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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2012)
Page 12 The INDEPENDENT, January 18, 2012 Chalk Talk Chalk Talk is a column of information about Ver- nonia schools. This column was provided by Su- perintendent Dr. Ken Cox. The other day I was in Washington Grade School just before school started and, as I was leaving, a parent volunteer was coming into the building. She had been out in the freezing weather since 7:30 a.m. making sure that chil- dren could cross Bridge Street in safety before the student crossing guards arrived. This parent was Kimberley Brandt who has hardly missed a day volunteering for this important and (lately) cold task. Earlier this year Janet Rethwell was also helping out. To both of them I would like to say THANK YOU! for serving the kids of Vernon- ia. I would also like to say thank you to Sheril McWhirter for her excellent service in this same capacity for many years. She has put together a meaningful, quality program that has a 100% safety rating. Our thanks to her, our other in- structional assistants who help out in the cold, and our student crossing guards, who all work together to make our schools a safer place for our children. We could use some additional volunteers to help with this task. It only takes half an hour and See article on page 20 for ways to help the Class of 2012 raise money for their prom. helps so many parents rest easier knowing that their children are being watched out for on their way to school. If you have some time and would like to volun- teer for even one day a week, please contact Mr. Miller at WGS. I would also like to make sure you know about Oregon’s Healthy Kids Program. Healthy Kids is a no-cost or low-cost health coverage for all of Oregon’s uninsured children and teens up to their 19th birthday. Healthy Kids is a compre- hensive coverage offering medical, dental, vi- sion, prescription, behavioral health coverage and more. No family makes too much money for Healthy Kids. Parents’ income will determine whether a child is eligible for the no-cost or low- cost coverage option. For example, a family of four that earns as much as $67,200 a year may qualify for low-cost coverage. For more information about how to get your children signed up for this service simply contact DeAnna Pearl in Vernonia at 503-369-7370, or Healthy Kids Columbia County Outreach Coor- dinator Patricia Ortiz in St. Helens at 503-396- 3834. Spring ball sign-ups start Feb. 1 It’s time to sign-up for Ver- nonia spring ball teams. Sign- ups will be held February 1 and February 23, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., in the Washington Grade School library. T-ball, baseball and softball will all be accepting sign-ups at these meetings. For more information, con- tact Maria Lemay at 503-429- 1067 for t-ball, Brooke Morri- son at 503-726-8427 for base- ball, or Katie Poetter at 503- 429-0700 for softball. Exclusion Day is February 15 so be sure your child is immunized The new year is here and the Oregon Immunization Pro- gram is reminding parents that now is the time to make sure kids’ vaccination records are complete. State law requires that all children in public and private schools, preschools, Head Start and certified child care facilities have up-to-date immunizations, or have a reli- gious or medical exemption. Parents or guardians will re- ceive a letter in late January or early February if their child’s immunization record shows that he or she has not received the required vaccinations. Children will not be able to attend school or child care starting February 15, if their records on file show missing immunizations. “We want to make sure chil- dren can go to school in a safe, healthy environment free from vaccine-preventable diseases,” said Stacy de Assis Matthews, immunization school law coor- dinator in the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Divi- sion. This year, parents should take note of some important in- formation: • Tdap vaccine requirement: Tdap vaccine is required for seventh- through 10th-graders. Tdap is a tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) booster. Whooping cough is a serious health con- cern in Oregon with about 300 cases recorded in 2011. • Hepatitis A vaccine require- ment: The hepatitis A vaccine, which protects against a com- municable viral infection, is a two-dose series now required for children 18 months through third grade. Parents seeking immuniza- tions for their children should contact their health care provider or local health depart- ment, or call Oregon SafeNet at 1-800-SAFENET or 1-800- 723-3638. No one can be turned away from a local health department because of the in- ability to pay for required vac- cines. Additional information on school immunizations can be found on the Oregon Public Health immunization website at http://public.health.oregon.gov/ PreventionWellness/Vaccines Immunization/GettingImmu nized/Pages/school.aspx . Families: “Be out there” with kids by Chris Thomas, Oregon News Service Now that all the Christmas electronics have been given a good workout, how about the kids using them? A pre-holiday Nielsen survey found 44 per- cent of kids between ages six and 12 had an iPad on their wish list. No report on how many saw that wish come true, but electronics certainly domi- Action Ads INEXPENSIVE – EFFECTIVE 503-429-9410 $4.50 $5.50 for the first 10 words, then just 10¢ for each additional word nate the lives of young people these days. The National Wildlife Feder- ation (NWF) is trying to help families pare down the average eight hours a day that kids spend in front of screens. Ac- cording to NWF Naturalist David Mizejewski, even in out- doorsy states like Oregon, kids still tend to prefer technology, “It’s not that there’s anything necessarily inherently bad about all those great technolo- gies, but I think anyone would agree that eight hours a day for a kid to be indoors – sedentary, in front of electronic media – is too much.” He points out that there are plenty of ways to use technolo- gy to enhance outdoor experi- ences – like researching loca- tions for new adventures, and downloading applications onto phones or tablets to help iden- tify plants, trees and critters. NWF’s tips for parents are on- line at www.nwf.org/BeOut There. And why should parents care? There’s a vast amount of research showing that outdoor time for kids is good for grades, behavior and health, says Mizejewski, “Parents can make it a resolution – ‘In 2012, I’m going to make this a priority, to get outside with my kids, or build some outdoor time back into my kids’ schedule’ – be- cause it’s an important thing to do.” Sports are one way to get kids outdoors, although he says the best outdoor time for kids should be unstructured – just letting them poke around and explore, with friends or parents. The American Acade- my of Pediatrics recommends a total of 60 minutes of unstruc- tured, outdoor play for kids every day.
