Opinion

Pinnacles National Park is just far enough away to place it beyond the "Hey, let's go for a hike this afternoon" category. It's more of a "We gotta get down to Pinnacles sometime this spring" place. And often, we don't get around to it.

The drought is getting worse, and we don’t know when it will end. With that in mind, the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors has called for a water use reduction of 30 percent over 2013 levels and a restriction on irrigating landscapes and lawns with potable water to two days per week.

Where to get IRS forms?

As I look at my calendar for April I see lots of things going on, not the least of which is April 15—a date that still sneaks up on me every year no matter how often I prepare myself.So compared to dealing with the only other thing that I can’t avoid besides death, everything else looks pretty good. But then everything I’m about to mention is pretty good.I’ve been working on an oversized wooden resort chair that should be unveiled soon as part of the downtown public art mini-grant projects.This is a nine-foot-tall Adirondack chair so it will be hard to miss once it’s parked. This is just one piece of several soon to land downtown this month with the promise to add more elements of interest to the downtown placemaking effort.Down the street where the old liquor store used to be on Third Street and Monterey Road you will see a mini-grant mural revealing itself as soon as this weekend. But besides art the old liquor store will also be the home of something else new—a “bike HUB.” What is a bike HUB? Thought you’d never ask…I’ll define bike HUB for this location as a place where bicyclists can gather, park their bike and maybe get some minor emergency repairs or adjustments performed. Part of each Saturday starting in April the location will be staffed so you can feel comfortable knowing your bike is safe while you stroll around the downtown shopping and dining. As part of the downtown art mini-grants, there will also be a bike fix it station out front along with a very cool old time map of California bike routes. A local bicycling advocacy group, “Bike Morgan Hill,” will take care of the bike racks and volunteer staffing. With the increasing numbers of bicyclists downtown the bike HUB is sure to add a convenience that will be appreciated by many.Last weekend was the first “Indie Market” put together by the folks at the Morgan Hill Downtown Association. The west side of Monterey Road between First and Fourth streets saw colorful canopies erected by local independent home based businesses now offering a great outdoor venue. The event drew crowds of people and there was more activity downtown on a Sunday than most of us are used to—but could very easily get accustomed to. This will be repeated again on April 26.This is also the month when those of us who love wine turn our focus to downtown.Wine Week will kick off April 19 and is loaded with more events than ever. This year will also include a celebration of the numerous awards our local wineries are winning with a special event along with the exceptional slate of wine education, wine maker dinners and wine tastings established for this week. Wine Week will end with the Wine Stroll which annually brings more than a thousand visitors to the downtown sampling wine and getting exposed to the Morgan Hill we know and love.Get ready for April, that date in the middle is always a rough one but on either side are days filled with fun things to see and do in your town.John McKay is a longtime Morgan Hill resident, city planning commissioner and a member of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance.

Wrong decision on T-shirt incident

Still unsure about the Common Core State Standards? Local schools are now actively teaching the new standards, but there remains some confusion about exactly what that means.Here are five things all parents should know about the Common Core State Standards:1. Common Core is not curriculum. The CCSS is simply a list of skills students should have by the end of each grade level. The standards tell educators what students need to know, not how to teach the skills. Curricular programs are still local decisions. Schools and districts choose methods for teaching and programs to use in classrooms. If a lesson feels wrong or confusing, ask your teacher, principal or curriculum director to explain. The problem you have could be with the program that is being used, not the standards themselves.2.Common Core is not a test. The Common Core State Standards do not require any assessments. Standardized tests are designed by large organizations, often for profit. States adopt and mandate these tests. Most current state tests were designed after the CCSS were imposed and attempt to assess whether students know the skills in the standards. Other assessments may be designed or selected by schools or districts.3.Common Core is easily accessible to the public. Go directly to the source. Read the standards before formulating an opinion about them, because your opinion may be about the chosen curriculum or the methodology your school is using, not the standards themselves. Don’t assume something is “in the standards” unless you can find it there. The official (parent-friendly) website is corestandards.org.4.Successful interpretation and implementation of the Common Core depends on training. The standards can be interpreted in many ways. Teachers need both time and quality training to successfully implement them, and schools and districts must provide this training. Training may come from employees of the district or from consultants outside the district. If you don’t already know, ask your local school to explain how its teachers are being trained to ensure your child’s success with the standards.5.  Educators have used standards for many years. While the Common Core State Standards are new, the concept of standards is not. Educators have depended on pre-set lists of skills for decades and have used the standards to assist them in deciding what subjects to cover. Before the Common Core State Standards unified the educational landscape in the U.S., all states had different lists. Some were more rigorous than others. Now, continuity is guaranteed from state to state. Also, educators across the country can now collaborate about best practices, lesson ideas, differentiated support, and tools and resources.There are many rumors and opinions swirling about the Common Core. Reading the CCSS and understanding the differences between standards, curriculum and instruction can help you be an informed participant in the debate.Debbie Lera is a national consultant, author and literacy specialist.  She is also a teacher and Common Core Liason at The Charter School of Morgan Hill.

Not too late for change