The Salem PTA is hosting a forum Jan. 3 where the two candidates in the Jan. 11 special election to replace Morgan Griffith in the House of Delegates will appear.

The forum will take place in the auditorium of Andrew Lewis Middle School at 7 p.m. Audience members will be allowed to ask questions of the candidates.

The forum will last approximately an hour and half, with 5 minute opening and closing statements from both sides.

The candidates are Republican Greg Habeeb and Democrat Ginger Mumpower.

The district covers Salem, part of western Roanoke County and most of Southwest Roanoke County.

New concepts in education can confuse even well-educated parents of elementary students. When those concepts and their terminologies are incorporated into homework assignments, especially in the seemingly straightforward subject of reading, things can get a little dicey.

Parents of Jacquelyn Oster’s fifth grade class at West Salem Elementary met in the library for a “Reading Night for Parents” on Tuesday, December 7.

“A lot of the theory is that, as good readers, you don’t realize the things that you do to help yourself understand what you’re reading. So it’s basically this movement in literacy instruction to be more explicit with what good readers do,” she explained.

Methods include “Thinking Aloud,” where the teacher or parent pauses frequently to say aloud what they are thinking as they read, helping create mental images. “Visualizing” with the five senses as well as drawing comic book-like frames with the action of the story can also help.

Other strategies include guiding the student to process the story in different ways: by making text-to-self connections with the student’s personal experiences, connections with books and stories the student has read before, and making connections with events and news from the world around them.

“When they get to this point, in elementary school, it’s not as much when I’m listening to them read, it’s not as much [about] their fluency,” said Oster.

This way of looking at reading skills is “going deeper as you get into upper elementary to really help them get more complex comprehension skills. Skills that they can think back when they’re in middle school and beyond […] The theory is you should be able to apply these reading strategies to any book that you read at any level,” she said.

Eclipse Salon celebrates their one year anniversary with a ribbon cutting

The Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Eclipse Salon on Monday, December 13. They are located in Lakeside Plaza, Salem, Va.  Members of the community and the Chamber of Commerce joined owner, Tammy Givens to celebrate their one year anniversary.  The Salem-Roanoke County Chamber would like to thank Eclipse Salon for their membership and support.

Submitted by Debbie Kavitz, Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce

(Front Row) Annie Bond, Delaney Eller, Henry Ellis, Gaven Conner, Meghan Thompson, Andrew Hartman, Berkeley Wall, Charles Baynum, Charlie Angleberger, Riley Geddes, Audrey Hayes and Zella Kathryn Poarch. (Second Row) Mia Franke, Tucker Franke, Kirbie Conner, Adalynn Eller, Carrington Gardner, Gabby Peppers, Isabel Baynum, Emma Bradley, Rose Ellis, Rebecca Erwin, Ashby Garst and Phoebe Stevens. (Third Row) Sidney Epperly, Hannah Welch, Alexander Baynum, Paris Eve Reinhard, Joseph Hart, Skyler Hayes, Ava Smith, Grace-Marie Mills, Hadley Chittum, Eve-lynn Deegan and Rebekah-Lynn Mills. (Fourth Row) Sarah-Dale Mills, Natalie DeForest, Jordan Hayes, Molly Deegan, Savannah Stevens, Alyssa Bradley, Tess Drzymala, Carrington Austin, Charlotte DeForest, Urmila Bharathan and Allison Yu.

“The Piano School’s Christmas and Winter Recital took place on December 18, 2010, at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Salem. The program featured forty-six young pianists, the largest number in the school’s history, from Salem, Roanoke, Fincastle and Christiansburg. All are students of Sarah Reaser O’Brien.

Twenty students received trophies for outstanding practicing during the fall term, and the youngest performer was five-year-old Zella Kathryn Poarch who has studied piano for one semester. Paris Eve Reinhard of Salem and Sarah-Dale Mills of Roanoke played harp duets before and after the program. O’Brien is a nationally certified teacher of music who founded The Piano School in 1998. The school’s upcoming events for 2011 include the third annual Masterclass for Middle and High School students with guest teacher Dr. Lise Keiter of Mary Baldwin College. The theme for this year’s class is “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.” The school’s spring recital will take place in June at Hollins University where O’Brien is an alumna.”

Submitted by Sarah Reaser O’Brien.

“The Western Virginia Regional Jail Authority will hold its annual organizational meeting on Thursday, January 6, 2011, at 9:00 a.m. at the Western Virginia Regional Jail, 5885 West River Road, Salem, VA 24153. The organizational meeting will be immediately followed by the Authority’s regular business meeting. Topics on the agenda include financial and operational briefings, the adoption of a meeting schedule for 2011, acceptance of audit results for fiscal year 2010, and the appropriation of funds. A budget work session for fiscal year 2012 will held after new business is discussed. Questions concerning this meeting may be referred to Superintendent Bobby Russell at 540-378-3701 or Mary Brandt, Clerk to the Authority, at 540-378-3703.”

Submitted by Mary Brandt, Western Virginia Regional Jail.

