Gary Carpenter
The next principal of Elmira High School will be Mr. Rick Gardner! Please join the EHS staff and students in welcoming Mr. Gardner who will take over beginning in the 18-19 School year.
On July 1, 2018 Mr. Gardner will bring his 22 years of educational experience to EHS. He comes to us after having most recently worked at Marist High School in Eugene, Oregon. The last 3 years he has served as the Director of Athletics and Facilities, and the 7 years prior to that as an Assistant Principal. Prior to arriving at Marist, Mr. Gardner worked in the Mckenzie School District as both a teacher and the High School Principal.
Over the past several weeks a committee of 10 have screened applicants, interviewed candidates and conducted reference checks. Finally, our committee organized and participated in a “community forum” with two outstanding finalists, to help us make this important decision. It is without question I can say that we had multiple qualified candidates who would have done an outstanding job for us. Having said that, Rick stood out to the committee as someone that is a great fit for our community. While we know Mr. Gardner will appreciate the great things we have at Elmira, it will be his charge to assist EHS in reaching new heights in the years to come. I know he welcomes the challenge.
Again, join me in welcoming Rick, his wife, and his and three daughters to the Fern Ridge School District! Congratulations!
Gary Carpenter, Principal EHS, Superintendent/FRSD
All EHS Teachers will be available for conferences this Thursday night from 4-8 PM in the EHS Cafeteria. Hope to see many of you there!
The Region 3 North Tournament will be held tomorrow, Saturday the 24th, at EHS! Good luck to our OBOB Team as they compete against teams from Creswell, Cottage Grove, Thurston and Churchill. The opening assembly begins at 9:30 in the theater, and the first competitions take place at 9:50.
The Elmira H.S. Athletic Hall of Fame is here! Nominations for the 2nd class are now being accepted. The nomination deadline for the class that will be inducted in Feb., of 2019 is November 1st, 2018. Nominations are accepted in four categories: Athletes, Coaches, Teams and “others.” Please read the Committee’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) document below for criteria and guidelines, as there are timelines and guidelines regarding who can be nominated, and when. Go Falcons! For more information you can contact the school at 541-935-8200, or one of the 7 committee members:
Gary Carpenter, Principal, Elmira High School. Brian Brands, Assistant Principal/Athletic Director, EHS. Sarah Schilling, Teacher/Dean of Students, EHS. Julie Bothel, EHS Booster Club President. Alan Jeffers, Andrea Brown and Gary Horkey, community members.
All of the application materials can be found at: http://www.fernridge.k12.or.us/elmirahs/?page_id=1879
Just a reminder that you and your student are invited to attend a special event being held for Juniors to begin the planning process for their senior year and post-secondary goals. Junior Night will be on Wednesday, February 7th at 6:00 p.m. in the EHS Theater. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.
Information presented will include admissions requirements for four-year colleges and universities, community college, and career technical schools, as well as information on scholarship searches and financial aid. We will end the night with some general senior year information shared by Mr. Carpenter.
This year, incoming seniors and families will be able to file a 2019–2020 FAFSA as early as Oct. 1, 2018. Additionally, the state is in its third year of offering the Oregon Promise program—offering new high school graduates an opportunity to have some or all of their community college tuition covered. Attending this event will help to clarify these opportunities and help you and your student sort out how they might impact you in the upcoming year.
I strongly encourage both you and your student to attend this information night. There will be a lot to accomplish between now and June, 2019!
See you on February 7th!”
Junior Night is this Wednesday @ 6pm in the theater. This night is for all current EHS Juniors and/or their parents. Don’t miss out on important senior year and post-secondary information! See Ms. Brittany in the counseling center if you have questions.
Our very own Elle Russell has won a trip to Washington DC this June and will represent Blachly Lane at National Youth Day. Earlier this month Elle submitted a lengthy application with essay questions including what she would do if she were president. There were several applicants, she was one of only three candidates who were selected for an interview. Last week she was chosen as the only student from our area to represent Blachly Lane in DC this June. She will meet and tour with a group of about 2, 000 students from all over the United States. While in Washington DC Elle will visit with representatives and senators and explore monuments and sights around the nation’s capital. Congratulations Elle!!
Winter Formal is this Saturday night from 7:30 to 10:00 PM in the EHS Cafeteria. Tickets MUST be purchased in advance. No tickets sold at the door. See flyer for all the info.
With the 2017-18 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 two 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), included with this letter is a form that allows you to opt your child out of testing for the 2017-18 school year. The form is also posted online on our district website. Should you wish to opt your child out, please submit the form to your child’s school’s main office. You can read more about your rights to opt-out here: http://tinyurl.com/OR-HB2655.
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.