Camas, WA — Lara Blair Photography in downtown Camas is offering limited Holiday Sparkle & Wonder session to capture the spirit and joy of the season.
Blair answers some questions about this fun, new project.
What is a Sparkle & Wonder session?
For 45 minutes, we capture your family in a choice of holiday sets (super creative…think “Target ad”) and also on a plain white backdrop. We want you to have some original holiday images for your cards and social media, but we also feel everyone should have up-to-date, fun family images to display at home.
When are the sessions?
We are shooting only a handful in November. We are providing evening appointments (a rarity at our studio) so everyone can make it. We’re booking now—first come, first booked.
What’s the investment?
This session is $250, a savings of $100 from our usual sessions. Our portrait design specialist will walk you through our products (including fabulous holiday cards!). With a $600 order, you receive 25 complimentary cards.
“I wanted to write a story the depicts the struggle that a lot of families have during the holiday season. While they strive create the ‘perfect’ Christmas for their family, there is a lot more to the season than presents and an elaborate meal,” Sjostrom shares.
In the Tree Farm, the Shepherd family struggles to keep up with bills and maintain a roof over their heads never mind fashion a magazine-worthy holiday. A local tree farm with struggles of its own, presents as a safe haven for the Shepherd family. Forced to live simply, they discover a great gift, the magic of the holiday is accessible to all, regardless of material offerings.
A serial entrepreneur, adventurer and author, The Tree Farm, is Sjostrom’s ninth novel. The romances Finding Christmas, The Nativity and Back to Carolina along with the thrillers Blood in the Snow, Blood in the Water,Blood in the Sand, Penance, and recently released paranormal thriller Dark Chase were his first books published. All of Seth’s books are available anywhere books are sold.
Camas, WA — Champ Pizza officially opened its third Clark County restaurant today in Camas at Lacamas Center on 3rd Avenue next to Dollar Tree.
”We’re pretty excited about this,” said managing parter, Tyson Cook. “This opportunity came pretty quickly and we jumped on it.”
Champ Pizza Camas is located in the former Little Caesar’s footprint, and they’re ready to go. Champ Pizza makes a quality pizza that’s ready fast with delivery and pickup options.
Hours:
11-9 Sunday – Thursday
11-10 Friday and Saturday
“We use 100 percent whole mozzarella cheese, we make dough daily made with buttermilk and Parmesan,” Cook said. “We bring in all our produce and slice it in house. We also offer premium meats — ham, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, etc. We don’t cut corners there. We pride ourselves on our service, we believe a customer deserves a quality pizza every time. We can deliver and be ready just as quickly as the competition. We will serve all of Camas and Washougal.”
And, they’re ready to get to know you.
“We really want to be involved with the community and will continue our Athlete of the Month program,” Cook said. ”We will also give many teens an opportunity to have a good job.”
Address: 3252 NE 3rd Avenue, Suite 9, Camas, WA 98607
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/23163309/6266E141-D964-432B-8C3C-3A1A47829ED0.jpeg6791280Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2020-10-23 16:41:012020-10-23 16:41:12Champ Pizza Opens New Restaurant In Camas — For Take Out + Delivery
Washougal WA — A student’s classroom can be almost anywhere during this time of remote learning. For second grade students Marina Guevara, Julie Taie and Lisa Haskin at Gause Elementary, their field science assignment took them out into the world to look for and study signs of erosion.
“We began the year by thinking about what it looks like to be a scientist,” said Guevara. “We felt that this unit provided good opportunities to ‘unplug’ and have students apply what they are learning.”
Once they received permission to go outdoors, students were challenged to collect and examine rocks and take a photo or draw a picture of a nearby body of water to identify possible signs of erosion.
The lesson included looking closely at phenomena happening at a beach in Northcove, WA, nicknamed “Washaway Beach” due to erosion.
“We are continuing to read to learn more about rivers, rocks, beaches, and oceans to help us understand what is happening and possible solutions once we do understand,” said Taie.
According to Guevara, taking this time away from the computer screen gives students a needed change of pace.
“We could see students, and even families, excited and engaged in this project,” she said. “I think it’s powerful that they found these examples on their own. It is also exciting that this current distance learning situation allows us to collect a variety of responses and data to study.”
“If examples were provided in the classroom or in a group, all the students would see the same thing,” said Haskin. “This way we have different sets of eyes and ears finding evidence of erosion in a variety of places and making observations to share with the class.”
One of the biggest challenges with distance learning for all teachers is fostering connections.
