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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2011)
The INDEPENDENT, January 20, 2011 School board hears construction update At the January 13 Vernonia School Board meeting, the board was presented with a copy of the financial audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010. The district’s books and procedures were so clear and concise that the auditors did not even include a Manage- ment Letter, that would outline areas of concern or the need for improvement. Since January is School Board Appreciation Month, the board was treated to dinner and received a number of pres- ents from students, demon- strating their appreciation. New school Project Manag- er Steve Effros reported to the board that construction is on schedule and that P&C Con- struction is scheduled to start pouring concrete at the begin- ning of March. Fundraising efforts for the new school continue to add up, with new contributions an- nounced by Providence Med- ical Group in the amount of $10,000 and three $50,000 do- nations (names not yet avail- able) reported. Superintendent Dr. Ken Cox received approval from the board for his suggestion that the district’s mission statement be reviewed in the near future. In other business, the board: • Approved 17 policy up- dates; and • approved the Education Service District local plan for 2011-12. The next meeting, on Febru- ary 10, will be held earlier than usual to accommodate a Town Hall meeting. The board will meet in the cafeteria (green building) from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., before the Town Hall, which starts at 6:30 p.m. in the same location. Agriculture scholarships are available The Oregon Agricultural Ed- ucation Foundation (OAEF) has announced that applica- tions are available for two scholarship programs for the upcoming 2011-2012 academic year. Oregon Farm Bureau Memorial Scholarships (OF- BMS), with 10-12 awards annu- ally, are open to any Oregon high school graduate preparing for an agriculture or forestry-re- lated career. Students attend- ing institutions outside of Ore- gon are also eligible. The goal of the OFB Memorial Scholar- ship program is to “Support stu- dents that will have a positive impact on production agricul- ture and other agriculture-relat- ed fields”. The deadline for ap- plications is March 1, 2011. The Oregon Farm Bureau Associate Member Scholar- ship, funded by COUNTRY Fi- nancial, one award of $1000, is open to any Oregon High School graduate/resident with an associate membership (non-farming/non-voting), or a dependent child of an associ- ate member, in Oregon Farm Bureau preparing to continue his/her education through a junior college, or a four-year college or university with intent to seek a bachelor’s degree. Students attending institutions outside of Oregon are also eli- gible. Employees of Oregon Farm Bureau and COUNTRY Financial and their immediate families are not eligible for this scholarship. The goal of the COUNTRY Financial Oregon Farm Bureau Associate mem- ber Scholarship is to “Help fu- ture community and business leaders obtain a baccalaureate education with the aim of strengthening understanding, cooperation, and mutual re- spect among rural, urban, and suburban Oregonians.” Scholarship procedures, ap- plications and additional infor- mation are available on the Oregon Farm Bureau website. (http://www.oregonfb.org/pro grams/scholarships.shtml) Student works sought for anthology A single stream, A string, a line, A bit of water, Small, so fine. But then the hearts, Of many lives, Turned a dy- ing river To one that thrives. – Claire Brown, Grade 4 “Honoring Our Rivers – A Student Anthology,” a Willa- mette Partnership project, is designed to stimulate aware- ness of an important but fragile resource, our Watersheds – the waters, land, plants, animals, and habitats that make up our beautiful and fragile river sys- tems. The project is also designed to provide an opportunity for students to have their original literary, artistic, and scientific works published alongside in- vited artists and writers such as Ursula LeGuin, Barry Lopez and Kathleen Dean Moore. Moore, the author of Wild Com- fort, recently remarked, “Con- gratulations to Honoring Our Rivers! What could be more im- portant for the world than invit- ing young people to pay loving attention to its wonders and wounds? Reading their delight- and sorrow-filled stories re- minds us grownups why we have to work so hard to save a beautiful future, and why we must succeed.” All students, from kinder- garten through college, are eli- gible to submit their original works between now and Febru- ary 25, 2011. Literary submis- sions can include fiction, poetry or essays. Artwork, including black and white photography, sketches or drawings, is en- couraged either as a separate submission or as an aid in clar- ifying and supporting written See Literary on page 22 Chalk Talk Chalk Talk is a column of information about Vernonia schools. This column was provided by Grade School Principal Aaron Miller. Vernonia School District 47J Town Hall Meeting – Educational Programs Thursday, February 10, 6:30-8:00 p.m. The Vernonia School District will be holding an Educational Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, February 8, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the district cafeteria. This Town Hall Meeting will be an oppor- tunity for parents and community members to become more famil- iar with the programs and projects staff are working on with stu- dents to provide a comprehensive, well-rounded, effective educa- tion for students in Vernonia. While planning is still underway, we are planning for a number of breakout sessions, including updates on the Vernonia Rural Sustainability Center, the Title I reading programs at WGS, our District-wide Positive Behavior Intervention Support Program, Ca- reer Education offerings, Scholarships application information, and more. During these sessions, information will be provided by staff, but there will also be ample opportunity for questions to be asked and answered. People attending the meeting will be able to move from station to station, to learn more about the topics that interest them the most. Babysitting for children of all ages, and activities for school age children (K-12) will be provided by District staff and Vernonia High School leadership students. Coffee and tea will also be served. While there has been a great deal of discussion about our new school facilities, there has not been a great deal of communica- tion on the great things that are happening in Vernonia’s schools. This is a great opportunity for parents and the community to find out more information about the programs that are in place to help our youth grow and succeed. We look forward to seeing you there. Ball teams sign-ups scheduled Baseball, t-ball and softball sign-ups will take place on Wednesday, February 2, and Wednesday, February 16, both from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Room 6 at Washington Grade School. For more information, call Brooke Morrison (baseball) at 503-429-0560, Melissa Za- 736 Bridge St. Vernonia Mon-Sat 10-6 vales (t-ball) at 503-429-2710 or Katie Poetter (softball) at 503-429-0700. V ALLEY V ETERINARY C LINIC R ABIES S PECIAL $ 50 10 Creatures Dog, Cat Fish, Bird, PET SUPPLIES, Reptile, GROOMING & U-WASH S MALL (503-429-PETS (7387) A NIMAL www.creaturespetshop.com OPEN S UPPLIES Page 11 Per vaccine, per animal Through February 2011 Thursdays 9 am - 5 pm 1-503-556-3084 58376 Nehalem Hwy. S. Vernonia
