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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1999)
2 Smoke Signals WiMJ '.offers Hods a clhamice to shiinie By Tracy Dugan, Editor There aren't many rewarding jobs around where the main skill needed is simply being able to read. But that's all that is required to be a SMART volunteer. That and a little dedication. SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) began in four Yamhill County Elementary schools this year, including Grand Ronde and Wlllamina grade schools. Aimed at kindergarten, first, and second grade students, SMART is in the business of helping kids learn to read and develop self-esteem and positive feelings about themselves at the same time. Barbara Smith, SMART Coordina tor for the Grand Ronde program says that sometimes kids in unique situations need a little extra atten tion. "All that is required of our volun teers is one hour per week," said ' 1 -l A SMART volunteer reads with one of her students at Grand Ronde Elementary School. Smith. "That is enough time for them to develop a special relationship with their kids and help these children succeed in school." With a little help from the Spirit Mountain Com munity Fund, the Grand Ronde Elementary has been able to work with 25 of the children ages 5-7 with their reading skills. An other major financial supporter in Yamhill County is Hampton Indus tries. Because of their contributions, not only are these children gaining confidence and self-esteem, they are learning to love and appreciate the value of reading. Each child receives two books per month to take home and keep permanently. Tribal member Shelley Hanson, a SMART volunteer and Casino em ployee, was instrumental in coordi nating volunteers for the Grand Ronde SMART program. "We sent out notices in the em ployee newsletter, Coyote Tracks" said Hanson. "I tried to recruit em ployees to volunteer, and SMART had a booth at the Casino's Commu nications Celebration." Hanson spends one hour per week i frm i ...... . ' KiON IV, tukit attack - Barbara Smith with two different children at the grade school, and has a special rela tionship with them. "They are both great kids," she said. "It's been wonderful to see them grow in their reading level, and we have a lot of fun." Founded by former Oregon gov ernor Neil Goldschmidt, SMART cur rently exists in 144 Oregon elemen tary schools and serves 7,400 kids. They are always seeking volunteers. If you love reading and want to help a child learn to love books, please call Barbara Smith at Grand Ronde El ementary, (503) 879-5210. "Kids need positive role models, and I know our volunteers really enjoy the time they spend with them. It's really not work at all," said Smith. Lost in cyberspace: Teaching children about Internet dangers The Internet has opened up a world of information for anyone with a computer. But just as you wouldn't let your children near a busy street without some safety rules, you shouldn't let them roam the information superhighway without rules of the road. The numbers frighten many adults. Nationwide, the U.S. De partment of Justice reports that ev ery year 354,000 children are ab ducted by family members. 450,000 children run away from home, and another 127,000 are "thrown away" by parents who don't want them. Many of these children become prey for abductors. Yamhill County Sher iff Norm Hand, a member of the Or egon Missing Children Clearing house Advisory Board says there are as many as 114,000 attempted ab ductions by non-family members each year. But Sheriff Hand has recently been made aware of new problems involving the safety of children. "The potential for child exploitation has come into our homes via the Internet," he said. "It is critically im portant that parents monitor what their children view on-line, and cau tion them that some dangerous people with an interest in young persons may be on the other end of an innocent on-line chat." A recent case in Benton County where a 35 year-old man conducted a relationship with a 13 year-old girl he met on-line underscores the need to stress "cyber-safety." Here's what you do: Explain to your child that although a person may be alone in a room using a computer, once logged on to the Internet, he or she is really no longer alone. People skilled in using the Internet can find out who you are and where you are. . . Set aside time to explore the Internet together. Let your child take the lead. Visit areas of the World Wide Web that are for children. Control access. Place the computer in a public area in your home where you can monitor the content. Many on-line services offer pa rental settings control features for screening e-mail and website con tent, and filtering out illegal or inappropriate material. D Talk to your children. Educated kids are safe kids. Let them know they should talk to you if they find something scary or threatening on the Internet. Never allow them to give out personal information. Make sure your child's access to the Internet in school is monitored by adults. H If your child receives offensive e-mails or pornographic material, save the offending material and contact that user's Internet service provider and your focal law enforcement agency. D Tell your child never to respond to e-mail messages that have bad words, seem scary, or just plain weird. D Tell your child never to enter into an area on the Internet that charges for services without asking you first. A tip for winter drivers: slow down By Jan Michael Reibach Tribal Safety Committee Getting to and from work during the winter months can be a real chal lenge. Every year, a number of road and highway accidents are con nected to winter weather conditions. Snow, ice, wet roads, inadequate vis ibility, and poor judgement can con tribute to these accidents. TIRES, BRAKES, AND CHAINS: Good tire tread depth, and proper tread for winter driving could mean the difference between a safe trip and an accident. Proper fitting tire chains should be available as the road conditions dictate. STOPPING DISTANCES: Stop ping distances are longer on wet and icy roads. Drivers should slow down appropriately and allow a safe dis tance between cars. , VISIBILITY: Visibility is signifi cantly reduced during the winter, with many more hours of darkness, fog, rain, snow, and water spray from other vehicles. Reduced speed is the key where visibility is limited. BLACK ICE: Black ice creates one of the most difficult winter driving conditions. Drivers should be aware of weather conditions that lead to black ice on the roads. A reduced speed, and light use of brakes can help keep a vehicle safely on its course. Finally, allow yourself extra time when traveling this season.