“Creating relationships comes first for me,” said Guevara. “I want my students to know I am there for them and that I care about them. Being behind a screen is a whole different ball game. Connections can be difficult to foster via technology.”
But projects like this provide for moments of connection as they show their learning and share what they have seen. Students were connecting with the shared photos saying things like, “I know that place! I’ve been there!”
“The pictures submitted by students not only provide different data points but also included some special moments shared by families exploring together,” said Guevara. “We were lucky that we had some nice sunny days to work with too!”
Guevara says she sees evidence of resilience in her class of seven and eight-year-olds every day.
“The end of last school year and the beginning of this one has been filled with challenges and growing pains,” she admits. “But I feel like we are really getting the hang of it. We have found a rhythm. Part of our learning mantra this year is ‘I’m here to grow every day,’ and I see our students embody that in how they approach their learning, how they communicate with me and with peers, and even how they advocate for themselves through technology.”
“Learning and communicating through screens can be daunting but we are still interacting with our students and they are showing a keen desire to learn despite the challenges,” Guevara said. “We are so proud of them.”
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/22191823/F99BF6AC-DAAE-45F3-A77D-ABAB8E561257.jpeg6661280Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2020-10-22 19:42:202020-10-22 19:42:29Washougal Schools: Gause Science Students Explore the World Around Them
Naturopathic physicians (NDs) go to medical school like their MD colleagues. The first two years of school follow the same track, with classes in basic science. Biochemistry, anatomy (including cadaver lab…ughh), physiology, and so on. You can’t change basic science no matter what medical philosophy you study. The last two years are where we diverge. Yes, we learn Pharmacology and all the other ologies, and we can prescribe drugs in licensed states. However, in their last 2 years, MD students enter a series of hospital-based specialty rotations (trauma surgery, emergency med, pediatrics, etc) while ND students rotate through outpatient primary care settings. The last two years of ND education also include time spent learning the modalities that set us apart: botanical medicine, homeopathy, physical medicine, nutrition, motivational counseling, and so on. During this time, we are also honing our skills as primary care providers, managing patients under the supervision of licensed and experienced NDs. In the primary care setting, we learn continuity of care as we see patients multiple times and see the outcome of our treatments. MD training in hospital and specialty rotations, for the most part, do not follow their patients. It is usually a one and done. When ND’s graduate, we pass our clinical boards, we are fully licensable as primary care provider physicians. But just like your MD, we are not oncologists without further training.
Becoming a naturopathic oncologist is a rigorous process. In order to qualify to sit for the naturopathic oncology boards, one must complete a two-year hospital-based residency or be in practice for at least 5 years, with the last two years consisting of an 80% or greater load of cancer patients. At this time, I am in year 4 of supervising and training Dr. Jessica Campbell so she can sit for the Oncology board exam. I did my residency at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa Ok. As part of approval process, a number of case studies must be submitted and approved by the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology (ABNO) which is the regulatory board. These case submissions are a screening process to be sure you are following safe and well-studied protocols. Once you have been approved by ABNO, then you may sit for the board exam. Dr. Campbell will be sitting for the oncology boards in 2021. The board exam itself is extremely demanding and requires that the applicant know the minutia of all the standard of care treatments for cancer and how they interact with the tools of naturopathic medicine. This is important because different cancer treatments work through different biochemistry and physiologic pathways, have different half-life, and different sided effect profiles. It is important to understand these intricacies of standard of care before using herbs and supplements, as many can interfere with these pathways, delay or speed up clearance of the drugs and make side effects worse. This is why it is absolutely critical that cancer patients seek out naturopathic doctors who are specifically trained, and ideally board certified, in naturopathic oncology. Again, NDs emerge from medical school trained for primary care. Cancer patients need to work with a specialist. Just as you would not rely on your primary care MD to prescribe your chemotherapy, radiation or perform surgery, you should not rely on a general practice ND to co-manage your cancer care. Training matters.
At our clinic, we specialize in oncology. While we do see some patients who do not have cancer, especially family members of cancer patients, the vast majority of our patients are either recently diagnosed and in treatment or have a history of cancer. They may or may not be in remission. We are equipped to help all cancer patients, working collaboratively with their conventional oncology team, at any stage of the journey. We follow a three pronged approach. (see blog on the three-pronged approach) If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with cancer, or have a family hx of cancer and are seeking extra support, please call our clinic today to make an appointment. We have many tools in our toolbox, and we teach our patients how to regain control as they navigate their illness. No one wants a diagnosis of cancer, but once the diagnosis has happened, one can choose to be part of the process and take control of their situation. Naturopathic oncology is about taking back control of your health, guided by experts who have dedicated their lives to helping cancer patients thrive. It is vitally important if you are going to uses supplements and herbs during your cancer care that you get guidance from those of us that are formally trained in interactions, and short- and long-term side effects. It is very dangerous to go to Dr. Google and self-prescribe and not tell your oncologist what you are doing. We are trained to help you to help yourself. At this time there are 123 ND’s in the United States and Canada that have passed the Naturopathic Oncology board exams and are Fellows of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology (FABNO).
