Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2018)
schools january18 2018 13 School Board Report At the January 11, 2018 School Board Meeting NWRESD Annual Report – Cindy Jager from the Northwest Regional Education Service District (NWRESD) presented their Annual Report. The NWRESD provides support services to school districts, including Early Inter- vention and Childhood Special Educa- tion, Instructional Services, Administra- tive Services, and Technology Services. The report showed the Vernonia School District received a total of $231,357 in services during fiscal year 2016-17. New Agenda Order – The Board vot- ed to approve a new agenda order that would move Public Comment later in the agenda and will follow reports by students, principals, and sports, but will be before Action Items. The change will also move the Superintendent Report to earlier in the meeting before Action Items. Division 22 Standards – Superinten- dent Aaron Miller provided the District’s “Division 22 Report to the Community” which determines the District’s compli- ance with Oregon Administrative Rules. The report showed the District is in com- pliance and meets all state requirements for all Division 22 standards, which in- clude over 50 items like District Curric- ulum, Prevention Education Programs in Drugs and Alcohol, Career Education, Human Sexuality Education, Special Education, Daily Class Size, Policies on Reporting Child Abuse, and Required Instructional Time. The report is self generated by the District. Board Approves Out of State Travel for Students – The Board approved a re- quest to send all 4 th through 12 th graders to attend a presentation of “The Chil- dren of Willesden Lane,” a live perfor- mance of the true story of Lisa Jura who fled Nazi-occupied Vienna with 10,000 other young refugees who were sepa- rated from their parents before WWII. The story was written by Jura’s daugh- ter, concert pianist Mona Golabek, and poet Lee Cohen. All students who attend will receive a free copy of the book. The performance will take place on January 24 at the Columbia Theater in Longview, Washington and required an approval from the Board for students to travel out of state, according to District policy. Discipline Report – Vice Principal Ra- chel Wilcoxen provided the Board with a detailed discipline report that tracked the number of referrals by day of the week, by gender, and by type of problem behavior. She also provided the report form instructors are filling out which explains the problem behavior, who was involved, and the solution being imple- mented. School Board Recognized – Superin- tendent Aaron Miller took a moment to recognize and thank the School Board by reading a proclamation in honor of School Board Recognition Month. The Library was decorated with posters cre- ated by classes from the Elementary School and School Board members re- ceived cookies and treats provided by Vernonia High School students. Vernonia School Board members (left to right) Brett Costley, Susan Wagner, Brittanie Roberts, Greg Kintz, and Katie Cook were recognized at the January 11, 2018 meeting for their service during School Board Recognition Month. Superintendent Report – Superinten- dent Aaron Miller provided an update on Bond Projects and said he expects two companies to bid on work at Mist School. Miller said all the financing for the Bond has been completed and that the District is likely to receive money back, approximately $60,000, from the pay-off of one of the loans. He said a contract for an architect for future dis- trict projects is close to being signed. Miller said they are moving forward on new sound systems in the gym and in the Commons and a new data projector. He said he is exploring a relationship with a co-op group which helps districts con- structing sports facilities by purchasing materials in bulk in order to save money. He said the District’s project manager is beginning conversations with contrac- tors for the Welding Shop. Miller told the Board he is continuing to work on a plan to create a Home School Charter Program to pro- vide support for home school students and that he will be reaching out to the public in the next month to determine interest and next steps. Miller said the District is be- ginning budget planning for the 2018- 19 school year and noted there are several positions open on the Budget Committee for interested citizens. Miller told the Board that In- structional Assistant Hayley Watson has resigned and there are now two po- sitions to fill. Miller said next month he will be sharing drafts of three more one- page entries into the Procedural Staff Handbook that is being created. Student Reports – VHS senior Haley Lindsay told the Board that the lead- ership class did some random acts of kindness by serving jam and toast to students in the hallways (an idea they learned about at their OSCA confer- ence) and also hosted a video game night. Lindsay also updated the Board on Winter Festival week in Decem- ber, a blood drive, Senior Projects, the upcoming Winter Formal, and winter sports. Building Reports – Middle and High School Principal Nate Underwood updated the Board on Senior Proj- ects, Middle School and High School Vernonia School Board Meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month. The next School Board Meeting is scheduled for February 8 at 6:00 pm in the Schools Library. sports, and the school’s new trophy case. Underwood also discussed the On-Track Report Cards for 9 th grade students that were sent out. The report cards use four indicators, attendance, behavior, academic achievement, and state test scores, to predict graduation rates. The report cards showed 21% of freshmen were On Track to graduate, 21% were Nearly On Track, 37% were at Some Risk, and 21% were At Risk. Underwood said the numbers are “not great” but said a team of staff will con- tinue training and work to address con- cerns. Underwood provided a chart which showed that the District is provid- ing the required amount of instructional hours for students. Underwood also shared a new- ly created newsletter from the Middle School for students and parents. Elementary Principal Aaron Miller provided a written report which updated the Board on ODE (Oregon Dept. of Education) Rural Network which the District has been accessing for professional development assistance. A recent visit to Vernonia from profession- al educators through the program found great teamwork among staff to provide consistent core instruction; progress in Priority and Focus Schools designation; positive, polite, and well behaved stu- dents; and a need to build rigor into the curriculum and develop more effective engagement strategies. Miller’s report also noted that the Sprouts group is developing a plan to purchase more playground equipment; that testing will occur for early literacy which will be used to assess teaching effectiveness; and that five substitute teachers will be used on February 1 to allow the instructional team to perform “100% Meetings” to evaluate effective- ness of overall instructional practices, and determine strengths and weakness- es. Public Comment – Scott Laird told the Board he disagreed with the proposed change to Agenda Order that was to be discussed later in the meeting. Laird said the proposed change to move Public Comment towards the end of the meet- ing would force patrons of the District to stay through the entire meeting before being able to address the Board. Vernonia Students of the Month December 2017 Elementary School Roman Martin Front Row - Afton McClellan (1st), Hannah Hansen (3rd), Alana Watts (K). Back Row - Carter Roberson (2nd), Kaydence Roberson (5th), Emma Scheuerman (4th), Aarieonna Vaughn (3rd), and Brandon Klock (4th). Not pictured- Kolbie Bergerson (K) Grade 6 Roman is known as a hard working and diligent student. He gives his best effort and is kind to others. “I really appreciate having him in my class,” says one of his teachers. Roman says his favorite subject is math. He is wrestling and has played baseball. In his free time he says he really likes to go fishing. Haley Lindsay Grade 12 Haley is a member of the National Honor Society, is involved with the leadership class, and is the captain of the cheer squad. In her spare time she likes to play guitar and piano, and has recently started dancing. Haley says she is waiting to hear back from some colleges before making a deci- sion about where she’ll attend next year to study music technology and theater arts. Sponsored by Vernonia’s Voice
