Lane County Public Works wants to be sure that parents have a voice in potential herbicide use near school bus stops. You can enroll your child’s bus stop into the No Spray Area program by filling out a short form available on the Lane County website at www.lanecounty.org/vegetation or by calling 541-682-8521 to request a paper application.

Lane County Public Works Letter to  Parents

Carta de obras públicas del condado de Lane

Registration Information

Due to Governor Kate Brown’s mask mandate, masks are required at all indoor registration tables

Elmira/Veneta Elementary Schools

Wednesday, August 18th (New Students/Kindergarten) 7:00 am to 7:00 pm
Tuesday, August 24th (All Students) 7:00 am to 7:00 pm
Wednesday, August 25th (All Students) 8:00 am to 3:00 pm
Thursday, August 26th (All Students) 8:00 am to 3:00 pm

Incoming Kindergarten and New Students:  Please bring a copy of your student’s birth certificate, proof of residency, and current immunization information.

As in past years, Elmira and Veneta Elementary Schools will have a school supply fee of $30.  The school supply fee covers all needed classroom supplies.

Elmira Elementary School: 541-935-8214

Veneta Elementary School: 541-935-8225

Fern Ridge Middle School

New and returning families can start the registration process online.  Families will still need to stop by the school to pay the registration/activity/planner fee of $10 and purchase a PE shirt for $7.

Wednesday, August 18th (New Students/Incoming 6th Graders) 12:00pm – 8:00 pm
Tuesday, August 24th (All Students) 7:00 am to 7:00 pm
Wednesday, August 25th (All Students) 8:00 am to 3:00 pm
Thursday, August 26th (All Students) 8:00 am to 12:00 pm

Families new to Fern Ridge will need to bring your student’s birth certificate, proof of residency, and current immunization information.

Fern Ridge Middle School: 541-935-8230

Elmira High School

Seniors: Wednesday, August 25th 8:00 am to 11:00 am
Juniors: Thursday, August 26th 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Sophomores: Wednesday, August 25th 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Freshman: Thursday, August 26th 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Elmira High School: 541-935-8200

FRSD Families,

On July 23rd, the new guidelines referred to as the “Ready School, Safe Learners Resiliency Framework for the 2021-2022 School Year” were released stating that there would be local control regarding health and safety requirements, including mask mandates. Over the course of the next few days I reviewed local health data, analyzed what had occurred and was currently occurring in our schools, and consolidated all of our safety precautions, which included strongly encouraging masks but not requiring them.  I then presented that plan to Lane County Public Health and received their support.

On July 26th, I posted an update regarding all of the safety protocols the district was working on (and were approved by LCPH), to give parents at least a sense of where we were headed for school in the Fall. That post can be read by clicking here.  The next day, the CDC revised its guidance on masks due to increasing numbers of infection due to the Delta variant. The guidance can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-guidance.html.  On July 29th, the Governor announced that an OHA/ODE order would be coming soon, requiring masks in schools in the Fall.  This has taken the decision out of our hands.

I attended a meeting this past Monday where it was made clear what the penalties would be for not following this order.  Penalties include fines of $500 per day, per school, per student, loss of state licensure for administrators and teachers, loss of legislative liability protections for districts that were enacted during the last legislative session, and personal liability for Superintendents or board members that choose to defy the order.  While a lot can change over the course of a few days, not to mention a month, as we have done since the beginning of the pandemic, I fully expect to follow the requirements that are being placed on us.

