THE SIUSLAW NEWS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER ❚ September 2018
SCHOOL ZONE A Monthly Newsletter for the Siuslaw and Mapleton School Districts and Community Groups
Back in action
lorence Community PTA (FCPTA) is back in action and ready to hit the ground running. With a new school year comes a new PTA board and this year’s president, Alex Selig, is excited to take the reins. “We’re excited to get as many people involved in as many ways as possible,” said Selig. “Whether you simply want to join and support the voice of the FCPTA through power in numbers, or be involved with an activity committee, everyone is welcome!” The next PTA meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 4:30 p.m. at the Siuslaw Middle School Commons, with parents and community members encouraged to attend. Supporting all three Siuslaw Schools, FCPTA is unique in that it is a Community PTA and open to all community members, whether they have a student in school or not. “There are so many ways people can support FCPTA,” said Selig. “We want the community to partner with us however they can.” A few easy ways to support FCPTA include:
F
Membership Anyone can join FCPTA for just $11 per year. Membership numbers help FCPTA bolster their voice at state convention levels and in turn, help promote the interests of Florence’s small community! People are encouraged to come to our next meeting or send us a Facebook message for a sign-up form.
Amazon Smile Florence Community PTA is eligible to receive a portion of proceeds from Amazon purchases made from accounts connected to their Amazon Smile profile. When purchasing from Amazon, simply navigate to smile.amazon.com and select Florence Community PTA as your charity of choice.
Fred Meyer Rewards In addition to Amazon, you can connect your Fred Meyer rewards card to donate a portion of your spending to FCPTA. This will not impact your rewards points or cost extra. Log on to FredMeyer.com to connect your card today.
Box Tops for Education Every Box Top for Education is worth 10 cents to FCPTA. Be sure to watch your cereal, granola bars, fruit snacks and other food items for Box Tops. Simply clip, save and drop off in the Siuslaw Elementary Office or to your favorite Siuslaw student! Don’t forget to stop by the next meeting or follow FCTPA on Facebook to keep up on what’s happening with PTA.
Part of the (growing) team – Siuslaw Soccer BY RAMIRO RAMIREZ Siuslaw High School Junior
R
amiro Ramirez here to invite you to help our new school soccer team gain support from local community members. This is the inaugural soccer season for the Siuslaw School District — and that is a huge thing. Prior to this team, there has never been another soccer team that has played for the school. Currently, we have a junior varsity soccer team with both boys and girls as teammates. When the Florence area tried out about the possibility of a high school soccer team, some didn’t think we would succeed. Others thought the school wouldn’t allow it, while others saw hope in adding the program. I am incredibly grateful that Siuslaw High School has decided to start its own soccer program, as it gives our team extra confidence to perform better. We are now practicing like our competitors in their respective districts. An advantage of having a new soccer team is that it is now another option for student athletes who are looking for something different than softball, baseball, volleyball, football or wrestling. New options can open opportunities for those seeking more. Another advantage for this new sport is that it is more intense than some activities. This is a good advantage since it will guide you to a healthier lifestyle like all sports. I believe that this new soccer team will set out for many great games in the future, but I ask you to do your part. The school allowing a soccer team is just the beginning. One goal for our team is to have both a boy soccer team and a girl soccer team. If you know someone who is in high school that might be interested in soccer, tell them to join our growing team. The more players we have, the better strategies we can play, like subbing for
PHOTOS BY DERRICK VANDUCH/FOR SIUSLAW NEWS
(Above) From left, Siuslaw senior Kaeli Ramos, freshman Jason Garcia and junior Ramiro Ramirez advance the ball against Sutherlin during the Sept. 19 match against the Bulldogs. (Right) Siuslaw freshman Jerrel Brumley works defense. others. Eventually, we may have enough to field both varsity and junior varsity for the boys’ and girls’ teams. With the help of our coaches and the help of your support by getting some high school students into soccer, we can make this new sport one of the fastest growing sports in Siuslaw district history. Our coaches have worked hard to fundraise for school uniforms and our own soccer T-shirts, sweatshirts and coats for us to represent our team all across the state — no, across the country. Even with our coaches working hard to gain the resources for our team to thrive, we still need support from the community. Some ways to support us is by doing your
part of the fundraiser by purchasing any items our coach, Londi Tomaro, is doing. Another way to show support is by asking the school district to get a home soccer field turf. We unfortunately do not have any home games because our current turf does not meet the necessary standards. Getting a home soccer turf will mean we will have home games, which will help our team use less fuel than having an all away-game schedule. Speaking about travel, we do not have a bus to transport us to our games, so the soccer coaches have to provide the transportation by using their own cars. With a bus to transport us, we will not have to
risk getting separated on our way to a game, and, like a home turf, will enable us to go greener since we will only have one engine emitting carbon dioxide to the environment instead of three engines. Our coaches are doing so much to do their part, so why not help by doing your part? What are you waiting for? Start a petition for a bus to take us, and a new soccer turf. Start something, just like the Siuslaw soccer program has done. Siuslaw’s soccer team plays next on Monday, Oct. 1, in North Bend.
