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
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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.
