Fourth Annual Camas Indoor Kite Festival

Students of Camas High School’s chapter of Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA www.fcclainc.org) have been busy planning for the 4th Annual Camas Indoor Kite Festival. In addition to hosting the event in the CHS gym, members will also be selling tickets at the door and providing concessions for the event.

This festival is the student’s major fundraiser for the year and allows them to attend the Statewide FCCLA leadership conference. This conference provides students the opportunity to experience and participate in a professional meeting, compete for and receive recognition for their efforts, and meet other like-minded students from across the state.

November is National Family month. This event is truly a wonderful way for the family to spend an afternoon or two enjoying healthy, artistic activity while avoiding the chilly and rainy November weather!

Kite flying is typically something one associates with the sun, lots of wind, and going to the beach. In this case, the American Kite Flyers Association sanctioned event is coming to the Portland Metro Area and the wind and the sun or rain is not a factor because this kite competition will be warm and dry inside the beautiful Camas High School Gymnasium, located about 15 minutes from the Portland/Vancouver area.

The first question that pops into most people’s minds when they hear the phrase “indoor kite flying” is, “How do you fly a kite indoors? Do you use fans?” The response is an emphatic no. The kites that are used are so light that small amounts of arm and body movement on the part of the flyer is enough to send these marvels made of former NASA materials sailing with a grace and beauty that has left many a person wondering, “How can this be happening?” The kite’s movements are set to music and the choreographed ballets are scored by a panel of judges who grade how well the flyer interprets the music, fly their kite or kites, and present showmanship.

Regional, National and International Champion kite flyers from Washington, Oregon and Canada will be there to participate in this American Kite Flyers and Northwest Sport Kite League sanctioned event. The results of the four separate competitions on Saturday and Sunday will count toward a regional championship which is key to qualifying for competition at the National level. On Saturday and Sunday, activities will include ballet competition, demonstration flying, hot tricks competition, kite making and the opportunity have a lesson and try your hand at flying yourself. See the website for a schedule of events: http://nwskl.org/camas.htm

FCCLA is the only national student leadership organization that focuses on the multiple roles of today’s individual as family member, wage earner, and community leader. The organization’s mission is to promote personal growth and leadership development through Family and Consumer Science Education. Members build skills for life through planning and completing projects using creative and critical thinking, interpersonal communication, practical knowledge, and vocational skills.

Bus Ridership Week

Camas School District receives State transportation funding based on the number of students who utilize busing services. Each fall, districts conduct a ridership count for one week, which is reported to Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. If the district transports your student, please encourage them ride the bus to school during the week of October 12-16, 2009.

If you have questions, contact the Transportation Department at 833-5585.

Imagine the possibilities

"Imagine the Possibilities" is the theme of the Camas Educational Foundation (CEF) Auction that will be held October 10, 2009, at the Vancouver Hilton. This year marks the auction's 11th year. Tickets are on sale now. If you would like to make a donation, please contact Roxanne Giffin at 834-1345. Click the link below to register online.

http://tinyurl.com/ktes4w

District seeks advisory committee members

In preparation for the new school year, the Camas School District is seeking volunteers to serve on the district’s Citizens Advisory Committee. CAC consists of 18-25 school district patrons who advise school administrators and board members on a variety of issues. Meetings are held the first Monday of each month during the school year.

Interested citizens are encouraged to visit the next CAC meeting on October 5, 2009, at Grass Valley Elementary School, 3000 NW Grass Valley Dr., at 7:00 p.m. Of particular interest, this group currently has little representation from Director Districts II, III and V. Maps of each district are available online at http://tinyurl.com/4fpzxr.

Applications to CAC can be completed at the meeting, online, or by contacting Lynette Marshall at 833-5412. All completed applications should be returned to the Camas School District Administration Center by Wednesday, October 14, and will be forwarded to the School Board for appointment.

Line dancing anyone?

If you’ve ever wanted to learn to line dance and get a good aerobic workout, then this fun class is for you! No partner necessary... bring friends or come alone!

What: Beginning Line Dancing
Where: Lacamas Elementary Gym
When: Mondays, Sept. 28-Oct. 19
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
$30 (checks made payable to E.C.C.E.)
Class code: 1240-09

http://tinyurl.com/mgjksm

Vendors: register now for Holly Days

If you are interested in becoming a vendor at the 2009 Holly Days Arts & Crafts Bazaar, now is the time to register. The event takes place on November 14, and applications are due October 16. Click the link below for details and the registration form.

http://tinyurl.com/mfj53f

Be a Farmer for a Day!

Camas students and community members are invited to help harvest and sell produce from the Camas Roots Garden at the Camas Farmer’s Market on Wednesday, September 23. From 9 to 11 AM, Hayes Freedom High School students and community members will harvest potatoes, squash, tomatoes, and other things from the garden, which is located next to the JD Zellerbach building. In the afternoon at the market, students will help display the produce, make signs, calculate costs, make change, and practice customer relations. There will be important jobs for all ages starting at 2:30 PM. Elementary age children must have an adult nearby (at the market). The market runs from 3 to 7 PM and shifts are flexible according to your schedule. Students are encouraged to come and help for a half hour or longer. All proceeds will benefit the garden project. Helpers are welcome to take home extra produce. If you are interested in participating, please contact Elisa Wells at 833-0925 or eswells@comcast.net.

