NORTH
Students in the north of the country will have the option of taking
courses in the country’s first virtual high school starting this
September.
Addressing the innovative initiative, Education Ministry
Northern District director Dr. Orna Simhon said, “I made a strategic decision to
advance the establishment of a virtual high school in the northern district that
will open in [the coming year]. The advantage of this innovative learning
framework is to enable students to integrate virtual courses with their formal
learning, with technological wonders,” the Local website reported.
In the
first stage of the project, virtual studies will be limited to mathematics and
physics, and each virtual classroom will be limited to 20
students.
Teaching and learning will take place with a variety of tools,
such as simulations, videos, presentations, virtual labs, task performance, live
classroom lessons, tests, and face-to-face meetings, according to the
report.
Givat Olga Beach gets facelift for summer
The Hadera Municipality
is nearing the completion of a million-shekel renovation and development project
along the Givat Olga Beach in the city.
The work was designed to upgrade
the availability of leisure activities for visitors and to allow group and
family visits ahead of the peak of the swimming season, the Local website
reported.
The development work includes the construction of two soccer
fields, the planting and replacement of grass along the beach, the planting of
palm trees for aesthetics and to provide shade and the installation of barbecue
facilities, according to the report.
The project is part of a multiyear
plan undertaken by the city.
Hadera Mayor Haim Avitan said of the
project, “We are investing in the beaches for the benefit of the city’s
residents and for the enjoyment of swimmers.
The development work on the
beach benefits sports activities and family outings, allowing residents to come
to the beach in the afternoon and evening hours, to sit on the lawns and enjoy
the sea breeze and amazing atmosphere,” Local reported.
Fire burns 1,500
hectares near Kibbutz Amiad
A large brush fire forced the evacuation of dozens
of residents of Kibbutz Amiad in the Upper Galilee last weekend as firefighters
fought to bring the blaze under control.
Twenty-four firefighting crews
were assisted by police and six fire-fighting aircraft in battling the fire,
which later spread toward Kadarim Junction to the south. Residents who live on
the perimeter of Kibbutz Amiad were evacuated to a restaurant at Amiad Junction,
although they were allowed to return to their homes after several hours.
Portions of highways 85, 89 and 90 were closed due to the flames and
smoke.
Firefighters managed to take control of the fire late Friday
evening. Some 1,500 hectares were burned by the blaze.
CENTER
Int’l
design competition comes to Tel Aviv Tel Aviv is getting ready to host an
unusual competition next week: speed digital design. “Cut & Paste,” the
digital design world championships, will arrive in Tel Aviv today at the city’s
Block Center.
The competition has previously taken place in 15 leading
cities throughout the world. Addressing one of Israel’s most serious challenges,
the theme of the contest will be a lack of clean water – a challenge shared by
much of the world.
Accompanied by world-class DJs, competitors will be
given 20 minutes on stage to create their design as the audience watches every
movement of their hand and mouse on a large overhead screen.
Competitors
come from all walks of professional life in the design world, from professionals
to students, who are given an opportunity to showcase their work and
skills.
Winners in each category will be awarded entrance to the world
championships to be held in New York in November, where designers from around
the world will gather for the international portion of the
competition.
TA to expand bicycle rental program D
Due to increased demand
and a policy of encouraging the use of green transportation in the city, the Tel
Aviv-Jaffa Municipality has begun the process of expanding its Tel-o-Fun bicycle
rental program with an investment of NIS 8.3 million to expand the number of
available bicycles and rental stations.
According to the city, over
18,000 people hold yearly subscriptions to the bicycle rental program. April was
a record-breaking month for rentals, with residents and visitors checking out
219,171 bicycles. In 2011, over one million bicycles were rented.
In
light of the increase of participation in the program, the slated expansion will
see 480 bicycle spots and 200 new bicycles added. In addition, 20 new rental
stations will be built and eight existing stations will be expanded. Currently,
there are 1,500 bicycles available at 150 stations.
Additionally, the
city said it is working with the service’s operator to fix technical problems
renters have encountered with the service.
Praising the
expansion, Tel Aviv-Jaffa Mayor Ron Huldai said that in its first year the
bicycle rental program has already become an integral part of the city. “I am
proud that Tel Aviv-Jaffa has in the past few years become a bicycle city, both
through the Tel-o-Fun project and the most extensive network of bicycle paths in
Israel, which stretches over 120 kilometers.
“The fact that over 40
percent of the city’s residents are riding bicycles is evidence that bicycles
have become a legitimate form of transportation, constituting an alternative to
private cars within the city,” he added.
The decision was approved by the
municipal finance committee and requires the approval of the city
council.
Bat Yam youth to get paintball site this summer
As part of its
projects to keep youth entertained during the summer vacation and its “city
without violence” project, the Bat Yam Municipality is opening a paintball
course during July and August, the Local website reported.
The city
expects the site to attract hundreds of teens, giving youth a place to spend
their time during the summer. The site, located at the beachside “business
complex,” will be open from the afternoon hours until late at night and will be
staffed by volunteers from the Scouts organization, according to the
report.
The municipality assured parents that the activities meet all
professional and safety standards in Israel, noting that participation in the
sport is believed to contribute to teamwork, strategic planning, working under
pressure and the development of self-confidence in youth.
SOUTH
Eilat
steps up canine enforcement
Following enforcement campaigns on beach litter,
unnecessary signs and unlicensed kiosk vendors, the Eilat Municipality set out
to rid the city of another nuisance this month – dog feces. The two-pronged
effort includes an increase of enforcement activities as well as the
distribution of bags to encourage dog owners to pick up after their
companions.
The municipality, along with the municipal veterinarian, will
be increasing the monitoring and enforcement of city ordinances against leaving
canine droppings on the streets and sidewalks and in the parks. In addition,
fines for failing to pick up after one’s canine friend were
increased.
But punishment is not the only element of the
campaign.
The municipality recently purchased 2,000 plastic bag
distribution devices that will be placed in public parks and distributed to dog
owners at both public and private veterinary offices.
In another element
of the municipality’s efforts to reduce what the city described as canine
nuisances, fines for unattended dogs were increased to NIS 500 and the
implantation of microchips in dogs is being widened in order to help stem the
number of stray dogs in the city. More space in municipal kennels is also being
built.
“This will ensure a reduction of the phenomenon, which is a
nuisance, and will make more room at quarantine [facilities] for stray dogs who
have no homes,” the Eilat municipal veterinarian said.
Stemming signs in
the southernmost city
The Eilat Municipality last month removed 50 signs it
deemed not useful from the city’s central tourist areas, following a similar
effort in April that saw 50 such signs taken down.
The campaign, the
intention of which is to beautify the city, is part of a larger effort to
regulate the posting of signs throughout the city and particularly in commercial
areas.
Most of the 38 signs removed last month were old and unused, many
of which had no content or owners. A contractor performed the removal on behalf
of the city at a cost of NIS 11,000.
The operation, an initiative of the
Municipality’s Department of Tourism, Enforcement and Beaches, will continue to
take place in all of the commercial districts of the city, in order to regulate
signs, reduce their numbers to a minimum and ensure they are more aesthetic and
of higher standards.
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