Over the last six weeks, two families and our school community have experienced tremendous loss with the deaths of two students.  The district has been working with multiple support and partner organizations in recent weeks to support students, staff and families.

As a continuation of these services we would like to invite parents to attend a virtual meeting/forum on Wednesday, December 15th, at 6:30 PM.  Our community is grieving and this informational and support night is intended as an opportunity to hear from experts in this field regarding how parents can best support their children who are coping with grief and loss.  Please see the flyer below for all the information, and share with anyone you think may benefit from attending. Direct Zoom Webinar Link Here   Passcode: 827232

Due to continuing icy and dangerous driving conditions, FRSD and all activities are cancelled for today, Tuesday December 14th.

Out of an abundance of caution, the School District in consultation with First Student, is announcing a 2-hour delay for tomorrow, Tuesday the 14th.  Typically we will wait until the morning when the weather pattern is uncertain, however Accuweather is showing an  “expected” pattern in the morning that is problematic.  At 4AM It is expected to be 32 degrees, and then get cooler as follows:  5 AM:  31 degrees, 6 AM: 30 degrees, 7 AM: 30 degrees, 8 AM: 29 degrees.

When the driving conditions turn dangerous after 5:30 or 6:00 AM, it is difficult for the District to change course as parents and students are expecting buses to be there to pick up students.  While there certainly is the opportunity for the roads to be fine in the morning, the District will be operating on a 2 hour delay–based on the forecast and roads that are currently very wet.  Any changes or updates will be shared here.  Please pass along this information.  A phone dialer will go out this evening to all families and FRSD staff.

We have been informed of a vehicle accident past Noti. They have closed 126. For all of our families on Bus Route 1 (elementary) and Route 2 (FRMS/EHS). Please expect a phone call and plan to meet at Noti Market. Phone calls will begin with Elmira Elementary families and then proceed with FRMS and EHS families.

COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at Veneta Elementary School

This clinic will be put on by Lane County Public Health especially for our Fern Ridge community!

WHEN:

• Tuesday, November 23rd from 4:00 – 7:00 – Dose 1 
• Tuesday, December 14th from 4:00 – 7:00 – Dose 2

WHERE:  

• Veneta Elementary School Cafeteria                                                                            

WHO: 

• This clinic is for kids aged  5-11 years old  (12-17 year-olds can be vaccinated also if a younger sibling is getting vaccinated).  Adults will not be vaccinated at this time.  Lane County is taking appointments at this time and won’t be available for drop-in vaccinations. 

HOW:  

• Pre-registration required. Sign-ups open the morning of Friday 11/19.  Use code FRSDKids  at COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics – Lane County   (“schedule a vaccine appointment” –  be sure to select ‘pfizer’ when signing up as this is the only brand available to this age group)  (select ‘tue’ then ‘mobile’ to find the clinic in our neighborhood).  If you try to sign up prior to Friday am the clinic won’t show up on their website. https://lanecounty.org/vaxclinics

*Kids will be considered “fully vaccinated” 2 weeks after the second dose.  

Fully vaccinated children who come into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will no longer need to quarantine away from school unless they are experiencing symptoms!

Community Flyer 

For more information, resources, FAQs, etc., please visit: Fern Ridge School District 2021-2022 School Year.

In honor of Veterans Day there will be no school on

Thursday,  November 11, 2021

Following review of recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup has confirmed that pediatric doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children are safe and effective for children ages 5 through 11.

Fern Ridge School District has worked with Lane County Public Health to secure a vaccination clinic in our community.

FRSD CLINIC DETAILS: 

November 23rd and  December 14th  4pm-7pm at Veneta Elementary School GYM/Cafeteria  

• Sign ups are required and will begin on Friday, Nov. 19th through an online portal. To schedule a vaccine appointment visit LCPH website . Use code FRSDKids
• There will be approximately 150 total slots in the 3 hour time slot.
• Vaccination Clinics will be put on by Lane County Public Health  and will be primarily for 5-11 years.   There will be limited supply for siblings outside of this age category/parents in the same household. 
• Masks will be required at the clinic
• Booster shots will NOT be available at this clinic.
• As with any shot, please plan to stay for 15 minutes after receiving the injection to monitor for any immediate reaction.
• Clinics will be held 3 weeks apart as is the recommended vaccination schedule.
• Children ages 5 to 11 will receive one-third of the adult dose of the Pfizer vaccine using smaller needles designed for children. To become fully vaccinated, the child will need a second shot of the Pfizer vaccine three weeks after their first shot.
• The vaccine is free. No health insurance is required, and it is available regardless of immigration status.
• A vaccinated individual is considered “fully immunized” 2 weeks after the last dose. When you are fully vaccinated and do not have COVID-19 symptoms, you do not need to quarantine after an exposure to someone with COVID-19.

