Summer Break Comes to an End
It’s back to school for all students today in Mapleton. Grades K through 12 are in classes for a full day.
In Florence the schedule is a bit more complex. All students have today off and most will return tomorrow.
Grades one-through-6 and all four grades at the high school will be in class Wednesday; with seventh and eighth graders hitting the books beginning Thursday.
Kindergartners at Siuslaw will have an extra weekend before they make their first appearance… The second year of all-day Kindergarten begins Monday the 12th.
No matter who is in class and when; school buses are back on the road beginning today, that means drivers are urged to be especially careful during the morning and afternoon hours.
Cape Perpetua center switches to winter hours
If you’re taking a last-minute run up the coast today before school starts, you’ll want to check your watch if you’re going to the Cape Perpetua Visitors Center.
That’s because effective Labor Day the center switched to winter hours… ten a.m. to 4 p.m.
Brian Hoeh, the visitor center manager, says fall is a “great time” to explore the Oregon Coast. There’s less traffic, he says, plus the weather tends to be a little milder with warmer temperatures and less wind.
Lead fixes to be addressed
Interim measures have already been made to limit student and staff exposure to lead-tainted water at Mapleton Schools. Superintendent Jodi O’Mara said six drinking fountains and two sinks have been capped and removed from service. Two more faucets are in process of being replaced and will be retested before they are authorized for use. O’Mara said permanent repairs will be made over the next two summers as the district implements an $8-million remodeling project. Voters said yes in May to a $4-million levy that was matched with an equal amount from the Oregon Department of Education. O’Mara said Mapleton School District families, students and staff will be notified of follow-up test results and any other updates.
Pinewood Derb joins Rods and Rhodies
There will be more than a hundred highline hot-rods and classic cars and trucks parked along both sides of Bay Street in Old Town Florence this week… and about an equal number of much smaller wooden replicas.
Boy Scout Troop 721 will once again be hosting their annual Pinewood Derby in conjunction with the Rods and Rhodies Invitational Classic Car Show.
Vickie Kennedy says the track will be set up in the middle of Bay Street in front of the Silver Sand Dollar Saturday from ten until two. Entry fees are just $5 for scouts.
Kennedy said the largest amount of funds raised during the derby are from sponsors. There will be a special race featuring their entries at one pm.
Adventist Center aids thousands
Nearly nine-thousand people received assistance last year from the Lois Davidson Better Living Center. The center, operated by members of the Florence Seventh Day Adventist Church assisted 3,569 families made up of 8,783 individuals with free clothing and household items between July 2015 and June of this year.
Volunteers sort and clean donations, then provide them at no cost to families and individuals who are seeking assistance.
The Center was established in the 1980s through the bequest of a church member. Lois Davidson left her home and estate to the church with the intent of serving the poor and needy of Florence and the surrounding area. Located a mile and a half south of Florence at 85134 Highway 101, the center is open between ten a.m. and 5:30 p.m. each Wednesday.