“I took Jerry to Hotel Roanoke to see the Christmas tree display. We saw many different ideas, decorations, and types of trees there. First, I looked at a tree from one of my residents who had made 100 more crafts with Friendship Manor logs on it, they were hung on the tree, unfortunately her tree did not win the prize. I am so sorry for her, but I am so proud of her that she has done wonderful craftwork. Then, we saw a wedding tree, 811 (not 911) tree, Disney world tree and many more. If you are interested in Christmas trees, you may go to Hotel Roanoke to enjoy a special holiday event.”

Submitted by Annie Lin

Share your Hotel Roanoke Christmas photos by emailing them to news@sosalem.com.

“On Saturday, December 25, 2010, Jerry told me again “Snowing.” I saw snow did not stick at ground very much, but it is white Christmas. We are going to take white Christmas pictures around my house before snow melt. I took my back yard, carport, and the front of my neighbor. When I took white Christmas pictures that I set a needle craft tissue box along with a beautiful poinsettia that is my favorite flower in winter. Look at my bird bath. It had frozen ice on it.  Now, it is still snowing…maybe I need to shovel snow tomorrow, but my neighbor said “Not”. It is a white Christmas even if I need shovel snow after Christmas, I still like it.”

Submitted by Annie Lin

Share your white Christmas photos at news@sosalem.com.

Fellowship Community Church helped provide 2010 Christmas gifts for 91 foster care children in Botetourt, Salem, Roanoke City and Roanoke County. Courtesy of Fellowship Community Church

Just in time for our New Year’s merrymaking: Here’s to repentance! Beat the holiday rush!

Again I groan, “Dang. More defects of character?! Who, moi?”
Oh, indeed.

But here’s a toast to you folks who struggle to do good – not just on Christmas Day (or the significant celebration of your choice). You, who don’t just keep Sweet-Baby-Jesus-in-a-manger-scene.
You, whose Savior isn’t simply, elegantly, coldly sealed in stained-glass windows.

OK, I’m a fan of stained glass and manger scenes. But checking out the scriptures, I read not only of that baby-meek-and-mild, who makes no never-mind. Here’s a challenging, troublesome Jesus. (Music fans, check out singer Jackson Browne’s “The Rebel Jesus.”) The Jesus who raged at the Temple …who chided the hypocrite and the wealthy…who tells me that if I have two cloaks, I should give one to the poor.

Dang. I kinda like my cloaks. And it’s SO easy to forget Jesus in my daily busy-ness: in a market checkout or a packed parking lot (uh, cursing does not count). And do my votes honor humanity, animals, Earth?

Sure, you’ve heard it before: can we keep Christmas in our hearts all year, like the reformed Ebenezer Scrooge? Good works – from sacred AND secular sources – do exist. Here’s only one of MANY examples: Fellowship Community Church, where Rev. Ken Nienke, Missions Director Stephanie Painter and a whole host inspire charity – all year.

Say, FCC’s “Christmas in July” collection for the needy. Or their “Takin’ It to the Streets”: a kinda random-acts-of-kindness round of thirty community service projects, extremely varied.

Or an abbreviated Sunday service, when members filed out to shop for the Salem Food Pantry: a fifteen-ton yield! Or donated money for overseas water-wells.

Or how 2010’s “Operation Turkey Drop” brought feasts to 539 EMT/ ER workers and families in Botetourt and the Roanoke Valley.
Or how, after referrals from Dept. of Social Services, FCC “gave Christmas” to 91 kids in foster care. And, Pastor Ken emailed, it’s also marking success with foster care and adoption initiatives.

And that time congregants donated the very shoes on their feet! “They left a thousand pairs for the Rescue Mission, and Salem / Glenvar schools,” said Pastor Ken. That “fits” FCC’s “One Month to Live” campaign (maybe you saw the yard-signs): “we don’t know how many days we have,” he said. “‘Things’ aren’t important. We want to focus on humility.”

Well, I hope not to ruin the humility, but here’s to ALL you everyday saints – “everyday” (like, “common”) and “every day, not-just-Christmas.” And even if you aren’t signed onto a congregation, somehow I think Jesus smiles when you fill stockings, schoolbags, tummies and hearts. Give shoes and coats and cash. Hammer boards after hurricanes and for Habitat homes. Help recovering addicts. Teach someone to read….

You’ve done this with groups – and as individuals, in secret and off-the-clock.

Here’s to your New Year! And maybe even to newness of life.

“Salem brothers Jake (10) and Nick (9) Lawson both qualified to swim in the Christmas Invitational Swim Meet in Pittsburgh, Dec. 16-19, 2010.  The meet was held at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool.  Both Jake and Nick placed in the top 8 in preliminaries of the 100 butterfly to go on to the finals round. Jake is a 5th grader and Nick a 3rd grader at West Salem Elementary School.  They are members of the Virginia Gators Swim Team.”

Nick and Jake swimming side by side in the finals of the 9-10 boys 100 butterfly.

Submitted by Trish Lawson.

The Spartans may not have won their final game in the K-Guard Holiday Classic tournament at the Salem Civic Center Wednesday, December 29, but the cheerleaders and plenty of fans were there to support them.

We also have photos of the action. Click here to see them.