16A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 6, 2015
Polk County Education
Perrydale Parents Clubs auction set for May 16
Annual event is main fundraiser for the organization that assists school with all ‘the extras’
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
PERRYDALE — Perrydale
Parents Club is inviting
everyone to experience a
“Taste of Italy” at its annual
dinner and auction May 16.
The fundraiser will help
the organization assist Per-
rydale School with “the ex-
tras,” which has included
educational assemblies,
field trips, outdoor school,
playground equipment,
iPads, and a remodeled sci-
ence lab to name just a few.
“A lot of it is that we try to
look at what the holes are
that we can help fill,” said
PPC President Helle Rud-
denklau, noting last year’s
auction pulled in about
$23,000.
Ruddenklau said last
year’s project, installing a
greenhouse at the school,
has just broken ground.
“This year, (auction pro-
ceeds) will go to new proj-
ects at the school,” she said.
“A Taste of Italy,” will be
held at the Polk County Fair-
grounds & Event Center and
will feature a selection of dif-
ferent pastas, meats, and
sauces, in addition to bread
sticks and salad.
“It’s a build-your-own
pasta bar with lots of choic-
es,” Ruddenklau said, noting
the dinner is catered by Sun-
rise at Your Fair Catering and
Concessions. “I know that
your food will be good.”
For those who arrive early,
appetizers will be served start-
ing at 4 p.m. Eola Hills Wine
Cellars wines and beer from
McMinnville’s Golden Valley
Brewery will be available.
The silent auction begins
at 4 p.m. Dinner is served at
6 p.m. and the live auction
will begin around 6:30 p.m.
Ruddenklau said the auc-
tion will feature a wide vari-
ety of items, including a
chain saw, a Marquis Spa,
stays at the coast, and a
“princess party” package.
Each class has put together a
“basket” to sell at the auc-
tion — though the packages
have gotten so big in recent
years some wouldn’t fit in a
A Taste of Italy
What: Perrydale Parents Club annu-
al dinner and auction.
Where: Polk County Fairgrounds &
Event Center, 520 S. Pacific Highway
(99W), Rickreall.
When: May 16, doors open at 4 p.m.
Dinner is served at 6 p.m., followed by
the live auction.
Admission: $22 person or $160 per table of eight. Tick-
ets sale deadline is Tuesday. A limited number of tickets will
be available at the door for $30. To buy tickets online:
www.perrydaleparentsclub.com. Tickets also are available
at the school office, 7445 Perrydale Road, Amity.
basket. Proceeds from those
go to either the classroom
teacher at the elementary
level or to the class to pay
for senior trips and other
events.
“They have some really
nice things in those class
baskets,” Ruddenklau said.
If you want to have a
chance at being the highest
bidder you better act fast.
The deadline to purchase
tickets at $22 per person is
Tuesday. A limited amount
of tickets will be available at
the door at $30 each.
Ruddenklau said so far
ticket sales have been
strong, but she’s hoping for a
packed house at the fair-
grounds.
“It’s really turned into a
nice event for us,” she said.
“It does allow us to tackle
some pretty big projects.”
Free child care will be
available for the first 30 chil-
dren signed up.
For more information:
w w w. p e r r y d a l e p a r e n t s
club.com.
Gentle professor to restart book club SCHOOL NOTES
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — Marie
LeJeune, associate professor
of teacher education, finds it
crucial to keep her pulse on
what is going on in public K-
12 education.
“It’s important in my work
to continually be connected
to what teachers are doing
in K-12 schools,” she said.
A new endowment for ed-
ucation professors at West-
ern Oregon University, the
T.H. Gentle Endowment, will
allow her to spend more
time doing just that.
LeJeune is the first to re-
ceive the endowment.
“It will give me some time
and money to work on our
research, especially con-
nected to the work at public
schools,” LeJeune said. “It
will allow me to continue
and grow my research.”
A lot of her research in-
volves working with her for-
mer students as they teach
at Central School District
schools.
The endowment, made
possible through donations
from Western’s College of
Photo contributed by MARIE LEJEUNE
Marie LeJeune, associate professor of teacher educa-
tion at Western Oregon University, has been named the
first T.H. Gentle Endowed professor.
Education supporters, in-
cluding the Gentle family,
includes a small amount of
money and course release –
which means LeJeune may
teach one less course than is
in her contract during a
term next year.
“Especially for me, the
time is particularly valuable,”
LeJeune said, “especially time
during the day when teach-
ers and kids are in school. It
will allow me to be out in the
classrooms more with teach-
ers and kids, which is really
important to me.”
Her specialty as a profes-
sor is children’s and young
adult literature, and she
takes that knowledge into
classrooms throughout Cen-
tral schools.
As part of the Orbis Pictus
Award committee — the
largest award for children’s
nonfiction — LeJeune does a
lot of work with authors and
reviewing books.
“I get to share a lot of the
books that come in from
publishers and let kids see
those books,” LeJeune said.
Beyond that, she hopes to
resurrect a book club for
girls in fourth and fifth
grade. It’s a program she
started years ago with Inde-
pendence Elementary
School teacher MaryAnne
Hill.
“It was probably one of
the best experiences I had,”
LeJeune said. “I did my dis-
sertation on girls’ book
groups.”
The money she received
from the endowment is
enough to get started so that
each girl in the book club
may have a book to take
home with her.
“That’s really exciting, es-
pecially since there are a lot
of families in the communi-
ty without libraries,” LeJe-
une said.
To help with the after-
school book club: email
LeJeune at lejeunem
@wou.edu.
Thomas Gentle, for whom
the endowment is named,
came to Western’s campus
more than 100 years ago to
revitalize the teacher prepa-
ration program, and built
programs and a faulty com-
mitted to excellence in this
area.
Safeway program sends about
$30,000 to Dallas schools
DALLAS — Dallas schools and programs received nearly
$30,000 in 2014 thanks to contributions to Safeway’s eScrip
program.
The Safeway program contributions, with the help of volun-
teer coordinators at each school, fund new computers, school
supplies, art programs, curriculum enhancements, textbooks,
music programs, sports programs, gymnasiums and more. A
percentage of Safeway Club Card purchases are donated to the
schools or programs of a participant’s choice.
Schools received the following amounts: Lyle Elementary
School, $6,868.37; LaCreole Middle School, $5,151.92; Dallas
High School, $4896.65; Oakdale Heights Elementary School,
$3693.34; Whitworth Elementary School, $3620.87; Morrison
Campus Alternative School, $562.87. Donations also were given
to the following programs: textbooks, $2753.63; athletics,
$1506.25; and fine arts, $497.21.
To p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e e S c r i p p r o g r a m , g o t o
www.escrip.com/safewaystores.
Project ACHIEVE to hold open house
DALLAS — Project ACHIEVE is celebrating its 19th year with
an open house Friday from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., at 1085 Main St.,
Dallas.
This is an opportunity to learn about the activities and class-
es at Project ACHIEVE, Dallas High School’s post high program
for students with special needs.
The program provides life and vocational skills services to
students transitioning from school.
For more information: Betsy Seth, 503-831-0604; email to
betsy.seth@dsd2.org.
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