schools
april18
2019
13
Schools Update: New Programs
If you are interested in applying to have your
student transfer from VES to MGS, please contact the
school at (503) 429-1333.
Another new option for students in Vernonia
will be provided through the district9s new program,
the Vernonia Family Academy.
The Vernonia Family Academy (VFA) is
a program being developed to meet the needs of
parents and students who are currently utilizing <home
schooling= as their mode of education. In the VFA
parents will enroll their students in the VSD, but will
still be able to work with their students at home. They
will have curriculum and teacher support provided
by the District, opportunities for oeld trips and other
extra-curricular activities, state testing support, and
the ability to be more connected to their peers and the
community as a whole. The district feels this is a great
way to bridge the gap between home schoolers and
their hometown school district.
If you are interested in onding out more about
the VFA, or would like to place your student on the
By Superintendent Aaron Miller
Students and parents in the Vernonia School
District (VSD) may have a number of new choices
to make with their educational options starting in the
2019-20 school year. In an effort to provide learning
opportunities to better meet the needs of all students,
there are several changes that the district is working
to implement. These new program options will impact
students in all grades, kindergarten through twelfth.
The orst new option involves expanding the
number of students who attend Mist Grade School
(MGS). Mist9s size and remote location give the
school a real family feel, but with only one teacher
for grades K-5, there is need to expand. Our plan is
to allow up to 20 students to transfer to Mist Grade
School from Vernonia Elementary School (VES). This
will necessitate the hiring of another teacher which
will allow students to be divided into a primary (grades
K-2) and intermediate (grades 3-5) setting. This move
will not only increase opportunities at Mist, but also
will decrease class sizes at VES.
waiting list, please contact the district at (503) 429-
5891.
On the middle school/high school side of
education, the VSD is also making strides to provide
more options for its students. One way to do that is to
provide alternative education options that better meet
the needs of students.
For the past two years the VSD has contracted
with Oregon Outreach, Incorporated (OOI) to provide
an alternative learning environment for up to 10 of our
students each year. In this program students access
coursework online and attend school for about half of
the day. This decreased classroom time actually helps
students stay focused on their work, and provides them
an educational setting that better meets their individual
learning style, and allows them to be successful.
The VSD is working hard to provide as many
options as possible for its students to thrive and be
successful. If you have any questions regarding these
programs, or anything that has to do with school, please
call Superintendent Miller at (503) 429-5891.
School Board Report
At the April 11, 2019 Vernonia School
Board Meeting:
Board Meets at Mist School 3 The
School Board held their meeting for the
second time this school year at the Mist
School.
Board Approves Calendar with Late
Start Wednesdays 3 The Board ap-
proved a proposed School Calendar for
the 2019-20 school year which includes
a one hour late start on every Wednesday
morning. The approved calendar also
adds three additional student contact
days and four additional staff days.
Budget Committee to Begin Meeting 3
The School Budget Committee will hold
their orst meeting on May 2 at 6:00 pm,
where the proposed budget will be intro-
duced. The next meeting is scheduled as
part of the regular School Board meeting
on May 9.
Board Discusses Mandatory Vacci-
nations 3 The Board held a long, and
sometimes contentious, discussion
about mandatory vaccinations. The item
was placed on the agenda at the request
of Board member Stacey Pelster. The
Board concluded that the Oregon School
Board Association is not currently tak-
ing a position, and took no action.
Superintendent Report 3 Superinten-
dent Aaron Miller told the Board ove
people attended his Community Chat
on March 20. The next session is April
24 from 6:00-7:00 pm in the Vernonia
School Commons.
Miller reported that he hopes
to announce a onal decision on the
At-Home School Program at the May
School Board meeting.
Miller said he will have a onal
decision on increasing enrollment at the
Mist School at the May Board meeting.
Miller said the District has a
number of teaching positions open, in-
cluding:
" Part-time Welding
" Elementary Teachers
" Vernonia Family Academy Teacher
" HS Foreign Language Teacher
" MS/HS Band
" MS Language Arts/Social Studies
" MS 6 th Grade (Self Contained)
" MS Special Education
" K-12 Special Education 3 Behavior
Miller said bids for the con-
struction of the 4-classroom addition
are due May 6, which will push comple-
tion of the project back to November/
December of 2019. He said the Facili-
ties Committee will be reviewing two
bids the District received for construc-
tion of the metal shop.
Principal Reports 3 Elementary Vice
Principal Michelle Eagleson presented
the VES report, and noted:
" VES students participated in the annual
Run for the Arts on April 11.
"VES has implemented a new strategy
called <calming lines= to help students
work on regulation and calming tech-
niques while in transition in the build-
ing. All classes are also onishing up the
Mind Up curriculum and focusing on
mindfulness. The K-2 classes started
Second Step, a social emotional curricu-
lum, to teach feelings and empathy.
" On April 3, VES recognized 35 stu-
dents for perfect attendance during the
third quarter.
" On Thursday, May 16, Koa Leininger
and Stetson Taylor will be representing
VES at the Columbia County Spelling
Bee.
Middle/High School Principal
Nate Underwood reported that 8 th grade
students were leaving for their Close-
Up trip to Washington D.C. on April 13,
VHS seniors were leaving on their se-
nior trip on April 19, that the VHS Prom
is scheduled for May 4, and High School
graduation is scheduled for June 1.
Underwood reported that a num-
ber of staff members attended a School
Employee Wellness Conference in Bend
and brought back good ideas to promote
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healthy habits, camaraderie, and burnout
prevention. Underwood also announced
the District received a Wellness Grant to
be used to promote employee wellness.
Underwood told the Board the
Project Based Learning (PBL) Class is
working on a campaign to reduce the use
of foul language as a Vernonia School
Community.
Underwood reported that room
reconogurations have created an Op-
portunity Room for MS/HS, which will
allow for some separation from Elemen-
tary in dealing with student behavior is-
sues.
Winter Sports Report 3 Athletic Direc-
tor Gordon Jarman reported the winter
sports season was very successful from
some perspectives and not so successful
in others.
11 athletes qualioed for state
in boys wrestling, more than any other
2A school. He said the team onished
in the top three of all tournaments they
entered. Top wrestlers were Josh Rice,
James Watson, Wyatt Jones, and Patrick
Fletcher.
For the orst time girls wres-
tling was recognized by the OSAA and
sanctioned as a new sport. The girls had
their own separate state tournament. Top
wrestlers were Hailey Reynolds, Charity
Coleman, and Hannah Creutz.
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