For more information and frequently asked questions regarding the COVID-19 vaccine for children, please visit the links below:

Getting Your Child Ready for the COVID-19 Vaccine – HealthyChildren.org 

CDC Recommends Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine for Children 5 to 11 Years

COVID-19 Vaccines for 5-11 year olds (OHA)

COVID-19 Vaccines for 12-17 year olds (OHA)

Please continue to watch our website page for updates and more information

Beginning Monday, September 20th, FRSD Superintendent Gary Carpenter will hold community Q and A Sessions be from 5:30-6:00 PM.  These will occur every month, on the night of the FRSD School Board meetings (typically the 3rd Monday of the month), for as long as they are helpful and utilized by the community.  Each month there will be 5-10 minutes of information shared by the the District, followed by approximately 20 minutes of available time for those in attendance to type questions in the chat. We hope in future months the district will be able to present information on a wide range of topics, however this first meeting will probably be focused on all things COVID-19, although questions on any topic will be accepted. Any questions we don’t have immediate answers to will be followed up with the following day.  We hope our families find this useful, please share this with your family and friends.  The link for each meeting will posted on the website as they approach.  The link for Monday’s meeting is: https://fernridge-k12-or-us.zoom.us/j/88212696504

Over the past few months and as recently as this last week, you may have seen news stories about disruptions in the supply chain across the country, resulting from effects of the pandemic. Industries, including food and foodservice, as well as construction and automotive, have been impacted by manufacturing and labor shortages across the country in ways that we’ve never experienced before.

Students and families can continue to count us for great-tasting meals kids love to eat every day, but as you may have already seen, there will likely be more frequent menu changes based on product substitutions from our suppliers.

Understanding these supply chain challenges will likely continue for the next several months, we wanted to reach out and let you know we’re doing everything we can to proactively address issues before they inevitably arise. Working in partnership with Foodbuy, our group purchasing organization and the largest procurement organization in North America, some of the proactive steps we have taken, include:

• We have changed our ordering schedules to allow distributors more time to identify new sources for out-of-stock products in the event it occurs.
• We’ve identified alternate suppliers and products where we found that existing ones wouldn’t be able to meet our needs. For example, we learned our previous supplier for pizza dough would not be able to commit to serving our schools, so we contracted with a new one that can.
• In June, we planned menus for this fall and began placing orders for food at that time. This process was designed to help suppliers and distributors plan well ahead for stock we need to serve kids now.

If there’s one thing the past 18 months has proven, it’s that flexibility is in our DNA. From turning cafeteria operations into emergency feeding programs overnight when the pandemic hit to serving kids in classrooms and through meal-kit pick up sites through the past school year, our team is passionate about the meals we serve your students and they’re skilled at quickly adapting to ensure that kids are always fed.

One additional note for families with students who have allergies: please remind your child to be sure to check with the cafeteria manager regarding product substitutions that may not be reflected in the menu posted. We will make every attempt to update Nutrislice in real-time, but out of an abundance of caution, please do not solely rely on the digital nutrition panels to accommodate allergies or medical conditions.

FRSD families,

It has become clear in the last 72 hours, that COVID-19 is running wild in our community.  Most of the cases are a result of students being close contacts OUTSIDE of school, and being forced to quarantine, OR catching COVID-19 from off-campus events or family members, and testing positive a few days later, with or without symptoms, thus requiring isolation for the individual, and contact tracing by the school.

The process of identification, contact tracing, informing families, and working with those in quarantine to provide educational services  has quickly become taxing to our system.  Keeping up with the information, subsequent contract tracing and informing of parents is a critical step to reduce the spread but is very time consuming as well. The district is committed to providing proactive and transparent communication to staff and families regarding this topic.  In the days ahead, we are committed to:

• SAFETY PROTOCOLS: Continuing to implement and enforce all of our current campus safety protocols including (but not limited to): screening, cleaning, mask wearing, ventilation upgrades, hand washing, social distancing and use of cohorts where possible.
• CLOSE CONTACT NOTIFICATION:  ANYONE that we have identified to be a close contact through contact tracing while the positive person was on campus will be personally contacted. All people identified as close contacts will be contacted directly with a phone call, notified of the exposure, and provided information about appropriate measures that need to be taken.  Typically, all close contacts are identified and notified within 1-2 days of first learning of the case.  Certain circumstances such as complex contact tracing may take longer.
• NOTIFICATION OF THOSE “NOT” A CLOSE CONTACT:  Any day that the school is notified of a positive case on campus, all families in the building will be notified via a website post that same day, or first thing the next day depending on timing.  In addition, there will be a phone dialer to all families, when the positive case was on campus in the last 24-48 hours.  The message will be, that at this time we are conducting contact tracing, and that any one identified as a close contact will be notified.  The phone dialer will NOT be utilized in examples where we are notified of a positive case, and the student has not been on campus for over 48 hours from the time we were notified they were positive.

The best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 include being vaccinated when eligible, wearing face masks, keeping physical distance from others, staying home when ill, and practicing other good health hygiene habits.  Thank you for helping to protect  your family and school community by following public health officials safety guidance.