifth grade, they’re tested in eighth grade, and beyond when the students in high school go out into physics and biology. The research tells us that we really need to focus on what we’re doing at that primary and elementary level, because it dictates their success in the future.” In grades three and four, students study plant parts and func-
tions, life cycles of plants and animals, weathering and erosion, mineral properties, the Earth’s rotation, and the movement of the sun, moon and stars. In grade five, they learn body organs and functions, electricity, and physical and chemical changes. Salinsky said one of the issues is pressure for students to perform highly in fifth grade when they are tested. “One of the challenges in the district and the state is that we have to stop looking at content areas in isolation,” he said. “We do a lot of looking at science and
what we’re doing in fifth grade. We need to start looking vertically and focusing on what are we doing in kindergarten through fifth grade to make sure we build that success and that fidelity through the grade levels.” He noted that Palm Beach County has always stayed above the state level. “That’s good, and we’ve always remained at the top of the urban seven,” Salinsky said. “Last year, we slipped into second place in the urban seven, but that’s good because it creates competition, and competition
motivates us to get back up to that top spot.” Data from 2015 to 2016 showed that the district dropped 1 percent in science proficiency, which is not statistically significant, but the trend from 2013 to 2016 dropped 6 percent. “We talked about the urgency for focus on science, and we should not see these scores in our district or in this state. So, we need to do a look at this as a learning community and a challenge to come together around, not just at what we’re doing at the school See ED BOARD, page 19
RPB Continues To Develop Plans To Improve Senior Services
By Jack Lowenstein Town-Crier Staff Report Royal Palm Beach’s Senior AdHoc Advisory Board met Thursday, Feb. 9 with representatives from Palm Beach County’s Division of Senior Services (DOSS) and PMG Associates to further its goals of improving senior services in the village. The board, PMG Associates and DOSS all covered some aspect of accessibility regarding the availability of senior services in Royal Palm Beach. Kathy Gonot of PMG Associates cited accessibility as being a potential issue for seniors in the area. “We will be looking at the needs that the senior population puts out and says that they want, what they need and looking at the gaps, looking at what’s in the community and available and accessible to the senior population,” she said. Senior Ad-Hoc Advisory Board Chair Iris Levin mentioned accessibility as an issue with the services DOSS offers to local seniors in need.
The county division has four locations in Palm Beach County — Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens and Belle Glade. “Certainly, let us know, and we will be there for any activity that you have,” DOSS Quality Assurance Coordinator Maggie Longoria said. Gonot recommended that the village have an office space available for agencies such as the Area Agency on Aging to come to once a week and to publicize it for seniors in need. This would give people in the community the ability to sit face-to-face with agencies, be listened to and be helped in any way possible to meet their individual needs. “[This way], they know that they can go somewhere every Monday of the month or twice a month and speak to someone, and it’s right in their neighborhood,” she said. Many services are offered in downtown areas that might not be easy to get to for Royal Palm Beach residents.
“Are there things that you all need that aren’t seen by what is being provided by the village or by the Young at Heart Club or agencies that are in Palm Beach County?” Gonot asked. Levin believes that there is not enough advertisement or news about these programs in local publications. “This is information that they should be getting, and I haven’t seen anything, I would say, really advertising these things in the last year in The Palm Beach Post or in our local paper, which is the Town-Crier,” Levin said. “This is something that our committee is going to be working on to see how we can improve services, and, certainly, this is a big advantage to many seniors.” DOSS is a state-financed and federally financed program through the Department of Elder Affairs and the Older Americans Act, respectively. The funding provided to DOSS through grants is about $4 million, which is then matched by Palm Beach County, totaling around $8 million for bud-
