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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2009)
The INDEPENDENT, May 21, 2009 47J announces a Town Hall on May 28 The first meeting of the Ver- nonia School District Budget Committee, to discuss the 2009-10 Fiscal Year budget, was held May 14, prior to the regular school board meeting. After presenting the budget message and an overview of a potentially dismal fiscal year, Superintendent Dr. Ken Cox explained that, until the state presents a final dollar amount for schools, the district can dis- cuss reductions and expendi- tures only in general terms. Some possible reductions that have been identified by the Budget Assistance Team (BAT) include reducing staff, books and supplies in all program ar- eas, cutting five more school days, and eliminating outdoor school. There may also be an increase in Pay to Play fees for athletics. The Budget Assis- tance Team includes some dis- trict staff, two budget commit- tee members and two school board members. More information will be available at the next Budget Committee meeting on May 28 at 6:00 p.m. A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for June 11 at 6:00 p.m. District residents who at- tended the May 14 board meet- ing to hear about the various potential uses of space in Ver- nonia’s new schools were dis- appointed to find that the archi- tects postponed the presenta- tion. Dr. Cox announced that there will be a presentation on Thursday, May 28, during a Town Hall meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the school cafeteria. The board approved 10 re- vised policies and a new policy on nondiscrimination. Dr. Cox reported that some of the equipment for a new policy on Video Surveillance had been installed, but that the cameras cannot be used until rules and regulations have been devel- oped regarding how the equip- ment and records will be han- dled. The board approved the policy contingent on develop- ment of the rules. Women’s shelter seeks time or donations Columbia County Women’s Resource Center is closing its shelter, The Starting Place, for three weeks in order to repair and clean the building and grounds. Work will start on Monday, June 1 and continue until Friday, June 19. The shel- ter will accept clients again on Monday, June 22. This summer the shelter will be celebrating its 10th year of service. One of the major re- pairs the shelter is anticipating is the replacement of all the floors. This added another week to their usual 2-week clo- sure. In order to clean, repair and maintain our 26-bed facility and the grounds, the shelter is look- ing for help from the communi- ty. If you, your family, your or- ganization, church, or friends can donate a few hours during the two-week shutdown, please call their office at 503-397- 7110. Every kind of help imagi- nable is needed: gardening, painting walls, scrubbing cup- boards, airing mattresses, cleaning light fixtures, repairing picnic tables, etc. As with most other non-prof- Sign up now for Art Day Camp Celebrate Oregon’s sesqui- centennial with Art in the Woods Youth Music and Art Day Camp brought to you by Vernonia Hands on Art. The camp will be held July 27 to 31 at the Scout Cabin in Hawkins Park. All youth who have complet- ed first grade through high school are invited to attend. Classes in Art, Singing, Recor- der, and Folk Dancing will be offered, with the theme of 150 years of Crafts, Arts, and Music in Oregon. Teens will be able to select from classes in Chamber Music, Art, Drama, and Singing. The instructors are tal- ented artists and musicians who have experience working with young people. The public is invited to at- tend the final musical presenta- tion on Friday evening. Cost is $75, or $20 per class for teens. Financial aid is available, as well as lower rates for multiple children in families and for teens who assist at camp. Ap- plications are available at the Vernonia School offices and at the library. For more information, please call Rachel at 503-708- 8980, Shellee at 503-329- 5895, or Carol at 503-429- 0437. Mariolino’s it organizations, funding is shrinking in these unstable economic times. Any help from the community with donations of cleaning supplies, paint sup- plies, money for new bedding, etc., will be very much appreci- ated. Help with supplies for the clean-up and repair projects will free up funds that can be better used to help clients in more direct ways. For more information, please call 503-397-7110. Page 11 Chalk Talk Chalk Talk is a monthly column of information about Vernonia schools. It is written by vari- ous staff members. This column was provid- ed by Grade School Principal Aaron Miller. In the past, students at Washington Grade School (WGS) in need of extra reading help from our fed- eral Title I reading program have had to “qualify” for these servic- es by being the furthest behind in their age group. While Title I has been able to help many of these students develop their reading skills, other students were not able to get this much needed help, because they weren’t far enough behind to be “targeted for assis- tance.” That will all be changing as WGS works to implement its Title I reading program “School-Wide.” While employees funded by a Title I Targeted Assisted program are by law able to help only those students who qualify for servic- es, employees funded by a Title I School-Wide Program (SWP) are able to help all students develop their reading and literacy skills. The WGS Title I School-Wide Program Development Team (SWPDT) has been meeting every two weeks since late October to prepare the Oregon Department of Education application and program plan to change WGS’ Title I program from a Targeted As- sisted School (TAS) to a School-Wide Program. The SWPDT, consists of four teachers, three parents, an instructional assistant, and the principal. The SWPDT has taken information regarding student achieve- ment, building organization, curriculum and instruction, family/community involvement data, and our school strengths and weaknesses, as well as information gained from visiting other schools’ Title I programs, and has developed a plan to improve the way our Title I program provides reading intervention services for all of our students. Being able to meet the needs of all learners by utilizing our Ti- tle I staff more effectively through the SWP, and providing instruc- tion to students that is closer to their level of reading skill devel- opment, should be a great help and resource for our students. If you have any questions regarding the specifics of this plan, please contact Debbie Stahlnecker, or Aaron Miller at WGS, 503- 429-7941. Class of 2009 asks for help their party The Vernonia High School Class of 2009 will be celebrat- ing graduation with a Safe & Sober All-Night Grad-Party at the Scout Cabin. The class has raised money money for the grad party through a number of fundrais- ers, and has received greatly appreciated donations from Vernonia Sentry, Black Bear Coffee, Vernonia True Value, Dairy Queen and others. Donations are still needed to help purchase food and prizes. This is your last opportunity to C OME ON IN FOR B REAKFAST , L UNCH O R D INNER And Please Drive Carefully Memorial Day Weekend 721 Madison Ave.,Vernonia • 503-429-5018 give to the Class of 2009. All contributions should be sent before June 1, to Vernonia High School, Attn: Senior Grad gnm i s n ll Co A f f % o Night, 299 Bridge St., Vernonia, OR 97064. Call Kathi Fetch at 503-429-3521 with any ques- tions. The class of 2009 thanks you. ent Saddle Bags $24.95 10 15% off New Saddles 503-429-TACK (8225) 1103 Bridge St, Vernonia Yellow Jacket Trap $5.95 Open Sun. 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. Mon. to Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Fly Masks $14.95 to $29.95 Fly Spray $9.95 to $22.95 $2.00 off All Wormers With this ad Exp. 5-31-09