Below are some additional pieces of information in bullet form to help keep our parents informed of what is happening and their options:

• While this issue has developed into an extremely polarizing one for the community, know that our focus in FRSD continues to be on educating students, having full days of school, and supporting as many folks in different circumstances as we can.
• The order only applies to school hours, during the regular school day.
• What occurs after school, in extracurriculars for example, is still up for local decision making.  I have sent a framework of what I could support to our High School Administrative team regarding athletics.  They are working on forming a committee that will be meeting soon. The team is made up of parents from the EHS Booster Club, EHS Administrators, and Coaches. They will review the framework I have given them and provide their recommendations.  I hope to have the results of this up/out by the end of the week.
• When ODE was asked about the differences of masking requirements once a student moves from 7th period Math, to volleyball (for example), it was shared that the differences in requirements are due to the fact that after school activities are optional, while students are required to be in school.
• The current mask requirement may cause some families to choose different educational options this Fall, including home school. We are here to help and support you if you choose this option.
• I would encourage families to pursue what works best for them and return when and if you and your children are ready to do so.  As we did last year, we will continue to provide our online OPTIONS program K-12.  Their website can be viewed by clicking here.
• I am hopeful that we will soon get back to a position of local control.  That does not mean the mask mandate will go away immediately when that occurs.  When local control returns, I will proceed as we did at the end of July.  We will be reviewing local health data, analyze/review what is happening in our schools, and will look to get support from LCPH regarding any changes in our protocols.
• When masks become encouraged but not required (I am assuming this will occur at some point), it may impact other families that look to pursue different educational options.  Just as we are doing now, we will also support those families as best as we can and trust that you are doing what is best based on your circumstances.
• Keeping our schools open, and our students healthy and in school is our number one priority. A significant help with that is the recent change in the definition of what a “close contact” is.  An example of how this new order impacts keeping students in school:  During summer school, we had a case of COVID-19 in a building.  19 students and 2 staff members were required to isolate/quarantine due to being a close contact.  The fact that everyone was wearing a mask at the time, had no bearing on whether or not you were a close contact, based on the previous definition, and summer school ended for everyone in that classroom.  The new definition states that even if a person in our schools develops symptoms and tests positive for COVID-19, if we were maintaining 3 feet of distance and wearing masks, we DO NOT have to enforce isolation or quarantines.  This will be a huge benefit that results from wearing masks, and will greatly reduce the number of times we have to contact families and inform them their student is now out of school for 14 days, and keeping us away from our primary focus of having students in school!
• Local current data has Lane County, and even our local community, experiencing an uptick in both the % test positivity and total positive tests.  This has resulted in multiple local businesses closing.  Closing our schools is the LAST thing we want to do as we understand the significant hardship that places on our students and families.
• It should be clear that the district decisions on safety protocols comes from the Superintendent, not from the school board, as do all of the daily operational decisions.  I will continue to stay as informed as possible through meetings and conversations with parents, staff, Lane County Public Health, ODE, OHA and other local leaders.  I, along with most of the Superintendents in Oregon, continue to advocate for local control as the circumstances and local metrics can vary widely from community to community.

We will continue to inform families as things change.

Gary E. Carpenter, Jr.  Superintendent, FRSD 28J

We are excited to share with our students and families that Fern Ridge School District expects to fully reopen to full-day, five-day, in-person learning this fall.  We maintain those expectations today in light of the Oregon Department of Education announcement of the Resiliency Framework for the 2021-2022 school year.

There will be many more details to work on before our staff and students return and those details will include things like COVID-19 safety measures.  We will continue to partner with local and state health officials and will keep our families and community updated as we finalize those details over the summer.  We are hopeful that we will be able to make final decisions and share with the community by mid-August.

Chromebook check-in continues for grades K-2 from 7:30 am -8:30 am at VES, the next 3 school days.  For all other grades/schools, below is our plan!  If you have questions, please reach out to the building.  Pre-registering and bringing the “form” filled out are helpful, but NOT required!

CHROMEBOOK CHECK-IN SCHEDULE

Please bring the form at this link:  (click here)

If you are a 9^th-12^th grader using your Chromebook for summer school, you must STILL check-it in, and it will be signed right back out to you.

FRSD students and families,

Late Thursday, ODE put out new guidance on the topic of masks in certain situations (such as being outside).  You can read it (HERE).

