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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2017)
schools august3 2017 Vernonia Dental D About The Oregon Community Foundation The mission of The Oregon Community Foundation is to improve lives for all Oregonians through the power of philanthropy. OCF works with individuals, families, businesses and organizations to create charitable funds to support the community causes they care about. Through these funds OCF awarded more than $108 million in grants and scholarships in 2016. For more information about OCF, please visit: www.oregoncf.org. Parents of incoming kindergar- ten students who have not yet registered their student(s) can do so beginning Monday, August 7 when the Vernonia Schools office reopens after summer break. If you or a friend has a kinder- garten age student who has not yet reg- istered, please come in and sign them up. In addition to starting school, incoming kindergarten students in the Vernonia School District (VSD) will once again have the opportunity to par- ticipate in Kindercamp from Monday, August 14 through Monday, August 28. Kindercamp is a two-week “pre-ses- sion” for kindergarteners to provide them with a great opportunity to begin their academic career in the big school without other, older students present. This allows students a chance to meet their teacher and assistants, to become acquainted with their classroom and school, to learn the routines of a typical school day and begin getting to know each other better prior to having the halls filled with tall people that can be somewhat intimidating. Last year Kindercamp was a huge success with our new, little stu- dents making the adjustment to school quickly, and feeling like the building was their school to start with, and they now just have to share it with some tall- er students once all students begin at- tending school. We are certain we will see similar results again this year. During Kindercamp there will be two information/training dinners for parents and families. The first night of Kindercamp, Monday, August 14 will be the first dinner, with spaghetti on the menu and babysitting available following the meal. The second dinner will feature tacos and babysitting, and will take place on Thursday, August 24. This is a great opportunity for par- ents to learn how they can support their students in kindergarten, connect with other kindergarten families, and to feed their family for free. If you have not yet regis- tered your student for kindergarten or Kindercamp, please do so, so we can plan accordingly for the “final” number of students who will participate. Please have immunization records and a copy of your child’s birth certificate when registering. Another element in place to help kindergarten students, and parents, transition into school more easily is our free backpack program. If your student is in need of a backpack and/or school supplies, just let the office know and the school can provide these items free of charge. This is a part of our on-going student backpack program supported by The United Way and private donors, as well as from a grant through the NW Regional Educational Service District. If you have any questions re- garding kindergarten, Kindercamp, or any other school issue, please call the school at (503) 429-1333, or the Verno- nia District Office at (503) 429-5891. DM Community 101 is a collab- orative effort among foundations, donors, educators, students and non- profits to engage young Oregonians in their communities. Now celebrat- ing their 20th anniversary, Commu- nity 101 was created in 1997 by the PGE Foundation to connect classroom learning to the community and intro- duce students to the importance of civic engagement, leadership and phi- lanthropy. In 2008, The Oregon Com- munity Foundation (OCF) partnered with the PGE Foundation to expand the program to more schools statewide. Today, the PGE Foundation continues to be the top funder of the program. “What’s wonderful about Community 101 is the exposure stu- dents have to the power of philan- thropy and volunteerism,” said Kregg Arntson, Executive Director of the PGE Foundation. “We’re honored to have created this program and cel- ebrate the lasting impacts it has had across Oregon over the last 20 years.” During the last 20 years, Com- munity 101 has taught civic engage- ment, grant making, leadership and teamwork skills to Oregon students; approximately 20,550 Community 101 students have granted $4.5 million to thousands of organizations through- out Oregon, volunteered 90,000 hours and raised more than $200,000 to give to causes they care about. Community 101 provides an opportunity for young Oregonians to speak up for what they feel is important, openly discuss issues that impact their lives and their futures, learn about the role of nonprofits and charitable giving, and grant funds to causes they care about. North coast region participants in the Community 101 program during the 2016-17 school year included Ver- nonia High School, Scappoose High School and Tillamook High School. “As high school students, it’s not every day that we get to wit- ness the amazing things people do for our community, but Community 101 helped open us up to that. That sense of purpose was very inspiring, and our committee at Southridge High School couldn’t be happier knowing that we helped make a difference in others’ lives,” affirmed Olivia DeSim- one, Southridge High School student. Community 101 is grateful for the donors, nonprofits and particu- larly to the many teacher advisors who make this program possible. “Our hope is that Community 101 students take this experience with them throughout high school, college and their adult lives. We’d like them to look back and remember what it felt like to give time and/or money to causes they care about and in turn, continue to sup- port their community through chari- table giving and volunteering. Whether it’s $5 or 5 hours, Oregon youth are making a difference,” said Jennesa Datema, Associate Program Officer, The Oregon Community Foundation. Administered by OCF, Com- munity 101 provides student leadership and civic engagement through chari- table giving. For information about how to become involved or to support a class in your community, please con- tact Jennesa Datema at The Oregon Community Foundation, jdatema@ oregoncf.org or (503) 227-6846. By Aaron Miller e rm Students, teachers and donors celebrate the joy of commu- nity service and grant making Schools Update: Kindercamp an Celebrating 20 Years of Community 101 Vernonia School Board Meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month. The next School Board Meeting is scheduled for August 10 at 6:00 pm in the Schools Library. Summer is here! Green Mountain Grills & Pellets in stock! Water Toys • Lawn Chairs Camping Supplies • Coolers Batteries • Sporting Goods Family owned & operated for over 45 years 834 Bridge St., Vernonia (503) 429-6364 11 . Dr ri h C s he p to r M . S e ch u 622 Bridge Street Vernonia, OR 97064 phone (503) 429-0880 -- fax (503) 429-0881
