Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (May 16, 2019)
schools may16 2019 13 Schools Update: 2019-2020 Instructional Calendar By Superintendent Aaron Miller The Vernonia School District (VSD) instructional calendar was ap- proved by the School Board at their April 11 meeting, and several exciting changes are in place for the upcoming 2019-20 school year. First off, there will be three ad- ditional days of school added for stu- dents. Currently students in the VSD meet all state instructional hour require- ments, but the number of days of school in Vernonia has remained low. By add- ing three days of school, the VSD will now be in session for 162 student con- tact days, gaining ground toward a more standard school year. Besides adding days, there will also be a change in the professional development calendar for the District. Each Wednesday next year, students will begin school at 9:15 am. These “Late Start Wednesdays” will provide teachers time to hold staff meetings, hold student intervention meetings, plan for instruc- tion, and work on professional develop- ment activities to enhance and improve their instructional practices. “Late Start Wednesdays” will replace the system of “Early Release Fridays” which was in place for many years when the district was located at its Bridge Street campus. Having this time dedicated on Wednesday mornings instead of Friday afternoons will allow coaches, instructional assistants, and all staff to attend these trainings on a regu- lar basis, at a time of the day when they are fresh, and have no other obligations to impede their participation. On each of the other days of the week, students will maintain their regu- lar schedule with school beginning at 8:00 am. The first day of school for ALL students will be Tuesday, September 10, with Monday, September 9 being an ori- entation day for all new Middle School, High School, and Foreign Exchange stu- dents. The last day of school is slated for Wednesday, June 10. While more days of school are planned for Vernonia students in 2019- 20, they will still have a week-long break at Thanksgiving (November 25-29) and during Spring Break (March 23-27). Winter Vacation will run from Monday, December 23 through Friday, January 3, 2020. The District believes that the increase in student contact days, as well as the increase in time for staff profes- sional development, will have a positive impact on student achievement, and the effectiveness of staff instruction. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Superintendent Miller at (503) 429-5891. School Board Report number of open staff positions for next school year, while there are several more positions still to be filled. Filled positions include: Part-time Welding – Kirk Ebberts Elementary Teachers (K-2) Jordan Frink, Kiara Single, Claire Youngberg MS Language Arts – Malin Campbell MS Social Studies – Rachel Brown Mist K-2 Teacher – Andrea Anderson VES Title I Reading – Kendra Schlegel VES Principal – Michelle Eagleson Vernonia Family Academy Teacher – Debbie Taylor Food Service Director – Marilyn Landers Positions still to be filled: Elementary Teachers (grades 3-5) – two positions HS Foreign Language MS/HS Band MS or K-12 Special Education K-12 Life Skills Grounds/Custodial HS Assistant Football Coaches – two positions At the May 9, 2019 School Board Meeting: Miller Tells Board Bids Too High – Superintendent Aaron Miller told the Board the construction bids the District received for a four classroom addition on the school campus are too high to complete the project as designed. (See full story on front page.) Board Approves Student Fee Schedule – The Board approved the Student Fee Schedule for the 2019-20 school year. The revised schedule had minor chang- es, including a $0.05 increase to student breakfast and lunch prices, and increases to several adult meals. Budget Committee Approves Budget – The District Budget Committee, made up of the School Board and community members, approved the $13.67 million bud- get for 2019-20. The Budget Committee was chaired by Brittanie Roberts. The School Board will now hold a Public Hearing before adopting the final budget. Numerous Staff Positions Filled, Vacant – Super- intendent Aaron Miller told the Board he has filled a Principal Reports – Elementary Vice Principal Mi- chelle Eagleson provided the Board with a report that noted the 2019-20 Kindercamp will be held August 19- 30 and said in order for students to attend they must have paperwork submitted by May 31. Eagleson told the Board VES will be using a new reading program next year called Journeys and will hold a book give- away open to families and community members at the end of this school year to get rid of materials they are no longer using. High School/Middle School Principal Nate Underwood told the Board that Hannah Baska and Byron Cook were named this year’s Prom Queen and King. Underwood said Bowen Cottini and Zebadiah Burklund will represent Vernonia Middle School at the Columbia County Spelling Bee competition. Under- wood told the Board that Vernonia Mayor Rick Hobart honored foreign exchange students Dinu Cojacarn and Abraham Kpirkai with a Community Service Award for their volunteer work. VHS Spring Sports Report continued from page 12 while Starr McKinnis ran a PR of 21.26 to finish 8 th ; McKinnis also threw a PR of 29’7.5” to finish 4 th in the shot put and took 3 rd in the discus; Ely took 3 rd in the javelin; Isabelle Coleman cleared 6’4” in the pole vault to take 4 th ; and Abby Coleman had a PR leap of 28’1.5” to fin- ish 5 th in the triple jump. The State Championship meet is May 17-18 at Western Oregon Univer- sity in Monmouth. Vernonia also hosted their first home meet in several decades on May 2. All nine league teams attended, plus athletes from Jewell. Both the Vernonia boys and girls teams finished 2 nd in team scoring. Highlights for the boys included the high jump with Abram Martin, Pete Crystal, and Jake Handegard finished 1 st , 3 rd , and 5 th ; Martin won with a jump of 6’0”. Crystal won the pole vault, clear- ing 10’. Kale Sullivan and Radek Zik- mund finished 2 nd and 5 th in the javelin. Dustin Carreon and Eli Thompson fin- ished 4 th and 7 th in the shot put. Mar- tin and Nick Costley finished 2 nd and 6 th in the 300 meter hurdles; Costley had a great day with a PR in the 300 hurdles and also had a PR in the 110 hurdles with a time of 20.82 finishing 5 th . Handegard finished 2 nd in the 800 meters with a PR of 2:08. Sullivan and Abraham Kpirikai finished 2 nd and 3 rd in the 400 meters. For the Vernonia girls, Jenna Handegard won the 400 meters and Lauren Ely placed 2 nd in the 800 me- ters. Freshman Sadie Gump was 3 rd in e rm an DM D Vernonia Dental D h . r C r h p o is t M er . h S c eu 622 Bridge Street Vernonia, OR 97064 phone (503) 429-0880 -- fax (503) 429-0881 the 1,500 meters. Hailey Reynolds won the 300 meter hurdles and was 3 rd in the 110 hurdles. Starr McKinnis and Alexa Cook finished 3 rd and 5 th in the shot put. McKinnis also placed 2 nd in the discus with a PR throw of 101’10”. “She has been chasing that elusive 100’ mark all season,” said Roady about McKinnis. Lauren Ely was 3 rd in the javelin, while Abby and Isabelle Coleman finished 3 rd and 5 th in the pole vault.