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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2018)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL JUNE 20, 2018 Roots of Empathy to grow in SLSD Th e empathy-based program is part of 90by30's goal of reducing abuse aft er being selected by the organization to take part in the hands-on learning opportunity. Roots of Empathy is designed for children between the ages of fi ve and 13 but will be implemented in second-grade classrooms in South Lane and has a very special component: a baby. Infants who are between the ages of two and four months at the start of the school year are assigned to a classroom and make several visits throughout the year. Th e aim of the partnership between the infant and students is to foster a learning of emotional literacy and empathy. A separate curriculum is taught during the week without the presence of the baby in the classroom and teachers can, likewise, draw on the baby’s visit to reaffi rm those lessons in the weeks between visits. A certifi ed instructor helps walk the class and the teacher through each lesson By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com Last October, the members of 90by30 walked away from a conference in awe. Th ey’d had a private session with the founder and creator of Roots of Empathy, Mary Gordon. Th e program, an international organization that off ers empathy-based programs for children based on researched results, is set to hit South Lane School District next school year and 90by30 had gotten a sneak peek. “Just meeting her, we were so lucky,” said Rachel Nordquist, a coordinator for 90by30. Nordquist, along with Mary Nisewander and others from 90by30, have been working on implementing the program and is always present when the infant is in the classroom — something that can only happen through a volunteer eff ort. “Th at’s the fi rst thing we get asked,” Nordquist said. “How does a baby do in a classroom with second-graders and germs? But there’s never been a problem.” Th e local program is looking for volunteers with infants and those who would like to become certifi ed instructors. “It’s a commitment,” said Nisewander of the certifi ed instructor program. “If an instructor cannot continue, the teacher cannot just take over. Th at program moves out of that classroom.” Volunteers must submit to a background check and adhere to the school district’s policies on volunteers. “We’re going to go through our baby box list but, yes, we need volunteers,” Nordquist said. Roots of Empathy is part of 90by30’s broader goal of decreasing child abuse and neglect by 90 percent by the year 2030. Earlier this year, the group launched baby boxes that provided parents of newborns with essential supplies such as diapers and informational DVDs explaining shaken baby syndrome. Th e boxes also contained handmade blankets and booties. According to Roots of Empathy, aft er completing the curriculum, children have shown an increase in social and emotional knowledge, a decrease in aggression and an increase in sharing, helping and including others. Instructor training will take place on August 28, 29 and 30 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lane ESD offi ces in Eugene. For more information or to volunteer an infant or to be an instructor, contact Rachel Nordquist at racheln@90by30. com. Vaccination rates low in Lane County, report says Report from OHA fi nds Lane County childcare facilities fall short less than 95 percent of its stu- dents vaccinated at moder- ately vulnerable. Lane County child care By Caitlyn May “By law, shots are required for children in attendance at public and private schools, preschools, childcare facilities and HeadStart programs.” cmay@cgsentinel.com Th e latest data from the Oregon Health Authority re- ports that child care facilities in Lane County qualify as “most vulnerable” concern- ing the percentage of stu- dents who have received all required vaccinations. Grades K-12 were marked as “moderately vulnerable.” Th e report, released earlier this month, classifi es districts with less than 80 percent of its students vaccinated as most vulnerable and districts with all of the immunizations re- quired by the state of Oregon. Th ose immunizations in- clude DTap, Polio, Varicella, — South Lande School District policy facilities — institutions that care for children prior to kin- dergarten — showed 78 per- cent of children had received Live M Music Friday Li i Every E F id 6 to 9 pm || No Cover Charge June 22nd • Cowboy Cadillac Country, Classic Rock June 29th • Jimmy Haggard Blues, Rock, Country July 6th • The Fiddling’ Big Sue Band Suegrass Open Daily 11am for Complimentary Tasting 942-1364 X www.saginawvineyard.com 6 -day weather forecast MMR, Hepatitis B and A and Hib. Kindergarten through 12 grade in the county reported 94 percent of students had been vaccinated. South Lane School District lists its vaccination policy on its website which states, “By law, shots are required for children in attendance at pub- lic and private schools, pre- schools, childcare facilities and HeadStart programs.” Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) .267 requires full im- munizations for contagious diseases. According to the state of Or- egon, children with religious or medical exemptions do not have to be vaccinated. Parents claiming a non-med- ical exemption must complete an E-module online, available on the state’s website, that fea- ture information about im- munizations and the spread of contagious diseases. Th e Cottage Grove area did not have a school illustrated on the state’s information map that fell into the “safest” catego- ry with at least 95 percent of its students vaccinated. However, several areas in Lane County overall were marked in the category. Neighboring counties, Rose- burg and Linn, both had areas in the “safest” category as well but scored slightly lower than Lane overall. While some students who do not receive all of the re- quired vaccinations have re- ceived exemptions, accessibili- ty to health care can also result in lower vaccination rates. Th e Family Resource Center and Peggy’s Primary Connec- tion in Cottage Grove is plan- ning a vaccination clinic this fall. Parents who are unsure if they qualify for the Oregon Health Plan or have questions can call Peggy’s Primary Con- nection at 541-942-4967. Transmissions Plus & AUTOMOTIVE SPECIALTIES PRACTICING THE ART OF TRANSMISSION REPAIR SERVICE SINCE 1991 THURSDAY FRIDAY 78° | 52° 78° | 51° Partly Sunny Mostly Sunny SATURDAY SUNDAY 80° | 50° 84° | 50° Sunny Sunny Manual & Automatic Transmission Repair Tune ups 30-60-90K Services Brakes, belts, hoses and cooling system services Muffl ers & Custom Exhaust All makes and models. MONDAY TUESDAY MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE AFFORDABLY 75° | 46° 73° | 46° Mostly Sunny Partly Cloudy 60% of smalled businesses close their doors within 6 months following a cyber-attack. Call today (541) 942-0555. PayneWest.com/Cottage-Grove WE LIVE IN THE SAME TOWN WE WORK IN “WE MAKE SHIFT HAPPEN!” www.automotivespecialties.biz 5A Pet tips ‘N’ tales By Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe” Max-a-Million dollar baby M eg’s heart of gold led her to rescuing cats for 40 years. She’s taken in distressed, lost and elderly kitties. “All cats need to be cared for and loved,” said Meg. “Th e resulting, rewarding, reciprocated love and appreciation are remarkable.” Nine years ago, Meg awoke to a skinny grey-and-white tuxedo cat sitting on her patio chair. “Aft er work, my unexpected guest was still lounging on ‘his’ chair blinking and winking at me,” said Meg. “In case he belonged to another family, I did not feed him. Was he choosing me for his new family? On the fourth day, when he drank from a rain puddle, I couldn’t stand it. So I served him fresh water and cat food and contacted the humane so- ciety.” Meg learned from his ID chip that a senior woman, Mar- jorie, had been feeding feral (wild/homeless) cats in her neighborhood. During her lifetime, 90-year-old Marjorie had trapped 150 cats for the society to neuter and spay pre- venting a further explosion of starving kittens from becom- ing food for larger animals or injured from vehicles. As it turned out, the ladies had known each other! “I was once her care aid,” said Meg. “Sadly, she had passed but, thankfully, her grandson adopted her ‘feed the feral’ program. His grandmother is surely smiling on him from heaven. When I showed him ‘my’ cat’s picture he pro- claimed, “Th at’s Regent! He is 4-years-old. He is so lucky to fi nd a home.” Meg was ecstatic! She emotionally needed this “lil’ friend- ly creature” because three weeks purr-eviously her elderly cat died, and two weeks later her husband. Th is cat was a heart-healing gift from above and its timely arrival qualifi ed Meg and her cat, Max-a-Million Kat it for a new name. Meg named her gift , “Mr. Max-a-Million Kat, shortened to ‘Max’ because he is my priceless baby worth a million dol- lars,” said Meg. In gratitude, Max meowed appreciation for his name and licked her arm. A habit that he continues to this day. Max never again left Meg’s yard. “He loves sleeping under my bushes and springing out to chase lawn moths,” said Meg. “He still thinks he is a kitten. Now, when he jumps up, his round jelly-belly jiggles like Santa’s and it makes me giggle.” Last winter, Meg left on her fi rst vacation in four decades. Her son, Kevin, stayed with Max, so the cat would not expe- rience separation anxiety. It did not work! “While I was away, my cat cried constantly for me while searching the house,” said Meg. “Th en, he did not leave my bed except to eat and shortly aft er, he quit eating. In des- peration, Kevin put the phone up to Max's ear. When Max heard my voice, he revved up his crying and howling. He was miserable until I got home and then he attached himself to me like Velcro. He was cuddly before, but now he con- stantly lays on my feet or chest and under the bed covers. I am enjoying his extra cuddling and aff ection! I’ll always be grateful that Marjorie sent me Max and he’s made it clear how much he loves me; paws-ibly a whisker more than my love for him.” Tips: When Meg fi rst let the terrifi ed feral into her home, he hid under her bed, but she had a plan: “I put a cat-irresist- ible open brown grocery bag on the fl oor knowing that he’d venture out and into the bag, which he did, and then he sur- prisingly began playing,” said Meg. “Once he had enough of the bag, he searched and sniff ed his way around the house. It wasn’t long before he felt at home. I couldn’t believe how quickly he adapted! To tame him, I purr-servered by gently picking him up for a moment at a time. In the end, he is the cuddliest cat I ever adopted ... errr who adopted me.” DUSTIN TULLAR & RUSS OWENS 541-942-8022 • COTTAGE GROVE VOICE YOUR OPINION! Write a Letter to the Editor by Emailing NHICKSON @ CGSENTINEL . COM Share your fun, amazing or crazing pet tips and tales at an- gelscribe@msn.com or Follow Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PetTipsandTales. Adopt loving pets on- line at www.PetFinder.com. For spay or neutering, call the Humane Society at 541-942- 2789.