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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 22, 2015)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015 Garden to help special needs children grow in county Project to help preschoolers learn colors, numbers, more By KATHERINE LACAZE EO Media Group SEASIDE — A grant to the Early Childhood Spe- cial Education Classroom in Seaside will go toward re- furbishing and planting an abandoned garden bed to help students learn about nutrition, colors and concepts. Meredith McGrath, an instructional assistant at the classroom, located on the Seaside Heights Elementa- ry School campus, applied for the $200 grant from the Northwest Regional Educa- tion Service District Founda- tion for the project. The class- room, operated by the district, serves preschool-aged chil- dren with special needs from Seaside, Gearhart, Cannon Beach, Warrenton and Jewell. McGrath said the garden will be “a really great way to help with academic lessons.” “Gardens do a lot; they have a lot of potential,” she said. From planting seeds and starter plants to painting wa- tering cans or other equip- ment, there are numerous learning opportunities related to tending a garden that can reinforce social, academic and emotional concepts, she said. The students can learn simple science lessons and use garden concepts to ex- plore numbers and colors. “It’s never too early to learn all that stuff,” she said, adding students of all ages will bene¿t. “Getting up and moving and touching things is the best way for them to learn.” In the classroom, instruc- tors try to use a variety of learning styles. The garden “will be a really good way to incorporate space-based education,” McGrath said. Space-based teaching meth- ods absorb a student’s sur- rounding environment into lesson plans and learning ac- tivities. Katherine Lacaze/EO Media Group The Early Childhood Special Education Classroom in Seaside, which serves students with special needs from Seaside, Gearhart, Cannon Beach, Warrenton and Jewell, will refurbish and plant this abandoned garden bed and use it for numerous learning oppor- tunities. The grant money will cov- er the cost of tools, seeds, soil and starter plants. The teachers will get the project started by clearing the raised garden bed and getting ’Tis the week to watch for whales The Daily Astorian Whale-watching week be- gins Sunday and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Depart- ment is assembling trained volunteers at sites up and down the Oregon Coast for the annual event through Dec. 31. Volunteers with the de- partment’s Whale Watching Spoken Here program will be stationed at 24 sites along the coast from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day of the event to help people spot gray whales head- ing south to Mexico. Local watching sites in- clude the Lewis and Clark In- terpretive Center, 244 Robert Gray Drive near Ilwaco, Wash- ington; Ecola Point in Ecola State Park north of Cannon Beach; and the Neahkahnie Mountain historic marker turn- out along U.S. Highway 101 north of Manzanita. While watching, visitors will learn about whale migra- tion and feeding habits. The winter migration typically lasts until mid-January. View a map of all 24 watch sites, which extend from Ilwaco to Crescent City, California, at whalespoken.org Astoria schools to honor excellence The Daily Astorian The Astoria School Board, in partnership with the Astoria School Founda- tion, has created a staff rec- ognition program called “A Tradition of Excellence.” The program will annual- ly honor one classi¿ed staff member, one certi¿ed staff member and a team collabo- ration. The district will also honor the 10-, 20- and 30- year anniversaries of district employees. Nominations for awards can be made by staff mem- bers, parents, communi- ty members and students. Forms for nominations will become available online and at each school in Febru- ary and be due at the end of March. A group of district em- ployees, a school board member and an Astoria School Foundation member will be selected to serve on a nomination committee. Award winners, employment anniversaries and donors to the foundation will be hon- ored at a ceremony in April or May. it prepped. Once the weather warms, the students will get involved. McGrath said she plans to plant a variety of Àowers and vegetables that grow quickly Local nonpro¿ts receiYe , PORTLAND — In Novem- ber, the Oregon Community Foundation Board of Directors approved more than $548,000 in 13 grants to North Coast nonpro¿ts. Grants awarded in- clude ones to support seniors and people with disabilities, as well as grants supporting arts and culture in the region. In total, more than $8.4 million grants were awarded by the foundation statewide. Grants awarded on the North Coast include: • Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District Foun- dation, Seaside: $80,000 to provide positive and engaging afterschool activities and men- toring for middle school stu- dents in South County. • The Harbor, Astoria: $30,000 to renovate a newly donated building to create an Americans with Disabilities Act accessible community re- The Harbor offers support group for women The Harbor’s Sexual As- sault Peer Center will be offering a multi-week sup- port group for women who are survivors of sexual vio- lence. This group meets 4 to 5 Meet with Herzig Saturday p.m. Wednesdays through Jan. 27. Group topics include the importance of self-care, de- veloping coping skills to manage stress and anxiety, identifying the effects of and easily. The produce will be used in the classroom, she said. She hopes to keep the gar- den going in future school years. She can reapply for the foundation grant, and she also will consider having the students write requests for donated materials from local businesses in the future. “There are ways of con- tinuing it,” McGrath said. In November, the North- west Regional Education Service District Founda- tion awarded 22 grants — amounting to more than $19,000 — to local school district for projects in special education and at-risk pro- grams in Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook and Washington County school districts. The grants are focused on two funding priorities. The ¿rst is services for children from birth through age 5 with varying degrees of disabili- ties including autism, hear- ing and visual impairments, speech-language needs and those who are medically fragile. The second focus is school-age special education and behavioral programs for young children and students kindergarten to age 21 with developmental delays, and psychological, emotional and behavioral issues. source center for individuals and families experiencing in- terpersonal violence in Clatsop County. • Liberty Restoration Inc., Astoria: $11,000 to renovate and redesign the theater’s box seats with the aim of reselling the naming rights in support of ongoing operations of the his- toric Liberty Theatre. • Bay City Arts Center, Bay City: $12,500 to hire a part-time, contracted executive director to expand arts educa- tion programs to three school districts and increase services for veterans, elders, and people with disabilities. • Community Action Team, St. Helens: $250,000 for the Rose Avenue facility that will house a senior center and food bank in Vernonia. • Newport Symphony Or- chestra, Newport: $15,000 to build fundraising capacity by conducting board trainings, establishing a fundraising com- mittee, strengthening donor outreach tools and processes, and developing new events. • Tillamook Bay Com- munity College, Tilla- mook:$30,000 to partner with Oregon State University to cre- ate a Partners for Rural Innova- tion Center, which will be home to an agriculture and natural resources degree program, an open campus, a small business development center, and more. • Tillamook County Com- munity Action Resource En- terprises, Tillamook: $15,000 to provide short-term rental assistance to 20-30 families in Tillamook County who are at risk of losing their housing. For full lists of grants and more information about Ore- gon Community Foundation initiatives, go to www.oregon- cf.org Open Christmas Day sexual violence, and inner strength identification. For more information and to register, call Sha- ron at The Harbor: 503- 325-3426, ext. 106, or visit www.harbornw.org. 6am-8pm Serving Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner Prime Rib Dinner Starting at 1 pm $ 26.95 W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 The public is invited to meet with Drew Herzig, Asto- ria city councilor for Ward 2, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Saturday in the Flag Room at the Astoria Public Library, 450 10th St. All are welcome to come and share their thoughts, suggestions, questions, and concerns about Astoria. Spaghetti For Kids Merry Christmas Courtney Ann My Angel in Heaven $ 3.95 Just 15 m in. from the Lew is & Cla rk Bridge on H w y. 30 August 21, 1982 - December 22, 2001 “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” 1 Peter 5:5 Hump’s Restaurant 50 W. 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