Written by Cynthia Bye, ND, FABNO Board certified in Naturopathic Medicine
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/22184224/A5054F2E-789A-453C-8F4C-918A43777C7B.jpeg400600Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2020-10-22 18:52:292020-10-22 18:52:35Health: What is a Naturopathic Oncologist? Dr. Cynthia Bye Explains
Vancouver, WA — Clark County Public Health released their weekend report today stating another 124 people have tested positive for COVID-19 – for an average of about 41 new cases per day (Fri-Sun). However, the department has removed 12 previously counted cases from the county total.
“During our data reconciliation process, we discovered 12 cases among people who live in another county and whose cases have been transferred to the health departments in those counties,” the department said in a statement. “With those changes, a total of 4,230 Clark County residents have tested positive for COVID-19 to date.“
Currently, Clark County has 150 active COVID-19 cases. As a reminder, the number of active cases reflects the number of confirmed cases who are currently in their isolation period. For most people, isolation is based on when symptoms began, not when they received the positive test result. Some individuals learn they are COVID-19 positive and only have a few days of isolation remaining.
There are 19 COVID-19 patients and nine persons under investigation (PUIs) for COVID-19 hospitalized. Additional hospital data is available on our website, such as the percent of hospital beds occupied and percent of beds occupied by COVID-19 patients and PUIs. The health department has also added data on the percent of ICU beds currently occupied. For more information, visit: https://www.clark.wa.gov/public-health/novel-coronavirus
If you were in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, please stay home.
“Even if you feel OK, you may still be infected and be able to spread the virus to others,” advises the health department. “We ask all close contacts who were around the person who tested positive – going back two days before their symptoms began – to stay home for 14 days from their last exposure.“
Close contacts are classified as follows:
Were within 6ft of the sick person for more than 15 minutes
Were near the sick person’s coughs or sneezes
Live in the same home as the sick person
Cared for the sick person
If during the Public Health case investigation you are identified as a close contact to someone who tests positive, you can expect a call from an attending nurse. But you don’t have to wait to hear from If you know you were exposed, help slow the spread of the virus by staying home.
Camas, WA — After nearly seven months of offering takeout only meals due to the corona virus pandemic, Natalia’s Cafe is now open for dine-in seating at 50 percent capacity.
“After careful and methodical planning, we felt it was time to make this change for our customers,” said Erica Slothower, owner of Natalia’s Cafe. “We are following to the letter all the COVID-19 guidelines, which includes mask wearing upon entrance, frequent hand sanitization, and when walking in the cafe you need to wear a face covering. It’s fine for customers to sit down without face coverings, and we’re only operating at 50 percent capacity in the dining area.”
Slothower said the cafe will continue takeout services, and asks for patience.
“It’ll still be first come, first served seating like we used to do,” said Slothower. “We’re excited about being able to do this.”
Natalia’s spent Friday making sure all the processes worked as they served their first day of dine-in customers, who all looked very pleased.
Sheila Schmid was one of the first customers to dine in with her son, Drake. She found out about the opening on Thursday and made sure to get a good window seat during the clear, crisp Friday morning.
“I love coming here,” said Drake. “And, I especially love drinking my hot chocolate.”
Wendy DelBosque has been mostly working solo since March with a reprieve here and there.
“Today has been a big change,” said DelBosque. “I’ve been a little nervous, but it’s great to have customers back inside.”
Natalia’s Cafe is open seven days a week from 8 am-2 pm. They do recommend calling ahead, and still encourage takeout orders — call 360.844.5968.
Clark County Public Health issued this statement today about a recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention report on mask effectiveness:
Last month, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report looking at community exposures among people who tested positive for COVID-19 and a control group. Recently, the findings from that report have been misinterpreted and are being used to spread misinformation about the effectiveness of masks.
The report looked at community exposures among people who tested positive for COVID-19 and people who had symptoms but tested negative for COVID-19 (the control group). The report also included information about how often cases and non-cases reported wearing face coverings.