The FRSD has taken that guidance, along with feedback from  staff, parents and the school board, and will be altering some guidance for the last month of the school year.  Below is that guidance.

-Wearing a mask is a personal choice.  Students and staff are free to make a choice that depends on their circumstances.  If a parent would like their student to ALWAYS wear a mask at school, even in instances where it is allowable to not, please communicate that to your student.  At the K-5 level, if you have that request please share it with the classroom teacher and building principal.  School staff will do their best to remind your student of this.

-This document was made considering input from our teachers, classified staff, administrators, community and our FRSD school board.

-A “Fully vaccinated individual” means someone who has received both doses of a two-does COVID-19 vaccine, or one dose of a single dose vaccine and at least 14 days have passed since the final dose.

-We have 16 school days left!  Please continue to follow protocols, both in and out of school, to ensure our staff and students can remain with our current in-person learning instructional model.  —LAST UPDATED 5-23-21

Thank you to the many parents who attended our Chromebook check-in night on Monday.  We were able to get almost 60% of them turned it at this time.  We still have over 100 Chromebooks out at these grade levels that we need to get returned ASAP, before we move on to upper grades (reminder this does NOT include OPTIONS or CDL students–they will turn in later).

Here is the next opportunity to meet with our tech folks, and get your Chromebook turned in for your Kinder-2nd grade student.  The turn-in times will be from 7:30-8:30 at the following schools, on the following days.  If you can bring the student device check-in form (click here)  filled out when you arrive at your check-in time, it will make things go quicker.  The forms will also be available on site.

Elmira Elementary- Library:

Tomorrow: 5/20 7:30-8:30 AM

Friday: 5/21 7:30-8:30 AM

Tuesday: 5/25 7:30-8:30 AM

Veneta Elementary- Cafeteria:

Wednesday: 5/26 7:30-8:30 AM

Thursday: 5/27 7:30-8:30 AM

Friday: 5/28 7:30-8:30 AM

We ask that parents please accompany the Chromebook (if at all possible), and not simply send it inside their student’s backpack.  Please bring the charger, and if you have a “hot-spot,” please return that as well.

We will have information on turn-in dates for upper grades very soon!  Thank you for your help!

Happy Nurses Day to our own Nurse Teresa and to all of these amazing health professionals who work to keep our students safe and healthy!

Several of you have asked about any possible summer opportunities for students.  We have been working hard on this for the last month.  We are still a couple weeks away from releasing the final details, but below is a list of some general information.  We are hopeful that by Monday the 17th, we will have something more concrete to share!  Stay tuned for more details on the exciting activities that will be taking place in our “Super Summer programs!”

• The space we will have is somewhat limited, however we will try to make it available to as many students as possible.
• Schools/teachers will be starting the process by reaching out to specific parents with a focus being on our students with an IEP, 504, or those that have struggled academically, emotionally or with attendance during the 2020-2021 school year.
• The program will run for 4 weeks, 4 days a week (Mon-Thurs).  It is currently scheduled for July 12-August 5.
• At the elementary level we expect the time-frame to be 9 am-2 pm.  The elementary program will run at Elmira Elementary.
• At the middle school & high school we are expecting a 3.5 hour program, running from approximately 9:30 am-1:00 pm.
• The high school offerings will be to earn/recover credit.
• There is also a KITS program we will be running (for incoming Kinders)–if you are interested, please contact your local Elementary school ASAP.
• Stay tuned!

To Our Teachers:

You’ve learned to create virtual learning communities.
You’ve found new ways to connect with students.
You’ve re-defined what the words “pivot” and “unprecedented” mean for education.
You’ve got PPE down to a science, have sanitized e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, and know the square footage of your classroom by heart.

And yet, despite all of the challenges that came our way, the quality and dedication of our educators is unchanged.
You’ve been here, standing together, and taking care of our students so that each can continue to reach their greatest potential.

Thanks for all you do!