Rick Gardner
It is with great regret that I share with you that an EHS student died on Thursday. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the student’s family, friends and our entire community. We cannot share further details at this time. We ask that community members not speculate on the circumstances at this time and encourage everyone to focus on caring for themselves and one another. As we develop our district wide response, we will share further information with you.
All students were given the news of the student’s death by staff this morning.
Given that this death occurs on the heels of another student death, we encourage all Fern Ridge community members to check in with one another and their children to discuss how their feeling, how they’ve been impacted by these deaths and talk about suicide. Children who are already vulnerable may be at greater risk of suicide due to the exposure of the suicide or sudden death of a peer so it is especially important that you check-in with your child.
Heavy feelings of anger or sadness are normal during tragic events. These conditions are treatable. It’s really important if you or your child are not feeling well in any way to reach out for help.
Members of our Crisis Response Team and staff from neighboring districts are available to meet with students individually and in groups today as well as over the coming days and weeks. Please contact the school office if you feel your child is in need of additional assistance. If you or your child needs help right away, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), call 911, or take your child to the nearest emergency department.
Information about the funeral service will be made available as soon as we have it. If your child wishes to attend, we strongly encourage you to accompany them to the service. If the funeral is scheduled during school hours, students who wish to attend will need parental permission to attend.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me or one of the school counselors.
District Office 541-935-2253
Elmira High School 541-935-8200
Fern Ridge Middle School 541-935-8230
Elmira Elementary School 541-935-8214
Veneta Elementary School 541-935-8225
Sincerely,
Rick Gardner
We are excited for the return of basketball and wrestling to Elmira High School this winter. Our goal is to provide our student athletes and fans with a positive experience throughout the season. Part of that experience includes continuing to follow the health and safety rules around masking and social distancing due to Covid-19. The indoor mask mandate will be enforced for all spectators at basketball games and wrestling matches. If you have any questions about the requirements please refer the links below for more information.
Elmira High School is pleased to announce that we will be participating in the City of Veneta Light Parade on Thursday, December 9th. This will take the place of the Homecoming Parade that we were unable to have in October due to high Covid-19 rates in the community. In addition, we will have The Snowcoming Dance on Friday, December 17th from 9:00-11:30 PM. We are excited to offer these fun activities for our students.
In late October and early November Elmira High School students held a clothing drive to support the GoTo Truck that helps provide clothing and supplies for the homeless in our region. This drive was organized by the EHS Interact Club and provided over 600 donated items. KEZI News was here yesterday to do a feature about our students and their efforts. Please checkout the link below to hear more about this great event.
The annual S.A.N.T.A. Toy Giveaway is Saturday, December 11th from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM at Veneta Elementary School. Please refer to the attached flyer for more details.
Winter sports begins on Monday, November 15th. Registration for winter sports will open on Monday, November 1st in Family ID. Please contact the front office if you have any questions.
Our journalism class has been hard at work creating a student-led on-line newspaper this year. The newspaper features stories about staff, students, athletics and activities. Please check out Falcon News at Falcon News Link
Dear Families,
Recently, we learned that a student on campus has tested positive for COVID-19. As members of the school community, we understand that this might raise concerns alongside a caring response.
At this time, we are conducting contact tracing (if they have been on campus during the infectious period) which includes but is not limited to: reviewing cohort logs, interviewing staff, and checking cameras.
If contact tracing determines that your child is a close contact and needs to be quarantined, you will be personally contacted by school staff within 24-48 hours of the school being notified.
While it is our goal to keep students in school, please be vigilant in regards to watching for primary COVID symptoms. Primary symptoms include: fever of 100.4 or higher, cough, congestion, chills, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or loss of smell.
We will keep you updated with any new information as it comes out, while meeting the requirements to honor everyone’s right to privacy.
If you have any questions, please contact the school principal or Nurse Elliott, our district nurse, at selliott@fernridge.k12.or.us.
FALL REMINDER
Dear FRSD families,
As we are now spending more of our time indoors we would like to remind you that it is still important to take precautions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The district is working non-stop to keep kids in school and we need your help! Following are some important steps that you can continue to take to help keep your child in school for in-person learning.
- Proper mask wearing when you will be within 6 feet of people you don’t live with
- Wash hand or use hand sanitizer frequently
- Keep sick kids home
- Limit contact in social indoor settings such as sports, sleepovers, birthday parties and fall gatherings. Ask if anyone your child will be socializing with has had any recent illnesses
- If your child is in out on Quarantine please limit the number of other people they have contact with to limit the spread of illness
Thank you all for your hard work as we continue to navigate this challenging time. You have all done a great job!
Dear Families,
Recently, we learned that a student on campus has tested positive for COVID-19. As members of the school community, we understand that this might raise concerns alongside a caring response.
At this time, we are conducting contact tracing (if they have been on campus during the infectious period) which includes but is not limited to: reviewing cohort logs, interviewing staff, and checking cameras.
If contact tracing determines that your child is a close contact and needs to be quarantined, you will be personally contacted by school staff within 24-48 hours of the school being notified.
While it is our goal to keep students in school, please be vigilant in regards to watching for primary COVID symptoms. Primary symptoms include: fever of 100.4 or higher, cough, congestion, chills, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or loss of smell.
We will keep you updated with any new information as it comes out, while meeting the requirements to honor everyone’s right to privacy.
If you have any questions, please contact the school principal or Nurse Elliott, our district nurse, at selliott@fernridge.k12.or.us.