Camas Student Graduates from Washington Aerospace Scholars Program

The Washington Aerospace Scholars program is pleased to announce that Stuart Jergensen is a graduate of the 2009 WAS Summer Residency at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Washington Aerospace Scholars (WAS) is a competitive educational program for high school juniors from across Washington State.

Stuart Jergensen was among the 150 students who qualified for the Washington Aerospace Scholars Summer Residency program from 260 students who applied in November. To qualify for the residency program, Stuart of Camas High School spent six months studying a NASA-designed, distance-learning curriculum via the Internet. Based on his academic performance on the distance-learning lessons, he was selected to attend one of the four residencies hosted at The Museum of Flight in Seattle this summer. During the residency experience, he collaborated with the other student participants on the design of a human mission to Mars. WAS scholars are guided by professional engineers, scientists, university students and certified educators as they plan these missions. The WAS program is designed to inspire students to pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) but the students are divided into teams which also require them to learn about mission management, budgets, the legal aspects of space exploration, and medicine.

In addition to the design of the human mission to Mars, he and the other WAS scholars also participated in a number of hands-on engineering challenges. These challenges included design, construction and deployment of robotic rovers, model rockets, lander devices, and payload lofting systems. Summer residency participants also received briefings from experts in the fields of engineering, science, physics, medicine, project management, risk management, and space exploration. They also visited Everett, WA, for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Boeing Commercial Airplane assembly plant, (including the new 787) and toured engineering laboratories at the University of Washington. As a graduate of WAS, Stuart joins over 380 alumni, representing 170 different Washington high schools.

All expenses (including travel, meals and lodging) are provided to students free of charge by the Washington Aerospace Scholars Foundation. The program has been supported through generous grants from The Apex Foundation, The Aldarra Foundation, The Boeing Company, Microsoft, Battelle and individual donors. The Museum of Flight hosts both the program administration and the summer residency sessions. Additional partners include NASA Johnson Space Center for curriculum development, the Washington State Governor’s Office, Washington State Legislators, and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

District phone system update

The Camas School District has recently converted its phone system to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). While there have been more technical issues than anticipated, the transition is nearly complete.

The following is a simple list of tangible benefits that we will receive from the new phone system.

• It is estimated the District will save more than $100,000 each year under the new VoIP system due to the following: support costs for contracts and service are estimated to decrease by $68,000 per year, beginning immediately; by not using the previous system, the district will now be able to cancel unused telecom lines, resulting in a savings of approximately of $28,200 annually; under VoIP, the new long distance provider is expected to save another $10,800 annually.
• Implemented with the VoIP is a new voicemail system which is expected to save the technology department approximately 100 hours in maintenance each year.
• The new voicemail system can be managed in-house by district technology staff which results in faster service and less downtime creating accounts for people.
• While phone systems are generally reliable, under the old system there was a single point of failure with the land telephone lines. The new design has multiple service providers and other redundancies built in to minimize failure and keep phone service running in an emergency.
• Under the former system, emergency responders (911) did not receive the specific address of the site to visit. This will be corrected with the new system.
• Counselors, special education staff, and other employees who work at multiple sites will no longer have to track and manage multiple phone numbers and voicemail boxes. Their phone number will travel with them, making access to messages and phone calls easier.
• Exciting new features including managing voice messages via computer workstations, recording phone calls, and sending faxes directly from a computer are available for high call volume users such as office staff and principals.

Once training is complete and technical issues have been resolved, the district staff members will enjoy a robust phone and voicemail system. We thank you for your patience as we bring this project to completion.

Skyridge Earns Green Grant

Skyridge Middle School has gained yet another A+ in its efforts to go green. In late February, Ann Hofmann applied for the Terry Husseman Sustainable Schools Seed Award grant. Along with more than 25 other Washington state schools, Skyridge received a monetary grant. On May 22, 2009, six students, teacher Ann Hofmann, and Associate Principal Springy Yamasaki, attended the Terry Husseman Sustainable Schools award ceremony at the state capitol in Olympia, Washington. The staff and students felt a tremendous sense of pride as their award was announced and took the stage to receive the check and certificate. It was also an opportunity to hear what other schools have done and how they will be applying their grant awards. Students and staff were energized, enlightened and ready to delve into more eco-friendly projects.

