Spanish immersion program
to begin in Vancouver schools

Enrollment of kindergarten students in the  Vancouver School District’s 2009-10 Spanish Immersion Program will be explained during a 6-to-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 14 meeting in the Harney Elementary School, 3212 E Evergreen Boulevard.

Harney Elementary will also be the site of the classes, for which there are no tuition fee. Students may live anywhere within Vancouver School District boundaries to participate in the language immersion program.

The Spanish Immersion Program isn’t the only option that Vancouver public schools offer. A Chinese Immersion Program starts next fall, September 2009, for students entering kindergarten. These classes will be conducted at Franklin Elementary School, and they also are open to students throughout Vancouver. The informational meeting for parents will be held on Tuesday, April 21, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Franklin Elementary, 5206 Franklin Street.

Unlike the Spanish Immersion Program, however, the Chinese one is not free. Tuition is $2,900 for the kindergarten year only. Tuition covers a full-day program in a school funded by the state only for half-day kindergarten. 

In the case of both immersion programs, grade levels will be added as students progress through elementary school.

For more information, contact Howard Yank, VSD resource coordinator, (360) 313-1079

Attorney General Rob McKenna
to keynote Lincoln Day dinner

Rob McKenna, Washington State Attorney General, is the keynote speaker for the 2009 Clark County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner Saturday, April 18, in the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay, according to local GOP spokesperson Baine Wilson.

Doors open with a silent auction at 5 p.m. Dinner is at 7 p.m. Cost of the dinner is $60 per person, according to Wilson. A special reception is being held for elected officials at 5 p.m., the cost of which is $50. Registration can be obtained by calling Anna Miller, 600-6668.

Lions Sight Foundation of Clark County
celebrates 60th anniversary with fundraiser

The Lions Sight Foundation of Clark County is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a dinner and fundraiser, beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 18, in Green Meadows Athletic Club. Admission is $30.00 per person or $240 to sponsor a table.

Over the years, the Lions Clubs of Clark County have raised more than $715,000 and negotiated over $2 million dollars in retail vision-related services to over 7,000 individuals

For further information, call Jan Hurtubise, 571-3430.

Hazel Dell planning
for five baseball fields

Prospects for a new sports field project in Hazel Dell will be discussed at a public meeting on Tuesday, April 21, at 7 p.m. in the Clark County public works operations and maintenance conference center, 4700 NE 78th Street.

Five possible, different-sized baseball fields, including one that is full-size, would be located on the north side of Northeast 78th Street, about a quarter mile west of St. Johns Road. Restroom facilities, a parking lot, access roads and walkways, improvements to adjacent roads, and batting cages are other proposed elements of the project.

Design of the sports fields is funded by the real estate excise tax, which is paid whenever property is sold. The Greater Clark Parks District, a special district approved by voters in the unincorporated urban area of Clark County in 2005, will pay for maintenance after construction.

Hosting the meeting are Clark County Public Works, Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation, and the Northeast Hazel Dell Neighborhood Association.

For more information, call project manager Matt Griswold at 397-6118 ext. 4372, or go to www.clarkparks.org/projects/hazeldellsports.htm.

News brief

Kweisi Mfume presents “Race, Class and Economic Recovery in Obama’s America” at the Washington State University Vancouver annual Public Affairs Lecture at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, in the Fort Vancouver High School auditorium, 5700 E 18th Street. Admission is $10. For further information, call 694-3588.

Calendar

The Vancouver City Council is holding a workshop meeting at 4 p.m. today. At 6 p.m. the council meets to consider a consent agenda. <> Michele Gamburd, Portland State University, discusses "Care Crisis in the Global South: Demographics, Transnational Migration and the State" at the University Honors program at 6 p.m. this evening in room 110 of the Administration Building at Washington State University. There is no charge, but parking is $3 in the blue lot. <> The Neighborhood Associations Council of Clark County meets at 7 p.m. this evening in the Public Works conference room, 4700 NE 78th Street. <> Clark Public Utilities’ commissioners meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 14. <> The Southwest Washington Blood Program is holding a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, at Clark College, 1800 E. McLoughlin Boulevard. <>. Port of Vancouver commissioners meet at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 14. <> Clark County commissioners meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 14.

Community Calendar Links

• Southwest Washington Center for the Arts

• Greater Vancouver Chamber Community 

• City of Vancouver Calendar