Olivia Johnson
November 15, 2022
Fern Ridge Middle School Families,
As health officials have predicted it’s shaping up to be a nasty flu season.
Fern Ridge Middle School is very close to meeting the requirements for an “Influenza Outbreak” as defined by Lane County Public Health. As of today (11-15-22) Fern Ridge Middle School has 28% of its enrolled students and several staff members that are out due to flu-like illness.
We are actively working on mitigation measures, tracking illnesses, and parent communication to try to slow this outbreak. The schools are increasing their cleaning procedures and diligently screening students for symptoms. We do not expect any school closures related to illnesses.
There are other cases of influenza within the other Fern Ridge School District schools and it is reasonable to predict those schools will soon have increased cases. Please know there are other school districts that are also experiencing high volumes of influenza cases.
What you can do to help?
- Please do not send your child to school if they have had a fever within 24 hours.
- Please remind your child to practice germ control measures
- Wash hands or use hand sanitizer often
- Do not touch your face
- Cover coughs
- Consider wearing a mask if you or someone around you doesn’t feel well
- If you do want to have your child tested for flu/rsv/covid, please try to do so through your primary care provider as urgent care and emergency departments are currently overwhelmed. (Orchid health does not do flu testing but they do have the flu vaccine).
**Please know that in addition to this increase in flu cases the state of Oregon has recently declared a state of emergency due to a significant increase in RSV cases among children. RSV is spread the same way influenza is spread. RSV can be very dangerous for small children, even leading to hospitalization.
Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions,
Nurse Elliott
Fern Ridge District Nurse, selliott@fernridge.k12.or.us
Coming next week- FRMS Student Leadership will be holding a Teens and Tweens Gift Drive to help support the S.A.N.T.A. Project. The S.A.N.T.A. Project is a community project that provides toys and gifts to families in need in the Fern Ridge area. There is no income requirement, all that is needed is proof
of residency and proof of each child’s age. To help support this great cause, FRMS Leadership students will be collecting items aimed at teens and tweens or students between the ages of 11 and 17. This can be journals, blankets, lotions, electronics, puzzles, toys, or sports equipment. Anything that a teen or tween would be thrilled to get for the holiday. Students just need to bring in their unwrapped gift and put it in one of the tubs in the office.
The drive will start November 21st and end December 5th. Please add the FRMS Teens and Tweens Gift Drive to your holiday shopping list. Thank you!!!
Fern Ridge Middle School wants to congratulate two rising stars: Ian Larsen and Naomi Pew. This Fall both Naomi and Ian tried out for the All State Middle School Choir and were accepted. Ian was accepted into the All State Middle School Tenor/Bass Choir and Naomi into the All State Middle School Treble Choir. The All State Middle School Choir is sponsored by the Oregon Music Educator’s Association. To be accepted, students had to submit recordings of themselves singing the scales and My Country Tis of Thee.
Both Ian and Naomi have been singing all of their lives, although they both just joined the Fern Ridge Middle School Choir last year. Ian likes to sing when he is alone and admits to being nervous when it comes to singing in front of others. He likes choir because singing in a group makes him less nervous when performing. Naomi says she has been singing all her life and was excited to join choir last year. Both Ian and Naomi are members of the Fern Ridge Middle School Advanced Choir.
As members of the All State Choir, Naomi and Ian will join middle schoolers from around the state in a performance this January in Eugene. They will be performing at the First Methodist Church in Eugene on Friday, January 14th. Ian will sing with the Tenor/Base Choir at 7 PM and Naomi will sing with the Treble Choir at 8 PM.
We are very proud of both Naomi and Ian and excited that they will have this opportunity to shine.
FRMS 6th and 8th grade students will participate in the Student Health Survey (SHS), a survey sponsored by the Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division and the Oregon Department of Education. The survey will gather information about health risk behaviors of students in grades 6, 8 and 11.
Sixth Grade students will take the survey on 11/7/22 and 8th Grade Students will take the survey on 11/8/22. Both grades will take it during their Language Arts class.
The survey will include questions about:
- Student health and safety
- Student mental and behavioral health
- School climate and culture
Survey procedures have been designed to protect your child’s privacy and allow for anonymous participation. If your child is not comfortable answering a question, he or she can leave it blank. While we encourage all students to participate, the decision to participate is voluntary. You may opt to send a refusal for your child’s participation.
Below is the link to the Opt Out form if you do not want your child to participate in this survey. Please return the completed form to the school office by Thursday, November 3rd. Your child or you can also pick up an Opt Out form from the office if you don’t have access to a printer.
We have also included a link to a Student Health Survey Fact Sheet if you want more information.
You can review the survey document at the school office before the survey date. The survey is also available online:
6th Grade Student Health Survey (English)
8th Grade Student Health Survey (English)
And for more information about the Student Health Survey, click on this link to the Student Health Survey website: healthoregon.org/shs
If you have other specific questions about the survey, please feel free to call Olivia Johnson, FRMS Principal at 541-935-8230.