While the school’s Go-Green efforts span a variety of areas, the grant request was specific for funding efforts to recycle, compost, and reduce the amount of waste produced by the school. Indeed, by recycling bottles and cans, reusing items such as paper and containers, and composting, Skyridge students and staff have already lessened their impact on landfills and diminished their environmental footprint.
First efforts began in 2007, when Skyridge started recycling in earnest. This involved putting paper and bottle/can recycle containers in all classrooms, and milk carton and bottle/can recycle containers in the dining room. The results were swift and remarkable: daily garbage output was reduced from 65 bags per day to 18. During that same year, the school started the Washington Green Schools Pilot program, but was unable to complete it during that school year. Thanks to a great team effort the following year, Skyridge completed the documentation and became the first school in Clark County to be certified a Level 1 Washington Green School in the spring of 2008.

In the fall of 2008, Skyridge added composting in the dining room. They further reduced daily trash output from 18 bags per day to 14. In the spring of 2009, the kitchen staff began composting and reduced their output from 3 bags to 1 bag per day.

Still, Green Team leaders have identified several areas for improvement. First, they hope to see the amount of bottles and cans in the garbage reduced, which will signify an increase in recyclates. Skyridge also hopes to see an improvement in their composting program. Based on a recent audit, the student dining hall compost contains over 30% trash/contaminants. Additionally, they plan to improve the staff recycling by purchasing recycling bins that allow easy sorting of compost, bottles/cans, and trash for the staff lounge and teacher workrooms. Team members hope to improve recycling in office areas by providing conveniently marked receptacles that are easily accessed and accommodate staff’s limited working space. While the $1,700 Husseman Sustainable Schools Seed grant will not fully fund the entire “wish list,” the Green Team is working to partner with community members to fill in the gaps and continue forward eco-progress.

For more information, contact Ann Hofman via e-mail at Ann.hofmann@camas.wednet.edu or (360) 833-5400, extension 2851.

Community Education Offers Bevy of Summer Opportunities

While the district is no longer able to offer its traditional summer school, Community Education has created an exciting summer program this year. From Kindergarten Readiness to week-long sports camps, there will surely be something for everyone. Please visit the Community Education web page for a listing of all offerings as well as registration.

Camas School District Enjoys Consecutive Clean Audits

In early May the State Auditor’s Office released the results of their annual audit. Each year the area of focus can vary. This year, auditing staff focused their work in the areas of accountability, federal programs, and finances.

In an exit interview with administration, the auditors indicated that the district financial practices are extremely well run and in full compliance with state statue and board policy. Additionally, the auditors complemented the district on its strong controls.

Business director Ina Evers-Martin was pleased with the audit results, though not surprised. “Our staff members take their jobs very seriously and work hard to ensure that all accounts are in perfect order,” she commented. “We take great pride in our clean audit history.”

“In these trying economic times, it is very reassuring to know that our $55 million budget is run so competently,” stated Board President Doug Quinn. “These consistent clean audit reports are a reflection of Ina’s professionalism and good management.”

Free Immunizations for Incoming Sixth Graders

Lacamas Medical Group has partnered with both Camas and Washougal schools by providing a free immunization clinic for incoming sixth graders on Wednesday, June 3, from 3 – 6:30 PM. They will require a parent/guardian accompany the student, plus immunization record. This clinic will focus on the Tdap and Varicella requirements.

Sixth graders are required to have three doses of DTaP, DT or Td if the last dose is given on or after the fourth birthday. Additionally, the student needs 1 dose Tdap if he/she is 11 years old and it has been at least 5 years since the last DTaP, DT or Td.

Varicella requirement is a minimum of 1 dose, which must be given on or after the first birthday. Parent-reported history of disease is acceptable.

No appointments are required. Lacamas Medical Group is located at 3240 NE 3rd Ave., Camas, WA 98607. Phone: (360) 838-2440.

CHS Students Athletes Set Personal Best

Grade point averages (GPA’s) at Camas High School hit an all-time high for the 2008-09 school year. Among the 371 varsity student athletes, the average GPA is 3.38. Way to go Papermakers!

Sport – GPA (Number of varsity students)

Fall
Cheer - 3.22 (12)
Boys Cross Country - 3.56 (9)
Girls Cross Country - 3.56 (9)
Dance - 3.22 (18)
Football - 3.06 (49)
Boys Golf - 3.38 (12)
Boys Tennis - 3.11 (23)
Volleyball - 3.57 (11)
Girls Soccer - 3.5 (20)
Girls Swim - 3.74 (19)

Winter
Boys Basketball - 3.07 (12)
Girls Basketball - 3.38 (12)
Gymnastics - 3.37 (17)
Boys Swimming - 3.31 (22)
Wrestling - 3.11 (22)

Spring
Baseball - 3.26 (16)
Girls Golf - 3.50 (7)
Boys Soccer - 3.45 (19)
Girls Softball - 3.32 (16)
Girls Tennis - 3.40 (9)
Boys Track - 3.55 (18)
Girls Track - 3.40 (19)

Volunteering, Raising Awareness

CHS senior Alyssa Everett is volunteering at the Southwest Washington Humane Society in conjunction with her senior project. In an effort to raise awareness about animal adoptions, Alyssa is promoting a how-to flyer detailing process and hours of operation. Click here to view the flyer.