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Debbie Harrison has been an Instructional Assistant in our Special Education Department for 12 years. She has worked with students at Elmira Elementary, Elmira High School and Veneta Elementary. She has been married to her husband, Carl Harrison for 24 years. Both of their children, Ryan and Miranda, are Elmira High School graduates. Miranda is a sophomore in college and Ryan is a senior at Oregon State University.
In her free time Debbie enjoys collecting antiques, spending time with her husband (they are empty nesters now!) and kayaking. She says one of her favorite things about her job is knowing that she is making a difference in student’s lives. She also loves seeing the smiles on kids faces when they are with her or when she sees them out in the community.
In addition to her full time job as an Instructional Assistant, Debbie also works admissions for the home games at Elmira High School and she travels with high school students on their East Coast and West Coast trips.
The 2018/2019 school year will be Debbie’s final year with Fern Ridge students as she plans to retire in June. After her retirement the Harrison’s are looking at purchasing a home at the coast so she can be on the water as much as possible. Thank you Debbie for all of your work and dedication to our students. We wish you all the best in your retirement!
There will be no school for students on Friday, January 25th due to a teacher workday. Classes will resume on Monday, January 28th. Have a great weekend!
All schools will be closed on Monday, January 21 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr Day
Our school board members are unpaid volunteers with their own jobs and families who give countless hours to our district. We want to take this opportunity to thank them for all of their hard work and dedication.
Our board members make many critical decisions that have an impact on our staff, students and community. They attend workshops and conferences, are responsible for setting policies, completing a yearly evaluation of the superintendent and reviewing financial reports.
In Fern Ridge, our school board members work hard to connect with students and school staff. They take time out of their own personal and professional lives to be a part of special events held throughout the district in addition to attending the monthly board meetings and all of the budget committee meetings.
Thank you Mark Boren, Sterling Pew, Andrea Larson, Barbara Graham-Adams and Jebadiah Flowers. You are superheros in our community and we appreciate all that you do!
Quanah Bennett, the business manager for the Fern Ridge School District has been selected as the first employee of the month for 2019.
She has worked in the district since August of 2005 and has been the District Business Manager since July of 2015. As the business manager of a small district, Quanah’s job entails a variety of duties; she serves as a leader of the financial operations, conducts fiscal planning to include forecasting anticipated revenue and expenditures, attends board meetings and committee meetings as requested, supervises payroll and accounts payable while continuing to develop and maintain positive relations both district and community wide. She also administers the District’s business operations in conformity with the adopted policies of the Board, state and federal laws and regulations and all other laws and regulations.
“One of the favorite things about my job is the continuous change and need for collaboration. There are always new policies, standards, laws, practices, etc…needing put into place. Because of this, I frequently get to collaborate with fellow co-workers and even other districts on how to implement them. The job is never boring, thats for sure!”
When she is not hard at work in the business office she is spending time with her husband, Duane (a 1995 graduate of Elmira High School) and her two sons, Ethan, a 7th grader at Fern Ridge Middle School and Conner, a 4th grader at Elmira Elementary School. She also enjoys hiking, water sports, fishing, gardening and attending her sons sporting events.
Our district relies on Quanah and her expertise to help guide the district in the financial areas that are critical to our success. Thank you Quanah for you countless hours of work and dedication to all of the employees and families of the Fern Ridge School District!
Winter Break for students will be December 24 until January 7.
All classes will resume on Tuesday, January 8
To say that our December Employee of the Month is invaluable is almost an understatement! Truthfully, Elmira High School could not function without Angela Baker, and her amazing abilities as the high school registrar! Angela not only enrolls and registers students, she also creates the master schedule for the entire school each semester, ensures that every student is taking the correct courses and has the correct number of credits in order to graduate. Sometimes finding the right class for students within the master schedule is like working with a puzzle and she is always able to fit things together.
In addition to student support, Angela is also an incredible resource for the staff at EHS. She works with and helps to manage the student information system that our district uses. She quickly and efficiently assists staff who may be having difficulties with the student system. She always makes herself available to students or staff and has been described as the beating heart of EHS.
Angela has worked for the district since August of 2003. She enjoys gardening, reading, trying new recipes, playing with their dog as well as traveling with her husband and dog in their RV and finding remote places to camp. She loves interacting with the terrific students and staff at EHS, helping students with scheduling issues and seeing the relief and excitement on the students faces when they graduate.
Thank you Angela for the amazing work you do at Elmira High School!
Throughout the school year, State Testing information will be posted under the “Resources” category on the left hand side of the main page. Please visit this location for general information. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact your student’s school directly.
With the 2018-19 school year well under way, I wanted to take a moment to provide some important information about this year’s state testing that is rapidly approaching.
For the last three years, students in the Fern Ridge School District and around Oregon took state tests in English Language Arts and Math called Smarter Balanced. The tests move away from previous fill-in-the bubble exams that focused on rote memorization to a format which asks students to explain their reasoning and write out their answers. These new tests measure more complex, real-world skills such as critical-thinking, writing, and problem solving so that your child can successfully transition from grade to grade and be prepared for his or her next steps after high school.
Fern Ridge School District will give Smarter Balanced tests this spring. The tests are not timed so your child can take as long as he or she needs to fully demonstrate what he or she knows and can do. At the high school level, successfully passing these tests is a requirement for an Oregon diploma. The practice our students get in grades 3-8 by taking these exams, helps prepare them for the high school exam they will take in the spring of their 11th grade year.
We know that an end-of-the-year test cannot possibly tell us everything about your child’s academic progress. However, the results do act as a snapshot of your child’s strengths and areas for improvement and can be used as a way to ensure he or she is getting the supports he or she needs. Additionally, the tests help Fern Ridge School District’s efforts to equitably distribute resources and support student learning. When fewer students take the test, we are left with an incomplete and inaccurate picture of how our students are performing, and this limits our ability to address issues, better serve students, and continue to improve our educational system. The participation of your student is greatly appreciated.
While we discourage opting-out of the exams for several reasons (a few of them mentioned above), the opt-out form for 18-19 can be found on the Districts main website page under the Resources category that was mentioned above. The direct link to the pdf is: http://www.fernridge.k12.or.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Opt-Out_Form_2018-19.pdf. Should you wish to opt your child out, please submit the form to your child’s school’s main office.
In Fern Ridge School District, we are deeply committed to ensuring each and every student in our schools has the supports he or she needs to achieve at high levels and graduate prepared for his or her next steps. Our ultimate goal is to make sure that all students are set up to be successful from grade to grade and that will remain the focus of our district throughout the rest of the school year.
If you have general questions or want more information about the end-of-year tests, please do not hesitate to contact the school directly. I encourage you to reach out to your child’s teacher(s) with any questions you may have about your student’s progress.
Looking for ways to learn more about the social media sites your child may be using? Would you like to know what some of the internet “lingo” stands for or gather some tips on how to better protect you and your child’s online privacy?
The saferschoolstogether.com website has provided links to free information for parents and guardians. Here you will find articles, checklists and information that you can use to learn more about popular social media sites along with tips on privacy, talking to your kids about online safety, decode some of the internet, texting and social media slang, look over sample family contracts and much more. Here is the link to the parent resource page.
Elmira Elementary & Veneta Elementary
Parent-Teacher Conferences for elementary students:
Monday – November 19 8:00am to 8:00pm
Tuesday – November 20 8:00pm to 12:00pm
No School November 19 through November 23
Fern Ridge Middle School & Elmira High School
No School November 21 through November 23