School notes for April 19, 2011

River Homelink sets parent information night River Homelink, a school for children in kindergarten through eighth-grade, will hold two informational nights for parents interested in having their children attend the school. The information nights will be 10 a.m. Wednesday and 6:30 p.m. Thursday. River Homelink is located at 2204 N.E. Birch St. in Camas. For more information, call 834-1000, Ext. 10. CHS hosts parent education night Camas High School will host an event that focuses on current drug and alcohol trends and issues affecting local middle and high school students. It will take place Wednesday at the library, 26900 S.E. 15th St., from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The presentation will include results from the 2010 Healthy Youth survey, information about the district's drug and alcohol curriculum and tobacco prevention program, and resources available to Camas parents. The event will feature the following presenters: Glenn Hartman and Linda Hutchins, Camas School District drug and alcohol intervention specialists; Sherrie Geiger, Skyridge Middle School health teacher; and Rachel Williams, CHS health teacher. There will also be a detective from the Clark County Drug Task Force, students involved in the CHS Prevention Club and substance abuse professionals. Annual blood drive set at Liberty Middle School The third annual blood drive in honor of Hayes Freedom High School student Tiffani Pekkala will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 26 at Liberty Middle school, 1612 N.E. Garfield St. Donors are asked to sign up in advance by going to www.redcrossblood.org and including the sponsor code: Libertyschool. Donors may also call Bette Jo Poser at 844-5532 to register in advance as well. Pekkala suffers from primary immunodeficiency syndrome and requires immunoglobulin transfusions. Kindergarten registration set Gause Elementary School will host a kindergarten registration from 9:30 to 4 p.m. Monday, May 2 to Friday, May 6. Prospective kindergarten parents are asked to bring birth certificates and immunization records. The school is located at 1100 34th St. Book fair will run next week Liberty Middle School will host a spring book fair from Monday, April 25 to Friday, April 29. It will be held in the school's staff development room, 1612 N.E. Garfield St., before school, during lunch breaks and after school. For more details or to volunteer, contact book fair chairperson Christine Buckley at chb0903@yahoo.com. Locals raising money to help find a cure for childhood cancer Local parent Michele Mederos and her family will be shaving their heads for childhood cancer on Saturday, May 14 at Oaks Park in Portland. Michele's daughter, Sammy, battled cancer last year as a kindergartener. Now, Sammy is a cancer-free first-grader. The event is sponsored by St. Baldrick's, a private organization that raises money exclusively to treat and help find a cure for childhood cancer. Last year the Mederos family and friends team, Sammy's Pelones, raised more than $4,000 during the event. "We would love to go beyond $4,000 this year and hope that having this in the paper will help raise awareness for the event," Mederos said. To donate, visti www.stbaldricks.org, then search for "Sammy's Pelones." "We feel strongly that our daughter is alive and doing well today because of those who chose to donate in the past," Mederos said. Preschool screening set The Washougal School District is conducting a free developmental screening April 27 for children ages 3 to 5 years old who have not yet entered kindergarten. The free screening will assess children in speech, cognitive skills and motor development. It will take place at Hathaway Elementary School, 630 24th St. Appointments are confidential and can be made by calling Sally Bea at 954-3020. Camas resident earns Eagle Scout ranking Camas resident Taylor Nightingale of Boy Scout Troop 450 recently earned Scouting's highest honor by being named an Eagle Scout. His project was re-mapping the JD Currie Youth Camp near Lacamas Lake and installing eight wooden trail signs, 24 directional signs and a, "Welcome to Camp Currie," sign. Nightingale and other Scouts from the local troop earned more than $500 to contribute to the project. Exterior Woods Inc. of Washougal donated lumber. Other supplies were donated by Lutz Hardware of Camas and Home Depot. The project took 400 hours to complete. Oljar makes dean's list Brittney N. Oljar of Camas was named to the winter quarter 2011 dean's list at Oregon State University. To be named to the list, students must earn at least a 3.5 GPA and take at least 12 graded credits.

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