get spending toward senior needs in the county. “I wanted to mention that we’re the lead agency in the north part of the county, but for a client to qualify for services, for example, for daycare or for in-home services, they have to call our gatekeeper, which is the [Area Agency on Aging],” Longoria said. “They do an assessment, which is a state assessment, and they prioritize the needs of the clients.” Roughly 675 seniors are being provided in-homes services through DOSS, and about 28 of those seniors are residents of Royal Palm Beach, DOSS Volunteer Coordinator Jason Josephs said. Then there is the number of people who DOSS serves on a weekly basis in its centers. “We have meal-site lines and senior center clients; we have about, I would say, 4,000 or more people who come into the center, and they can go one day a week or [more],” Longoria said. Phil Gonot of PMG Associates presented materials to the board that addressed the ability to reach
the senior population in Royal Palm Beach, emphasizing communication among all parties who work to improve accessibility and education to meet the needs of seniors in the area. There will be a focus group open to the public tentatively scheduled for some time in March. He urged the advisory board to get it scheduled as soon as possible. The study by PMG is to be finished by June 30. “If we start sliding, we will never make this,” he said. Communication was the theme of the presentation from PMG, and both Kathy and Phil Gonot targeted the idea as being the glue to succeeding in the improvement of services and quality for the senior population of the village. “In my mind, if you don’t communicate, you’re not doing your job, and you’re not doing it correctly,” Kathy said. “And one of the things that I want to represent and give to the village at the end of the time is not only what the gap service needs assessment is, but how can these services be better
communicated; how can they be better to serve your population here?” Phil gave a call to action to the advisory board. “One of the things we want to hear from you is ways to get that participation up as high as possible,” he said. Phil said one of his firm’s specialties is public opinion surveys, having completed more than 850 nationwide. “We make sure that we understand how to talk to people and get the information out of them,” Phil said. “Sometimes they are personal questions; we understand that. But we do our best to make them sure or understand we’re there to try to help them and provide services to them that they need.” Conducting a focus group can have obstacles when trying to get the message across. “The problem we see with focus groups is you have to have an interest,” Phil said. “I would hope that the people in this population would have an interest. It affects their lives. This could affect their future.”
GREAT PERFORMERS ON STAGE AT ‘AMERICAN EQUESTRIANS GOT TALENT’
In its fifth week, the 2017 season of American Equestrians Got Talent showcased seven performers competing for $1,000 in prize money on Wednesday, Feb. 8, auditioning for a chance to appear in the competition’s finale next month. Dressage Olympian and AEGT founder Robert Dover hosted the night’s festivities. The performers were judged by WPTV’s Roxanne Stein, P.J. Rizvi, and Susie and Tim Dutta. At the end of the evening, Robert Gallardo danced his way to victory. AEGT is a fundraiser to benefit USEF high performance programs. Audition rounds continue Wednesday evenings at the Wellington Community Center through March 8, with the grand finale set for Saturday, March 19 at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival showgrounds. For more info., visit www.facebook. com/AmericanEquestriansGotTalent. PHOTOS BY JACK LOWENSTEIN/TOWN-CRIER
Judges P.J. Rizvi, Roxanne Stein, and Susie and Tim Dutta.
Cassie Ortiz sang a Whitney Houston song to grab one of the week’s finalist spots.
Kyaunnee Richardson sang as the returning winner from the previous week.
Tarek Chakib grabbed a finalist spot with Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.”
Winner Robert Gallardo was the only dancer to perform.
Taylor Hughes performed the classic Dolly Parton song “Jolene.”
Zack Duckworth, a previous winner, performed a song by Justin Bieber.
St. David’s Rummage Sale
St. David’s-in-the-Pines Episcopal Church in Wellington will hold its annual rummage sale and bazaar Saturday, Feb. 25 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 26 from 8 a.m. to noon, with gently used clothing/shoes, household items, linens, small appliances, costume jewelry, books, music and more for sale, along with baked goods, fruit cups, chili with cornbread, hot dogs, soda, coffee and iced tea. The church is located at the corner of Forest Hill Blvd. and Wellington Trace. For more info., contact Nancy Schroeder at (561) 792-0244 or schroeder.nancy@gmail.com.
LGLA Meeting Set For Feb. 23
The Loxahatchee Groves Landowners’ Association will meet Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Palms West Presbyterian Church (13689 Okeechobee Blvd.). The program will feature Pat Schroeder from 2-1-1 Palm Beach County. 2-1-1 is the local community helpline and crisis hotline serving
A returning winner, Michael Boone sang and danced to the popular Robin Thicke song “Blurred Lines.”
Alyssa Marie Coon sang while playing the keyboard.
A returning winner, Brandon Olavarria performed freestyle poetry.
Charlie Tota and Jim DiBattista performed a duet of the John Lennon song “Imagine.”
Winning contestant Robert Gallardo with Robert Dover.