Most people in both groups reported always using masks in public. Even among people who always wear masks, there are activities where masks cannot be worn, such as while eating or drinking. The report showed that people who tested positive for COVID-19 were twice as likely to have reported dining at a restaurant in the two weeks before getting sick than those with negative test results.
The report did not include information about how often those same individuals reported wearing masks when gathering with others in private settings. In Clark County, exposure data shows that small private gatherings continue to be a common source of exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19.
The recommendation to wear face coverings is to protect others, not the person wearing the face covering. Face coverings work by blocking exhaled respiratory droplets. If the person wearing the face covering is infected with COVID-19, the mask can block those droplets from spreading the virus to others.
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/07074036/FB68198F-4F43-47D4-A917-778D1025B56A-e1584135669374.jpeg421803Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2020-10-16 22:02:382020-10-16 22:02:45Clark County Public Health Clarifies CDC Report On Mask Effectiveness
Camas, WA — Paodle Games, a locally-owned company, is currently running their second product, “Space Dinos,” through a Kickstarter campaign.
“Our company uses Kickstarter as a platform to create the best possible game,” said company co-founder, Kathi Sjostrom. “Backing on Kickstarter is simple, and it will run through October 31. Limited copies will be available after as pre-orders but the best price will be on Kickstarter.”
“Space Dinos” is a puzzle game that is family friend. It has a solo gamer mode, play levels for children and the Original Voyage allows players at all levels to play with strategy.
Paodle Games is also releasing Helio and Mini Macaron Madness at the same time. Both games are mint tin games and will be delivered in time for Christmas delivery to local backers. They are the perfect stocking stuffer size.
Sjostrom, her husband, Seth, and Pete and Cheryl Emerson created Paodle Games in December 2019.
Washougal, WA — Response to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought sweeping changes to education. Teachers at Canyon Creek and Jemtegaard Middle Schools are experiencing a small benefit of that change as they come together weekly for their Professional Learning Community (PLC) meeting via ZOOM. PLCs require whole-staff involvement in a process to reflect on instructional practices and student data, as well as monitoring outcomes to ensure success.
“The combined CCMS/JMS PLCs has been one of the few positives to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Tim Davis, JMS Math and Robotics teacher. “We have always enjoyed working with the CCMS math team a few times a year for curriculum training. We did a lot of sharing of lesson ideas, tech tricks, student motivation techniques and engagement ideas but ended each time saying we should do this more often. It never materialized because we would lose at least 30 minutes of our valuable time driving from one building to the other. Along comes the pandemic, the move to ZOOM, and two forward-thinking administrators and here we are!”
The major focus of the PLC groups is to analyze student data to help determine if students are benefiting from lessons, and to adjust instruction for students who need additional time to master standards, as well as to plan instruction for those who have achieved mastery. Davis, who teaches the only Algebra class at JMS, had never had anybody to examine his Algebra data and outcomes until the schools combined their PLC groups.
“Now with more minds focused on the data, we are able to see multiple ways to address students’ needs,” he said. “We commonly work past our allotted time because it’s refreshing to have new ideas to explore. I look forward every week to our Wednesday PLC time!”
According to Davis, the credit for the combined middle school PLCs goes to JMS principal David Cooke and CCMS principal Brian Amundson.
“I witnessed how well they worked together in the past when they were both at JMS,” he explained. “This is an indication of how well they will work together in the future. I think we will see the two middle schools working together on additional exciting ways to help our students in the future.”
“Having an opportunity to hear what others are bringing to the classroom, and borrow a few lesson plans, has been a thrill,” said Jason Barnes, CCMS English Language Arts and History teacher. “This has also given us the chance to affirm each other’s practices, which is especially life-giving in the current isolation of COVID-19.”
“Washougal School District invests heavily in PLCs and believes in their power to help enhance teaching skills and the academic performance of students,” said WSD Superintendent Mary Templeton. “The combined PLCs allow more minds to get together and share and refine lessons to keep our students engaged and achieve higher levels of success.”
Barnes, who has been a part of the social studies PLC this year, explained that the group has a shared Google Classroom set up for an exchange of information and resources, and are able to ask for advice on lessons that would otherwise be challenging to navigate solo. “We have also been able to align our units more closely with each other, getting our middle schools in a better alignment as we prepare them for high school,” he said.
“I have personally found it exciting to hear about the various ways that some of our more senior-tenured teachers approach their history classes, left mesmerized at their thrilling unit plans,” said Barnes. “It really helps to know that we are all doing great things in our classrooms.”
;
