Recognizing the importance of reading as the primary building block to education, the Reading First program at Twin Valley Elementary-Middle School is making a difference at that school.
        According to Reading First Coach Brenda Ward and TVEMS Assistant Principal Kathy Witt, the program -- now in its third year of operation at Twin Valley -- is impacting students and teachers in a number of tangible ways. The results, they added are now evident when one considers SOL test scores at the school.
         And, both educators are quick to point out, the test results are up not only in reading -- but in other subject areas as well.
         Afterall, take a test and one thing anyone taking it has to do is . . . read.
       Ward and Witt attended the February meeting of the Buchanan County School Board to give a presentation on the program and sat down with the Mountaineer last week to talk a little more about the program and its impact.
        The grant which began the program at Twin Valley is a six-year federal grant which provided the school with $184,000 in the first year; $161,300 in the second year; and $177,000 in the third (current) year. An additional $40,000 was awarded to the program for a new program component in September 2005. There are only 66 Reading First programs offered in Virginia schools and the Twin Valley program was one of the first 16 schools in the state to receive the highly competitive grant.
         Initially, the grant application was made while Sandra Cole was principal at the Twin Valley school.
        Teachers and administrators worked on the grant application, along with then school librarian Terri Kiser and General Supervisor Jack Davis.
         "Everybody bought into it from the beginning," Witt said.
        She said teachers at the kindergarten through third grade levels, where the program is focused most strongly, like the program and how it operates.
        First Grade Teacher Dot Owens noted the continuity of what is taught and how it is taught is part of what makes the program successful.
        "Reading First has provided teachers with a common base of knowledge to teach reading," Owens said. "Teachers in grades K-3 all teach the five essential components of reading. Teachers have gained knowledge of how to integrate this knowledge into daily practice."
          Reading First is a scientific research-based core program.
       Supplemental reading material, practice books, support materials and professional development activities are all a part of the program.
One of its keys is the establishment of a 90-minute reading block per day which allows students to practice reading at school.
 

by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor
          Members of a Buchanan County School Board drug testing policy committee are expected to meet again today (Thursday) to consider the third draft of a proposed school system drug testing policy.
         The comprehensive policy under consideration proposes the Buchanan County School System initiate pre-employment, random and reasonable suspicion testing for Buchanan County’s 943 school employees.
          School board members met last month to consider revisions to the policy, which were discussed and then incorporated into draft three.
          Language banning the school system policy’s recognition of methadone as an acceptable prescription drug and banning methadone clinics as an acceptable form of substance abuse treatment under the policy is expected to be added to the policy due to action by the school board last week to agree it should not be considered as viable treatment.
         The issue was a sticky topic of discussion among committee members last month, however South Grundy Committee Chairman David Thornbury took the issue to the full board asking for guidance on the issue and proposed the ban motion. School board members agreed to the ban unanimously.
        Other than changes to that section of the policy, board members are expected to consider any other language revisions needed before sending the policy on to the full school board for its review and adoption.
         Another change in the policy which was agreed to last month was the specific mention of volunteers and an agreement to characterize substitutes and volunteers as a separate test group, allowing for the random testing policy to apply to 20 percent of teachers, as well as full-time employees and staff, who number 534; and 20 percent of an undetermined number of volunteers and 393 substitutes in any given year.

For more of the story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now. For more information on how to subscribe to the Mountaineer, call 276-935-2123 today! 

          Two more incumbents have thrown their hats into the ring for the Town of Grundy’s May 2 election.
         Council Member Rebecca Shortridge-Elkins has filed to seek re-election to council and incumbent Mayor Roger Powers has filed to seek re-election to the post of mayor.
         Council Member Bob Hale previously filed his intent to seek re-election to another term on council.
        At press time Tuesday, Council Member Bill Stokes had not filed for-re-election, nor has he announced publicly whether he intends to seek re-election to the post.
        No other candidates had filed, according to Voter Registrar Vicki Clevinger.
        Three seats on council and the mayor’s post are up for grabs in the May election. Council members serve staggered terms of office so as to allow for experienced members of council to be members of that public body at all times.
         The deadline to file for office is March 7 at 7 p.m.
         Additional dates of note for town voters include April 3 which is the last day to register to vote and to be eligible to vote in the May 2 election.
         The last date to vote absentee in person is April 29; and the last date to vote absentee by mail is April 27.
         For additional information about the town election, interested persons may call the Buchanan County Voter Registrar’s Office at 276-935-6534.