Important Dates!

Registration:

• Tuesday: August 19th 7am-7 pm
• Wednesday: August 20th 7:30-3:30
• Thursday: August 21st 7:30-noon

September 2nd: First day of school for 6th grade only!

September 3rd: First day of school for 7th and 8th grade only!

September 4th: All students come to school!

On both September 2nd and 3rd, parents/guardians are welcome to come to school with your child.  We will have a welcome assembly for all the students and then coffee chat and cookie with the parents.  This is a great time to meet and visit with other parents.  The principal and some teachers will be there to answer any questions or concerns you have starting the school year.

Monday: Disney Day

Tuesday: Girls wear Blue/Green and Boys wear Pink/Purple

Wednesday: Backwards Day

Thursday: Ducks vs. Beavers

Friday: 6th graders wear blue, 7th graders wear black, and 8th graders wear purple and gold (Go Falcons).

Today (Thursday): 8th grade fly-up, tonight @ 6:30 in the EHS theater.  This informational meeting for incoming 9th graders will last no longer than an hour, and it is a great opportunity for families to start to prepare for High School.

Thursday June 5th: 6-7 pm is FRMS Parent and 8th Grade Promotion Meeting.  8th Grade parents, if you cannot make it and want to help with any part of promotion or the field trip to the Veneta pool, please contact Mr. Barsotti.

Thursday June 5th: 6:30-8 is Gold Card Night

Monday June 9: 5th Grade Fly Up Invite

This is the last day to vote please remember to turn in your ballot today by 5:00.  Remember there is a school bond on the ballot:  Measure 20-220.

Measure 20-220 would replace Elmira Elementary School, renovate other school facilities, and improve technology and safety throughout the District.  If approved by voters, the measure is projected to result in no increase to the school bond tax rate that property owners currently pay.   Measure 20-220 is a replacement bond for an expiring school bond.

Please remember to vote!

The week of May 5th-9th is Teacher Appreciation Week.  Thank you to all of the teachers here at FRMS who do a great job everyday and often times go above and beyond to provide extended opportunities for our students.  You are much appreciated.  Parents, if you have a particular teacher you would like to thank, shoot them an email or note sometime and let them know.  Recognizing their efforts means a lot.

Want to see Elmira Elementary School up close and see why the district put a bond measure (Measure 20-220) on the ballot? Come tour our school on Wednesday May 7, 2014, from 6-7:00. A representative from DLR, the architectural design group will be here as well as PTA members and the school’s principal, Jackie Turle. Interestingly, this design group, DLR, believes a 21^st century school fully integrates curriculum with technology. The outcome is passionate, self-learners who use problem-solving skills to transform schools into a collaborative working environment.    This group is working with the district’s Facilities Planning Committee to develop our long range facility’s plan. Please join us for an informative evening.

Fern Ridge School District Bond Measure 20-220

The Fern Ridge School District is seeking a $26.67 million facilities bond in the May 20, 2014 primary election to replace Elmira Elementary School, renovate other school facilities, and improve technology and safety throughout the District.  If approved by voters, Measure 20-220 would replace the 1997 levy that is expiring soon, and is projected to result in no increase to the school bond tax rate that property owners currently pay.

Measure 20-220 is based on recommendations from the District’s community-led Long Range Facilities Planning Committee.  Major components of Measure 20-220 are:

•  Replace most of Elmira Elementary on same site, with construction steps that allow students to remain on site.

• Expand and renovate Veneta Elementary to allow supervision from front office, an enclosed library, additional classrooms, a cafeteria and kitchen, and to move bus traffic out of main parking lot.

•  Renovations at Fern Ridge Middle School to library, office, and associated spaces for safety, acoustics, and student learning.

•  Expand and renovate Elmira High School to include a second gymnasium and meet Title IX criteria.

•  Address student safety and security, including seismic work, at all sites.

•  Acquire technology to support classroom instruction and technology infrastructure.

•  Improve, repair, and develop facilities and sites to preserve remaining assets and systems and plan for growth.

We are having a promotion planning meeting May 12th at 7pm. Also, Elmira High School is having a Freshman “Fly-Up Night” on May 29th.  Please see the for fly.up.letter more information.

Congratulations to Ms. Brown for earning the 2013-2014 Fern Ridge School District Educational Excellence – Distinguished Teacher award. The staff and students at Fern Ridge Middle School are “Down with Ms. Brown!”

The 3rd quarter report cards and newsletters were sent home on Monday.  One error on the newsletter is that the April 11th dance starts at 6pm, NOT 7pm.

April 2014 Newsletter.

House Bill 2220 requires Oregon schools to report how a student is doing on state standards once a year.  The middle school’s plan is to report it four times a year on each report card.  The report card included with this newsletter is our first effort to comply with this requirement.  When you look at your child’s competency report it will list a variety of standards.  Only the standards that were assessed 3^rd term will have a mark of competence.  Some standards will not show a mark because they were not assessed 3^rd term.  Unfortunately at this time, we are unable to report on the Social Studies standards.  Contact your student’s Humanities teacher with any Social Studies concerns. Please use the report card example to help read the new report card. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the school. You can enlarge the picture by clicking on it.