NEWS BRIEFS Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. Staff provides crisis intervention, information, assessment and referral to community resources and services. Calls to 2-1-1 are free, confidential and available 24/7. The organization also provides advocacy programs, such as Help Me Grow, Special Needs HelpLine, Elder Crisis Outreach, the “Sunshine” daily phone call and the “Teen Help Guide.” To learn more, call 2-1-1 or visit www.211palmbeach.org. For more information about the LGLA, contact Marge Herzog at (561) 818-9114 or marge@ herzog.ms.
IPC Adds Fourth 26-Goal Tournament
The International Polo Club Palm Beach will host the USPA Butler Handicap from March 26 through April 2. The single-elimination tournament gives teams the opportunity to compete in a fourth 26-goal championship this spring. This tournament adds to IPC’s impressive high-goal roster, including its three other 26-goal
tournaments: the C.V. Whitney Cup, the USPA Gold Cup and the U.S. Open Polo Championship. The USPA Butler Handicap, inaugurated in 1954, honors Paul Butler, his family and their contributions to American polo. The tournament has been an important United States Polo Association event for more than six decades. For more information, visit www.internationalpoloclub.com.
Fundraiser For Forever Greyhounds
Forever Greyhounds will hold its fourth annual “Out of the Ordinary Into the Extraordinary” fundraiser at the Palm Beach Improv (550 S. Rosemary Ave., Suite 250, West Palm Beach) on Sunday, Feb. 19 from 1 to 4 p.m. featuring Frank Del Pizzo, impersonator Mr. Billy and two comedian colleagues, who will set the stage for an afternoon of laughs. There will be a silent auction, raffles and door prizes. All money raised will go to the care and transport of greyhounds. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. There is free parking
in any of the CityPlace parking garages. Forever Greyhounds is dedicated to transporting and relocating retired racing greyhounds throughout the United States and Canada. These dogs are then placed in forever homes by other greyhound adoption groups. In addition, Forever Greyhounds works with foster homes and provides medical care/rehabilitation. For more info., call (561) 574-7756 or visit www. forevergreyhounds.org.
Wellington Seeks Cleanup Volunteers
Wellington is calling on its young residents to roll up their sleeves and make a difference through the “Great American Cleanup.” The village is looking for 75 youth volunteers for the cleanup, which will take place Saturday, April 15 from 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will pick up trash and loose litter along Greenbriar Blvd. and Greenview Shores Blvd., as well as the Folkestone/Yarmouth community. Those interested in
participating should meet under the blue Wellington tents at the back of Tiger Shark Cove Park. Come early and receive a free T-shirt. To register for the event, download the volunteer application form by visiting www.wellingtonfl.gov and clicking on the “Great American Cleanup” image in the scrolling events section. Completed forms can be returned to the Community Services Office (1092 Wellington Trace) or e-mailed to Scott Campbell at scampbell@ wellingtonfl.gov. Volunteer registration forms can also be completed on site the day of the event. For more info., call Campbell at (561) 791-4105.
Equestrian Art Show At CJR
CJR Fine Arts & Frame (514 N. State Road 7, Royal Palm Beach) will host an equestrian art show Thursday, March 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. featuring artwork by Patrick Roggenbau, Nancy Fried, Gisela Pferdekaemper, Bradley Chance Hays, Ferjo, Gary Benfield, Alexander Antanenka, Juan Cotrino, Jean Williard, Filho Joarez, Nina Girolamo, Paul Kessler, Tadeo,
Troy Denton, Yana Rafael and Valter de Morais. For more info., call (561) 333-9472 or visit www. cjrfinearts.com.
Feb. 19 ‘Horses & Hounds’ Event
More than 300 people — and dogs — are expected to attend the eighth annual Friends of Greyhounds fundraiser hosted by the Horses & Hounds Charitable Foundation at the Hounds & Horses Farm, located at 11399 Piping Plover Road in the Homeland community. Admission is free to the Sunday, Feb. 19 event, which will take place from 2:30 to 5 p.m. and feature Tom Reed and the Spanish stallion Encanto. The event will also feature professional dog portrait photography by Larry Walsh, food, beverages and a silent auction. Well-behaved dogs are invited to be part of the doggie show. Friends of Greyhounds is a nonprofit that rescues racing dogs and offers them for adoption. The event is hosted by Jane Bistline, Jeri Caprio and Kim Van Kampen. For more info., visit www.friendsofgreyhounds.org.