Back to School Safety for School Zones, Bus Routes APPLY NOW FOR
S
eptember is time for area children to start back in school. This means that motorists need to get back in the habit of knowing where neighborhood schools and bus routes are located. Each morning and afternoon when school is in session, youth are walking to and from school and, when there’s a chance they may be present, a school speed zone is in effect. The speed limit is 20 miles per hour (mph) in a posted school zone between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on a day when school is in session. If the school zone is equipped with a flashing yellow light, then the speed limit is in effect when flashing. It’s vital that all people obey these speed limits as area children’s safety is at stake. These schools include kindergarten through 12th grade. Some of these children are five years old and very small. A parked car can obscure their view of you and your view of them. These young people often fail to realize the importance of looking before they walk or run out into the roadway. Driving at 20 mph will give you more time to react and avoid striking them. The following list reveals the distance required to stop at specific speeds. • 64 feet @ 20 mph
• 86 feet @ 25 mph • 112 feet @ 30 mph • 138 feet @ 35 mph • 170 feet @ 40 mph 5 mph can make the difference between whether or not you hit a pedestrian. As citizens, we must protect our children. Traffic crashes are one of the deadliest hazards our children face. Let’s do our part when we pass these schools by slowing down,
watching and expecting the unexpected. In addition, the sheriff ’s office would like to remind drivers of their responsibility to stop for school buses displaying red flashing lights. Because buses are large vehicles, the level of difficulty to see around them increases. The outcome of illegally passing a stopped school bus is potentially devastating for children and drivers.
Law enforcement agencies continue to receive reports each year from bus drivers and other citizens about motorists failing to stop for school buses. With nearly 6,000 school buses operating in the State of Oregon, motorists need to be alert. Oregon law requires motorists to stop whenever the red lights on a school bus are flashing, regardless of the direction they are traveling. The law applies to any roadway with two or more lanes of traffic, including multi-lane highways such as Highway 101. The only exception to the law is for divided highways with two roads separated by an unpaved median strip or barrier. In this case, only drivers on the same side of the road as the bus must stop. A painted median strip or a center lane used only for left turns does not create two separate lanes. Where this situation exists, all lanes of traffic must stop. When a bus is flashing amber lights, motorists should prepare to stop. When the red lights begin to flash, motorists traveling in both directions must stop before reaching the bus and must remain stopped until the red lights are turned off. Please do your part to make our roads safe. Be aware when following any type of bus that it may make frequent stops. Following these tips will help reduce the risk of traffic crashes and pedestrian injuries in our community. For more information and tips, visit Lincoln County Sheriff ’s Office at lincolncountysheriff.net.
112TH ANNUAL RHODY COURT
A
pplications for the 112th Rhododendron Court are now available through Siuslaw and Mapleton schools, the Florence Area Visitor’s Center, 290 Highway 101, and the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce website, www. florencechamber.com. The Rhody Junior Court is open to first, second, fourth and fifth graders from the Siuslaw region and open to third graders from Mapleton region. The Senior Court is open to high school senior girls and boys who exhibit exceptional character and are Siuslaw and Mapleton region residents. Queen Rhododendra and her Junior and Senior Court as well as the King of the Coast and his Senior Court will reign over the 2019 Rhododendron Festival, act as the goodwill ambassadors for this event and make many promotional appearances. The Rhododendron Court will benefit from experiences with public speaking and media relations. The Senior Court, and especially Queen Rhododendra and the King of the Coast, will be awarded scholarships on the night of the coronation. Applications for the Rhododendron Court will be accepted until Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. For more information about the court, participant obligations or for an application, call 541-997-3128. The 112th Annual Rhododendron Festival is presented by the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce and will take place May 17 to 19, 2019. For information about the festival, parade participation, vendor registration or volunteer opportunities, visit florencechamber.com or call 541-997-3128.