Opt Out Form with Student Health Survey Fact Sheet (English)
Opt Out Form with Student Health Survey Fact Sheet (Spanish)
We want to celebrate the work of future graphic novel and comic book artist Jack Reid. Jack is a 6th grade student at FRMS. He has been drawing his own comics since he was in 2nd grade.
He is currently working on a set of comic books inspired by some of his favorite books, the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey. Jack has created his own character, Captain Bacon Pants and plans to feature him in a series of 12 comic books. Each comic book features Captain Bacon Pants fighting crime against criminals like The Talking Toast. Jack writes and
illustrates each comic book, including breaking the story down into panels. Jack says he creates the story in his head, maps how many panels he needs, and then draws and fills in each panel. When he grows up, Jack wants to write graphic novels and create TV shows.
When the 12 book series is complete, they will be available for students to read in the FRMS library.
Keep up the creativity and the hard work Jack. We look forward to seeing all that you will achieve.
To see a sample of Jack’s work, click below:
FRMS Student Leadership is holding a fundraiser next week. They are inviting students and families to help “Fill the Cauldron” by donating spare change. Funds raised go towards supporting student leadership as they plan and hold student body activities throughout the school year, including a Glow Dance! Come and fill our cauldrons with any of your spare cash or change. Help Student Leadership by bringing your spare change October 24th thru October 28th from 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM or 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM. This is a drive up fundraiser- volunteers will be outside with cauldrons. You don’t even have to get out of your car!
Click on the link below for an information flyer:
It’s that time of the year where we need to remind students and families of our guidelines around Halloween costumes. Halloween is Monday, October 31st which is a school day. Students may wear a costume to school as long as they follow these guidelines:
- If students are going to wear a costume, they must wear it to school. Except for P.E., students will not be permitted to change at school. Students must be able to wear their costume throughout the school day.
- No masks or full face painting will be allowed.
- Costumes must not be too scary or inappropriate for the school environment. Please no gory or grotesque costumes.
- Absolutely no props are allowed. (no swords, weapons, wands, etc.)
- The school is not responsible for costumes that are torn or damaged while at school.
- Students must wear shoes that are appropriate for school and that are appropriate for P.E.
- Students who come to school wearing something inappropriate, will have to call home for new clothing or remain in the office.
- Dress code standards still apply, even on Halloween. Costumes that are too revealing or that promote drugs or alcohol will result in students calling home for a change of clothes.
- Costumes should not interfere with the ability of students to attend classes, sit at desks, get their lunches, etc.
Just a reminder to FRMS families that we have parent conferences tonight (10-13-22) from 4 PM to 8 PM. They will be “Arena” style and no appointment is needed. We will also have copies of your child’s progress reports to hand out.
In addition, we will be selling School Spirit T-Shirts for $10 each tonight. Profits from the T-Shirts go towards supporting activities for our student body including dances, student store, promotion, and more.
Schoology Help Desk!!!- Tonight during parent conferences we will have staff on hand to help answer your Schoology questions- whether its how to log in, what your code is, how to access your student’s information, etc… Stop by the Schoology Help Desk during parent conferences for the answers to your questions about this important program. If you have never accessed Schoology, make a point of stopping by and picking up the information on how to do so. Schoology can give you access to your child’s grades, missing work, attendance, etc.
If you miss conferences tonight, teachers will be available for conferences tomorrow morning from 8 AM to Noon. You are also welcome to contact teachers directly anytime you have a question or concern. Click on the link below for a list of extensions and emails.
FRMS Students will be taking part in vision and dental screenings on Tuesday, October 18th. Members of the Lions Club will be conducting vision screenings and qualified staff from Lane County Health will be doing the dental screenings. The screenings will take just a few minutes and families will be notified if the results of either screening indicate a need for follow up care. Neither screening is invasive- a quick eye check/exam for the vision screening and a quick look at the mouth/teeth for the dental screening.
Families who want to opt their child out of one or both screenings should fill out the Opt Out form (linked below) and return it to the office.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the school office.
While it seems like school just started, we are already planning for parent conferences on Thursday, October 13th and Friday, October 14th.
For families new to FRMS, this post explains what conferences look like at the middle school level.
Thursday, October 13th 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Arena Style. Arena style means no appointment needed. All teachers will be in the gym. Families will first pick up their Mid Term Progress Reports. They will then get in line for the teachers they want to see. Families may need to wait in line to see some teachers. We will have chairs out for families to sit in while they wait. We ask that families be courteous and give the family having their conference privacy by keeping a distance from the front of the line to where the teacher will be.
Friday, October 14th 8:00 AM to Noon. These are the more traditional by appointment conferences. Teachers will be available in their classrooms. Families can contact the teachers directly to set up an appointment or make an appointment through Shelby or Casey in the office.
As a reminder, there will be no school on Friday, October 14th due to parent conferences. However there will be school on Thursday, October 13th.