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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2008)
Page 10 The INDEPENDENT, August 21, 2008 More 4-H results from County Fair 47J Board says “no” to energy drinks Following are partial results from 4-H competition at the Co- lumbia County Fair. Due to space limitations, only cate- gories with 4-H members in The Independent’s circulation area are included. More results will be published in the Sep- tember 4 issue of The Indepen- dent. At the Vernonia District 47J School Board meeting, on Au- gust 14, the board heard from Grade School Principal Aaron Miller that the newest modular classroom is in place on the California Ave. side of Wash- ington Grade School and that it will be used to house fifth grade classes. He also gave an up- date on progress for getting the locker rooms ready in the base- ment. Miller told the board he is looking forward to having “no more rolled ankles” because the playground will get a new coat of asphalt before school starts. Middle School Principal Brent McClain told the board that there are now drinking fountains by the office bath- rooms and that new carpets have been laid in some of the modulars. COMMUNICATION Animal Info Posters - Horse - Junior: White Award – Kaitlin Paleck, Vernonia. Animal Info Posters - Horse - Senior: Reserve Champion – Ashley Paleck, Vernonia. Blue Award – Ashley Paleck, Vernonia. BEEF Angus (Black) Senior Heifer Calf: Blue Award – Nicole Glass, Vernonia. Market Steer: Blue Award – Marie Hannah, Warren; Amelia Gibson, Rainier; Cody Erhardt, Scappoose; Eric Budge, Vernonia; Jared Bradley, Warren; Seth Honi, Warren; Katie Johnston, Warren; Ryan Johnston, Warren; Stacey Kuhn, Warren; Zach Melton, War- ren. Please see page 20 Back-to-schooler need breakfast (ARA) – A popular TV com- mercial for an office supply store depicts a dad gleefully dancing through the aisles, fill- ing his cart with back-to-school bargains while a singer croons “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” in the background. But when it comes to back-to- school grocery shopping – and especially breakfast shopping – you may find yourself feeling less than wonderful. For many parents, getting the kids up and out the door with a good breakfast under their belts is a stressful part of the back-to-school routine. Leisurely summer schedules, with plenty of time for breakfast prep, are gone, replaced by the hectic pace of school days – and an even more compelling Please see page 14 Back to School Safety Tips IF YOUR CHILDREN WALK TO SCHOOL • Dress children in light-colored clothing to improve visibility to motorists. • Stress the importance of how to safely cross streets. IF YOUR CHILDREN RIDE A BIKE TO SCHOOL • Make sure they wear a helmet, light-colored clothing and have proper reflective or lighting devices on their bike. • Review with them the rules of the road and the proper use of hand signals. WHEN RIDING THE SCHOOL BUS • Ensure that children know not to play in the street while waiting for the bus. • Make sure that children know to wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before approaching it. • Be sure that your children can visually see the bus driver at all times before moving to board the bus. • Reinforce the rule that the school bus driver is in charge when they are on the school bus. A school bus driver’s responsibility is to safely deliver children to and from school. Unruly, noisy children on the bus create a distraction for the bus driver making it harder to safely focus on driving. This information sponsored by State Senator Betsy Johnson. High School Principal Nate Underwood reported that every high school staff person was returning for the new school year, there had been no staff turnover this year. Board member Jim Krahn reported to the board on the lat- est Oregon Solution news, telling them that the Site Com- mittee will hear engineering re- ports on possible school sites in October. After a site is cho- sen, budget considerations can start being addressed. Multi- use is being discussed where- by the schools and, for in- stance, a firefighting school, might be combined. Such mul- ti-use would increase the num- ber of potential funders for such a project. Four bids have now been re- ceived for work on the high school. Bids for the work, which includes fixing the gym and tearing down part of the build- ing, ranged from $555,000 to over $700,000. The bid docu- ments scheduled October 1 as the date for completion of the work. Energy drinks will not be al- lowed on campus anymore, ac- cording to the newly ap-proved Student Handbook. Other changes in the handbook were minor, such as textbooks being entered in the library system so they are checked out at the be- ginning of the year and checked in at the end. The board approved 36 poli- cies as presented in their on- going process of updating all policies. The next board meeting will be September 11, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the district office. It’s not too late to apply for Head Start Head Start provides children with activities that help them grow mentally, socially, emo- tionally, and physically. The Head Start staff recognizes parents as a child’s first and most important teacher. They welcome parental involvement in Head Start activities, and will work as partners with parents to help each child progress. Head Start’s program in- volves the whole family and provides education, nutrition, home visits, medical and dental check-ups, and other services. Who can be in Head Start? Children ages three and four on or before September 1, will be considered. Eligibility is based on income, family situation and needs of the child, including whether there is a disability or serious illness. Head Start, a federally fund- ed preschool program, is seek- ing students for the 2008-2009 school year, applications are being taken now for all three and four year-olds in Columbia County. Recruitment for fall en- rollment is now in progress and will be completed in August. Parents interested in enroll- ment information are urged to phone 503-369-7249 for in- come guidelines and enroll- ment information. USDA and the State of Ore- gon prohibit discrimination in all USDA programs and activities on the basis of race, color, na- tional origin, sex, religion, age or disability. Head Start is an agency of Community Action Team, Inc., serving Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties.
