The INDEPENDENT, October 16, 2003
Page 11
Student behavior is improving
Chalk Talk presents a variety of information
about Vernonia schools. It is written by a variety
of staff members and will appear monthly. This
month’s Chalk Talk was written by Curt Scholl,
Principal of VHS.
The start of the 2003-2004 school year
at the high school has been filled with
changes. We have several new faces in the
Vernonia School District this year to call
VHS home: Sally Davidson, Language
Arts/Social Studies teacher; Jean Riley,
Science teacher; Doran Lower, Business/
Alternative Education teacher; Robert
Shannon, M usic/Dram a/Speech teacher;
Virginia Rose, Counselor; Dawn Titus, Sec-
retary; and myself as the Principal. Byron
Brown, Social Studies teacher and Kathi
Fetsch, Head Secretary are also new to
VHS, but not to the Vernonia School Dis-
trict. They both come to us from WGS.
There have been a lot of new faces to get
to know and the students and staff re-
sponded very well to the challenges of the
new school year.
Along with the new faces, there is a new
schedule at VHS. We are on a seven-period
modified block, and like any new schedule, it is
taking both students and staff some time to ad-
just. Everybody seems to be settling in at this
point, and as VHS student Eric Schmidlin report-
ed at the last school board meeting, “it gives us
an extra day to do our homework.”
Our students are very active. We have had a
higher than average turnout for both our volley-
ball and football teams
this year. We also have a
club cross country
team that is active
this year. Our band'
program provided a
“pep” band for our last
home football game, which
helped to create a great at-
mosphere for our student athletes and the fans
who were there to support the team. Currently,
we are in the middle of homecoming week and
our students are active in the various homecom-
ing activities.
As fall is turning to winter, there are several
events/dates that both parents and students
should put on their calendars. The end of the first
nine-week grading period is on October 31st.
There is no school on this day so teachers can
get their grades into the system and we can get
them out to the parents and our students. The
grades should be to the parents by Wednesday,
November 5th. There is a half-day of school on
Thursday, November 6th and no school on Fri-
day, November 7th, while parent-teacher confer-
ences are taking place,
Other up-coming events include the Fall
Sports Dessert on Tuesday, November 18th and
the Fall Band and Choir Concert on Thursday,
November 20th.
This is what is going on at VHS. I would like to
thank both the students and staff for their hard
work so far this year and the community for all of
their support,
S pace P aid for by
West Oregon
Electric Cooperative
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y
Treat yourself
to a safe,
fun Halloween
PARENTS: Be sure your child’s
Icostume allows freedom of movement
'and good visibility. It should be a light
'color or have reflective strips on it. If
)possible, have children trick or treat before
dark. If you will not be with your children,
insist on an agreed route.
KIDS: Stay where you know people. Go only to
houses with lights on. Eat your treats ONLY after
your parents have checked them. Watch
for cars. Tell your parents about anything
that scares you or makes you feel un
comfortable.
We offer these Halloween Safety
Tips for parents and children so your
holiday can be safe and fun.
Vernonia Police Department
503-429-7335
From page 9
an effort to improve. He told the
board that the staff has pre
sented a united front, clearly
and uniformly enforcing rules.
Scholl said that he believes that
the climate has started to
change in a positive direction.
Anne Kingsley, now principal
for the grades K-3 and Mist,
brought materials used by stu
dents as part of the new math
curriculum. She told the board
that these hands-on manipula-
tives are very popular with stu
dents, who use them for math
activities. An added bonus is
that, because they are actually
doing something, students can
practice language skills by writ
ing about their experience after
they complete an activity. Par
ents at Lincoln have asked a
PTA representative to come
and discuss re-joining the
group. Kingsley told the board
that she will be beginning a
First Friday Coffee as an op
portunity for parents to come in
and meet with her and the
teachers in an informal way.
Kingsley told the board that
Randal Aultman has been sub
stituting at Mist while Joanie
Jones is recovering from emer
gency surgery. Jones is expect
ed back soon to teach the 17
students enrolled at Mist in
grades K-5.
P aren t/T each er
Association starts
Volunteers encouraged
The first meeting of the Ver
nonia Parent Teacher Commu
nity Association was held Mon
day, October 13, at 7:00 p.m.
The meeting was information
al, as well as the official start of
the Vernonia PTC A.
Meetings will be on the sec
ond Monday of each month at
Washington Grade School.
For more information, call
Camrin Eyrrick at 503-429-
0470.
Funderburg told the board
that the district encourages
people to volunteer at the
school and has instituted an
application process that allows
the district to conduct back
ground checks on prospective
volunteers. All volunteers must
be approved through the
process even if they have pre
viously worked for the district.
About 40 people have been ap
proved, to date, according to
Funderburg.
R ock C reek S tudio
P hotography for A ll Occasions
CALL TODAY:
Enrollment trends
District enrollment is slightly
higher than last year, Funder
burg reported, as projected.
State school funds are based
on adjusted daily membership,
so increasing or decreasing en
rollment affects the amount re
ceived. However, he told the
board that class sizes are con
tinuing to get smaller. Randy
Hansen asked Funderburg
about the future implications of
declining enrollment. Funder
burg told the board that if the
trend continues, less money
would be received from the
state over time. He said that the
board might want to consider
developing a biennial budget,
rather than the annual format
currently used.
In other business, the board:
• Approved a job description
for the activities director.
• Awarded assistant coach
contracts to Ted Aubin (JH
Football), Deborah Aeh (JH
Volleyball), and Kelly Roberts
(HS Volleyball).
• Thanked Coca-Cola for
funds to install an electronic
reader board at no cost to the
district.
Cruiser club sets
Vernonia run
The Tualatin Valley Cruiser
Club (TVCC) will hold a PT
Cruiser Cruise-In to Vernonia
on Saturday, October 25. Par
ticipants will begin the trip from
Cornelius, leaving at 9:00 a.m.
to cruise to Vernonia.
TVCC is the largest PT club
in the Northwest, with over 280
members. The club is all about
having fun, meeting new peo
ple and creating great memo
ries. TVCC sponsors numer
ous PT events and cruises,
year around, and supports all
the communities in the metro
and surrounding area. The club
participates in numerous pa
rades thoughout the year, in
cluding St. Patrick’s Day and
4th of July Parades in Hills
boro, Christmas Parade in
Portland and many others.
r The Toy Box"1
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503-830-8260
503-429-4961
902 Bridge Street • Vernonia
In the Bridge Street Mall
Off Purchase
With this Ad
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B rid g e St, V e r n o n ia J