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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2015)
14 schools may21 2015 Schools Update: Summer Break By Aaron Miller 7. Be creative. Listen to audio books. Play word games. Team up with your teen to combat negative peer Visit a museum and read about displays. Start a book pressure Another school year has come and gone. Both club. Summer is around the corner—which often means less students and staff are ready for summer vacation, but supervision for many teens. If you are concerned about there are many considerations to ensure that safe, Reprinted with permission from the May 2015 issue your teen spending so much time unsupervised, you respectful and responsible behaviors continue to be of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School have good reason. developed over the summer months. Here are some Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2015 The Parent Surveys show that teens are more likely to try ideas from “The Parent Institute” to help students of all Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. drugs and alcohol during the summer than they are ages maintain that progress, and other healthy habits, during the school year. To help your teen resist pressure over the break. from peers: Are you preparing your child for a safe summer? Seven ways to prevent summer reading loss Summer is prime time for fun and also for • Talk about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Teens Your child has worked on strengthening her risk—especially for middle schoolers, who may not who are under the influence do things they simply reading skills all year long. You don’t want her to lose always be in sight of an adult. Are you preparing for a would never do otherwise. If your teen stays sober, she them over the summer! Yet research shows that summer safe summer? Answer yes or no to the questions below has a much better chance of staying healthy and safe. reading loss is a real problem. to find out. Mostly yes answers mean you are focused • Give examples. Pick up your local newspaper and Thankfully, there are countless ways you can on summer safety. For no answers, try those ideas in you’ll likely find a story about teens in trouble. Talk encourage your child to maintain—and even improve— the quiz. with your child about what happened. Ask her what she her reading skills during vacation. You can: 1. Do you require your child to wear sunscreen when would do in that situation. Talk about ways to avoid 1. Read together daily. In addition to reading books, ask he is outdoors? trouble. for your child’s help with following recipes, looking up 2. Do you insist your child wear a helmet when on a • Set limits. Make sure your teen knows what time you information online and making lists. expect her home. Suggest that she use you as an excuse: bike, scooter or skateboard? 2. Keep reading materials handy. Leave comics, 3. Do you know where your child is, who he is with “I can’t—my mom is sitting in the front hallway right magazines, books, newspapers and other materials and what he is doing? Do you discourage hanging out now waiting for me to walk in.” around the house where your child is likely to pick after dark? • Encourage healthy activities. Suggest that your teen them up. 4. Do you consider your child’s maturity before find a place to volunteer over the summer. She should 3. Choose irresistible materials. Look for books and assigning chores, such as mowing the lawn with a also look into getting a summer job, joining a summer articles about your child’s interests, such as sports, art, riding lawn mower? sports league or taking a summer class. As a bonus, any fashion or even a favorite movie. 5. Do you encourage your child to drink plenty of of these activities would help strengthen her résumé 4. Talk with experts. Ask your child’s teacher or a water when working, playing or exercising outdoors in and college applications! librarian for summer reading suggestions. the heat? 5. Visit the library regularly. Give your child frequent Reprinted with permission from the May 2015 issue opportunities to find materials that appeal to her. Reprinted with permission from the May 2015 issue of Parents Still make the difference!® (High School 6. Take books with you. Bring them on trips, into of Parents Still make the difference!® (Middle School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2015 The Parent waiting rooms and anywhere else your child might Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2015 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: A. Marks and complain, “I’m bored!” B. Rothbart, Healthy Teens, Body and Soul: A Parent’s Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Complete Guide, Simon & Schuster. PTA Press Extra!! Extra!! Read All About It By Melissa Zavales Be there! Be heard! This is the PTA slogan for the upcoming year. We are encouraging all community members to attend a PTA meeting and BE HEARD! Our challenge to you is to attend and become part of a fun team that has our students interests at heart. THERE IS NO COST TO ATTEND A MEETING. If you decide you would like to become a voting member of the PTA then there is a small fee for state dues, but to attend meetings and be heard, and volunteer your time, there is no out of pocket cost. Our next meeting is Thursday, May 21 at 7:00 PM Vernonia High School library. We have been working very diligently on the playground for our Vernonia School District students. As most of the community knows, we have installed Phase I, and the kids have been using it this school year. We have been fundraising and applying for grants and are so close to completing the final stage. The first phase cost rough- ly $10,000 and was purchased through our fundraising efforts and your generous support. With the help of some amazing volunteers we installed the equipment. We have received a grant from Buell Recreation for $4,961 to implement Phase II. The PTA has $5,500. We have received generous donations from the Vernonia Boosters of $2,750, a personal donation from Virginia Johns of $200 and a donation from Vernonia Education Foundation of $750. That leaves a balance of approximately $6,000 still needed to complete this project which will provide a playground with capacity for eighty-one students with two slides and lots of climbing. We are asking for you to help us reach this goal. If you have a fundraising or grant idea, or a connection, please share. If you can make a monetary donation, please do. WE NEED YOU! Please attend our next meeting with your great ideas. If you wish to make a donation please send it to the Vernonia School District, 1000 Missouri Ave. Vernonia, OR 97064, Attn: PTA. THANK YOU! TOO BUSY? School Board Report continued from page 13 individual planning, instruction, career development services, paid employment, support services and follow up support for one year after leaving the program. Vernonia students currently enrolled in the program help operate the concession stand during sporting events at the school campus and receive a stipend that can be used towards purchasing or paying for school funded programs like sports fees, prom or their yearbook. Public Comment – Gail Law and Jeana Gump both thanked Eric Urban for his work as Life Skills teacher and encouraged the Board to find a way to retain Urban. Urban submitted his resignation to the Board effective at the end of the current school year. Student Reports – High School students Makayla Adams, Summer Snow and Alexis Baska presented the Board with a high school report. Adams reported on the Prom. Baska updated the Board on spring sports. Snow reported on Dornbecher Week. Baska has been attending School Board meetings and providing student reports for five years; this was her last School Board meeting. Karrah Delemos and Kate Frederiksen gave a report on the Middle School Close Up trip to Washington, D.C. Call your LOCAL bookkeeper Anonymous Donor in Support of Vernonia’s Voice R Y OLL A P PLUS LLC Edi Sheldon 503-429-1819 edisheldon@gmail.com Licensed tax consultant • Full service payroll Personal & small business bookkeeping • QuickBooks assistance CORPS, S-CORPS, LLC, Partnerships • Personal one-on-one service LTC #29629 - Oregon licensed tax consultant RTRP #P00448199 - designated as a registered tax return preparer by the Internal Revenue Service The IRS does not endorse any particular individual tax return preparer. For more information on tax return preparers, go to www.IRS.gov. Building Reports – Elementary School Principal Aaron Miller reported that 5 th graders Emma Neufer and Carly Bergen were Spelling Bee winners for the school; Bergen finished 4 th at the County contest. High/Middle School Principal Nate Underwood reported that the Forestry Team finished 4 th at State. Makayla McCord and Dominic Szlavich were named Prom Queen and King. The High School held a SKID program. Vernonia’s Voice is published twice each month on the 1st and 3rd Thursday. Look for our next issue on June 4th.